Trailblazers
I am a child of the 70s. I was ten years old in the mid-70s when I was in Nashville visiting family. My cousin Karen took my brother and me to a movie. It was a Sidney Poitier movie called "Uptown Saturday Night. In the 1970s, Sydney Poitier was an established movie star and a legend. Later, I realized he directed the film too. The movie featured many black stars of the time, including Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor, and a barely recognizable Harry Belafonte. This movie is such an example of 70s filmmaking. I remember talking to my brother Jim about some of the funny scenes in the film.
As I got older, I would go back and see the movies that made Sidney Poitier a legend, like The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, In The Heat of the Night, A Raisin in the Sun. The path of Sidney Poitier's success was not apparent or even predictable. He was the child of immigrants from the Bahamas, something he has in common with fellow actor Bert Williams whom I wrote about here in my blog. Poitier was the first African American man to win an Oscar award. His success cut against the grain of much of the popular culture that preceded him. He was a trailblazer.
At about the same time that Sydney Poitier died, we lost another trailblazer. Helen Donnelly was a clown, a teacher, and an extraordinary human being. She was the founder of Red Nose Remedy, a therapeutic clowning organization. Plus, she created a therapeutic clowning certificate program. When I first met Helen, I was overwhelmed by the power of her personality. She was funny. Later, I would see how authentically she lived her life. Through her example, I saw the importance of meeting people where they are and how important it is to care for people in a way that honors who they are and what they believe. This lesson is crucial for those of us who work in medical, therapeutic, and eldercare situations. This child of the 70s learned a lesson from Helen.
Sydney Poitier and Helen Donnelly were trailblazers creating new paths, moving us forward to a new normal. Both authentically shared their work with us. We are better because of their art and their lives.
with Helen at a Clown Conference in 2018.