Noted Little Rock civil rights attorney John Walker gave an MLK Day lecture at the Clinton School today about the quest for civil rights in America.
In his lecture, titled “From Civil Wrongs to Civil Rights,” Walker discussed his distinguished career as a civil rights litigator, including his work in the Little Rock school desegregation case and his efforts to promote civil rights in a number of issues in Arkansas.
A partner in one of the earliest desegregated law firms in the South, Walker gave a brief history of his career and the fight for civil rights in America, including the recent election of America’s first African American president, Barack Obama.
“In terms of progress, there is a reflection that our people have had the opportunity to rise from the depths of opportunity to the heights of opportunity,” Walker said.
But Walker said there were still a number of “civil wrongs” in America today, most notably in public education.
From standardized test and scholarship requirements, to the rise of private schools in the South, Walker touched a number of issues he sees as “civil wrongs.”
Video of Walker’s Lecture will be posted soon at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.