How a Mr. Rogers Episode Featuring a Small Pool Helped FIGHT SEGREGATION

BY: MARCUS PACKER | PHOTOS: PBS - PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation in public places. One person on the forefront of breaking down barriers of segregation was Fred Rogers. His children’s show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” ran from 1968 to 2001, and he became famous for the compassion he showed on the show.

In particular, two scenes from different years (one from 1969 and the other from 1993, per NPR) have been getting a lot of attention from viewers, who have been tweeting and posting them on Instagram and Reddit. Rogers (who passed away in 2003) and Officer Clemmons (played by François Clemmons), a black actor, both dip their feet into a wading pool.

Mr. Rogers Episode an Important Moment For Civil Rights

Civil unrest over U.S. pool segregation policies coincided with the airing of the first scene, and many viewers saw it as Rogers speaking out against racism. Rogers is shown in the scene inviting Officer Clemmons to join him in a wading pool for a refreshing foot soak. Rogers offers Clemmons his towel after Clemmons says he doesn’t have one.

In 1969, when this episode aired, many public pools were still segregated despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act almost five years earlier. This act of kindness from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood meant more than it seemed at the time.

For tens of thousands of young viewers, it was a chance to see that there was no reason to assume that people of different races couldn’t enjoy the same activities together, such as sitting at a table or swimming in the same pool.

Mr. Rogers had a good friend in Police Officer Clemmons. It was a hot and sunny day. To ask if he wanted to take a seat and relax for a while to cool off was the humane thing to do.

It’s a small thing, but it would be a great example of compassion and acceptance for the rest of humanity. What a terrific example to set for millions of children watching at home. The imagery of that moment was a canonizing footnote in television history.

The pair’s final episode together in 1993 featured a replay of the same scene from 24 years earlier. While soaking his tired feet, Rogers invites Clemmons to do the same. “Sure!” Clemmons gives his reply.

When promoting his memoir, which came out in May 2020, and in the 2018 documentary about the show, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” Clemmons discussed these powerful clips.

“They didn’t want black people to come and swim in their swimming pools, and Fred said, ‘That is absolutely ridiculous,’” Clemmons recalled in the documentary.

“He invited me to come over and to rest my feet in the water with him,” Clemmons said. “The icon Fred Rogers not only was showing my brown skin in the tub with his white skin as two friends, but as I was getting out of that tub, he was helping me dry my feet.”

They revisited the scene in their final episode together in 1993, and Clemmons says reenacting it affected him deeply.

The 1969 episode of “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” featuring Officer François Clemmons is widely considered to be a groundbreaking moment in children’s television. François Clemmons was a regular character on the show. The character Officer Clemmons was a friendly police officer who often visited Mr. Rogers in his neighborhood and sang songs with him.

“I think he was making a very strong statement. That was his way. I still was not convinced that Officer Clemmons could have a positive influence in the neighborhood and in the real-world neighborhood, but I think I was proven wrong,” said Clemmons.

“To say that he didn’t know what he was doing, or that he accidentely stumbled into integration or talking about racism or sexism, that’s not Mr. Rogers,” said Clemmons.

The episode was seen as a powerful statement against racism and segregation, and it was widely praised for its positive representation of racial harmony on children’s television.

This episode, and Officer Clemmons character throughout the series, helped to break down racial barriers and show children that people of all races can be friends and treated with kindness.

The relationship between Mr. Rogers and Officer Clemmons was not only symbolic but also personal, as François Clemmons was a close friend of Mr. Rogers, his presence on the show had special meaning . He was a pioneer of children’s television programming, Mr. Rogers was committed to using his platform to promote love, kindness, and acceptance. The 1969 episode featuring Officer Clemmons is a testament to this commitment, and it continues to be an important and inspiring moment in the history of children’s television.

It is worth to mention that the episode was not controversial at the time, however, the gesture of two men of different races sharing the pool was one of the first and most powerful demonstrations of racial equality on television.

Much has changed since the first airing of that episode but the road to a fair and caring society is long and arduous. It was five decades ago when Officer Clemmons and Mr. Rogers conveyed a message that is as powerful today as it was fifty years ago.