life.style: Black Celebration 14 & 15 of 28
With the Academy Awards also known as the Oscars upon us this upcoming weekend, I wanted to shed light on a few actors that trail blazed in their field opening doors for generations to come:
Nichelle Nichols & Sidney Poitier.
"Don't you realize you have the first non-stereotypical role on television. Don't you realize that not only for our own little Black children but for people who don't look like us, for the first time they will see us as equals." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Nichelle Nichols (excerpt from Jet Magazine interview, 1994)
Nichelle Nichols better known as Lt. Uhura by trekkies worldwide helped show African-American actresses could portray roles outside of the housekeeper or grandmother. Nichols role on Star Trek didn't come without struggle as she face usual barriers of the time and contemplated quitting the show until Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced her otherwise.
Sidney Poitier was a milestone setter for African-American actors becoming the first of only two African-Americans to win the oscar for best actor, Denzel Washington the other in 2001. To attain such an elusive award in 1963, showed how treasured Poitier treated his roles and applied such passion to them.
I'm sure you've seen A Raisin in the Sun, a Broadway play turned film that saw Poitier play the lead in both productions. With today's money by any means film business, lets hope it doesn't take another 38 years before another African-American male hoists the gold statuette.
Much celebration,
Max
Nichelle Nichols & Sidney Poitier.
"Don't you realize you have the first non-stereotypical role on television. Don't you realize that not only for our own little Black children but for people who don't look like us, for the first time they will see us as equals." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Nichelle Nichols (excerpt from Jet Magazine interview, 1994)
"I've learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me. There is a certain anger: it reaches such intensity that to express it fully would require homicidal rage--self destructive, destroy the world rage--and its flame burns because the world is so unjust. I have to try to find a way to channel that anger to the positive, and the highest positive is forgiveness. "
— The Measure Of A Man - Sidney Poitier
— The Measure Of A Man - Sidney Poitier
Nichelle Nichols better known as Lt. Uhura by trekkies worldwide helped show African-American actresses could portray roles outside of the housekeeper or grandmother. Nichols role on Star Trek didn't come without struggle as she face usual barriers of the time and contemplated quitting the show until Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced her otherwise.
Sidney Poitier was a milestone setter for African-American actors becoming the first of only two African-Americans to win the oscar for best actor, Denzel Washington the other in 2001. To attain such an elusive award in 1963, showed how treasured Poitier treated his roles and applied such passion to them.
I'm sure you've seen A Raisin in the Sun, a Broadway play turned film that saw Poitier play the lead in both productions. With today's money by any means film business, lets hope it doesn't take another 38 years before another African-American male hoists the gold statuette.
Much celebration,
Max
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment