An Interview with Scott Walters

Scott Walters  is an Associate Professor of Drama at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He received his PhD in Theatre History and Criticism from the City University of New York -- Graduate Center. He also has a MS in Theatre from the Illinois State University and a BA in Theatre from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. In 2005, he co-authored the "Introduction to Play Analysis," published by McGraw-Hill. In 1968, Scott was a 5th grader in Racine, Wisconsin. He shares his memories from 1968 and his thoughts about the present.

What do you remember about 1968?
In 1968, I was in 5th grade and I had a first-year teacher , Miss Frazer, who was the only African-American teacher in the school. She had a fiance who was fighting in Vietnam.  I had a huge crush on Miss Frazer, and I would show up twenty minutes early to school so I could take her bag lunch down to the refrigerator in the teacher's lounge. Strangely enough, I don't remember the issues surrounding the war or the Civil Rights Movement ever being discussed in class. But I do remember my awareness of events being altered by Miss Frazer's presence. I grew up in Racine, Wisconsin just south of Milwaukee. At the time, there was a priest named Father Grapi who had led several civil rights marches in Milwaukee. Racine was a racially mixed town filled with factories, and there was some racial tension over a community center that year. The mayor of Racine, Ken Huck, was a friend of my father's, and when plans were announced that Father Grapi would be leading a march in Racine about the community center, Huck declared a 48-hour curfew during which nobody was allowed to go anywhere.  I remember staying home from school those days, and walking out in the yard and sensing how quiet everything was -- no cars going anywhere, and everybody tense about what was going to happen. I remember sometime that year my father talking to guests that were over for dinner, and muttering about all the trouble being caused, and how blacks were bad to be doing what they were doing. "But Miss Frazer is black and she isn't bad," I protested. My father looked at me, suddenly aware of what he was saying and its effect on me, and he said "Well, not ALL blacks. There are some good ones, like Miss Frazer." It was the first time I became aware of how people could condemn a group of people in general while simultaneously making individual exceptions for those in their own life. While I was sort of mollified by my father's exception for Miss Frazer, it was also rather disturbing.

What lessons do you think Americans still have to learn from that year?
That year was out of control in so many ways. We can focus on the leaders -- Kennedy, King, McCarthy -- but it was the protesters that we should learn from. And what we need to learn has a light and a dark side. The light side is that we still have to recognize that the power of hope can release enormous energy for change and for justice. The real energy of America is released around issues of justice, fairness, caring; it is only when those issues are muffled that Americans shift toward issues of self-preservation and self-aggrandizement. The dark side is the way many of the campus radicals interacted with those who did not share their opinions. So often, they sought to shout down opposition, silence reflection, and simplify issues to slogans. Those political strategies have now been taken into the mainstream and can be seen on display any Sunday morning on the political shows where nobody listens or reflects. We have to learn from that year that democracy relies on thoughtful, passionate, and open dialogue that recognizes complexity.

Do you think the Democratic Party could have prevented the riots from occuring?
Like today, the Democratic Party was divided between those who didn't want to rock the boat too much and preferred baby steps in social issues, and those who were suddenly energized and hopeful that things could change in a major way. With the withdrawal of Eugene McCarthy and the assassination of Robert Kennedy, suddenly there were only the baby-steppers left -- those, and the crazies like George Wallace, who came to Racine and my parents took me and my sister to hear him speak, not because they were thinking of voting for him, but because he was a Presidential candidate and they were curious. Anyway, the riots were an expression of anger, hurt, and frustration that were almost inevitable.  Suddenly, all those people who weren't usually interested in politics, who had been drawn in out of a passionate commitment for social justice, felt betrayed by events. Could the riots have been prevented?  Possibly, but not with a convention in Chicago with the old school Richard Daley at the helm. The baby-steppers didn't want to hear from the "radicals," who they felt had come late to the party.

What kind of effect has Dr. King's activism had on your life?
Dr. King stands as an inspiration.  I have listened to the audio book A Knock at Midnight, which compiled recordings of many of King's sermons and speeches. More than anything else, listening to those sermons was a inspiration. It wasn't just his commitment to non-violence that was impressive, it was his ability to reframe issues in terms of America's higher angels, its stated ideals as found in the Constitution and the Bible, that made him such a powerful force. He was proof about the power of an idea that is deeply rooted in traditional values. At the time, Dr. King was, for me, simply another character in the chaos of that time. It wasn't until much later that his real effect was felt in my life.

What kind of effect has Bobby Kennedy's ideals had on your life?
Kennedy seemed to me to be proof that it was possible to change, to become enlightened. It seemed as if he had gone from being a typical Kennedy -- hyper-competitive, hard-driving, reflecting his plutocratic upbringing -- to being someone who sympathized with the poor, the disenfranchised, the workers. When he smiled, you sensed sadness and empathy. That someone could be so powerful and still feel that gave me hope. This was a different Bobby Kennedy from the Attorney General who attacked organized crime -- this was someone who had shifted his focus from the powerful to the powerless.

How do you think America was changed by the events of 1968?
At the time of Robert Kennedy's assassination, following so closely on Dr. King's assassination, I remember feeling as if our country was coming apart. That all the hope had escaped. In many ways, I'm not certain we have recovered from that feeling of loss, although I am sensing a rebirth with the candidacy of Barack Obama. When King and Kennedy were killed, and after the corruption of the Nixon administration, I lost all hope in the goodness of our leaders. It has taken a long time for that to heal.

Comments

[Dean]

That was Father Groppi, by the way. James Groppi. There's a Wikipedia entry on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Groppi

Wikipedia says he left the priesthood in 1976 and became a bus driver in the Milwaukee Transit System. Amazing. Tragic and amazing.

[Judy Collins]

I was also born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin and like Scott Walters, I too attended the event in downtown Racine with my mother. (No need to cite the exact location). I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade. There is no doubt one major difference in that my mom and I, (to my knowlwdge) were the ONLY African Americans attending the event.

The purpose of our attendance was the facilitation of my being able to see and hear racism first-hand. My mom used this occassion as one of many "teachable moments" that she provided me with as a black child growing up in Racine. I distinctly remember the racial tension in the air in Racine re: the community center, mayor Kenneth Huck, the curfew (and the accompanying stillness in the air - I just knew we were going to have a massive riot in Racine), the civil rights protests led by Father Groppi, (who reminded me of a cool kind of guy, as opposed to a priest- with his large black eyeglasses and dark hair) of Milwaukee. The activism of two of the first black politicians from the Milwaukee area, Vell (sp?) Phillips and Lloyd Barbee. It was a time of intense chaos and unrest.

In Chicago, (approx. sixty miles south of Racine) was the site of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, (DNC). The home of Mayor Richard Daley and his infamous political machine. I vividly recall the violence occurring during the convention, as a result of the anti-Viet Nam war movement. The killing of MLK in 4/68, followed by Robert Kennedy's death in 6/68.

Scott, unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to meet you in 1968. However; as my mom always told me, "no wrong goes uncorrected". The wrong has been corrected - because we have both been able share our personal stories re: what happened so many years ago in a small S.E. Wisconsin town located on the shores of Lake Michigan. How true are the teachings of my mom that as people, we are more alike than different.

[Judy Collins]

Re: my previous posting, for clarification, "the event" I referenced is the campaign speech given by presidential candidate George Wallace in Racine, Wisconsin in 1968.