Between the wars, as racial tensions began to boil over and the civil rights movement gained momentum, many white celebrities used their fame and influence to battle racism and segregation.
These personalities, though often working behind the scenes or taking subtle stands, were instrumental in chipping away at the massive racial barriers that dominated much of American society. Through the medium of risking personal freedom, public pronouncements, or their celebrity status in the limelight, their actions speak of the fact that celebrity advocacy is not a recent process but rather an old one. As the spotlight fell on Black leaders and activists, these white figures are important actors in the struggle for racial equity, especially within areas such as entertainment, sports, and literature, whose very practices were steeped in segregationist mechanisms.
Frank Sinatra and the Sands Hotel Incident
Frank Sinatra was no simple singer, entertainer, and performer but a man who understood the power behind the celebrity icon and was never frighten to deploy it for a greater good.
As is the case with much of America, this Vegas of the 1950s and 1960s was a state of considerable segregation. Whilst it was perfectly fine for blacks to perform in the clubs, it was not okay to stay in the hotels where they were working. They also were forbidden from dining or gambling in the casinos. This meant that some of the best entertainers who ever worked their craft was having this exclusion levelled against them, such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Nat King Cole. Sinatra really stood tall against this hypocracy.
One well-documented incident has Frank Sinatra, who opposed racism strongly, had threatened to desist from performing unless Nat King Cole and all other Black artists were accorded equal treatment.l
Marlon Brando on the march during the March on Washington
Marlon Brando was never satisfied playing roles only on the screen. Offscreen, he was a strident supporter of the civil rights movement, revealing himself as a zealous racial equality activist long before this became a popular cause in Tinsel Town to espouse. Brando’s most public activism moment arrived when he attended the 1963 March on Washington during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
He actively participated in the civil rights struggle by giving his voice at a public forum, donated money and was identified to the Black activists. At that time, film stars never gave out statements on political issues, but here Brando was a perfect deviation. Marching side by side with such celebrities as Harry Belafonte and Charlton Heston, Brando illustrated his commitment to the fight against racial inequality and segregation. His efforts did not end with one event, but the March on Washington was that one visible, historical moment where he highlighted his commitment for the movement.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Humphrey Bogart and his wife Lauren Bacall may have been a towering presence on screen, but their off-screen activism took just as much courage. Indeed, Bogart and Bacall are best remembered as strong civil rights advocates in the 1940s and 1950s when Hollywood and America struggled with integration and racial inequality. Through their influence as A-list stars, they were part of various campaigns for racial equality-most often challenging the entrenched racism that existed within the Hollywood system.
One of his most peculiar campaigns was for joining the picket lines protesting the exclusion of Black actors from major film roles.
Both Bogart and Bacall also joined the Hollywood Democratic Committee, an organization opposed to segregation in the film industry and that strongly supported civil rights. Their politics stretched far beyond the issue of race, and they came out in defense of a speaking delegation supporting the Hollywood Ten during the Red Scare, a group that included several civil rights activists. In a period when careers were ruined for political deviations, Bogart and Bacall didn’t care.
Gene Kelly and the Desegregation of Ciro’s
Gene Kelly, Singin’ in the Rain’s iconic star, was an incredible dancer and actor in life as well as one of principle.
1945 – After peaking fame, Kelly made headlines not for a new film but for refusing to perform at Ciro’s nightclub in Los Angeles unless the venue desegregated. As was the case with most of the clubs at that time, Ciro’s had a policy that refused entry to Black patrons, though there were normally Blacks appearing on its stage. Kelly’s refusal to appear at Ciro’s sent a stern message, and his stance saw integration at comparable venues around Los Angeles pick up. It wasn’t the first such stand by Kelly, though the culmination of his stand against racial imbalances: he used his position to advocate for fair equality in the Hollywood fraternity and other walks of life, again and again throughout his career.
Burt Lancaster and the Civil Rights Movement
A famous actor with films such as From Here to Eternity, Lancaster was a true supporter of the race equality cause. He was close friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was included in the delegation of Hollywood people attending the March on Washington in 1963. He didn’t stop at symbolic gestures—he used his fame to help raise funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, one of the most important organizations working on civil rights in the South. But Lancaster’s political life did not confine itself to the streets, as he became an active politician in his professional sphere. There is a saying that he refused several engagement plays in segregated clubs and theaters and never participated in any event that excluded Black patrons from such an opportunity. Of course, at such a time, most celebrities would rather keep mum about civil rights issues, which might dampen their celebrity status; that is when Lancaster stood by what he believed was wrong – in this case, racial discrimination, risking his career.
Elvis Presley and the Impact of Black Music
Elvis Presley is often remembered as the “King of Rock and Roll,” but his connection to Black musicians and the impact of Black music on his recording career makes up an essential part of his legacy.
