Beginning in 1983, after his worldwide success as the star of the massive hit TV miniseries Roots, Burton became the host and executive producer of the PBS series Reading Rainbow.
The show lasted for 21 seasons, garnering an amazing 200 plus broadcast awards for its long run, which include a Peabody and 26 Emmys (11 for Outstanding Children’s Series, and two wins for Burton as host).
This might seem like a left-of-field choice to those who only know LeVar Burton as an actor, but as the petition points out, there are millions of people (and several generations) to whom he also endeared himself, especially from the 1980s through 1990s.