Butterfly McQueen

[Cartoonist]

I've been listening to a lot of old Jack Benny radio programs. One of the minor characters for a few episodes was Thelma McQueen. I looked her up and found this on Wikipedia.

In 1989, the Freedom From Religion Foundation honored her with its Freethought Heroine Award. "I'm an atheist," she had declared, "and Christianity appears to me to be the most absurd imposture of all the religions, and I'm puzzled that so many people can't see through a religion that encourages irresponsibility and bigotry." She told a reporter "As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of religion." This quote was used by the Freedom From Religion Foundation in advertisements inside Madison, Wisconsin, buses in 2009 and in an Atlanta market in 2010.

She lamented that, had humans put the energy on Earth and on people that had been put on mythology and on Jesus Christ, there would be less hunger and homelessness. "They say the streets are going to be beautiful in Heaven. Well, I'm trying to make the streets beautiful here ... When it's clean and beautiful, I think America is heaven. And some people are hell."

I just added her to my heroes list.

[mountain grammy]

1. I used to listen to Jack Benny on the radio too

only live. I loved "Butterfly" McQueen. She was a very funny woman. We didn't get a tv until 1955. I remember her on other shows too. So much underused talent because of racist Christian America.

[progressoid]

2. Wow. Way to go Thelma!

[Skittles]

3. "free from the slavery of religion"

AMEN TO THAT

[AlbertCat]

4. Yes.... I knew this about her!

And I would like to add that one reason Prissy in GWTW annoys people so much is because McQueen was TOO GOOD and made the awful Prissy believable...even when the character's whole story was ignored (Prissy is not only supposed to be 14 years old, her mother, Dilcey, was the midwife at Tara. I mean, why would anyone believe Prissy when she says she can "do everything" otherwise?) As McQueen said herself "Prissy was horrible."

Her last film was "Mosquito Coast". A great overlooked film with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix.

[Tigerinu]

5. Butterfly McQueen

Thanks Cartoonist !!
A good read and motivating!!