Dianne Kirksey (also known as Dianne Kirksey-Floyd) (1950 – 1 September 2020)[1] was an African-American filmmaker, writer, producer, activist, educator, and actress. Her theatrical productions were nominated for a combined 16 Audelco Awards. Kirksey received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Alabama State Militia in 1985 for her leadership and service to the state.
Dianne Kirksey was born in Eutaw, Alabama, United States, to Wiley Kirksey, a former school superintendent in Greene County, Alabama and Gladys Kirksey, an educator.[2] Kirksey was active in several local plays and productions as a child. As a student leader during the Civil Rights Movement, she led marches and protests through Greene County in support of the Voters' Rights Act. She graduated Carver High School in 1967.
Kirksey matriculated at the University of Alabama in the fall of 1967. As a freshman, she was the first Black student named "Bama Belle" and first Black member of the homecoming court.[3] She was a founding member of the UA African American Association (renamed the Black Student Union), the first Black woman to be an officer of the Associated Women's Students organization, and led the Institutional Racism Workshop at the UA International Women's Conference.[4] [5] She graduated with a double major in Theater and English in 1973.
Since her graduation, she has been honored by the university for contributions to racial and gender equality, and listed as one of the most important black alumni by AL.com.[6] In 2018, she was one of twenty Female Trailblazers celebrated at the UA 1893 Jubilee Dinner celebrating 125 years of women admitted to the University.[7]
Kirksey studied at the New York University Intensive Filmmaking Program under Thierry Pathe.[8] In 2017, she released two short films, Sweet Dreams, Momma and Bama's Black Babies Are Dying, and was developing a series of TV and film projects.[9]
Her notable acting roles include portraying Cheryl in Ron Milner's Urban Transitions: Loose Blossoms opposite Chadwick Boseman, produced by Woodie King, Jr.[10] Kirksey also earned roles in film and television, including The Doctors, One Life to Live, Rich Kids (directed by Robert M. Young), and The Marva Collins Story, which starred Morgan Freeman and Cicely Tyson.
Kirksey also served two terms on New York City's Community Board 8 on the Education Committee.
Kirksey died in New York on September 1, 2020.[11]
She taught third and fifth grades at PS 334 from 2006 - 2019.
| Production | Role | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Dreams, Momma‡ | Producer, Director, Writer | 2017 | |
| Bama's Black Babies Are Dying† | Producer, Director | 2017 | |
| Mother | 1992 | ||
| Soiree de Deux | Director, Writer | 1987 | |
| Doctors | Bobby Duvall | 1981-1982 | |
| Cynthia Rawls | 1981 | ||
| Ralph's Secretary | 1979 | ||
| Doris | 1978 |
† Pre-production‡ Post-production
| Play | Theater | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Play[12] | Billie Holiday Theater | 2005 | |
| Urban Transitions: Loose Blossoms[13] | New Federal Theater | 2002 | |
| The World of Ben Caldwell[14] | New Federal Theater | 1982 | |
| Games | New Federal Theater | 1982 | |
| The Incarnation of Reverend Goode Blacque Dress[15] | New Federal Theater | 1982 | |
| So Nice They Named It Twice[16] | New York Shakespeare Festival | 1977 | |
| What the Winesellers Buy | New York Shakespeare Festival | 1975 |
| Play | Theater | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why Old Ladies Cry at Weddings | Frank Silvera Writers Workshop | 1994 | |
| Island Memories[17] | Ubu Repertory Theater | 1991 | |
| In a Dry and Thirsty Land | Riverside Church Theater | 1986 | |
| The Trial of Adam Clayton Powell | New Federal Theater | 1983 |