James Earl Jones’ legacy lives on at Michigan football games

AWhen the Michigan Wolverines take on the Michigan State Spartans this Saturday for the 117th time since their first game in 1898, a familiar voice will ring through the largest college football stadium in the country: that of James Earl Jones. While the famous actor and UM alum passed away on September 9th, his legacy lives on in iconic films such as: star Wars And The Lion Kingand at every Wolverine home game in the Big House. Jones’ narration in the opening video is professional, confident and precise, bringing to life his pride in his alma mater. But a look back at his college experiences brings to mind often contradictory moments of exclusion and inclusion at universities like Michigan over the past 80 years.

Jones grew up in the small rural community of Dublin in western Michigan, about two hours north of Grand Rapids. He attended a one-grade school and graduated from Dickson Rural Agricultural High School in 1949 along with 14 others after struggling with a stutter. At the behest of his English teacher, the shy and quiet Jones considered and received a UM Regents Alumni Scholarship. Jones had driven several hours north to Traverse City to take the exam, where he was the only student of color in the room. Even as a teenager, Jones noticed that despite being in a state with a large indigenous population, Michigan lacked diversity among those invited to apply for his scholarships.

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After gaining admission, Jones entered the University of Michigan in the fall of 1949 with plans to become a doctor, a dream his grandparents had for him. However, his limited high school education had not prepared him academically for the required pre-med courses. He struggled with his coursework, particularly with a chemistry course and an erroneous enrollment in an upper-division composition course during his freshman year. Professors frequently disparaged his work, with one taking advantage of a spelling error to mockingly remark, “Why are you trying to be something you’re not? You’re just a stupid son of a bitch and you don’t belong at this university.”

Just a few years before 1954 Brown v. Board In the Supreme Court case, and a full decade before the Greensboro sit-ins, racist experiences in the late 1940s and early 1950s were unique neither to the northern United States nor to the University of Michigan. But unlike extremely segregated universities in the South that did not allow black and white students to attend school together, the University of Michigan was one of the first public universities to admit black, Latino, Jewish, Catholic and female students because of their academic achievements.

Before 1950, the number of black students at UM and other northern universities was small. Accelerated primarily by the GI Bill, the percentage of black students admitted to historically white colleges and universities increased only from less than 1% to 3% from 1943 to 1953. Michigan was no different: Extraordinarily low numbers relative to total enrollment created an environment where black students faced discrimination and social isolation. While not always overt violence, racist ideology and actions cloaked in the language of high academic standards were weapons with a deep blow, particularly for first-generation black students like Jones.

Like the talented—but few—postwar black musicians and actors who were offered opportunities in the film and music industries, Jones found belonging—and his voice—in the theater department. For the 1953 spring semester production, Jones played the lead character Bret Charles The roots are deep. Forty years later, his professor Claribel Baird Halstead recalled her decision to keep him in the spotlight: “Back then, audiences didn’t accept whites in black roles and blacks in white roles… I don’t deserve credit except to give him the opportunity.” “To do it, to give him the confidence that he can do it.” However, this simple act of grace from Halstead was a small step in overcoming the other racist encounters Jones faced in his career. For Jones, this meant working with a cadre of professors who believed in him and from whom he could learn how to be successful in an academic environment.

Like many first-generation college students today, Jones had little to no knowledge from his family members about his college experiences. He often felt alone: ​​“I was a frog in a big pond. It was traumatic.” Determined to succeed no matter what, he formed lifelong relationships with advisors and professors whose mentors shaped his academic success and future career, despite the racism he endured on campus.

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Years later, Jones told the Michigan students that he was fully aware of the “paltry opportunities that plague black artists, but he never did it.” [was] ready to be overwhelmed by them.” Asked whether racism was already hindering acting opportunities in the 1990s, he replied: “Be aware, be aware that it will affect your chances of getting work somewhat.” And if you notice it, ignore it. Just keep plowing.”

Pushing forward also meant giving his time back to the university while opening up discussions about racial issues when asked. He visited Ann Arbor regularly and supported Professor Halstead and the theater department’s activities. And in 2015, at the request of coach Jim Harbaugh, Jones headed to a New York studio to record the powerful copy for the football video – his final documented public narrative. As Jones onscreen slowly puts on a headset and begins to speak, the pride he shows for the University of Michigan is a mix of experiences: an exceptional education; caring lecturers; the determination to overcome bigotry and racism; a belief in the importance of the university – and, yes, in championship football.

Lorena Chambers is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan working on the Inclusive History Project, an initiative focused on better understanding the university’s full history, including its record of inclusion and exclusion. For more information, visit inclusivehistory.umich.edu.

Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.