It is with deep sadness that Vivian Ayers Allen, the beloved mother of Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, has joined the ancestors. She was 102 years old.
According to BET, Debbie Allen announced the news on Instagram with a touching tribute:
View this post on Instagramadvertisement
Born in Chester, South Carolina, in 1923, Ayers Allen was a Pulitzer Prize–nominated poet whose collection Spice of Dawns earned her that honor in 1952. Her visionary long-form poem Hawk (1957), which explores themes of freedom and spaceflight, earned praise from NASA — and was even officially recognized during a ceremony honoring women of the Apollo mission.
She leaves behind four children — Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, Andrew “Tex” Allen Jr., and Hugh Allen — along with a rich legacy of creativity, resilience, and radical love.
We honor Vivian Ayers Allen for her life’s work, her beautiful mind, and the generations she continues to inspire.
Cover photo: Vivian Ayers Allen, Renowned Poet, Cultural Activist, and Matriarch, Has Joined the Ancestors / Photo Credit: Walter Mcbride / Getty Images