"My work is never finished," says actress, Civil Rights icon Ruby Dee, 87

3/8/2011

Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee, 87, smiles when she talks about the time she slapped Denzel Washington across the face in the 2007 film; American Gangster. She spoke to an audience exceeding 250 people at Chao Auditorium Tuesday.

In the film American Gangster, Dee portrays Mama Lucas, the disapproving mother of gangster Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film which was directed by Ridley Scott.

"Ridley Scott took me aside and said 'we just gotta spank the boy'," she said. "We didn't rehearse the scene because we wanted to be as candid and real as possible."

Dee says it was easy playing the role of a concerned mother in Harlem because she grew up in the neighborhood and her own mother was preoccupied with Dee's safety. She describes Harlem as a testing ground and says it was a university of hard-knocks where she first became enthusiastic about art and acting.

"All of our lives we're learning and parenting is an art, so you can't avoid being an artist," she said" Making someone feel bad is an easy task, but making someone feel good is an art."

As an activist, Dee befriended Civil Rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and she remains active in the NAACP and is a member of Congress of Racial Equality. Ambassador Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, was in the audience.

"When I think of the hell that was racism in the 60's, I think of what we have come through and how much work we have left to do." Dee said, briefly losing her composure.

A member of the audience handed Dee a handkerchief and some members of the audience became teary eyed as the 87 year old actress continued to deliver her speech.

"Everybody in this world has got to make change," she said. "We've got to get together as a community, change that lock on the door and then change that door."

She recalled the lynchings that occurred in the Southern United States when she was younger and talked about life during that time.

"I realize the younger people in this audience might not realize what African Americans have been through," Dee said. "But when I look at the hell that was racism, I have hope for where we are going and my work is never finished."

U.S. says Ghadaffi must go

James Calvert-Geneva, Switzerland

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the immediate resignation of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Ghadaffi Monday at the United Nations human rights council in Geneva.

"Ghadaffi has lost the legitimacy to govern and it is time for him to go without further delay," Clinton told members of the council.

Clashes between Libyan soldiers and Libyan rebels have escalated in recent weeks in the nation's capital. France, Germany and the United States condemned the actions of the Libyan Government, which is believed to be controlled by Ghaddafi.

Clinton said the brutal attacks by the the Libyan leader on his own people are unacceptable and would not be tolerated by the international community.

Clinton told the council that the international community has come to the consensus that the attacks on the people of Libya are unacceptable. The United Nations voted unanimously to impose an arms embargo and freeze the assets of Ghadaffi and his family. The United States has frozen 30 billion dollars of Colonel Ghadaffi's monetary assets in the United States. His family's bank accounts have been frozen in attempt to further isolate the Ghaddafi regime.

"Our European allies have discussed specific measures that will increase the pressure, further isolating Ghaddafi and his regime," Clinton said.

Clinton added that The United States would impose its own sanctions in addition to UN sanctions.

Clinton drew similarities between the human rights abuses in Iran and Libya, citing the death of peaceful protesters at the hands of corrupt regimes.

“Iran, for example, has consistently pursued policies of violence abroad, and tyranny at home" Clinton said. "In Tehran, security forces have beaten, detained, and in several recent cases killed peaceful protesters, even as Iran’s president has made a show of denouncing the violence in Libya.”

The death toll in Libya is not known and foreign journalists have faced scrutiny from Ghadaffi's government. Thursday, a Belgian photojournalist was detained by Libyan soldiers while he was covering a protest led by Libyan civilians outside Tripoli.

Ghadaffi said he refuses to relinquish his position as leader of the embattled nation Wednesday but his whereabouts are unknown. Reports that he fled to neighboring Niger are unsubstantiated. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered political asylum Friday to the embattled leader.