WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from November 1960, two reporters interview Reverend Billy Graham about the court-ordered school integration in New Orleans, Louisiana.The clip begins with an outdoor interview; a reporter in a hat and coat takes notes while Billy Graham stands next to another reporter in front of several microphones. The camera also briefly focuses on three cameramen filming the interview. An off-screen reporter asks Graham about his opinion of the New Orleans school integration crisis. Graham says he regrets the conflict in New Orleans because it hurts the United States' prestige in other countries. He also indicates that he does not believe "what has been happening represents the majority of the people in New Orleans." The reporter standing to Graham's right asks if he wants to "get this integration over with." Graham replies that he supports "those who want to obey law," and "that when a law has been interpreted by the Supreme Court ... it is up to us to obey it." He continues to assert the importance of abiding the law, saying, "I think we are to obey every law of government unless it interferes with our free worship of God."After several years of legal maneuvering, federal judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the Orleans Parish schools begin integration on a grade-a-year plan beginning in the fall of 1960. In August, four of the five school board officials met with Judge Wright and agreed to the plan, announcing that they would accept applications for school transfers to...

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia