shows up at poe's grave leaves three roastes base there's three people under the monument and edgar allan poe is one of them. this museum is the only literary museum in richmond and one of only a few in the country. so it helps preserve our literary heritage. reminds us that a big part of what makes us who we are is our cultural. not just the visual arts but also the literary arts. it's part of the history of our collective imagination. there's people who come to museum who have never heard of patrick henry or thomas jefferson but they know edgar allan poe. he is a an international let literary figure and can't say he belong dozen world and is everybody's writer and that's the great thing about the museum. a place that brings together everybody. >> the james is virginia's largest river.

it forms in the appalachian mountains, runs through richmond and slows goo the chesapeake -- flows into the chesapeake bay. wait a trade route for connellists and sometimes called america founding river. continuing the look at richmond we spoke with richmond native and former governor of virginia, douglas wilder. >> hold your hand on the family bible. and repeat after me. i, lawrence douglas wilder, do solemnly swear, that i will support the constitution of the united states, and the constitution of the commonwealth of virginia, and that i will faithfully and impartially discharge all of the duties

inincome bunt e bent on me as governor of virginia, according to the best of my ability. so help me god. congratulations. >> thank you. >> how did you now want wanted to get into politics ii didn't because i didn't want to go around smiling and begging for votes and asking for money, and i thought, politics was what i would call a representative of people but i ran my mouth all the time from day one. as a kid. and i argued so much about things and people said, why don't you run. they didn't mean really to run. they mean run away from them. just get running your mouth, and i just felt that people, particularly those that i had

come to know that were part of my ilk or my being, they didn't have representation to the extent they needed, and in lincoln's words were of any meaning of the people, for the people, by the people, why weren't we there? and so to that extent i ran to be a part of what i would call the decisionmaking process in this country and state and locality. >> where did you grow up and what was virginia like during that time? >> i grew up in the east end of richmond, 28th street. right from the famous church illinois went to when i was late going to my church which was the first african baptist church. my elementary school was obviously not up to snuff.

no -- it had outdoor toilet. in city of richmond. it has no cafeteria. no auditorium. and the principal was white, all the teachers were of color. and but the finest and best teachers in the world because they looked upon us as their children, and they had corrected -- all the responsibility as well but the truancy was something you didn't know about. and so with that backdrop, was maybe about ten blocks from st. john's church, where patrick henry made his famous speech, given me liberty or death, and learning about thomas jefferson, this is when i would ask my mother, what does it mean, inalienable rights. she said no one can take them from you. said dot it's reply to me? she said, absolutely.

when you tell a kid that. i believed so much of what my mother was saying, really believed that there was something that was wrong and that i still nevertheless could overcome that. but her thing was, you have got to be the best of what you can be. and i tried. >> what was going on in richmond during that time? >> everything was segregated. get on the street cars, and the street car line would end right a block from my house so wasn't full. and my mother would always tug me a little bit move into the back of the street car. i would say, why don't we just sit here? and she would say, let move back a little bit. she never would explain to me that the color -- ate, et cetera. and then she did. tell me what it meant. and she said, that will change.

ju just do what you have to do. >> what was the first experience like stepping into politics. >> i was never encouraged by the leadership in the -- what you would you call the black community. not the leadership. but the people, and i found it very interesting because i was running from the city at large, never had a member of the senate since that short period of reconstruction. and i was the first person to be elected to the state senate since that short period. and it wasn't lonely because i might have -- stand off wash not standoffish and was able to form friends the senate quickly. didn't understand politics. doesn't know that much about it. market of fact i knew nothing and i found out how little i knew when i got there, and i

said, wow -- but it was very lucky to be able to have formed some of the friendships. had a desk mate of mine from south hampton, virginia, named bill rawlings, the son of ham -- the slave revolt took place with nat turner, and as anything would come up like a bill he would say, don't vote for that bill. said i'm going to vote for hit. he's my friend help said, adopt you vote for that. he said because this isn't -- isn't doing what some people might thing, and the differences that looking at what it all means. what may or shall mean. take that one word out, just talk that you shall do something or that this organization may do such and such a thing. in other words the state shall blah blah. it changes everything. so, i was able to learn from

