Events he played a major role in

-Wilkins was also an instrumental figure in Congress' passing of the Civil Rights Acts of the 1950s and '60s

-was one of the key leaders in organizing the historic March on Washington

-he was one of the key players in getting the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case to the Supreme Court, whose ruling declared public school segregation illegal

-he participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965), and the March Against Fear (1966).