Black History

At 94, The Legendary Cicely Tyson Remains An ‘Optimist’

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “There isn’t a day – I’m grateful to say – that when I walk out of my doors, I don’t run into somebody who says, ‘I can’t tell you what you’ve done for me. ‘You changed my life,’” Tyson shared with TIME. “It just confirmed for me that I was on the right track and I stayed on the right track.”

Published

7 years ago

February 11, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

At 94, the legendary actress and freedom fighter, Cicely Tyson, absolutely stuns on the cover of TIME.

Clad in an elegant Michael Couture dress and stylish Taffin earrings by James de Givenchy with hair and makeup by Armond Hambrick, Tyson graces Time’s cover this month in celebrate of the magazine’s second annual “Optimists Issue.”

In the issue, Tyson talks openly about her more than six-decade acting career, from her film debut in “Carib Gold” in 1956, to her most recent role as Annalise Keating’s mother in ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.”

“When I made the decision to use my career as a platform, to try to make a dent in some of these injustices that I witnessed and experienced in life, I said if I just reach one person, one person, then I will be happy,” Tyson told TIME.

Born in Harlem New York City on December 19, 1933, Tyson’s parents were immigrants from Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies, according to her biography at BlackPast.org, the website that records African American history.

After graduating from Charles Evans High School in Manhattan in 1951, Tyson landed a position as a secretary for the American Red Cross. Unsatisfied with the work, she enrolled in the Barbara Watson Modeling School to pursue a career in modeling, according to her biography:

By the late 1950s, Tyson had become one of the top black models in the United States. Her face appeared on the cover of black-oriented magazines, such as Ebony and Jet.

While waiting in the offices of Ebony Magazine, she was encouraged to audition for a role in the film, The Spectrum, which discussed conflicts between dark- and light-skinned blacks.

Tyson won the role but The Spectrum was never completed due to financial problems. This experience however, persuaded Tyson that she should pursue a career in acting.

Tyson began her career on the stage.

In 1961, she appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet’s The Blacks, which became the longest running non-musical of the decade with over 1,400 performances.

In 1963 at the insistence of Academy Award-winning actor George C. Scott, she became a part of the cast of East Side/West Side of which Scott was the star.

By the mid-1960s and early 1970s, Tyson was a frequent guest star on television appearing in I-Spy, Naked City, The Nurses, The Bill Cosby Show and a number of other programs. Her movie career progressed more slowly. Like many black performers of her generation, Tyson was leery of the “blaxploitation” films of the era and held out for a film that promoted positive images of African Americans.

That film came in 1972 when she was cast in the role of Rebecca Morgan in Sounder.

The film examined the life of a Black family in the Depression-era South with dignity and compassion. Tyson’s performance garnered positive reviews from critics and she was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

In 1974, she broke new ground for black actors when she received an Emmy Award for her portrayal of the character Jane Pittman, based on a novel written by Ernest J. Gaines.

Her performance made her one of the premier actresses of her generation.

Tyson appeared as Coretta Scott King in the 1978 movie King opposite actor Paul Winfield.

Other acclaimed movie roles included Roots, The Marva Collins Story, When No One Would Listen, and The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.

“There isn’t a day – I’m grateful to say – that when I walk out of my doors, I don’t run into somebody who says, ‘I can’t tell you what you’ve done for me. ‘You changed my life,’” Tyson shared with TIME. “It just confirmed for me that I was on the right track and I stayed on the right track.”

A Kennedy Center Honors recipient who also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama, Tyson said she has no plans to retire.

In keeping with the article’s theme of optimism, she said, “Look at the world today, you better be an optimist.”

“You really do have to have faith and belief and understanding in order to survive. And know that you will not be defeated if you really think positive, about yourself and the life you’ve chosen to live.”

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

On the Frontlines of Hate: NAACP Links Victims to Critical Support

The NAACP CA/HI has a long and well-established record of supporting victims of discrimination and hate crimes — providing critical referrals and, when necessary, direct assistance through legal advocacy and other forms of support. Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 1, 2026

Oakland Post

NAACP members at a recent advocacy day in Sacramento urging lawmakers to protect voting rights. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

By Joe Kocurek
California Black Media

The California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP (CA/HI NAACP) has expanded its efforts to respond to rising hate incidents and civil rights complaints across California, supported in part by funding from California’s Stop the Hate Program

Through that grant, NAACP CA/HI has strengthened its ability to connect individuals experiencing hate or discrimination with critical resources. This includes referring those who file complaints to the CA vs Hate hotline, a statewide, non-emergency hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal created to help counter a more than 50% increase in reported hate crimes in California between 2020 and 2024. The system helps ensure incidents are documented, and victims are guided toward appropriate support.

LaJuana Bivens says the work of NAACP is as urgent as ever. Photo by Regina Wilson, California Black Media.

LaJuana Bivens, who has served in a number of roles within the NAACP, said California has seen an increase in civil rights violations and hate-related incidents.

“We have 52 branches, and they are constantly receiving complaints,” she said. “So, without the Stop the Hate, we would not be able to refer those cases up to attorneys at the state level. A lot of the people would not have had an opportunity to be heard.”

Carmen-Nicole Cox helps survivors of hate with their legal options. Photo courtesy of Carmen-Nicole Cox.

Carmen-Nicole Cox, an attorney who works with NAACP CA/HI – as a part of California’s Stop the Hate Program – provides legal consultation to victims of hate incidents and discrimination through her legal practice, the Cox Firm for Law and Policy.

She said the complaints she receives span a wide range of issues.

“People are having home builders and landlords refusing to provide repairs, a student was denied promotion in an academic program, and targeted scrutiny at work,” she said. “It’s typically employment; it’s housing; it’s education.

“We’ll meet and they’ll share their experiences,” she said. “And then I make assessments about possible legal claims.”

According to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), nearly 1,200 reports of hate against minority groups were submitted in 2024 through the CA vs Hate hotline and online portal for non-emergency incidents.

While the California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP, which has tens of thousands of members, does not directly investigate hate incidents or crimes, it plays a key role in connecting victims to the state’s reporting systems and support services.

Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Bivens recently traveled to Sacramento to speak with state lawmakers about voting rights during an advocacy day event hosted by the organization.

“It’s just so hard for communities of color to be up to date because of all of the confusing information coming from the federal level,” she said. “I love our great state of California because here it is possible to vote by mail and to vote early.

“And I’m seeing that trying to be eroded. So, I’m here to urge continued support for vote by mail and early voting.”

When Texas moved to redraw congressional districts in ways critics said would dilute minority voting strength, NAACP CA/HI supported the passage of Proposition 50 in California. The organization also intervened in United States v. Shirley Weber, where federal officials sought access to unredacted California voter records, including Social Security numbers, raising concerns about misuse and voter intimidation.

Cultivating the advocacy and leaderships of young people is central to NAACP’s mission to fight racism and dismantle inequality. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

A federal district court dismissed that case in January 2026.

The organization’s current work builds on a long history of civil rights advocacy. Today, Bivens says, the organization’s mission remains as urgent as ever.

“We are the oldest, boldest, most feared Civil Rights organization,” Bivens said. “What we do every day is fight for better housing, education, economic development and political inclusion. We take it on because there are just so many people who need that support.

“You would be amazed that our phones ring every single day.”

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.

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