With news from Minnesota Public Radio on Greta Cunningham going to run to his proposal for a one-house legislature made its first advance in the Minnesota house today, the Minnesota house governmental organization and operations committee unanimously agreed to send the bill to the next committee stop. The bill would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to go from a two house to A one-house legislature. The next stop for the bill is the house government finance committee chairman feel cranky. I Shoreview Republican and unicameral opponent expect to take action on the bill in February. We will have a complete and full hearings on this piece of legislation. Actually. This may surprise. Somebody would be most likely my intent to to look to move this bill along and make sure would make the system more open accountable and cheaper opponents disagree and believe the current system works fine. Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral system.Official say an autopsy shows that Harold Jergens died of heart disease and was not poisoned the real Stillwater man died January 13th a day after a caller told authorities. He may have been poisoned by the Ramsey County Medical examiner's Office determined Harold Jergens died of a form of heart disease Washington County Sheriff. Jim Frank says, the Jergens home was searched and common household products containing arsenic were recovered but Francis lab test failed to find arsenic in Jergens blood urine or head hair Jergens was the husband of Lois Jurgens who was convicted in 1987 of killing her three-year-old adopted son more than 20 years before authorities had said, they had no suspect in Harold Perkins death the forecast for Minnesota today calls for the possibility of a few flurries Statewide. Probably the most it cloudy skies with high temperatures from 18 in the north to 28th in the South tonight snow is likely importance of the West in South later tonight. Mostly cloudy in the Northeast with Lowe's from 5 above in the north to 20 in the South right now in the Twin Cities, Cloudy Skies.That's a news update. I'm going to Cunningham 8 minutes now pass 12. Good afternoon, and welcome back to a special edition of midday. I'm Gary Acton. Glad you could join us. Let's face it Minnesota is not in the middle of the universe as States goal. We are relatively small and inconsequential but yet three minnesotans played key roles and shaping some of the most important events of the last 50 years. It seems remarkable at the time but it seems even more remarkable with the passage of time yet. It's true take a look at the major events of the last 50 years. And there they are Minnesota senator u.s. Vice president Democratic Presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey, Minnesota senator and Democratic presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, Minnesota senator u.s. Vice president and Democratic Presidential nominee Walter Mondale some of what these three men accomplished has been pretty well-documented McCarthy's historic 1968 presidential campaign, for example, but other stories aren't as well known and it's one of those other stories that we're going to Tucson today in this special edition of mid day back in 1964. The Civil Rights Movement was in high gear. The segregated South was still the Democratic South Democrat. Lyndon. Johnson was running for president Democrat Hubert. Humphrey. Wanted to be Johnson's vice president and Humphrey Protege Walter Mondale was on his way up already Minnesota's State attorney-general those forces these men would all come together in Atlantic City New Jersey the side of the 1964 Democratic National Convention 1948 convention and the 1968 convention have received more attention, but the 1964 convention in Atlantic City may go down as one of the key turning points in the history of US race relations and two minnesotans Humphrey Mondale played key roles in the drama. So what happened in Atlantic City while in a nutshell Democrats were asked to choose between a segregated all white delegation from Mississippi and arrival biracial delegation. Humphrey was asked to head off the controversy Mondale and turn was asked to find the compromise needed to avoid that controversy. People are still talking today about who did what and why and what it all meant and last week Walter Mondale got some of those folks together at the University of Minnesota for the first installment in his new lecture series titled 50 years Walter Mondale shared his version of the freedom Democrats story and several others told there's and their Recollections differ in significant ways. I'm free. Who is today remembered as a giant in the Civil Rights struggle was portrayed at one point during the Forum is a man so consumed with getting a head that he was willing to leave others behind Mondale Praise by many for shaping the compromise that save the day was accused of double crossing the Mississippi civil rights activists. Play We're Going To Hear with Walter Mondale and some of the others at The Forum had to say about those events back in 1964 of living history lesson. If you will first though, let's put that living history into some historical context. Here's an excerpt from John B wins. 1994, Minnesota Public Radio documentary. Oh Freedom over me about the Mississippi Freedom Democratic. The segment is narrated by longtime civil rights activist. Julian Bond who is now the chairman of the NAACP