Malcolm-Jamal Warner:A Man of Purpose, Pride, and Power

Maurice Woodson

Maurice Woodson, born in New York,  is an Author, Entrepreneur, and writer who began his career in the early 90s working for such magazines as Black Beat, Black Elegance, Class, Word-Up Magazines to name a few. After decades in the entertainment and publishing Industries, He has written several books on Black history and Black life...including children's books designed to elevate, uplift, and inspire Black Children. He is now the publisher of Black Zone Magazine: www.BlackZoneMagazine.com

Every day since the drowning, I’ve found myself thinking about the man who gave so much to this world—and always stood with pride in who he was as a man. As a husband and father. And as a proud Black man in America.

I had the honor of meeting Malcolm-Jamal Warner twice in my life. The first time was in the mid-’90s when I interviewed him during a pivotal time in his post–“Cosby Show” career. He was working on new shows, directing music videos and breaking into the world of film and motion pictures. The second was backstage at one of his New York performances in the mid-2000s, where he performed jazz and also some of his brilliant spoken word pieces. We talked for nearly an hour that night.

What I learned from those moments was this: Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a far cry from the somewhat unsure and searching Theo Huxtable he once played. Malcolm was confident, grounded, creative, and deeply committed to both his craft and his community. He was an artist in the fullest sense—actor, director, poet, musician, educator. A man who moved with purpose and intention.

He brought that same purpose to every role he played—intentionally choosing characters that represented dignity, strength and integrity, sidestepping the usual stereotypes Hollywood so often pushes on Black actors. His booming voice, both literal and metaphorical, was rich and commanding, always speaking life into all the things that mattered most.

He was a writer. A director.  A performer. A thinker. An educator.  And most of all, he was just a genuinely good dude.

I hope that he can rest easy knowing that since his days of playing Theo, until the day he took his final breath, that he made a difference. He lived his purpose. And he inspired more than anyone would ever be able to count.

We mourn with his family, friends, associates and all loved ones.

He will be deeply missed.

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