Explanation: Fred Rogers was a beloved TV personality who had a long-running American children's show which taught values of kindness and acceptance. In the 1960s, while tensions over public swimming pool segregation were ongoing, Mr. Rogers had a then-groundbreaking moment on his show - he had a Black man and a positive authority figure, Officer Clemmons (played by singer François Clemmons), come and share his (tiny) pool, even drying off using the same towel.
While this seems smaller today, this was massive at the time, especially as Mr. Rogers portrayed it as it should be - completely normal and unremarkable. Officer Clemmons was just another person in Mr. Rogers Neighborhood - someone to be treated with respect and openness, like all other people.
Officer Clemmons would remain a recurring character on the show. While, unfortunately, Fred Rogers never involved the show in the discussion of another major civil rights issue - LGBT rights - he became, in the 70s, personally supportive of François Clemmons' relations with other men, even welcoming them to visit on-set.
Mr. Rogers died in 2003, nationally beloved and mourned.
Mr. Clemmons is still alive today, and works as a writer, professor, and, still, a singer!