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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 18, 2014 05:02 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Anthony H. Williams and Sen. Jay Costa, Sen. Vincent J. Hughes, Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen, Sen. LeAnna M. Washington, Sen. Michael J. Stack, Sen. Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr., Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Resolution Honoring Ruby Dee |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a resolution honoring the life and mourning the death of actress and activist Ruby Dee. A seven decade star of the silver screen, an award winning actress and influential voice of social justice, Ms. Dee died of natural causes on at her home in New Rochelle, New York, on June 11, 2014. She created groundbreaking roles both on Broadway’s stages and on screen, including as the college-educated spouse of Jackie Robinson in the 1950 film The Story of Jackie Robinson, at a time when the majority of roles for African American actresses were reflective of demeaning racial stereotypes. Her continued success led her to star opposite of Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun on both Broadway and on film, to further break down color barriers by being the first African American actress to play lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival, as both Kate in Taming of the Shrew and Cordelia in King Lear, and to land one of her best known roles at the age of 85 opposite Denzel Washington in American Gangster. Ms. Dee played a lead role in expanding Hollywood’s portrayal of African Americans to include the rich and complex narratives seen in today’s media, continuing to act well into her life; her pioneering talent led to her receiving numerous awards, including but not limited to the National Medal of Arts, an Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor. Ms. Dee’s contribution to a more equal society extended beyond entertainment, to politics and social justice activism manifested through her role as master of ceremonies at Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s 1963 march on Washington. She was among the few activists to befriend and support the causes of both Dr. King and Malcolm X, given the honor of eulogizing both men at their respective funerals. Ms. Dee further continued to fight for social justice by leading protests against apartheid in South Africa and lobbying banks to give loans to African Americans. Through her work, both on screen and off, she fought vigorously for equal treatment of women, minorities, and other oppressed groups around the world. Please join me in honoring the legendary acting career and tireless activism of Ruby Dee, celebrating her life and mourning her death. Thank you. |
Introduced as SR412