Transcripts For CSPAN2 April Ryan Authors On Race In America 20180210

Good evening and thank you all so very much. If you will all sit down. Thank you so much for coming out to night. Its heartening to see so many people here on this important day for our country. Before we get started i just want to mention that this panel will go a little longer than usual because its a very special program as you can see from our guests and because the topic is so important, so we will run longer than usual, but in every other way it will be the same as our other panels. There will be a discussion and opportunity for question if you can make it to the microphone that would be great because this is being filmed on cspan and also live streamed on politics and prose Facebook Page at its helpful if people can hear the question as the question is asked. Lastly, there will not be a signing afterwards, but we do have copies of all of our guests books at the front. They are all very prolific. We dont have all of all of their books, but we have some of all of their books, so please help yourself to those as well. I just want to say that we really appreciate you being part of this evenings discussion. Era politics and prose we have no better way to honor the legacy of doctor Martin Luther king jr. Especially on this National Holiday name for him than by having this Extraordinary Group of panelists to engage, in form, educate and lead us in a conversation about race in america. Before we get going, let me explain for a minute the origin of this program. Tonights panel is our fifth in a series of ongoing Panel Discussions called race in america. The first was in october, 2015, in response in part to a series of distressing and to frequent shootings of young black men at the hands of Police Officers in cities across our country and i speak on behalf of our entire staff at politics and prose in banking our great friend april ryan for being the brains behind these Panel Discussions. [applause]. April suggested to me and my husband brad who is somewhere here who is the call owner of the store and Program Director that pnp should become a venue for discussions about racial issues. Helped us organize the first in every subsequent Panel Including tonight and for each session she has recruited speakers with forces that are among the most influential, must provocative and most respected on this urgent subject. Tonights panel is no exception. Each of our guest is a powerhouse in their field and we are privileged to have them here and we are grateful for their generosity of time. I cant help myself. Let me make one quick editorial comment as a coowner. Its not just the distressing events of the past few days that remind us this conversation needs to happen on a daily if not hourly if not minute by minute basis in america. It needs to happen in every community and by having these conversations maybe and i dont even want to say maybe because i have to believe we will begin to reclaim the values of tolerance, diversity, inclusion and respect that is currently under assault. After the 2016 election, we felt even more committed than ever to doing our part as an independent bookstore to provide a platform for conversations like the one we will have tonight to be a safe space where people can engage in thoughtful rigorous respectful dialogue about the challenges of the larger world. Never before have we felt that is as important as it is now, so we went to think all of you for being a part of our journey in conversation and to be part of our community tonight in moving forward. Now, for our panel, starting to aprils left, youre right i guess if youre in the audience, doctor Mary Frances Perry is one of the wisest thinkers in our country about civil rights, gender equality and social justice. [applause]. She has explored each of these issues from a range of eight perspectives and experiences virtuous chancery of the university of colorado at boulder and currently the professor of American Social thought and professor of history at the university of pennsylvania. Shes also done so as a lawyer, policymakers advocate and former chairwoman of the Us Commission on civil rights advocating for her causes through four president s and receive the Nelson Mandela award from the government of south africa. As a writer and social commentator, shes the author of more than a dozen books, somewhere around a dozen books, more than a dozen books, but whos counting. The next of which is history in teaching us to resist. She will be here to talk about that book, so please come. By the way, we are local and care about local and shes also a graduate of howard university. Next up, we have someone who local also, okay. Next up we have someone who if you dont know who he is i dont know if you have been in a deep slumber for a long time, bishop works across every aspect of American Life and has touched millions and millions of men and women across our country through sermons, music, plays, museums conferences, festivals and more. A 30,000 Member Church located in dallas and the author of many books. Also with us tonight okay well, wesley is next. By hedging the opposite order. West lowery is a pulitzer prizewinning National Correspondent at the washington post. Hes been the papers lead reporter covering Police Shooting and black lives not a protest movement. His work has appeared in the boston many papers. s first book they can kill us all was awarded the 2017 autobiographical and also an onair contributor at cnn and last but never least, jason riley is with us tonight at the end. Hes a veteran member of the wall street journal editorial board, senior fellow at the manhattan institute, commentator on fox news. Jason has also written three books with the most recent of which is entitled false black power. Of course, we have im going to say we saved the best for last because she is a regular around here. April right is not only the originator of the series, but our treasured moderator. April has appeared at p and p for her two books. As many of you know, she is Washington Bureau chief for the White House Correspondent for american urban radio as well as a cnn commentator. I think its this saturday