from June through August 1964 Freedom Summer brought America to Mississippi at the end of the summer organizers prepared to place Mississippi before America's largest political party and test that parties commitment to democracy. The new Mississippi Freedom Democratic party at 60000 black members and a few white ones. It wasn't open Democratic opposite of the states regular Democratic party, which excluded blacks and controlled Mississippi's racist Society Lawrence Gilliard was chairman of the freedom Democratic Party Wii parallel the state organization of Mississippi where we could be possible to do so and remain alive. We had our registration form. We conducted Precinct meetings. We conducted convention meet who conducted County meetings and congressional district meetings. We liked it up. Acacian. We then put that delegation on the way to Atlantic City. In August at its National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey the Democratic party wanted Unity at a minimum of controversy as it prepared to nominate President Lyndon Johnson, the delegation of Mississippi Freedom, Democratic 64 black sand for whites arrived and buses and ask to be seated in place of the all-white regulars testifying before the party credentials committee. The freedom Democrats argue that they are party was open to everyone they have been legally elected and so they were the only legitimate delegation from Mississippi. My name is mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. And I live at 626 East Lafayette Street, Greenville, Mississippi. In testimony broadcast on National Television mrs. Hamer describe how white Mississippi and use the political and legal systems to brutalize black people the Clincher? Was her retelling of a beating and it just it just tugged at your heart Leslie McLemore was a snake staff member and the freedom Democratic party delegate from northern, Mississippi and she told it in such a way until if you could have stopped the real. Right then and there and so let's take a vote up or down on these Freedom Democrats. without the intervention by the Harding political Pros paneling with a 1 today the land of the free and the home of the brave Now we have to sleep without telephones off of the hook because I arrive before 7 because we want to live if he from you when President Johnson feared that if the freedom Democrats were seated, he would lose the southern white support that he thought he needed to defeat Barry Goldwater Johnson to ask Minnesota. Senator Hubert Humphrey his choice for vice president to negotiate with the freedom Democrats. Bob Moses of snake Johnson is the President Johnson says if you want to be vice president, then you deliver this you get this monkey off our back. Walter Mondale offered the freedom Democrats are compromised to members of their delegation one black and one white would be seated as delegates at large members of The All White party would be Seated only if they promise to support Johnson for president and the National Party promise never again to see desegregated delegation. It may not. Hi everybody the extremes on the right or the Extremes in the left. But we think it is a dress compromised. Most of the white Mississippi regulars were Goldwater supporters all but four of them left the convention the freedom Democrats rejected the compromise as well delicate Unita Blackwell. The compromise was was two seats. and Miss Amy said well, we ain't going to take no two seats all of us 68 case that no two seats Walter Mondale the indisputable fact that the blacks and Mississippi were seal out of the democratic party and that our party finally had to do something about what was Immoral disgrace but for many of the Mississippi movement the national Democratic party's refusal to seat the freedom Democrats was proof that in a pinch powerful liberals would choose tokenism over principal Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee staff member Frank Smith and everybody agreed with us. They all knew it was wrong. They all do it violate the constitution they all knew it had to be done sooner or later. They all knew all of the right things. They just couldn't do it at the time and I just losing us a great deal. I make it that this is the right movement quite considered an excerpt from the 1994, Minnesota Public Radio documentary. Oh Freedom over me the documentary was written and produced by John biewen. It was narrated by Julian Bond. Well last week during the first installment of his new lecture series former vice president Walter Mondale shared his reflections. On those events in Atlantic City and he also invited other participants to tell the story from their perspective and today on this special edition at. Midday. We're going to hear what mr. Mondale had to say, then we'll hear from some of the other foreign participants first-years former vice president Walter Mondale about what has been the most profound change in America in my lifetime the elimination of official racial discrimination by this. I mean the hateful legally sanctioned separation of white and black America, which is characterized too much of our nation for too much of our history. To do so. I will revisit one of the pivotal events in the Civil Rights struggle The Saga of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In 1964, these courageous people flocked open up the political process in Mississippi to Black citizens in that broiling summer. They took their cars to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. Were they forced the party to confront the ugly segregation in its midst? What happened there permanently and profoundly changed both the Democratic Party? and America Since I placed an important part in that drama, that's what I'd like to talk about. What I did what happened and why I think it was important. 