2018 Black History Month Edition

Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Programs Celebrates Black History
Elizabeth T. Greenfield
1871 - 1876
Born in or around the second decade of the 1800s in Natchez,
Mississippi, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield established a career
as an acclaimed vocalist, touring the United States and
Great Britain, where she gave a Buckingham Palace
concert for Queen Victoria. Known as the "Black Swan,"
Greenfield continued performing into the 1860s and also
worked as a teacher. She died in in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on March 31, 1876.
Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield had a passion for song, becoming a
church vocalist and learning how to play instruments like the
harp and piano on her own. She was only able to
receive limited musical training due to racist
ideology but was nonetheless able to develop a
stunning voice, with an apparently multioctave
range and the ability to sing
soprano, tenor and bass. It is believed
Greenfield began performing for private
events by the 1840s.
Greenfield died on March 31, 1876, in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Years later,
Black Swan Records—the record label
home of figures like Fletcher
Henderson, Ethel Waters, R.
Nathaniel Dett and Trixie Smith—
was named in the historical singer's
honor.
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