she will mark her 21st year covering the white house last saturday. Shes passed her 21st year and into her 22nd tier. I could you may be fair to say the Current Administration has been her most challenging, but she can answer that better than i can. Regardless of the challenge, and i think it has been challenging for anyone covering the white house, april has one respect for her courage in speaking truth to power. Facts matter, evidence matter, character matters and truthfulness matters, so thank you all for being here tonight and please join me in welcoming this wonderful panel. [applause]. Think you. Lets give a big round of applause to politics and prose for this fifth installment in this race in america series. Lets give them a big round of applause. [applause]. The reason why i say that is because a lot of people dont have the vision and the understanding to see that there is something percolating to the surface and politics and prose had the foresight and i also went give a shout out to cspan who has been there with us as well and you will be able to see this on cspan. Be on your best behavior tonight on right now, my activists to my left. This will be a civil conversation, civil conversation we sit on all sides of the spectrum of this issue, but there will be a civil conversation on this matter and i wanted to break the twitter tonight on mlk day. I want you to race in america. Tweeted out right now. Race in america. If you hear something or see something you like take a picture, it and give a quote to make sure its accurate and put it out there. So, mlk day 2018, im just so thankful to have this wonderful panel here, but for a time such as this im sad today. Friday, i had to ask a United States sitting president s home when he signed a proclamation about doctor king if he was a racist. Again, i am sad today about that but, with the patterns that have been going on and on the other issues that of been happening globally, this is a Perfect Place to be and for the conversation to be had, not only is this the 50th anniversary year of the assassination of the dreamer, doctor Martin Luther king jr. , the two more anniversaries, and anniversary for the poor peoples campaign, 50 years and theres another anniversary, 50 years after the commissions report took this is a big year. But, i think back to a couple of years ago when i was in selma with president barack obama celebrating the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday. If you took a picture of that day or blackandwhite picture and put it up against today, would still look the exact same. Of the economic hasnt changed. Yeah, the black boys and black girls can go to school with white people, but selma still looks the same, but the irony is a few weeks ago in december, that to include selma, alabama, my friend john king at cnn says that the board the black belt is about the richness of the soil. I say the richness of the spirit black people,. [inaudible] i look to the fact that selma put jones over the top in alabama. 50 years later. The spirit wants change, but what does that change look like in 2018 . What are the lessons to be learned from the past as we move forward as we sit in the now moment . I want to start with doctor mary frances mary who i love sitting at the knee and listening to her wisdom and the stories she tells she told me a story just this week i went to you regale and give it to the crowd. When credit scott king the widow of doctor Martin Luther king jr. Was alive they would talk on mlk day and the question was what was the question, doctor barry . Use your microphone. Your microphone. Turn it on. We would talk about two things. One, we would talk about what would martin do about whatever was going on. What would martin do . And we would talk about it and then we would say she would say what would martin think and we would talk about what martin wouldve said about whatever was going on and this was four years and in between Martin Luther king day depending on what was happening around the world, so i always ask myself i just came back from speaking down in tampa for their Martin Luther king celebration and what i talk about is what martin would say and what he would do about all thats going on and one of the stories do you want me to tell the story . Tell the story. One of the stories one time was that lb gt groups had been wanting her to come out Say Something in favor of the rights of people and she told me, the women who were with martin and whatever she said then she met the guys who were with martin. We knew which men. They have said i should do it because thats not my issue thats not your issue. Dont do it. Whenever i am in a crisis of an issue over social justice, we would say what would martin do about this . And i think that is an appropriate thing to think abou about. You also set as a proponent of what he would do. Not that what he would always do about issues he just wasnt born with so much wisdom but chosen to be the leader by the people in montgomery. It was a terrible failure with some failures how to strategize and organize and conceptualize and depict targets and when you try to lead the people because the effective leader is not somebody that you figure out what you are trying to do. And now to sacrifice not be smart and strategic about what youre doing. So that is something we should all learn about what he did and how we go about this resistance. Leverage and resistance. And i said this to the people in tampa. If i was in the white house and the president said whatever he said i have been in the white house they say stuff they would not want me to say stuff but they did. I will not tell that story. But do use that as leverage using for the people i would say you will me to tell people that you did so and so . So this issue of trying to deal with and take care of if i can get you to take care of that then i may forget about what you just said and did. [laughter] if you just shut up that i might go home. Thats interesting mr. Jakes is here in the house. [applause] but bishop jakes, dr. Barry is talking what happened this week but we talk about that it turned into something drastically different. With immigration or