36 years ago America was a far different country. It's almost impossible to explain to young people how pervasive discrimination was back then. In too much of the nation jobs housing Transportation schools, even drinking phones were segregated and millions of blacks particularly in the South were denied the right to vote. The Civil Rights Movement was born from these conditions. In Mississippi where blacks live in a police state the struggle was especially painful young organizers like Bob Moses had tried since 1960 to register black voters in that state, but they made little Headway and the violence they endured went unnoticed by the rest of the country. By 1964 Moses and his colleagues who are weary. They had been beaten and terrorized. And they desperately needed a new strategy. So they came up with a bold new project that they called Freedom Summer. They recruited and astonishing thousand volunteers from around the nation mostly whites college students from the north. To come to Mississippi to register black voters. They knew this was a desperate strategy that these students would be exposed to Danger just a day and then but they believe this time they're suffering would attract national attention to the terror undergirding, Mississippi segregation. they also believe that the FBI which had refused to become involved in these disputes wasn't even in Mississippi at the time would be forced to move into Mississippi if this time the victims were white This desperate strategy quickly proved correct? In fact on the very first day of Freedom Summer three young organizer Michael schwerner Goodman both white and James Chaney an African-American disappeared. 6 weeks later their bodies were found by the newly-arrived FBI. Their murders and the beating and jailing of the volunteers cost at National uproar. Ask national attention turn to Mississippi Moses and his colleagues worked with Joel real brilliant Washington attorney on another project of the Freedom Summer summer the formation of what they called the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. They decided to challenge Mississippi is white only regular delegation at the upcoming Democratic National Convention demanding that they be seated instead other Democratic State delegations, including Minnesota pledge their support. But the Freedom Party strategy put them on a collision course with the white power structure of the South and with President Lyndon B Johnson. It has been less than a year since Kennedy's assassination and Johnson saw the convention is his chance to step out of Kennedy Shadow. He was afraid that seating the freedom Democrats would incite a walkout of Southern and border states and hand the election to Barry Goldwater. In 1964. I was 36 year 636 years old in the fairly new Attorney General of Minnesota. And August 20th at summer. I flew to Atlantic City having been appointed as a Minnesota member of the credentials committee along with Jerry Joseph. Well, I knew about the Mississippi challenge. I never been to Mississippi and had no in-depth knowledge of the issues. But foremost on my mind was at Hubert Humphrey had a good chance of being nominated for vice president, and I wanted to help him and I wanted to see Johnson and Humphrey when in November. The excitement that I and some of you in this room felt about helping Humphrey become vice president was Central to Everything. I did at the convention. It wasn't until the credentials committee math on Saturday, August 22nd that I began to understand how serious the freedom Democrats challenge was. In a powerful presentation we heard Joe Rao and Aaron Henry Reverend Ed King Roy Wilkins and Martin Luther King jr. Testify for the freedom Democrats. But it was a sharecropper name Fannie Lou Hamer who transfixed the room and the nation as she told to being shot at beaten and arrested for urging her fellow citizens to vote. Let's take a look at Fannie Lou. Mister timer And to the credentials committee. My name is mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. And I live at 626 East Lafayette Street, Greenville, Mississippi. Sunflower County the home of Senator James o Eastland and Seneca stent the freedom Democratic party is not seated now. I question America. assessor map the land of the free and the home of the brave we have to poop without telephones off of the hook because because we want to live is getting some you and The power of the freedom Democrats case completely change the politics of the convention many of us should arrive in Atlantic City already persuaded that they had justice on their side. But whatever idea we had about solving the problem by simply pledging future reforms suddenly evaporated in the face of Fannie Lou hamer's eloquent. On Monday morning 210 members the credentials committee began discussing compromise proposals that have been floating around the convention, but there was absolutely no sign of consensus and emotions were running High to say the least. I suggested that we form a small subcommittee the chairman Governor Lawrence Pennsylvania