Author and journalist Wil Haygood speaks to students during Civil Rights programming

By Stacey Axler

Acclaimed author and journalist Wil Haygood visited Hood’s campus on March 19 for a day filled with lectures and discussions as a part of the College’s celebration of the 50 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Haygood, author of “The Butler: A Witness to History,” a book that stemmed from his research and subsequent article about the longtime service of White House butler Eugene Allen, visited journalism classes, local community members, and different campus organization leaders before concluding his day in Hodson Auditorium with a speech and book signing.

During the 2008 presidential election, Haygood said he felt a “journalist’s intuition” that Barack Obama would win.  He wanted to write about the election from a different angle; with the perspective of someone that Obama’s election would mean more than the average person.

“When I started my research, I said I wanted to find someone that had worked in the White House for a long time,” Haygood said.  “I talked to my editor about several jobs, a driver, a maid, and finally I said ‘or a butler.’”

Haygood spoke to a feature writing class and other journalism students about his interviewing and story writing techniques when he was writing “The Butler.”

“Journalism is like shoe leather,” Haygood said.  “You need to put a lot of time and effort in to your interviews. I picked up the phone over 50 times before I found Eugene Allen.”

“The Butler” chronicles Allen’s time in the White House.  Allen worked during eight presidential terms, and witnessed major historical events first-hand, such as the Civil Rights movement and the effect of the Kennedy Assassination.

The original article Haygood wrote, published in The Washington Post in 2008 after the presidential election was later expanded into the 112 page book.

Last year, a film version of the book titled “The Butler” directed by Lee Daniels was released starring Forrest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.

“I thought Lee Daniels did a fine job turning my book into a feature film,” Haygood said.

Haygood always enjoyed writing and dreamed of writing books.

Before writing non-fiction books like “The Butler,” Haygood worked as a copy editor at The Charleston Gazette before becoming a national and foreign correspondent at The Boston Globe.  In 2002, Haygood began a career as a national and foreign affairs writer at The Washington Post.

“The Butler” became Haygood’s fifth book; his other nonfiction works include: “King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr” published in 1993, “The Haygoods of Columbus” published in 1997, “In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr” published in 2003, and “Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson” published in 2009.

Haygood’s visit was one segment of Hood’s 50th Anniversary Events.

While those who attended Haygood’s programming appreciated his visit, Haygood equally enjoyed his time at Hood.

“I have been meaning to visit Hood for a while,” Haygood said.  “I have enjoyed my time here.”