any policy on the table is it love or just the numbers and economics . First of all thank you for allowing me to be on the panel this is a lucky i might as well Say Something. [laughter] it occurs to me that the love is hard to legislate. You cannot pass an amendment that causes people to love. But i think that is a pursuit for us as American People to try to manage the hearts of people. Sometimes i wonder if we could even manage our own. But at the end of the day we will not rise and fall on the backs of what people say what is appropriate or inappropriate but firm corrected failed systems and when you look at those failed systems like criminal justice or immigration or education they call us underprivileged people who should have fair opportunities but this is just aggravating in a lot of other adjectives that i could use. But the deeper issue its not about personality that policy of what took place for a change to live on for people to live a better life and that are underserved. But at the end of the day we the people define what america is and we have to take that right back. We live in a society we have advantage of technology where we can get information at a breakneck speed but there are pros and cons because of what we think is government by who we watch or who we read and be cut behind the wellmeaning producers and journalists like yourself there are those that are fighting with that information we are constantly taking arms with each other instead of take one doing cover ground if we could actually talk to each other and not learning about what we read about each other we could move the country closer to what martin would do and what we want for our children and grandchildren in a world that really thinks beyond ratings and sensationalism putting one group of people against the other as if we are scoring points. Lately it is almost watching a Football Game and scoring points rather than caring about people and it is that frustration that has caused people sometimes to make poor choices and who we choose to represent us and that has to change we have the power to change that now belongs to every person who has a voice. [applause] you are digging into the numbers and the facts, what is key on the table right now . I watched you nod in agreement. They have so much misinformation i remember last week i was on the show right after that happened somebody was talking about the brown people brings something to the table and from the center for American Progress at a report in 2012 and 2018 to show that black immigrants actually obtain more degrees and higher degrees than any other immigrant. So talk to us about how that matters. They do it i will suggest i have a repository of all of the facts be like you have a lot. [laughter] but i think that is important to have conversations in the presence as opposed to in the space we are making assumptions about others is important with the immigration conversation that could be indicative if there are fundamental Political Parties with a large swath of the nation that is interesting for me as an observer with this feeling things that were otherwise taken for granted as a given for what we shared across the American Experience that we were more contentious than people believed so much of the immigration conversation is about what type of nation are we in terms of who we welcome there is a segment of the American Population believes we should have an open door. And that is expressed by the president. But no. We want a highly selective set of people in the less you are bringing something and why should we . And because of that you can see an opening for people to superimpose whether their stereotypes onto that conversation but not to litigate but as my colleague reported to just the president said that or to question why from haiti or the caribbean islands are africa why would we want black immigrants or why not more places from norway . But black immigrants are an increasing percentage one of the largest growing groups while the often have a conversation specific to the middle east but black immigrants are the Largest Group also after they arrive they attain Higher Education rates that surpass native americans more than any other immigrant group. Laborforce participation rates for black immigrants are higher than that of any other group they are the most likely to come to america and pay taxes a group of highly productive folks into contribute to society. So now you have full suit may be inclined to believe that they would superimpose stereotypes they must not be hard workers are not getting jobs ideologically they could say exactly that is the type of person you dont want they are coming here and taking jobs. [laughter] so statistics can be used any number of ways of how you look at that. It is interesting because of through this point in time there has been very little conversation the political dialogue and so often we assume and we have these conversations we talk about immigration legal refugee or otherwise so this is interesting moments relating to that. On immigration and what my friend just said, all that is true that i have been one of the most ardent advocates for refugees and immigrants going out of my way working on haitian refugees as long as i could breathe going back and forth and all the rest working on african achievements but politically while we are huddled here on the east coast battling over the west coast of california we may think that productivity and creativity is the end of the story. But why politically doesnt that help us on the immigration issue a lot of times x because some people would say that is all well and good. Flyover country is the places you flyover when you go to california. [laughter] they say that is good but what about me . I have been laid off at 55. The workers that i see will tell you that especially when im campaigning for people. But what you have to do in policy terms and this is my belief you have to talk about what you want to talk about if you want to win a campaign. This is great and we want to continue this. I know you dont have a job but just to leave the people out of the discussion while discussing immigration that are suffering