Talk:Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

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Could that career have happened without proportional representation in the NYC Council? Proportional representation in NYC and the successful propaganda war against it84.144.109.132 21:14, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)

What Happened to Context?

I grew up reading about Powell's junkets to Bimini, as well as his various and sundry ethical lapses. This article makes him seem like some sort of cardboard saint -- which he surely wasn't. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.44.145.124 (talk) 00:26, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

Article removed from Wikipedia:Good articles

This article was formerly listed as a good article, but was removed from the listing because the writing is fairly poor quality, with many one sentence paragraphs. Worldtraveller 00:21, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Removed link

I removed the following because it did not seem to fit

• ^ STV in New York

Open2universe 16:07, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

maternal grandfather v. mother's ancestors

"his maternal grandfather was white, as were several of his mother's ancestors." If his maternal grandfather (his mother's father) was white, doesn't it follow that half of his mother's ancestors were white? or is this supposed to say something along the lines of "..., as were several of his mother's ancestors on her maternal side"? just wondering... YggdrasilsRoot 13:43, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Mischaracerization of Poll Tax

Black persons were not the only ones who were charged a poll tax. In the states where it existed, it was required to be paid by all persons who desired to vote. It was typically $1 or $2 per , but many poor whites could not afford to pay it. Imposing a poll tax as a prerequisite to voting was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in BREEDLOVE v. SUTTLES, 302 U.S. 277 (1937). In 1966, the Supreme Court changed its mind, and outlawed the poll tax.

By that time, the 24th amendment had been added to the Constitution, prohibiting the poll tax as a prerequisite to voting in FEDERAL elections. In light of the Breedlove case, and the specific reference to federal elections, that seems like a compromise, allowing the poll tax to exist in state elections. But Congress, and the states ratifying the 24th amendment, forgot an important point. The Justices of the Supreme Court frequently act as if they are superior to the words of the Constitution and the actions of the people's representatives. The Supreme Court, on its own, overruled its own decision, and outlawed the poll tax in state elections.

John Paul Parks (talk) 01:57, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Paternal Grandfather

How could his paternal grandfather have been black if, according to the article on his father, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Clayton_Powell,_Sr., both of his father's parents were former slaves? AuH2ORepublican (talk) 20:24, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

The article has been updated. His father's mother and grandmother were free mulattos on the 1860 census. His mother never told Adam Clayton Powell who his father was; he may have been white. Powell said his mother was fair with light eyes, as he had, showing European as well as African ancestry. His stepfather was a former slave. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. told a mythic account of his paternal grandparents, identifying them both as slaves, and talking about a brand on his father's stepfather's back, but his stepfather did not adopt the name Powell until some time between 1870 and 1880.Parkwells (talk) 19:55, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Need separate article for film

The details about the documentary, Keep the Faith, Baby suggest it needs its own article. All the awards are for the film; they have little to do with Powell's life.Parkwells (talk) 21:36, 21 October 2011 (UTC)