MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2012 By: Senator(S) Hopson, Butler (38Th), Fillingane, Frazier, Jackson (32Nd), H
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2012
By: Senator(s) Hopson, Butler (38th), To: Rules Fillingane, Frazier, Jackson (32nd), Hill
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 564
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND SALUTING MR. AYUKO 2 BABU AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF THE PAN AFRICAN FILM & 3 ARTS FESTIVAL FOR NAMING THEIR "RISING STAR" AWARD IN HONOR OF 4 VICKSBURG NATIVE BEAH RICHARDS. 5 WHEREAS, the 20th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival is 6 being held in Los Angeles, California, on February 9-20, 2012. A 7 feature presentation during the Night of Tribute is the 8 presentation of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival "Beah 9 Richards Rising Star Award"; and
10 WHEREAS, Actress Meagan Good will be honored with the "Beah 11 Richards Rising Star Award" by the Pan African Film & Arts 12 Festival. Miss Good rose to fame in the family drama "Eve's 13 Bayou" with Samuel L. Jackson. Today, she is one of the most 14 sought-after actresses with a string of film credits, including 15 "Jumping the Broom," "The Unborn," "The Love Guru," "35 & 16 Ticking," "Video Girl," as well as fan favorites "Stomp the Yard" 17 and "You Got Served." Good will appear in the film adaptation of
18 "Think Like a Man," based on Radio Host Steve Harvey's 19 best-selling book; and 20 WHEREAS, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival, America's
21 largest and most prestigious Black Film and Arts Festival, is in 22 its 20th year of screening more than 150 films made by and/or 23 about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, 24 the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Europe and 25 Canada. Pan African Film & Arts Festival holds the distinction of
26 being the largest Black History Month event in America; and 27 WHEREAS, born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1920, actress 28 Beah Richards studied at Dillard University in New Orleans before S. C. R. No. 564 *SS02/R812* N1/2 12/SS02/R812 PAGE 1 29 pursuing an acting career on-stage in New York City. She appeared 30 in Louis S. Peterson's off-Broadway Play Take a Giant Step and in 31 the film Adaptation in 1959. In 1965, she received a Tony 32 nomination for her role as Sister Margaret in James Baldwin's play 33 The Amen Corner, and two years later she received an Academy Award 34 nomination for her supporting role as Sidney Poitier's mother in
35 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. She continued playing matriarch 36 characters in the feature films Hurry Sundown, In the Heat of the 37 Night, and The Great White Hope. During the 1970s, she took over 38 for Lillian Randolph as Bill Cosby's mother on The Bill Cosby 39 Show, played Aunt Ethel on Sanford and Son, and played several 40 grandmotherly characters in made-for-TV movies. More television 41 appearances followed in the 1980s, with recurring roles on 42 Designing Women, Beauty and the Beast, Hill Street Blues, Roots:
43 The Next Generations, and L.A. Law. In 1987, she received her 44 first Emmy award for playing Olive Varden on Frank's Place. She 45 has also directed plays at the Los Angeles Inner City Cultural 46 Center, appeared in her own one-woman show, and published several 47 plays and novels, including the poetry collection "A Black Woman 48 Speaks" and other poems. After playing the substance abuse 49 counselor in Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy, she made a bit of a 50 comeback as Dr. Benton's (Eriq LaSalle) mother on the NBC medical
51 drama ER and as Grandma Baby in Jonathan Demme's Beloved, based on 52 the novel by Toni Morrison. She received an Emmy for her final 53 television appearance as Gertrude Turner on the ABC drama The 54 Practice; and 55 WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we commend this elite 56 arts organization for remembering a famous Mississippian in their 57 awards presentation: 58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 59 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That
60 we do hereby recognize and salute Mr. Ayuko Babu as Executive 61 Director and Founder of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival for S. C. R. No. 564 *SS02/R812* 12/SS02/R812 PAGE 2 62 naming their "Rising Star" Award in honor of Vicksburg native and 63 international actress, the late Beah Richards, and extend our best 64 wishes on this auspicious occasion. 65 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 66 Mr. Babu at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles, 67 forwarded to the Mississippi Arts Commission, and made available
68 to the Capitol Press Corps.
S. C. R. No. 564 *SS02/R812* 12/SS02/R812 ST: Recognize Pan African Film & Arts Festival PAGE 3 for naming "Rising Star" Award for Vicksburg native Beah Richards.