Mr. Ossie Davis will always be remembered around the world as a passionate playwright, actor, and director — but, aside from his profession, he was equally devoted to the African American struggle for justice and equality. With his resounding voice, Ossie Davis was often put in a position to verbalize the collective pain, anguish, and outrage of Blacks in America during the tumultuous 1960’s. This week, on From the Vault, our ears travel back over forty years to hear choice selections of Ossie Davis himself — recordings that show a deeply concerned artist and activist speaking out against U.S. imperialist interventions, and doing his best to advance the African American community.
We begin with a selection from the 1964 Literary Conference, where we glimpse the complexity of Davis as he reads selections from Purlie Victorious and The Wonderful World of Law and Order. Next we hear Davis deliver the eulogy for slain leader Malcolm X in 1965, and then from Davis and his wife Ruby Dee, as they reflect on their extraordinary lives in a 1998 interview by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash of WBAI’s Building Bridges. Finally, those close to Ossie Davis speak at his memorial service in February 2005 at Riverside Church in New York: Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, daughter Dr. Hasna Davis, Miss Atallah Shabazz, and son Guy Davis. Pacifica Radio Archives is proud to present these recordings of Ossie Davis as a tribute to his influence and living legacy.
From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.
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