In washington dc. Host i would like to welcome you to politics and prose. And i would like to welcome wil haygood that we see him several times a week. Is a customer in front of the store. In the author of the book that we are celebrating tonight. One of the things that i like about this book, a sign that it is a biography of one of the great men of the last century. His title. King of the cats. Because it so adequate describes Adam Clayton Powell jr. It was smooth and he was cool and goodlooking. He was smart. And he always was a complete package. And he spoke eloquently for africanamericans and the poor in this country. One of the great things about this, we have student come in was looking for a biography of Adam Clayton Powell jr. There wasnt one. All of the books about him were outofprint. So is a privilege really to have king of the cats back in front read and also privilege for us to have wil haygood here to talk about his book. Walk on. [applause]. Adam welcome. Thank you. It is always nice to be here at this bookstore. They do treat me like i live in the neighborhood which i do. They treat me as if i come here and do all of my book shopping. Which i do. I also noticed that there are these posters, advertising the authors for the month of february and my picture is right in the center of the poster. That is so nice to have your picture on a poster and not be flaunted by the law. [laughter]. Somebody was asking me the other day what was the most memorable moment when the book was first published. I was back in 1993 there were a lot of wonderful moments. I dont know if any ranks with the event in columbus, ohio which is my photo was to do for me did the mayor was there. There was a lot of people. A big auditorium. I walked on stage and looked around. And i spotted the three ladies who hunted me down for the high school prom. [laughter]. Was sort of like back to the future. What is to be nice. Did not ask them to stand up read that its funny because i never had a car back in high school. Things have changed a little bit now. Thank goodness i have an American Express card and i often travel by airplane so life has turned out okay. History is a phenomenal preacher. I graduated from high school 1872 and that was the year that Adam Clayton Powell jr. Died. I had just heard echoes about his life that he was a rogue that he never reached the height that he should have. Wil and that his wife was a waste. That was sad because for some reason i got it in my mind after i went through high school and then i went to college. I was someplace and i was reading a little periodical and talked about the program. Maybe some of you are familiar with that. As a federally funded program that when you live in a tough neighborhood, and offers scholarships to kids and you get to go to a prep school. The college during your summer of your tenth and 11th grade year. To take courses in the prep you to get you ready to go to college. It got accepted into the upper round program. And kim find that one of the principal sponsors was Adam Clayton Powell jr. Rated it astonished me. About a postcard and until that story in the introduction here. About a postcard and it had Adam Clayton Powell jr. Sitting at a desk sharing with one of his committees spare and washington. I looked at it. And i said to myself someday im going to write a biography of Adam Clayton Powell jr. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. I was a copy editor. It was not one of the writing step it. I wanted to be in the writing staff. I dreamed of being on the writing staff read but it was a copy editor. I was dating a lady, a schoolteacher. At a magazine store, and i looked at her and i said, one day im going to write a book about Adam Clayton Powell jr. She left loudly. I had also just gotten my phone turned off the weekend we were supposed to be going to red lobster that night for dinner. Anna had to debate. The spin this money to get my phone turned back on monday. Or do i take her to red lobster. I was and is seriously a dilemma. In the fact that she didnt have faith. Faith is a wonderful thing. Because i didnt know anybody in book publishing. I didnt know any authors. And i had convinced myself that was way to write a book about congressman powell. Life went on. I finished college and got a job at macys. They did not work out. But lets not go there. I went back home and started getting jobs on small newspapers in charleston, and then went to the boston globe. After the boston globe, went to the Mississippi River. And wonderful guy who takes wonderful photographs. I wrote an article in the photographs appeared in the article. We were all by Atlantic Monthly press rated a wonderful editor named peter davison. Im sitting in my desk and he said, help. You think you have enough to write about from that Mississippi River story. That is the kind of moment that a writer of course lives and dreams about and i said, absolutely. Most of the time and wrote a book about that Mississippi River journey. And then peter summoned me to his office. He is sadly