Biographical Information.

 

 

 

Ruby Dee married blues singer Frankie Dee Brown in 1941 and used his middle name as her stage name. They divorced in 1945. Later, she married actor Ossie Davis in 1948. They met each other while costarring in Robert Ardery's 1946 Broadway play of Jeb. Together, the couple wrote an autobiography in discussing their political activism. They once had an open marriage, and later end that situation. They love their 3 children who are blues musician Guy Davis, Nora Day, and Hasna Muhammad. Ruby Dee survived breast cancer of more than three decades. Ruby Dee was in the movies of Gone Are The Days! and The Incident. By 1963, Ruby Dee was on the show called The Fugitive.  By 1964, she had a role in the soap opera called Peyton Place on September 15, 1964. She was nominated for Lead Actress in a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the show called The Nurses. She won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1991. In 1965, Dee performed in lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival as Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Cordelia in King Lear, becoming the first black actress to portray a lead role in the festival. Her career in acting crossed all major forms of media over a span of eight decades. In 1968, Ruby Dee was part of the film Uptight about the black revolutionary movement. The fictional movement talks about the unjust assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio. 

 

During the 1960's, social and cultural massive changes existed in the United States of America plus the world.  Ruby Dee and her husband, Ossie Davis, were in the middle of those changes. They were both leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and the overall black freedom movement (that has existed for centuries in America alone). In 1961, CORE (or the Congress of Racial Equality) organized Freedom Rides in the South to desegregate interstate public bus travel. The first live performance of Ossie's play called Purlie Victorious, is a benefit for CORE. Both Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were great friends to both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee celebrated with Dr. King on the 100th performance of Purlie Victorious. 

 

In 1963, Ossie Davis co-produced an off Broadway musical, Ballad For Bimshire, with associates Irving Burgie, Sylvester Leeks, Ewart Guinier, Ed Cambridge, and Loften Mitchell. Just before the March on Washington in 1963 took place, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois passed away in Ghana. During the March on Washington event, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were emcees at the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom. After the march, 4 black girls were murdered by terrorists at the 16th Street Baptist Church at Birmingham, Alabama. It was one of the greatest tragedies in human history where girls, who just wanted to worship God, were murdered by racist cowards. They is why Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis (along with James Baldwin, John O. Killens, Clarence Jones, Odetta, and others) formed the Association of Artists for Freedom, which called for a Christmas boycott to protest the church bombing, and to make “our Christmas gifts contribution to civil rights organizations.”  By 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. SNCC had Freedom Summer to try to register black voters in the South. In that same summer of 1964, 3 CORE civil rights workers were murdered at Philadelphia, Mississippi whose names are Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman. Rudy Dee's and Ossie Davis' friend Malcolm X was assassinated in Harlem on February 1965. Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy at his funeral. The Committee of Concerned Mother (created by Ruby Dee, Juanita Poitier, and others) raise funds to buy a home for Betty Shabazz or Malcolm X's widow including her six daughters. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 with 200,000 troops at Vietnam. Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis opposed the Vietnam War 100 percent, because the Vietnam War was immoral, unjust, and ruined so many lives.

  

By 1966, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis participated in a Read in for Peace in Vietnam. In the same year, A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin promoted the Freedom Budget for All American (or an anti-poverty plan to defeat poverty by 1975). Also, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was created in 1966 at Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King publicly speaks out against the Vietnam War in New York City at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam. Ossie Davis speaks at the location too.  After Dr. King was assassinated at Memphis in 1968, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee attended the Memorial march in Memphis, where Ossie spoke, and then the funeral took place in Atlanta. In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman to be elected to Congress. 

