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Kenneth ClarkKenneth Clark
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play as effectively as Martin did. That doesn't mean that the things that they were doing were not very important. They were. I can understand a little jealousy on their part, but Martin without question had the charisma, the presence and the articulateness, and the Baptist minister's approach to influence large segments of the American public that the other civil rights leaders could not approach. He brought together all these qualities and characteristics, and an insightfulness. Whitney, on the other hand--I was closer to Whitney over a longer period time--had a charm and an ability to deal selectively with the corporate leaders of America. Martin had a mass appeal, or appeal to the masses; Whitney had appeal to the tycoons, and at the same time was not tied by them. Historians should really look at Whitney's relationship with Henry Ford, which I thought was a fascinating example of Whitney's ability to relate personally and closely to one of the princes of economic power, and at the same time bring that person along. Rather than they influencing him, Whitney seemed to have had the capacity to influence them.

Q:

Now that was before Mayor Coleman's time in Detroit wasn't it?

Clark:

Oh sure. Oh my goodness yes.

Q:

Did Whitney Young ever seem terribly frustrated, or was he generally a rather optimistically oriented person?

Clark:

Martin had, from my observation, more frequent periods of





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