gone from this world now. But he meant bullets to me. He called me to his office. I was sitting there and he said, what do you want to do next. And that was my first moment of allowing me to realize that i was entering this world of authors. And i looked at him. And i said, i want to write a biography of Adam Clayton Powell jr. And Peter Davidson move silent. And us city myself right then. Well, he wont allow me to do its. He thinks that a written one book and its a travel book. And maybe he thinks it is too much of a leap to jump into a big mess of subject like powell. He looked at me and he said, nobody but nobody talks about Adam Clayton Powell jr. Anymore. And i looked around the room and he leaned over to me and he said which is why you are going to do the book. That was an amazing moment at Peter Davidson allowed me to dive into a five year journey about this great congressman, maybe you know the rest of his life, born in new york. Father, amos minister, and church in harlem. Adam Clayton Powell jr. Went to good high school. And then he went to colgate, and it colgate therefore for flex on campus. Three of the blacks were looking for the fourth like they couldnt find him worried and one of them but into harlem and found out found out that the famous minister had a son who was at colgate. He runs back to the campus and he said guess what. Adam Clayton Powell jr. , he is Walking Around campus and is telling people that he is white. These really black. The light, will have these moments in the biographer looks for them. There is a ratcheting moments. They have peoples in someones life. And daniel cosby and into other blacks confronted him and told him that they were ashamed and they were going to tell his father. And that they had struggles on that campus and that he should not be trying to hide who he really was. And i think it was an explosive moment or powell. And over the next four years. He became fast friends with these guys. And he took them into harlem. And he introduced them to harlem renaissance poets and into jazz people and to thinkers and writers. But at the end of his four years, at colgate, and charmed them if you will. He had introduced him to his side. And to him, as a prank. But it was something they would never do again. I think he spent the rest of his life fighting to prove to people that he stood for the good fight. He stood for equal rights in the downtrodden. And i will read you just a little section here about his last days on the campus of colgate. I think is a very Pivotal Moment for powell. He had this great sense of humor. He was traveling on a train in 1930. A couple of years after college. He was in georgia. Then of course the trains were segregated but allowable walked right into the first class compartment. And one of the people who worked with the train ran up and told one of the highlevel people of the train stopped, hey i think black eye, mightve walked into the first class section. You better go down and check it out. And so he runs in the first class section. Any as he said hey, i believe theres an a in here someplace. And Adam Clayton Powell jr. Said where. You fight him and you get him out of here. Well penetrator you running. [laughter]. He had astonishing went. He knew how to think on his feet. These are his last moments. At colgate where he had both lost himself and found himself. Colgate had provided this last chance. And he had endured. The valley is always in the early summer. There would however be no looking back at colgate. There would be no raw raw unions. Although he continued to invite classmates harlem, only one friend would last. And that was cosby who had first encourages fellow blacks to allow powell room with them. Crosby, the Darkest Black man on campus. The Football Player but had to stay behind when it came to the south. Powells senior year had been so accomplished that he was excused from taking final examinations. The reward for outstanding academic achievement. Those classmates who had doubted him, he now had the last laugh. At commencement, he delivered the clasp on. Each senior had been given a small leather booklet with the senior program. Inside rated for the first time ever, the colgate seniors yet to be lit those tortured as they circled the lake. Alumni began singing. The townsfolk have gathered on hillside predict the class president began Walking Around like. The torch with his own until all were aflame. Dusty turned to darkness. Reflections flames bouncing across the lake made it look like there was fire beneath the water. The scene was majestic. Depressed nation problems seem far far away. Along with the other seniors, young Adam Clayton Powell jr. Knelt. He stuck the porch in the water. And with the flame dashed, he walked out into the world. So goes back to harlem. He gets job at his fathers church. He needs tickets into Department Stores that will allow blacks push off. He becomes a rival. He runs for new York City Council and the winds and he starts traveling all over the nation. He marries. Isabel felt is it just a