(bright music) >>Major funding for "Wilder: An American First" was provided by SunTrust.

Where you bank on opportunities, we bank on diversity.

At SunTrust, we know it takes a special combination of people to foster creativity and a more competitive company.

Production funding was also provided by Dominion, and by Virginia Commonwealth University, and by State Farm Insurance, with local agents who can help you with your insurance, banking, and financial service needs.

State Farm Insurance, we live where you live.

"Wilder: An American First" was produced in collaboration with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

(suspenseful music) (helicopters whirring) >>In January of 1990, Lawrence Douglas Wilder, the grandson of slaves, stood poised to become America's first elected African American governor.

That he was the first made it an historic victory.

And that it had happened in Virginia made it truly remarkable.

>>Suddenly, it was just Doug and I, and I said, "What are you thinking right now?"

And he said, "I'm thinking of all the people "who've helped me in my past."

He mentioned his parents.

Just clear-eyed, calm, knowing what was going before him.

And then, a state policeman stuck his head in the door and said, "It's time, Governor."

Just remembering still walking up the ramp to the platform and feeling that history would never be the same.

(upbeat music) >>The thing that distinguished him from most black politicians is that he did not define himself purely as a black politician.

>>And it wasn't about, "Well, you're black, you can't."

It's "You're black, but so what?"

>>He walks into a room and he's just... All eyes are on him, and he becomes larger than life.

>>He has this very engaging side that just warmed audiences and warmed people who wanted him to do well, really.

At the same time, he can be extremely contentious, even with his friends.

Sometimes, it feels like it's better to be his enemy than to be his friend.

>>So don't tell me that you are going to stand up on your moral horse now and say what you're going to do.

(audience cheering) >>He had to be mean and tough, and he had to knife people right and left.

Whatever it took to win.

And that's why he made history.

That's why he was the first elected black governor.

And he'll always have that position in history.

He's gonna be there in the history books after everybody else in Virginia in the 20th century is forgotten.

>>As we salute the idea of freedom today, let us pledge to extend that same freedom to others tomorrow, and let us likewise be thankful that while our country gave birth to a freedom long denied and delayed for all who love freedom, the belief and these dreams held by those forebears was passed from generation to generation and spawned the seeds that propagated the will and the desire to achieve.

We are on hallowed ground here today.

The words we issue must be words of wisdom.

The laws we passed must be laws of mercy and of justice.

And the faith we possess must be true to the Almighty.

>>He won, yes!

It was a wonderful feeling.

You get into bed feeling wonderful, you look at each other feeling wonderful, you brush your teeth feeling wonderful.

Everything begins to feel wonderful knowing that Doug won.

(upbeat jazz music) (soft guitar music) >>The inauguration of Doug Wilder in the former capital of the Confederacy made him one of the world's most powerful black politicians.

His name now took its place in history next to Virginians, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe.

But Virginia was also where slavery was introduced to the English colonies; An act that would shape perceptions of the state's culture for centuries.

On a farm in Henrico County, north of Richmond, James W. Wilder married Agnes Johnson on April 25th, 1856.

There was a little celebration to mark the happy occasion.

James and Agnes were slaves.

>>This is the kind of thing you wonder how anybody ever overcomes this.

They were sold separately and parted for several years.

And then, after the emancipation, they were reunited and managed, with the absence of any education at all, to raise 13 children, buy a house, so that when Doug's father, Robert, who was one of the 13 children, got married, they moved into that house on Church Hill.

(horse hooves clacking) (upbeat music) >>On January 17th, 1931, Robert and his wife, Beulah, welcomed to their ninth of 10 children, a boy, whom they named Lawrence Douglas, after activist, Frederick Douglass, and poet, Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

Little did they know the child would come to possess the spirit, fight, and eloquence of his namesakes.

Though his family was poor, there were always flowers in the vases and music filled the Wilder house.

(upbeat jazz music) >>We had a lot of fun.

Friday nights was always a free night.

We always played games together.

We knew all of the games.

In fact, that's what I told everybody.

Douglas played them and Douglas was going to win.

You weren't going to play with Douglas unless he was going to be in control of the game.

In fact, my two younger sisters used to say they weren't gonna play with him ever again.

>>Well, he had a normal childhood.

His mother did stress education, however.

They did a lot of things together and he learned an awful lot.

