Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Rip Currents And A Lasting Cultural Legacy
When news broke this week that Malcom-Jamal Warner died while on vacation in Costa Rica, I felt the same grief and sorrow that many of peers were expressing. Multiple media sources report the cause of death as asphyxia related to being caught in a rip current. For me, this tragedy evokes sympathy, reflections, and a desire to help in some way. Here is that convergence of thought.
THE COSBY SHOW — Pictured: (back row, l-r) Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as ... More Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable, Phylicia Rashad as Clair Hanks Huxtable, Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux, (front row, l-r) Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable, Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable, Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable (Photo by Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images) NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Warner is a cultural icon. He was 'Theo' on The Cosby Show. However, he was much more than that. For many middle-class Black boys like me, we saw a character on television that resonated with our lifestyle, reality, and culture. We were used to seeing athletes, entertainers, and other fictional characterizations that did not capture the 'marinades' many of us were steeped in. With this groundbreaking show, we saw a Black doctor, lawyer, and family dynamics often underrepresented on television at that time. Such imagery is important.
I am meteorologist and climate scientist. As a child and even into my teenage years, I did not know any scientists. There was no template on how to become one either. After being bitten by the weather bug with a sixth-grade science project, I had to figure out the steps to become a research meteorologist. This involved reading books about Dr. George Washington Carver and Isaac Asimov. I would not meet a Black atmospheric scientist until my undergraduate years at Florida State University. Though I never interacted much with him, there as a meteorology professor named Thomas Carney. I remember being fixated on him in the hallways of one of the most storied meteorology departments in the country at the time. Later I would go on to meet the legendary Dr. Warren Washington, a Black climate scientist who received the Presidential Medal of Science. Warren became a significant influence in my life and career.
Dr. Warren Washington and President Obama. UCAR
To this day, I am cognizant of what boys or girls may be watching me or mimicking my trajectory. Theo and the positive images that we saw on that show presented a model or template for many families. It also provided an alternative narrative for people who had limited exposure to different races, cultures, and backgrounds. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with aspiring to be a successful athlete or entertainer, the family nucleus that Malcom-Jamal Warner was a part of on the show, presented a more realistic pathway or set of opportunities. For many of you reading this piece, The Cosby Show was just another sitcom on television. Others reading this, strongly resonate with the broader significance of the show. Its cultural legacy is secure.
A rip currents safety sign at Punta Rassa Park. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group ... More via Getty Images) Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Malcom-Jamal Warner was more than just a character on a show. He was very close to my age and was vacationing with his family. That scenario represents many of us at this time of year. Only months ago, I was on tropical beaches with my family too. As a scientist, I am always distracted during visits to the beach because of my concerns about lightning and rip currents.
Over the years, my kids could probably recite my paranoid speeches to them about rip currents. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website stated, 'Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore. They typically extend from the shoreline, through the surf zone, and past the line of breaking waves. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves….'
A rip current. NOAA
Costa Rica, where Warner was reported to be visiting, is known for its rip current hazard. The CaminoTravel.com website noted, '80% of the casualties in the Costa Rican beaches are caused by them…. In the country we find around 600 beaches and only around 30 are really affected by them.' According to The Tico Times , there are four types of rip currents in Costa Rica. A fixed rip current can be found near man-made structures. Flash rip currents are unpredictable, brief and affected by surf conditions, whereas a permanent rip is anchored to river estuaries or structures. A traveling rip current is common at lengthy, open beaches, and they tend to move with the dominant wave direction. A 2015 study of rip current hazards identified meteorological and oceanic conditions often associated with them. One finding is that lower wave height conditions associated with the Pacific-North American (PNA) oscillation can entice swimmers.
Anatomy of a rip current. NOAA
To survive a rip current NOAA recommends the following steps: Don't panic and exhaust yourself fighting the current.
Stay afloat, keep your head above water and yell for help.
Swim parallel to shore and try to buy time for a rescue or for the current to break up. Rip currents are typically close to shore but can extend hundreds of yards.
Signs of rip currents include places along the beach where waves are not breaking. The NOAA website continued, '…. But instead you see sandy water or the white foam of a current headed back out to sea.'
I wrote this essay with a sense of mourning, but like the legacy of Malcom-Jamal Warner, there is hope that it can help someone in the future.
THE RESIDENT: Guest star Malcolm-Jamal Warner in the "Rude Awakenings and The Raptor" episode of ... More THE RESIDENT airing Monday, April 30 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images) FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
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