greed made me chairman and appointed to other Northerners and Southerners by person committee. So there I was a young politician barely acquainted with Mississippi untested in National politics, but now in charge of keeping the convention from blowing apart. So I could be convened our subcommittee and off we went to our fleabag hotel to meet all night. We were under enormous pressure Johnson who was good at these things had let Humphrey know that his chance at the vice presidency depended on his brokering and acceptable compromise. Johnson staff Humphries people UAW president rooster Bayard Rustin and other shuttle between meetings of the civil rights leaders the freedom Democrats and other delegates trying to find and sell a solution that would keep this issue from exploding on the convention floor. Under the rules the freedom Democrats needed to only 11 volts and the credentials committee and the support of eight states on the floor to bring this issue to the convention for a debate and a vote where they might win but Johnson was absolutely determined not to risk a floor vote and a walkout. I spent three days working with the subcommittee on the seating question. I favorite a rule to Bar segregated delegations at Future conventions because I thought this would force Black and Whites to work this out in their own States and lead to healthier State parties. The no segregation goal for future conventions was among four proposals in our that we're being discussed Johnson and Michelle had a had okayed that proposal and White House staff had discussed it with Rao. But that proposal didn't offer any seats to the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party delegates at this convention. The freedom Democrats strength meanwhile, they've been building throughout the summer and with their powerful testimony that captured the momentum of the convention the stakes have been raised. Now, we knew that the issue of whether any of the freedom Democrats would be seated as delegates would make or break the compromise on Tuesday morning for days after we heard Fannie Lou I had breakfast with Humphrey Reuther governor of Lawrence and Tom Finney the staff director who was close to the White House. We find the subcommittee's proposal as it stood at that point it contain the elements the administration's and others had already supported non-discrimination rule for future conventions creation of a commission to enforce the rule. The requirement that all delegates had to sign a loyalty oath which we do Mississippi regulars wouldn't sign and a plan to seat all the freedom Democrats as honored guests, but not as delegates. Then we added a new Reclamation recommendation to symbolize the party's commitment the integration and to affirm the Justice of the freedom Democrats cause we are urged the convention to see Taryn Henry and Ed King of the Freedom Party at one black and one white as delegate at large with full voting rights. Everyone at that breakfast agreed to the plan and we knew we had to act that day the convention it already gotten underway with a Mississippi seating issue still unresolved Humphrey and Reuther spent the next two hours trying to sell the proposal to Convention leaders, including the freedom Democrats. After breakfast, I reconvene my subcommittee and move the adoption of the compromise through Tom Finney the White House and communicated its support after some final discussion our subcommittee voted on the proposal and it passed by 322 with a to Southerners voting. No. The subcommittee had completed his job. And now I was under pressure to get our proposal adopted by the full committee at a meeting to be scheduled early that afternoon. As I headed to the full credentials committee meeting. I felt we'd come up with an honorable solution to a difficult problem. And at that time at least I hope the freedom Democrats could accept it. I bumped into Joe Rao who was an old friend on the way to the committee meeting. He had heard the details of our proposal from Walter Reuther who had demanded that Ralph support route told me that if I could give him a little time he thought he might be able to persuade the freedom Democrats to accept it. We were friends. I trusted him I said I would try to help get him the time and I did try to do so, but when the committee reconvene in closed session, I made my presentation. I acknowledge that our proposal didn't go as far as either side wanted but I sent it recognized the problem of discrimination in the party and put in place a plan of action to end it I presented our proposals made my Arguments for adoption go round and ask for recess to allowed him to discuss it with a freedom Democrats, but that point chairman orange push for an immediate vote. The committee was demanding action. And I'm sure that the White House was behind that because they were fearful that bra would use this time to stir up further pressure in any of that after 4 days and impatient committee adopted our proposal on a Voice vote. Raw later tried to get the signatures for Minority Report, but he couldn't get enough of them to qualify under the rules. I then walk straight from the committee room to the largest news conference I've ever seen in my life where I announced the Committee Action. The timing of the committee vote my announcement of it have been sources of controversy ever since many of the freedom Democrats learned about the committee vote from the