SLCL’s Black History Celebration Hosts Jennifer Jones - First African American Rockette

St. Louis County Library’s 2025 Black History Celebration is pleased to host Jennifer Jones, author of “Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from America’s First African American Rockette.”

The event will take place on Friday, February 21, 7:00 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131. Books will be available for purchase and signing from EyeSeeMe.

Renowned dancer Jennifer Jones charts her journey to one of the world's most celebrated dance troupes in this gripping memoir that, for the first time, goes behind the velvet curtains at Radio City's legendary holiday show.

The Radio City Rockettes are as American as baseball, hot dogs, and the Fourth of July. Their synchronized leg kicks, precise lines, and megawatt smiles have charmed audiences for a century. But there is a hidden side to this illustrious national institution. When the Rockettes began in 1925, Black people were not allowed to dance on stage with white people. However, during the Civil Rights Movement, dance history changed significantly when Black and white dancers were permitted to perform together, marking a moment of progress and inclusivity in the world of dance and entertainment. Even so, as late as the early 1980s, Rockette director Violet Holmes said having “one or two Black girls in the line would definitely distract.”

In 1987 the 63-year color barrier at Radio City was finally broken by one brave and tenacious woman. When she arrived, Jennifer Jones was met with pushback—a fierce resistance she details in this intimate and inspiring memoir. 

“Becoming Spectacular” allows us to walk in Jones’ tap shoes—beautiful and glittering, yet painful and binding. Bringing into focus the wounded life of a trailblazer, this searing memoir is also a triumphant celebration of a spirit who refused to be counted out.

JENNIFER JONES is a Tony Award–winning dancer and activist known for becoming the first African American Rockette. Since 1987, she has advocated for equal rights in the arts, and her work has been celebrated by the Harlem School of the Arts, Radio City Music Hall, and Madison Square Garden.

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.