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Re: Rundown 2-14-05
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Remembering Ossie Davis 1917-2005: Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte,
Bill Clinton Pay Tribute to the Famed Actor & Civil Rights
Activist
Remembering Ossie Davis 1917-2005: Maya Angelou,
Harry Belafonte, Bill Clinton Pay Tribute to the Famed Actor
& Civil Rights Activist
On Saturday thousands of mourners filled Riverside Church
in Harlem for the funeral of Ossie Davis. Davis died Feb.
4 while on location for a film in Florida. He was 87 years
old. For five decades, Ossie Davis led a distinguished career
as an actor, playwright and director. Along with his wife,
Ruby Dee, he was a renowned civil rights activist and an unforgettable
figure in the African American struggle for equality. Speakers
at Saturday's funeral described the event as a state funeral
for black America. We hear Harry Belafonte eulogize Ossie
Davis as well as tributes from President Bill Clinton, writer
Maya Angelou, Malcolm X's daughter Attallah Shabazz, Davis'
grandson Brian Day and a musical tribute by jazz musician
Wynton Marsalis. [includes rush transcript
- partial]
Thousands gathered at Riverside Church in Harlem to pay tribute
to the actor and civil rights activist. He died February (4th)
fourth while on location for a film in Florida. He was 87
years old. For five decades, Ossie Davis led a distinguished
career as an actor, playwright and director. Along with his
wife, Ruby Dee, he was a renowned civil rights activist and
an unforgettable figure in the African American struggle for
equality.
He performed in scores of movies, including six with director
Spike Lee. In 1948, he married fellow actor Ruby Dee and the
two were inseparable for the next 56 years.
In addition to their acting careers, Ossie Davis and Ruby
Dee had prominent roles on the nation"s political stages.
They participated in marches for racial equality throughout
the South and in the 1963 March on Washington. After Malcolm
X was assassinated at a Harlem rally in 1965, Ossie Davis
wrote and delivered the eulogy at his funeral. In 1968, he
remembered Dr. Martin Luther King. Davis continued his activism
up until his death, most recently protesting the war in Iraq
and the coup in Haiti.
On Saturday, thousands of people packed into Riverside Church
to attend the funeral.
The service included tributes by Ossie Davis' children and
grandchildren. Actors Alan Alda, Burt Reynolds, Angela Bassett
and Spike Lee spoke - as did Attallah Shabazz, the eldest
daughter of Malcolm X. Former president Bill Clinton also
took the stage. Maya Angelou and Sonia Sanchez delivered poetic
tributes and Wynton Marsalis performed. Avery Brooks read
from “Purlie Victorious,” a play Davis wrote and
starred in. Singer and actor Harry Belafonte delivered the
eulogy at the ceremony.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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