In this racially divided 1950s South, Presley broke the norms of his time by publicly acknowledging the Black musicians who helped shape his sound. Presley was raised listening to the sound of gospel, blues, and rhythm and blues – all of which have deep roots in African American music. He never shied away from publicly acknowledging his influences, which were largely Black artists. In 1956, amid his peak popularity, Presley invited Black singer and pianist Ivory Joe Hunter to Graceland where the two then performed together.
This was a gesture, within a society as racially divided as the United States was in the 1950s, which enabled the mixing of musical camaraderie to challenge the separations that the color line placed between Black and white musicians. Elvis Presley’s open tribute to Black stars, such as B.B. King and Fats Domino, further helped to integrate the two cultures, even though he himself was not always openly advocating for civil rights.
Harry Houdini and Vaudeville’s Racial Boundaries
Although he performed many decades before the emergent civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Harry Houdini’s early 20th-century moves actually did set an important precedent for racial equality in entertainment.
Houdini, who made headlines for incredible escapes and illusions, often featured a totally Black orchestra in many of his vaudeville acts and otherwise flouted racial barriers. At the time when Blacks were marginalized in the performing arena, Houdini treated his Black assistants and performers equally, an event rarely carried out in the highly segregated entertainment world of the early 1900s. Houdini’s progressive stance on race was not publicized, but his actions revealed the depth of his belief in equality. By incorporating his performances and treating Black performers as equals, Houdini broke down the different racial boundaries that defined vaudeville and early American entertainment.
Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey
Jackie Robinson’s arrival into Major League Baseball may be the most famous moment in the history of sport, but what occurred outside of Robinson itself-and the role of Branch Rickey, the white general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers-is almost as important.
It was 1947 when Rickey chose to break the color barrier by signing Robinson to the Dodgers, and he knew that a sometimes raucous backlash from fans still largely racist was bound to be part of it. Rickey faced the racist policies that were, and for quite some time, in place against the admittance of Black players into the major leagues. More than a business decision, Rickey’s decision was a moral stance. He knew it would be unfriendly not only to the fans but to members of the league, and there would obviously be hostility toward this Black player. However, he felt that it was wrong for people based on the color of their skin to be barred from professional baseball, and he supported Robinson. Doing so paved the way for the integration of sports and showed the power of using one’s influence as a force against racial injustice.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson
She is widely known to have been an advocate for civil rights, but perhaps one of her most public stands on racism came in 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow Marian Anderson-an African opera singer-to perform at Constitution Hall on account of her race. Roosevelt responded by resigning from the organization, a bold act that spoke volumes regarding her commitment to racial equality.
That wasn’t the end of it. She helped get Anderson to appear at the Lincoln Memorial in a performance that was an open-air concert, bringing her the message to 75,000 in attendance. The concert became a turning point in civil rights on how people struggled to reject separation and inequality in arts.
Judy Garland and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Although most famous for her role in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was a rather reserved but nonetheless zealous advocate for racial equality, particularly as it involved her fellow Black entertainment professionals.
A strong case in point to this fact was when she rallied behind co-star Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who was one of the biggest Black dance stars of his era. Garland first met Robinson when she was barely out of her teens. What she soon realized was that this talented man whom she would be working with for the rest of her career faced racism at the deepest root and core of Hollywood: he often suffered from inferior pay as well as respect. Garland, though very young, wouldn’t shut up.
For instance, she demanded equal treatment for Robinson from the producers, among other things, the same pay and terms as those for white artists. She would not appear on screen unless her demands were met by the producers. Her actions were socially not very publicized, but they did expose a burning desire to confront racist tendencies entrenched in the entertainment industry.
Ernest Hemingway and Langston Hughes
Though not always in the list of civil rights activists, Ernie Hemingway, too, has contributed to the civil rights movement in the sense that he boldly supported fellow writer Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes is highly notable as a Black poet and had been subjected to much racial and political discrimination during the course of his career. Langston Hughesin 1930s experienced harassment and marginalization by literary circles on account of his race and left-wing politics, so Hemingway jumped in to support and commend his work in public forums.
It was a condemnation of the racism and exclusion that Hughes had been exposed to within the predominantly white literary world, not just a commendation of the literary talents of Hughes. Other than public professions of commitment to support Hughes, Hemingway also financially assisted him when it mattered most. Not much is remembered of Hemingway on his activism, but of all that has been said and written, this on Hughes is an indication of his opposition to racial injustices during his time.
Stories of this type about the celebrities—Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many more say that this struggle against racism and segregation is not the project of the Black activists.
With such positions of privilege and influence, these public figures fought the racist systems defining America at a cost of losing careers and reputation in the pursuit. Their contributions did not always amount to what was seen or revolutionary by the standards of civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but they were influential steps toward racial equality in America. Celebrities’ actions remind one of the great powers that are meant to be wielded by people who are in a position to wield power when they decide to stand up for what is right.
