Black History Brown Bag: Sammy Davis Jr

Sammy Davis Jr. was born in 1925 in New York City. His father was a black man and his mother was a Puerto Rican dancer. Stepping foot on stage at the age of three, Sammy Davis Jr. became known as the greatest entertainer in the world. What made him stand out among the rest was his ability to please audiences. His electrifying stage performances endeared people to him. They absolutely loved being around Sammy because he made them feel good.

Even more interesting were the intimate Hollywood parties where he regaled audiences with personal stories and funny anecdotes. At a very young age, Sammy Davis Jr. realized that despite all of the racism surrounding him, when he was on stage, it was one of the only times that no one seemed to care about his color. Some critics say that he tried too hard to fit in with white people — that all he wanted to do was be anything other than black. Those who know Sammy Davis Jr. say that nothing could be farther from the truth, and that Sammy cared deeply about black issues. But he did love white women, which caused him some problems with friends who believed that it could put his career in a negative light.