• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • May 28, 2022

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds
EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED, THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE MILWAUKEE COURIER

To Sir Sidney, With Love

January 15, 2022

By LaKeshia N. Myers

Representative LaKeshia Myers

I remember the first time I saw Sir Sidney Poitier act in a movie. I was about 7 years old and I walked into our family room where my parents sat watching the movie, “To Sir, With Love.” I thought the movie was funny at first, because of the actors’ British accents, but I was quickly drawn to Poitier’s personification of his role as a teacher. This was important because my parents are both educators, and I saw a bit of my dad in Poitier’s character, Mark Thackery. By the end of the movie, I was fully in awe of the masterful Poitier.

As I moved into middle school, I became enamored with classic films. Turner Classic Movies was the perfect place to get my fix of old school cinema. There I would discover the extent of Poitier’s robust catalog of iconic roles. I watched everything he had ever played in— “Lillies of the Field,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “They Call Me Mister Tibbs!”, “A Piece of the Action” and more. It was an eye-opening experience of cinema, each film was different and he brought what was needed to enrich each character. Upon his death last week, I saw an interview Poitier gave where he talked about his decision early on to only to play characters who were professionals. While some at the time called his decision, “unrealistic” and labeled him an “Uncle Tom”—he is lauded for that commitment today, because he showed that African Americans are not a monolith, and that we exist in all professions and operate in every economic station. How necessary and bold this had to be in 1950s America! I assuage it is even more necessary today.

Poitier paved the way for today’s leading men including Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Morris Chestnut, Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith. It is because of his sacrifices that Black men are no longer boxed in in Hollywood. Poitier was a game changer; a luminary; an icon; and most definitely a legend. I am thankful that we are left with his canon of work for future generations. We loved you, Sidney. Thanks for everything

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: LaKeshia N. Myers, Sir Sidney Poitier

Read More - Related Articles

  • Measurement or Manipulation: How Standardized Tests Only Tell a Partial Story
  • Where there is Weed, there is a Way: Why Marijuana Legalization Matters
  • The Battle and the Burden of Being First
  • New News Regarding Student Loan Debt
  • An Open Letter to the Milwaukee Public Schools Community

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2022 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.