J. E. Franklin is an American playwright, best known for her play Black Girl, which was broadcast on public television in 1969, staged Off-Broadway in 1971, and made into a feature film in 1972. She has written and adapted eleven plays for television, theater, and film.

Shauneille Gantt Perry Ryder was an American stage director and playwright. She was one of the first African-American women to direct off-Broadway.