Ethel Waters broke barriers as a jazz and blues singer, performer, and actress. #BlackHistoryMonth | IMDb

A tale of two Ethels ❤️ The mesmerizing Ethel Waters was a hugely successful performer in the 1920s and 1930s who began on the vaudeville circuit and then moved to Harlem, appearing on Broadway and in films. But what was her life like off the stage? Waters is one of the many queer creative figures featured in The Gay Harlem Renaissance, on view at The New York Historical through March 8. | The New York Historical

🌹✨ Happy Heavenly 128th Birthday to Ethel Waters ✨🌹 Today we celebrate the extraordinary legacy of Ethel Waters (1896–1977) — a woman whose voice broke barriers, whose courage defied expectations, and whose art changed the sound of America forever. 🎶 Born into hardship in Chester, Pennsylvania, Ethel rose to become one of the first Black women to conquer Broadway, radio, film, and television. She gave the world timeless songs like “Stormy Weather,” “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” and “Am I Blue?

Ethel Waters performs the Oscar-nominated "Happiness is a Thing Called Joe" in Vincente Minnelli's CABIN IN THE SKY ('43). #BlackHistoryMonth #31DaysOfOscar | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

Ethel Waters received her sole Oscar nomination for her role in PINKY ('49). The film was Twentieth Century Fox's top-grossing film of 1949. #31DaysOfOscar #BlackHistoryMonth | Turner Classic Movies: TCM