>> in the last two years to left to decide the political debate is worthless. they're not going to debate policy. they're not going to debate which is the best way to solve the nation's problems and provide evidence. they're going to label as morally deficient human beings unworthy of political debate.

>> from the 2013 roosevelt reading festival cheryl mullenbach discusses her book "double victory" how african-american women broke race and gender barriers to help win world war ii. this is about half an hour and starts now on booktv. >> i'm the education specialist at the roosevelt presidential library and museum. on the half of the franklin d. roosevelt presidential library and museum but would like to welcome all of you in our audience and those of you watching at home on c-span two to the tenth annual roosevelt reading festival. franklin roosevelt plan for the library to become a premier research institution for the study of the entire roosevelt era through the library's research from its consistently one of the busiest of all the presidential libraries and this year's group of authors reflects the wide variety of research that is done here. that may quickly go over the

format for the festival's concurrent sessions. at the top of each hour session begins with a 30 minute author talk followed by ten-minute questions and answers period and then we will wrap up after that. the authors who moved to the tables in the lobby outside of the new deal store where you can purchase their books and have the authors find them. at the top of the r. the process repeats itself a today's attendees can go to the new museum and take a look at the wonderful new exhibits we have there with the red ignition button we will give you the end of the session. if you want to ask a question come up to the microphone and we will do the questions and answers from their trade now it's my pleasure to introduce cheryl mullenbach who is the author of "double victory" how african-american women broke race and gender barriers to help win world war ii. that what came out this year. she's a former high school history teacher and state education department consultant. in addition as a project manager is the way public television station she oversaw production

of educational multimedia resources. she has edited and written a variety of publications including arizona living magazine independent newspapers and leisure world news. she has contributed several entries to an encyclopedia encyclopedia of american women at war and her article in the iowa heritage illustrated entitled the election of julia addington and accidental milestone in iowa politics uncovered the story of an iowa woman who is believed to be the first woman elected to public office in the united states. it's my great leisure to introduce cheryl. [applause] >> he it's a great honor to be part of the 2013 roosevelt reading festival today. for anyone he loves history it's exciting to spend time at a presidential library and museum but for a lifetime admirer of the roosevelt it's especially gratifying to be here at hyde park. it gives me the opportunity to

introduce the stories of some individuals who like the roosevelt, showed courage and determination as they fought to overcome fascism and nazism to make the world safe with democracy. they did it with with perseverance, go resolve and stubborn resistance, often with grace and dignity under unimaginable pressure. but unlike a roosevelt the experiences of these african-american women were generally ignored during the war years and largely forgotten by the time we realize time was running out to collect the fading memories of that generation. many americans showed courage and grit during those war years. they worked in factories volunteered and scrap drives compact is blood to the red cross and any joined the armed forces. maybe some of them were your parents or grandparents.

african-american women face double barriers because of their gender and their race. as african-american women are applied for jobs at plants they were reminded time and again that they were not welcome. if not because of their gender, because of the color of their skin. when some african-american women try to register with an employment agency in the nation's capital in 1942 they were told the agency had not yet started taking black women. when a couple of african-african- american women responded to an ad for a civilian position at an army camp in 1942, they received letters telling them to report to work. when they arrived at the facility they were told they could not be expected. the commanding officer at the

camp told them it wasn't known when the letters were sent that the recipients were black. although they had passed government tests as machine operators he explained they cannot be used in such a capacity. in 1943 and east coast war plan to explained why managers couldn't higher african-american women who applied for jobs. the work required the handling of small mechanisms and all the black women had sweaty hands. in 1940 3a spokesperson at a wall to more were planned toll black women who had applied for work that women just do not have the intelligence necessary to do highly-skilled work. all of these companies have advertised their urgent need for workers. many were benefiting from huge government contracts. confronted with such stark racism it would have been

understandable if these women had given up but thousands of african-american women refuse to let racism and discrimination keep them from serving their country in a time of need. murtha stalwart god a job as an inspector at an arsenal in pennsylvania. al or hunter left her position as a domestic in texas and security job into california plant. in chicago, fannie curry and hattie alexander went to work for the illinois central railroad. they shuttle's cinders and slung pits. eddie murphy phillips was a journalist working for the family newspaper, the baltimore afro-american. she became the first female oversees war correspondent when she traveled to europe in 1844.

