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If you saw this mural on the side of a building in downtown Brevard, NC, you might think that it was a depiction of a really beautiful woman. You would not be wrong. But what you may not know is that Loretta Mary Aiken was also known as Jackie “Moms” Mabley – a very famous comedian who was born in Brevard, NC in 1897. Now I don’t really remember seeing her but Chris does as his family watched The Ed Sullivan Show where she was a frequent guest.
Being a young African American woman was not an easy thing and the story that “Moms” shared was one of extreme difficulty and challenges. She had two children as a result of being raped at the young ages of 11 and 13 who were both given up for adoption. When I read that fact about her I must admit my heart broke. She later went on to have four more children .
Her tragic life story was just that. Tragic. She ran away at the age of 14 when urged by her grandmother to leave and spent years in a traveling vaudeville show. Just a year after she left, her father was killed when a fire engine exploded while he was a volunteer firefighter and a few short years following that her mother was killed when a truck ran over her when she was coming home from church on Christmas. Talk about tragedy.
But this woman went on to do big things and was the perfect example of a survivor. She had her own kind of comedy, delivering her punchlines perfectly and making people laugh at things that were a little unconventional for the times. She found her niche and adopted the “Moms” persona and dress and it served her well for years.
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To her credit she was in at least 9 stage productions, 5 films, appeared multiple times on 6 different television variety / talk shows and had 26 albums to her name. She was the first female comic to perform at The Apollo Theater and also played Carnegie Hall. She appeared on many episodes of popular television shows like The Smothers Brothers and Merv Griffin as well as The Ed Sullivan Show.
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“Moms” died in May of 1975 but her birthplace, Brevard, has recently honored her memory and her work by installing a beautiful mural on the side of what used to be the African American theater on Main Street. Clemson Plaza is a lovely redeveloped space with seating and a nice outdoor space. Recently the city installed new wraps on the utility box with more information about “Moms” which I found to be a really lovely way to honor her memory.
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I absolutely love this space and how the city has created a memorial to a famous Brevardian. I learned a lot about this amazing woman just by looking at the information on the utility box and am glad that I am able to share it today. Tell me, did you already know about this amazing woman? There are a lot of YouTube videos available of “Moms” so check them out sometime.
