A Word on Words; 2235; Harry Ashmore

the pope we're going where the program building in the world of books and their authors this week harry ashmore talks about civil rights and more all things euros forward and words mr jon seaton volunteer chairman of the freedom forum's first amendment center at vanderbilt university in chicago and jon sit in the law once again welcome to word on words a real treat tonight our guest is pulitzer prize winning journalist and former editor the author of the many books are a more pointed and welcome the new year we were talking about and seasonable troops leave life of robert hutchings which was the last book you wrote in after program was over iran into leyland of course she said i couldn't understand why he call a book on reasonable truths and i explained that it was unseasonably but there is

absolutely no question that no one will mistake of the title of this latest book areas written a book called civil rights and wrongs and it's a story of fifty years of civil rights and civil wrongs in society that struggle overcome the curse of segregation and racism and that i recommend air every night you had made our struggle come come to life for me i relive that much of it at a new year will it have a winner well i think that i feel relieved that i finally got it written i wrote it out of a conviction that the current situation involving the tension between the two races is probably as acute as it has been wounded fifty years that i've been involved in this i don't think people can really understand the roots of what's really going on now without going back to the context the beginning of the civil rights movement before award

beginning of the litigation and the way the supreme court decision to call a living abroad and also of congo the conviction the blue the solution to this issue of race relations in this country has literally been route from earth uk been shaping our political process and protect our partisan process the conflict between the republicans and democrats that those but from the very beginning the founding fathers people as they wanted to get involved in this one that emotional think there's quite so well i'm sure that was due to react to live birth in my kiss being born in south carolina with two confederate grandfather when you know one event follows with red shirt writer with and prodded the americans legion war and the yom the ku klux klan

picture the existence of black says slaves and second was an album which was a professional became a journalist when i came out of college and a girl or i was at twelve obama talked about race relations in the south on those layers of accepted that segregation was a way of life and that it was ordained reviews a new job fortune generation what came by got him but the world of virtues government lawyers during the war a lot of them sort of sealed away from my window for the first time a lot of those workers a market and buy coverage

inevitably charlotte newsom of her on the time the first of the more significant supreme court decisions would render the nineteen forty four a love was a case in which the supreme court ruled out the void romer from or the voyage or does firm johnson what that's where this story begins in nineteen forty four roosevelt is president right hang on they are tough time with eleanor who wants him to be an activist and she wants him to bring about racial equity and racial tolerance and interactions segregation and he can even donating a little money doesn't really draw and feel that this was initially to deal with the political reality was the one border system of the oven mitts alderman numbers of congress so it's a new art in the fargo that he couldn't get any of his new deal legislation through the mercy of the support of people like jimmy burns incontinence know

somebody duties they're saying it's sort of from the south from the leaders in the house also halos and eight years of dryer and i couldn't move legislation will open for all his eloquence on friday he couldn't move a thing out of committee and without those chairs only cooking and for more on the old supported in with is nineteen thirty two when this first nomination carton of smoked very important he couldn't at the moment about the song solemn sobering support and those they pooled lose all of them including the most moderate moderate of the southern delegations one not going to deal with these segregation separate not tolerated and it was a states' rights is the defense for the us and of course that's what made some revisions legal there is a there's a quote in the book where you quote ben tillman and i just like to read but i think there are

so many people in this generation some way people in this period my generation and younger have forgotten just how those attitudes ravaged the south and this is from tom i have three dogs when silva got a rod found one on calle by pirate bear gather up her bones and very conscious that she had died in a period or maidenhood will never crawl into all our storage she'd been robbed of the jewel of her womanhood by a black beans that was not an isolated comment by a long political demagogue and is that was conversation around dinner tables around countries dollars on main street on on the farm and unattended permeated the south we know now i probably was permeating much of authors were well we do and of course that was labeled formalist that exactly which makes it while i'm sure

from outside the south members of congress from outside the south where they have no immigrant population of the very small white population no peripheral vision never made any attempt to reduce home was forced after the beginning the world war two in the years before women have the militia and a philip randolph who was the only major black crow fortune and the labor movement he was in the pool and randolph organized a black march on washington at least it's threatened it and they wanted to say and say what it did indeed they kind of discrimination in the army or at least modify it was an interest in the plan other desegregation of the military forces would lose insisting the opportunities to become officers opened up football experts would not

get bill thing was a fair employment practices commission so which was to open up employment opportunities and these defense industries which are expanding greatly so let's round of the march on washington which you didn't have to pull all finally forced roosevelt extremely reluctantly to set up the first federally where employment commission headed by mark pafford <unk> career journal and of that opened up job opportunities for blacks and that never existed before only on the major industries corrupt country ie it served also as a great magnet for washington sent a message out to blacks cross country or dad without the moon is a place where the jobs will be available not as they eliminate discrimination ago didn't we think of truman it we read about it in the recent vote with them two ways as it relates to race relations was a manager eric was filled with racist