after getting sick she reported from her hospital bed as black soldiers came to her bedside to tell their stories. will the brown held the commercial pilot license and a -- certificacertifica te. can you imagine how unusual that was in the late 30s? she taught aviation classes for the new deals wpa the works progress of bennister asian with her husband willa established the school of aeronautics and she can't go. at the school they trained pilots, the school was open to men of any race and men who completed training could take the exam and qualify for training with the u.s. army air forces. even some of the instructors have been trained at willis school, many by her. none of these women that discrimination stand in the way when their country sent out the call for war workers. as fewer men were available to fill jobs in war related

industries opportunities opened up for women and these african-american women as well as many others like them were willing and able to step up. the same could be said about service in the armed forces. in 1942 when the women's army auxiliary corps was established black women fought to be included. mary mcleod -- partly because of her close relationship with eleanor roosevelt african-american women were included in the core but the government used a quota system to limit the numbers of black women. it was estimated that 10% of u.s. population was black at the time so the number of african-american women allowed in the wac was limited to 10%. some newspaper reporters referred to them as the 10% years.

as the first class of 439 female officer candidates began to arrive at the training center in fort des moines iowa in july july 1942, the commanding officer issued his first direct this. will all the girls move over on the side? this set the stage for the 39 african-american women who had come from across the country. most of whom were college graduates. sierra campbell was a podiatrist from new york. cleopatra daniels a school superintendent from alabama. mildred carter a graduate of the new england conservatory of music. this first class of officer candidates met with discrimination throughout their six-week training. it started the first day. the african-american women were housed in building 54 segregated from the white wax and as they

enter the mess hall for their first meal it was clear that they would eats away from the white wax too. a sign with the word colored had been placed over a table in the corner. this prompted the wax first but not their last active resistance. that first meal they sat at the designated table and ate. when they arrived in the mess the second day they sat at the table marked colored and turn their plates over refusing to be map. when they arrive for meals the third day the sign had been shortened to -- the wacs turned their plates over and refuse to be map. within a week all the signs have disappeared. the black wacs were allowed to use the camp swimming pool but only one hour a week on friday nights. the pool was drained and

purified after the black wacs used it before they used the next day by the white women. anyone who knew the army way of life may have thought the cleansing of the pool with the armies of session with order and cleanliness. the african-american wacs knew it was more. it was intentional. thousands of african-american women served in the military during the war. hazel and meisel greer from texas were the first ones to join. the o'brien family of georgia sent three daughters into service. maurice sublet from illinois was the first african-american grandmother to join the wacs. she was the granddaughter of a veteran of the civil war and her dad had fogged in the great war. after basic training as wacs moved into field assignments they work just type this

librarians medical technicians for tog offers and mechanics. many african-american women served at the fort in arizona where they filled a variety of positions. alternate capris was a photographer and a blueprint technician. wilmette grace and a cosmetologist in civilian life was a chauffeur for the officers. she also maintained military vehicles maneuvering trucks and tanks and repairing engines. eleanor bracy was a chemist who had one of the most important jobs at the base. she worked in the sewage disposal plant where it was her duty to prevent odors escaping the plant. consuela land and accomplish soprano in civilian life was a mail clerk at fort witchita one of the postal packing mama says the word lovingly called at the

male soldiers. african-american nurses travel to all corners of the world to serve their country. they usually served in segregated units black nurses caring only for black soldiers but they served in africa england the china burma india theater and the pacific. in liberia army nurse sammy rice and her fellow nurses treated patients at the 25th station hospital. prudence burns was a surgical nurse in new guinea and the philippines. before she left the philippines she and her fiancé wanted to get married so her fellow nurses not having any fabric for a wedding dress used silk from a parachute to make a wedding dress for her. darrell foster and agnes glass were among a group of nurses who served in the hospital in the clouds at the all blacks staff 235th station hospital in the china burma india theater.

