Four years before Sidney Poitier stood tall and proclaimed “They Call me MR. TIBBS!” he was already doing his thing in the film Lilies of the Field. In Lilies (which airs Saturday at 7pm [ET]), Poitier plays an ex-GI officer who is believed to be a holy messenger, sent to build a church for a group of nuns. Now, we know Poitier was always good at playing the good guy — the Black man that everyone likes. And in the 60’s, playing that role more important than we can possibly imagine now.

But even in those roles as the “likeable” Black guy, Poitier also represented the righteous rage we felt. Sure, he wasn’t burning down houses or clocking racists folks in the face, but that didn’t mean Poitier took any mess though. Yes, he was “acceptable” and “gracious,” but Poitier was also no fool as seen in the coolest moment from Lilies.