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 This is a short but special Rap column. It is dedicated to two great human beings that passed away this past week. It’s not a statement of grievance but one of celebration, as we should rejoice in the lives of this pair that died at a ripe old age.  Ossie Davis was a great actor but will be remembered more for the principles he stuck to throughout his life. He was a man who always fought for civil rights and the equality of all humankind. He was married to the brilliant Ruby Dee who shared the same profession. In addition, they were inseparable as a couple and always in the forefront of every humanistic and noble cause. Ossie was friends with both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. He loved and respected each of them. His voice gives the stirring narration that concludes Spike Lee’s monumental dedication to a great man in his film entitled “X,” and he eulogized Dr. King as well. If I had to pick one word by which I will always remember Ossie it would be “dignified.” He had a bearing that could make even the most powerful wilt. Harry Belafonte delivered the eulogy at his close friend’s funeral this morning and it was obvious that the pain is there but that Ossie’s was a life to be celebrated. He was 87 years old.  Another icon passed away this week and he was 89 years old. Pulitzer Prize winning writer Arthur Miller was a living legend. He wrote over twenty plays but two are part of the very fabric of human and/or American life. The story of Willie Loman in “The Death of a Salesman” was written when Arthur was just 33 and has remained a classic, timeless piece about the American capitalist dream gone badly. In addition, Arthur wrote “The Crucible” an indictment of fanatical religion and how it can turn a society into maniacs who will burn others at the stake. The truth is that it was Arthur’s indictment of the McCarthyism that ruined so many lives when it gripped America in the early 1950’s under the leadership and control of that vicious Senator Joe McCarthy. Many will remember Arthur for once being married to Marilyn Monroe. I have read what Arthur says when commenting about his late ex-wife and am convinced that he truly loved her and wanted to help her overcome her problems. The world is a lesser place without Arthur Miller in it as people who understand human frailties are the ones who keep striving to make this a better place. I loved both these men and that’s why I wrote this column.  © Copyright BravesBeat Network, BravesBeat.com, and Michael M. Rapaport |
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