A gala dinner was held this week to honour Oscar-winner and Bahamian Sir Sidney Poitier in Los Angeles, California.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development Philip Davis (right) speaks with Sir Sidney Poitier (centre), at a dinner in Sir Sidney’s honour, with Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service Fred Mitchell. (Photo Courtesy BIS)

The event was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell, former basketball player and actor Rick Fox, former Los Angeles Lakers legends John Salley and Bahamian Mychal Thompson, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development Philip Davis.

During his speech at the event on August 21, Davis said Sir Sidney Poitier’s remarkable achievements in film and literature are a testament to what can be accomplished by a person principled enough to follow the mantra “work hard, study, be excellent, be honest.”

“Sir Sidney has enhanced the cultural life of his two states of citizenship: the United States of America and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Deputy Prime Minister Davis added.

After chronicling Sir Sidney’s early life, from his days growing up on Cat Island to his early career, Deputy Prime Minister Davis said that Sir Sidney has joined a list of other great cultural icons with birth connections to The Bahamas such as the composer James Weldon Johnson; journalist, lawyer, scholar and activist W E B DuBois; ground-breaking performer Burt Williams; and actors Esther Rolle and Roxie Roker.

“Sir Sidney has also served The Bahamas as Ambassador to Japan and as Ambassador to UNESCO,” Davis added.

“To say that we Bahamians are extremely proud of Sidney Poitier is to understate the obvious,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. “We recognize this great man as one of our finest sons. We are grateful that even after he achieved his extraordinary success, he never left us. We are so much better as a nation for his service and for his example.”