Mr. Rogers was quiet political pacifist

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"Peaceful Neighbor"

ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (03/20/2015)(readMedia)-- During the "white flight" of the late 1960s, in which whites began to exit racially mixed urban regions, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood showed Fred Rogers inviting African Americans into his home, and he goes to their homes. Not long after the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Rogers brought a black police officer character to his show.

Though he wasn't the type to march on the streets, grab a bull horn and stand on a soap box, his activism occurred in the quiet of the studio and in front of a camera.

In his new book, "Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers," released last week on March 13, Michael Long, associate professor of religious studies and director of Elizabethtown College's peace and conflict studies, explores a level of Fred Rogers that most don't consider.

When you conjure memories of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" flashing gently on your TV screen, remembering visits from the Queen, Trolley, Daniel Tiger and Officer Clemmons, you probably aren't thinking about the bold political and social statements made in each show. But, Fred Rogers, in his soft signature cardigan, was one of the most radical pacifists of modern history.

Read more about "Peaceful Neighbor."

If you have interest in an interview with Michael Long please feel free to give me a call. He is a wonderful interview.