Bill Bojangles Robinson Statue in the Jackson Ward District of Richmond, Virginia

HISTORIC JACKSON WARD WALKING TOUR

STOP 8: BILL “BOJANGLES” ROBINSON STATUE

See the Jackson Ward Walking Tour web page for a map of tour stop locations.

Intersection of Chamberlayne Parkway, West Leigh Street, and North Adams Street.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who is considered one of the greatest tap dancers of all time, was born in Jackson Ward in 1878. He began dancing at the age of five on the streets for spare change and later began a career in vaudeville. He was the first black person to perform solo in a mainstream production, breaking the “two color” rule, which meant that a black entertainer had to perform with a white entertainer, usually as a sidekick. Robinson went on to star in Hollywood movies—the most remembered are those in which he appeared with Shirley Temple. He and Temple were the first interracial dance team in film history.

Despite being the highest paid black entertainer of his time, earning more than $2 million, Robinson died penniless in 1949. Ed Sullivan paid for his funeral. He liked to spend money, particularly on gambling, but he also spent a lot on charitable causes.

The Bojangles statue was erected in 1973.

Stop 7: William Washington Brown House | Stop 9: Rosa Bowser House

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