[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4880-4881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  JULIE DASH--DIRECTOR'S GUILD AWARD NOMINATION, THE ROSA PARKS STORY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DIANE E. WATSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2003

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my pride over the 
nomination of Ms. Julie Dash for a prestigious Director's Guild Award 
for her work on The Rosa Parks Story. She was nominated in the category 
of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television for 
2002. The winners will be announced at the 55th Annual DGA Awards 
Dinner on Saturday, March 1, 2003 at The Century Plaza Hotel in Los 
Angeles. Ms. Dash is the only female nominated in this category this 
year.
  The Rosa Parks Story stars Angela Bassett, Cicely Tyson and Dexter 
Scott King, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The film brings

[[Page 4881]]

to life the peaceful dissent an exhausted Rosa Parks showed on a 
crowded Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955, and the Civil Rights Movement 
that ensued. The movie originally aired on television on February 24, 
2002.
  It seems appropriate that Ms. Dash would be nominated for this award 
during Black History Month. African American actors, directors and 
others in the industry are hard-pressed to find meaningful, quality 
projects. Given these challenges, I am even more proud of Ms. Dash's 
achievement today.
  Ms. Dash's own story of success is also very inspiring. She was born 
and raised in New York City, and in 1992 became the first African 
American woman to have her film, Daughters of the Dust, receive a full-
length theatrical release. In 1994 Ms. Dash was chosen as one of the 
100 Fearless Women by Mirabella magazine.
  She has received numerous awards, including The Sojourner Truth Award 
from the New York Chapter of the Links, the Maya Deren Award from the 
American Film Institute, a Candace Award from the National Coalition of 
100 Black Women, and the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial 
Foundation Fellowship.
  I was honored to host a congressional screening of the film, The Rosa 
Parks Story, last year prior to the film's television debut. I had the 
good fortune then of meeting Ms. Dash, along with Ms. Cicely Tyson, Ms. 
Angela Bassett, and many others who were instrumental in the success of 
this movie. I particularly want to acknowledge the contributions of Mr. 
Willis Edwards in the production of this film. His work as producer of 
the film was instrumental in its success.
  This film has held meaning and significance for me personally, and it 
brings me great joy to see Ms. Dash's work recognized by the Director's 
Guild of America. I wish her the best at the awards ceremony on March 
1st!
  Thank you. I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________