themselves get yourselves out there to flyover country because they want to hear what you have to say what will happen to them. I dont find this very pleasant either i am an academic but politically it is the Democratic Party if they want to get the support of the White Working Class people that they used to have and not feel the pride then you have to talk about them while you talk about the benefits it is even better if you talk about immigrants you have to put some context. Context without context that is just pretext. [laughter] i just want to add that what we are talking about politically. I want to piggyback off of that because you look to issues you dont want the government necessarily always in. Yes. On the immigration front i think dr. Berry has done a good job to lower people are coming from but the president originally talking out of both sides of his mouth for a long time originally it was about illegal immigration. That is what we have to stop and he had a lot of sympathy from a lot of people. Dangerous people could be selling drugs or drug smuggling we need to know whos coming into our countrys borders but now its morphed into we have too many legal immigrants. They are stealing jobs in depressing wages. We need to crackdown on that. Coming here to take a job means one fewer job for you and me that is a zerosum mentality that the anti immigrant people bring to the discussion. I also think thats right you live in the cosmopolitan areas and people who dont look like you you see different backgrounds all the time this is not typical of a lot of america a lot of these immigrants the Fastest Growing immigrant population are states like arkansas and North Carolina and iowa and while they may only make five or 6 of the population, if that it could have doubled or tripled in the past ten years. They are still trying to work it out. Trump has been playing to these anxieties and i think unfortunately what he has done now is poison the well in terms of what is really motivating him. Was it ever really legal status with the economic issue . What was it really that is what people are questioning now even as allies on this issue now say i dont want to back somebody who is really talking about thi this. Have the president of the United States as what i understood and tell me if im wrong that when you hear these things back in the day people were seen leveraging and organizing but today i watch people on twitter hide behind eogs. Im not reporting on much because i dont see that out there but when do we see it is about the people and what they feel versus the president or congress . Because i saw something the day after of inauguration that showed me numbers and size matters and sean spicer came to the podium screaming about the numbers. Am i right . What you have to do i think twitter is fine. I will tweet sometimes myself. [laughter] watcher handle . I dont remember. [laughter] and i know a lot of students of mine use twitter but social media is great because as you will see in the book that i am publishing we didnt have social media we had to get out flyers and mimeograph machine. We had to call people on the telephone and let the fbi monitor us on the telephone for the records of what we did. But now you tweet but some people still think social media is action and it isnt it is a way of communicating and to bring people together but if you want the media to show you then you have to do something. So whenever or wherever you are organizing once you have your people together on social media go somewhere and do something so the media can cover you they just cannot cover that you cut did so many tweets. They can do that be back every tweet means something. But you have to disrupt the disruptor he is disrupting our lives. [laughter] if you try to ignore him you cant. But if you are in a movement and you should be doing something you should organize around the issues one policy i want to change or sanctions against south africa or jobs for Public Service or increase education budget by next percentage or something to be passed i have always organized around specific issues and i have been persistent with my people all of us together and i tell you, if you have not done that try that because there is nowhere to hide that is better than cognac or marijuana. [laughter] and sleeping on the floor so when im in jail i teach the people in jail. [laughter] but you have to do something in order to be covered. This is what im talking about. To be on the stage it is amazing. When doctor king organize and galvanize those churches only 4 of the black churches supported him. That was your 60 years ago. Talk to me about the church. I know. As it relates to the social change. I sit in a unique position because i was raised in West Virginia i am a flyover state i grew up in West Virginia my mother is from alabama and mississippi so i have a deep understanding of why civil rights was important she was raised on caretta scott so to have a sense of who i am with ethnicity but because i am a faith leader i also have a lot of friends who were right wing running television and radio stations and write the books and different ideas from my congregation. Listening to a lot of people talking about a lot of things but those flyover states or the rust belt states really are complaining about the same things that others are complaining about that people are not being heard and out of that frustration they need somebody to blame. It is easy to say it is because of this group or that group when reality that is not the problem so we demonize individuals as opposed to issues and that is what we really need to come together to solve because both groups say there are no jobs and for opportunities or an increase of drugs or violence and something needs to change in america we dont disagree that we all agree that many of those people who voted for president obama are the same people who voted for President Trump. I dont understand that but that is precisely what im getting at. President obama democrat there are some obvious differences we could be here all day i can make a quick sermon out of that. [laughter] but either way they were promised change. And i am