He wishes the neighborhood a wonderful Christmas.
Singer and actor Francois Clemmons, best known for breaking racial barriers in his role as Officer Clemmons on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” is struggling to make ends meet amid poor health and a limited income, The Post has learned.
But more than a dozen longtime friends and fans of Clemmons — who shared a now-iconic onscreen moment with Rogers amid heightened racial tensions in the 1960s — have rallied to help.
“I can really count it as a Christmas miracle. I’m just overwhelmed by the kindness and love that’s been pouring out,” she told The Post.
Clemmons, 78, suffered two strokes in 2015 and 2016, two knee replacement surgeries, and requires health aides along with other services at The Residence at Otter Creek, the assisted living facility where he lives in Vermont.
The Grammy winner is selling her home to help offset the costs, but friends worry it won’t be enough, especially if she needs more expensive services.
The singer and actress currently lives in an assisted living facility in Vermont. Courtesy of Fellow Officer Clemmons
“He has limited savings and very little income. He couldn’t last more than a few years at his retirement center … much less if he had to go into assisted living,” said Chuck Dickinson, a classmate of Clemmons at Oberlin College, who led the campaign.
Led by Dickinson, his friends, who met Clemmons at various stages of his life — at Oberlin; throughout the year he performed in the Big Apple; or while he serves as artist-in-residence at Vermont’s Middlebury College — has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money.
“Officer Clemmons needs our help,” according to the fundraising site, which featured an image of Clemmons with Rogers during his last appearance on the program.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised $80,000. gofundme.com
The effort began in October with a modest goal of $100,000 and reached $80,000 days before Christmas.
Clemmons, who played a singing cop on the PBS series from 1968 to 1993, was one of the first African Americans to have a starring role on national children’s television.
The Birmingham, Alabama native, who lived on West 101 Street and Central Park West for 35 years and created the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, first met Fred Rogers through Roger’s wife, Joanne, who was in a church choir with him in Pittsburgh.
When Rogers offered him the job of Officer Clemmons, the actor told him, “You must be crazy.”
Clemmons was on “Mr. Rogers” Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993. Courtesy Clemmons Officer Friends
“A policeman is not a hero in the ghetto. I was a ghetto boy, and I saw policemen doing various things,” he said.
“And I carried within me the fear of what they could do. And Fred said, ‘Policemen can be helpers; policemen can be good.'”
A May 1969 episode featured a black Clemmons and a white Rogers dipping their toes in a kiddie pool at the same time on a hot day and sharing a towel to dry off — sending a quiet but powerful message about equality at a time when segregated pools were the norm.
Clemmons lives on West 101 St. and Central Park West for 35 years and created the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble. Elaine Beery
Rogers, who died in 2003, treated her like a foster child, the actress said.
“As a black tenor, there are opera companies and productions that are closed to me. And Fred said, ‘I know you’re having trouble getting a job because of racism. I’ll be there for you,’” Clemmons recalled. “He was a great, gentle, spiritual man.”
Despite his work on popular public television shows, Clemmons receives no royalties from them.
“Not a cent,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in this situation if I got serious royalties. I’m not mad at Fred about that. I am angry with their business practices since his death. He would never allow me to be in this situation.”
The 78-year-old has had two strokes and two knee replacements. Getty Images
Literary agent Elizabeth Copps, who worked with Clemmons while writing her 2020 memoir, also helped launch the GoFundMe and understands why people feel compelled to contribute.
“He generated genuine warmth and compassion for everyone he met,” he said.
“In the seven years I’ve known him, I’ve seen him give the gift of his songs and stories to so many people without ever asking or expecting anything in return, so it feels wonderful to try and help him. There is no more deserving person on the planet.”
Copps said the fundraising effort couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Fundraising efforts like this are what the holiday season is all about,” he said. “And people like Francois are the reason for this season.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
