Celebrating a Legend: Ruby Dee at 90

Angela Bassett (l.) and the glowing Ruby Dee in the spotlight. Andre Lambertson/Loop21

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Stars come out to screen documentary on film great

Acclaimed actress Angela Bassett, along with Susan L. Taylor, formerly of Essence magazine and founder of the National Cares Mentoring Movement, hosted a documentary screening and a celebration of legend Ruby Dee’s 90th birthday at New York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. A prestigious group of celebrities, activists, and community leaders were on hand last night for the premiere of a 30-minute excerpt from "Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee," which Dee's grandson, filmmaker Muta’Ali, dedicated to her. With the documentary, the legacy of Dee and her husband, actor Ossie Davis (who died in 2005), lives on in their grandson's quest for the secrets to love, art, and activism.