Roy Wilkins: “The Clock Will Not Be Turned Back”

Audience

Wilkins’s speech was delivered before an audience at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, California. Doubtless many, if not all, of the educated, civic-minded members of the audience were appalled by the recent violence in Little Rock and generally supportive of Wilkins’s remarks. But Wilkins’s words were also directed at the broader public in the North, whose support was needed to push forward the civil rights agenda, and his speech was carried on numerous radio stations. In emphasizing the negative impact that segregation had on America’s cold war foreign policy, Wilkins was also seeking to increase the pressure on the federal government. Finally, Wilkins’s remarks, particularly his emphasis on black dignity, pride, and African Americans’ historic contribution to the nation’s development, including service in its armed forces, were also intended to boost the morale and the resolve of the wider black community, particularly in the South, where the fight against white supremacy was being fought.