Roy Wilkins Auditorium is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. Designed by the renowned municipal architect Clarence W. Wigington, it was built in 1932 as an arena extension to the existing St. Paul Auditorium. When the old auditorium wing was demolished in 1982, Wigington's arena wing remained. It was renamed for Roy Wilkins in 1985. It is part of the RiverCentre complex, down the hall from the Xcel Energy Center, home of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild.
A Minnesota Roller Derby game in Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Roy Ottoway Wilkins was an American civil rights leader from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in which he held the title of Executive Secretary from 1955 to 1963 and Executive Director from 1964 to 1977. Wilkins was a central figure in many notable marches of the civil rights movement and made contributions to African-American literature. He controversially advocated for African-Americans to join the military.
Wilkins at the White House on April 30, 1968.
Roy Wilkins (1958) Photo by Carl Van Vechten
Roy Wilkins as the Executive Secretary of the NAACP in 1963
Wilkins (right) with Sammy Davis, Jr. (left) and a reporter at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.