Roy wilkins naacp biography of christopher
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Roy Wilkins
American civil rights leader (1901–1981)
For other people named Roy Wilkins, see Roy Wilkins (disambiguation).
Roy Ottoway Wilkins (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981) was an American civil rights leader from the 1930s to the 1970s.[1][2] Wilkins' most notable role was his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in which he held the title of Executive Secretary from 1955 to 1963 and Executive Director from 1964 to 1977.[2] Wilkins was a central figure in many notable marches of the civil rights movement and made contributions to African-American literature.[not verified in body] He controversially advocated for African Americans to join the military.
Early life
[edit]Wilkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 30, 1901.[3] His father was not present for his birth, having fled the town in fear of being lynched after he refused demands to step away and yiel
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Spartacus Educational
Primary Sources
(1) Roy Wilkins, speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (28th August, 1963)
For nine years our parents and their children have been met with either a flat refusal or a token action in school desegregation. The Civil Rights Bill now under consideration in the Congress must give new powers to the Justice Department to enable it to speed the end of Jim Crow schools, North and South.
Now, my friends, all over this land and especially in parts of the Deep South, we are beaten and kicked and maltreated and shot and killed by local and state law-enforcement officers. The Attorney General must be empowered to act on his own initiative in the denial of any civil rights, not just one or two, but any civil rights in order to wipe out this shameful situation.
Just be your presence here today we have spoken loudly and eloquently to our legislature. When we return hoome, keep up the speaking by letters and telegrams and telephone and, wh
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The tall, lean Minnesotan known for his steady, genteel demeanor collaborated with — and butted heads with — Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. ni Bois, and he earned his share of friends and enemies during 22 years at the helm of the NAACP at the height of the civil rights movement.
Based in New York, the national organization was regarded in its time as the most well-organized Black civil rights group in the country.
It was perhaps ironic, then, that some “Black power” advocates dismissed Roy Wilkins as too soft, bookish and legally-minded, even as he sent attorneys to bail them out of jail after street protests. As early as 1934, he also was arrested.
Despite his many television appearances, he wasn’t a soaring orator like MLK. Yet in his obituary, the New York Times described Wilkins as a chief planner of the legal battle that resulted in the groundbreaking 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing “separate but equal” public schools &mdas