Donald Tucker Discusses Life During The Civil Rights-Era As a Secret Service Agent

When the agent told me her story, I couldn’t believe the service was trying to fire her for something like this. Based on my experience with secret service, there were white agents that did things much worse and were never fired. So I went to Washington and met with the assistant director [of the secret service] to defend the agent. She was not fired. I thought the issue was dead until I got my performance evaluation later in the year. It said I was adequate. But when I looked at the evaluation for the Houston office, it said outstanding. I wrote a memo back to Washington and said it was unfair that they were trying to attack me. I said ‘what I see is a two-edged sword, black on one side and white on the other. When the white side strikes down, it’s more lenient to the white agents’ than it is for blacks when the black side [of the sword] comes down.

In the book, you recall instances of blatant racism and discrimination that was committed against you by your superiors and peers. How did you deal in these situations? What made you still want to serve this country?

I’ve always been a strong supporter of this country, but working for the government, I saw the inequalities. I saw how blacks were being treated compared to the white agents. Instead of turning my back and walking away, I felt that maybe the best thing I could do was to stay and fight and try to improve conditions. I think I was successful.

Considering all that you experienced and witnessed throughout your career, what was it like for you to see Barack Obama elected president?

I’m from Chicago. During the 1968 democratic convention, there were riots and police were beating demonstrators in Grant Park. To see Obama give his acceptance speech in Grant Park, it made me flash back to 1968 when all the turmoil and violence was taking place right there in that same park, so it was an ironic and moving period.