Eartha Kitt’s Most Treasured Role: Being a Mother

By Joseph Montebello

From her childhood in a dirt poor town in South Carolina to her rise as one of the most renowned performers in show business, Eartha Kitt stood firm in her beliefs and never forgot her roots. She fought hard and today is known as much for groundbreaking stances on racial equality, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights as she is for her unique and seductive performances as a singer and actress. In 1960 she married a white man and gave birth to her only child whom she named Kitt. 

Kitt Shapiro has written a poignant testament to her mother called Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter’s Love Story in Black and White. Eartha married Bill McDonald, who was white, in 1960. Kitt is the product of that marriage and she and her mother formed a bond that was never broken. Blonde and light skinned, Kitt followed her mother to every club, movie set, state, and country in which she performed. 

“I was the little girl who never got in trouble,” says Shapiro. “An only child who learned to entertain herself while her mother was busy entertaining the rest of the world. We were a team. Inseparable. From the very first day of my life to the very last day of hers.” 

Shapiro shares her most personal feelings and gives the reader a glimpse into the real Eartha Kitt, who left us a treasure chest of songs including the perennial holiday favorite “Santa Baby.”