WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS!
( Sharing knowledge for the celebration of the Arts and Artists )
The History Makers
Iforcolor.org is a website created by Dale Ricardo Shields.
Dale Ricardo Shields – Performance Artist / Professor of Theatre
Iforcolor.org is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and cultural contributions of communities of color. Dale Ricardo Shields, an accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator, is the creator and archivist of the website. He actively promotes African American and Minority theater and playwrights through his work and research.
Beyond the extensive coverage of Black history, Iforcolor.org also features content dedicated to the history and cultural contributions of Latinx and Indigenous American art forms. The website includes:
Profiles of artists and historical figures: These include individuals like Dale Ricardo Shields himself, Robert Hooks, Fannie Lou Hammer, Faith Ringgold, Lorraine Hansberry, Louis Johnson, Niles Fitch, and Vinie Burrows.
Historical topics: Beyond Black history, Iforcolor.org explores subjects like “The Devil’s Punchbowl” and “The Civil Radical Battles of the Black American Soldier”.
A section dedicated to poetry: This section is actively updated and features various poems including some by Langston Hughes.
Content exploring music and dance: Recognizing music as a powerful vehicle for expressing experiences, Struggles, and triumphs, especially within communities of color, Iforcolor.org highlights diverse music genres. It also features various forms of dance, like the Lindy Hop and the Charleston.
Latinx and Indigenous American art forms. It aims to foster critical thought and empathy by providing a broad and factual look at underrepresented histories.
- The Civil Radical Battles of the Black American Soldier: A series that details the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers throughout U.S. history.
- The Secret Meeting that Changed Rap Music: An article researching the history of hip-hop and the events that led to a turning point in the genre.
- The Devil’s Punchbowl: A historical topic that examines an infamous detention camp in Natchez, Mississippi, where thousands of freed slaves were held after the Civil War.
- The Mammy Archetype: A discussion of the “Black Maiden Syndrome” and media depictions of the Mammy archetype.
- The Shields Brothers Gospel Singers: An exploration of the gospel group’s history within Cleveland’s music scene.
- Observances and traditions: The site explores topics such as the origins of the “no white after Labor Day” rule, Juneteenth, and the history of September.
- Ancient and world history: The website includes posts about key historical events of the 2nd and 7th centuries, historical facts about U.S. presidential elections, and events from the Renaissance.
- World history events: The website features discussions on various historical moments that extend beyond its primary focus, including events from the 2nd and 7th centuries and historical aspects of U.S. presidential elections.
- Cultural observances and traditions: This includes posts explaining the origins of traditions like the “no white after Labor Day” rule, as well as the history of Juneteenth.
- Poetry and literature: The “I For Color Word” section actively updates with works from diverse writers, both within and outside the website’s primary focus areas.
~ IforColor ~
Created by
Dale Ricardo Shields
Iforcolor.org is a website that serves as a platform for Dale Ricardo Shields, an artist, archivist, artistic activist, and historian.
The website focuses on presenting and preserving the history and cultural contributions of communities of color, particularly in the areas of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous American art forms.
Shields shares information through an in-depth, factual format, with the goal of fostering empathy and educating the public about the historical and cultural significance of these communities.
Iforcolor.org highlights the work of various artists and historical figures, including profiles of individuals like Dale Ricardo Shields himself, Niles Fitch, and Vinie Burrows. The website also delves into historical topics such as “The Devil’s Punchbowl” and “The Civil Radical Battles of the Black American Soldier”. In addition to historical and biographical content, Iforcolor.org also features a section dedicated to poetry.
Shields’ artistic and academic work has been recognized with awards and nominations, including The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award® and a Tony® Award nomination. He has also taught at various universities and institutions, including Ohio University and the Joseph Papp Public Theatre. Iforcolor.org is explicitly stated as being for educational and entertainment purposes only.
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Dale Ricardo Shields’ artistic work and its purpose are deeply intertwined with his identity as an artist, archivist, artistic activist, and historian.
