This week on the Lectures and History podcast, Marion Orr of Brown University recounts the life and legacy of Charles Diggs Jr.

The Michigan Democrat became the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and emerged as a leading civil rights voice in Congress during the 1960s and 1970s.

Professor Orr also examines Diggs' decision to attend the Mississippi trial of Emmett Till's

killers, making him the only federal official present, and how that moment underscored Diggs' commitment

to racial justice and accountability at an important moment in American history.

More after this.

Good morning, class.

Good, good. Any questions, issues, or concerns you want to raise at this stage? Any questions,

issues, any concerns? We have graded your first exam, you will be seeing your grades posted later today.

My understanding is that you all did quite well, several you did really well on the exam.

If you have any questions about the exam, you should talk to Maya first and address it with her and then if it's not address of her, you come to me then, okay?

She graded the grades. Any questions? Well, today we're going to shift gears. We've been talking about

suburbanization and the impact it had. Today we're going to shift our attention to

race and politics in the American city.

And we want to pick up particularly around

something we've discussed early this semester,

the Great Migration and its impact on urban America. America you remember the great migration what was

going on the great migration we talked about this earlier in the semester someone

wanted to tell us real quick what's happening in a great migration yes please African-Americans Please. African Americans from the South were leaving to the Lord because of issues with discrimination

as well as like economic confidence.

Yes, this is a period between 1916 and 1970 when many African Americans, black Americans, are leaving the South, looking

for economic opportunities.

...