Bahamas News
Meet Sir Sidney Poitier
Hollywood’s Oldest Legend & Caribbean Icon takes his final bow
#TheBahamas, January 15, 2022 – Sidney Poitier was a famous Bahamian-American actor, ambassador, film director, film producer and author. He was born on February 21, 1927 in Miami, Florida and died on January 6, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. He went from a premature two-months early baby to being a successful actor; the first Hollywood Black movie star and the first Black man to win the best actor Oscar.
He was the oldest living as well as the earliest surviving winner of an Academy Award for Best Actor.
He was the youngest of seven children of Reginald James Poitier and Evelyn Poitier, nee Outten (who was from the Turks and Caicos Islands). His parents originally worked the land and owned a farm on Cat Island, Bahamas.
Poitier’s father also worked as a cab driver in Nassau in the Bahamas. While Poitier’s parents visited Miami to sell tomatoes, he was unexpectedly born. Hence, he was entitled to American citizenship as well. Poitier lived on Cat Island until he was ten. Then the family moved to Nassau. He saw his first automobile in Nassau and experienced electricity, plumbing, and motion pictures for the first time. He stayed in the Bahamas until age 15 until he moved to Miami. Then he moved to New York at the tender age of 16.
Poitier came from an impoverished background, he was without education, and was faced with several rejections. He was rejected by filmmakers because he could not sing and had a strong Bahamian accent. However, he softened his accent, improved his reading abilities and landed a number of star roles in movies that empowered the Black community and allowed audiences to confront racial tensions in America.
“I was not what I was required to be in Florida. I was not that. I couldn’t be that. I was taught that I had basic rights as a human being. I was taught that I was someone. I knew we had no money, still, I was taught that I was someone. We had no electricity and no running water, still, I was taught that I was someone. I had very little education — a year and a half, in fact, was all the schooling I was exposed to –still I knew that I was someone,” said Poitier in a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He added that being a Hollywood star did not shield him from certain struggles faced by a black man in America.
When Poitier moved to New York, he first held various jobs as a dishwasher. He then lied about his age during the Second World War and enlisted in the army. He was discharged from the army in 1944. After, he again worked as a dishwasher and later landed a spot with the American Negro Theatre.
Though he had joined the American Negro Theatre, audiences rejected him. Eventually, Poitier earned a leading role in the Broadway production called Lis Estrada. He soon became a famous stage actor and started receiving offers for acting in films. In 1950, Poitier appeared in a successful film titled No Way Out. A year later, he travelled to South Africa with the actor Canada Lee to play the lead role in the film of The Beloved Country.
Poitier’s breakout role was in Blackboard Jungle, which was released in 1955.
In 1958, he starred in The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis. Then appeared in the first production of A Raisin in the sun on Broadway in 1959.
In 1961, Poitier starred in the film version of A Raisin in the Sun. In 1965, he performed in The Bedford Incident and in that same year, he appeared in the hit film, A Patch of Blue. In 1967, he appeared in three popular films, including In The Heat of the Night, to Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Poitier also directed various films and the most successful film is Stir Crazy, the Richard Pryor Gene Wilder comedy. He made his feature film directorial debut with the Western Buck and the Preacher. He also starred in this film. He also recorded an album called Poitier meets Plato.
He appeared in a few thrillers and TV roles during the late 80s and early 90s. In 2014, he appeared alongside Angelina Jolie at the 86 Academy Awards. This famous actor presented the best director award at this event. Poitier received a standing ovation and Angelina thanked him for his contributions to Hollywood.
Poitier was the first actor to place footprints and autographs in the cement at the Chinese Theatre of Grommet.
In 2005, Premiere Magazine ranked him number 20 on the list of the greatest movie stars of all time. The American Film Institute then ranked him number 22 on the list of the 50 greatest Screen Legends.
In 1974, Poitier was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He served as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. Sir Sidney was the Ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO from 2002 to 2007. In 2009, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian honour of the United States which was presented by President Barack Obama.
Sidney Poitier, who stood at 6.2 inches, is also the winner of two Grammy Awards; in 2001 and 2009 for Best Spoken Word album.
Though he only learnt at the age of 16 how to read, he spoke Russian fluently.
Poitier married Juanita Hardy and remained married until 1965.
In 1959, he started a romance with the famous actress Diane Carroll, whom he dated for nine years.
In 1976, he married Joanna Shimkus of Canada, whom he is on record as calling “the one”.
Sir Sidney leaves behind six daughters, four with Juanita: Gina, Sherry, Pamela and Beverly and two with Joanna: Sydney Tamiia and Anika.
Sidney Poitier has eight grandchildren as well as three great grandchildren.
Poitier’s networth is listed as $20 million.
Source: Lifestyle & Networth
Bahamas News
Next U.S. Ambassador? Walker Pledges Business-Driven Approach as U.S. Looks to Counter China in The Bahamas
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
The Bahamas, September 16, 2025 – For the first time since 2011, the United States is on the cusp of sending an ambassador to The Bahamas — and the nominee, former football star turned entrepreneur Herschel Walker, is promising to bring his business instincts to the diplomatic table.
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, Walker underscored that his background in food-service companies and small business leadership has prepared him to think practically about investment. “I know how to run a business, how to create jobs, how to make payroll. Those lessons translate into building relationships and building trust,” Walker said.
