IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 69

Honoring the life and accomplishments of the late Ossie Davis. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 8, 2005

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia (for himself, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, 

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. CAPUANO, Mrs. MALONEY, 

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. 

LEE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. WATSON, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 

Texas, Mr. WATT, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATERS, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 

Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. BISHOP of New York, 

Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. NORTON, Mr. FORD, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, 

Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. ROSS, Mr. MARSHALL, Ms. BORDALLO, 

Mr. FATTAH, Mr. OWENS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. WEINER, Mr. 

HONDA, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 

Texas, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. BARROW, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. CARSON, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. WYNN, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

CLAY, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. DEAL of 

Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CLYBURN, and Mr. 

HASTINGS of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION

Honoring the life and accomplishments of the late Ossie 

Davis.

Whereas the late Ossie Davis, actor and civil rights leader, 

was born Raiford Chatman Davis, the oldest of five chil-
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dren born to Laura Cooper and Kince Davis, on December 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Georgia; 

Whereas Ossie Davis graduated in the top 5 percent of his 

high school class, received a National Youth Administration scholarship, and walked from Waycross, Georgia, to 

Washington, D.C., to attend Howard University, where 

he studied with Alain Leroy Locke, the first black 

Rhodes Scholar; 

Whereas Ossie Davis began his career as a writer and an 

actor with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem in 

1939; 

Whereas during World War II Ossie Davis served in the 

Army in an African-American medical unit, including 

service as an Army surgical technician in Libya, where he 

worked on stabilizing some of the 700,000 soldiers 

wounded in that war for transport back to State-side hospitals; 

Whereas Ossie Davis made his Broadway debut in 1946 in 

‘‘Jeb’’, where he met his wife, actress Ruby Dee, who he 

married in 1948; 

Whereas Ossie Davis went on to perform in many Broadway 

productions, including ‘‘Anna Lucasta’’, ‘‘The Wisteria 

Trees’’, ‘‘Green Pastures’’, ‘‘Jamaica’’, ‘‘Ballad for 

Bimshire’’, ‘‘A Raisin in the Sun’’, ‘‘The Zulu and the 

Zayda’’, and ‘‘I’m Not Rappaport’’. 

Whereas in 1961, he wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed ‘‘Purlie Victorious’’; 

Whereas Ossie Davis’ first movie role was in ‘‘No Way Out’’ 

in 1950, followed by appearances in ‘‘The Cardinal’’ in 

1963, ‘‘The Hill’’ in 1965, and ‘‘The Scalphunters’’ in 

1968; 
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•HRES 69 IH 

Whereas Ossie Davis made his feature debut as a writer/director with ‘‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’’ in 1970 and later 

directed ‘‘Kongi’s Harvest’’ in 1971, ‘‘Black Girl’’ in 

1972, ‘‘Gordon’s War’’ in 1973, and ‘‘Countdown at 

Kusini’’ in 1976; 

Whereas Ossie Davis held numerous leading and supporting 

television and motion picture roles throughout his distinguished career; 

Whereas Ossie Davis was a leading activist in the civil rights 

era of the 1960s when he joined Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. in the crusade for jobs and freedom and to help raise 

money for the Freedom Riders; 

Whereas Ossie and Ruby Dee Davis, having protested the injustices of the McCarthy Era House Committee on UnAmerican Activities in the 1950s, were blacklisted from 

Hollywood; 

Whereas Ossie and Ruby Dee Davis raised their voices for 

numerous causes, including support for the United Negro 

College Fund, vocal opposition to the Vietnam War, and 

participation in the August 28, 1963, March on Washington, D.C., at which the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

delivered his ‘‘I Have a Dream’’ speech. 

Whereas Ossie Davis served for 12 years as master of ceremonies at the annual National Memorial Day Concerts 

on the grounds of the United States Capitol and was an 

advocate on behalf of the Nation’s veterans; 

Whereas Ossie Davis eulogized both Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr., and Malcolm X at their funerals; 

Whereas Ossie Davis was inducted into the Theater Hall of 

Fame in 1994 and received innumerable honors and citations throughout his life, including the Hall of Fame 
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Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in 1989, the 

United States National Medal for the Arts in 1995, the 

New York Urban League Frederick Douglass Award, 

NAACP Image Award, and the Screen Actor’s Guild 

Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001; 

Whereas Ossie Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee, are the parents 

of three children and have recently published their joint 

autobiography, ‘‘With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together’’; and 

Whereas Davis enjoyed a long and luminous career in entertainment along with his wife before he died in Miami, 

Florida, at the age of 87 on Friday, February 4, 2005, 

where he was making a movie called ‘‘Retirement’’: Now, 

therefore be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) recognizes the extraordinary contributions 

3 to the Nation of the late Ossie Davis for his service 

4 to the Nation in the military, as a civil rights leader, 

5 and as an actor; 

6 (2) honors him as a great American and pio7 neer in the annals of American history; and 

8 (3) expresses its deepest condolences upon his 

9 death to his wife Ruby Dee Davis, his other family 

10 members, and his friends.

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