 

   

 

In 1970, Ruby Dee won the Frederick Douglass Award from the New York Urban League. Ossie Davis directed his first film of Cotton Comes to Harlem in 1970. He directed a film in Nigeria that was an adaptation of Wole Soyinka's Kongi's Harvest. By 1971, Ruby Dee won Best Performance By An Actress with an Obie Award for her role in "Boesman and Lena." For the movie, she won the Drama Desk Award in 1971 for Outstanding Performance. In 1971, Ossie Davis worked with other artists in the Third World Cinema Corporation, which wants to grow minority presence in all aspects of the film industry. One of her famous roles in the 1970's was her involvement in the 1972 move called Buck and the Preacher (with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte). She worked in films like Black Girl in 1972, Wedding Band, Roots: The Next Generation in 1979, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1979. In 1972, Ruby Dee complies and edits Glowchild, an anthology of poetry written by young people. In 1975, Rudy Dee and Ossie Davis start their weekly radio show called The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story House, on National Black Network. In 1975, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were awarded the  Actors’ Equity Paul Robeson Citation "for outstanding creative contributions both in the performing arts and in society at large." Roots aired on ABC in 1977 via Alex Haley. Ruby Dee's and Ossie Davis' first grandchild Ihsaana was born in 1977 too. In 1978, Ruby Dee started a weekly column called "Swinging Gently" for the New York Amsterdam News (that is geared to black Americans). In 1980, Ossie and Ruby form a family production company, now known as Emmalyn II Productions Company, Inc. / Dee-Davis Enterprises. With Ossie and Ruby begins its three-season run on PBS (two in partnership with KERA in Dallas, the last season with Howard University’s WHMM) back in 1980 too. Their 3rd grandchild Jihaad was born in 1982, and their fourth grandchild Brian was born in 1984. Jamaal, or their 5th grandchild, was born in 1986. 1986 was the year when Ossie Davis returned to Broadway in "I'm Not Rappaport." During the 1980's, Ruby Dee appeared on Reading Rainbow, The Golden Girls, 1988's Lincoln, China Beach, 1988's American Experience, and Do the Right Thing. Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing is about New York City in the midst of racism, police brutality, gentrification, and other social including racial conflicts that blows up. It describes NYC's 1980's society very accurately. 1989 was when Ruby Dee's play of Zora is My Name (first staged at Howard University) was adapted for television by PBS's American Playhouse series. In that year, David Dinkins was the first African American mayor of New York City. Douglas Wilder of Virginia was the first African American state governor since Reconstruction in 1989. Ruby Dee's children book called, "Two Ways to Count to Ten" won a Literary Guild Award in 1989. Imani, or Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee's 6h grandchild was born. 

 

 

  

The 1990's saw massive changes for black people, and Ruby Dee was part of this reality. Martial, or Ruby Dee's Ossie Davis' 7th grandchild Martial, was born. In 1991, Ruby Dee won an Emmy award for her performance in Decoration Day. Ruby Dee was in the play The Disappearance from 1993 which was an adaptation of Rosa Guy's novel (and the first of her Books With Legs series). It premiered at Crossroads Repertory Theater. In 1995, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis received the National Medal of Art from President Bill Clinton. We know about Ossie Davis' role in 1996's film of Get on the Bus which is about the 1995 Million Man March. In 1996, Ruby Dee created her one woman show called, "My One Good Nerve" debuting in Seattle. In 1998, Ossie Davis and Ruby celebrated their 50th anniversary with the publication of their joint autobiography called, "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together." In 1999, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were arrested at 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the New York Police Department. They protested the unjust police shooting of Amadou Diallo. 

  

 

Ruby Dee worked hard in the 21st century too. In 2001, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis received the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. Ossie Davis won a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance in "Finding Buck McHenry." In 2001, Ossie was in his final play called A Last Dance for Sybil. It's stage with Ruby Dee too. In early 2003, The Nation published "Not in Our Name", an open proclamation vowing opposition to the impending US invasion of Iraq. Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were among the signatories, along with Robert Altman, Noam Chomsky, Susan Sarandon, and Howard Zinn, among others. By 2004, the couple received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2005, Ossie Davis passed away at Florida. Ruby Dee mourned, and she posthumously received the Marian Anderson Award for Ossie Davis. In 2007, Ruby and (posthumously) Ossie win a Grammy® for the audio version of With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together. In November 2005, Dee was awarded – along with her late husband – the Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award, presented by the National Civil Rights Museum located in Memphis. Dee, a long-time resident of New Rochelle, New York, was inducted into the New Rochelle Walk of Fame which honors the most notable residents from throughout the community's 325-year history. She was also inducted into the Westchester County Women's Hall of Fame on March 30, 2007, joining such other honorees as Hillary Clinton and Nita Lowey.  

