Remembering Sidney Poitier
I want to be at peace internally and continue to feel good most of the time.
Sidney Poitier to People Magazine in 1980
But, yes, you are looking at a man who is relieved. I have nothing more to prove.
Gamma Xi Phi remembers with solemnity the life and achievements of one of the world’s finest men, Sidney Poitier.
We honor his masterful roles in The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field, A Raisin in the Sun, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and To Sir, with Love, among many others.
We acknowledge his direction of nine major films, including Stir Crazy, which was at one time the highest grossing movie directed by a person of African ancestry.
We note his many accolades, including being the first Black winner (and first Bahamian) of the Academy Award for Best Actor, several Golden Globes, a BAFTA, an Emmy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Miami.
We further acknowledge his career as a writer, as a diplomat, and as a board member.
Finally, we gratefully thank his family members, including his six daughters, for selflessly sharing their father with the world. Gamma Xi Phi shares in your grief while celebrating Mr. Poitier’s many contributions to the arts and to humanity. The artists and creators of this fraternity humbly and gratefully stand upon his shoulders.
