Click , Browse, tell a friend check back often. All inquires contact [email protected] Petronella Danforth was played by Marcia McBroom-Small, a 70s fashion model who starred in cult classics such as “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”-1970, and, “Willie Dynamite” - 1974 . Marcia McBroom-Small began her career as a dancer, actress and fashion model. She studied with Katherine Dunham and taugh
t the Dunham technique as part of a special program in association with Southern Illinois University. In addition, Mrs. McBroom-Small performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for five seasons in the production “Aida.” She traveled with Mrs. Dunham to Paris. She later danced with Ellen Stewart’s La Mama Theatre production of “The Cotton Club.”
Mrs. McBroom’s face graced many album, magazine, and book covers in the 1970s. She starred in a very popular commercial for LUX soap, which ran in Nigeria and several other English-speaking African countries, from which she became known as Susie Martins. The success of that character gave her the idea of creating a poster to promote breast feeding to counteract the prevailing corporate agenda to have women in lesser developed countries (LDCs) use commercial baby formulas, which had dire consequences. She donated the poster to UNICEF, and they distributed it worldwide. She soon received a request from the New York State Department of Health to place the poster in clinics and Women, Infants & Children (WIC) centers throughout the state. After appearing in several movies between 1970 and 1976, including “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” Mrs. McBroom-Small turned her attention to education and activism directed at improving the lives of people she has seen suffering needlessly around the world. During her travel to 35 countries throughout Africa, North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, Mrs. McBroom-Small realized how much many of us take for granted, and has dedicated a significant portion of her life to grassroots efforts to encourage young people to see themselves as Global Citizens, and to empower people to make simple changes that can improve the quality of their lives. As a result of these travels and activities, Mrs. McBroom-Small created the For Our Children’s Sake Foundation, and acts as its president. Marcia McBroom-Small, a James Madison Fellow, has worked tirelessly as an educator and activist to promote her vision of global awareness and international cooperation. She currently serves as a consultant for the New York State Department of Education. She has received many honors for her efforts to create a more compassionate world. These honors include the James Madison Memorial Fellowship, a UNICEF Award, Teacher of the Year in 1995, Who’s Who of American Teachers, Warrior Womyn’s Award to name a few. She has served on many boards, including The Metropolitan Committee for UNICEF, the United Nations Association of New York, the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, the NY Metropolitan Board of UNIFEM. McBroom-Small was also a Goodwill Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire for UNICEF. Her human rights initiatives include creating the first Human Rights Committee on a Community Board (6) in the history of New York City, the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee “Blankets for Ethiopia” campaign, the Apartheid Awareness Campaign for High School Students, and the “Discover Burkina Faso” campaign. For Our Childrens’ Sake Foundation opened its Malawai, Africa chapter!
