Athol Fugard , in full Athol Harold Lannigan Fugard (born June 11, 1932, Middelburg, South Africa), South African dramatist, actor, and director who became internationally known for his penetrating and pessimistic analyses of South African society during the apartheid period.

Fugard’s earliest plays were No-Good Friday and Nongogo (both published in Dimetos and Two Early Plays, 1977), but it was The Blood Knot (1963), produced for stage (1961) and television (1967) in both London and New York City, that established his reputation. The Blood Knot, dealing with brothers who fall on opposite sides of the racial colour line, was the first in a sequence Fugard called “The Family Trilogy.” The series continued with Hello and Goodbye (1965) and Boesman and Lena (1969) and was later published under the title Three Port Elizabeth Plays (1974). Boesman and Lena, filmed in 1973 with Fugard as Boesman, played to a wider audience than any previous South African play; another film adaptation was released in 2000.

Fugard’s willingness to sacrifice character to symbolism caused some critics to question his commitment. Provoked by such criticism, Fugard began to question the nature of his art and his emulation of European dramatists. He began a more imagist approach to drama, not using any prior script but merely giving actors what he called “a mandate” to work around “a cluster of images.” From this technique derived the imaginative if shapeless drama of Orestes (published in Theatre One: New South African Drama, 1978), and the documentary expressiveness of Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (revised as Sizwe Bansi Is Dead), The Island, and Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (all published in Statements: Three Plays, 1974).

A much more traditionally structured play, Dimetos (1977), was performed at the 1975 Edinburgh Festival. A Lesson from Aloes (published 1981) and “Master Harold”…and the Boys (1982) were performed to much acclaim in London and New York City, as was The Road to Mecca (1985; film 1992), the story of an

Race riot, Tampa, Florida. National Guard mobilized.

Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly attempting to sabotage the white South African government.

Ruby Dee , byname of Ruby Ann Wallace (born October 27, 1922, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—died June 11, 2014, New Rochelle, New York), American actress and social activist who was known for her pioneering work in African American theatre and film and for her outspoken civil rights activism. Dee’s artistic partnership with her husband, Ossie Davis, was considered one of the theatre and film world’s most distinguished.

After completing her studies at Hunter College (1945) in Manhattan, Dee served an apprenticeship with the American Negro Theatre and began appearing on Broadway. She met Davis on the set of the play Jeb (1946) and married him in 1948. She often appeared with her husband in plays, films, and television shows over the next 50 years. Among Davis and Dee’s most-notable joint stage appearances were those in A Raisin in the Sun (1959; Dee also starred in the film version in 1961) and in the satiric Purlie Victorious (1961), which Davis wrote; Davis and Dee also appeared in the film version of the latter ( Gone Are the Days!, 1963). The couple acted in several movies by director Spike Lee, including Do the Right Thing (1989) and Jungle Fever (1991). Among their television credits are Roots: The Next Generations (1979), Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum (1986), and The Stand (1994). The couple’s partnership extended into their activism as well; they served as master and mistress of ceremonies for the 1963 March on Washington, which they had helped organize.

Dee also appeared in numerous projects without Davis. In 1965 she became the first African American woman to star in major roles at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. She was also the first black actress accorded a feature role (1968–69) on a prime-time TV show, the soap opera Peyton Place. Her later films included The Way Back Home (2006) and American Gangster (2007). Her performance as the mother of a drug kingpin (played by Denzel Washington) in the latter film earned Dee her first Academy Award nomination. She

Ruby Dee was an American actress, screenwriter, poet, playwright and civil rights activist who had an illustrious career spanning more than 50 years. She was born on October 27, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up in Harlem, New York and began acting as a teenager. She attended Hunter College and studied acting at the American Negro Theatre. Her first major role was the lead in a Broadway production titled “Anna Lucasta” in 1946. That same year she met her future husband Ossie Davis while working on the play “Jeb”. They were married in 1948 and had three children together.

In 1950 she played the wife of the baseball superstar Jackie Robinson in the movie “The Jackie Robinson Story”. One of her greatest performances was the lead role in the 1959 Broadway play “A Raisin in the Sun” by the famous playwright Lorraine Hansberry. She played the role of Ruth Younger who struggles to keep her family together whereas the role of Jackie Robinson was played by the acclaimed actor Sidney Poitier. She also acted in the film version of the play that was made 2 years later. She again starred with Poitier in the 1957 American drama film “Edge of the City”.

Dee and her husband Davis co-starred in the play “Purlie Victorious” which was written by Davis and later adapted to the big screen in 1963 in which the couple revived their roles. She had her own television show with her husband titled “With Ossie & Ruby”. In 1965, she performed in lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival, playing the role of Kate in “The Taming of the Shrew” and Cordelia in “King Lear”. She was the first black actress to play lead roles in the festival. She also undertook politically charged roles in the films “Gone Are the Days” and “The Incident”.

Both Dee and Davis were Civil Rights Activists. Dee was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Delta Sigma Theta sorority and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Two Black students, escorted by federalized National Guard troops, enrolled at University of Alabama despite the opposition of Gov. George C. Wallace.

Vivian Malone and James Hood, accompanied by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach attempt to register at the University of Alabama. Governor George Wallace bodily blocks their entrance. When National Guardsmen return later in the day with Malone and Hood, Wallace steps aside.

Charles Bernard Rangel is a lawyer, politician and civil rights activist. He was born on June 11, 1930, in New York City. His parents married at a very young age, and his eldest brother Ralph was born three years after their marriage. Charles followed seven years after that and his sister Frances was born three years after him. His family life was very difficult, with Rangel’s father often abusing his mother. His eldest brother was sent to live with some relatives, as was his younger sister but Rangel stuck around with his mother. His father left the family when Charles was 6 years old, and his mother moved around from place to place, looking for new jobs as a maid or a seamstress.

Charles Rangel was eventually sent to live with some relatives, just as his siblings had been. He started focusing on his studies and was one of the highest achievers at DeWitt Clinton High School. However, he often cut classes and was caught by the police for getting into trouble. In 1947, he dropped out of school and one year later, enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in an all-black artillery during the Korean War, where he was recognized for his leadership skills. During the Battle of Kunu-ri, he sustained shrapnel wounds but managed to lead a battalion of 40 soldiers for three days behind enemy lines. His bravery during the war was rewarded with the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, a Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and three battle stars.

After leaving the army, Charles decided to go back and earn his G.E.D. from high school. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the New York University School of Commerce, using his military benefits to finance his tuition. He finished the course in three years, and received his bachelor’s degree with honors in 1957. He then enrolled at St. John’s University School of Law, where he was active in both studies and extracurricular activities. He co-founded the St. John’s Criminal Law Institute and interned for New York county District Attorney

Charles Rangel, U.S. Congressman, born

Hazel Scott, singer, born

President Kennedy told nation in radio-TV address that segregation was morally wrong and that it was time to act in the Congress, in your state and local legislature body, and...in all of our daily lives.