Transcripts For CSPAN2 The Life And Times Of Adam Clay 20240

CSPAN2 The Life And Times Of Adam Clay July 12, 2024

He was smooth and cool, he was good looking. He was smart. And he always was a complete package. The spoke eloquently for africanamericans and the four in this country. One of the great things about this is not too long ago we had a student come in i was looking for a biography of anna Clayton Powell. And there was not one. Although books about him were outofprint. So it is a privilege really to have king of the gas back in print and also privilege for us to have will be good here to talk about it. Welcome back king of the cats the life and times of Adam Clayton Powell, jr. Welcome hi and thank you. Wil it is always nice to be here. At this bookstore. They did treat me like i live in the neighborhood which i do. They treat me as if i come here and do all of my book shopping which i do. I also noticed that there are these posters. They are advertising the authors for the month of february. My picture is right in the center of the poster free it is so nice to have your picture on the poster and be wanted by the law. [laughter]. Somebody was asking me the other day what was the most memorable moment when the book was first published. Back in 1993. There were a lot of wonderful moments. I dont know if any ranks in columbus ohio, was my hometown. Was good to do for me in the mail was there. There is a lot of people, big auditorium and i walked out on stage and i looked around. I spotted the three ladies who took we go to the high school prom. In facit was sort of like back e future. I wanted to be nice pretty did not ask them to stand up. And its funny because i never had a car back in high school. They have changed a little bit now. I have new American Express card and often travel by airplane. So life is turned out okay. Adam Clayton Powell. History is a phenomenal creature. I graduated from high school in 1972 that was the year that Adam Clayton Powell died. And just had heard echoes of about this life that he was a rogue, that he never reached the heights they should have. And that his life was a waste. It was sad because for some reason, god did in my mind after with the high school. Then i went to college. I was someplace i was reading little periodical and talked about the upper Ground Program. Reviewers familiar with that print is a federally funded program that reaches to the tough neighborhoods and offers scholarships tos kids and get to go to a prep school or college during the summer of your and 11th and 12 grade year to added courses and prep you to get you ready to go to college. I got accepted into the upward bound program. Came to find that one of the principal sponsors of the upward Ground Program was Adam Clayton Powell junior. It astonished me. So about a postcard isolate story and the new introduction here. About a postcard and ahead Adam Clayton Powell sitting at his desk, tearing one of his committees. In washington. And i looked at it i said to myself, someday i am going to write a biography of Adam Clayton Powell. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. I was in charleston West Virginia and is a copy editor. I was on this breaking staff yes. I wanted to be in the writing staff in a dream to being on the writing staff. But it was a copy editor. I was dating a lady, schoolteacher. At a magazine store. I looked at her and i said, one day i am going to write a book about Adam Clayton Powell. And she left. Loudly. I had also just gotten my phone turnoff that we can we were supposed to be going to red lobster that night for dinner. And i had to debate gigi money to get my phone turned back on noah take her out to red lobster. I was in serious dilemma. She did not have faith. Faith is a wonderful thing because i didnt know anybody in book publishing. I didnt know any others. I was going to write a book about congressman powell. Life and on and finish college and i got a job at macys. They did not work out. Lets not go there. Went back home. I started getting jobs in small newspapers at the charleston West Virginia and that i went to pittsburgh and the boston globe. While at the boston globe, i went to the Mississippi River, its wonderful life. And there was a wonderful guy there. Takes wonderful photographs and those at globe in a recent article in his photographs appeared in the article. We were called by Atlantic Monthly press. Peter davidson. Im sitting in my desk and he said, will, you think you have enough to write a book from that Mississippi River. In this kind of moment that a writer lives and dreams about. And i said absolutely. So spent time i wrote a book about that Mississippi River journey. When peter summoned me to his office. He sadly gone from this will now. But he meant a whole lot to me for coming to his office and sitting there and he said, would you want to do next. That was my first moment of i guess, allowing me to realize that i was entering this world of book authors. So i looked at him and i said im a want to write a biography Adam Clayton Powell junior. Peter davidson grew silent and i said to myself, well it wont allow me to do it. He thinks out everything one putting into trouble book i may begin thanks to which a belief to jump into a big massive subject like powell. And look to me and he said oh well, nobody but nobody talks about Adam Clayton Powell junior anymore. I looked around the room and he leaned over to me and he said, which is why you are going to do the book. So that was an amazing moment that Peter Davidson allowed me to dive into a fiveyear attorney about this great congressman. Maybe you know the ark of his life, born in new york, father, famous minister