[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 128 (Saturday, August 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         A TRIBUTE TO RUBY DEE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 3, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ruby Dee, an 
American actress, poet, playwright, and civil fights activist. Her 
career in acting has crossed all major forms of media over a span of 
eight decades. Ms. Dee has been active in civil rights causes and is a 
living legend whose grace and life has inspired many.
  Born Ruby Ann Wallace on October 27, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio, she 
grew up in Harlem, New York. Ms. Dee is a graduate of the famed 
American Negro Theatre in Harlem where she studied with Sidney Poitier 
and Harry Belafonte, often working along their side in movies. Her 
acting career began during a time when Blacks were fighting for civil 
rights. She earned national acclaim for her performance in the 1950 
film, The Jackie Robinson Story. Her film credits include A Raisin In 
The Sun, Roots, and Do The Right Thing.
  She was the first African American woman to secure major roles at the 
Shakespeare Theatre Company in Connecticut, serving as a trailblazer 
for Blacks in American theater. Ms. Dee and her beloved husband, the 
late Ossie Davis, were honored in 1995 by President Clinton with the 
Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and in 2004 by 
the Kennedy Center for their contributions to the performing arts in 
America. In 2007, their album titled, ``With Ossie And Ruby: In This 
Life Together'' won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
  In the fight for racial equality, she was a member of several civil 
rights organizations. She and her husband served as masters of 
ceremonies for the historic 1963 March on Washington. Along with W.E.B. 
Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, and other leaders of the civil rights 
movement, she has been an advocate and activist of equal rights for all 
Americans.
  Ms. Dee is a courageous woman who was far ahead of her time. She and 
her husband raised three children: Guy Davis, Nora Day and Hasna 
Muhammad. I'm grateful for her friendship, talent, and commitment to 
uplift and inspire African American people. Ms. Dee has touched the 
lives of all Americans, not to mention New Yorkers. The village of 
Harlem is proud to claim her as its own and America is a better place 
because of her life and immeasurable contributions.

                          ____________________