before they could treat patients and nurses help set up a hospital installing a wire and drainage system. in england african-american nurses cared for injured not see p.o.w.s. some believe the black nurses were intentionally designed to p.o.w.s a job that other nurses did not want. during the world war ii years generally the side of a military uniform commanded respect and special treatment but that wasn't the case especially when the uniform was worn by a black woman. luis miller had been serving oversees with the nursing unit. but into the worship travel back to her home in the united states luis experience first-hand the insults of racism and her army uniform did not shield her. during a layover at an airport coffee shop she was told she could shop but only in the back of the room. luis said she left the shop without being served because in

her words i know that i could be lynched in a u.s. uniform as well as the man in overalls. luis is experience ended the terminal door. just as she settled into her sweet -- seat on the plane for the next leg of her trip the flight attendant asked her to move to another seat. the white passenger next to her did not want to sit by her. volunteerism was a big part of the war effort. hundreds of organizations existed to provide services to the military personnel and their families and communities across the country. some offered civil defense classes are conducted staff drives. usually the groups were segregated by race. when black women were denied access to white organizations a sometimes form their own groups. there was the american women's volunteer service the awacs.

there were chapters across the country and in 1942 the los angeles chapter sponsored a boxing match between juan sarita and titleholder henry burt kaine armstrong. they raised over $4000 for their cause. the women's ambulance defense corps of america that w. dcaa was another one. they had 54 chapters across the country that included motorcycle and helper units. they were military trained and they knew jujitsu. they are known as the glory gals and they -- their motto was the hell we can't. the red cross offered opportunities for civilians to volunteer for the war effort. the group organized blood drives and trained nurse aides and grande clubs where members of

the armed forces could relax and socialize both in the united states and oversees. african-american women served oversees with the red cross around the globe. helen dickson kaine caused a sensation when she reported for duty along the al kam highway in march 1943. hazel was an assistant director of the red cross club assistant eco-'s women were not directors. only men could be directors. she worked by the dawson creek british columbia. she was the only woman at the club and served the 95th engineers, the group of engineers who built the highway across canada and alaska. when she arrived she was greeted by 1300 black soldiers. they hadn't seen many women in the year and a half that they have been on the job and hazel was the first black woman they have seen in all that time.

grace outlaw was one of four african-american women who arrived in australia in august august 1943. they operated the doctor carver red cross club. clara wells operated a club in new guinea where she described her typical day is far from glamorous. no time for breakfast, no coffee, no, no eyes, no baath, no hot wash. plenty of ants and mosquitoes and thankfully plenty of deodorant rock from home. kitty cox was the only woman with 10,000 men into guinea where she operated a red cross established club paradise. she was known as having a knack for scarce supplies like -- and even circus tents. geneva holmes ran a red cross club in england for black soldiers who participated in d-day.

after the deliberation of france she set off to paris to set up a red cross camp there. davern lee was a red cross worker stationed at it club in 1845. calcutta was the place to rest for black and white soldiers. the army had built a new swimming pool for soldiers and red cross workers to use. a big grand opening celebration was planned for july 4 for white personnel and a separate one for black personnel on july 3. the black troops and red cross workers led by davern decided to boycott the july 3 party. she wrote to the red cross headquarters compound july 4 is the day long honored and respected by the gross as well

as other merrick and forth significance to democracy and the principles on which our government was founded. such a day celebration involving americans anywhere on the face of the globe becomes an insult to whatever minority group is excluded from participation. african-american entertainers and movie stars did their part for the war effort just as their white counterparts did they faced unique obstacles. now matter how successful they were african-american entertainers were not immune to racism. hazel scott won acclaim as a broadway performer in a hollywood film star. she gained popularity combining her training as a classical pianist with loads of jazz. traveling by car through the midwest in 1945 she stopped at a café along the way. when she went to the counter and asked for service the waitress said, you will have to be in the kitchen. i'm sorry but i don't be in kitchen's hazel replied. when hazel asked if she could

get some sandwiches to take out she was told she could but that she couldn't stand at the counter to wait for them. later someone asked hazel why she didn't identify yourself to the café workers. surely she would have been served if they had known who she was. hazel explained, i don't want any special privileges. there are 13 million hazel scots in america. they just don't play the piano. black women entertain troops across united states and around the globe. many were part of the u.s. -- shows. as most areas of society in the 1940s the shows were segregated. like entertainers performed for black audiences. alberta hunter touring with uso shows made a name for herself as the gal who set two continents of fire preachy performed in india and the jungles of burma.

