Sinatra refused to stay at hotels and play at clubs that did not allow black people in. Sinatra’s band also provided equal pay to black people.
In 1946, his documentary regarding race relations won an Academy Award. In 1958, he wrote in Ebony Magazine, “A friend to me has no race, no class and belongs to no minority. My friendships are formed out of affection, mutual respect, and a feeling of having something in common. These are eternal values that cannot be classified.”
In CBC interview, Frank Sinatra, Jr. had this to say about his father:“Somebody said ‘Well, we have white people, we have black people.’ Sinatra, the story goes, said to them, ‘The money is green. How about that?’ And they began to look at each other and the wheels were turning, and because of Sammy, Las Vegas became integrated.”
