Wilkins to lecture on Civil Rights Act

Roger Wilkins, a Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime civil rights activist, will focus on the hopes and promises of the Civil Rights Act in its 40th year, in the Kastenmeier Lecture at the UW Law School.

Wilkins, professor of history and American culture at George Mason University, will speak on Friday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. in Room 2260 of the Law School.

The event is free and open to the public but, due to limited seating, organizers urge those planning to attend to call (608) 262-3833 to register.

A former assistant attorney general in the Johnson administration, Wilkins also worked as a member of the editorial page staff at the Washington Post and shared in a Pulitzer Prize for that newspaper’s coverage of the Watergate scandal. He is also a past chair of the Pulitzer Prize board.

Wilkins was also an associate editor at the Washington Star and a columnist and member of the editorial board at the New York Times. His books include: “Jefferson’s Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism” and his acclaimed autobiography, “A Man’s Life.”

Additionally, Wilkins serves as a member of the board of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and has served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Africa America Institute, trustee of the University of the District of Columbia and as a member of the District of Columbia Board of Education.

As part of the event, UW law professor Frank Tuerkheimer will address “Bob Kastenmeier and 1960s Civil Rights Legislation: Leadership Through Commitment and Foresight.”

The lecture is supported by a fund established to recognize Robert W. Kastenmeier, a UW Law School graduate who served in Congress from 1958-1990. The Kastemeier Fund was created to foster scholarship in the fields of intellectual property, corrections, administration of justice and civil liberties.