in may 1945 when general eisenhower and the allied military leaders were meeting in germany to discuss post-war europe he invited alberta's uso show to perform for the officials and it was reported that ike sang with alberta as she performed one song after another. the international -- around the country. it was difficult for the black members of the band to find sleeping accommodation so was easier to sleep on the bus. another problem they faced was that the white band members performed on stage with black members something that was against the law and the jim crow south. so white members wore dark mag up and permed their hair to pass for black. toward the end of the war this week hearts performed for troops in europe and refreshingly had problems with race.

lena horne performed with uso during the war. when she prepared to step on a stage for a show in a southern state she asked someone why there were no soldiers in the audience. she was told she would sing for them the next day in a separate show. the next day as she prepared to step on the stage to perform she saw the black soldier sitting in the back rows and white men in the front seats. now who the hell are they lena asked. they are german p.o.w.s she was told. leno walked down off the stage to the back rows and performed facing the black soldiers with her back to the german p.o.w.s. this summer will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. we generally think of the 1960s as the beginning of the civil rights movement. however the changes that came about in the 1960s may not

have happened without the efforts of some determined african-american women in the 1940s. another march on washington was planned in 1941. it was led by a. philip randolph with the help of two women named lilo lane and pauline maier's. philip randolph called for african-americans to come to the nation's capital on july 1 to draw attention to discrimination in hiring practices send in the military. the march never took place because president roosevelt signed executive order 8802 which bans discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries and government. the march on washington movement was established then to continue to fight for equality for african-americans. and it was organized largely by

three women lately lain pauline maier's and a woman named apple king. they developed a slogan for the movement. nonviolence, goodwill, direct action. in other words than courage to african-americans to resist discrimination by direct action taken with goodwill in mind in a nonviolent manner. they planned mass protest over the united states in 1942 and 1943. the march on washington movement train people to participate in pickets and parades in nonviolent ways. ways. it taught them not remain quiet when they were insulted how to endure physical assaults without striking back. howard university law student

paul murray laughs -- lead students in washington d.c.. there were citizens in restaurants in st. louis and chicago. some of the banners that the participants in those sit-ins carried as they marched in front of the restaurant, our boys, our bonds come to our brothers are fighting for you. why can't we v here? we die together, why can't we eat together? another one but not these bullet knows no prejudice. hadi duval was one of those women who was involved in a protest in st. louis and she carried a sign that said i invested five sons in the service. these women laid the foundation for the supports movement of the 60s. they and many other african-american women believed there was no better time to demand quality. the world was at war to defeat fascism. black men and women were risking their lives in dangerous war-torn countries. some gave their lives were country that denied them their basic rights. what better time to demand an end to racism?

double victory signified the struggle of african-americans who are fighting for victory over fascism and victory over discrimination at home during the war years. the term also took on meaning for african-american women who fought for victory over sexism and racism. over the past 70 years we worked to recognize the heroes of world war ii. their stories of courage and tech of us have been told and preserved for future generations. many of the contributions of african-american women who broke through extraordinary barriers in order to serve their country have not then celebrated. my hope in writing about some of those experiences is that more of their stories will be uncovered, remembered and appreciated. fewer and fewer of the greatest generation remain. throughout their lives many of the stories of triumph over the challenges african-american women faced were overlooked.

many of their accounts of victory over racism were ignored. it's up to the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to recover the stories of the women who survived. it is their responsibility to ensure these victorious women are not forgotten. it will be a double victory. [applause] >> thank you very much. >> historically women have always been kind of face -- within movements such as the civil rights movement and the labor movement and scholars like like -- concentrate on the female looks collusion in the labor movement and the exclusion of women from civil rights.

during the second world war combat did any any woman experience sexism from within the movement or was this a deviation from the pattern of excluding women from the civil rights movement which was practiced by not all leaders but some leaders? .. during world war finish. finish -- >> yes. i did find things especially in the march on washington movement, some examples of that, absolutely. >> you remember specifically? >> sometimes the women who i mentioned were denigrated by some of the men in the group, yes. >> thank you.