television news call Humphrey and Reuther. We're still trying to persuade them to accept the compromise when Bob Moses saw the announcement. He screamed you cheated and stormed out of the meeting. He was convinced that the freedom Democrats had been tricked you thought they'd been called you in the meeting with Humphrey while their credentials committee. Was Voting in order to stop them from rallying support for their position. To make matters worse some of the news reports suggested the freedom Democrats supported the proposal. In fact, they hadn't yet decided what to do about it. I wish we had given some time to caucus with the freedom Democrats before we acted but we didn't I wasn't able to deliver on my promise to Joe. Certainly the freaking Democrats were entitled to a decent interval to consider our proposal. I'm not proud of how this was handled. But I do believe the proposal itself was a good resolution of the issue. There was plenty of Hardball politics going on behind the scenes Johnson wanted this issue settled and he lead hard on the freedom Democrat supporter supporters to go along with him. There is no doubt that the White House pushed to get a fast committee vote. Once they knew that support for The Minority Report had vanished but even without a trick meeting and I don't think it was the Compromise would have passed we had debated it for four days and the compromise went further than most people including Johnson had expected but as it turned out boy Wilson Mississippi regulars and the freedom Democrats angrily rejected the compromise all but three white delegates walked out the three that stayed incidentally did so despite death threats from Mississippi and the freedom Democrats angrily rejected as well. They were particularly angry at being given only two at-large seats and having the delegates for those seats chosen for them as Fannie Lou Hamer shouted. We didn't come all this way for no two seats many of them spent the rest of the convention for testing and some remain bitter to this day. I'd like to spend a few minutes on Lyndon Johnson. Is this episode raises many questions about what kind of a present he was and where his sympathies were Johnson was the first President. I came to know quite well. He was a product of the Old South the Democratic self and many of his oldest friends and allies were from the same tradition Johnson played hard politics, and he could be a conniver to But there was another Lyndon Johnson and that's the one I liked. He had growing up in poverty and had taught in a poor rural School you sympathize with the plight of poor people and genuinely believed in civil rights this fight over Mississippi put them in a big bind one side said he was moving too fast on civil rights. The other side said he was moving too slowly once I thought he was caving in to the segregationist the other thought he was giving the Democratic party away to the upstarts in the Civil Rights Movement. Thankfully, we now have some astonishing radio tapes with your hours to hear Johnson's private White House conversations. I can't believe that this was ever going to happen, but it did. The tapes reveal Johnson was frustrated by the freedom Democrats and wanted to do whatever he could to Stave off their challenge, but he was more disgusted with white Southerners who wouldn't give him any help or Running Room on civil rights when Governor George Georgia Governor Carl Sanders who was considered a moderate in those days call Johnson in the middle of the convention to complain about the two seats being given to the freedom Democrats as being too many Johnson finally blew up. Let's listen to him for a minute. If that's what they are being honest look between you and me with our population 50%. Christmas present for Democrats Mexico and participate the convention and I got half the population. I think you got a good legitimate case to say that the state of Mississippi wouldn't let an egg roll come into that damn convention and that boy that violated the law and wouldn't let them both when let him race track. This was a different Johnson and was on the news those days. Here was the president making the freedom Democrats argument for them. He was trying to convince an old southern friend to concede a shred of decency, and he was disgusted that they wouldn't What happened in Atlantic City changed everything the Democrats finally abandoned the segregation is Old South? That's what I grew up with. When I first went to the Senate I came back in the first day and I told Joan I took French at McAllister. I should have taken Southern. Big because almost every committee was chaired by them. My Banking Committee was Willis Robertson the Father Pat Robertson, you had Allen ellender and agriculture from Louisiana and John McClelland on a government operations from Arkansas billfold by from Arkansas Foreign Relations. You had spessard Holland from Florida who basically control all the agriculture Appropriations all across the South had rushed along chairman. If there was no power committee that wasn't run usually with two or three people right behind them by Southern that was the old system. And that's what we were abandoning. The Republicans realizing that millions of Southern voters were feeling the Democrat were fleeing the Democratic party set out to woo, the disaffected many black leaders really from disappointment and violence question whether or non-violence could really