On this episode of Our American Stories, a tragic event brought a racist (Wallace) and a radical (Chisholm) together and forged an unlikely alliance.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
And we continue with our American stories. Up next the
story of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace and his redemption
story too. And it's told by Jeff Bloodworth, who was
a professor of American history again in university, and he
is also a Jack Miller Center fellow. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
In January nineteen sixty three, Wallace earned national infamy for
an inaugural speech in which he declared.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Segregation now, segregation Tomara, and segregation forever.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Six months later, the governor captured headlines by standing in
a university doorway to stop integration at the University of Alabama.
These acts transformed an otherwise obscure Southern politician to a
household name. This was exactly his hope catapulted to fame.
He ran for the presidency in nineteen sixty four and
(01:13):
in nineteen sixty eight. By nineteen seventy two, he was
a front runner for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Opposing him of the Democratic primaries was Shirley Chisholm, an
African American congresswoman from Brooklyn. Chisholm was Wallace's political opposite.
Chisholm's Brooklyn congressional district was comprised largely of working class,
(01:35):
in poor African Americans. Elected in nineteen sixty eight, she
became the nation's first ever black female congresswoman. In nineteen
seventy two, she broke yet another barrier as the first
woman to run for the Democratic nomination for president. Backed
by the Black Panthers and leading feminists, Shirley Chisholm was
everything George Wallace was not. In nineteen seventy two, Chisholm
(01:58):
and Wallace found their political faith intertwined by an assassin's bullet.
Fresh from victory in the Florida primary, the governor led
all Democrats in several polls. An assassin shot the governor
in the abdomen and chest. One bullet lodged in Wallace's
(02:19):
spinal column. This wound paralyzed the governor for life and
ended his national political aspirations. In hopes of wooing his supporters,
a series of Democratic front runners visited Wallace in the hospital.
Among these visitors was none other than Shirley Chisholm. Unlike
her Democratic rivals, Chisholm had nothing to gain from this
(02:41):
bedside vigil. She not only had zero chance of attracting
Wallace supporters, she also risked antagonizing her own. In nineteen
seventy two, Wallace was the most reviled political figure in
Black America. Martin Luther King had once called him the
most dangerous racist in America. He said this because Wallace
(03:03):
was no garden variety segregationist. As governor, he allowed white
supremacists to run rough shot over civil rights activists, which
culminated in church bombings, dogs being unleashed on child protesters,
and Bloody Sunday. In March nineteen sixty five, Governor Wallace
(03:24):
unleashed state troopers on a column of nonviolent protesters at Selma,
Alabama's Edmund Pettis Bridge, armed with teargrass and mallets. State
troopers on horseback beat and whipped protesters. Captured on tape
by national reporters. Bloody Sunday shocked nation. Such was George
Wallace's Alabama. Due to Wallace's actions, one could well understand
(03:49):
the depth of African American antipathy. When Chisholm told staff
of her plan to visit Wallace, she was met with
cries of what no way. One staffer explained, quote, I
just could not believe it. How in the world could
this woman, a black woman, go visit this horrible individual?
But the congresswoman was unmoved. Her entire life had been
(04:12):
defined by cutting against the grain. Born to working class
parents in Brooklyn, She's been her formative years in Barbados,
living with the grandmother, who ran, in her words, a
strongly disciplined family unit. Had strong As a kid, Chisholm
regularly ordered older playmates around. A prize winning debater in college,
(04:33):
she earned a master's degree from Columbia University, but Chisholm
was never one to follow the crowd. A rugged individualist,
she ran for Congress by bucking the system. Calling herself
unbought and unbossed. She reveled in the fact that quote,
the party leaders do not like me. In nineteen sixty nine,
she became the first ever African American woman to serve
(04:56):
in Congress, but she was hardly met with open arms.
Relegated to the Agriculture Committee, the Brooklyn Nite turned insult
into opportunity, Combining her zeal to help the impoverished. With
her Agriculture Committee post, she held meetings with farm state legislators.
