Editor’s note: Danette Mitchell’s column appears in the Sunday print edition of the Reporter.
I join the celebrities and fans continuing to express their heartfelt condolences and memories to the family of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner — especially his wife and 8-year-old daughter — widely known as “Theodore Huxtable” from “The Cosby Show.”
Warner’s tragic drowning at the age of 54 seems unjust, considering he seemed healthy and happy. He was actively making a positive difference in the community as a musician, actor, director, spoken-word poet, and advocate of social issues.
A year ago, he started the “Not All Hood” podcast, addressing the lived experiences and identities of Black people in America through conversations and guests. His unexpected and random death feels particularly unjust when so many others who cause devastating and persistent harm in communities continue to live long lives.
The sudden loss of a loved one is always painful and significant, regardless of a person’s background or place in society. Warner’s death, however, resonates deeply within many, particularly in the Black community, striking our hearts like a bolt of lightning.
Teenagers and young people found “Theo” relatable as he dealt with academic struggles, peer pressure, learning disabilities, and relationships with girls. His character provided a balanced representation of a Black teenager and a Black young man, showcasing growth, love, and learning, rather than resorting to stereotypes of buffoonery, ignorance, and other negative portrayals that Black boys and Black young men often face.
He was part of a Black Renaissance that sought to change the narrative. For one, “The Cosby Show,” which aired in the 1980s and 1990s, presented a positive, relatable, and portrayal of a Black family, destroying stereotypes and challenging the negative representations of Black people often depicted in the media.
The show normalized Black middle-class life by presenting two successful, educated, and loving parents who were raising their five children with strong morals, beliefs, and values. Each episode emphasized the importance of family, love, education, and community, creating an emotional bond with viewers. Actually, these attributes were already embodied in many Black American households, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Additionally, the TV parents, Clair (Phylicia Rashad) and Cliff (Bill Cosby), both graduated from Historically Black Colleges and universities, encouraging their children to follow in their footsteps, which the two older sisters did. The Huxtables’ passionate commitment to education and cultural heritage prompted many Black Americans to also attend HBCUs, embracing Black pride.
When the show premiered, I was a young married woman working full-time in corporate America while attending college in the evenings. I looked up to Clair as someone I wanted to emulate as a wife with a lucrative career one day and, potentially, as a mother if I had children. She embraced her femininity and celebrated the honor of being a wife and a mother while also maintaining a successful profession as an attorney. Her character epitomized intelligence, inner strength, sophistication, confidence, and dignity, serving as a role model, especially to numerous young Black women.
Theo became my kid brother as the only son in the household. Regardless of any scandals involving Warner’s TV dad or anyone’s attempt to destroy the show’s legacy, it’s positive impact across the nation and around the world remains undeniable and unshakeable.
And while Warner moved on to other acting roles after “The Cosby Show,” I’ll never forget him as “Theo.” His character played a crucial role in humanizing Black boys. They could express their natural masculinity without pushback in a rich and meaningful way, embodying the qualities of a provider, protector, and capable leader.
Through “Theo’s” warmth, compassion, humor, inner strength, and love as an actor and as Malcolm-Jamal Warner, he set a powerful example that encouraged young viewers to aspire to these ideals in their own unique ways.
Indeed, Warner was a man with a powerful message and a life dedicated to reclaiming the Black narrative and challenging the system through his poetry, films, and podcasts. Just two days before his death, he expressed, “If you can’t find something to smile about, be the reason someone else smiles.” His brief time on earth brought many.
— Danette Mitchell is a social justice issues advocate and 2022 Women of the Year Congressional Award Recipient presented by Rep. John Garamendi. E-mail: damitchell@earthlink.net
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