commentary there was a common feature our word for him he told racist jokes yes that's right but you know in some ways he had the guts to deal with the military and meaningful way in some ways to raise more more effective rhythm of fall think much more i bark my general thought of doing what from london which was uses executive barbershop before the military to do so really that's the first my s desegregation we have anywhere that came just after the end of the war it also should be said about truman the point of the civil rights commission presidential commission to survey the whole they came forth with a report called the securities rights which set the whole of jungle followed later became the civil rights

movement they call the end of segregation in education every worlds of restoring the right to and so bikes were sweeping recommendation was made up of over a distinguished commission of course know that it created a tremendous furor would split the party that would lead to a bowl and consultants played some addicts are corrupt mubarak went through and run for reelection you know it i guess the first time i ever heard strom thurmond's named mentioned your fellow south carolinian was when the bulk of the democratic party and lead the day to crack a kid which was in my household fear as the movement that would that would say the democrats that would ruin harry truman's chances for reelection i'm florian coarsely he won no actually overcame both the split from the left from henry wallace and write for and right from strom thurmond want to write about that i

hadn't i'd known strom thurmond back when i was a young reporter before i even started writing politics strom thurmond will circuit join samira i used to record i came back and cause he was in the army two and he came back after the war and didn't run for governor and i was in charlotte when they call me up one day and asked me to leave the paper and manages campaign and paul get in the higher things are odd didn't think thats drama <unk> i've brought a collection built by pepfar a cause setbacks it rather burdened with fascinating because it finally came down there had been a flood people who knew who supported the party the only argument was diatribes white supremacy that was an untimely rule in the room and i succeeded only in four southern states know the deep southern states and also

in those states they succeeded only because they had rigged election will also where we're not actually a democrat yet committed to us exactly right here which was however world's weather couldn't build the only opera sultan orleans voters stayed loyal to the democratic party will allow third proposed truman could whittle it were a close election and a writer hilary wahl was doing was no mail the saga for a wealth and truman be humble golf thurmond's later transformation was as a it was as a report that republican we move from truman eisenhower and it was during the eisenhower that the world came to hear for the first time not about strom thurmond about iran's phone call up there and so i ask you not caught there

i mean i'm enjoying their area every moment of confrontation and controversy and anne i must say the kurds still sciences amal fall for many journalists and for many sell those who didn't have the guts to stand up as you did during that person to ask who conflict when federal troops moved into the south and force police variation of a screw the first times and i think the great tragedy of that period was grilled before by surprise nor are the supreme court may have the brown ruling in nineteen fifty four and that for the first time over turn blue splayed try to doctrine was a vivid what immigrant a lot older than the public scrutiny botin friendship and vindicated that the federal government was committed for the first time since the end of the civil war and a vein in a state where a the walls of

segregation eisner refuted disagreed with the decision or who's served the earl warren who would have appointed more and more into the court that's right or at least the court unanimous decision around personable imagine though as a fascinating quirk in there for mike and i was about to cry but he said the worst mistake was born a girl and they refuse to cover like a statement of moral support of the supreme court decision he said of course it is a decision and my obligation is to enforce the law not as far as he would've ago economists say integration in the suspect's lawyer for an ending disintegration versus listening right that's right he's drawn with this believing endeavored to the vale of his life in a really changed the opinion he would be moderated about to some degree and a great tragedies year we were in little rock where the local school board and the court order have

voluntarily decided that these targeted put a plan in effect a normal for boston bomber who was a woman to have to run for reelection to a third term role was incorrectly look out and the story that laura and there was so much opposition to school desegregation but the only way he was going to get reelected was the goal all the way with the citizens council on the resistance movement which it was forming and so he called out as most important says some travelers in order to turn but the invasion the nine black students about forest was marcia herman viola player below have was to be was denied she was a fertile garden but the split your and take it out from under four was of control and sonoma us army for the first time since reconstruction and the federal court order was upheld after after the nation was disgraced world couldn't get into gaza

remove from their men and two the candy years a change and presidential out two takes place where you know it's a slow process corps top and by this time so writes moon month is beginning the sit ins in greensboro on nashville elsewhere take place just before kennedy comes into office that ferment does is his evidence many states across the south that's right it i think that the important things about the brown decision was all would applaud the wreckage of the public schools the effect of it was to liberate likes him for the first time was sure lynn the confrontation foreigners boysen whatever that the federal government would have enormous saw that i could find that the most annoying and the army of iraq

that made it possible for martin luther king and all these ministers who followed him would guarantee the pulpits of the black church is to go into the streets i'm like i'm all the protest non violently we were very careful about that against whatever resistance when the police politicians will mall bush parallel movement the naacp cup are pressing for a three point for the court's decision to broadening their application om prasad of began to move into all kinds of areas and the meantime many of the street protesters you were well know from what was happening here and nightfall forced the local establishments of these every eight restaurants theaters and so for some of these ngo working to go and also there was a tremendous demographic change going on but i don't put enough

