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Philippa Duke Schuyler: Pianist Received National Prominence at Young Age

Americans were in awe of young Philippa Duke Schuyler’s genius. The media often reported on her progress, specifically the Pittsburgh Courier. She received guidance, mostly from her mother, into adulthood. But as she became an adult, white America’s fascination with her talent waned. What she had been shielded from throughout her life became reality: racial prejudice. And this altered the trajectory of her career.

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Philippa Duke Schuyler in 1959. Wikipedia.org photo.
Philippa Duke Schuyler in 1959. Wikipedia.org photo.

By Tamara Shiloh

African American author and journalist George Schuyler and white artist and journalist Josephine Cogdell’s marriage was dubbed “the most celebrated interracial marriage of the Harlem Renaissance.”

The couple had one child, Philippa Duke Schuyler (1931–1967). From Philippa’s birth, both Schuyler and Cogdell felt that racism in the U.S. “could be rectified through creating interracial children,” thereby setting high expectations for their daughter.

Because Philippa was biracial, the Schuylers considered her a “superior offspring known as a hybrid vigor.” Nevertheless, Philippa was a child prodigy with extraordinary talents who received tutoring while isolated from her peers.

Before age 3, Philippa was taught to read and write and had begun to play the piano. At 4, she was composing, and at 5, performed on the radio. By 11, she was touring. Despite her high IQ at age 8 (185), the Schuylers consistently rejected Philippa being known as a prodigy, attributing her talent to “hybrid genetics, proper nutrition, and intensive education.”

Philippa had a close relationship with her father, thereby absorbing his conservative beliefs in educational advancement, self-help, and introspection. But despite her being a part of the Black intelligentsia, “her precocity was fed on notions and conceits of the white milieu; and her passion for classical music would essentially reflect the same bias.”

Americans were in awe of young Philippa’s genius. The media often reported on her progress, specifically the Pittsburgh Courier. She received guidance, mostly from her mother, into adulthood. But as she became an adult, white America’s fascination with her talent waned. What she had been shielded from throughout her life became reality: racial prejudice. And this altered the trajectory of her career.

Schuyler then began playing in concerts overseas, traveling to more than 80 countries, performing for international leaders including Haile Selassie and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Her fame attracted worldwide attention, yet she was never invited to perform for leaders in the U.S. Disillusioned with the racial and gender prejudice she encountered, she moved to Latin America, where people of mixed races were more common.

About this decision, she said: “I had 30 miserable years in the U.S.A. because of having the taint of being a ‘strange curiosity’ applied to me.”

In the late 1950s, Schuyler performed for white audiences in apartheid-era South Africa. She briefly toured in Europe as Felipa Monterro, no longer identifiable as the “daughter of a Negro journalist.” Between 1960 and 1966, she published five books about her life and travels.

Just before her death, Schuyler had begun a career as a news correspondent, publishing articles in several languages including French and German. She died at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash during the Vietnam War while attempting to rescue Catholic schoolchildren from a war zone in Da Nang.

Learn more about Schuyler’s life through previously unpublished letters and diary entries that reveal her extraordinary and complex personality in the unauthorized biography, “Composition in Black and White” by Kathryn Talalay.

Tamara Shiloh

Tamara Shiloh


About Tamara Shiloh





Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series, Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic, Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022.

Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program.   She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California,

Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter, Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas.

She is a member of:

  • Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

  • Richmond Chamber of Commerce

  • Point Richmond Business Association

  • National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)

  • Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)

  • California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin

  • Richmond CA Kiwanis

  • Richmond CA Rotary

  • Bay Area Girls Club


Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest.

www.multiculturalbookstore.com

About Tamara Shiloh

Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series, Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic, Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022. Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program.   She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California, Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter, Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas. She is a member of:
  • Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
  • Richmond Chamber of Commerce
  • Point Richmond Business Association
  • National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)
  • Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)
  • California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin
  • Richmond CA Kiwanis
  • Richmond CA Rotary
  • Bay Area Girls Club
Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest. www.multiculturalbookstore.com

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Learning Life’s Lessons

Since his release over five years ago, Richard has committed himself to making a difference, particularly by reaching out to women and families who lack the presence of a father or husband.  He knows he cannot undo the years lost behind prison walls, but he is determined to use his past to build a better future for others. His story mirrors that of many who have walked a similar path. Yet, it remains uniquely his own – a testament to the power of change, resilience, and the belief that even from tragedy, something good can emerge.

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Richard Johnson and son Fati. Courtesy photo.
Richard Johnson and son Fati. Courtesy photo.

“California’s three-strike laws gave me 2 life sentences for drug possession. After serving 28 years, mostly in solitary confinement, I am free to lead a movement to get the formerly incarcerated to give back.”

 By Richard Johnson

I have written this book in hopes of being able to help others from not traveling down the path that leads to imprisonment or a cemetery.  At the very beginning of writing this book, it began as a message to my son Fati Yero Gaidi, who was only two years old at the time that I was given two life sentences in prison for drug possession, under the newly implemented three-strikes-you-out law. The more that I wrote, the book began to evolve beyond its intended purpose for my son; it became something that any and everyone could utilize on their separate journeys through life challenges that we encounter. The book helped me put my thoughts, reasoning, perceptions, and views on display, while opening doors that, for the most part, were closed. The book can be purchased via Amazon. Learning life lessons.

About the Author

By Post staff

Richard “Razor” Johnson, 74, is a man whose life journey is marked by hard-earned wisdom, redemption, and an unshakable commitment to guiding the next generation. Once sentenced to life under California’s Three Strikes Law, he was released through what he calls nothing short of divine intervention.  His time behind bars, particularly in Pelican Bay State Prison, gave him a new raw and unfiltered understanding of life’s hardest truths.

With the realization that time is precious and the future is shaped by the lessons we learn, Richard writes with urgency and purpose. His book—a 300-page labor of love—is dedicated to young men who may not have a father to teach them the meaning of life’s most important words. Through definitions filled with wisdom, experience, and deep personal insight, he offers direction to those who find themselves lost, just as he once was.

Since his release over five years ago, Richard has committed himself to making a difference, particularly by reaching out to women and families who lack the presence of a father or husband.  He knows he cannot undo the years lost behind prison walls, but he is determined to use his past to build a better future for others. His story mirrors that of many who have walked a similar path. Yet, it remains uniquely his own – a testament to the power of change, resilience, and the belief that even from tragedy, something good can emerge.

His words are not just lessons; they are a call to action.  He hopes that by investing in young minds with wisdom and insight, they will be better equipped to navigate life’s trials, learn from their mistakes, and find their path to success. Richard “Razor” Johnson writes not just to be heard, but to help – because he knows firsthand that sometimes guidance can make all the difference.

Post publishers Paul and Gay Cobb visited Johnson in San Quentin and attended his graduation while he was in prison. He became a columnist with the Post News Group and has continued his advocacy for the formerly incarcerated by urging them to “give something back”. Johnson says he will be speaking at prisons, colleges, and media outlets to help organize voter registration and community service projects.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025

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