 

In 2007, Ruby Dee was in the film American Gangster. That film was about the life of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington). Ruby Dee played Frank Lucas' mother. In 2008, Ruby received her first Oscar nomination for playing Mama Lucas in the American Gangster film. By 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American elected as President of the United States of America. In 2009, she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Princeton University. Ruby Dee continued to work. She was in the movie Dream Street in 2010. She played the movie Video Girl in 2011 as Valerie. Video Girl is about how many video models are victims of sexism, sexual abuse, and exploitation financially (and it outlines the courage of video models who fight back for their human dignity) back then to this very day. No matter a person's occupation, that human being should be treated with dignity and respect. In 2011, she was in movies like Politics of Love and Red and Blue Marbles. She was involved in the documentary in 2012 called Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal. A Thousands Words featured her in 2012 too. Ruby Dee was the narrator of the film Betty and Coretta celebrating the lives of Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz. Her final role was in 1982 playing Rose Brown in 2013. 

 

  

Ruby Dee transitioned at her home in New Rochelle, New York. She passed away on June 11, 2014 via natural causes. She was 91 years old. In a statement, Gil Robertson IV of the African American Film Critics Association said, "the members of the African American Film Critics Association are deeply saddened at the loss of actress and humanitarian Ruby Dee. Throughout her seven-decade career, Dee embraced different creative platforms with her various interpretations of black womanhood and also used her gifts to champion for Human Rights. " "She very peacefully surrendered", said her daughter Nora Day. "We hugged her, we kissed her, we gave her our permission to go. She opened her eyes. She looked at us. She closed her eyes, and she set sail." Following her death, the marquee on the Apollo Theater read: "A TRUE APOLLO LEGEND RUBY DEE 1922–2014." Ruby Dee was cremated, and her ashes are held in the same urn as that of Ossie Davis with the inscription of "in this thing together."  A public memorial celebration honoring Dee was held on September 20, 2014, at the Riverside Church in Upper Manhattan. Their shared urn was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

  

For almost one century, Ruby Dee has lived on this Earth expressing a monumental legacy for humanity. She helped to fight for the rights of black people and humanity overtly. Being of the one of greatest actresses in human history, her love of acting was always transparently. Love of family, love of justice, and love of her husband always were part of her life. Human beings like Septima Clark, Ella Baker, and others broke down barriers for her. Ruby Dee helped to break down barriers for future actresses like Angela Bassett, Anika Noni Rose, Halle Berry, Mary J. Blige, Gloria Reuben, Sanaa Lathan, Queen Latifah, Theresa Randle, and so many other women actress showing their gifts to the world. Ruby Dee was never on the sidelines on social causes. For over 50 years, she has been on the frontlines (along with her husband Ossie Davis) calling for justice. Ruby Dee fought for black hairstylists to work with black people in film. Ruby Dee wanted solutions to solve problems. Her love for black people is eternal, and the Black Love that Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis represented was majestic. Ruby Dee's legendary life should inspire future generation to achieve greatness triumphally. Rest in Power Sister Ruby Dee. 

 

 

 

Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. That is in the UK. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (1924–1992), and Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (née Roche; 1936–2004).  The Spencer family had been closely allied with the British royal family for several generations;  her grandmothers, Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer and Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.  Her parents were hoping for a boy to carry on the family line, and no name was chosen for a week, until they settled on Diana Frances after her mother and after Lady Diana Spencer, a many-times-great-aunt who was also a prospective Princess of Wales. Within the family, she was also known informally as "Duch", a reference to her duchess-like attitude in childhood. By August 30, 1961, Diana was baptized at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham. Shew grew up with 3 siblings named Sarah, Jane, and Charles. Her infant brother named John died shortly a year before Diana was born. Diana had a relationship with her parents that was dysfunctional. Her parents divorced. She grew up in Park House on the Sandringham estate. The family leased the house from its owner, Queen Elizabeth II. They celebrated holidays at the neighboring Sandringham House. Diana played with the Queen's sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Diana was only 7 when her parents divorced. Her mother later married Peter Shand Kydd in 1969, and she lived with her mother in London during their parents' separation in 1967. Lord Althorp refused to let his duaghter return to London with Lady Althorp. 

