The train car was packed with boxes, a piano, and most of his family squeezed tightly inside. All their tickets were one-way; their plan to escape Jim Crow was finally in motion.
At only four years old he sobbed, not understanding why his mother left him to be raised by extended family.
They arrived in Michigan. Like the other six million Black people vacating the South during the Great Migration, they were ready to start a new life.
But the trauma of abandonment stayed with him, and he developed a stutter. Other children made fun of his speech, so he stopped speaking altogether.
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 to superstar?
An English teacher encouraged him to recite poetry aloud. He was scared, but he did it. And he didn’t want to stop.
In college Jones’ majored in theater which led to him working in over 100 films, voicing iconic roles like Darth Vader and Mufasa, and being the voice of CNN.
Big life changes can be exciting but also traumatic. Jones still works with his stutter.
We’re all working through trauma, especially anti-Black trauma. Jones proves that we all have the power to move forward and thrive.