She made him do the crossword puzzle and he enjoyed doing crossword puzzles.

>>Well, I think one of the things that was apparent early on, that this was a multi-talented individual.

It seemed that everything he did, he did well.

(upbeat piano music) >>As young Douglas Wilder moved with ease through his Churchill neighborhood, he would learn that all of Richmond was not as accessible to him.

While riding on segregated street cars or on a shopping trip downtown with his mother, Douglas was angered by the limitations put on him by the color of his skin.

>>It bothered me more though when we would go up to buy clothes and you'd have to guess at size 'cause you couldn't try the clothes on.

And you couldn't try the suit on, you couldn't try the pants on.

So being a growing boy, a mother was going to always buy clothes bigger than you would want to wear anyway.

I said this, "These don't fit!"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Well, can't we try?"

"No, we can't try them on."

And I just never... I never could understand it.

As a matter of fact, I never have understood it.

>>After graduating from high school in 1947, Wilder wanted to join the Navy but was underage, and his mother refused to sign for him.

Instead, he entered Virginia Union University in Richmond with plans to major in chemistry.

Wilder paid his way by working in a dining room at the segregated John Marshall Hotel.

(bombs exploding) (machine guns firing) >>He graduated from college at Virginia Union in January of 1952, and by then the Korean War was full throttle.

>>Doug thought about enlisting but before he could get around to making up his mind, he was drafted.

This was an army that has been integrated, so blacks were serving side by side with whites for the first time, really.

>>I was very disappointed in Korea, believing that I'm there fighting for some rights that I don't have at home.

But I've gotta fight for rights for South Korea?

Doesn't make any sense.

And then, just after I got back, Brown verses Board of Education came out, I said, "God, you mean, it might work.

"This system just might work."

(blues music) >>In 1954, Virginia, and its tradition of segregation, were thrown into upheaval.

The Supreme Court ruled, in Brown versus the Topeka Board of Education, that separate but equal was unconstitutional and ordered the integration of the nation's schools.

Energized by the ruling, Wilder made up his mind to attend law school in Washington DC.

>>And Howard University, of course, at the time Doug Wilder went to law school there, was a place that had been the cradle of the Brown decision with the lawyers there at the law school.

And so he was part of all that ferment, and was there in that particular place.

And I'm sure that it had great influence on his experience at that time.

>>Walter graduated and was the only African American in Virginia to pass the state bar exam in 1959.

He headed back home to Richmond but did not arrive alone.

Wilder had married Eunice Montgomery the previous year, and they soon celebrated the birth of their first child; A daughter they named Lynn.

Rather than sign on to work with one of Richmond's respected black attorneys, Wilder hung out his own shingle on an office over Ike's Shrimp House in Church Hill.

>>It didn't take long though for him to start attracting his own clients.

And he pretty much had a criminal practice because, as he said, "A lot of the people who lived "on Church Hill were being arrested, "sometimes for crimes that they did not commit."

And his reputation got around Churchill, that Doug Wilder, a local boy, would be a good person to call when you're in trouble.

His list of clients expanded.

>>While Wilder's career as a black attorney was taking off during the late 1950s and 1960s, so was the Civil Rights Movement.

Black America began to demand that their voices be heard and that their votes be counted.

As demonstrators were beaten by police and cities were set afire, Doug Wilder became the agent for the NAACP in Richmond and continued to concentrate on his law practice.

>>I really don't think civil rights has been a great motivating force in his life.

I mean, I think personal achievement is a motivating force.

I think he appreciates the finer things of life and has wanted to be able to have a life that is built around those.

He preaches hard work and pulling yourself up from the bootstraps and all those things.

And he certainly is interested in the advancement of African Americans, but it's not like the Civil Rights Movement was a central part of his history, or his coming of age in Richmond, or his building a law firm here.

>>If we go back and look at what was happening, particularly the mid and latter part of the 1960s, we were really at the ending phase of what was then called the modern Civil Rights Movement.

And Doug Wilder has never been a person to promote symbolism.

And the dichotomy was symbolism versus substance.

>>And he was just more comfortable working through the courts as a lawyer than he was carrying a banner, marching in the streets.

(somber music) >>For half a century, the powerful Democratic Senator, Harry Flood Byrd, and his conservative organization, known as the Byrd Machine, controlled Virginia politics.

However, their power to suppress minority voter registration and ability to influence policies across the state would soon be severely weakened by federal law.

>>The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever passed.

It transformed virtually the entire South, Virginia included, by registering hundreds of thousands of new voters.

>>And with the right to vote, the right to become elected and to exercise some power within the political system.

>>With the doors open to run for office, Doug Wilder decided it was time to make a change and announced his candidacy for state senator in 1969.

Wilder's victory over two white opponents was the first display of a gutsy political courage that would become a Wilder trademark, and made him the first African American in the Virginia Senate since Reconstruction.

>>When Doug Wilder came in, being a trial lawyer, being a great to debate... Think of Johnnie Cochran 25 years ago and think of Doug Wilder on the floor the Senate, that's what it was and they weren't used to that.

>>Here was a new type of black politician.

He was a lawyer, he was very articulate, he was young, he was dynamic, he knew how to handle himself.

And this was looked upon, I think, rather quickly, as going to be an increasing asset for the Democratic Party.

They probably didn't know all the barbs and slings and arrows that would come with it, but I think that's the way they saw it, even in 1970 when he first came in.

♪ Carry me back to old Virginny ♪ >>And it wasn't very long before he created a furor by challenging the state's song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," talking about its racist lyrics.

>>There is no fiscal impact involved.

There will be no monies expended.

If you know if it caused for a fiscal impact, you would've had that attached to the bill.

There's none there.

>>Working to ban the state song and his decade long fight to create a day of honor for civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., did not endear wilder to many in the old dominion.

>>Considering the philosophy, intentions, and the cause of Martin Luther King, I think would be a disgrace to God Almighty, and not only Virginia but to our country, to honor such a scum.

>>Sure, I got all kinds of calls and threats, but those things are... I'd been to Korea.

I was lucky enough to come back from that.

By that time, I felt I was Teflon in terms of... Not impervious necessarily, but I didn't care about it.

>>As Wilder was facing challenges in his political life, he would also experience great personal difficulties.

After an 18 year marriage, Eunice and the couple's three children moved into an apartment in Richmond.

A very painful and public divorce soon followed.

(suspenseful music) Wilder fought through his personal problems and then through the ranks of the Democratic party.

After more than a decade in the state senate, he was a true player at the state level.

In a 1981 newspaper poll, Wilder was ranked the fifth most influential senator in Virginia.

And his place as the most powerful black politician in the commonwealth gave him even more leverage.

>>He had the image of power, and it's like a gun sitting on a table.

You know that that gun can be fired.

And in his case, he never really had to pick up the pistol and fire it.

It was just the threat of being willing to pick up the pistol and fire it.

So when he decided he wanted to run for statewide office, he cocked the pistol, he laid it on the table and he said, "Okay boys, I'm here, "and you're gonna have to deal with me," and everybody got outta the way.

(engine rumbling) (upbeat guitar music) >>In August of 1985, Doug Wilder, now the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, and his three closest advisors loaded into a station wagon and disappeared into the Virginia countryside in search of votes.

>>The concern among a lot of Democrats was, "Was Wilder going to be a liability?

"Was he going to do something "that would hurt the whole ticket?"

>>Almost all the senior Democrats did not want him to be the nominee.

And then, there were those of us who were analysts who played a role as well in giving Wilder odds of 100 to one.

>>The old joke was that whoever the Republicans nominated, if he was alive on election day, he would be the lieutenant governor.

>>And people sort of watched the campaign the way a lot of people might watch a NASCAR race, sort of waiting for the crash to happen, and wanting to be there, and see just the spectacle of it.

>>I was told by Democratic party leaders that it was stupid.

It was wrong, I was told.

I should have been spending more time trying to raise money.

I should be fine tuning my campaign because going out there with those people, right?

It's not going to work.

"Those people are not going to elect him "and he's making a big mistake."

>>When Doug worked those kinds of areas, and because he is charming, because when he walks a room, he is the center of attention, regardless of whether he's here or whether it's New York City, 'cause I've been with him both, he's a charismatic character.

And so, when he did that, they saw, "This guy really isn't too bad."

So all of a sudden, this articulate guy, this guy that can make you laugh, who knows all about sports, can talk to you about different things, who's a grandson of a slave, a grandson of a slave, all of a sudden, "He ain't too bad."

And that's the way they would say it out there.

>>It was, I think, people warming up to my father.

He warming up to them.

Truly learning and engaging.

And not the politics of sound bites on television.

I mean, this is literally door to door or county to county.

>>He knew how to frame things in a way... Which is what a good politician does.

You frame things in a way that they will appeal to many audiences.

Doug Wilder was one of the first African American politicians to be able to do that.

>>Doug Wilder cares about the people of Virginia.

That's why he went over 3,500 miles to every county in Virginia, to more than 300 towns and cities.

Doug Wilder, he cares enough to be there.

Doug Wilder for Lieutenant Governor.

>>Virginia Democrats had offered a ticket the pundits said was doomed to failure because it included a black and a woman.

Instead, the Democrats celebrated a victory of historic dimensions in Virginia; A state that, according to some critics, was still holding on to the old Confederacy.

>>I know something of the joy felt tonight by one member of this winning ticket.

He has spent the last year hearing all of the so-called experts say that he would be a drag on the ticket.

Well, he has proven them all wrong.

(audience cheering) >>Richmond lawyer, Douglas Wilder, the grandson of a slave, a man who once waited tables at the Hotel John Marshall, would be Virginia's next lieutenant governor.

>>I could only hope that my mother and father were here to witness this moment.

But I can see my mother's face as clearly as if she were, and she would tell me, "Don't let your head get too big."

(audience cheering) >>Thank you.

>>Wilder himself has said if he had not been elected lieutenant governor, he would not have been elected governor.

Being elected lieutenant governor showed that Virginians would elect a black to statewide office.

It gave Virginians four years to sort of get to know Doug Wilder, become comfortable with him.

>>Senate will come to order.

>>in January of 1986, Doug Wilder reported for work as the state's new lieutenant governor.

But almost before he could put pen to paper, controversy was swirling around him.

The Wilder camp had begun feuding with prominent Democrats, including Chuck Robb, the state's popular former governor.

Though they would work together and campaign side by side, these high ranking politicians would continue to clash publicly for over a decade.

>>The dissension between Wilder and Robb, and other political figures in the Democratic Party, is part of his maverick persona.

And part, I think, of his understanding of how the Democratic party has, in some cases, taken black voters for granted, and, in many cases, not wanted to take seriously people who wanted to run through office.

>>So today I stand before you and officially declare that I will seek the governorship of the commonwealth of the Virginia in 1989.

>>Few Democrats or Republicans felt a black candidate could win a race for governor in the state of Virginia.

History was not on Wilder's side either.

The lone African American to serve as a governor in the United States was PBS Pinchback of Louisiana, who was appointed to the position and served 36 days in 1872.

If a state was to elect the nation's first African American governor, the odds were heavily against Virginia.

>>Here we are in Virginia, an African American running for the governorship, and some people view the governorship, back then especially, as being anointed by still the King of England.

I mean, it is just a lot of old history here becoming unraveled.

(upbeat music) (audience applauding) >>On June 10th, 1989, 4,500 Democrats gathered at the Richmond Civic Center to nominate Mary Sue Terry for attorney general, Don Beyer for lieutenant governor, and Doug Wilder for governor.

>>Do I think Doug Wilder is independent?

Yes, I do!

>>I am back in Doug Wilder's corner in 1989 because it's important to everyone in this convention hall that we elect him the next governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) >>The people of Virginia do not want to turn back.

They know Virginia is moving in the right direction.

They want to continue our progress and our prosperity.

And that is why I am confident they will elect another Virginia Democrat to serve as their governor.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) >>In the pre-dawn hours, Democrat Douglas Wilder took off from Richmond Airport.

His destination?

Martinsville, Virginia; The heart of good old boy country.

(audience applauding) Surveys show that black voters overwhelmingly support Douglas Wilder.

The question is whether white Virginia voters will elect a black man to be their next governor.

>>Virginians are one people.

We need to stop pitting region versus region and people versus people.

>>There's racism everywhere.

Well, I would hope that after this breakfast this morning, that a signal has gone out that yes, white conservative Democrats are going to support Doug Wilder.

>>Are you completely behind him?

>>Oh, yes.

He's running on a Democratic ticket, isn't he?

>>Wilder knows he needs people like Philpott to win a statewide campaign.

Philpott and other conservative Democrats know that if they don't back Douglas Wilder, they'll give the governor's mansion to the Republicans in November.

(audience applauding) >>Marshall Coleman, the Republican nominee and former Virginia Attorney General, started the race with an early lead and focused his campaign on public safety and criminal justice, including the death penalty.

>>His name?

Douglas Wilder... >>Coleman's staff attacked Wilder's personal problems, which they described as "character issues."

>>This is the row house owned by Douglas Wilder, twice cited for housing code violations.

Wouldn't you think a millionaire with two Mercedes in his garage could have spent a few dollars to make the property safe for neighborhood children?

And is that the kind of man we want for governor?

>>Wilder faced further troubles throughout the summer.

A series of letters exposing the rifts between Waller and Chuck Robb, who was now a US Senator, were publicly released.

>>UNWA!

UNWA!

>>On a campaign trip to southwestern Virginia, the lieutenant governor ran into a hostile group of striking coal miners that left him dealing more with damage control than rally building.

>>We won't go back!

We won't go back!

>>But the biggest potential blow would again focus on race, as a wave of racial violence swept the ocean front of Virginia Beach during the annual Greek Fest.

The violence destroyed much of the perceived improvement in relations between whites and blacks in Virginia, and hurt Wilder's efforts to keep issues of race out the election.

As the summer came to an end, the Wilder campaign had taken a series of blows, yet their candidate was still standing.

Coleman's lead in the polls had grown but was not out of reach.

And now, it was Wilder's turn to strike.

>>Marshall Coleman, there's no doubt!

We are going to kick you out!

Right on!

>>During the summer, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states could restrict abortions beyond the limits set in 1973 by the Roe versus Wade decision, >>You had that Supreme Court decision in the summer, which gave Wilder a great issue.

>>On the issue of abortion, Marshall Coleman wants to take away your right to choose and give it to the politicians.

He wants to go back to outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.

Doug Wilder believes the government shouldn't interfere in your right to choose.

He wants to keep the politicians out of your personal life.

Don't let Marshall Coleman take us back.

To keep Virginia-- >>The Coleman campaign tried for a while to ignore it.

And it became very clear over a period of just a few weeks that the Wilder message on abortion was resonating with what was in the news media and what was current because of the Supreme Court decision.

>>And only four short days remain in this campaign for the future of this great state.

And so, talk to your family, your friends, take them to the polls with you.

Make these last days count for Marshall Coleman, for Virginia, and for the United States of America.

Thank you.

>>It was an angry Marshall Coleman who turned up for a late afternoon news conference at the State Capitol.

Trailing in pre-election public opinion polls with time running out, Coleman charged that Virginia news organizations have glossed over what he termed "Douglas Wilder's dishonesty and corruption."

>>I don't think it matters how much history Doug Wilder's election on Tuesday would make, he has to meet the same high standards that Virginians have always demanded of their governors.

And I, for one, am not going to stand by and watch a person who is unfit to preserve that tradition glide into office with a feel-good "make history" message and a cry of negative every time someone dares to tell the truth about him.

>>No more lies!

No more lies!

>>College Republicans don't buy Wilder's denials.

They turned up at a Wilder rally at the College of William and Mary, but they were shouted down by Wilder supporters.

>>We want Doug!

We want Doug!

We want Doug!

>>Take my word for it, I will be the next governor of Virginia.

(audience cheering) >>The day of the election, the exit polls showed him winning by 10%, which was a landslide.

And I remember very well the night of the election, going over to the Marriott Hotel and arriving, and it was really a huge celebration.

It was... People just couldn't believe he was going to win by a landslide.

It was... They were really just joyous.

And it was like history was really being rewritten in Virginia.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) >>At 8:39 PM, the wire services showed Waller had taken a slight lead in the vote total for the first time.

By 9:00 PM, the gap had jumped to almost 20,000 votes.

The route was on.

For 45 minutes, wilder maintained a lead of at least 20,000 votes.

Then, the stream of numbers abruptly stopped.

>>And the reporters went down to the floor under, where the main ballroom was, and they were being able to watch televisions and seeing these results came in.

And when AP started reporting the results again, they were very, very close.

It wasn't any landslide election, it was very tight.

And so, there was sort of this disconnect with people upstairs celebrating and people downstairs realizing this was not what the people upstairs thought.

>>At 10:37, word came that several precincts had been counted twice.

The corrected total had cut Wilder's lead to just less than 6,500 votes, under one percent of the total.

>>And so, we kept waiting for the expected to happen, for Wilder to win easily, and it wasn't happening.

And we kept thinking, "Well, maybe with another 10% of the vote.

"Maybe with another 10% of the vote."

I'll tell you one person, maybe the only person who wasn't all that surprised, I'm convinced, was Doug Wilder.

All along, he knew it was gonna be close.

He just knew.

He knew.

He knew because he'd lived his life in Virginia.

While he trusted Virginia to elect him, he knew it wasn't gonna be a landslide.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) >>Shortly after 11:00 PM, Wilder made his way to the ballroom.

There was no word of concession from Coleman, but Wilder had maintained his lead of several thousand votes.

>>He came up to me and asked, "What does it look like?

"Do you think this lead will hold?"

Because it was infinitesimal at the time.

And I just looked at all the precincts and I said, "Governor, "'cause you are governor, "I believe it will hold.

"5,000 votes isn't much "but it's a lot of votes "when you go to look for them."

>>Doug, Doug, Doug, Doug!

Doug, Doug, Doug, Doug!

>>I am here to claim to be the next governor of Virginia.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) >>But that claim may not hold up.

>>We don't yet know what the outcome is.

>>Wilder has only a whisper of a lead and a recount appears inevitable.

>>Something went terribly wrong tonight, and I'm afraid that old issue of race prevented Doug Wilder from getting the number of votes that he did get tonight.

>>Wilder refused to make race an issue during the campaign, and he refused to make it one last night as well.

>>Whatever role it may have played, it wasn't enough to deny me the election.

>>This is something that political scientists have debated a lot, especially when it comes to races where whites are asked whether or not they're gonna vote for blacks.

We saw the same thing in David Dinkins' race as mayor of the city of New York, that the day he went in, the polls were pretty good, very comfortable, in terms of his lead.

And yet as the day wore on, it narrowed, and narrowed, and narrowed.

And so, I think a lot of people get in, they say they're gonna vote for a black candidate, but then when it comes to the moment of actually deciding, some of them decide not to do it.

>>The two stars of today's gathering had made history: Doug Wilder, the first elected black governor; And David Dinkins, the first black mayor of New York.

Senate majority leader, George Mitchell, called it a victory for the country.

>>Americans are prepared to accept candidates on the basis of their individual talent, dedication, and willingness to work hard.

>>When it became official that Doug Wilder had won, I thought that it was historic because it meant, for me, since I'd been writing about the history of politics and what the vote meant to African Americans and holding office, that we finally would get a chance to see what happened when a black person held a statewide office like that, and we'd get to see how much difference it made, if any.

And if it didn't make any, we'd get to figure out why and what else we needed to do.

But we needed to have him win in order for us to get to that point.

So it really was crucial for the African American community.

>>I remember clearly, Tim stating in a conversation to Governor Wilder, and says, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, "if this state is smart enough "to elect you as governor, "I'm moving back to Virginia, my home."

And once he got elected, I looked for a house.

>>I don't think of... In terms of "proud."

We still... The United States of America still has too many warts.

You just feel good.

And then you wake up in the morning and you feel good about this man.

And then, you're thankful to the state of Virginia, warts and all.

>>It is an historic moment, so full of hope because the prayers of the righteous and the (indistinct) dreams have been fulfilled.

As I watched the people in Berlin, as walls came down with a great sense of ecstasy, I have a sense of how that feels because this is the state where the slave ships landed, and to go from the hull of a slave ship to governor of the state is a great American story.

It's a great, real story.

And it cast light, and not shadows.

And so, if people will work hard and diligently, and vote their hopes and not their fears, we'll keep on breaking down barriers and making America better and keeping America strong.

(suspenseful music) >>I remember looking out at the capitol and there was a sea of people.

I mean, just everywhere.

They... It extended beyond the capitol grounds out into the streets of downtown Richmond.

Just people everywhere.

>>There were children hanging out of trees almost, climbing and playing around, and there were older people with canes and walkers, and... It really was a great American moment.

>>We mark today not a victory of party or the accomplishments of an individual, but the triumph of an idea.

>>You could just sense that all eyes were on Virginia.

Some days just feel like history.

They smell like it.

They look like it.

They taste like it.

And this was one of those.

>>The idea that all men are created equal.

That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.

The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

>>It was a tremendous big deal for Virginia, for America.

It showed what we mouth as our beliefs and principles were not empty promises.

>>That pride does burst forth and lifts my voice and my spirit to acclaim so that I can say to you today that I am a son of Virginia.

Thank you and God bless all of you.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) (warm music) >>He is very inspirational, not only to the African American community but I think to people in general.

Once again, it shows that if you're committed to something and you're willing to fight for it, and not be turned off by the obstacles that people throw in front of you, that is a marvelous story, and it's a marvelous example for everybody.

>>I think from the standpoint of African Americans, he brought the largest number of African Americans into government in the history of the state of Virginia.

That's worth something.

But the question then is what were they able to achieve?

And I think quite rightly, when you look at the economic circumstances of the state at the time, it was very difficult to achieve anything.

>>I mean, there were some of us who knew that Doug Wilder would not be able to work miracles, and that Doug Wilder being elected governor would possibly not have a tangible, appreciable impact, positive impact on our lives, but that this was larger than us.

He was going about the task of making history.

(upbeat music) >>As one of the highest elected black officials in the world, Doug Wilder became an international icon.

He was treated as royalty on his travels and drew enormous crowds on the African continent.

>>The most impressive sight that we had was in northern Nigeria.

We went up to Kano State.

>>And we were told by the US Ambassador to Nigeria not to go there because, one, it was a Muslim holiday, that no one would be there to visit him, and that it really wasn't worth this time.

>>And that just made me want to go more.

>>And we showed up, and there was a parade of 30,000 people on the sidelines, just waiting for us to drive by.

>>I know when the African heads of state came here, that was another moment.

All that pageantry, and grandeur, and just the largest delegation of African heads of state ever on US soil.

You felt like Virginia was happening in a way that it hasn't since, you know?

I mean, all eyes were on us.

You just got the sense that this was the place to be.

(audience applauding) >>As someone who has fought for positive change and the American dream for all these years, I have decided to run for the presidency of the United States in 1992.

>>And I have to admit that I was one of the few people that really did want him to run for president because I thought that he automatically had a national platform by virtue of a historic win for governor.

And the fact that his campaign had really touched so many people.

>>I wouldn't have never dreamed that I was riding on the back of the bus, and going to an all black school, and living... And couldn't have a drink of water in the fountains at restaurants or stores downtown, I would not have even imagined.

That's why it's such a fantastic thrill for me, as a native of this community, to see what has happened, not only with the aspirations of African American for president, but that the community has advanced so much in such a short time.

>>One day into his run for the presidency, Governor Doug Wilder isn't wasting any time contacting some longtime friends.

>>I just want to say congratulations to Governor Wilder and I wish him much success as he declares for the presidency of the United States.

>>Thank you so much.

>>Race relations are not where they were just a couple of years ago in this nation, and we need healing.

Affirmative action isn't pulling our economy down.

Affirmative action isn't keeping people out of work.

And affirmative action isn't running up our deficit.

Let's get to the real issues that are tearing this country apart.

>>He's the type of man that say that your color can't keep you down.

You can be exactly what you want to be if you want to be bad enough.

>>With his fine qualities, I know that he's going to be really an outstanding person in whatever pursuit he undertakes.

>>Does he have your vote as president?

>>He does that.

>>I think he hasn't been governor, he's been running for president for 20 months.

I don't think anything's gonna change.

I don't think it's been very good for the state, no.

>>It would be, I think, in the best interest of the Commonwealth if he would quit the office and let somebody in the office that's willing to devote some time to being the governor of Virginia >>Wilder's decision to run for the presidency and remain Virginia's governor continues to draw criticism, but today the governor said all that criticism is downright unfair.

>>No one is asking Tom Harkin to step down as a senator.

No one's asking Bill Clinton to step down as governor.

No one has ever asked anyone to step down and to resign before.

And someone said, "Well, why are they asking you now?"

I said, "You'll have to ask those people "and why it's in their minds "that a double standard should be applied in my case."

>>As extraordinary as his timing was in his ascension and knowing when to strike, and when to make the move to become both lieutenant governor and governor, I think his timing was off from that point on, from a political standpoint.

>>He was so widely unpopular in Virginia.

By December of that year, Wilder's approval rating had dropped to about 18%.

He then withdrew from the presidency and went about the business of mending the budget as best he could.

>>Adding to his falling approval rating.

The conflicts between Wilder and Robb erupted yet again.

An illegally taped conversation, including Wilder, was released by Chuck Robb's staff, ending with a grand jury investigation.

This controversy, combined with Virginia's record deficit and a national recession, would make it difficult for Wilder to regain his popularity.

>>Wilder was tough, always tough.

That will always be the adjective that I will most associate with him.

And his assignment was to balance the budget, and by God he was gonna balance the budget.

And if people didn't like it, too bad.

>>That I was really concerned with trying to preserve as many jobs as I could, rather than trying to say to people "We are going to give raises "to state employees."

This is a reality.

>>I think people are recognizing the fact that he did one heck of a job of managing the state in a very fiscally responsible way.

For two consecutive years, Virginia was voted the best fiscally managed state in the nation.

>>That meant so much to me because it, in essence, belied what others were saying about a Democrat, about an African American.

"First of all, you wouldn't have "the administrative skills "to bring that about.

"Secondly, you'd be spending "and wasting all the money, "as well as raising taxes."

And we did not increase taxes.

>>So in his sense, he might have rebounded a little bit late in his governorship.

>>Do you think you had something special to prove as the first elected African American governor?

>>Yes, I do.

For people who... Particularly African Americans or minorities, It says, "Don't ever say they can't do it "because of that.

"They can do it.

"They can do just as good a job "as anyone else "if they are given the chance."

(somber music) >>When Wilder had served his four years, it was sort of like you mark this down as something important that has happened and sets a standard for where we can go.

That if you can win in Virginia with the right candidate who is African American, then you can win anywhere.

And it also means something not just for African Americans, it means for other people of color, whether you're Latino, or Asian American, or Indian, or whatever, that you can argue and people will accept that you can win too.

So in a way, it opened up vast areas of opportunity that were closed before.

>>Relative to standing up, not to say-- >>Since a Virginia governor cannot serve consecutive terms, many expected Doug Wilder to stay politically active by seeking a higher office.

He ran as an independent for the US Senate in 1994, but dropped out and supported the incumbent, Chuck Robb.

A critical political alliance that would help Robb defeat Marshall Coleman and Ollie North in a contentious election.

>>All right, I'm gonna throw it to you.

>>Even out of office, Wilder remained an unconventional and unpredictable voice in Virginia politics.

>>Well, I hope I'll be around for a little while longer.

>>He surprised many when he returned to his hometown in the fall of 2004 and became the first popularly elected mayor of Richmond in over 50 years.

>>I think Governor Wilder, in 1992, he was still governor, he traveled to the Goree Islands in Africa, West Africa, and that's when he decided that he wanted to build a National Slavery Museum.

>>Doug Wilder talked about this, even when he was busy with other things, years, decades ago.

This has always been a dream of his.

>>I'm sure he sees this as much as his legacy as that of being the first African American governor.

(somber music) >>I think Doug Wilder will always be remembered as an historic figure, as somebody who rose against the odds and did what they said couldn't be done.

Somebody who showed a framework for how to get elected, a minority to get elected, and that that framework was that you have to be a candidate for all people.

>>He is one of those who took the legacy of the Civil Rights movement into the places where the dreamers in the Civil Rights Movement wanted it to go.

They wanted it to go into the assembly, they wanted it to go into the state houses, they wanted it to go into people running for president.

And so, he was a legatee of that movement.

>>Nothing could ever change what he's accomplished.

Nothing could ever change both what it took for him to mount that summit, and nothing can ever change the way he proved that the color of a person's skin has nothing to do with one's ability to govern.

Did something to be proud of.

(upbeat music) (upbeat jazz music) >>Major funding for "Wilder: An American First" was provided by SunTrust.

Where you bank on opportunities, we bank on diversity.

At SunTrust, we know it takes a special combination of people to foster creativity and a more competitive company.

Production funding was also provided by Dominion, and by Virginia Commonwealth University, and by State Farm Insurance, with local agents who can help you with your insurance, banking, and financial service needs.

State Farm Insurance, we live where you live.

"Wilder: An American First" was produced in collaboration with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

(bright music)