In memoriam: Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson (1924-2021), one of my favourite actresses, one of the Black women I most admire, has left us at age 96. She was hugely underappreciated by Hollywood, something even they belatedly recognized by giving her an honorary Oscar in 2018 – just three years ago. In 1962 she became the first woman to wear an Afro on US television, several years before it became fashionable, before “Black is beautiful” was a thing. A big reason I liked her, apart from her acting talent, is because she only took parts that put Black women in a good light.

Requiescat in pace.

See also:

• The Black women I most admire
• films she appeared in:
  • The Help
  • A Lesson Before Dying
• and did not appear in:
  • Lady Sings the Blues
• Black women’s hair: a brief history: 1965-1980
• “Black is beautiful”