singer. Church lady. Marriage does not last pretty he stars to have an affair with the pianist. And it creates turmoil. Inside of the church. And the lady comes up there after one Church Service and Adam Clayton Powell jr. Says, im so embarrassed. I thought you were a man of the cloth. And he said sweetheart i am Still Critical he thought with. Truman and Dwight Eisenhower and john f. Kennedy. And Lyndon Johnson. For the end of his life would pass and have the 65 major deals. Medicaid medicare and food stamps. The upward bound program. He never got along well with southerners. They cannot find him and himself, as he had been on the scene for so long, develop before the likes of Martin Luther king jr. 1956, there this whenever rally at Madison Square garden sprinted king and many of his followers were there. But it was new york knows powells turf. He was a congressman. He expected to be treated righteously. I will review just a little bit about that. About that event, that rally. It was with a degree of fanfare that a massive civil rights valley was at medicine square garden on may 24th, 1956. Eleanor roosevelt, randolph, wilson and powell. The familiar gang knew the hall well. Had participated in many rallies under its old roof. In the midst of the rally, randolph and others, and Adam Clayton Powell jr. Had yet to arrive. Many in the audience and come to hear him. Randolph found out that powell was across the street. Waiting in the hotel to make his entrance. He told randolph, he realized there was nothing to do except wait and hope. And while yet another speaker and henchman was at the garden. Lights flicked off. Tremors and nervousness ran through the crowd. All of a sudden, a spotlight came on and zoomed to the back of the garden. To land on a tall figure standing alone. This was Adam Clayton Powell jr. The garden erupted. His church numbers, erupted a stood there. And he began walking. Right down the middle of the garden. In the spot light trailing every step of the way. Chance exploded we want have imparted Adam Clayton Powell jr. In the flesh. He wanted them to remember in new york city read is Madison Square garden. There were 16000 people there to your hymns. Played to the arson crowd for all it was worth. He spoke and spoken spoke. He laid it down for powell to read. Innocenti dear adam. This randolph want you to know two things. One we must out of here by 1030 and two missus roosevelt is said to speak. And minutes later powell up and read it. He seconds just a little more and he said i have enough year ending to me. Anyone know this person is. He said we have to be out of here by 1030. As he never heard about freedom. The only reason we would have to leave here because we would have to pay more money to stay. Everybody here raise your hand if youre hands, thousands and thousands went up. You must pay for freedom. And if we want to stay here until late tomorrow, we will stay. And we will speak to this nation. We will let them know that we will pay for our freedom. This runoff, you need not worry. At this baptist church, they will pick up the check. And he walked off. They would not forget Adam Clayton Powell jr. When they return to south. Two weeks late later, runoff received a bill the mall, it was for 6000. That was for an extra hour in that Madison Square garden attendance. John f. Kennedy admired powell a great deal. And when john f. Kennedy was elected, powell became chairman. So imagine that. Two separate committees. It was very powerful. And under Lyndon Johnson actually some of legislation began to gush forth read the warm property was leo much of the success to powell. He was relentless. He also had cited them somewhat dark. He hired people who didnt show up for jobs. He put his third wife on the payroll. She was from puerto rico. He was so undisciplined when it came to ethics at the u. S. Congress passed that an ethics bill largely because of Adam Clayton Powell jr. They were not the ethic crimes from the headlines and we read about now. But at the time, travel and so many southern enemies that is crimes were explosive headlines. He was expelled from congress. For an ethics violation. After 24 years in house, he went to the Supreme Court anyone. They told u. S. Congress you did a great injustice to Adam Clayton Powell jr. And the voters of harlem. They elected him, should let them come back and take a seat and you couldve had the experience. And in the end he back. Had cancer. And bosses power. He was no longer a Senior Member of the house. He fished on his boat and sailed and sailed out into the blue thunder all alone. In this last part they will share with you is sort of about the last days and times of Adam Clayton Powell jr. He went on a barnstorming tour of various colleges in 1969. The students loved him. It was like an old rubble. Those who thought Adam Clayton Powell jr. Shouldve been on the university of michigan campus in 1969. By then he had lost his power. By then he believed in the youth. This is a nation i am proud of people the students seated in front of him holding a