Malcolm X's Eulogy
Eulogy delivered by Ossie Davis at the funeral of Malcolm X Faith Temple Church Of God February 27,1965 "Here - at this final hour, in this quiet place - Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes - extinguished now, and gone from us forever. For Harlem is where he worked and where he struggled and fought - his home of homes, where his heart was, and where his people are - and it is, therefore, most fitting that we meet once again - in Harlem - to share these last moments with him. For Harlem has ever been gracious to those who have loved her, have fought her, and have defended her honor even to the death. It is not in the memory of man that this beleaguered, unfortunate, but nonetheless proud community has found a braver, more gallant young champion than this Afro-American who lies before us - unconquered still. I say the word again, as he would want me to: Afro-American - Afro-American Malcolm, who was a master, was most meticulous in his use of words. Nobody knew better than he the power words have over minds of men. Malcolm had stopped being a 'Negro' years ago. It had become too small, too puny, too weak a word for him. Malcolm was bigger than that. Malcolm had become an Afro-American and he wanted - so desperately - that we, that all his people, would become Afro-Americans too. There are those who will consider it their duty, as friends of the Negro people, to tell us to revile him, to flee, even from the presence of his memory, to save ourselves by writing him out of the history of our turbulent times. Many will ask what Harlem finds to honor in this stormy, controversial and bold young captain - and we will smile. Many will say turn away - away from this man, for he is not a man but a demon, a monster, a subverter and an enemy of the black man - and we will smile. They will say that he is of hate - a fanatic, a racist - who can only bring evil to the cause for which you struggle! And we will answer and say to them : Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him, or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him? Did he ever do a mean thing? Was he ever himself associated with violence or any public disturbance? For if you did you would know him. And if you knew him you would know why we must honor him. Malcolm was our manhood, our living, black manhood! This was his meaning to his people. And, in honoring him, we honor the best in ourselves. Last year, from Africa, he wrote these words to a friend: 'My journey', he says, 'is almost ended, and I have a much broader scope than when I started out, which I believe will add new life and dimension to our struggle for freedom, honor and dignity in the States. I am writing these things so that you will know for a fact the tremendous sympathy and support we have among the African States for our Human Rights struggle. The main thing is that we keep a United Front wherein our most valuable time and energy will not be wasted fighting each other.' However we may have differed with him - or with each other about him and his value as a man - let his going from us serve only to bring us together, now. Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man - but a seed - which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is - a Prince - our own black shining Prince! - who didn't hesitate to die, because he loved us so." _______________________________________________ Rad-Green mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green *** "If I had to fear any of the 'isms' that plague us today, it would have to be classism. How much suffering will make it necessary to liberate us all?" Ossie Davis, Cornell University, November 1, 1996 Ossie Davis - A Life of Commitment and Dedication A statement of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism Actor Ossie Davis was found dead in his hotel room Friday morning in Miami where he was on location shooting a movie. Alongside his wife of more than 50 years, actress Ruby Dee, Davis was an outstanding progressive movement activist. Throughout his adult life he was a central figure in the African American freedom movement, a stalwart participant in activities against war and for economic and social justice. Throughout their careers Davis and Dee broke new ground in overcoming racial exclusion in the entertainment world and helped open new prospects for generations of African American actors and entertainers. In 1963, Davis and Dee were masters of ceremonies at the landmark March on Washington. Later he delivered often- quoted eulogies at the funerals of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Davis strongly opposed the anti-Communist witchhunt in the 1950s and stood resolutely behind singer Paul Robeson and scholar-author Dr. W.E.B. Dubois when the two legendary African American activists came under attack for their leftist views and activities. Davis was born in 1917 in Cogdell, Ga., and grew up in nearby Waycross and Valdosta. Raiford Chatman Davis (his name at birth) was the oldest of five children born to Laura Cooper and Kince Davis. As described by the African American Registry, "He picked up his nickname when friends and neighbors mistook his mother's articulation of his initials, 'R. C,' as 'Ossie'." In 1935, Davis enrolled in predominantly African American Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he majored in drama under the tutelage of drama