Original Black Power Ranger Responds to ‘Stereotype’ Criticism: “It Wasn’t a Mistake—It Was a Milestone”

Walter Emanuel Jones, best known as the original Black Ranger from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, is standing tall in the face of criticism that his casting was a cultural “mistake.” The controversy reignited after Tony Oliver, the show’s original head writer, called the casting of a Black actor as the Black Ranger and an Asian actress as the Yellow Ranger “an unfortunate coincidence” that perpetuated stereotypes.

But Jones sees it differently—and he’s not staying quiet.

Responding on Instagram, Jones defended his legacy and the impact of his role. “Calling it a mistake would dismiss the impact it had on countless people,” he wrote. “It wasn’t a mistake—it was a milestone.” For millions of kids watching in the ’90s, Jones wasn’t a symbol of stereotype—he was a first. The first Black superhero many had ever seen. The first to morph. The first to fight. The first to matter on screen.

Tony Oliver has explained that no one in the original production was consciously thinking in terms of racial coding at the time. It wasn’t until someone pointed it out that he recognized how it looked from the outside. But that doesn’t change what it became.

Jones went deeper on a recent podcast, recalling how things unfolded behind the scenes. Yes, he acknowledges that putting an Asian woman in a yellow suit “looked odd,” especially in hindsight. But he rejects the idea that his role was ever meant to perpetuate prejudice. “The idea of me being in the black suit never bothered me,” he said. “People tried to make it into something that was prejudice… but that was never the intention.”

What mattered to Jones then—and still matters now—is the representation. Kids saw themselves in him. He was cool, confident, powerful, and unapologetically Black. And for him, that’s what counts. “It was an honor,” he said.

While debates about old casting choices will always stir opinion, Jones has made one thing clear: he’s proud of the symbol he became. Not a punchline. A power move.