GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A part of Green Bay Packers history began filming today at the Main Street Bourbon Room in downtown Green Bay.
A documentary style sizzle reel is being put together to tell the story of My Brother's Place, a cocktail lounge that welcomed Black Packers during the late 1960s and 1970s.
The filmmakers say the lounge became a refuge for players, Vietnam veterans, rookie cops and neighbors. The building that used to house My Brother's Place is now the home of Tequilas, a Mexican bar and restaurant on Main Street in downtown Green Bay.
Founders James and Barbara Whitcomb opened their doors and hearts to Black Packers players. As a result, the creators say lifelong friendships were forged over good times and even better music. Their sons, Tim and Christopher, along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Robinson, are the ones behind the potential documentary.
"You have to understand that the 60s were very trying times," Robinson, who played linebacker for the Packers from 1963-72, said. "The Civil Rights Act had gotten through and it said you were equal. But in the minds of so many people, there was no equality. When they walked through the door at My Brother's Place everyone was equal."
"It was still a very divisive time," Tim Whitcomb, co-producer of the sizzle reel, said. "We were just coming out of the Jim Crow laws. The Civil Rights Act had passed, so it was pretty unusual for one of the first inclusive bars to be in Green Bay, Wisconsin as opposed to Philadeplhia or an East Coast town."
For more information on the project and photos from the era, you can visit this website.