critic Alain Locke, the first black Rhodes Scholar, who also aided the careers of authors Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. "On April 16, 1939, I heard Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial because she had been barred from singing at Constitutional Hall in Washington, D.C.," Davis would say later. "I understood fully for the first time the importance of black song, black music, black arts. I was handed my spiritual assignment that night." In 1939 he began his acting career in New York, appearing with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem. Davis served in the U.S. military four years during World War II. Last December, Davis told Washington Post writer Wil Haygood, "My experiences with New York are divided before I went to World War II and when I came back." He served in the Army with a Negro medical unit that eventually would send him to Liberia. "While in the Army, he read plenty of W.E.B. DuBois and honed his political mind," wrote Haygood. The book "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together," published in 1998, described their life together as entertainers and political activists. Together they received Kennedy Center Honors for their achievements in 2004. A radio show, "The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story Hour," ran on 65 stations for four years in the mid-1970s. Over the course of his career, Davis acted, directed and produced movies and theater. His many and widely varied screen credits include the Spike Lee films "Jungle Fever" and "Do the Right Thing"; television work included "Roots: The Next Generation" taken from the novel by Alex Hailey, the comedy "Grumpy Old Men" with Jack Lemmon, "Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum" and "The Stand." He also earned acclaim for his roles in "A Raisin in the Sun" both on stage and screen and "The Joe Louis Story." Davis directed several films, including "Cotton Comes to Harlem." Other films include "The Cardinal," "The Client" and "I'm Not Rappaport." On Broadway Davis had the title role in "Purlie Victorious." He wrote the script for the comedy and helped write a musical version of the play, "Purlie," a revival of which is slated for next season. His first movie role was in "No Way Out" in 1950, in which he co- starred with Dee. The pair had previously appeared together on stage in the 1940's in "Jeb" and "Anna Lucasta." At the time of his passing, Davis was in Florida for the filming of "Retirement," in which he was co-starring with Peter Falk, George Segal and Rip Torn, together portraying four senior men who take off from their retirement homes to journey to Las Vegas in an effort to derail the marriage of one of their daughters to the wrong man. Davis appeared in numerous television productions, including "The Emperor Jones," "Miss Evers' Boys" and "Twelve Angry Men" and was a member of the cast of the early 60s series "The Defenders." This year he will appear in three previously filmed episodes of the Showtime series "The L Word." Davis authored three books for children: "Escape to Freedom," "Langston," about the life of Black author Langston Hughes, and "Just Like Martin," about Martin Luther King. Davis received many honors, awards and citations, including the Hall of Fame Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in 1989; the Theater Hall of Fame in 1994; the U.S. National Medal for the Arts in 1995; the New York Urban League Frederick Douglass Award and the NAACP Image Award. Actors' Equity Association issued a statement Friday calling Davis "an icon in the American theater" and he and Dee "American treasures." House lights for Broadway marquees were to be dimmed Friday at curtain time. "He's my hero," actor Alan Alda, who appeared in "Purlie Victorious," wrote in e-mail to the Associated Press. "I am sorry for his family and for all of us who have benefited from ... his art and from his service to his country." Davis was a stanch supporter of the activities of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS). "The progressive community in our country and the movement for peace, against racism, sexism, anti- Semitism and against exploitation and oppression throughout the world has lost a true hero, a person of tremendous talent, selfless dedication and commitment," said the Committee's National Co-Chair Charlene Mitchell. "His life, and that of Ruby, his lifelong companion and fellow-activist, will serve as a source of inspiration for generations to come." Besides Dee, Davis is survived by three children - Nora, Hasna and Guy (a blues artist), and seven grandchildren. A funeral is being planned for next week at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. CCDS 545 Eight Avenue, 14th Floor NE NY, NY 10018 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________ portside (the left side in nautical parlance) is a news, discussion and debate service of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. It aims to provide varied material of interest to people on the left. To subscribe: http://lists.portside.org/mailman/listinfo/portside To submit material, paste into an email and send to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (postings are moderated) To search the portside archive: <http://people-link5.inch.com/pipermail/portside/> ------------------------ Yahoo! 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