CBS REPORTS: BLACK POWER, WHITE BACKLASH (TV)
Summary
One in this series of irregularly scheduled in-depth reports. This program, hosted by Mike Wallace, focuses on the rising racial tensions in America over the summer of 1966. Wallace explains that white Northerners have recently had to face their "feelings and fear" about black people, as conflicts that previously seemed restricted to the South have spread to other cities. Many peaceful protest marches have turned violent, causing expensive damage and prompting whites to "counter-demonstrate." Vice-President Hubert Humphrey comments on the dangers of extremism in harming the Civil Rights movement, while Illinois mayor Robert Sabonjian condemns the "hoodlums" and the NAACP's involvement. Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen notes that Georgia has turned Republican because of race issues, stating that he himself supported the Civil Rights Act voting bill. Wallace sits down with young radical Stokely Carmichael, who explains the meaning behind his demand for "black power," stating that it is more than a mere slogan and describes a system of support in which black people actively protect one another within an oppressive system. He stresses the importance of blacks controlling the resources for their own communities "by any means necessary," asserting that they are currently "property-less and viewed as property." He declares that the military draft is designed to "exterminate" black people, and concludes that white people must "civilize the savages" within their own race who behave in violent and discriminatory ways.
Wallace then explains that many were displeased with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "fruitless demonstrations" until he threatened to march on Cicero, Illinois, which led to some concessions regarding open housing. King states that non-violence is still the "most potent weapon" in the movement, though acknowledges that many disagree with this stance, and observes that "the riot is the language of the unheard." He speculates about tension and violence in future summers, saying that change will come from politicians and from white Americans' behavior. King notes that black Americans have had a different experience from other minority groups because of the history of slavery and the "high visibility" of skin color, which makes one feel permanently trapped in their "inferior" societal position. Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. argues that King misunderstands the idea of "black power," which is primarily about pride and dignity, and states that violence is sometimes acceptable in the fight to reclaim one's "manhood."
Wallace next talks to Daniel Watts, a former architect and current publisher and editor of the "Liberator" magazine, and Watts voices his opinions on dismantling the white power structure, saying that he is more interested in "money and power" than in civil rights and "brotherhood" with whites, whom he feels will eventually "buy" peace with them. He dismisses Dr. King as "entertainment" and notes that whites still doubt blacks' seriousness in demanding rights and respect, concluding that he is willing to accept "a meaningful death" in his fight for freedom. Daniel Moynihan, author of the controversial "Moynihan Report" and director of the Joint Center of Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard, agrees that Watts' demands are reasonable, admitting that violence both "terrifies" and works effectively, though states that Dr. King most accurately represents most black Americans' views.
King defines Cicero, infamous as the longtime home of Al Capone, as the "Selma of the North" in which a recent march was met with hostility and violence. Wallace talks to various residents, most of whom are working-class Republicans, about the idea of black people moving into the neighborhood, and though some seem unfazed by the prospect, others state that they would feel "unsafe." One man notes that he is unimpressed by King's efforts, noting that "the man with the money rules," and another argues that whites will not buy property in a "changing neighborhood" and that the summer of 1967 is likely to be even more tumultuous. Moynihan notes that Japanese-Americans were regarded with great prejudice and discrimination after WWII but are now one of the most affluent and highly-educated groups, suggesting that some forms of racism can eventually wane, though blacks are currently seen as the unsympathetic "aggressors." Opinion polling expert Louis Harris tells Wallace that the number of people supporting the current "pace" of the civil rights movement has dropped significantly in recent years, likely because of the rise in demonstrations, and states that housing is the most important issue, with most blacks supporting integrated housing and most low-income whites against it. He also notes that fewer white liberals support the civil rights movement and many more people believe that "most blacks are violent," despite the fact that King is clearly a preferred leader over Carmichael. He speculates that race issues could be a decisive factor in the upcoming November elections, and Wallace concludes that "the vast majority must come together" to enact meaningful change. Includes commercials.
Preservation of the Post–World War II American Television Documentary Collection is supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: September 27, 1966 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:31
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:75693
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - News/Talk; Talk/Interview; U S - Race relations
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1959-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
- TV - Promos - CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite
CREDITS
- Leslie Midgley … Executive Producer
- Alice Bigart … Producer
- Sam Roberts … Producer
- Joe Gorsuch … Director
- Mike Wallace … Reporter
- Stokely Carmichael … Interviewee
- Martin Luther King … Interviewee
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr. … Interviewee
- Daniel Watts … Interviewee
- Daniel Moynihan … Interviewee
- Louis Harris … Interviewee
- Ivan Allen
- Hubert Humphrey
- Robert Sabonjian