Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Clifford Alexander offers an inside look at his work with Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson during the Civil Rights Movement, revealing key moments behind the fight for voting rights and Black leadership.
00:00:48 - Meeting Dr. King
00:01:48 - Personal interaction with Dr. King
00:02:26 - Civil Rights and The White House
00:05:37 - Passing the Voting Rights Act
00:08:26 - The importance of the Voting Rights Act
00:11:33 - Responses to violence in 1968
00:15:00 - Securing equal opportunity
00:17:07 - Dr. King’s radicalism
00:19:06 - Lessons from the past
In this interview with Life Stories, Clifford Alexander reflects on his key role in the Civil Rights Movement, working with Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson. He shares insights on the media’s impact on the movement, the Voting Rights Act, and his experiences connecting Black leadership with the White House, offering personal stories about Dr. King’s leadership and the political challenges of the era. From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “King in the Wilderness” that follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life: from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, through personal stories of the people who were around him.
Clifford Alexander Jr. served under four U.S. Presidents—Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter. He began as Assistant District Attorney in New York before joining the National Security Council in 1963. Under Lyndon Johnson, Alexander served as Special Assistant, Associate Special Counsel, and Deputy Special Counsel from 1964 to 1968, and chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 1967 to 1969. After a stint in private practice, he became the first African American Secretary of the Army under President Carter in 1977.
Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/lifestoriesdotorg
Clifford Alexander, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Interviewed By: Trey Ellis
Interview Date: June 14, 2017
© Home Box Office and Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
#CliffordAlexander #lifestories
Clifford Alexander offers an inside look at his work with Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson during the Civil Rights Movement, revealing key moments behind the fight for voting rights and Black leadership.
00:00:48 - Meeting Dr. King
00:01:48 - Personal interaction with Dr. King
00:02:26 - Civil Rights and The White House
00:05:37 - Passing the Voting Rights Act
00:08:26 - The importance of the Voting Rights Act
00:11:33 - Responses to violence in 1968
00:15:00 - Securing equal opportunity
00:17:07 - Dr. King’s radicalism
00:19:06 - Lessons from the past
In this interview with Life Stories, Clifford Alexander reflects on his key role in the Civil Rights Movement, working with Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson. He shares insights on the media’s impact on the movement, the Voting Rights Act, and his experiences connecting Black leadership with the White House, offering personal stories about Dr. King’s leadership and the political challenges of the era. From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “King in the Wilderness” that follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life: from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, through personal stories of the people who were around him.
Clifford Alexander Jr. served under four U.S. Presidents—Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Carter. He began as Assistant District Attorney in New York before joining the National Security Council in 1963. Under Lyndon Johnson, Alexander served as Special Assistant, Associate Special Counsel, and Deputy Special Counsel from 1964 to 1968, and chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 1967 to 1969. After a stint in private practice, he became the first African American Secretary of the Army under President Carter in 1977.
Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit: youtube.com/@lifestoriesinterviewarchive
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/lifestoriesdotorg
Clifford Alexander, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Interviewed By: Trey Ellis
Interview Date: June 14, 2017
© Home Box Office and Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
#CliffordAlexander #lifestories