work things were really exploding rarely occurs in American politics. I firmly believe that the Democrats made the right decision by prohibiting segregation in future conventions, and I work hard to make sure that we kept our promise to Mississippi. I went to Mississippi often afterwards to help the errors of the freedom Democrats build an integrated party. And then in 1968 now is Humphreys co-chair. I went back to Mississippi again, right before the 68 convention to pledge our support for the seating of the intergrated delegation. I remember that cuz I got back to Washington and John stennis called me into the office and gave me a royal chewing out cuz this is not well received. Thanks to the new rule. Whites-only delegations were no longer welcome at our convention in 1968 and integrated delegation came from Mississippi, which included are in Henry and King Lawrence. And Fannie, Lou Hamer, Mississippi had only six black elected officials in 1964, but by 1987 Mississippi ranked first in the nation with 803 black elected officials and glory be when President Carter and I were elected in 1976. It was Mississippi that put us over the top. Mike Espy was the first black congressman from Mississippi since reconstruction in the election of Bill winter an outspoken civil rights Advocate to the governorship in 1979 was further proof that things were changing but the Democratic party pay the price in the short run for choosing integration millions of white voters golden to Wallace and to Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon's southern strategy this shifter shaft resulted in what has been described as the southernization of the Republican Party overtime all of those Southern Democrats. Today. We're out of there and replaced by Republicans. It was still a solid South but it was Republican and not Democrat and what time it gave us Trent Lott Jesse Helms Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay. The change was so extreme that I remember John Sherman Cooper a Republican senator from Kentucky and a saved telling me that he was quitting the Senate because he's given up. Hope the Republican Party would remain faithful to Abraham Lincoln. He didn't like what they were doing on race and he said he was too old to do anything about it. These changes are still a reality in southern politics in 1980. Ronald Reagan started his national campaign for the presidency in Philadelphia, Mississippi breeding Prestige states rights and even in the current campaign, we hear candidates refusing to support the removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina's state capitol. The Civil Rights Community experienced its own upheaval after Atlantic Center City some embittered civil rights leaders adopted a more radical stance believing that change wouldn't happen through peaceful means that black should have stablish their own power than to seek integration. I think was 1967 the snake organization expelled there white members, but many more civil rights Advocates despite all the disappointments of provocation kept the faith with Martin Luther King's message of non-violence integration moderation indecency. They are the heroes in this story where they literally held our nation together when things were falling apart. It was their courage patience and faith the turn the Civil Rights dream into a reality. Many of them later like Andy young Eleanor Holmes Norton and John Lewis became prominent national leaders somewhere less problem like the other Freedom Democrats or the three white members. I mentioned earlier who sat down at the convention, even though their lives were threatened. I know after all these years we could see something else what they saw came true. Martin Luther King once told an audience of white businessman that segregation was inefficient as well as unjust that it held back progress in all of the cell and that it was unpatriotic to smirch the name of America with this offense. He was right. Thanks to the Civil Rights Act the remarkable Warren court and the opening of the democratic party America's now for finally better Nation despite the mini deep problems that remain and they are many the elimination of official discrimination has permitted us to tap much more of our talent. King was also right in saying that racism is unpatriotic Ford profoundly weakened America's International stature. Paradoxy it is the South what you resisted these changes that has benefited. Most of all during the days of Jim Crow The South was a Backwater when I first traveled on there, I think that's a fair description. Certainly Kings prediction has come true in the miraculous Southern Bounty a recent decades Sunbelt Prosperity a cultural boo, Major League Sports in Olympia skate all because we adopted the Civil Rights and the south is prominence and prosperity largely due to the courage of the freedom Democrats into the historic shift of the civil rights laws back for the Democratic party. It should remind us that decency is not just nice. It is necessary and it works. although creating a more perfect union was one of our nation's most perfect goals from the very beginning of slavery and racial discrimination drove an ugly gash through the middle of America dividing North from south from the very day of our phones e Take Minnesota and Mississippi. You would think that these two states both and Mid-America bound together by our Great River would have had closely bound history. But