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Award-winning author ReShonda Tate will introduce jazz musician, film star and civil rights activist Hazel Scott and her tumultuous journey to reclaim her dreams during an author event about her new novel “With Love from Harlem,” Thursday, Feb. 26, from 6–7 p.m. at The Story Peddler.
Scott’s controversial advocacy against racial discrimination and her high-profile romance with Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. take center stage in “With Love from Harlem.” Tate, a Black former journalist, resurrects Scott’s narrative to empower the voices of Black women and to highlight “the price of being unforgettable” through her historical fiction novel recently released on Jan. 27.
“[The book] is set against the vibrant backdrop of 1940s and 50s Harlem and explores the intersection of fame, civil rights activism and the personal sacrifices made behind the scenes of a power couple,” Tate said. “…My focus on this book was on Hazel Scott — not on Hazel Scott, the wife. It was on Hazel Scott, the disruptor.”
Scott (1920-1981) burst into the music scene as a jazz singer in the 1930s. She refused to perform in segregated venues and shunned stereotypical acting roles. Scott became one of the first Black women to be cast in respectable Hollywood roles and the first Black person to host their own television show in America. In 1950 during the Red Scare, Scott fled the country for a decade to evade political fallout after she boldly testified against McCarthyism to the House Un-American Activities Committee before Congress. Tate described how Scott’s selflessness captured her attention and inspired her.
“She’s trying desperately to change the way America as a whole sees Black women, and so I had a fondness and affinity for her fight because she didn’t have to do that,” Tate said. “She was already making money. She was already at the top of her game. But, she said, ‘I’m in a position to help change the world through my art, and I’m going to do that.’” In the early 40s, Scott and the married, Baptist minister and future Congressman Adam Clayton Powel l Jr. became entangled in a scandalous romance that propelled them into the center of a political and cultural revolution. “With Love from Harlem” explores the sacrifice, ego and ambition that characterized Scott’s love life, especially as a woman.
“So many women, when they get into motherhood and marriage, they put their own dreams on the back burner. Hazel actually did that, and it cost her,” Tate said. “…She allowed her star to dim so that his could shine. We see that so often and what happens is women end up losing themselves in doing do. And so, I like showing Hazel’s story, the power of reclaiming her own power.”
The dramatic novel sets its scene in the “pulsing backdrop” of Harlem, New York. Tate considered the neighborhood to be its own character and called it “a place of refuge and intense scrutiny” that reflects Scott’s career and romance.
“When Hazel moves from the pulpit of the church to a late-night jazz club, she’s navigating the two pillars of the area: faith and freedom,” Tate said. “To me, Harlem is the epicenter, but that story is told across the world.”
Tate touched on how the themes in Scott’s story in “With Love from Harlem” are echoed in modern day. She called Scott’s actions an example of celebrity activism despite “when it cost her everything.” Tate encouraged for people to learn and not take for granted “the price that was paid” for their current rights. In summary, Tate hopes people will gain perspective.
“I hope that readers walk away with a deep respect for Hazel’s resilience,” Tate said. “Beyond the glamorous facade, she had to choose between her music and her family. People should not just see her as a legend, but as a daughter, a friend, a wife and a mother who paved the way for those who followed.”
