He Was Silent For 8 Years. Today, We All Know His Voice

Black History Year

PushBlack

History, Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2024

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

His is one of the most iconic voices in history. But as a child he experienced a traumatic incident that made him stop speaking. It took a miracle to take him from silent to superstar. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work. The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	His is one of the most iconic voices in history.
0:10.0	But as a child, he experienced a traumatic incident that made him stop speaking.
0:15.5	It took a miracle to take him from silent to superstar.
0:20.4	This is too many of black history. What you didn't learn in school. The train car was packed with boxes, a piano, and most of his family squeezed tightly inside.
0:43.6	All their tickets were one way.
0:46.0	Their plan to escape Jim Crow was finally in motion.
0:50.1	At only four years old he sobbed, not understanding why his mother left him to be raised by extended family.
0:57.0	They arrived in Michigan, like the other six million black people vacating the South during the Great Migration they were ready
1:05.0	to start a new life, but the trauma of abandonment stayed with him and he developed a stutter.
1:12.1	Other children made fun of his speech so he stopped speaking altogether.
1:16.5	The speechless boy grew up to be James Earl Jones, one of the most iconic voices in the entertainment industry. How did he go from Silent Superstar? An English teacher encouraged him to
1:40.7	recite poetry aloud. He was scared, but he did it, and he didn't want to stop.
1:48.0	In college, Jones majored in theater, which led him to working in over 100 films, voicing iconic roles like Darth Vader and
1:57.6	Ufasa, and being the voice of CNN.
2:03.0	Big life changes can be exciting but also traumatic.
2:07.4	James Earl Jones still works with his stutter.
2:11.4	We're all working through trauma, especially anti-Black trauma.
2:15.0	Jones proves that we all have the power to move forward and thrive.
2:21.0	In order to move towards the future, you've got to look to the past.
2:26.3	This has been Two-minute Black history, a podcast by Push Black. If you enjoy this episode and want to show your support, please rate and subscribe to our
2:36.2	podcast. Together, let's celebrate and honor the legacy of black history.

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