Play did no favors to Gov. Sanders
I had the pleasure of seeing the play “All the Way”: it was a wonderful opportunity to see events from my own life compellingly dramatized. I actually attended LBJ’s inaugural ball after working as a Teen Democrat. With that in mind, I offered the following information to playwright Schenkkan regarding his characterization. While the events were accurately portrayed, Gov. Carl Sanders (aka “Cufflinks Carl,” a nickname applied by political opponent Jimmy Carter) was not at all the caricature of the worst kind of racist seen on stage. It was interesting that the play was kinder to Richard Russell than to Carl Sanders, when Mr. Russell was more clearly cut from a bolt of stereotypical Southern cloth. A more accurate portrayal of the man and his savvy ability to navigate the multiple eddies and shoals of Jim Crow politics and the emerging civil rights movement would provide a more in-depth understanding of the dilemmas that faced Southerners of conscience during those turbulent times.
JANET E. RECHTMAN, DECATUR
Gov. pushed equal justice
The recent passing of former Gov. Carl Sanders has evoked many well-deserved tributes to his time in office. He courageously led Georgia in the right direction at a pivotal moment. Georgia’s legal profession has extra appreciation for Gov. Sanders, who in 1963 signed legislation to establish the unified State Bar of Georgia. He did not merely sign the bill; his unwavering support led to its enactment, bringing a successful conclusion to what had been a 40-year struggle on the part of Bar leaders. Sanders understood the need to enforce higher standards for would-be attorneys, along with a disciplinary process to protect the public from lawyer misconduct. He directed his legislative allies to exert their influence to pass the controversial proposal. Georgia’s lawyers add our condolences to the Sanders family and express gratitude for his many contributions toward ensuring justice for all citizens.
PATRISE M. PERKINS-HOOKER, PRESIDENT OF THE STATE BAR OF GEORGIA
More than one side to Sanders
Carl Sanders described himself as a “moderate segregationist.” In his first term in the Georgia House in 1955, he supported: a bill authorizing the governor to close the public schools to avoid integration; a resolution condemning the Brown decision as “null, void, and of no effect;” a bill requiring segregation in common carriers; a bill authorizing state police to enforce segregation laws in any county or municipality; and a bill allowing public parks to be sold to private parties rather than be integrated. In his 1962 gubernatorial campaign, his platform contained a segregation plank in which he pledged “a continued legal fight to maintain segregation and resistance of federal court litigation in the race relations field.” In 1964, he supported continued use of the discriminatory literacy test for voting and testified in Congress against passage of a public accommodations law. And the following year, he wrote a letter to President Johnson urging defeat of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the transformational civil rights act of the 20th century. Sanders did many positive things as governor, but we should not ignore his support of racial segregation.
LAUGHLIN MCDONALD, ATLANTA
