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Full-Text Articles in African American Studies
Ruby Dee, 1922-2014, Judith E. Smith
Ruby Dee, 1922-2014, Judith E. Smith
American Studies Faculty Publication Series
Ruby Dee was a marvelously expressive actor, and a lifelong risk-taking radical committed to challenging racial and economic inequality. She made history as part of an extraordinary group of Black Arts radicals — including Paul Robeson, Lorraine Hansberry, Harry Belafonte, John O. Killens and Julian Mayfield, as well as her husband Ossie Davis — who actively protested white supremacy and thought deeply about the political implications of conventional racial representations, creating new stories and introducing new Black characters to convey deep truths about Black life.
In small parts and choice roles, Dee’s presence lit up stage and screen. In her …