that wasn't so because of race. We have lived apart been at War and might as well have been living on different planets during most of our history our civil rights progress now allows our state and Nation to come together and that more perfect union that we pledged to build in the first place. It's tempting to look back from today's vantage point and think these victories were inevitable but none of it was preordained. All of it was very hard to come by. So when you hear people say that citizens can't do anything that it is foolish to become involved that nobody listens. Please tell them to take a hard look at American history. And while you're at it take a look at Fannie Lou Hamer as well. When I spoke in Biloxi, Mississippi to the young Democrats in 19th 1966 when they were that was the freedom Democrats at work. I told him Coach some day the whole country will listen to Mississippi. You will have emancipated emancipated us all and God bless them. So they have That was former vice president and former Minnesota. Senator Walter Mondale recalling the historic events that took place in Atlantic City in the summer of 1964. His speech was titled Atlantic City Revisited Mississippi's Freedom Democrats, and the integration of the democratic party was part of the first installment in a new lecture series called 50 years the Mondeo lectures on public service event took place at the University of Minnesota on Friday and today on this extended edition of midday or featuring some excerpts from that for him after former vice president mondale's lecture a panel of civil rights leaders discuss the significance of the events at the 1964 democratic convention in Atlantic City discussing those events from their perspective Lawrence guyot June now works for Washington DC's office of early childhood education, but back in 1964, he was elected chairman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. And he told last week's for him that he did not like the Mondale brokered Atlantic City compromise. What I want to do today is simply say that while I'm proud of this event. Mine is a position that is in contrast everything you've heard. I want to see the hands of those people in this room who believe that Lyndon Johnson could not have ceded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Good to know hands. We all understand that let us be very clear. I love Linda Johnson, but I also love the truth. Lyndon Johnson could have seated the freedom Democratic party and push the head the racial polarization that we now see throughout America the Kettering commission. The one the Kerner Commission the Eisenhower Institute tells us today. We live in two countries one white one. Rich one black one poor. I think that until we Revitalize the political institutions in our political activity where we are prepared to deal with the issues that matter to people we can. You know, the Kettering Institute should report say we are a nation of spectators. We have got to work on revitalizing the fatality in the universality of the political apparatus and that means turning out to vote because I participated in the organization of the freedom Democratic party because let us be very clear. We did not leave Atlantic City until we've been defeated. We left we went back to Mississippi. We challenge the Congressional Delegation from Mississippi under Section 2 of the 14th Amendment. We file the first Case Whitley vs. Johnson under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The only reason Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act was put into the Voting Rights Act was because of the Congressional challenge the historians look at Mississippi this way David Garrow says that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed because of Selma, Alabama Aaron Henry says it was because of the freedom election John doerr the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice says it was because of the early work done in Macomb. York, New York John Mary King who's written a beautiful book called freedom song says it was because of the Congressional Challenge and the convention challenge. Now I think it alright. Because the the significant thing about Mississippi was the movement there Co for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party concentrated entirely on getting people involved in politics. We did not do sit-ins at lunch counters. We did not do any way it ends. We concentrated on political involvement. we I'm proud to say. In 1965, we had the case of United States vs Mississippi which challenge the constitutionality of every voting law in the state of Mississippi being decided before The Supreme Court Archibald Cox was the solicitor-general we all know who I should call Cox was and there's a historical debate today as to whether or not he could have moved a Supreme Court ruling on the merits because at the same time that takes was going on at the Congress of the United States was deciding whether or not to unseat the Congressional Delegation from the compromise. That was struck by I want you to check everything. I say go back to the Congressional Record. You will see Congressman McCullum Makes the point that we have a choice either we unsee the delegation from Mississippi. Are we strengthened? The Voting Rights Act? That's where Section 5 came from and it took the Supreme Court two weeks ago in a 5-2 polvo the Supreme Court voted section V. So let us be very very