cigarette. Damn the cancer. Dont take some of the things that i have sent tonight to mean that i dont love america. I do. His friends had wondered how Adam Clayton Powell jr. Could take to the water on his boat and draft for hours and hours in silence. Having led a life of chaos and challenge and the end, he saw only wires. My life has been devoted to caring heavy end. And to catching the big fish. Comment represented more than just sentiment. Told of a life fully lived. Weeks before he had been airlifted to miami, Adam Clayton Powell jr. Had been engaged with big fish. Bring a white glove on his left hand, toys but available. Feeling over the side of this puzzle in the fish pulled in from mr. Critical he held tight to his fishing gear. In the strength ripping through his insides. Dinner from the cancer. He finally let go. Afterwards he rarely emerged from the pain. It was becoming more severe by the day. Until finally u. S. Quote postcard summoned. Introduced to the waters invoice. Adam Clayton Powell jr. Help and affection for it his entire life. The great lakes of germany and the waves of puerto rico. Rushing in the receding fascinating him. The way the water swept up to the dry land into the distance. So wide open out there. So free. While i grew up to write king of the cats. Inc. You so much. [applause]. Host you have questions please use the microphone. Guest electric if you comments. I worked with him in congress and signed. There is something called the powell amendment which was attached to everything. The related to puerto rico and also to education. Ethics teardown, the force we should be give to in response is probably a lesson will serve today because it was retribution by a racist congress. And punish him because they were getting static back home. And he said, youll do it. You wont look at yourselves. So i am your mirror. It was true. It was absolutely true. He was among the most elegant awful important people in congress. For withstanding himself. But on the other hand, running around naked on the second floor crocuses, by 6 00 oclock nobody says anything sort of gives the relatively of the theory of Congress Even today. But his reach and what you read was really important because the fact is that her kids just understand. The falling away from our government. In congress. There are no heroes. So he is a hero in a remarkable way. As it was time for nobody was doing anything. There was the king or nobody aspirated and he was there the face of congress and everything he chaired. Everything dark about was the righteousness and justice. Wil thank you. Guest i just want to say, thank you for putting this book out. On Adam Clayton Powell jr. I think in america, the ears in the process overproduce the whole attention of the movement abreast of parks and they forgotten the people like Adam Clayton Powell jr. Who set it up for everybody read but would cut them powell did. Anything that anybody did for civil rights enough to also look from it from a standpoint the Lyndon Johnson, one of them to come and shepherd the legislation through congress. And i think part of what is going on is what the kids are still doing. Images happen to be of another color. And therefore they wanted to put it on him he said he went to the pipe diving board worried but that is how it happened but he will go down in history as part of one of the greatest masters the political process in america. And he moved through those committees. Voting rights in all of that stuff. We talk about now. The highest education act in 1965. We owe that program all of those were by him. If edna had not been for him, but then there are people in the congress that he had too much power and so they were juices guilty is throwing him off. But you cant confuse his personal life what he did professionally. I think you have to keep it separate. On the professional life he got a plus. And im not going to judge him on his personal life. I think it is a great contribution for what is going on. Ill tell a little story. My father was a minister. And adams father went to the union. And adam came in 1933 to apply at the church. My father and his father with a lawsuit standing. And adam went to party tonight. So my became the pastor of the church. Heres a pastor never for 32 years. I also want to say that Adam Clayton Powell jr. And my father in 1954, the first ten great black ministers. All those guys. He was in that category of people. Everybody knows that he was a great speaker. A great person and a fighter. He cannot be bought. He was one of the persons the put to gather Higher Education in 1969. Adam was one of the people back us. He was supporting us and what we were doing. And we were relying this work in congress. Uppeprograms. Those were things on the result of what Adam Clayton Powell jr. Did in congress. We owe him a great thanks for that. And we want to thank you for putting the record on the table. Thank you. Host at the end of your presentation you mentioned, at the end of the slides. At the end of his life. Early 1970s, how were the youth