Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years Backdrop Blur
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Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years

Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.

Top Cast

  • Diahann Carroll

    Diahann Carroll

    Sadie Delany

  • Ruby Dee

    Ruby Dee

    Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany

  • Amy Madigan

    Amy Madigan

    Amy Hill Hearth

  • Lisa Arrindell

    Lisa Arrindell

    Sadie in her 20s

  • Audra McDonald

    Audra McDonald

    Bessie in her 20s

  • Mykelti Williamson

    Mykelti Williamson

    Papa Delany

  • Lonette McKee

    Lonette McKee

    Mama Delany

  • Richard Roundtree

    Richard Roundtree

    Booker T. Washington

  • Della Reese

    Della Reese

    Martha Logan

Overview

Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.

Rating

7.3 / 10
6 Reviews
1 Popular

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