It really hits different to know that this was only about 56 years ago. Societal change happens extremely slowly.
…so this is some real pedantic shit I’m about to do here, and I apologize in advance, but that’s the wrong picture. François Clemmons was on the show between 1968 and 1993. The original episode where they share a pool aired in 1969, and both men were much younger. The picture above is from Clemmons final appearance on the show in 1993, titled “Love,” where they again share a foot pool. I know this because my toddler has become Mr. Rogers obsessed and I’ve seen the 1993 episode 3 dozen times in the last month.
The image misses part of the story. He was a character on the show, officer Clemmons, and wasn’t just on this episode. And what’s more, he was gay and Fred Rogers knew and accepted him for it at a time that that was uncommon. This image makes it seem like a single random act of impersonal kindness but it was much more than that.
Lovely interview with (Officer) Francois Clemmons. Clemmons grew up during civil rights unrest and was firehosed and beaten by cops and did not want to play one on TV. I don’t know if making kids less scared of cops was a good thing or not, but I know Mr. Rogers’ heart was in the right place.
The song at the end is the one Clemmons sang while they were hanging out in the pool the second time they did this scene 20 years after the first one: “There are many ways to say I love you.” In this one Mr. Rogers dried Officer Clemmons’ feet as they were getting out of the pool.
