[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 14 (Thursday, February 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE LATE OSSIE DAVIS

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                               speech of

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 2005

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a great 
civil rights pioneer; a man who provided vital social and political 
commentary on our nation at a time when it was unwelcome to do so. 
Above all Ossie Davis was an activist for social equality. He believed 
vigorously in the tenets on which our nation was founded: freedom, 
justice, and that all men are indeed created equal.
  Ossie Davis passed away last year at the age of 87. With his passing 
our nation lost not only a leader of the civil rights movement but also 
one of the preeminent playwrights, authors and actors of the African 
American community.
  Over his 50 years in the entertainment business, Ossie Davis wrote 
various plays, television shoves and movies, shedding necessary light 
on the challenges facing the African American community and race 
relations in the United States.
  He was a champion for the disenfranchised, providing a voice for 
those who could not speak out and inspiration for those seeking a 
better life. Ossie's theatrical achievements and unabashed commentary 
on the civil rights movement led to him receiving the Silver Circle 
Award from the Academy of the Television Arts and Sciences in 1994, the 
National Medal of Arts in 1995, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from 
the Screen Actor's Guild in 2000. He was also honored by the Kennedy 
Center in 2004.
  Through his proactive participation in the entertainment industry, 
Ossie Davis exhibited a deep resolve to highlighting the struggle for 
equality in the African American community and, in so doing, changed 
the direction of our nation.
  I commend Congressman Conyers on awarding Ossie Davis this well-
deserved medal. His contributions to the African American community and 
our entire nation should not go overlooked.

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