A high-spirited multigenerational crowd packed Wheeler Auditorium on a Monday morning in May for one last Leon Litwack lecture.
The renowned historian’s final lecture — embodying both showmanship and storytelling élan— did not disappoint. With the Isley Brothers’ rendition of “Fight the Power” playing in the background, the protagonist entered, stage left, to deafening applause and shouts of “four more years!”
For the final session of History 7B, “U.S. History Since 1865,” the Pulitzer Prize winner brought the black odyssey in America up to the present. His narrative spanned from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to the late 20th century, when “the crisis moved from the South to the nation,” he declared.
The 77-year-old scholar illustrated his theme with examples from popular music. In the 1960s, Litwack said, the black community’s belief in “America’s capacity for change” was soulfully expressed by artists who dubbed themselves the Supremes, the Miracles, the Marvelettes, and the Invincibles. “I know that change is gonna come,” crooned singer Sam Cooke. Today, in contrast, the hard-edged rap lyrics that Litwack liberally quoted signal a far less optimistic mood.
In his half century of teaching more than 30,000 students about America’s checkered racial history, Litwack won fans of all ages and persuasions. And, in his final semester at Berkeley, he won something else.
Two months before his final lecture, a group of student leaders on campus interrupted Litwack’s lecture to announce that the history professor had won the 2007 Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching. The annual award is given to a faculty member by a committee of UC Berkeley students.
“These are the awards that really matter,” Litwack said, beaming as he was presented with a basket of Golden Delicious and Fuji apples. “My students have been wonderful and that’s what makes teaching exciting.”
