Happy birthday to Ntozake Shange. She was born on October 18th, 1948 as Paulette L. Williams. Today is her 70th birthday. Shange is best known for the Obie Award-winning play "For colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf". She has also written several novels including Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, Liliane, and Betsey Brown, a novel about an African-American girl who runs away from home. Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace Reader's Diggest Fund, and a Pushcart Prize. In April 2016, Barnard College announced that it acquired Shange's archive. Phylicia Rashad played Gilda in the movie version of Mrs Shange's play, "For Colored girls" (directed by Tyler Perry). #FUNFACT Phylicia Rashad narrated two of her poems #corettascott and Ellington was not a street. Picture from opening night of Head of passes in 2016 at the @publictheaterny. #happybirthday #birthday #bornday #birthdaygirl #ntozakeshange #forcoloredgirls #poetry #poem #poet #writer #director #dancer #playWright #forcoloredgirlswhoconsideredsuicidewhentherainbowwasenuf #civilrights #activist #blackartists #phyliciarashad #headofpasses #openingnight #guggenheimfoundation #obbieawards #barnardcollege #universityofsoutherncalifornia #70thbirthday #tbt #throwbackthursday #throwback https://www.instagram.com/p/BpFG9qVl516/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=rd1rjv6mms7o