Dr. Vivian Ayers Allen, a powerhouse in the world of poetry and cultural advocacy, has passed away at 102. Known to many as the mother of Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, she was much more than a celebrity matriarch, she was a force in her own right.
Debbie Allen announced the heartbreaking news on Instagram, writing, “Mommie you have transformed into that cosmic bird Hawk that lives and breathes Freedom. We will follow your trail of golden dust and continue to climb higher. We promise ‘to be true, be beautiful, be Free.’” She included family members in the tribute, highlighting their shared loss.
Affectionately called “Ma Turk,” Dr. Ayers Allen recently celebrated her 102nd birthday on July 30.
A 1939 graduate of Brainerd Institute, Dr. Ayers Allen studied at Barber-Scotia and Bennett College, receiving honorary doctorates from both Bennett and Wilberforce University. She published the Pulitzer-nominated “Spice of Dawns” in 1952, and her poem “Hawk,” written in 1957, earned recognition from NASA and is on display at the Johnson Space Center.
She studied classical Greek and Mayan culture at top institutions and launched “Workshops in Open Fields” in 1973, a national arts education model still active in Chester, S.C., through the Brainerd Institute Heritage. Her legacy lives on through the many lives she touched.