reacting to against the legislatures. When the young people trying to be more activists. How did they react with more of the legislature. Wil he had taken on by the dislike of the sort of rockstar sensation. In the youth knew that he had been think of congress and that he thought that. And that he had taken it to the Supreme Court and that he had more. So to them, Adam Clayton Powell jr. Was an example of somebody who could be in the system, and outside of the system. Invite the system and when. So they looked at him as somebody who knew how to fight both from the inside and from outside. Guest would be too much of a stretch to compare Adam Clayton Powell jr. To in the way that he was independent and he wouldnt be intimidated by anybody. Wil thats a good analogy. And of course was a fighter. But just to show you how almost in thinkable it is for us to experience another powell. 1956, he supported eisenhower. As a republican of course. And fellow democrats Adam Clayton Powell jr. For that. And challenged him went after him and got other democrats to run against. Powells thinking was my party is dominated by southern democrats and what are they doing to help me in my people out. Nothing. And so when eisenhower sent troops into little rock, in 1957 after much pressure, Adam Clayton Powell jr. Had a moment to say i told you so. But when he did, which is hardly thinkable now the somebody with powells seniority 1956 with would break links with this party. You saw the winds are shifting. And when kennedy one, he got back into the camp. That was an amazing him on his part. In the end, he won. [silence]. Guest talk about that. Wil was actually the same of his college tour in 1970. He went to michigan. He went to uc berkeley. Went to San Francisco state brain went to howard. And a good part of his speaking tour was to have the troops come home. And have the vietnam war ended. Guest all 435. Wil he really was a peculiar figure and as much as he challenged the unions. He challenged liberals. He didnt like liberals who would fight good fight only divided keep losing. He wanted to win. It was hard to get Schools Program because he had to go into itself and to build schools with federal money which meant he could not be segregated. The full of powerful seven congressman did what did all of that. These are battles Pretty Things that we take for granted now. Back then in the 50s and 60s, they were harsh. All of this was after the effects of, slavery in the 1920s and 30s. They were real battles to get a head start up and running. To get free lunch programs. To get grants. The decent hospitals. In southern communities pretty these were real battles that we dont really think much about now. But they were battles. Guest could you go summa the issues that led to his expulsion. Wil yes. It is a great story. Former president gerald ford. Actually the only warmer congressman who i wanted to interview for this book. Ive talked to about 250 people read along with researching this book but he was the only one who said, no. It was too busy. They formed a committee to investigate the money the powell staff had been given. And there were some shoddy bookkeeping. In a group of house members voted to not seek Adam Clayton Powell jr. Those their legal, they should have brought him back to washington and allow him to take a seat. But they said it dont matter anymore. And your constituents in harlem who voted you back in, their vote doesnt count. So we dont want to appear. And on the very day that senator Edward Brooke first black senator was born in. Adam Clayton Powell jr. Was expelled. Anyway had a right to be seated. So he bought it to the high court anyone. A landmark decision. Law student now. John mccormick, speaker of the house then. Powell versus mccormick. It was a landmark case. In powell one. Anymore questions. Guest i think the major problem with what happened, would you begin to talk about is having expelled him, he lost his chairmanship. And that was a killer for the house. Wil it was. He was the person who had power and he was a true overbrook liberal. If he was around now, he would really be challenging, he would really have his voice being heard loud and clear. For some of the madness that is overtaking the full system that we are faced with now. With the committee to education and labor. Eric powerful at one time. Thank you all for coming out. [applause]. Youre watching book tv, a couple of hours to show you some programs with author and journalist wil haygood. Hes a in a book to times. It is a professor in the Media Department at ohio. Starting out, from 2009, he appeared on our Author Interview program afterwards. Jack about the life and times of professional boxers, Sugar Ray Robinson. Coming up next, but to be present afterwards. An hour long Interview Program when we invite a guest house to interview the author of the new book. This week wil haygood recalls the life of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson in sweet thunder. Born walker smith junior, the future titleholder spent his formative years in