ELLEN:
ELLEN: --
ELLEN: -- ALL OF WHOM PASSED AWAY JUST LAST YEAR.
BEFORE REVEREND VIVIAN DIED, HE
CO-AUTHORED HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
WITH OUR GUEST.
WE SAT DOWN TO TALK ABOUT THE
CIVIL RIGHTS LEGEND.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE
ON TODAY, SO WE COULD TALK ABOUT
WHAT A GREAT MAN IN OUR HISTORY.
WHO WAS REVEREND C.T. VIVIAN?
>> HE WAS AN ICONIC MINISTER AND
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, AND WINNER
OF THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF
FREEDOM, WHO BECAME A CLOSE
ASSOCIATE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER
KING JR. AND REALLY PLAYED A
PIVOTAL ROLE IN ALL THE MAJOR
CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLES IN THE 60'S
-- IN THE 1960'S.
NASHVILLE, THE FREEDOM RIOTS,
THE ARMING HIM CHILDREN'S
CRUSADE.
CRUSADE.
CRUSADE. -- THE BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S
CRUSADE.
CRUSADE.
CRUSADE. HE CREATED A PROGRAM THAT HAS
BECOME UPWARD BOUND.
HE CREATED ONE OF THE FIRST
REMOTE LEARNING PROGRAMS, CALLED
SEMINARY WITHOUT WALLS.
HE FORMED ONE OF THE FIRST
ORGANIZATIONS TO COMBAT WHITE
SUPREMACY, WAY BACK IN 1979.
HE PASSED AWAY LAST SUMMER AS
YOU KNOW, AT THE AGE OF 95.
HE WAS ACTIVE ALL THE WAY UNTIL
HIS DEATH.
HIS DEATH. ELLEN: THAT WAS THE SAME DAY
THAT JOHN LEWIS PASSED AWAY,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >>
RIGHT? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. IT IS AN AMAZING STORY.
THEIR BODIES WERE IN IDENTICAL
CASKETS IN THE BACK OF THE SAME
FUNERAL HOME FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
ELLEN: HOW DID YOUR PATHS CROSS?
YOU WROTE A BOOK TOGETHER.
HOW DID THAT COLLABORATION
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN? STEVE: I WROTE A BOOK THAT CAME
OUT IN 2015 ABOUT THE VOTING
RIGHTS EFFORT IN SELMA IN 1965,
CALLED "JIMMY LEE JAMES."
DR. VIVIAN PLAYED A ROLE DURING
THAT TIME PERIOD, AND I WANTED
TO GET HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE
MOVEMENT AT THAT TIME.
I CALLED HIM UP IN ATLANTA.
WE HIT IT OFF OVER THE PHONE.
HE CALLED ME DOC, WHICH WAS A
REAL HONOR TO BE CALLED
SOMETHING SO PERSONAL BY SUCH AN
ICON.
ICON.
ICON. I
ICON. I LEARNED HE CALLED EVERYONE DOC
.
.
. WASN'T
. WASN'T QUITE AS SPECIAL AS I
THOUGHT, BUT WE HIT IT OFF.
WHEN I REALIZED THERE WAS THIS
GUY WHO YOU COULD TRACK THE
ENTIRE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
FROM THE 1940'S ALL THE WAY TO
THE PRESENT, AND HE HAD NEVER
WRITTEN A MEMOIR OR TOLD HIS OWN
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. I
STORY. I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED TO DO
IT.
IT.
IT. IT
IT. IT TOOK A WHILE UNTIL WE STARTED
COLLABORATING, AND UNFORTUNATELY
HE PASSED AWAY JUST AS WE WERE
FINISHING.
FINISHING. IT WAS A LOVELY FRIENDSHIP AND
COLLABORATION.
COLLABORATION. ELLEN: AND NOW YOU GET TO CARRY
ON HIS LEGACY.
THE TITLE IS "IN THE ACTION."
WHY WAS THAT SIGNIFICANT?
STEVE: DR. KING CALLED C.T.
VIVIAN THE GREATEST PREACHER WHO
EVER LIVED.
EVER LIVED. HE CERTAINLY HAD A WAY WITH
WORDS.
WORDS.
WORDS. HE
WORDS. HE ALSO HAD A LOVE OF
LITERATURE.
LITERATURE. HE HAD 6 -- HE HAD A 6000 VOLUME
COLLECTION OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LITERATURE THAT DATED ALL THE
WAY BACK TO COLONIAL TIMES.
HE WAS A LOVER OF WORDS.
HIS MANTRA WAS, YOU HAVE TO ACT.
YOU HAVE TO ACT NONVIOLENTLY.
YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS EVIL AND
OPPRESSION BY TAKING TO THE
STREETS AND NEVER BACKING DOWN.
ELLEN: THERE IS ALSO A
COMPARISON IN THE BOOK TO THE
MUSICAL, HAMILTON.
MUSICAL, HAMILTON. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?
STEVE: IN NASHVILLE IN 1960, THE
STUDENT MOVEMENT WAS ATTEMPTING
TO INTEGRATE DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE,
PARTICULARLY THE LUNCH COUNTERS.
DR. VIVIAN WAS A LEADER OF THAT.
YOU HAD THIS AMAZING CONFLUENCE
OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE,
REVOLUTIONARIES YOU MIGHT CALL
THEM, GREAT THINKERS, DIANE
NASH, JAMES BEVEL, MARION BARRY,
BERNARD LAFAYETTE, JOHN LEWIS.
THEY WERE ALL IN THE SAME PLACE
AT THE SAME TIME, AND WENT ON TO
DO GREAT THINGS.
THIS IS KIND OF LIKE THE LINE IN
HAMILTON, WHERE HAMILTON WONDERS
HOW DID ALL OF THESE PEOPLE GET
TO THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME
TIME, TO DO GREAT THINGS?
ELLEN: THANK GOODNESS THEY WERE,
AND THANK YOU FOR CAPTURING THIS
HISTORY AND SHARING IT NOW.
WHERE DO WE FIND THE BOOK?
STEVE: IT IS GOING TO BE
AVAILABLE IN ALL THE BOOKSTORES,
AND IT IS ALREADY AVAILABLE ON
AMAZON.
AMAZON.
AMAZON. I
AMAZON. I REALLY HOPE PEOPLE WILL LOOK
AT IT, BECAUSE THIS GREAT MAN
WHO PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 95
REALLY DESERVES THE RECOGNITION
THAT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN AFFORDED
HIM, COMPARED TO SOME OF THE
OTHER GREAT CIVIL-RIGHTS
LEADERS.
LEADERS.
LEADERS. ELLEN: GLAD WE COULD HIGHLIGHT
HIM TODAY.
HIM TODAY. STEVE, THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
STEVE: THANK YOU SO MUCH.