Father to Son

Destination Freedom. Destination Freedom. Dramatization of the great democratic traditions of the Negro people is brought to you by Station WMAQ as a part of the pageant of history and of America's own destination freedom. Into 81 sessions of the United States Congress which provide the legislative direction for the land we live in, there have come some of America's outstanding followers of our democratic

heritage. They've come from every state in the Union and from many different circumstances, some by routes that were direct and unopposed, others by routes that were closed and took pioneering struggle to negotiate. The story of one congressman who came by the latter route, Destination Freedom, tells today in a chapter entitled, Father to Son.

My name? Powell. A. Clayton. Ordinarily, you'd call me Reverend Powell because until a few years ago, I was skipper of one of the largest Protestant churches in the country, Abyssany and Baptist Church, New York.

I'm here to tell you about the man whom they call Reverend Powell now. Who calls me Dad? Hello Dad. Sorry I haven't got time to talk about the church now, but I got the pack.

One who came home one cold afternoon in February of 1940 and went about packing his bags. Getting ready to travel down a route, I'd once started on. But I was never to get as far as the young man who called me...

Dad? Yes, Adam. About this idea of running for Congress. Well, the committee down at the church hinted that my father was one of those behind it. How about that? I won't deny it. Why? You wanted it for a long time, Adam.

How did you know? I never said it. You never said anything about it. But you haven't been a Clayton Powell son for 30 years without letting me know something about the way you think. You're worried about it?