Elliot Steeves-
Samuel Freedman, a nationally renowned columnist, author, and Professor of Journalism at Columbia College, gave a lecture on his new book, Into The Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights. The talk took place on Oct. 30th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall.
Freedman aimed to fill a historical and biographical gap within the life of Hubert H. Humphrey, a well-known and polarizing figure in American political history. The lecture, much like the book, focused on how Humphrey was a loud voice and fighter for civil rights within local Minneapolis politics, as well as within the national Democratic party.
Freedman outlined the early life of Humphrey, in which he ran a family drugstore while living with his parents. While Humphrey did unpaid work with his father, a Black crew of workers from the mill stopped by in their hometown of Dolan. Amidst the racist backlash to their arrival, Humphrey got along with the mill workers, who took him to the drinking pool.
It was both racism, as well as the crop price plummet in Dolan, that turned Humphrey into a New Deal Democrat. According to Freedman, Humphrey returned to his family to work with them during his sophomore year in college, just so that they could get by. He was awakened to a level of racial and economic despair that had eluded him.
After deciding to become a public servant in Washington, D.C., Humphrey attended Graduate School at Louisiana State. Freedman discussed how living in the Jim Crow South caused Humphrey to become even more angered by racism.
“Humphrey was able to see what was hiding in plain sight,” Freedman said.
That was also the sight of segregation in Minneapolis, which spurred Humphrey into running for mayor. Elected in 1943, Humphrey became a very different kind of mayor; one who was unabashedly in favor of ending the horrendous segregation in Minneapolis.
Humphrey made public a five-point plan to combat racism and prejudice in the city. He required police officers to receive public relations training from the University of Minnesota and receive civil rights ordinance. He banned both hiring and housing discrimination, and he attempted to push forth a police reform bill.
Unfortunately, before the reform bill was completed, Humphrey had been elected to the United States Senate.
Freedman told a story of how, in 1947, Humphrey returned home. A young man named Maynard Nelson made an attempt on his life at the doorway, firing two bullets right past him. Nelson, according to Freedman, had been influenced by far-right figure Gerald L.K. Smith, responsible for the hyper-conservative and bigoted America First party.
Freedman then discussed the apex of Humphrey’s political career in July of 1948. During this time, the presidential election was underway. The Democratic Primary was a battle between Harry Truman and the Dixiecrats: Strom Thurmond and Fielding Wright. Thurmond and Wright had almost convinced Truman to cave to Southern voters who wanted segregation to remain intact, threatening to leave the party and take those voters with them.
For Freedman, this was the convention where Humphrey made his absolute best speech. His two famous lines live on in American history as, arguably, some of the best ever uttered.
“For those who say we are moving too fast, I say we are moving 172 years too late,” Humphrey said. “For those who say this is an infringement on states’ rights, I say the time has come for America to walk out of the shadow of states’ rights and into the bright sun of human rights.”
After signing onto a civil rights platform, Harry Truman won the 1948 presidential election, defeating Republican Thomas Dewey. To Freedman, Humphrey was the catalyst.
At the core of Freedman’s lecture was the idea that American history, especially pertaining to racism, is a cycle.
“American history is a cycle that repeats itself,” Freedman said. “It is a cycle of repression, liberation, progress, and backlash.”
Samuel Freedman was invited to deliver this talk by longtime Professor of History and African Studies Gregory Kaster.
“Freedman’s new book on the young Hubert Humphrey is so well written, incredibly researched, and incredibly important at the present historical moment,” Kaster said. “Even though it is about something in the past, the issues he discusses are very much current. His book is both challenging to us, and inspiring at the same time.”
At the end of the talk, Freedman signed copies of his book for eager Gustavus students, resplendent with personalized messages. One of those messages? “Go and teach the next generation!” Freedman was eager to show Gustavus students how Humphrey set an example for how they could lead the fight for civil rights in their own community – perhaps nationally as well.