c-span: how old is strom thurmond? uest: senator thurmond was 90 years old this past december 5th. c-span: somewhere, i think, in your book you said that he's going to run again. >> guest: that is the talk. i ended the actual story of this book before he made any firm announcements, but he has certainly been talking that way and people take him seriously down in south carolina. they have learned over a long period of time that if he says i am ready to go you better get out of the way or be prepared. c-span: what's the point of the book? >> guest: i think i can sum it up in really two sentences, two themes: to show the power of race to shape politics but also the power of loss to shape behavior. it seems to me that senator thurmond's very long career illustrates that. c-span: in the material that you read in some of the reviews, they say this may be the first book from a white person's viewpoint on what happened to civil rights. >> guest: that is what i intended it to be. there are many, many books articles, journal piec

advocate, not a lobbyist, on behalf of the naacp and met and stood, if you will, to debate the strom thurmonds and others who had a different opinion about desegregation of this country. today i had the privilege of seeing the unveiling of a stamp of robert robertson taylor and the first graduate -- african-american graduate of m.i.t., the naacp was moving along to add to the civil rights aspect of the great outstanding success and leadership that this gentleman, mr. taylor has shown. the naacp has made a pathway. they have been there to embrace. they have been there to collaborate. they have been there to stand with you when you need them to stand with you. i close by indicating that we have had a challenging year of addressing issues of criminal justice reform. and i'm very grateful that the naacp has also taken up this issue and will be a partner on this issue of criminal justice reform, working with many of us as we commit to america, not just african-americans, that we will answer the question dealing with justice, equality and liberty. and i pay tribute finally, mr. green, to the leader