On this date in 1948, Born Paulette Williams, she graduated from Barnard College in 1970, and later earned an MA from the University of Southern California. It was there she changed her name to the Zulu “Ntozke” meaning “she who comes with her own things” and “Shange” meaning “who walks like a lion.” She is best know for her for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf which became an acclaimed theater piece.