headed church in harlem. Anna Clayton Powell, went to good high school. They would collate. I colgate there were four blocks on campus. Three the blocks were looking for the fourth black. They couldnt find him. One of them, a gentleman named daniel cosby and when into harlem in new york and found out that eddie and plaintiff else in your, the famous minister and son who is a colgate. A runs back to the campus and says, guess what. Adam Clayton Powell junior, hes Walking Around campus needs telling people he is white readings really black. I think in life will have these moments and biographer looks for them. And of these ratcheting moments. These upheavals in someones life. Daniel crosby and the two other blocks, confronted powell. Eventually they were ashamed. They were going to tell his father. They had struggles on that campus and should not trying to be hard who he really was. I think it was an explicit moment for powell under the next four years, he became fast friends with these guys. He took them into harlem. He introduced them to harlem inch renaissance. Into jazz people. And to thinkers and artists and writers. So at the end of his four years, i colgate, had charmed them if you will. He had seduced them to his side. In him it was a prank but it was something that he would never do again. I think that the rest of his life fighting to prove the people that he stood for the good fight. Equal rights, the downtrodden. Going to read you just a little section here about his last days on the campus at colgate. I think it was a very Pivotal Moment for powell. In this great can sense of humor too. His traveling on the train in 1930, coley years after college. It was in georgia and of course the trains were segregated. But powell walked right into the first class compartment one of the people who worked for the train griffin told one of the highlevel people at the straight stuff take, i think black eye mightve walked into the first class section. You better go down there and check it out. So he runs into the first class section. Niels and he said and yells i believe theres negri and here someplace. Ananda powell step 70 said where where. What kind of train are you running you better get him the heck out of here. I had astonishing wet. He knew how to think on his feet. These are his last moments. I colgate porky had both lost himself and found himself. Colgate had provided his last chance and he had endured. Trees are blooming again the valleys luscious always in early summer. However there would be no looking back for on colgate pretty no runoff unions. He continued to invite classmates to holland. The only friend would last that was crosby who had first encouraged his fellow blacks to allow powell to run them read crosby. The darkest man on campus. The Football Player who had to stay behind with the team itself. How seniors year have been so accomplished that he was excused from taking final examinations. The reward for outstanding academic achievements. On this classmates who doubted him, he now had the last laugh at commencement, john delivered class poem. A senior have been given a small but the book was the senior program. Inside. For the first time ever, the colgate seniors held torches disputed is the circled taylor blake. Alumni began singing the alma mater. Townsfolk had gathered on the hillside. The class president became Walking Around the lake, letting each torch with his own until all were aflame. Dennis turned to darkness and reflections of the flames passing across the lake made it look like there were fire beneath the water. The scene was majestic. Problems seem far far away. Along with the other seniors, Adam Clayton Powell junior net and dipped his torch in the water. The flame doused, he walked out into the world. So it goes back to harlem and he gets a job at his fathers church. He leads to consent to Department Stores that will allow blacks to shop. He becomes a rebel, runs for new york city council. He wins. Any start traveling all over the nation. He marries Isabel Powell was a jazz singer like church lady. The marriage does last. He says having an affair. It creates turmoil inside of the church. After one Church Service quality comes up to adam clayton balances, reverend powell. Im cylinders. I thought you were men of the cloth. And he said sweetheart i am worrie. He fought with harry truman and Dwight Eisenhower and john f. Kennedy and linda johnson. Before the end of his life he would have his name attached to 65 major bills. Medicare, medicaid, food stamps. Arts programs, the upward bound program. He never got along well with southerners. He cannot find in himself because he has been seen for so long for bellevue for the likes of Martin Luther king junior. 1956 there was this wonderful rally at Madison Square garden. King and many of his followers were there. But it was new york where powells turf, he was a congressman. Expected to be treated righteously. The redo just a little bit about that event. Thats rally. He was with a degree of fanfare and massive civil rights rally the stage did Madison Square garden may 24th, 1956. Eleanor roosevelt, randolph, wilsons and powell. The familiar gang of four new the hall well. Had participated many rallies under its old roof. In the midst of the rally, randolph grew nervous. Adam Clayton Powell had yet to arrive. Many in the audience had come to hear him. Randolph sent russian the fat of the powell was across the street waiting in the hotel to make his entrance. He nervously told randolph realize theres nothing to do except wait and hope. What yet another speaker was the garden light clicked off. Slight tremors and nervousness ran through the ground. All of a sudden, a