> Poitier initially hesitated, reluctant to face such grave dangers although eager to help the civil rights movement, especially the young Black students risking their lives on the front lines of the struggle. His friendship with Belafonte and his genuine concern for the work the students were engaged in convinced him to go down to Mississippi.
> Poitier and Belafonte arrived at the Jackson, Mississippi, Airport. On the way to deliver the money, the car Poitier and Belafonte were in was menaced by local vigilantes whom the actors assumed to be part of the Klan. They were pursued during a high-speed chase, and men with guns fired upon their vehicle in the kind of action scene both might have filmed under less dangerous circumstances.
cwk415 OP t1_jeeha38 wrote
Reply to comment by pxzs in When Sidney Poitier (& Harry Belafonte) risked his life for civil rights - 1964 by cwk415
Wow thanks for sharing this. I never knew about it but, sadly, I can’t say I’m surprised.