Those talks helped lead to the expansion of the food
stamp program to every national jurisdiction. In Congress, she remained
(05:19):
a fearless truth teller. Anyone who knew anything about Chisholm
realized criticism would not deter her. Chisholm always kept her
eyes on the prize. In regard to her meeting with Wallace,
she told an aide, quote, I may be able to
teach him something to help him regain his humanity. You
have to rise to the occasion if you're a leader,
(05:42):
and enlighten people who may hate you. No one was
more surprised by Chisom's outreach than Wallace himself. When she
came to the hospital, he asked, what are your people
going to say about your coming here. Chisholm replied that
she was not sure. Quote, I would not want what
(06:02):
happened to you to happen to anyone. As she said this,
the congresswoman took the segregationist's hand and prayed with him.
The governor, according to his daughter, wept uncontrollably. In the
weeks and months after this meeting, Chisholm faced a firestorm,
(06:24):
but time and persistence tamped down the controversy. Chisholm failed
to win any primaries in nineteen seventy two, but she
did earn one hundred and fifty two first ballot votes
for the presidential nomination. A trailblazing effort, Chisholm returned to
Congress with a national profile. Wallace, meanwhile, struggled afflicted with
(06:44):
constant pain from gun wounds. He battled a painkiller addiction
and endured a very ugly in public divorce. But Wallace
also embarked upon a transformation. According to his daughter, Chisholm's visit,
along with his paralysis, forced him to sit still and reflect.
As a result, she claimed he had a real awakening,
(07:06):
a change of heart. Like most real life transformations, it
was slow and halting. In nineteen seventy four, Chisholm, to
the surprise almost everyone, called Wallace and asked for help
to extend federal minimum wage laws to domestic servants, aimed
primarily at African American women working in white Southern households.
(07:27):
The bill had been bitterly opposed by Southern Democrats. One
Chisholm phone call to Wallace, however, pushed the governor to act.
He worked the phones, minds were changed. The bill passed
five years later in nineteen seventy nine, Wallace did the unthinkable.
He attended a service at Martin Luther King's Dexter Avenue
(07:48):
Baptist Church in Montgomery. On that Sunday, he wheeled himself
to the front of the black congregation and confessed his
racist sins. Wallace's conversion was far from perfect, and interviews
he sometimes downplayed his past racism, but in a series
of other high profile public and private events, Wallace admitted
(08:11):
his past and told out Black Alabama's I'm sorry to skeptics,
Wallace's conversion was convenient and Alabama's democratic politics, the black vote,
now that they could vote, was decisive. By the nineteen eighties,
Wallace was colorblind when it came to winning an election.
(08:33):
None of us can divine a person's heart. Black political
power surely motivated Wallace's change, but change he did. As
governor in the nineteen eighties, he appointed scores of African
Americans to high level posts. He signed legislation to help
the poor and dispossessed, and an irony of all ironies,
(08:54):
George Coraley. Wallace probably did more for black Alabama's than
any other governor in the history of the state. In
nineteen ninety eight, George Wallace met with the civil rights
icon John Lewis to offer an apology. It was Lewis
who nearly died at the hands of Wallace State troopers
(09:16):
in nineteen sixty five Selma. In this meeting, Lewis forgave
his former tormentor, and in New York Times column, the
congressman wrote, I can never forget what George Wallace said
and did as governor, but our ability to forgive serves
(09:37):
a higher moral purpose in our society. George Wallace deserves
to be remembered for his effort to redeem his soul
and in so doing, to mend the fabric of American society.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler. And a special thanks to
Jeff Bludworth, who was a professor of American at Canon University.
He's also a Jack Miller Center Fellow, and the Jack
Miller Center is a nationwide network of scholars and teachers
dedicated to educating the next generation about America's founding principles
and history. To learn more, visit Jackmillercenter dot org. And
(10:16):
What a Story to teach young people that scene of
her holding his hand in praying with him. And who's crying, well,
of course it's Governor Wallace crying. The story of racism
in America and redemption, and the story of a unique
relationship that of Governor George Wallace and the late Great
(10:36):
Shirley Chisholm. Their story here on our American Stories.
