President Jimmy Carter's legacy on race
Early in Jimmy Carter’s political career, his apparent ambivalence toward segregation cost him support.
In 1966, a groundswell of segregationists put Lester Maddox into office. Four years later, Carter minimized his appearances before Black audiences and even asked segregationists for their endorsement.
It worked, so when he took office, many were shocked when he said the time for racial discrimination was over.
Anthony Michael Kreis is an assistant professor at Georgia State’s college of law. He joined WABE’s “All Things Considered” to explain why Carter became comfortable being firmer on his stance on equality.
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