Hazel Scott: A Woman, a Piano, and a Commitment to Justice

Hazel Scott was a champion for civil and women’s rights. Born in Trinidad in 1920, she moved with her family to the United States in 1924. She was a musical wonder–studying and performing on the piano from the time she was a child. She became an accomplished singer as well, and appeared in Broadway musicals, films, and recorded her own albums. She also made headlines by standing up for the rights of women and African Americans, and she refused to play for segregated audiences. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March on Washington, Hazel led a march in Paris, where she was living, in front of the American Embassy. She learned about the Baha'i Faith from Dizzy Gillespie and became a Baha'i on December 1, 1968. She passed away in 1981. We invite you to learn more about this Change Maker and the enduring impact she had on race relations through her performing arts.