that. when i first got there, the -- we didn't have offices, so people would gather on the floor and talk and then they'd say let go to lunch. so i see some of the guy, two or theme talking. i would push myself interest the crowd and start nodding like i knew what they were talking about. didn't know what they were talking about. they would say, wait a minute, we're going in session. they'd say, guy west should get together. a half our after the session i said that's fine with me. pushed myself into and some call it shock el -- sharp elbows bus i learned also that people could disagree with you on occasions but they were united with your cause, because i would have people who would say, i can go to lunch with you. hi just glut voting against my bill. he said, yes. i hadn't voted against your

bill, i wouldn't be here next election cycle to vote for anything because my people would not allow it. they don't know. had people when i was a junior, the first do-virginia was the first state to have a legislative holiday for martin luther king. took me eight years to get it. i would get it passed in the senate the house would kill it. i would get it passed in the senate and the house would -- the governor would veto it. and it would pat in the house and the senate and that process went on until -- when you're changing the constitution, you have to wait until the brand new election of the full body comes in, so that's why it took eight years. many of the people who voted against the bill ultimately became patrons of the bill and helped me get it passed. so that single experience showed me that is a hard as it is to

understand the virginia of all places being the first state to have a legislative holiday for king king inning inning if that are martin luther king if that could happen oranges things could. >> tell me about when chuck dodd dime our -- >> chuck rob. >> i'm sorry. the minority votes. was your reaction when he first came to you asking this? >> i helped him to get to be elected lieutenant governor, and that was done relative to showing that he could bring a change. he did say prior to running for lieutenant governor that if doug wilder is going return to for lieutenant governor i will not because i'm not going to oppose him if told him i'm note going run and i repeated that in 1977,

by describing the office of the lieutenant governor as a vacuous position and only exitses to vote in the case of a tie or preside over the senate, and far more influential here in the senate. i decided to run later on. they said didn't you say that before? i said, yeah, but this is now. when chuck asked me about that, i spoke to one of his personals who was minority adviser, arthur murphy, one of the murphies of the african-american newspaper chain out of baltimore. said, are their, i'm phoning now in 1972, i think i started, the black democratic caucus of virginia. not the legislative caucus. and i didn't want necessarily to have elected officials. wanted people in the communities, legislative leaders -- community leaders, church leaders, i wanted people

who could not only reach people but could cause -- they had the respect. they said something and people believed them, and so i was able to finally get that done. i refer to it in the book. and roanoke to have 500 people to attend on a friday evening in roanoke. don't know how hard it is to get to roanoke virginia, and i wanted a small room because i didn't want the -- to show how few people came. you couldn't get into the room. so after we formed and after we started developing strength, i said to him, i said, chuck, and murphy as well, these are things i want you commit to. one, to clean. definitely you will sign the bill for the martin luther king, jr. because i won't get it passed again.

the that you will believe in the opportunities for registration. called it post card recommendation at the time. that you will end the sends of moneys to the school that segregate their private schools, if the vouchers, et cetera, he signed on to it. the night of the election, when the returns were coming in, it was showing that he was losing by 75,000 votes, and people came to me and were giving me a fit. itself hadn't been for that damn letter you had sent out and saying that this is what he was doing, we wouldn't be losing this election. said i understand. just wait. later in the afternoon, voted started coming in, when we won by 1 then -- 100,000 voted and the number of the turnouts were attributed to the african-american community. that is one of the times in modern times that black folk

were shown to exist in virginia, for a purpose. unfortunately, some of that is disappearing across america today. and people continue in some instances to take that vote for granted. >> when you hear people -- not to jump rind to top -- saying the vote is taken for granted. you hear minority young people say they don't vote and they don't get involved. what its your reaction to that? >> i understand it. i clearly understand it. when you talk about we got to go to base. what base? what have you done for the base? tell me what you see today that means the people who still live in stultifying conditions, housing, when the problems of education, everybody that runs

