Dr. Barbara Ann Teer

NEW YORK -- Barbara Ann Teer, who founded the National Black Theater in Harlem, has died. She was 71. Teer's daughter, Sade Lythcott, said her mother died Monday in Harlem of natural causes. Teer was a dancer and actress who appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. After growing tired of being offered stereotypical roles by white producers, she became an advocate for black artists and black culture. In 1968, Teer founded the National Black Theater, which produces shows, lectures, workshops, classes and exhibits. A native of East St. Louis, Ill., she moved to New York City after earning a bachelor's in dance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.