Another thoughtful article. I always enjoy reading what you have to share. You are always the voice of reason. Talking about your heroes reminded me of my own youth. As a grade schooler I looked forward to every new movie that came out that had John Wayne in it. The rugged individualism. He was larger than life, but I also realized his roles were merely a pleasant fantasy.

And then there was Sidney Poitier. I also looked forward to see what he would come up with. His roles were so diverse and he seemed so self assured. He was someone I wanted to be like. He struck me as someone who was real. In the Heat of the Night. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The Lilies of the Field. To Sir with Love. He was unflappable. His integrity could not be compromised. I admired his grace under pressure. To me he was a man to be emulated—not a black man—just a man. It never occurred to me that my attitude was out of the main stream. Would that we could get to a world that thought like that. We all could be so much more…