Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee

Both Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are familiar black voices that we have come to trust and respect. As narrators and spoken word artists, they have struggled for civil rights and human dignity over the years. From their opposition to the McCarthy hearings in the 1950’s to their close friendships with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, to their steady support of the NAACP, SNCC and SCLC and their stance against police brutality, they have set a progressive standard for people everywhere.

Ossie Davis, an actor, playwright and director, has performed on stage, film and in television.  Ruby Dee’s career, as an actress of television, film and stage, has been nothing short of phenomenal. Presented with The Academy of Television Arts and Science’s Silver Circle Award in 1994, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis officially became “national treasures” when they received the National Medal of Arts award in 1995. In 2000, they were presented the Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award. They are inductees in the Theater Hall of Fame as well as the NAACP Hall of Fame.

Angela Davis

As a teacher, author and lecturer, Dr. Angela Yvonne Davis is known for her work to combat oppression.  Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Davis attended Brandeis University and the University of California at San Diego.  Davis was politically active with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the U.S. Organization and the Black Panther and Communist Parties. As a prison reformer, Davis was jailed for her involvement with the case of “California’s Soledad Prison.”  Angela was found innocent on all charges. From her supporters in the “Free Angela Movement” she helped organize the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Her written works include Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974), Women Race and Class (1981) and The House That Race Built (1998).  Angela Davis is a Professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a friend and admirer of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.