[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1712-E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE FINAL MISSION OF THE LATE OSSIE DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding 
American actor, civil rights advocate, and highly regarded 
humanitarian--Ossie Davis. Throughout his distinguished career as an 
actor, he was simultaneously an activist who utilized the platform his 
celebrity status gave him to advocate for opportunity and justice for 
all Americans.
  Ossie Davis passed away almost six months ago, leaving behind a 
legacy of determination, pride, and caring that will long be remembered 
and will continue to be an inspiration to all who were privileged to 
know him. Upon hearing of his death, I was deeply saddened but 
remembered his rich legacy of activism and leadership.
  Ossie Davis fully participated in and led the great movements for 
civil rights and justice in

[[Page E1713]]

this nation in the 1960s. As the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights 
Movement, and school desegregation threatened to divide our nation, 
Ossie stepped forward as a champion of integration, equality, and civil 
rights. From the Broadway stage to the motion picture screen to the 
streets where injustice lay, Ossie Davis was there to demand that each 
and every person be treated as an equal, as a brother. With his deep 
voice that spoke from wisdom and experience, he would discuss the 
challenges to the attainment of equal treatment and fairness that is 
the constitutionally mandated birthright of every citizen born in this 
great country. He would discuss how to achieve that level of equality 
and would challenge those around him to aid in his crusade.
  Ossie Davis was selected to be the speaker at the first annual 
Congressional Black Caucus dinner, I recall, because we wanted to have 
someone who, as a celebrity and a highly respected civil rights leader, 
would be both entertaining and inspirational. Ossie, in a speech that 
is still remembered and quoted today, set us on a course to sustain the 
achievements of the civil rights era and to build upon them. He 
exceeded our collective expectations.
  Ossie was one of the noblest individuals I knew. He lived a life of 
dignity and pride that was so exemplary that one wanted to emulate him. 
In his chosen profession of acting, he was a true legend that used his 
position to advance positive images of the Black male and to challenge 
those who would accept the subjugation of an entire group based on 
their race. He has a history of over one hundred films, plays, 
television series, and other productions that cover the range of 
experiences of the Black male in America today.
  Ossie who was always working, always raising important issues, left 
us in the film on which he was working at the time of his death, an 
inspiring story that serves as a metaphor for the struggle by African-
Americans for equality of opportunity and inclusion. We are fortunate 
in the Harlem community to have Ossie's film to screen as a highlight 
of our celebration of Harlem Week.
  The movie Proud, which was released two months after his death, is a 
heroic story about an all-Black crew on the U.S. warship Mason during 
World War II. Ossie and his fellow cast members tell the important 
story of how the War and a segregated Navy changed them. True to his 
nature, Ossie Davis made this experience a personal investment in the 
struggle for justice and equality in Black America for his audience. 
This movie allows Ossie one last opportunity to tell the story of Black 
America in this country. It is also our last opportunity to witness 
this great man in action.
  I submit for the Record the press release announcing the movie and 
describing how it came to be made. I look forward to attending the 
screening of Proud in my community next week and encourage everyone to 
take time out and see this wonderful film.

                 [From THEntertainment, April 18, 2005]

                        Press Release ``PROUD''

                  (Written/Directed by Mary Pat Kelly)

                      (Produced by Ally Hilfiger)

       New York.--The late Ossie Davis completes a final mission 
     when the THEntertainment film ``Proud,'' which will screen at 
     the Tribeca Film Festival, April 23rd, is released by Castle 
     Hill Productions in the New York, Washington and Los Angeles 
     Magic Johnson Theatres during Memorial Day weekend.
       Ossie Davis, a WWII veteran himself, not only stars in the 
     film, but had taken a personal interest since becoming aware 
     of this true adventure of the USS Mason in 1995. The men of 
     the USS Mason were the only African-American sailors to take 
     a navy warship into combat in WWII. Like Ossie Davis, they 
     served in a segregated military, but found strength in the 
     midst of struggles against racism from their camaraderie and 
     pride in their own excellence.
       Ossie Davis' character, Lorenzo DuFau, passes the story of 
     his time on the Mason on to his grandson (Albert Jones) and 
     two friends, who then become the 1940's sailors in a dramatic 
     movie that depicts the events of the men's service on the USS 
     Mason. As a destroyer escort, the men shepherded convoys 
     across a perilous Atlantic infested with Nazi U-boats. They 
     faced the storm of the century and were instrumental in 
     saving a convoy. In spite of enduring racist incidents in a 
     segregated Navy, they found an unexpected welcome in Northern 
     Ireland. In ``Proud'' Stephen Rea plays the Derry man who 
     welcomes them and Darnell Williams is the war correspondent, 
     Thomas Young, who traveled with the Mason.
       Tommy Hilfiger's attention was first attracted by the book 
     and documentary done by Mary Pat Kelly, but he felt the story 
     should be a dramatic feature if it were to reach a wide 
     audience.
       The events of 9/11 convinced him to finance the film 
     himself. ``We need our heroes,'' he said.
       Hilfiger's daughter, Ally, became the producer and Mary Pat 
     Kelly the writer/director. Ossie Davis was the first to sign 
     on. ``He blessed the movie with his presence,'' said Kelly 
     and Hilfiger.
       Ossie Davis attended a test screening of ``Proud'' in 
     Washington, DC, with his grandson, Jamal Day, who plays 
     trumpet on the movie score. Davis wore his USS Mason ball cap 
     and told the audience he wore it all the time so interviewers 
     would ask about it and he could tell them about the film.
       Davis died of natural causes in Miami Beach, Florida on 
     February 4, 2005. He had intended to help promote the film.
       ``We're pleased that those who admired Ossie Davis will see 
     him in a role that so embodies his own life as an artist and 
     activist,'' said Kelly.
                                  ____



