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Dick Van Dyke was an early advocate for civil rights

Season 39 Episode 8 | 1m 07s

On May 31st, 1964, Dick Van Dyke delivered a speech on race relations before Dr. Martin Luther King's address at the Religious Witness for Human Dignity event in Los Angeles.

Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund, The Marc Haas Foundation and public television viewers.
Extras
Learn about Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night.
Elie Wiesel reunited with his sister in France.
Before meeting his wife Marion, Elie Wiesel "shunned love" and didn't see himself having children.
Elie Wiesel vowed to always speak up whenever people were enduring suffering and humiliation.
In "Night," Elie Wiesel recounts a memory of witnessing three victims being hung.
Ahead of his 100th birthday, celebrate the life and career of iconic actor Dick Van Dyke.
Conan O’Brien had a dream come true when Dick Van Dyke appeared on his show.
There were two variants of the opening credits of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" involving an ottoman.
Ted Danson watched "The Dick Van Dyke Show" on his first television set.
Dick Van Dyke's love of physical comedy was incorpoated into his main character's persona.