Not Sidney Poitier and the story of his escape to Atlanta has really allowed me to reflect on my white privilege. I am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett avoids the white savior stereotype by giving Not Sidney the autonomy to make his own life and financial decisions even after his adoption by a white man, but Everett makes sure that his readers are far from comfortable by incorporating humor into subtle racist scenarios that occur once Not Sidney leaves home. One quote that really stood out to me from chapter 2 of I Am Not Sidney Poitier -after his escape from the jail bus- was:
“I carried the boy’s twenty-two rifle, mainly so no one else would,
but a bit of thinking made me realize how quickly the presence of
that weapon in my hands could get me killed, so I tossed it into the
brush just after we crossed the creek,” (Everett, pp. unknown).
Not only does this quote give evidence of Not Sidney’s fear of his own acquaintances (“mainly so no one else would”) and the horrifying yet true fact that black people carrying weapons are much more likely to be killed than white people doing the same thing. It’s no secret that racism is far from over in America and that it continues to contribute to the wrongful deaths of far too many people of color.
Twelve years later, since this book’s publication in 2009, almost nothing has changed. People continue to be killed for the color of their skin and their killers continue to feel no regret for their actions. Everett makes sure that the racism Not Sidney faces makes his readers uncomfortable, and we should be; white silence is violence, and we must continue to speak out against injustice.