Jan 8, 2022 • 10M

To Sidney Poitier, with Love

Remembering an important Black role model whose legacy may provide a lens for seeing the present moment and ourselves more clearly

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Literary fiction and essays by an award-winning writer from the Deep South focusing on the current zeitgeist and the news that stays news.
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Sidney Poitier, Lilies of the Field, 1963, which won him an Oscar, with Lilia Skala

Sidney Poitier’s impact on my life is right up there with the Catholic faith I was raised with. And though I would have occasion later in life to reevaluate the influence of each, it is impossible to extricate either from the person I am today. Nor would I wish to.

Catholicism provided the moral, ethical, and spiritual foundation, as well as the disciplined education that put my neurons to work, sharpened my vision, and developed my intelligence. Although I might not choose it today after studying comparative theology, it was the religious grounding I needed when I was growing up. Context is everything.

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