JANS – Comedians didn’t come any funnier than Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford) who made watching tv a blast! Not unlike a Dave Chappelle or D.L. Hughley, Foxx wasn’t just a jokester; he addressed social issues when deemed necessary.
When speaking at the 11th annual Medgar Evers Homecoming (1984), a weekend event to honor the legacy of the fallen civil rights champion, Foxx mentioned both his grandmother and great grandmother were from Mississippi, and that his uncle had land in the state but chose not to claim it. He said his uncle told him the only way he would get the land was if they put it on a truck and brought it to St. Louis. Slightly adjusting his stance, Foxx said he came to the Medgar Evers Homecoming for three reasons: “In the first place, I’m here because I’m Black. And in the second place, I’m here because I’m Black. And in the third place, I’m here because I’m blacker,” noting he’d like the people of Mississippi to know that “somebody long-distance cares.”
Handling Foxx’s Jackson visit was James Rundles (pictured), assistant to then mayor Dale Danks and the first African American to serve in that capacity. Also in town for the festivities were Muhammad Ali and B.B. King, a native of Indianola, MS. During his stellar career (1935–1991), Foxx won a Golden Globe and received three other nominations for Sanford and Son, as well as three Emmy nominations for the sitcom that ran for six seasons. Foxx died in 1991 at the age of 68. (Jackson Advocate file photo)
