John Andrew Ross (Finding Aid)

John Andrew Ross

1940 - 2006

Favorite Food: Anything except lobster

Favorite Time of Year: Christmas

Interview Length: 140 minutes

Interview Date(s): April 21, 2005

Interview Location(s): Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Abstract

John Ross discusses food and his penchant for cooking and fine dining. He then talks about his mother's family history and its deep roots in the Boston area. He then shares a story about his colorful grandmother and the famous lawsuit she filed against Portia Law School in the early part of the 20th century. Lastly, Ross discusses his father's background. John Ross talks about his father's family background and the friendship established with poet Langston Hughes, who was his father's college roommate at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Ross then shares stories from his childhood, including memories of his childhood playmate, the late Democratic Party Chairman, Ron Brown. Lastly, Ross talks about his years attending David A. Ellis Elementary School in Roxbury, Massachusetts and discusses how the influx of African Americans in the 1950s led to increased instances of racial discrimination in the educational system. John Andrew Ross describes the early musical influences he experienced as a child at home and in school. He then recalls his high school years at Roxbury Memorial High School and the role the church played in cultivating his creative talents. Ross then discusses his musical education at Boston University and the start of his career at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Lastly, Ross details the personal background and personality of Elma Lewis and her mission to bring the arts to underprivileged black youth. John Andrew Ross talks about his thirty-five years at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts and National Center of Afro-American Artists, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He discusses the organizations' founding principles and accomplishments, including the success of the annual Christmas production of Langston Hughes's 'Black Nativity'. John Andrew Ross praises mentors, friends and colleagues, including drummer Michael Babatunde Olatunji, choreographer Talley Beatty, scholar Richard Long and theologian Howard Thurman. Ross discusses his interest in the African cultural links in the diaspora, and emphasizes the importance of educating African American children about both the African and the African American parts of their heritage.

34 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)