Walker, who was nominated by President Trump in December 2024, faced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 11. As of now, he has not yet been confirmed; his nomination remains under review, pending a committee vote before it can move to the full Senate. If approved, he would become the first U.S. ambassador to The Bahamas since 2011.
For years, U.S. officials have stressed security and counternarcotics cooperation with The Bahamas, including through “Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos.” But in areas like infrastructure, medical care, and long-term investment, Washington has often been absent.
Hospitals and clinics remain under-resourced, and hurricane recovery has been slow in many islands. Chinese state-backed firms, by contrast, have shown up with financing packages and construction deals — a presence that has raised alarms on Capitol Hill.
“Only 50 miles off our shore, The Bahamas is too important for us to ignore,” warned Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders during Walker’s hearing. They called China’s inroads “strategic, not charitable,” suggesting Beijing’s long game is about ports, proximity, and political leverage.
Walker positioned himself as a nontraditional but pragmatic envoy. He argued that his business career, rooted in private sector success, equips him to champion American investment in The Bahamas.
He pledged to:
- Promote U.S. companies interested in medical and infrastructure projects.
- Support an environment that encourages American investors to see The Bahamas as more than just a beach destination.
- Highlight opportunities for partnerships that improve public services, healthcare, and resilience against hurricanes.
“I’ve built businesses. I know what it takes to attract investors and create opportunity. That is exactly what I intend to bring to our relationship with The Bahamas,” Walker said.
The Bahamas is not just a tourist paradise. It’s a frontline state in migration, drug interdiction, and hurricane response. More than six
million U.S. visitors travel there annually, making stability and safety a U.S. domestic concern as much as a foreign policy one.
And yet, with the ambassador post vacant for 14 years, the U.S. has often looked detached — opening space for China’s ambitious Belt and Road agenda. The fear is that infrastructure deals signed today could give Beijing leverage in the region tomorrow. Walker’s confirmation would symbolize a course correction, signaling Washington’s intent to re-engage not only in security but in the economic future of The Bahamas. Not everyone is convinced Herschel Walker is the right man for the job. His nomination revived controversies from his 2022 Senate run, including past allegations, public gaffes, and doubts about whether he has the diplomatic polish the post demands. Some senators and analysts questioned whether celebrity and business experience were enough for a role requiring nuance in foreign policy and geopolitics.
Critics argued that The Bahamas, sitting just 50 miles from Florida and facing intense Chinese interest, deserves a seasoned diplomat rather than a political ally.
Walker confronted those doubts head-on. “People have underestimated me all my life — in academics, athletics, and business,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “And I have always proven them wrong, through discipline, determination, and by outworking everyone.”
He admitted he had never served as an ambassador but countered that his career prepared him in other ways: building businesses, managing payrolls, and connecting with people from all walks of life. He framed his business background as a strength, promising to use it to encourage U.S. investment in healthcare, infrastructure, and hurricane resilience projects in The Bahamas.
Rather than sparring with critics, Walker leaned on confidence and persistence: “I know how to build trust and find common ground. That’s what this relationship needs.”
If confirmed, Walker would have to balance his role as diplomat with expectations of being a commercial cheerleader for U.S. firms. His emphasis on entrepreneurship suggests a willingness to push U.S. businesses toward opportunities in healthcare, ports, and post-storm reconstruction — areas where Bahamians say they need the most support.
For Bahamian officials, the question will be whether Washington is prepared to back words with financing. U.S. private sector dollars, paired with aid and development partnerships, could help shift the tide against Chinese influence.
For Walker, the test will be whether his business acumen can translate into diplomatic wins — giving Bahamians alternatives to Beijing, while deepening the U.S. role in the Caribbean.
Analysis: If Walker delivers, this appointment could mark a turning point: a U.S. strategy that recognizes that in the Caribbean, investment is diplomacy.
The Bahamas, September 10, 2025 – Rescue swimmers from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Aviation Training Center in
Mobile, Alabama visited Nassau to train Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) and Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) members in water survival skills as part of Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) earlier this week.
“Training alongside our USCG partners ensures our personnel are best prepared for the unique challenges of joint operations” said Superintendent Wendy Pearson, Commander Drug Enforcement Unit.
The multi-day exercise, centered on the USCG’s Shallow Water Egress Training (SWET), enhanced the safety and preparedness of Bahamian partners who routinely operate aboard USCG helicopters during OPBAT missions. The exercise provided hands-on instruction for 31 participants and strengthened interoperability between U.S. and Bahamian agencies engaged in counter-drug, search and rescue, and maritime security operations throughout the region.
“We were excited and proud to have the opportunity to share our expertise with our Bahamian partners. Not only did RBDF and RBPF
perform exceptionally well, they exceeded the standards we set for the event,” said Petty Officer Second Class Cole Johnson, USCG.
OPBAT is a cooperative multi-agency international operation supporting The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands to stop illicit drug smuggling through the region. U.S. Embassy Nassau Chargé d’affaires Kimberly Furnish stated, “Since 1982, OPBAT has worked to stop the flow of illicit narcotics through the Caribbean, destined for the United States or other jurisdictions. This is international cooperation at its best.”
