A tribute to Eartha Kitt

Following are excerpts from a Dec. 25 audio column. Go to www. prisonradio.org to hear Mumia’s political commentaries.

For generations the name Eartha Kitt was synonymous with sexy, sultry and outspoken. In an industry where careers can sometimes be measured in minutes, Eartha Kitt was the real thing for quite a while: dancer, singer, actress and, on occasion, a comedian.

Since the tender age of 14, she worked the stage, and for nearly seven decades. She left her indelible imprint by her work on the big screen, TV and on recordings.

On Jan. 26, 1928, she was born in South Carolina as Eartha Mae Kitt. She danced, sang and acted her way into the hearts of millions.

In 1968 she dared speak out against the Vietnam War, when the war was raging at its hottest, and was both blacklisted and hounded for doing so. That’s because she spoke at a photo op at the White House in the face of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson—wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. For daring to speak her mind at the heart of the empire, and for denouncing an imperial war, the media and the state tried to “disappear” her. She had to go abroad to find her freedom of speech, where she remained for nearly a decade. Her comings, goings, doings and sayings were tracked by both the FBI and the CIA.

She moved through life with an intelligence, wit and nerve that made her distinctive and unforgettable. Eartha Mae Kitt was 81.