>> anyone else? no? >> t thank you very much. [applause] >> this program was part of the 2013 roosevelt reading festival hosted by the franklin d roosevelt presidential library in hyde park new york. for more information visit fdrlibrary.marist.edu. michael stan to be talking about his book "the prince of providence ." >> it is a story of our longest

serving mayor in rhode island history. one of the more colorful mayors you'll find anywhere in the country. he was part tony soprano. he was a lovable guy who helped transform the industrialial city of providence to a city that was rated one of america's most liveable by a number of publications, and he also presided over a beth -- breathtaking arrayed much corruption over three decades that landed anymore federal president. he's a very colorful character. i called him america's -- he would be -- so police officer by the side. he would have a cup of vodka in one hand and a cigarette in the other hand. and, you know, the key to the city and mayor on there in the trunk of the car. en-- when i set out to write a book about him.

he was to be the embodiment of american politics the good and the bad. he reflected providence, which as one of america's oldest cities to me really, embodies the american political story. he grew up in a privileged background eye tannial-american. he grew up in the silter -- silver lake neighborhood of providence. he went to moses brown, a was he became a lawyer and a prosecutor. prosecuted mobster. he became a republican and democratic irish city. and then he ran for mayor in the 19 70s. 1974 and basically upset the providence of the democratic machine and became this italian-american republican mayor in the '70s and attracted the attention of the white house at the time general ford was. and jerry ford was very taken with him. he saw him as a way to embody

what the republicans are trying to capture. the kind of vote that went democratic, and buddy had a featured role speaking at the 1986 republican national convention. he was a guy that was seen as potentially going places. he was very glim. he was articulate, they said he could be a potential vice president candidate or got u.s. senate where he could have a long and successful career. then the problem ensued. he of course ford lost the election. he went 0 to become mayor in corruption. there was a massive investigation in the early '80s. he characters like blackjack and were running around the city stealing manhole covers and city asphalt, cutting all kinds of crooked deals. selling city trucks to private

owners. that's sort of thing. and there was massive corruption, and several people in the administration went prison. they never got to him because his top aid never ratted him out. went to prison himself. buddy was caught up in a personal marital dispute. he went through a nasty divorce. he basically suspected this businessman who was a friend of his sleeping with his wife and invited the man to his house and held the man prisoner for several hours, tortured him with a lit cigarette and try to hit him with a fireplace log and threw an ashtray at him. and charged with assault for that episode. that forced his resignation in 1984. that seems like that was the end of once promising political career. it was only the first act. he spend the next six years on talk radio host. in 1990, he ran for mayor again,

with the slogan he never stopped caring. and, you know, the "the wall street journal" called his political comeback the envy of richard nixon. in 1990 he was elected in a three-way race by about a few hundred votes and came back and they were going the remarkable renaissance. rivers were being moved. concrete smoothered them was being ripped up. as you see now, the water fire display on the river and the beauty of the architecture. buddy was a champion of that. he became a hot mayor. things were going women for -- well for him. as he was celebrating becoming the lockest serving mayor in the history, the corruption reared the head again and the fbi found the local businessman agreed to go undercover in city hall. he wore a wire, had a hidden camera in the handle of his briefcase and taped very aids to

buddy including the up to aid taking bribes at city hall. it became known as "operation plunder dome" and plead by an fbi agent named dennis who was originally from mississippi. and he lead the investigation that ultimately resulted in buddy's conviction. after a trial people said you'll never be able to convict buddy. in a city buddy went to prison with 67% of the voters thinking he did a good job even though they thought he was guilty. when he was sentenced, the judge talked about how he was two people. he was dr. jekyll and mr. hyde app and buddy said privately to a friend later, how come i didn't get two fing paycheck. what he was kicked of racketeering and conspiracy being kind of knowing about it but not actually being

physically involved in the underlying act. and buddy kind of framed it as what did i do and i was convicted of being the mayor. some of the jurors i spoke to felt otherwise that he was a guy who knew how to keep himself insulated like a mob boss he once prosecuted, ironically. and that was able to stay out of the direct line, but that he knew everything that was going on. he was the kind of guy one juror told me who know how many rolls of toilet paper in city hall. he said it was part of his myth and aura that he kind of conveyed that fear in people that he knew everything but he really didn't. so that was his defense. but ultimately didn't playout with the jury and didn't play on appeal. and went to prison and reealingished his famous toupee. he came out and went on talk radio. he's on the local radio

