Reflections on Norman Lear
The first time I met Norman Lear many years ago, I knew immediately I had found a kindred spirit, 50-something-year age difference and all. 泭
What emerged from a scheduled half-hour meeting in his office was a three-hour passionate conversation about young people and civic engagement, the power of media and storytelling to change hearts and minds, and probably some embarrassing know-it-all tidbits from the na簿ve, enthusiastic bravado of my 20-something self. The next day, he called to ask me to come to work for him, effective immediately. And thus began my journey learning fromand having adventures withthe greatest master teacher I never expected to have.
In 1999, when President Bill Clinton bestowed upon Norman the nations highest cultural honor, the National Medal of the Arts, he summarized Normans impact in a beautifully accurate and succinct way: Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it. When I watch his TV shows from the 1970s and '80s today, I am routinely stunned by their contemporary relevance. Through his workAll in the Family, The Jeffersons,泭and so many other programs and filmsAmerica stared its worst, ugliest truths dead in the face: inequality, homophobia, racism, sexism, and a host of other isms.
But his imprint is also found in quieter, smaller momentsin his empowering of others who share a commitment to social justice and the power of storytelling to pave the path. These are moments that dont come with awards or public recognition, but they reveal so much more about why and how his legacy continues. His authenticity, generosity of spirit, and quiet mentorship of so many people are qualities and achievements as worth emulating as his award-winning stories.
Many years ago, when I mentioned my fascination with Studs Terkels masterpiece 1974 book泭Working, Norman called Studs on the spot and put us on speaker phone together to share ideas. When I spent the better part of a year making a documentary about manufacturing job losses in the heartland of the country, Norman called me regularly while I was out on the road, always wanting to learn more about the lives of the people who were most affected. When I produced a small documentary TV show about a chemical plant poisoning a community of people, he quietly funded an expanded investigation to create something bigger. There are so many stories like these for me, and for the many other people in his life. This is the Norman Lear I knew and loveda man who was so authentically himself that its impossible to separate his entertainment storytelling and cultural legacy from his personhood.
In his own groundbreaking TV work, he says he wasnt trying to change the world, or to advocate for a specific social issue, or to intentionally泭do泭anything other than to reflect society as it really wasand to entertain, most importantly. That may be true, but to understand Norman as a person is to appreciate his sincere, earnest sense of humanity and his underlying commitment to shape a world in which we should all want to exista world thats just and equal and diverse and colorful. And in this lens, we understand him as a producer and a storyteller, because his entertainment reflects every bit of who he was.
Normans kind of changemakers want and泭need泭to create, share, and produce untold stories so much that they will fight against prevailing forces that believein every generationthat some stories, and some people, are too risky or that the marketplace wont tolerate them. Normans commitment fueled his fight against TV network executives from 40 and 50 years ago who didnt want to discuss reproductive rights or LGBTQ+ people or racismand to successfully win battles with Hollywood decision-makers who didnt possess his vision or his heart. He infused stories and portrayals of people with a kind of approachable lightness and flawed humanity to help America talk and ask questions, and start to chip away at walls of intolerance.
Connecting people through a shared cultural experience, using those moments to shine a light on the lives and voices and perspectives that arent always reflected, sparking conversations: Norman Lear created the mold, but he didnt break it behind him. Graciously, generously, and with sparkling moments of levity, he gifted it to us to continue the journey.
Borum is executive director of the Center for Media and泭Social Impact and provost associate professor at the School of Communication; cofounder of the Yes, And . . . Laughter Lab; and author of泭The Revolution Will Be Hilarious: Comedy for Social Change and Civic Power.