                      Ossie Davis (Lorenzo DuFau)

       As USS Mason veteran, Lorenzo DuFau, Ossie Davis, himself a 
     WWII veteran, forms the head of the movie ``Proud.'' He is 
     the grandfather who passes the story of the ``men of the 
     Mason'' on to his grandson and thus insures that his 
     shipmates will live on. ``I am a part of American history,'' 
     he says. ``Proudly we served and I want that acknowledged.''
       As an actor, writer, producer and director, Ossie Davis has 
     himself shaped American history and insured that the richness 
     of African-American experience is presented with artistry and 
     joy.
       Born in Cogdell, Georgia, Mr. Davis attended Howard 
     University and began a career as an actor and writer with the 
     Rose McClelland Players in Harlem in 1939. He joined the Army 
     after Pearl Harbor and served with great distinction as a 
     member of a medical team in West Africa.
       In 1946, Mr. Davis made his Broadway debut in ``Jeb,'' the 
     first of many roles that included following Sydney Poitier 
     into the lead of ``Raisin in the Sun.'' Mr. Davis used his 
     backstage waiting time to write ``Purlie Victorious'' in 
     which he starred in 1961. The artistically acclaimed play 
     became the musical ``Purlie'' and introduced Melba Moore and 
     Cleavon Little.
       The film career of Ossie Davis is legendary. Beginning with 
     ``No Way Out'' in 1950 with Sydney Poitier, Davis has 
     appeared in dozens of feature films from ``The Cardinal,'' 
     ``The Hill,'' and ``The Scalphunter'' through recent movies 
     such as ``Dr. Doolittle,'' ``Do the Right Thing,'' and ``On 
     The Bus.'' He directed ``Cotton Comes to Harlem'' in 1970 and 
     continued to direct and produce movies and plays. Mr. Davis 
     did not neglect television. Beginning in 1965 in the title 
     role of ``The Emperor Jones,'' he's given award-winning 
     performances in ``Teacher, Teacher, King,'' and ``Miss Evers' 
     Boys'' to name a few. He's been a regular on ``Evening 
     Shade'' with his friend Burt Reynolds.
       Davis' partnership with his wife actress/writer Ruby Dee 
     has produced such notable achievements as the television 
     special ``Today Is Ours,'' ``Martin Luther King: The Dream 
     and The Drum,'' ``A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill 
     Moyers'' and the series ``With Ossie and Ruby.''
       Mr. Davis received many honors and citations including the 
     New York Urban League Frederick Douglass Award and the NAACP 
     Image Award. With Ruby Dee, he received The Screen Actors 
     Guild Life Achievement Award and in 2002 The President's 
     National Medal of Arts at the Kennedy Center.
       Mr. Davis died of natural causes in Miami Beach, Florida on 
     February 4, 2005.
                                  ____



                             short synopsis

       Proud is a memory piece told by WWII vet, Lorenzo DuFau 
     (Ossie Davis). As a sailor on the USS Mason, he was a member 
     of the only African American crew to take a US Warship into 
     combat. As DuFau tells his wartime experiences to his 
     grandson and two college friends, the young men are 
     transformed into USS Mason sailors. They fight for their 
     country, but also have to battle the racism inherent in a 
     segregated Navy. They perform heroically and receive an 
     unexpectedly warm welcome in Ireland. The crew was 
     recommended for commendations in 1944, but they were never 
     awarded. The grandchildren take up the fight, and the long 
     overdue commendation is awarded to the surviving crew members 
     in 1995.

                          ____________________