Woodie King, Jr. (1937-2026) was a pioneering director, producer, writer, and institution-builder whose work permanently created a safe place of Black artists in American theatre. To me, he was my friend, mentor, and surrogate father.
While Dr. King maintained very public friendships with artists like Belafonte and Sidney Poitier, it could be argued that his less visible relationships with more progressive artists like Langston Hughes were equally as impactful.
