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HARLEM, NEW YORK -- Thousands of mourners packed the Riverside Church in Harlem on Saturday, February 12, 2005, to pay final respects to Ossie Davis -- acclaimed actor, writer, producer, director, cultural griot, tireless civil rights activist, righteous warrior and divine human being -- who died of natural causes on February 4 while working on a film called "Retirement" in Miami. Davis was 87 years old when he made his transition.
At the homegoing service, which lasted nearly four hours, several members of the African-American community came out to not only show their gratitude, but to also celebrate the life of a distinguished gentleman whose handsome spirit, unforgettable smile and indomitable presence impacted their own careers and lives.
Those individuals included, but were certainly not limited to: Harry Belafonte (who delivered the eulogy); Maya Angelou; Cicely Tyson; Earl Graves; Sonia Sanchez; Lynn Whitfield; Kwesi Mfume; Oprah Winfrey; Susan Taylor; Cornel West; Diahann Caroll; Leontyne Price; Tavis Smiley; Lerone Bennett, Jr.; Kathy Engles (founder of M.A.D.R.E.); Valerie Boyd (Zora Neale Hurston biographer); Vernon Jordan; Amina and Amiri Baraka; and filmmaker Spike Lee.
Lee, who was accompanied at the funeral by his sister, Joie, directed Ossie and his wife, Ruby, in several films such as School Daze (1988); Do the Right Thing (1989); Jungle Fever (1991); Get on the Bus (1996); and Malcolm X (1992), a film in which Davis re-read (on voice-over) the moving eulogy he delivered at Malcolm X's funeral on February 27, 1965.
In the very front of Riverside Church, Davis's casket laid solemnly, covered with beautiful flowers. In the center of the casket a gray baseball cap sat comfortably on top of the flowers, bearing the letters "OSSIE DAVIS," written in small black-and-white letters.
It was a gentle, fitting reminder for those who sat in the pews, remembering Davis's legacy, his life of leadership and activism, which was dedicated to service, peace, activism, humanity and love. Davis's baseball cap reminded all who were present that even though he was an award-winning actor and director (a wise individual well-known throughout the world and loved by numerous celebrities), he never let his status or his fame separate him from the folk in his own community.
As Harry Belafonte recalled in his powerful, moving, and soul-stirring...