 

Shortly afterwards, he won custody of Diana with support from his former mother-in-law, Lady Fermoy. In 1976, Lord Althorp married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth. Diana's relationship with her stepmother was particularly bad. She resented Raine, whom she called a "bully." On one occasion, Diana "pushed her down the stairs." She later described her childhood as "very unhappy" and "very unstable, the whole thing." She became known as Lady Diana after her father later inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975, at which point her father moved the entire family from Park House to Althorp, the Spencer seat in Northamptonshire. At first, Diana was homeschooled under the supervision of her governess, Gerthrude Allen. Later, her formal education started at Silfield Private School in King's Lynn, Norfolk. She was moved to Riddlesworth Hall School or an all-girls boarding school near Theford, when she was 9. 

 

She joined her sisters at West Heath Girls' School in Sevenoaks, Kent, in 1973. She did not perform well academically, failing her O-levels twice. Her outstanding community spirit was recognized with an award from West Heath. She left West Heath when she was sixteen. Her brother Charles recalls her as being quite shy up until that time. She showed a talent for music as an accomplished pianist. She also excelled in swimming and diving, and studied ballet and tap dance.

After attending Institut Alpin Videmanette (a finishing school in Rougemont, Switzerland) for one term, and leaving after the Easter term of 1978, Diana returned to London, where she shared her mother's flat with two school friends. In London, she took an advanced cooking course, but seldom cooked for her roommates. She took a series of low-paying jobs; she worked as a dance instructor for youth until a skiing accident caused her to miss three months of work. She then found employment as a playgroup pre-school assistant, did some cleaning work for her sister Sarah and several of her friends, and acted as a hostess at parties. She spent time working as a nanny for the Robertsons, an American family living in London, and worked as a nursery teacher's assistant at the Young England School in Pimlico. In July 1979, her mother bought her a flat at Coleherne Court in Earl's Court as an 18th birthday present. She lived there with three flatmates until February 25, 1981.

  

 

Diana met Charles, Prince of Wales (or the Queen's eldest son and heir apparent), when she was 16 years old on November 1977. He was then 29 and dating her older sister, Sarah. Charles and Diana were guests at a country weekend during the summer of 1980 when she watched him play polo. Then, he took a serious interest in seeing her as a potential bride. Prince Charles had a reputation as a playboy. The relationship progressed when he invited her abroad the royal yacht Britannia for a sailing weekend to Cowes. This was followed by an invitation to Blamoral Castle (the royal family's Scottish residence) to meet his family one weekend in November 1980. She was well received by the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh. Charles later courted Diana in London. Charles proposed on February 6, 1981 at Windsor Castle, and Diana accepted. Yet, their engagement was kept secret for two and a half weeks. The engagement was official on February 24, 1981. Diana selected her own engagement ring. After that time, she left her occupation as a nursery teacher's assistant and lived for a short time at Clarence House or the home of the Queen Mother. She then lived at Buckingham Palace until the wedding. According to biographer Ingrid Seward, her life was incredibly lonely. Diana was the first Englishwoman to marry the first in line to the throne since Anne Hyde married the future James II over 300 years earlier, and she was also the first royal bride to have a paying job before her engagement. She made her first public appearance with Prince Charles in a charity ball in March 1981 at Goldsmiths' Hall, where she met Grace, Princess of Monaco. Diana married Charles when she was 20 years old. The wedding took place on July 29, 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral. It had more seating than Westminster Abbey, a church used for royal nuptials. It was a wedding like a fairytale watched by 750 million on global television. 600,000 people were in the streets to see the couple en croute to the ceremony. 

 

At the altar, Diana inadvertently reversed the order of his first two names, saying "Philip Charles" Arthur George instead. She did not say she would "obey" him; that traditional vow was left out at the couple's request, which caused some comment at the time. Diana wore a dress valued at £9,000 (equivalent to £34,750 in 2019) with a 25-foot (7.62-metre) train. After she was the Princess of Wales, Diana was the third highest woman in the British order of precedence (after the Queen and the Queen Mother). She was the 5th or 6th in the order of precedence of her other realms, following the Queen, the relevant viceroy, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, and the Prince of Wales. Within a few years of the wedding, the Queen extended Diana visible tokens of membership in the royal family; she lent her the Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara, and granted her the badge of the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II.

 

By Timothy