Ossie Davis: An American Legend

Ossie Davis was an American legend, even though most Americans would never regard him as such.

Over the past week, since his death, I’ve really taken the time to think about who Mr. Davis was and what his legacy means to Black men and women involved in the creative arts. We all know him as an actor of course, most of us younger folks having been introduced to him in Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” (1989). And of course, we also know him to be paired with his lovely wife, the joy of his life, actress Ruby Dee; the two of them were inseparable. But most of don’t recognize him from his true nature: the artist/activist.

Recognizing Ossie as the artist-activist brings me back to a conversation that I had with my older brother some years ago. He was telling me how he doesn’t respect most artists, be they actor, singer, writer, poet, whichever, because not enough of them use their art to uplift the community – that they are too selfish. I understood his point, and agreed with him to a degree, but I was younger at that time so I didn’t fully understand how important that was until I got a ‘lil older and wiser.

It goes with what a lot of elders instilled in me: how important sacrifices are. And to sacrifice for something you truly believe in, to put your success on the line to: stand with an ostracized Muslim leader, to promote positive and thought-provoking images of your people in the public eye, to support unions even when people think that you are a closet Communist, or to simply be publicly loving to your wife; all these are signs of a great person. A person who understands what life should be about and who isn’t afraid to make what he believes happen. It’s a sign of a true man.

So thank you Ossie for being that inspiration to me. Thank you for being such a great actor, orator and storyteller. Thank you for showing the proper example on how making correct choices in your life and about how important it is to align yourself with the right people, be they Black, White, Asian or whomever. Thank you Ruby for being the same and for loving your man.

So here’s to Ossie Davis: An American Legend!