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Val Gray Ward

Val Gray Ward is an activist, actress, producer, director and lecturer who has contributed to the cultural lives of Chicago and America.

Val Gray Ward

Val Gray Ward

Val Gray Ward is an activist, actress, producer, director and lecturer who has contributed to the cultural lives of Chicago and America.

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New York, NY, USA
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Categories Categories:
Actors, Arts & Humanities, Entertainment, Producers and Directors
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Val Gray Ward Biography

Val Gray Ward, actress, producer, cultural activist and internationally known theater personality, was born on August 21, 1932, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, America's oldest all-black town. As the daughter of a successful minister, Ward showed an early interest in performance. She eagerly read poems and did readings for her father's congregation and won various oratorical competitions in school. Above all, she was keenly interested in African American literature.

After graduating from Mound Bayou High School in 1950, Ward dreamed of going to college. Instead, she moved to Chicago in 1951, got married and became a mother to five children. When the marriage failed, Ward went back to school and became active in Chicago's African American cultural activities. She was a regular at the South Side Community Arts Center and the DuSable Museum of African American History as she developed friendships with Margaret Burroughs, Gwendolyn Brooks, Haki R. Madhubuti and Abena Joan Brown.

In 1965, Gray met and married journalist Francis Ward as she continued to make a name for herself as an actress, television host and cultural consultant. Ward was recognized as part of Chicago's activist Black Arts Movement. In this context, she founded the nonprofit Kuumba Theatre in 1968 and was dedicated to the revitalization of the black community through the arts.

With Kuumba, Ward has produced and directed such plays as The Amen Corner by James Baldwin, Welcome To Black River by Samm Art Williams, and Five On The Black Hand Side by Charles Fuller. Touring has also been important. Ward took the cast and crew of Useni Eugene Perkins' play, The Image Makers to Lagos, Nigeria, as part of the FESTAC '77, an international African arts festival. Ward brought Kuumba's musical production, The Little Dreamer: The Life of Bessie Smith to Japan in 1981 and produced Buddy Butler's In The House of The Blues in Montreal. Ward and the company received Emmy Awards for the PBS television production of Precious Memories: Strolling 47th Street in 1988.

When she is not producing, Ward performs one-woman shows in the United States and abroad. Performances include Harriet Tubman by Francis Ward, Sister Sonji by Sonia Sanchez and I Am A Black Woman, which includes the poetry of Mari Evans.

Over the years, Ward has provided opportunities in the arts for hundreds of inner-city youth and adults. All five of her children have been active in theater. Ward currently lives in Syracuse, New York.

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  • How do I book Val Gray Ward to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Val Gray Ward for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Val Gray Ward, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Val Gray Ward or any other speaker of your choice.

  • What are the speaker fees for Val Gray Ward

    Speaking fees for Val Gray Ward, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Val Gray Ward are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Val Gray Ward, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Val Gray Ward speak about?

    Val Gray Ward is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Actors, Arts & Humanities, Entertainment, Producers and Directors.

  • Where does Val Gray Ward travel from?

    Val Gray Ward generally travels from New York, NY, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is Val Gray Ward’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Val Gray Ward for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Val Gray Ward for your next private or corporate function.

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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Val Gray Ward or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Val Gray Ward is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Val Gray Ward for your event is available upon request. Val Gray Ward generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Celeste, Sofia Wylie, Courtney Dietz, Mati Diop and dream hampton. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Val Gray Ward for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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