for office is going to do something for education, and then if you're going to do something for education, then how did it get to how it is? that mean outside did it. you're in charge, one thing i employ is that if we are going to be involved in the political process, that i want to be part of the politics. the decisionmaking. when what i speak of frequently is what guide met is being a part of how money is spent. believe in spending for necessities. not niceties. the nice advertise, fine, if there's a time for that to come. good. but right now we're interested in what we really need. what happened with president obama in his plan for infrastructure development, he

had a great plan for that, one of the best piece is ever heard him make is when i was mayor of the stiff of victim d city of richmond, and in 2008 the confronts of mayor hi said our cities are not the drawbacks to metropolitan growth. they're the engines and we need to make certain that we keep that. well, they didn't want to give him the plan that he put forth to extend the stimulus practice it would have been -- it could have looked back on it, bet now you would say, okay, the first stimulus program should include some of these things. so which means bail the banks out and insurance company, but what their obligations to plow back? trump is going to take much of what obama put through in place and remove it. and it's going to get me money

and going to get a lot of the credit for it because somebody, as you said, look the cities. look at education. look the numbers of people not in school. ... and i ãpeople are always

there. politicians hear what they want to hear. people hear what they have to hear. a lot of people don't know but virginia has the smallest 40 population, of the states. you would be surprised to get it. most people don't know that. i had to go out into the community to the other 85 percent of the people. i go, the first place i study my campaign was in southwest virginia.coal mining country. when into the minds, talk to people, stayed and never would stay in hotels. i only stayed in their homes of the people that i met were that i had known from a legislative experience. i never campaigned, didn't campaign on interstates, a campaign in the country stores,

the barbershops and i would learn, i was learning that one of my friends said, you going to the stores now or wherever you go you have to shake every hand. because you miss anywhere they're going to tell you. and you missed one store they will tell you.so i went to the store and see, this is a coca-cola and will be there. i also learned going into the local newspapers and the local radio. people read the local newspaper and they listen to the local radio. and i went to everyone and they welcomed, and it also would like to emphasize that i stayed 60 days straight campaigning across every independent city and town in virginia. and i never had a single person

refuse to shake my hand never or, to deny me access for being able to run and i was pleased with the reception. to give you an illustration that you can't take people for granted.i went into once courtney man was sitting there. i shook everybody's hand. and i've gone through and they said he didn't shake his hand over her. and i said okay, i wound up running for governor and -- i would always wait to look behind to see if they ãso i did that to everybody and as i was leaving somebody said hey,

he didn't shake that man's head over there. and i said you are right. man was sitting and a red bandanna around his neck. i said, i wanted to know if you would, he said i thought you were going to pass me by and i said i something like to ask you. and he said i want to talk about this abortion. i sit on my god i prayed to god i didn't have to stay here to hear this. and i gave him, started my steel. the government has no right to interfere in the most personal. and he said it a no man's business no way. and i said well, now who would have believed that man sitting

there as i described what it had that the back and that time in virginia. southwest virginia.but he did. it was an experience for me, it reinforced my belief they do not judge people by how they look, talk or walk or where they live. it reinforced my was raised to believe, that we are the same people. we just need to see more of it. there are more things that connect us and unite us then divide us. we should emphasize that. >> good evening ãwhere does the disconnect come from? >> there are many people who think politics to be professional. i've still got it. of the people, for the people. i think it comes from

overvaluing estimation of those you serve and highly totally missed this last election. and still have not recovered from it. you just can't say, look, we didn't get this right. what is it that you did not get laid? anybody that takes a poll every day to find out what's going on, that's not the name of what america is. where we are today in america, bernie sanders was hitting on the left. but donald trump was sitting on the right. i saw something there. i saw people becoming disaffected on the democratic side. i saw people on the republican side of not getting it right at all. no one would have believed. the jeb bush would have been anomaly.