spotlight came on and zoomed to the back of the garden, land on a tall figure standing alone. Adam Clayton Powell. The garden erupted. And Church Members erupted and he stood there still. And he began walking, right in the middle of the garden, this spotlight chili leap every part of the way pretty and they exploded, we want to have them. We want to have them. Adam Clayton Powell in the flesh. And he wanted everybody to remember is new york city, is Madison Square garden. There were 16000 people gathered to hear him speak. He played to the partisan crowd for all it was worth. Powell spoken spoken spoke. And a scribbled note, and laid it down for valerie. Its a dear adam, mr. Randolph want you to know two things. One, we must be out of here in 1032, missus roosevelt as if to speak. Ms. Later powell picking him up and read it. He heat his chest out a little more and the congressman said, i have a note here handed to me. Anyone know who he is . And he said, we have to be out of here by 1030. Has he never heard about freedom. The only reason we would have to leave here is because we would have to pay more money. Everybody in here who is in favor paying for our freedom, raise your and. And hands, and thousands wet. You must pay for freedom he thundered. And if we want to stay here until noon tomorrow, we will stay. And we will speak to this nation and we will let them know that we will pay for our freedom. But mr. Enough to make you need not worry. The Baptist Church will pick up the check and he walked off. These offering them all they would not forget Adam Clayton Powell on the return itself. Two weeks later, randolph received a bill of the mall. It was for 6000. The extra hours for the Madison Square garden. John f. Kennedy admired powell great deal adam clayton fellow became chairman in the committee. So imagine that. Two separate committees pretty so he was very powerful. And under clinton johnston, legislation begin to go forth. The war on poverty was really real much of this success to powell. He was relentless, he passed bills. But he also had a side there was somewhat dark. He hired people who didnt show up for jobs and he put his third wife on the payroll. He was from san juan, puerto rico. He was so and discipline when it came to ethics that the u. S. Congress passed the ethics bill largely because of Adam Clayton Powell junior. Theyre not the big crimes that we know from headlines that we read about now. But that the time, he had so many southern enemies that is crimes were explosive for headline writers. He was expelled from congress. And for ethics violations. And after 24 years in the house, he took the case to the Supreme Court. And he won. He told u. S. Congress you did a great injustice to Adam Clayton Powell into the voters harlem. Electing him, he should let it come back and a seat and he couldve had ethics hearings. And then in the end he came back. But he cancer. And buses power. He was no longer a Senior Member of the house. He fished on his boat and sailed out there into the blue yonder. All alone. This last part that i will share with you a sort of about the last days and times of Adam Clayton Powell. What a barnstorming tour of the various colleges 1969. The students left him pretty was like an old rebel. Those who thought Adam Clayton Powell rattled for the wrong reasons shes been on the University Mission michigan campus. In 1959. He had then lost the power. As the nation i am proud of you told the students seated in front of him holding a cigarette. Damn cancer, dont take some of the things i have said to me that i dont love america. I do. His hands and wondered how Adam Clayton Powell could take to the water on his boat and dripped for hours and hours in silence. Having lived a life of chaos and talent, in the end powell sauce only quiet. My life has been devoted to caring the heavy end of the mall the one said. Wendy catching the fish. The comment represented more of a metaphor of a sentiment. It told of fully lived. Before he had been airlifted, its been days and i think thatll with the game fish. Wearing a white glove in his left hand, always there. He leaned over the side of and the fish pulled him from his chair. He held tight to his fishing gear. The strength of the fish ripping through his inside, tender from cancer. He finally lets go. Afterwards he rarely emerged. He was becoming more severe by the day, the pain was. Finally a u. S. Coast guard was summoned. Introduced to the water as a young boy. Hannah Clayton Powell junior held an affection for his entire life. Marthas vineyard and long island sound. The great lakes of germany and the waves of cerro gordo in puerto rico. The rushing and receiving fascinated him the way the water supped out from the dry land to distance. Its a wideopen out there. So free. Well on the cad who went through upward bound to write out about the cats. Thank you so much. [applause]. If you have questions, please use the microphone here. I would like to make a few comments. I worked with him for a number of years. In the congress of his height. There was something called the amendment. Is attached to everything that related to puerto rico and also related to education. In the ethics teardown, the floor speech that he gave in response is probably less and that would be well served today. Because it was retribution by a racist congress. Since they had to punish him because they were getting static back home and they were putting him down. And he said you all do it. And you wont look at yourselves. Im your mirror. It was true. Its absolutely true. Is among the most elegant thoughtful important people in congress. Notwhs himself

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