Five African-American celebrities who risked their careers by joining the civil rights struggle

Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee was an actress who blazed the trail for other sultry and sensual black women like Halle Berry and Sanaa Lathan. Dee was also a personal friend and supporter of MLK.

She marched with MLK and other civil rights leaders, sometimes to the detriment of her job in Hollywood.

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As recently as 1999, Dee was arrested when she and others protested the investigation findings in the shooting of Amadou Diallo.