attention has been paid to you and that was during the spirit on the years before the problem almost out migration of blood from the south mainly because they were displaced by the mechanization of agriculture so the black population was shifting in the great cities outside the south and nobody was paying much attention to live anywhere they thought this was a peculiar southern problem of the manifestation the way that i did suddenly falls not actually reflected the attitude that turmoil in the country and the transition in the south wants to solve the southern leadership later but on the republican form of no longer afford the reserves the change and shore up that way i'm almost all lawyers as briscoe the air was that we would use every day kennedy is assassinated johnson comes and office does what can he couldn't do so rights legislation and wonder of wonders

lyndon johnson we come out of the segregated south west adopt says is on the line with the movement we shall overcome the worn party begins with talk about lenin been phenomenal phenomenal attack and he was no drama the question well over a decade and his approach to the problem wasn't was a rather distant want you had no experience with food grown up in boston show background maria had sympathy with him abstractly rid of the avenue feeling good had never been exposed to lyndon johnson grew up with that name was relatively poor not really cool and i think that the lynde and that many flaws unraveled on the va didn't really like him on the trouble with them along that is by giving due credit for this nothing absolutely sincere half think he was truly it came from my heart to recognize what it was like to be scorned and put down over his case

was on was posed more plus poverty but simpson with a lot to mose on the blocked alas i kept reflected from the very beginning and currently with the washed very own congressman mike and roosevelt jimmy was again there are also social reform movement he was an active ministry one of my years ago but the money changers and over a deep feeling awfully about the injustice of basic moral issue that was involved in all this it was reflected in everything that you do it and hardly a lot of the slice it doesn't ruin political times that changes the basic changes have been made of the result of the so called civil rights through translator a lot so you call for that from early as the mob movie and all

night falls the bus where the moon immediately was to go up on the blocks to include violence and so that was a big ol people and the beeps off a turn really on the question of getting blocks in french you know if you look at london's korea have to say that that one's commitments own lives were the shining hour that its commitment to war in vietnam dove that shine image of a political nation apart and some ways on racial alliance polish them another interesting personality emerges in the book and his career as an activist earl lloyd it ends in the kennedy johnson uses thurgood marshall becomes a judgment so activists

on the court that toppled about thurgood marshall because he is wong no the dynamic leaders of the moon in some kind of an underrated oh i think is to i don't think he's ever gotten to do it was a really a fascinating figure and he like martin luther king was committed to view of immigration mr walker it'll actually do he'd leave again in his own way was looking for the beloved community that also was an extraordinary a lot of families killed almost three years on the circuit court of appeals before he moved up of the supreme court of late he ruled ullmann wrote the opinion on a number of cases you know rumors of people thought that he was really not much of a legal scholar he was more when i composed of only got on the court they could retrieve their adjusters and around without any question it was what

brought over and simplistic terms sports of roadblocks the result one thing just strikes me when you think about this the blocks and nothing quite properly they resented that stereotype you always to get rid of the need to have it replaced with black girls when you and i was starting out in this book was what was prescribed that was an unsolved crime you couldn't possibly tell you that we know we used the room the road reform was the couple was it well marshall and all of his opponent the liver was too will continue to julie ruin the overuse get sick you know the few minutes we have left i guess we should look at the years that began with nixon in

the southern strategy mean we have encapsulated of a book of fifty years remarkable book primarily by praising president says there's so much more in the book there are huge shop full of anecdotes of personal a personal reflections but the southern strategy does mark are a changing goes through the administrations of nixon and ford odd carter is the beneficiary gets massive black votes are he's defeated by reagan southern strategy by that time has entrenched on the republican side and it exists for the reagan and bush years but talk a little bit about that strategy because it was a calculated effort us all reason allman diaries there were commentaries about how nixon fell quite passionately about the enemy were an inner was lining up in favor of

the morning the right to life well i think that you find to do the book concentrates treats through those fears proved largely in political terms a leave out the deal was a result of that was like that in this case what you say here during the spirit of the civil rights movement of the basic realignment of the two political parties working on both sides the blocks the beginning of all the numbers and when i began to get the volt the numbers and the south there emerges a the moment democratic side a coalition in which the blocks of overactive rowan well enough votes so if i can carry many of the southern states and there's a result moderate southern senators and congressmen and beginning what congressman coming up from the south and the meantime the republican party is exploiting the racial division which is no emotional reserve will against the segregation

scoot was saying whether the summit of oil reserves for abortions and balls so all those true the first american politics during this period that began in french the numbers and where they were concentrated in many places outside the south they began to take over the border control religious imagery black mayors in chicago know finally on new york los angeles the law though through a lot in the state legislatures over prison version when we began what challenges jimmy carter appointed john a cortisone when it came in before approving them now this makes an

enormous different parts have never been in the political process and not science and that next please terry ashe moore author of civil rights and wrongs as ben our guest on a word un were your hostess then john c involved this program was produced in the studios of wbez in nashville nice nice