Roy Wilkins

This video gives a summary of Roy Wilkins' life, his beliefs, and his dedication to the civil rights movement.

Wilkins' Peace Movement

http://www.roberttempleton.com/LestWeForget/

Roy Wilkins believed the civil rights movement should be done without any violence. He generally did not like protests. Instead, he encouraged working with President Lyndon B. Johnson in order to strengthen new civil rights legislations. However, the black movement favored military and radicalism in 1966 as  the influence of the "Black Power" movement, which involved militancy in the movement for civil rights. Wilkins strongly opposed to the black power movement, because he thought using violence to make changes in the political system was unacceptable. Wilkins was determined to change the society of America, but he also tried to spread words about the importance of remaining peaceful.

Works Cited:
Smith, Robert C. "Wilkins, Roy." Encyclopedia of African-American Politics. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. African-American History Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=EAAP0447&SingleRecord=True. 1 June 2012
"NAACP History: Roy Wilkins" National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 31 May 2012.
"Roy Wilkins - The Man." The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 2005. 31 May 2012.

Wilkins' Efforts

http://www.clarencemitchellpapers.com/AboutUs.htm

During his tenure, Roy Wilkins tried very hard so that African-Americans could enjoy as many rights as possible. Wilkins especially tried to change the laws for to give African-American equal rights. Wilkins was an active leader of the NAACP. He not only delivered speeches on television and radio, he also wrote extensively for both the African American press and general publications, and testified before numerous congressional hearings, and was an advisor to many United States presidents.

Wilkins is well-known for his behind-the-scenes work with Congress and the White House in efforts to pass civil rights agenda. For example, in order to gather evidence on racial discrimination, Wilkins traveled to south, pretending to be an ordinary black working man. He almost got caught and the plan nearly failed when the storekeeper noted Wilkins' soft hands, proving not to be a normal workman.

Wilkins played a significant role when it came to civil rights legislation. He helped the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. One of his coworkers, Joe Rauh, how crucial Wilkins' role was. He said,

"I guess you can say Martin was the front man who changed public opinion," said Rauh. "But Roy was the one able to use that shift in public opinion to bring about legislation and legal rulings that benefited blacks, as well as any number of other people." The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium, "Roy Wilkins - The Man," accessed May 31, 2012. http://www.theroy.org/history/RoyTheMan.jsp

Rauh understood how Wilkins practically improved the lives of the African-Americans. Wilkins knew that if the legislations stayed the same, their rights could not change. Therefore, he actively contributed to the American society in order to pass civil rights legislation.

Works Cited:

Altman, Susan. "Wilkins, Roy." Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?. 31 May 2012.
"NAACP History: Roy Wilkins" National Assaciation for the Advancement of Colored People. 31 May 2012
"Roy Wilkins - The Man." The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 2005. 31 May 2012

"Wilkins, Roy (1901-1981)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 30 May 2012.

Early Ages

http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/129wilkins.htm

It was 1920 and Roy Wilkins was a college student when he felt the greatest racial discrimination in his life. Three black men were wrongly accused of raping a white woman, and were lynched by a mob. Roy Wilkins recounted,



I read the stories [about the lynchings] in the newspapers and put them down feeling sick, scared, and angry all at the same time. This was Minnesota not Mississippi, but every Negro in the [circus] had been suspect in the eyes of the police and guilty in the eyes of the mob....The mob was in touch with something—an awful hatred I had never seen or felt before. For the first time in my life I understood what [W. E. B.] DuBois had been writing about. I found myself thinking of black people as a very vulnerable us—and white people as an unpredictable, violent them.  American Social Leaders and Activists, "Wilkins, Roy." accessed May 30, 2012. http://www.fofweb.com/.

This incident sparked the active involvement of Roy Wilkins in great efforts to bring changes to the society of America. In 1923, Roy Wilkins graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in sociology. His knowledge in the field of sociology later helped him to be one of the most significant leaders in the civil rights struggles of African-Americans.

After graduating from his college, he worked for several African-American newspapers, as journalist and editor. W.E.B. DuBois eventually noticed Wilkins, who was well-known for his articulate speeches and his enthusiastic involvement in the civil rights movement, and encouraged him to join the NAACP. Wilkins joined the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States. Wilkins was nominated as executive secretary in 1955 and later was promoted as executive director in 1964.

Works Cited:

Altman, Susan. "Wilkins, Roy." Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?

"NAACP History: Roy Wilkins." NAACP. Accesed May 31, 2012. http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history-Roy-Wilkins