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Understanding 9/11tv Undoing Plessy CSPAN August 24, 2017 1:50am-2:07am EDT
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want you to feel less than and to create a strong community but using your language and go forth in peas. >> c. charles is one of the least well-known members of
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the civil-rights movement everybody needs to understand you cannot talk about civil rights without charles hamilton houston it is a semi biographical coach so oh in history there is a river say the special - - discussion with assured civil rights movement and traditionally people tend to learn the civil-rights movement moving forward and passing away and 1950 he was responsible to do laid the
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groundwork and that biography is fantastic work by itself and as a doctoral student looking into his cases a number of his case is really work about labor in one form or fashion or another that is our really got into the book as a project saying what race and labor was like you really have to talk about plessey verses ferguson that gave sanctions to the institutions of segregation throughout american society and in the 1890's particularly with louisiana
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and a little bit about homer plessey because of the new orleans area and the society the members of new orleans and the community was really looking for a way to challenge the increasing number the encroachment of african-american life dealing with segregation coming out every construction the democrats were labeled as the redeemers coming back to reestablish and one after another that begin to segregate african-americans
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from the integrated society and that really informed houston early board 8095. >> so to become interested in the the of law by really confronting plessey. so with his educational background he leaves high school and graduates at 16 really went to one of the best i schools in the country in washington d.c. and goes on to amherst and graduates could one day and really didn't experience the kind of segregation or with the cruelties associated with the rationalize nature
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of the united states at the turn of the century but there were times they were not able to socialize it is hard not to be conscious seven for a young man was an old soul love music and piano and was very well read and after his experience at amherst he goes home after graduating he is curious when it goes back to howard and teaches english class is as a young person working at howard and then world war one comes along it is
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interesting reading his own riding because he knew was coming even talking about the fact we are neutral and remaining neutral not getting into the war but it is coming here suez that momentum builds, he wants to understand his place but then we're is an immediate issue because now the military is segregated so young man with a wonderful education and brilliant mind who belongs in the black officer corps but there is none so he leads the way with the number of other colleagues at the historically black colleges
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to advocate for the black officer war so they framed that for democracy to save the world for democracy so maybe even start with the black officer corps so the advocate for ms got to make that happen so he is part of the first african-american officer corps in this will be a trend as the trail blazer the first and a number of different areas just like blackjack who had the issue being egalitarian beat the soldiers as they
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were ready to disembark rather than allowing the service or the accomplishments and the sacrifice they told them they had to go home and get jobs and he goes home almost shaking his head. the way he is writing about that experience is just another in the step of a young man who is confronting racism and segregation and wondering how best to confront those moments of the way back to d.c. getting ready to go back home and
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they're sitting there in uniform there is gentleman and he is shaking his head and he ordered lunch but he winds up getting up and moving and is very conscious of it he actually gets up on his way out and very politely said did you move because of us? and they said i cannot help the way i was raised and walked away and that he was damn glad he did not die in the service of the country and is now beginning to for relate a more richer understanding of what they want to do when he comes back to be convinced
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to be accepted into harvard law school to be then as it is now so he will become the first african-american to graduate with a doctorate in political science also the first african-american to be the editor of harvard law and wants to be able to understand and teach the history of the constitution but he also wants to be as well-prepared as the key in -- as the key and as a cadre of lawyers to do the good work with those african-american lawyers partly because plessey vs. ferguson with access to that
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education it takes to prepare yourself. so those are those seminal moments that really prepare him to become the charles houston that we all know. like his professional working career between 1925 with that 25 year period, it is an enviable by any measure and how one of the real tragic elements of houston's life he was born with a congenital heart -- heart defect and was aware of it but even into the late '30's or 40's particularly of the '40's just a slowdown
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and is a testament to the motivation of charles houston and his dedication that he felt so compelled to do the work that was needed to make the world a better place where the people of the united states and his activities and this is what i argue in the book and three different areas because of the three par strategy that unfolds it wasn't just enough to deal although critical they demanded the strategy go
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forward so he spent time upon the hill with his congressional record and testimony it is fastened 80 and hubris because he sets them up. so he encourages people with the legislative committee to write legislation he is the first african-american and work san that capacity and because of integrity they were not being true to their word and comes back to serve
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the country. and that employment wants to see the groundswell and that perfect example is new york state has a fair employment practices community that is a fascinating business success right there. one of the reasons we don't know houston as well even with the supreme court justice thurgood marshall is because most americans we
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don't hear about houston. even though people who knew that the time such talk about houston and his role a wonderful speech and dr. king 1959. and with thurgood marshall and putting everybody on notice but i fake it is a great example of alerting would have that conversation and civil rights was impacted by the way that it was framed it with that sole
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rights movement with the work of charles used in. >> we are prime time during this congressional recess and we're showing stops on our cities to work -- [inaudible] >> i went out into the community the used to be a thriving community that there were shops all along the avenue. >> with discrimination with those darker skinned students they call him cracker and a day, flying up the street.
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