Born in St. Louis in 1901, Roy Wilkins was graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1923 with a degree in sociology. He went into journalism, working for newspapers in both Minnesota and St. Louis. He was assistant secretary of the NAACP from 1931-1934 and became editor of the “Crisis” in 1934. He moved to the position of executive secretary in 1955. He participated in the 1963 March on Washington, the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, and the March Against Fear the following year. His position included opposition to violence, Black Power, and student demands for all-black university departments. He died in 1981.