By Sean Yoes
In June, Andre DeShields, the legendary Broadway performer and Baltimore native, captured his first Tony award after 50 years in theater.
This week, DeShields was back in Baltimore and got the Key to the City.
The honor was bestowed on DeShields, 73, by Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young.
The Broadway star, who graduated from Baltimore City College High School in 1964, won the Tony for his featured performance as Hermes, the god of trickery in the play Hadestown. The play won a total of eight Tonys, the most honored production of 2019.
During the ceremony honoring DeShields at City Hall, the theater veteran was intentional in uplifting Baltimore and the resilience of its residents.
“Thank you for embracing me. Thank you for lifting me for all these many years,” DeShields said. “Thank you for carrying me all these many years. Thank you for not letting those who want to detract from us bring us down. We still stand tall.”
This article originally appeared in The Afro.
