Roger Wilkins
Co-Vice Chair of the LDF Board, Writer, Commentator
Roger Wilkins was an American lawyer, civil rights leader, journalist and foundation executive before coming to George Mason University as a Robinson Professor of History. He taught, advised and inspired undergraduates for 19 years before retiring in 2007. Wilkins was appointed by President Johnson as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 1966 to 1969, the first Black American to attain that rank. After leaving government, he worked for the Ford Foundation before signing on as an editorial writer at the Washington Post, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1973 for editorials about the Watergate affair. He later served on the editorial board of the New York Times. In 1991, he published an autobiography, A Man’s Life.
Transcript
People today, they read the history books and they look at Frederick Douglass and they look at Harriet Tubman. They say, look at old Harriet. She got free. She came out on the Underground Railroad and then she was so brave, she went back and she risked her life to bring other slaves out. Time and time again, brought over 300 people out. If I could have been with Harriet, they say, God, I'd have helped her. Or if I'd have been with Frederick Douglass, I'd have fought for abolition. If I'd been with W.E.B. Du Bois, I'd have helped him think up all these wonderful things and help inform the NAACP. If I'd been in it with Martin, I'd have been so brave, I'd have marched with Martin. I'd have marched with Martin. Well, Harriet, Fred, W.E.B., Martin, they did what they were supposed to do when they were here. We're here now, so we gotta do what we're supposed to do.
