Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.
Diahann Carroll
as Sadie Delany
Ruby Dee
as Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
Amy Madigan
as Amy Hill Hearth
Lisa Arrindell
as Sadie in her 20s
Audra McDonald
as Bessie in her 20s
Mykelti Williamson
as Papa Delany
Lonette McKee
as Mama Delany
Richard Roundtree
as Booker T. Washington
Della Reese
as Martha Logan
