One of the films in contention for multiple awards at the Oscars this Sunday is Fences, a cinematic adaptation of an August Wilson play ushered onto the big screen by Denzel Washington. The film was nominated for a number of Oscars, including best picture, best actor (for Denzel Washington), best supporting actress (for Viola Davis) and best adapted screenplay — an Oscar that would be awarded to the late playwright, who died in 2005.
Back in 1988, Bill Moyers spoke with August Wilson about his plays, which chronicle the African-American experience throughout the 20th century. Their conversation took place a year after Wilson won his first Pulitzer Prize (for Fences), and two years before he won his second (for The Piano Lesson). Bill had just seen a performance of Fences, and spoke to Wilson about it, and how race informed his writing.
The civil rights movement At the end of World War II, African Americans were poised to make far-reaching demands to end racism. They were unwilling to give up the minimal gains that had been made during the war.
