Before Jesse Williams risked crossover appeal to take a stand in defense of black lives, Ossie Davis leveraged his celebrity to highlight the gross social injustices of his day. Before Barack and Michelle were #RelationshipGoals, he and legendary actress Ruby Dee were the epitome of black love, serving together as Masters of Ceremony for the 1963 March on Washington.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee/Kolumn

When the gatekeepers of media attempted to label Malcolm X as a hateful extremist, it was Ossie Davis who made it his personal mission to reverse that false narrative and reclaim the rightful legacy of his friend in a powerful eulogy that would fine-tune the scope by which the world would come to view Malcolm forever more.

In the 1950's and 60's, Ossie Davis was a living hero and today his legacy lives on. Aside from his work in film, television & Broadway, the iconic actor played a pivotal role in the fight for black liberation. Today, on what would have been his 100th Birthday, we celebrate the man who opened doors for an entire generation of black artists and drafted the blueprint for socially conscious activism.

NYC. 1962. Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis + their children protest at a CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) peace demonstration pic.twitter.com/l4lCp54P5V

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) June 12, 2014

One year into a frighteningly unpredictable presidential administration, the resurgence of unapologetically overt racism, and widespread accusations of sexual misconduct, we could use a little tried and true wisdom from the elders who came here and did this long before movements had hashtags. Given the current social and political climate, the legacy of Ossie Davis is as relevant as it's ever been.

I recently sat down with Davis' children Nora Davis Day, Dr. Hasna Muhammad, and Guy Davis to learn what they think their father would say about today's most pressing issues. What I got was much more than I bargained for, as the siblings dropped priceless gems of wisdom, reminisced about their upbringing and saluted one another with the endearing synchronicity of siblings raised to have each others back. As heirs to the powerful legacy of Ossie and Ruby Dee, these three have #BlackExcellence encoded on their DNA.

Davis Siblings/The Davis Family

What do you think your parents would have had to say on Colin Kaepernick's protest over the treatment of minorities in this country?

Nora Davis: You know, they (Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee) never used the word minority. They saw each group of people as unique and special and they felt very strongly that non-whites' not be labelled or relegated as some smaller other.

Dr. Hasna Muhammad: They would be very proud of the work that Colin Kaepernick and other young activists have done. I believe that if they saw the violence, the miseducation, the continued murder of black and brown people-youth especially, the mass incarceration, the continuation of the death penalty, the apathy toward voting, I believe that it would break their hearts.

Where would Ossie Davis have stood on the #MeToo moment exposing the pervasive culture of sexual misconduct?

Guy Davis: They would be inclined to believe the women who are bringing these allegations but my parents, I don't believe would be in a rush to lynch the men who have been named in the allegations. I think they would want very much for due process in a court of law to take place.

Dr. Hasna Muhammad: Going back to the 'big house,' our women have always been subjected to that abuse in the "workplace." We've been dealing with this, and we need to take as many voices and stories into consideration as we can.

Guy Davis: You'll notice that as you ask us what would dad do, we instinctively answer with what 'they' would do (referring to Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee). That's because they were a unit. They worked as an inseparable team. They respected each other and consulted each other. They both spoke at the March on Washington. They were educated and sought to educate others as to what was going on. They would support this cause because they were about equality.

What would your parents think about the current occupant of the White House?

Nora Davis: Dad and mom were always very generous with allowing for peoples growth and so I think that even in the darkest of days that we could imagine, they would have been optimistic. Realistic, but optimistic. They've been black a long time as have we. They would have been delighted to welcome Barack Obama to the White House and yet, not surprised that he was there. Just as they probably would not be surprised at the occupant of the White House now because the pendulum keeps swinging. America is a great experiment. It sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't.

Amen, and Amen again! All these gems, all this wisdom.

Buzzfeed/Giphy

Here's to the living legacy of the legendary Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

Guy Davis

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