In his 2008 “More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, then presidential candidate Barack Obama called for an honest and open national dialogue on race. Sidney Poitier, recipient of the 20th AFI Life Achievement Award in 1992, has been leading that discussion for decades, both onscreen and off. The acclaimed actor and director, whose unforgettable performances include LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963), for which he became the first black actor to receive an Academy Award;
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TO SIR, WITH LOVE (1967); IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967); and GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? (1967), tackled the issue of Hollywood’s legacy of racism and exploitation head on in the April 1980 issue of American Film™. Today, with the Los Angeles riots 20 years behind us, and the Trayvon Martin murder case in Florida heading to trial, it’s worth revisiting Poitier’s deeply personal account and reasoned critique in “Walking the Hollywood Color Line.” |