station. it's interesting. it changed a lot. to be more like the quantity uncle you have around. most of the people who live here when you get out of prison didn't live here when he went to prison. which it says something about the remarkable transformation of the city. there's a lot of young, latino voters, we have a strong gay population. and the city has changed. and his sub session, the mayor that followed him was the first openly-gay mayor of a large city. he is now in congress. and the city's first hispanic mayor and reflecting that population. i compare him to long in the sense that he -- they were both incredibly charismatic figures. they were both politicians who were beloved inspite of their

flaw and the corruption they went on in their administration. who had a populist evangelical fervor about them that spoke to the ability of being successful on a larger state. he was seen as a special presidential candidate. buddy, as audacious as it seems came from a small city was seen as somebody that could be a national figure in washington. one of the pivotal moment of the career he was in the first term as mayor. there was a u.s. senate seat that opened up in rhode island and thought about when he should run or not. he wound up ultimately being outma maneuvered. a lot of people feel it was a turning point for buddy. if he had gotten out of prove kens then he would have gotten out of the place that breeds corruption and ultimately dragged him down. not to excuse his copability and gone to washington where you can be a showman an on the national

stage. remember, he speck at the republican national convention in 1976 and 1980. he went out it was funny before the 1980 election he went out and met with reagan. he pitched himself as a potential running mate for reagan. while he was out there, he went to palm springs and visited jerry ford. who has been good friends with him when he was president. he got invited to have dinner at frank sin gnat are a's house. as hell tells the story, you know, he sees a picture on the wall behind the bar. and you said you're from providence how is raymond. there's bizarre cross current of buddy's life and the people he would encounter. we had kind of aen interesting relationship as i wrote the book. one thing about him -- two things that matter to him

are power and control. and of course money. and he didn't have the control over the book, and he didn't get the money. and he couldn't control his legacy and he didn't like some of the negative things i found about him. i tried to be fair. there are two sides of the coin. that makes him so compelling. buddy wanted to write his own book and he later did a few years ago called "politics and pasta" i always, you know, he used to kid me. i'm going to bring my own memoir and talk to you about the inside stories and, you know, how are you going to write -- i remember he called me to the office a month before he went to prison. he had been convicted and awaiting sentences. it was the final day in office. it was a summer afternoon, quiet, and as we're sitting in his office he starts to say, hey, how about you revoke your contract with random house. i'll get you a immediate six figure advance. how much are you getting? i said not that much but enough

to make it fair. and, you know, it's really about more than money to me. it's about telling a good story. how can you sell yourself chief? at that point a thunderstorms started to play out city hall and there was a loud crash of thunder. buddy said telling writing this book without me and my inside story is like the thunder without the lightening. this book, i think, says the american politics is a blood sport that it's very entertaining. buddy has a saying when he was first elected mayor, he was the republican candidate. he was championed by kind of the upper crust liberal set that lived up on the east side of providence around brown university. they were the elite and didn't need things from city hall. they weren't looking for contracts. they were looking for good government, and, you know, buddy had a cynical thing even though

he was the champion when he first was elected. he had a saying "good government will only get you good government when you come down from college hill and cross the river. you have to cut deals and do things like that to get things done" when he came in as mayor the first time, remember, he was a republican, and a city that hadn't elected a republican since the great depression. he was the first italian-american mayor in a city ruled by irish democrats for decades. he had a city council that was submitted to his destruction just like the republican congress was committed to barack obama's town call -- downfall in his first term. he had to work with the guys. he worked with them. he also mack mac mac outlasted them. he outmaneuvered them. there was a famous massacre. they didn't have a quorum

because there were three members who were arrested or dielted or convict -- indicted of various crimes such as fixing races at the local track. buddy used that to engineer a coop which he took over the city council and the "l.a. times" did a feature about him. he said that in the jail population stalin is something like 1 in 10,000. it's one in eight. i had tried to one the person. they said he would got opening of an envelope and show up at any event. i remember being a young report aerothe the "providence journal" not covering buddy or the city hall. i was at another reporter's backyard cookout. we were drinking beer and