according to the clinton but i also knew, that in so doing she needed a relativity. that's why i supported tim kaine. because i thought that he could provide that.as it turned out unfortunately, he wasn't ã donald trump moved into their so where we are today, -- the last when i read that hubert was put america in search of -- he said every 30 years or so there is a change in america. we are still in search of ourselves. and we can get where we need to b. but we cannot do it with an appointee. as lyndon johnson was a come, let us reason. >> do think it has maybe something to do so people are brought up, about maybe diversifying the people that are out there for people to

maybe see more of themselves. more minority representation and maybe even more minority involvement in politics. >> all right, as i said to someone yesterday, we have more minority representation in america today than ever in the history of the country. our things better? or worse? and i leave that answer to you. but i will further say, that is not the answer. the question isn't who the representatives are, government is the people. and i keep going, it is simple. if we have those who understand that their responsibility is to

represent us,, not themselves. they don't realize we don't need you anymore. we get those who can. and if what you are doing is not proposing to be representative of us, we want that changed by the next group of people who ãi don't think this comes as a necessary racial quarter basis or increasing that number. the question is in america the representation of people is gone to being more self-serving. then serving the people. like lyndon johnson who was likely the president of all people. but he fought for to be put on the bench. he used his persuasiveness to

get mississippi and georgia, to understand look, i am going to do this now you tell me what you need. not having said that, i think, i was one of the first persons to publicly come out and have political status. to endorse obama. most of the black caucus, they were very few people endorsing obama. having said that, one of the things i hear so much of, thurgood marshall was more than just a book on the supreme court. i knew him personally. i worked with him because he

appointed me to be his representative for the naacp and labor defense and education fund. i succeeded robinson.and that is what is here in the book as well. thurgood spent time educating other members of the bench. things look, this is what we are talking about. this is just more than black and white people. in terms of the lot. this is what the effect is. this is the lack of it. there is contributions there really have been measured in that regard but the effect of it has been so that the contrary is how much i have made it clear to i'm not about to represent thurgood. i represent everybody. look at the decisions that have come down eight ãone. civil rights proposal, man, the court decided civil rights had

been violated. now why do you give that background? because people are saying, who represents them to the group of people on the supreme court today? who would you describe as being the representative of the black voice on the supreme court? you wouldn't say thomas. right to know. what if the president had three chances? to at least name a black person? whether that person got nominated or not were confirmed or not at least show you are a believer. that did not happen. very few presidents, most presidents didn't get a chance to name one. look at some of the things he but the time spent and doing

that takes away from the part of this that he could have and unfortunately those who work in many instances ãspent more time saying this would be the safer course to take, take the road less traveled sometimes. whether it is safe or not make the highway where there was going to be passed. and i think, obama has been a good president. but it is too early to talk about the legacy. but people who thought at that time that it had come, unfortunately there would be voters who were saying to them you had your chance. this is a new day. that is unfortunate. i don't think cyclical events should be part of the governing process in america.because it

goes back to lincoln, the people. for all of the people, by the people. >> you think that speaks to a lack of understanding of race relations that maybe this is, these issues are just going to ignore and set aside to. >> look, let's get past that. no one else gets past the deprivations of the past they address them have we, or do weekly and unfortunately it's not a matter of an apology. but america has never been a great nation. how can we go back to what we were not to we are still in search of ourselves. the education process the unfortunate thing is that we lost the communities. can we reclaim them?, yes. how do we do that?

it is not just by saying listen to what i say, i am your leader, i am your representative. -- he was looking at his mansion where those people going?after all i am their leader. so today, we need to drill down. and said come let us reason together. it has to be recognition that there is more that unites us than divides us. >> this memorial in downtown richmond pays tribute to the virginia statute for religious freedom. enacted by the state general assembly on january 16, 1086 and penned by