FOX news political analyst and The Washington Post staff writer Juan Williams told a crowd of about 400 yesterday that slavery and segregation are still issues in today's society.

"The arguments still persist today, and it all goes back to one man's experience," Williams said. "We need to make sure the doors closed for race and gender are opened, and make sure that there are opportunities there."

As part of the Penn State Forum program, Williams spoke at the Bryce Jordan Center about his journalistic experiences with former Supreme Court justice and civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall.

Williams, also a senior correspondent for National Public Radio and a prize-winning columnist and author, said his experience of writing a biography about the first black Supreme Court justice Marshall was nerve-racking.

William's said biographies written today are often "not a matter of telling lives, but telling lies," Williams said.

Williams added that because of his experiences with Marshall, he learned it was a matter of listening to and understanding the person behind the historical figure.

"Here was the reality of Thurgood Marshall: He was a voice for minorities who had had no representation in the past," he said.

"I questioned whether I had the power to convey the importance of this person to the American people -- could I penetrate American history?" Williams added.

Although Williams said Marshall is considered to be one of the least well-known civil rights leaders of the 20th century, Marshall was a strong proponent for affirmative action and won the 1954 landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.

The legal victory ended the legal separation of black and white children in public schools, and more significantly, sparked the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Williams said.

After the conclusion of Williams' speech, a question-and-answer session followed in which audience members asked how Williams could work for stereotypical liberal and conservative news media, NPR and FOX news, respectively.

Shrugging his shoulders, Williams said both stations were journalistically trustworthy despite public opinion.

"I am the same person in both environments, and I just try to get the news straight," he said.

"But I guess I do straddle the blue and red state divide," he added.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said that most of the speakers in the Forum series are not paid and come as a favor to Penn State.

"We have hosted many important journalists throughout the years, from The New York Times to USA Today -- we have had astronauts, magazine editors, the head of NASA, leaders in the business world and a number of university presidents."

Carol Griffin, a forum committee member, said that Williams' speech was a perfect way to conclude the end of the Forum's ninth year.

"His comments and speech speak to the reason why he was chosen."

Myrna Covington, math center director for undergraduate education, said through his journalism, Williams is a voice for so many people who have no voice.

"Like Thurgood Marshall, he is
making an impact on so many people's lives, whether he realizes it or not," she said.