And we continue with our American stories. Up next the
story of segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace and his redemption
story too. And it's told by Jeff Bloodworth, who was
a professor of American history again in university, and he
is also a Jack Miller Center fellow. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
In January nineteen sixty three, Wallace earned national infamy for
an inaugural speech in which he declared.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Segregation now, segregation Tomara, and segregation forever.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Six months later, the governor captured headlines by standing in
a university doorway to stop integration at the University of Alabama.
These acts transformed an otherwise obscure Southern politician to a
household name. This was exactly his hope catapulted to fame.
He ran for the presidency in nineteen sixty four and
(01:13):
in nineteen sixty eight. By nineteen seventy two, he was
a front runner for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Opposing him of the Democratic primaries was Shirley Chisholm, an
African American congresswoman from Brooklyn. Chisholm was Wallace's political opposite.
Chisholm's Brooklyn congressional district was comprised largely of working class,
(01:35):
in poor African Americans. Elected in nineteen sixty eight, she
became the nation's first ever black female congresswoman. In nineteen
seventy two, she broke yet another barrier as the first
woman to run for the Democratic nomination for president. Backed
by the Black Panthers and leading feminists, Shirley Chisholm was
everything George Wallace was not. In nineteen seventy two, Chisholm
(01:58):
and Wallace found their political faith intertwined by an assassin's bullet.
Fresh from victory in the Florida primary, the governor led
all Democrats in several polls. An assassin shot the governor
in the abdomen and chest. One bullet lodged in Wallace's
(02:19):
spinal column. This wound paralyzed the governor for life and
ended his national political aspirations. In hopes of wooing his supporters,
a series of Democratic front runners visited Wallace in the hospital.
Among these visitors was none other than Shirley Chisholm. Unlike
her Democratic rivals, Chisholm had nothing to gain from this
(02:41):
bedside vigil. She not only had zero chance of attracting
Wallace supporters, she also risked antagonizing her own. In nineteen
seventy two, Wallace was the most reviled political figure in
Black America. Martin Luther King had once called him the
most dangerous racist in America. He said this because Wallace
(03:03):
was no garden variety segregationist. As governor, he allowed white
supremacists to run rough shot over civil rights activists, which
culminated in church bombings, dogs being unleashed on child protesters,
and Bloody Sunday. In March nineteen sixty five, Governor Wallace
(03:24):
unleashed state troopers on a column of nonviolent protesters at Selma,
Alabama's Edmund Pettis Bridge, armed with teargrass and mallets. State
troopers on horseback beat and whipped protesters. Captured on tape
by national reporters. Bloody Sunday shocked nation. Such was George
Wallace's Alabama. Due to Wallace's actions, one could well understand
(03:49):
the depth of African American antipathy. When Chisholm told staff
of her plan to visit Wallace, she was met with
cries of what no way. One staffer explained, quote, I
just could not believe it. How in the world could
this woman, a black woman, go visit this horrible individual?
But the congresswoman was unmoved. Her entire life had been
(04:12):
defined by cutting against the grain. Born to working class
parents in Brooklyn, She's been her formative years in Barbados,
living with the grandmother, who ran, in her words, a
strongly disciplined family unit. Had strong As a kid, Chisholm
regularly ordered older playmates around. A prize winning debater in college,
(04:33):
she earned a master's degree from Columbia University, but Chisholm
was never one to follow the crowd. A rugged individualist,
she ran for Congress by bucking the system. Calling herself
unbought and unbossed. She reveled in the fact that quote,
the party leaders do not like me. In nineteen sixty nine,
she became the first ever African American woman to serve
(04:56):
in Congress, but she was hardly met with open arms.
Relegated to the Agriculture Committee, the Brooklyn Nite turned insult
into opportunity, Combining her zeal to help the impoverished. With
her Agriculture Committee post, she held meetings with farm state legislators.
