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TV: Some Louisiana Viewers Protest Documentary on Negroes

Sept. 20, 1961 - A storm of protest arose in Shreveport, Louisiana, today over "Walk in My Shoes," a documentary on the plight of the American Negro, which was carried there by KTBS-TV, an affiliate of ABC. It was part of a series called "Close-Up" and featured controversial Black Muslim leader Malcolm X (pictured), comedian Dick Gregory, and civil rights leader James Farmer. One Negro speaker on the program said the white man's way "would be buried," while another said "the white man's way is running out on him. He's got to go. The whole white man's empire is about to crumble. I hope he'll be able to cope with it and be as humble as we were when we were on the bottom." KTBS President E. Newton Wray said the station received complaints. W.H. Rutledge, executive director of the pro-segregation Louisiana Association of Citizens Councils, demanded equal time on TV to present "the South's side."


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