Jayne Kennedy ethnicity didn’t stop her from breaking into industries that were historically dominated by white individuals.
Jayne Kennedy, born on October 27, 1951, is best known as an American television personality, actress, model, corporate spokeswoman, producer, writer, public speaker, philanthropist, and sports broadcaster.
She began her career as a model in the 1970s, gaining recognition in magazines such as “Ebony” and “Jet.”
In 1970, the model was crowned Miss Ohio, going on to compete in the top ten in the Miss USA Pageant.
In 1971, she first appeared as a dancer in “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” and performed with Bob Hope’s Bases Around the World Christmas Tour.
Throughout the 1970s, the Ohio native actress played guest roles in such television shows as The Six Million Dollar Man, Sanford and Son, and Starsky & Hutch.
In 1978, she replaced anchor Phyllis George on The NFL Today on CBS. After a contractual dispute with the network, she went on to host the short-lived “Speak Up, America” in 1980.
The distinguished spokeswoman won the 1982 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance as Julie Winters in the 1981 film Body and Soul.
Beyond her professional endeavors, the spokeswoman has been actively involved in philanthropic work and community initiatives, advocating for social issues.
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Jayne Kennedy Ethnicity: Race, Origin & Parents Background
Jayne Kennedy is an American television personality, actress, model, corporate spokesperson, writer, public speaker, philanthropist, beauty pageant titleholder, and sports broadcaster.
For millions of American women who came of age in the 1960s and 70ʼs, the first African-American woman to hold the title of Miss Ohio USA was more than the IT Girl.
Despite the prejudices she faced in both the entertainment and sports broadcasting fields, the model’s talent, determination, and trailblazing efforts helped her overcome these obstacles.
Jayne was one of the six children of Virginia and Herbert H. Harrison. Her parents taught their children to “aim high, give God most of the credit, suffer disappointments silently, and avoid maliciousness.”
The philanthropist’s father was a trucking contractor in Ohio. There has not been much information about her mother and her background besides the pictures she shares on social media.
She continues to post photos of her mother, which indicates that Virginia is still alive and well.
Unfortunately, Herbert Harrison passed away. Moreover, he died sometime in April 2015. The reason for his death is unknown. Jayne revealed that her dad was nicknamed Blueboy.
Furthermore, the actress shows her love for her father on social media. Moreover, she often expresses how much she misses her dad every day.
How Jayne Kennedy got her start on CBS’ ‘The NFL Today’
Jayne Kennedy had to talk her agent into putting her name out there to CBS in the late 1970s for a shot at landing a job on the NFL’s best pre-game TV show.
The spokeswoman had acted on TV, but this was different as she was a Black female joining “The NFL Today,” the gold standard.
She went through the interview process, conducted an impromptu interview with an athlete and also worked a segment with Musburger as part of the process.
She could do the job and did it well despite the obvious challenges during that time when TV only had three channels, and cable TV wasn’t available yet.
Those 1978 and ’79 seasons that she worked on, “The NFL Today,” made her a pioneer in the business.
Moreover, the philanthropist was honored in Winston-Salem as the winner of the National Sports Media Association’s Roone Arledge Award for Innovation.
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