To Be Equal: Entertainment Icons James Earl Jones and Tito Jackson Helped Shift Perception of Black Culture and History
“I look at it this way: anybody can carry a picket sign, but I think you should be able to articulate what that sign means … Don’t get me wrong. I believe in the same things that all those people demonstrating believe in, but I just look for plays or movies that say the same thing and play characters in them.”
—James Earl Jones
America lost two Black icons of the entertainment industry in recent days.
James Earl Jones was a generation older than Tito Jackson, but both hit the peak of their fame in the 1970s and played a major role in shifting perception of Black culture and history.
Jones’ distinctive bass voice, which brought him his greatest fame in roles where his face was not even seen, brought a remarkable gravitas and dignity to characters whose race was of pivotal importance.
Jackson, who performed with his brothers as the Jackson 5, was part of the first Black pop band to achieve mainstream teen idol status and paved the way for later “boy bands” of all races and ethnicities like New Edition, Menudo, and Backstreet Boys.
Some even cite the popularity of the Jackson 5 as a factor in the election of the first Black U.S. President, reasoning that the children who “got comfortable imitating a Black kid named Michael Jackson” grew up to be comfortable with voting for Barack Obama.
The second-oldest Jackson brother, after Jackie, Tito was just 17 when “Jacksonmania” exploded into the American pop scene, bringing with it a distinctively Black visual style. A Rolling Stone review of a raucous Madison Square Garden concert in 1970 noted in particular Tito’s “enormous, hot pink shoeshine boy’s cap with jumpsuit.
Although considered “the quiet one” of the group, it was Tito who was responsible for the formation of the Jackson 5. As a 10-year-old, he risked his father Joe’s notorious wrath when he broke a string playing Joe’s guitar. But after hearing Tito play, bought him his own guitar, and convinced Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine to form a singing group.
While the Jackson 5 were breaking teenage girls’ hearts in 1970, Jones was already an acclaimed theater actor in 1970 when he astounded film audiences with his performance as Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope. The film was based on the life of the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson and the furor of racial resentment he ignited with his success, further stoked by his relationships with white women.
He further explored the role of racism in sports with his portrayal of Negro Leagues catcher Josh Gibson in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings. Though the comedy “sometimes glides over the obvious pain and injustice these players went through,” according to New York Magazine, Jones conveyed the “rage and hurt simmering underneath.”
Tito Jackson was rarely the frontman, and James Earl Jones was rarely the leading man, but they managed in their own unique ways to influence American culture indelibly. While they are sorely missed, their art lives on and continues to inspire a new generation. —September 20, 2024
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ChildWatch by Marian Wright Edelman will return next week.
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