As my subscribers know, I have done thousands of interviews in my life. This interview with journalist, civil rights advocate, lawyer Roger Wilkins was one that I never forgot. I asked him to be straight and honest with me and to speak to his grandchildren in the future, of his experiences. That is exactly what he did, with such intensity and clarity. He describes living in the South, Jim Crow laws and behaviors, in ways that are visceral. You can see it in his face and feel it in his words.
There are some commentators on this video who feel that it is time to forget the past and move to the present and that reliving the past continues to heighten resentments that are no longer relevant. I understand that point of view but I believe that it is dangerous to forget our history.
Roger Wilkins was a prominent civil rights leader, journalist and professor of history and American culture at George Mason University. He was a key player in the civil rights movement and worked as an assistant attorney general during the Johnson administration, where he was instrumental in implementing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Wilkins was also a respected journalist and won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1972 for his coverage of the Watergate scandal as a Washington Post reporter. He later served as the editorial page editor for the New York Times and wrote numerous articles and books on race, politics, and history.
Wilkins had a complicated relationship with President John Kennedy. While he respected Kennedy's commitment to civil rights he was critical of what he saw as the president's inaction on the issue.
In his memoir, "A Man's Life: An Autobiography," Wilkins wrote that he was disappointed with Kennedy's slow response to the civil rights movement, particularly during the Freedom Rides and the Birmingham campaign. He believed that Kennedy was too cautious and hesitant to take bold action on civil rights, and that his administration was more concerned with maintaining political power than advancing the cause of racial equality.
Wilkins also criticized Kennedy's handling of the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, arguing that the president's aggressive foreign policy decisions were driven by a desire to prove his toughness rather than a commitment to national security.
Despite his criticisms of Kennedy, Wilkins ultimately recognized the president's important contributions to the civil rights movement, particularly in his support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The experience that Roger is describing is part of our history. Part of the history of America. And it is also true as some commentators have said, that this is not the only relevant history, this negative, painful, somewhat horrible history. There are also beautiful moments in the history of America at this time and with people of all colors and ethnicities. I know because I have interviewed people who have lived some of it.
For example, I have an interview with a black American, Robert Woodson, who grew up in Philadelphia in a totally black environment which was just wonderful. And I have an interview with a gentleman from California who grew up at the same time in an integrated community where color of skin was not a major factor. All of this is a part of our history and it is complex and three-dimensional and in my view, needs to be recorded and remembered and considered when looking at the present and the future.
During this challenging time I thought that I would present Roger's comments again. I always felt that every student (at any age) should hear Roger to better understand what was experienced by so many Americans during slavery, in the 1940s, the 1950s, the 1960s, and, to some extent, today. I want to take the time in this description to thank Roger Wilkins for the effort and energy he put into his responses to my questions.
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David Hoffman filmmaker