Roy
Wilkins was a leader in the civil rights movement for four decades.
He is best remembered as head of the NAACP (National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People) for 22 years. In 1950,
he and two other civil rights giants, A. Philip Randolph and Arnold
Aronson, founded the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. This
coalition has helped to champion every major national civil rights
law in America since the 1950s. In 1968, Roy Wilkins was chosen
to chair the US delegation to the first International Conference
on Human Rights in Tehran, Iran. During the turbulent 60s, Roy
Wilkins strongly advocated against the use of violence to bring
about social change. He also clashed with other civil rights leaders
of his time who argued for Black Power. They wanted African Americans
to form their own all black organizations and completely reject
mainstream American society, but Wilkins thought this was reverse
racism. For a lifetime of working for equal rights for all, Roy
Wilkins received many awards and accolades including the Presidential
Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
