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to him one by one seeking favors or just to pay their respects, having little meetings and huddles with him all afternoon. I knew then what I wanted to be, that’s when the other shoe dropped. The boy preacher tried to stay close to Powell whenever he was in town, and often did so, following him to his appearance on The David Frost Show . Powell was flamboyant; he drove a Jaguar and toured Europe with two women—both beauty contest winners, one white and one black. them to hire and promote black employees. From 1936 to 1944, he published The Peoples Voice , a newspaper that publicized his efforts to correct injustice and discrimination. In 1945, he was elected to Congress, where he quickly ensured that the informal regulations reserving capitol facilities for white congressional members only were changed. Throughout his congressional career, Powell clashedwith segregationists and worked to ensure that nearly every piece of legislation carried an antidiscrimination rider. His committeework included importantmeasures to approveminimumwage increases, education and training for the deaf, and federal support for student loans and school lunches. Accused of slander, Powell was investigated by the Judiciary Committee and stripped of his committee chairmanship in 1967. Two years later, a ruling in his favor restored his seat in Congress. He unsuccessfully sought reelection in 1970 before retiring. He died in 1972.

CH A P T E R 1 : A LwAy S Ou T F R ON T

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