May 9, 2003

Actor, peace activist speaks of dissent as Fr. Carter Lecture speaker

by Vanessa Dennis, A'03, Intern in the Offices of Public Affairs and Publications

As actor Danny Glover warmed to questions asked by fellow actor and friend Felix Justice during the eighth annual Fr. Carter Lecture Series on April 22, he described the key ingredient necessary for a working democracy.

"Dissent is all a part of what we call a democracy," Glover said. "An informed population is essential for this to work. But today people are afraid to say anything about the war. They're scared of being considered unpatriotic. So if I go and discuss what I'm opposed to, all of a sudden I'm un-American."

The rebuttal came after a question was asked concerning certain outspoken celebrities who have publicly criticized the president and the war in Iraq. Glover, who has been a social activist all his adult life, is also known in the media for his dissenting opinion.

"People think it's a luxury for stars to [protest the war] just because they're stars, so that means that have a lot of leisure time to explore things like politics," he said. "To some degree, we'll always have those kinds of issues."

During the question-and-answer program, the actor, who is best known for his role as Detective Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the comedic/dramatic Lethal Weapon film series, discussed growing up in San Francisco, his acting career, and his investments in politics. For his efforts to reform foreign policy and to ameliorate conditions in poor countries, he was appointed the first United Nations Development Program Goodwill Ambassador. He also recently received the NAACP's Chairman's Award and the Amnesty International Lifetime Achievement Award.

A proponent of social awareness, Glover has since lectured on campuses and other forums on issues such as AIDS, apartheid, the death penalty, and the war in Iraq. He noted, "I am unable to separate my acting from social activism."

The reason for this blend, Glover explained, stems from growing up during the civil rights, free speech, and anti-war movements in San Francisco. "We're all a product of the time period we're born in," he began. "I saw the civil rights movement unfold on television at age eight and immediately attached myself to black heroes like Bob Moses . . . and Ralph Featherstone. In high school, I became interested in the major cultural explosion of the '60s."

Glover trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theatre's Black Actor's Workshop where he was able to examine significant African-American actors, writers, and leaders of that time.

"I began acting during a very special moment for black arts," he reflected. "I watched how people saw themselves in relation to their empowerment, how they took the limited resources available to them and grew into something powerful." Glover said he was especially driven to act after participating in plays written by major playwright Athol Fugard, whom he credits for his successful career. "I would not be here today if it wasn't for Fugard," Glover said of the playwright who scripted many social issues of importance for African Americans.

In terms of life-altering roles in movies, Glover mentioned one film that featured a newly-freed black man becoming acclimated to life without slavery. "By far the best film I've done is Beloved," he said. "The film was about how courageous it was to take a nation of people out of slavery and place them where they have some free will. It challenged the audiences to go beyond their own learned sensibilities about peoples and accept another premise that states in some sense we are all a manifestation of our past."

Aside from shooting a pilot for CBS and acting in the Broadway revival of the Athol Fugard play Master Harold . . and the boys, Glover continues his political reform efforts in Africa and the Caribbean and retains his position as chair of the TransAfrica Forum, an educational institution that offers analyses of U.S. foreign policy and its affects on the aforementioned areas. He also maintains a relationship inside the U.N.

"I'm fascinated by the work of the U.N., but I'm concerned that it's being undermined," Glover stated. "It still remains a place where you see the world come together. It's our only chance for an international forum."