Those talks helped lead to the expansion of the food
stamp program to every national jurisdiction. In Congress, she remained
(05:19):
a fearless truth teller. Anyone who knew anything about Chisholm
realized criticism would not deter her. Chisholm always kept her
eyes on the prize. In regard to her meeting with Wallace,
she told an aide, quote, I may be able to
teach him something to help him regain his humanity. You
have to rise to the occasion if you're a leader,
(05:42):
and enlighten people who may hate you. No one was
more surprised by Chisom's outreach than Wallace himself. When she
came to the hospital, he asked, what are your people
going to say about your coming here. Chisholm replied that
she was not sure. Quote, I would not want what
(06:02):
happened to you to happen to anyone. As she said this,
the congresswoman took the segregationist's hand and prayed with him.
The governor, according to his daughter, wept uncontrollably. In the
weeks and months after this meeting, Chisholm faced a firestorm,
(06:24):
but time and persistence tamped down the controversy. Chisholm failed
to win any primaries in nineteen seventy two, but she
did earn one hundred and fifty two first ballot votes
for the presidential nomination. A trailblazing effort, Chisholm returned to
Congress with a national profile. Wallace, meanwhile, struggled afflicted with
(06:44):
constant pain from gun wounds. He battled a painkiller addiction
and endured a very ugly in public divorce. But Wallace
also embarked upon a transformation. According to his daughter, Chisholm's visit,
along with his paralysis, forced him to sit still and reflect.
As a result, she claimed he had a real awakening,
(07:06):
a change of heart. Like most real life transformations, it
was slow and halting. In nineteen seventy four, Chisholm, to
the surprise almost everyone, called Wallace and asked for help
to extend federal minimum wage laws to domestic servants, aimed
primarily at African American women working in white Southern households.
(07:27):
The bill had been bitterly opposed by Southern Democrats. One
Chisholm phone call to Wallace, however, pushed the governor to act.
He worked the phones, minds were changed. The bill passed
five years later in nineteen seventy nine, Wallace did the unthinkable.
He attended a service at Martin Luther King's Dexter Avenue
(07:48):
Baptist Church in Montgomery. On that Sunday, he wheeled himself
to the front of the black congregation and confessed his
racist sins. Wallace's conversion was far from perfect, and interviews
he sometimes downplayed his past racism, but in a series
of other high profile public and private events, Wallace admitted
(08:11):
his past and told out Black Alabama's I'm sorry to skeptics,
Wallace's conversion was convenient and Alabama's democratic politics, the black vote,
now that they could vote, was decisive. By the nineteen eighties,
Wallace was colorblind when it came to winning an election.
(08:33):
None of us can divine a person's heart. Black political
power surely motivated Wallace's change, but change he did. As
governor in the nineteen eighties, he appointed scores of African
Americans to high level posts. He signed legislation to help
the poor and dispossessed, and an irony of all ironies,
(08:54):
George Coraley. Wallace probably did more for black Alabama's than
any other governor in the history of the state. In
nineteen ninety eight, George Wallace met with the civil rights
icon John Lewis to offer an apology. It was Lewis
who nearly died at the hands of Wallace State troopers
(09:16):
in nineteen sixty five Selma. In this meeting, Lewis forgave
his former tormentor, and in New York Times column, the
congressman wrote, I can never forget what George Wallace said
and did as governor, but our ability to forgive serves
(09:37):
a higher moral purpose in our society. George Wallace deserves
to be remembered for his effort to redeem his soul
and in so doing, to mend the fabric of American society.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling
by our own Greg Hangler. And a special thanks to
Jeff Bludworth, who was a professor of American at Canon University.
He's also a Jack Miller Center Fellow, and the Jack
Miller Center is a nationwide network of scholars and teachers
dedicated to educating the next generation about America's founding principles
and history. To learn more, visit Jackmillercenter dot org. And
(10:16):
What a Story to teach young people that scene of
her holding his hand in praying with him. And who's crying, well,
of course it's Governor Wallace crying. The story of racism
in America and redemption, and the story of a unique
relationship that of Governor George Wallace and the late Great
(10:36):
Shirley Chisholm. Their story here on our American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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