Who would have known that Jamie Foxx, best known for his character Wanda on “In Living Color,” would win an Oscar?
Well, obviously quite a few people. When Foxx’s name was announced as the Academy Award winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the entire audience applauded the entertainer with a standing ovation.
Many people agree that Foxx’s performance in “Ray” was impeccable.
Although almost every person knowledgeable about entertainment is proud of Foxx, most of the media’s attention was planted on the awards won by others.
Indeed, “The Aviator” did win five Oscars Sunday, but why not provide coverage of the most anticipated award of the night?
The Tallahassee Democrat, USA Today and CNN avoided blatantly commenting on Foxx’s achievement. The front page stories and major entertainment footage covered Cate Blanchett and Hilary Swank thoroughly.
Of course, these actresses deserve praise for their respective roles in “The Aviator” and “Million Dollar Baby,” but can Foxx get some props for the mere fact that this was his first nomination?
If not for the black communities all over America, please praise Foxx for the sake of early entertainers, such as Sidney Poiter, Ruby Dee, Louise Beavers, Melvin Van Peebles and Ethel Waters, who have paved the way for blacks in Hollywood.
Donald Bogle, leading authority of blacks in film, said making black films “is a tremendous responsibility, much greater than that placed on ordinary white moviemakers,” in his best-seller “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks.”
Foxx, you have proved to be very responsible.
Lack of support by FAMU students is shameful
Monday evening’s State of the Black Man Address was embarrassing.
It was embarrassing that a speaker such as Kevin Powell could only attract an audience around 150 people at an historically black college.
At the very least, an event at an HBCU titled the State of the Black Man should attract an audience large enough to fill Lee Hall.
For one of the country’s brightest young minds to take the time to speak to the FAMU community, and have people look uninterested, shows the amount of ignorance that walks around campus.
Once again the FAMU student body has sullied its reputation for not supporting events that do not offer free food or entertainment.
Monday’s event was eerily similar to an event last semester in which former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe came to speak with an expected 500 FAMU students rather than the 50 who bothered to show up.
If students do not improve their apathy toward speakers there will be a day when prominent speakers, black or white, will come to Tallahassee to speak at a college campus just not this one