R.I.P., Ruby Dee (October 27, 1924 – June 11, 2014)

[IrezumiKiss]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--xl0Pv_4O--/yiqlwwzy7so8c6c6nzcr.jpg

Ruby Dee (née Wallace; October 27, 1924 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and activist. She is perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun (1961) and the film American Gangster (2007) for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the recipient of Grammy, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. She was married to actor Ossie Davis until his death in 2005. On June 11, 2014, Dee died at her home in New Rochelle, New York.



"Racism destroys self-confidence," she said. "It stomps on daring. That's what it does to our children. It shortens our reach because we begin to believe everything that's said about us. We buy into it. Not everybody does. Some young people are stronger than that. Although I thought I was tough, I was a street fighter and everything, as I look back, I was all those things, because I didn't know how to buck the rejection that I felt. I moved out, I backed way from Oscar and Hollywood and all that...But now things are different in Hollywood. It's a part of the world that's growing in its concepts and its outreach and its look of fairness..."

 

[LadyVer]

Rip

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Tavis reflects on the legacy of the stage and screen legend and passionate activist and revisits past conversations.

In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Ruby Dee continuously made her mark. She was the first Black woman to play lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival and won numerous awards and honors for her work, including a best supporting actress Oscar nod and a SAG Award (at age 83, for her performance in the hit film, American Gangster) an Emmy and a Grammy. She's perhaps best known for her performance in the 1961 film, A Raisin in the Sun—a role she reprised from her Broadway turn in 1959—and frequently performed with her late husband, fellow actor-activist Ossie Davis. Not one to be slowed down by age, she narrated the 2013 Lifetime original movie, Betty and Coretta, and, at age 91, was working on the still-in-production crime drama, King Dog, with Ice-T.

She was also known for her longtime work in the civil rights movement and was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

A breast cancer survivor of more than 30 years, the legendary actress, playwright, screenwriter and poet leaves behind an enduring legacy.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/ruby-dee-tribute/

Listening to Ruby Dee and Tavis Smiley, right now!

"Something else came in...people like you that look into the human condition, a lot- in a different sense- there is something about racism- it stomps on daring- that's what it does to our children...."

 

[Not Normal]

Oh man, what a drag.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Oh look! Another immortal negro thread.

 

[toubab]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--xl0Pv_4O--/yiqlwwzy7so8c6c6nzcr.jpg

Ruby Dee (née Wallace; October 27, 1924 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and activist. She is perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun (1961) and the film American Gangster (2007) for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the recipient of Grammy, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. She was married to actor Ossie Davis until his death in 2005. On June 11, 2014, Dee died at her home in New Rochelle, New York.



"Racism destroys self-confidence," she said. "It stomps on daring. That's what it does to our children. It shortens our reach because we begin to believe everything that's said about us. We buy into it. Not everybody does. Some young people are stronger than that. Although I thought I was tough, I was a street fighter and everything, as I look back, I was all those things, because I didn't know how to buck the rejection that I felt. I moved out, I backed way from Oscar and Hollywood and all that...But now things are different in Hollywood. It's a part of the world that's growing in its concepts and its outreach and its look of fairness..."

Interesting, talented woman. Her favorite quote:

"'Isn't life peculiar!' said Jeremy. 'Compared to what?' said the spider."