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Michaela DePrince: Black History Month and Recognizing Notable Black Immigrants and Refugees

By February 3, 2025No Comments

Michaela DePrince

 

In honor of Black History Month, we will recognize the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of influential black immigrants and refugees who’ve helped shape the vibrant tapestry of America. Today, we spotlight Sierra Leonean–American ballerina and humanitarian Michaela DePrince, a standout soloist with the Boston Ballet and Dutch National Ballet.

Michaela DePrince was born Mabinty Bangura, on January 6, 1995, in Kenema, Sierra Leone. She grew up an orphan after her uncle left her at an orphanage during the country’s ongoing civil war. Years later, her adoptive parents were told her father had been shot and killed when she was just three, while her mother starved to death. Malnourished and ridiculed due to her vitiligo skin condition, she fled to a refugee camp after her orphanage was destroyed in a bombing.

At the age of four, she was adopted by an American couple and immigrated to New Jersey, where she was given the name Michaela DePrince. She was one of nine adopted children in a large family of 13. Inspired by photos of a graceful ballerina adorning a magazine cover, Michaela trained in ballet via several paths, including the Youth American Grand Prix and the Rock School for Dance Education.  After starring in the 2011 documentary film First Position, Michaela was awarded a scholarship at the American Ballet Theatre in New York. While in school, she also appeared on Dancing with the Stars and performed in Europe. She went on to become the youngest member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

In 2013, DePrince joined the junior company of the Dutch National Ballet, based in Amsterdam, and just two years later joined the Dutch National Ballet where she was promoted to soloist by the age of 21. Drawn to the Boston Ballet for its eclectic culture and spectrum of performances, Michaela joined the prestigious production in 2021, as second soloist.

Throughout Michaela DePrince’s career, she was known for championing disadvantaged youth and served as an ambassador for War Child, an organization that advocates on behalf of children caught in the net of war. Michaela DePrince died in 2024, at the age of 29.


Others we are celebrating in honor of Black history Month: