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HIS ORIGINAL STORY "THE
WASHINGTON POST" INSPIRED THE
FILM.
>> WHAT WAS IT THAT INITIALLY
DREW YOU TO THIS STORY?
>> I KNEW I WANTED TO FIND
SOMEBODY FROM THE ERA OF
SEGREGATION BEFORE THE CIVIL
RIGHTS BILLS HAD BEEN PASSED IN
THIS COUNTRY AND WHAT WORKED IN
THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND SO I STARTED THIS MASSIVE
NATIONWIDE SEARCH, MADE A LOT OF
PHONE CALLS, UTILIZED ALL MY
SOURCES, AND ON THE 57th CALL TO
HIS FATHER'S HOUSE, I SAY THIS
IS WILL HAYGOOD WITH THE
WASHINGTON POSE AND T AND I'M L
FOR MR. EUGENE ALAN.
SOMEONE TOLD ME HE WORKED FOD F
EIGHT PRESIDENTS.
>> NOBODY HAD EVER TOLD HIS
STORY.
>> WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT HIS
ARCHIVES IN HIS BASEMENT, HE
HAD, I THINK, REALLY REALIZED
THE IMP SAID NOBODY HAS EVER WRA
LENGTHY STORY ABOUT YOU, MR.
ALLEN?
HE STOCK A STEP CLOSER TO ME AND
SAID IF YOU THINK I'M WORTHY,
YOU'LL BE THE FIRST.
>> WOW.
THE FILM IS COMING OUT AT THIS
TIME WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE NATION
IS TALKING ABOUT RACE IN THE
WAKE OF THE TRAYVON MARTIN CASE.
>> YES, OF COURSE.
>> DO YOU HOPE THE STORY OF YOUR
FATHER CONTRIBUTES TO THE
DISCUSSION IN A WAY?
>> I NOT ONLY HOPE IT WILL
CONTRIBUTE, I PRAY THAT IT WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISCUSSION.
>> WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT
CONTRIBUTES?
>> I HOPE IT WILL GENERATE
PEOPLE INTO THINKING THAT WHAT
WE WENT THROUGH IN THE -- IN THE
'50s AND '60s AND BEFORE THAT
AND DURING THE MODERN CIVIL
RIGHTS ERA, IT IS, IT HAS NOT
ENDED.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
FASCINATES ME ABOUT MR. ALLEN'S
LIFE IS THAT HE WAS IN THE WHITE
HOUSE AND HEARD THE ECHOS AND
R
RAMIFICATIONS OF THE *** OF
TEAL, EVERERS THE MURDERS OF THE
FOUR YOUNG GIRLS IN THE
BIRMINGHAM 16th STREET CHURCH.
HE WAS THERE FOR AN ASTONISHING
SWEEP OF HISTORY, AND, YOU KNOW,
ALL THOSE EMOTIONS HAD TO SWIRL
INSIDE OF HIM.
HIS SON WAS SERVING IN VIETNAM.
I MEAN, MR. ALLEN --
>> AND YET HIS JOB WAS TO BE
THERE AND YET TO NOT THERE BE IN
A SENSE, YOU KNOW.
>> YES.
>> I
AT THE MOST POWERFUL ADDRESS IN
THE WORLD BUT WOULD GO BACK TO
HIS NATIVE VIRGINIA,
SCOTTSVILLE, VIRGINIA AND HAVE
TO USE A SEGREGATED BATHROOM.
>> YOUR MOM PASSED AWAY THE DAY
BEFORE THE ELECTION IN 2008.
>> YEAH.
>> AND YOUR DAD WENT OUT AND
VOTED.
>> HE WAS GOING TO VOTE AND, YOU
KNOW, MY MOM -- SHE HAD A
ARTHRITIS VERY BAD AND I WAS
SUPPOSED TO GET AN ABSENTEE
BALLOT, WHICH I DIDN'T DO.
I APOLOGIZED THAT SATURDAY, AND
I SAID MOM, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T
GET THE BALLOT FOR YOU AND SHE
SAID THAT'S OKAY, I'M GOING TO
WALK ON TUESDAY.
SHE WALKED UP THE STAIRS AND
DIDN'T COME DOWN ANYMORE, AND,
YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE IN THE
MORNING OF THE 3rd.
AND SO DAD, YOU KNOW, HE HAD TO
GO UP THERE AND HE HAD TO VOTE
ALONE, BUT IT WAS STILL -- IT
WAS STILL UNREALISTIC UP UNTIL
THE POINT WHERE WE WERE AT THE
INAUGURATION.
WE GOT INVITED TO THE
INAUGURATION.
>> WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOUR
DAD?
>> SOMETHING OUT OF THE BIBLE.
THOSE BIB KILL STORIES, THE
GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
>> I REMEMBER WHEN WE GOT OUT OF
THE SUBWAY AND STARTED WALKING,
IT WAS REALLY COLD OF COURSE AS
EVERYBODY SNOWS.
I SAID MR. ALLEN, I APOLOGIZE, I
THINK WE SHOULD TURN BACK.
I CAN TELL YOU'RE IN PAIN, AND
HE LOOKED AT ME, AND HE SAID,
YOU HOLD ONE ARM, AND HE LOOKED
AT HIS SON AND HE SAID CHARLES,
YOU HOLD THE OTHER ARM AND HE
SAID BECAUSE I'M NOT TURNING
BACK.
>> WHEN WE WERE SITTING DOWN
WATCHING, WATCHING THE PRESIDENT
ELECT, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN
PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE
NATION TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE,
HE LEANED OVER TO ME AND HE SAID
WHEN I WAS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
YOU COULDN'T EVEN DREAM THAT YOU
COULD DREAM OF A MOMENT LIKE
THIS, TWO DREAMS.
I MEAN, YOU COULDN'T EVEN DREAM
THAT YOU COULD DREAM THE DREAM.
AND HE WAS CRYING.
>> YEAH, I LOOKED AT MY DAD, AND
HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID DAD, IT