clear. One of the most important things you can do this year is vote for a guy named Bradley. because I think if we can get three good people on the Supreme Court, we can Revitalize not only politics but America, read quickly through a list of books that I want you to read Because if you read the history Three Pillar of Fire by Taylor Branch need to read by the color of all skins. This is one of the most important books written down because we as a country are Fred to talk about race and until we talk about that is very little else we can do it's called by the color ball skins and has written by Leonard steinhorn and Barbara Diggs Brown. The other books I insist that you read. It's local People by John DePalma church people in the struggle the National Council of churches by James Findlay named Bob Stone. Who helped? I invited the National Council of churches to come with us in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1963. He made it possible for us to do that. And that led to the National Council of churches supporting us in the summer project and in the Congressional challenge, so I want to publicly say to buy. Split to Robert Stone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you that some of that didn't end by land Ho Mississippi is defiant years and interpretation of the sovereignty commission Earl Johnson freedom song by Mary King writes on trial by Arthur. Kinoy. Freedom Summer by Douglas McAdams. I have trouble with that book, but intellectually I have to recommend it like a holy Crusade by Nicholas Mills black votes count by Frank Parker. I've got the light of Freedom organizing tradition of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic by Charles Payne and I want to stop and say that the reason I'm here today is because of some women And those women are named Fannie Lou Hamer Victoria gray Peggy, Jean Connor and Andy Devine because without their support I would have never been chairman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party and I want us to always remember that in the summer project of 1964. The the politicization of gender happened there. Let it if it did not happen. Anyway also happened there. It was Mary King. Emily Schlatter Teresa Del pozzo who begin who opened up that question and it's never been close and it never should be closed today 50% of every delegation that goes to the Democratic party must be female that came from the decision in 1964, and I'm proud of it. Let us understand. Let us understand that there two groups who saved the Democratic Party in the last congressional election in their women and blacks the rest of the country stay at home. Don't stay home on Bradley. And I want to put the other on the other book I would recommend is Mississippi challenge by Mildred Pitts Walter. And imma do something that I do. There's only one book of fiction. I don't deal in fiction. There's only one book of fiction. I would recommend a book called and do remember me by Marita golden it deals with the concept of what we were trying to do better than anything else. I also want to congratulate. I want to thank Joseph real but what he did in Atlantic City, but I want to congratulate him for what he did in the McGovern campaign. Some people in the McGovern campaign brought him a proposal that the McGovern campaign would go to the southern governments and see if you will support us. We will help kill the Voting Rights Act and Joseph real look them in the face and see if you don't denounce this right now. I'm going to denounce you and Joe I want to thank you for that. Lawrence Gilliard jr. In 1964 Mr. Was the chairman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party last week. He was one of the featured speakers at the first Monday of lecture on public service held at the University of Minnesota. The inaugural Forum was titled Atlantic City Revisited Mississippi's Freedom Democrats, and the integration of the democratic party. We have some news headlines coming up next but do stay tuned because we have another hour of the special broadcast coming up for a featuring excerpts from last week's for him during the next hour. We'll be hearing from civil rights or later Reverend Edward King King Edwin King rather historian Taylor branch and former, Mississippi Governor William Winter in Freedom Democratic Party. help free us all in the Deep South from the shackles that had enslaved Us in terms of the positions that we were able to take in politics former, Mississippi Governor William Winter, one of the featured speakers during the next hour of this extended edition of midday, as we resent some excerpts from the Mondale lecture on public service elec at the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party of 1964 to stay 2 and 1/2. This is midday coming to you on Minnesota Public Radio. On Mondays All Things Considered residents in Mandan North Dakota demand to know why it's taken 16 years to clean up a massive oil spill will have that story on Mondays All Things Considered weekdays at 3 on Minnesota Public Radio. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. I have a cloudy Sky 24 degrees at care W FM 91.1 Minneapolis. And st. Paul cloudy through the afternoon with a high temperature about where it is mid twenties 50-50 chance for snow tonight with a low 15 to 20 then tomorrow a winter storm. Watch for the Twin City area heavy snow is possible with a high temperature tomorrow. Right around 30 degrees.