To the Editor:
On Jan. 6, Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian American actor, director, civil rights advocate, and ambassador, left this earthly plane. Poitier expanded Hollywood’s image of the Black man at a time when the NAACP and Martin Luther King were leading the fight to expand equal rights to all Americans.
As a child of the 1950s and 60s, I remember the stereotypical images of nonwhite characters in movies and on television. At the same time, I witnessed the fierce resistance to the civil rights movement taking place in the courts and in the streets. I also have powerful memories of instances when racial bias touched me personally.
In movies like “The Defiant Ones,” “To Sir with Love,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” characters played by Poitier faced racial hatred head-on. He brought dignity, courage, compassion, and righteous indignation embodied in a strong Black man. Off the screen, Poitier supported the civil rights movement both financially and by participation in marches and demonstrations.
As a Black man and a retired teacher, I have always viewed Poitier’s movies as much more than entertainment alone. They have been snapshots of America’s past and testimonies to the equality of man.
– THEODORE BRYAN
Court House
