Site Meter Reflections on Playboy: The January and March 1965 issues are racial milestones

January 16, 2006

The January and March 1965 issues are racial milestones

The black actress Nichelle Nichols seriously considered leaving the original Star Trek after playing Lieutenant Uhura in its first season. But then she had a chance meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who convinced her that she had become an important role model for black Americans through the show. She stayed on.

If an allegedly frivolous element of pop culture like Star Trek can be dignified in some sense by its anecdotal connection to Dr. King and civil rights, then it should be perfectly tasteful for me to use the occasion of King’s birthday to celebrate two racial milestones in Playboy—one an interview, the other a centerfold.

From the beginning, the Playboy Interview had been a sounding board for blacks and the difficulties they faced. It had debuted in the September 1962 issue with Alex Haley as the interviewer and Miles Davis as the subject. Much of the two men’s dialogue had been about racism and the fight against it. Haley had interviewed Malcolm X for the May 1963 issue. But being a Southern Baptist minister, King was reluctant to give an interview for this particular magazine. Haley would later explain how he persuaded him: “I got to somebody close to him and gave him a breakdown of the audience. I told him these people were vital to King’s interests, for anyone with a cause. Think what you will about the girls, but you can’t ignore this audience. That’s what I told Malcolm, too.” (quoted in Thomas Weyr, Reaching for Paradise: The Playboy Vision of America, Times Books, 1978, p. 139) King would tell Haley that the January 1965 interview “was the best [King] ever had.” (Weyr, p. 138)

Jennifer Jackson, Miss March 1965, is the first black Playmate of the Month (is, not was, because there’s no such thing as a former Playmate). Racial tensions were so high when her centerfold was published that Playboy’s editors chose not to mention her race at all in the accompanying text [not work-safe]. Perhaps it was prudent then. But now, Jackson deserves to be honored in the same way and for the same reasons as any pioneering black athlete or entertainer. Do you not agree?

I also tip my hat to Reneé Tenison, who became the first black Playmate of the Year in 1990.

Posted by Brian Sorgatz at 3:10 PM

  • Blogger Will left this comment at January 16, 2006 9:12 PM  
    But now, Jackson deserves to be honored in the same way and for the same reasons as any pioneering black athlete or entertainer. Do you not agree?

    I'm not so sure about that... Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell immediately stand out to me as sports pioneers who are more impressive for their skill, the hardships in overcoming racism, and the depth of their character. Sindey Poitier and Spike Lee, I would also argue, have had a much deeper impact on our society-at-large due to the large audiences they've reached and the following public discourse of their actions. Believe it or not, but Jennifer Jackson is not commonly highlighted by the media for her pioneering efforts and isn't viewed by most as a hero.

    Black athletes know who Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell are... do you think most black Playmates, porn stars, etcetera view Jennifer Jackson in that same light?

    I can't see how Jennifer Jackson could be honored in the same way... or how it could be done meaningfully.

  • Blogger Brian Sorgatz left this comment at January 17, 2006 5:37 PM  
    Will,

    The power to change public discourse is not necessarily the issue here. Did Robinson’s admission into major-league baseball cause a change in public discourse, or was it the other way around? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In my opinion, one can merit honor for being the sign of positive change as well as for being its agent.

    I can't see how Jennifer Jackson could be honored in the same way... or how it could be done meaningfully.

    With all due modesty, I think this blog post of mine is a good start.

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