C. Bernard Jackson facts for kids

C. Bernard Jackson (born November 4, 1927 – died July 16, 1996) was an important African-American writer and artist. He is best known for starting the Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles. This center was one of the first places in the United States to celebrate many different cultures and art forms. It helped many famous performers get their start, like Beah Richards, George Takei, and Forest Whitaker.

About C. Bernard Jackson

Early Life and Inspiration

Clarence Bernard Jackson was born in New York City. He was the only child of Clarence and Ruth Jackson. His parents were from Dinwiddie County, Virginia. His father worked as a doorman.

Young Bernard grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. He was involved with a tough street gang there. Because he could speak Spanish, he often helped solve problems between groups.

When he went to the High School of Music and Art, Jackson found a way to escape the challenges of his neighborhood. He learned more about the world through art. Later, he studied at Brooklyn College. He also earned a master's degree in music from UCLA.

Starting His Career

In 1959, Jackson helped write a musical called Fly Blackbird. He wrote the story and the music with James Hatch. The musical was about civil rights. It had actors from many different backgrounds.

Fly Blackbird was very popular with audiences in Los Angeles. It opened in New York City in 1961. The next year, it won an Obie Award for Best Musical.

Founding the Inner City Cultural Center

After the 1965 Watts Riots in Los Angeles, Jackson started the Inner City Cultural Center. Other art groups often focused on just one ethnic group. But Inner City was different.

It believed in multiculturalism, which means celebrating many different cultures. The center helped many kinds of cultural groups. This included Luis Valdez's El Teatro Campesino, the East West Players, and the Bilingual Foundation for the Arts.

Some people criticized Inner City's approach. They thought it should focus more on black artists. But Inner City was actually the biggest producer of black theater in Los Angeles.

New Ideas in Casting

Jackson also believed in non-traditional casting. This means choosing actors for roles without worrying about their race. For example, in 1975, Inner City put on a Christmas musical Jackson wrote. It was called Maggie The Mouse Meets The Dirty Rat Fink.

In this play, a black man and woman played the parents. Their daughter was played by a Japanese actress. Their son was played by a Chicano actor.

The next year, Jackson staged Langston Hughes Said. This was a musical tribute to the writer Langston Hughes. In one part, a Chinese mother had her son played by two actors at the same time. One was black and the other was Chicano.

For 30 years, C. Bernard Jackson was the executive director of the Inner City Cultural Center. He helped many artists at all stages of their careers. He died on July 16, 1996.

Playwright George C. Wolfe remembered Jackson's support. Jackson encouraged him to stage one of his first projects. Wolfe said this project was "perhaps the most crucial to my evolution" as an artist.

Honors and Awards

• 1962: Obie Award for Best Musical – Fly Blackbird