ALABAMA
THE PASS TO PRESENT THE PAST
COLMAN DOMINGO Brandy “Lade Breez” Elam
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" — a well-worn quote by George Santayana (The Life of Reason,1905) is what comes to mind as we stand at this crossroads in the consciousness of America. From afar, I have cried watching my nation, sore with prejudice, slowly heal itself. I hurt along with America; my phantom pains only alleviated by work I do every day — art.” - Colman Domingo (2015)
As we plunge headfirst into 2024, these words ring louder as the nomination for the first openly gay black man for an Oscar in a leading role as an openly gay black man hits airwaves. Colman Domingo gave an historic performance as Bayard Rustin, an openly gay activist who was written out of history due to his sexuality in the early 60s regardless of his efforts and philanthropic work.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF COLMAN DOMINGO’S INSTAGRAM
In the early 1940s, Bayard Rustin was an activist and leader in social movements, gay rights, socialism, and non-violence. He worked side by side with Martin Luther King Jr. and many others during the Civil Rights Movement planning, executing, and propelling the movement forward. Mr. Rustin’s instrumental hand played several roles of success between the 1940s and 1980s from helping to organize The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to spearheading and serving as principal organizer for the March on Washington in 1963 to becoming the head of the American Federation Of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) amongst many other vital roles he secured throughout his lifetime and work history as a humanitarian against social injustices for all.
For Colman Domingo, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native’s career started in the early 1990s. The Temple University alum has over 60 characters and counting under his very well accessorized belt. With an extensive history in writing screenplays, Colman is the creator of “A Boy and His Soul,” “Up Jumped Springtime,” “Wild with Happy” and “The Brothers.” He has featured on and off Broadway in his plays and others like, “Lights Out, Nat King Cole,” “The Scottsboro Boys” and“Summer, The Donna Summer Musical.” In addition to the stage, he is not a stranger to primetime television. Colman has had numerous recurring roles on television throughout his career, with his most recent roles in “Fear of the Walking Dead” (2015-2023), and “Euphoria” from 2019 to the present; to his previous roles in shows like “The Big Gay Sketch Show”. Domingo has not left a rock in Hollywood unturned. In between his writings, Domingo has featured in numerous supporting roles alongside a starstudded cast throughout his career. Just to mention a few, I mean box office hits such as, Wally Cartwright in “True Crime” in 1999 alongside Clint Eastwood and Isaiah Washington; Private Harold Green in “Lincoln” in 2012 alongside Sally Fields and David Oyelowo; Lawson
