Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years

Based on the best-selling memoir Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, this exceptional film for television recounts the lives of Sarah Louise “Sadie” Delany and Anne Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany, who grew up as the daughters of an ex-slave in rural North Carolina, left for New York to attend college and start their careers, and who became somewhat reluctant celebrities as centenarians. Their story presents many of the societal, political and philosophical beliefs the women developed in their long lives, tempered by the wisdom of age and experience. Diahann Carroll (Sadie) and Ruby Dee (Bessie) are truly exceptional in their portrayal of the sisters, as is Amy Madigan as New York Times reporter Amy Hill Hearth. Having Our Say is a Kraft Premier Movie produced by Televest, Columbia-TriStar Television, in association with Cosby & James Productions. Primary credit is due to co-executive producers Camille O. Cosby and Judith Rutherford James, who produced the Broadway play upon which this teleplay was based. Also deserving of note are Lynne Littman, director, screenwriter Emily Mann and Jeffrey S. Grant, executive producer for Kraft. The production stands as an inspirational remembrance of the Delanys, who passed away during its production. To the superb cast and crew involved in the production of Having Our Say, a Peabody Award for presenting a loving and living tribute to the lives of two extraordinary women.