His artistic endeavors are centered around theatre, where he has a long and distinguished career as an actor, director, and stage manager, according to his profile on Iforcolor.org. He has performed and worked behind the scenes in productions on and Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre. His acting credits include appearances on popular television shows like Saturday Night Live and The Cosby Show.
Dale Ricardo Shields’ Purpose Through Art
- Shields uses his art to widen the cultural radius and make the impulse of creativity accessible to everyone.
- He strives to share his extensive knowledge of theatre and its history with diverse audiences, actively promoting and preserving Black theatre history and culture.
- He has taught and served as a guest artist at various universities and institutions, teaching subjects like Acting, Directing, Stage Management, Black Theatre, and Black Studies.
- He leads student-written productions at colleges and universities, aiming to bring different races, genders, and creeds together and foster a sense of community on campus.
- Shields is the creator and archivist of Iforcolor.org, a website dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and cultural contributions of communities of color.
- He actively promotes African American theater and playwrights through his work with Project1voice, a non-profit organization.
- He believes that art can be a weapon in the struggle of ideas and a tool to raise consciousness, help people understand themselves and the world more completely.
- Iforcolor.org aims to foster empathy and change lives by sharing stories and celebrating the art and truth of experiences of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous American art forms.
- He advocates for empowering children through historical factual racial knowledge and encouraging intergenerational conversations with emotional intelligence.
- His directorial style gently explores pain and pleasantly experiences liberation, exposing the audience to themselves and promoting honest reflection.
IforColor – Artistic-minded individuals of color who are accomplished and received little if any, recognition or media coverage in America.
IforColor brings historical key innovators to light for the knowledge and enjoyment of us all. The collection of profiles included on this website contains historical facts, not judgments.
We Celebrate!
About:
Dale Ricardo Shields
~ Archivist, Director, Educator, and Historian ~
Dale Ricardo Shields is a highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia. He is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black/Diversity theatre history and professional artistic culture.
Director, Stage manager, and Actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and Regional). As an actor, he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, Another World, Guiding Light, The Cosby Show, the ITV television series Special Needs, and National commercials and films.
He is a member of the Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the American Guild of Musical Artists performance unions,
Professor Shields began his artistic academic career in New York City at Playwrights Horizon, The South Bronx Action Theatre, MindBuilders, and the teaching staff at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre (New York Shakespeare Festival) for six years. He represented the United States for Theatre Young Audiences at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England.
As an actor, he studied acting at The Negro Ensemble Company (Anderson Johnson), The New Federal Theatre (Hal Scott, – Dick Anthony Williams).
He has been a professor and visiting artist at Ohio University, The South Bronx Community Theatre, The Cleveland School of the Arts, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University, The Cleveland Playhouse, and SUNY Potsdam.
B.F.A and M.F.A – Ohio University. [Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society]
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors’ Equity Association and Actors’ Equity Foundation).
Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund:
“Educational Program of the Year” awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
https://dalericardoshields.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLc4EpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnZWpHSjRoU1VQbHgwZ1FIAR7FXxKzPp1snqxFKpQcRBA6XqfiomIpDVPEI0FFl8CntNNk42r02MUxl1GXgA_aem_9BFFA7HGdlCcvm2FeTvq8w
Career – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Ricardo_Shields [Career]
The vision of Dale Ricardo Shields is to preserve history about African Americans and artists of color on the Facebook website Black Theatre / African American Voices and African American Theatre Outlook Collective on the Internet for everyone to acknowledge, enjoy and learn about the past and present history.
“My artistic work purpose is to widen the cultural radius towards imagining that inspiration itself, is a constitutional right afforded to all students and audiences of the Arts, to have world access to the impulse of creativity, unafraid of its beauty, diversity, grace and truth.”
Iforcolor
acknowledges the research talents of students from:
Randolph Macon College (Ashland Virginia), Denison University (Grandville, Ohio), and Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania)
DALE RICARDO SHIELDS
2022 LEGEND AWARD WINNER
No copyright infringement Intended .
© DRS – Iforcolor.org – 2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
