Overview

In 1981, the Commonwealth of Virginia, which had been dominated for decades by “the Organization,” a political machine led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry Byrd Sr., took its first baby steps to becoming the vibrant state it is today. That year, Charles Robb rejected the machine and began a new Democratic Party in his campaign for governor. Instead of running against African Americans, Robb reached out to Douglas Wilder, the state’s only African American State Senator and other leaders in the African American Community to rally voters of color to support the Democratic ticket. With the help of a heavy African American turnout, Robb won and the Byrd machine was crushed. In 1985, just four years later, Doug Wilder won the party’s nomination for Lieutenant Governor against the cries of “Virginia isn’t ready” and, later that year, defied the naysayers by being elected to that office. Within five years, he would be sworn in as the first elected African American governor in American history. SON OF VIRGINIA by L. Douglas Wilder details the events of the author’s life to paint a portrait of the changing face of America. It will be a story of constant struggle and conflict, not only Wilder’s struggle, but also that of courageous people who stood up to decades of discrimination, corruption and greed. The book will stand as a road map for continued American progress in our elections and laws and a stark warning of what may happen if we relax our commitment to this program.

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9781493033706

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Long before Barack Obama, there was Doug Wilder. The trail blazed by Wilder, the first African-American elected Governor of any state, helped to make President Obama possible. Now for the first time, this grandson of slaves tells his remarkable story in his own inimitable fashion. Son of Virginia is an instant classic that will inform and inspire for generations to come. --Prof. Larry J. Sabato, Director, University of Virginia Center for Politics Governor Wilder's memoir is must-reading for anyone seeking to understand why Virginia, the place where America began, is once again a national bellwether. Retracing the key moments of his extraordinary career with characteristic candor and flair, America's first elected African-American governor explains how he demolished the political orthodoxy of the day by taking his case directly to the people. In the process he opened opportunities for others and almost certainly changed the course of American history. --Frank B. Atkinson, author of The Dynamic Dominion and Virginia in the Vanguard Son of Virginia is a vivid, detailed, remarkably candid memoir that shares with readers the thinking, impressions, and feelings of the first elected African American governor in the United States. A learned and impassioned exploration of recent American history, Son of Virginia is itself an important historical document. -- Randall Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard University.

Author Information

Lawrence Douglas Wilder (born January 17, 1931) served as the first African American to be elected as governor of Virginia. Wilder served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. When earlier elected as Lieutenant Governor, he was the first African American elected to statewide office in Virginia. His most recent political office was Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, which he held from 2005 to 2009.

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