concerned as we are here again with the crossroads of opportunity to be staggered or distracted by individuals with eight years of the democratic leadership with republicans screaming about healthcare and obamacare than they did not have a plan to take over so now we are complaining about trump but i am not sure the democrats are developing a plan for leadership. [applause] what bothers me about that like a dog running down the street chasing the car never thinking i cant drive if i catch at. [laughter] what happens when they get the wheel . Do i have a plan or a strategy . [laughter] so the dog just chases the car. Running as fast as he can never thinking i cant drive. So are we chasing the car without a strategy to drive . What america really want to hear from anybody they dont care what you call yourself and that is obvious by the trend who voted the Republican Party we see today is not the Republican Party we saw from george bush and we really dont have adequate words to describe as people move from one state to the other with those predictable words to describe ideologies are no longer applicable many republicans dont recognize the report does Republican Party they find themselves in. So what i think is interesting talking about this dealing with issues of policies as opposed to individuals and politics if we get down to the issues a country that stops manufacturing or producing because of technology or shipping the jobs away and we have a class of people who could not ascend into the Upper Echelon of society by virtue of the Education System originally were not poor but first generation poor inner shocked to find those same yields going on in the innercity. But those same trends are true in the rust belt states maybe we wouldnt allow the blackness of the innercity to stop us from solving problems. [applause] wait. Let me get that. [laughter] hold on. Yes the church does have to play a role. So to suggest what does that mean . I was just at the slave castles so what does that mean when we say church and what does that mean in the 21st century . Every churches different hours has taken on, we havent done marches but we have fought for reform take 10000 formerly incarcerated inmates to reduce the rate of recidivism so they can have a better life and move forward. [applause] now the other component quickly is i think the church can be strategic along with the elected officials with that ageold push and pull we have been having the what we left out our companies and industries and ceos that very needed lego support has to be included in this conversation. They are the ones that do the hiring and lobbying and control the politicians. We have to develop conservative pouring from one to the other thinking that government should not take care of the poor people but if you took all the income of all the churches put together we would try to take care of the prescriptions in the healthcare people. It just doesnt work. And then to provide some services when i actually need them so while the church works with 10 i dont think we should let them off the hook quite that easy. Im not lobbying for people to live off the government. But the notion that we give the government a path and say the church will do it if you take a calculator and put that to work you can see that will not work. We can play a part and we need to do a part and we do but we cannot assume the weight of the level of poverty in this country and effectively solve the problem. It is also true the church has a moral responsibility to do something religious people who are truly religious whatever that happens you know they have a moral responsibility to be concerned. So whatever the government does or does not do and we should pressure the government to use our tax money the way we want to be used but i believe i have a moral responsibility to the extent that i can and every church to be a church and religion is a concern and caring about doing what you can and also inspiring people to behave in a christlike manner or whatever manner you have to behave in a way that expresses your empathy for the poor and your concern about them. You can have all the poor people in the world. Let me talk to that and it. [laughter] i absolutely agree with you. But for the sake of clarity, what you define as moral obligation, morality is based on what you are taught. In some sectors morality seems to be around bedroom issues exclusively so consequently they think they are being moral to fight for the issues they have been taught but another circles they exploit those issues altogether to focus primarily on taking care of the poor and that is how they define morality. This is why when you Start Talking about religious institutions and the freedom there to do that to understand within the prison of the fact we are not monolithic so when all faith leaders sit down together we dont agree any better than congress. [laughter] and while there have always been voices who say we should have the moral obligation to take care of the poor and everybody says amen, when it comes to actually taking action to get things done, that is not what every congregation hears on sunday morning. It is obvious by the right wing support from the Current Administration that many institutions justify the end regardless of the means. And that is why kicked out of the Baptist Convention because they were divided on the question if we have a moral obligation to be concerned about people being discriminated against they kicked them out because they were activist and they thought it was just that issue. When you talk about the progressives of the most black organizations what we need is to go beyond black churches if the church has a role to play it cannot go by the color of skin. The reason we have this problem is the church is still honoring doctor king as it was in 1960 so when you see the church it depends on what role and what erupts from that. Do you understand what im saying . Are you enjoying this discussion . Are you hash tagging for america . Now im going to bring in not let them keep going. [laughter] both jason and wes understand the issues that jason feels the onus should not be on the government but the Africanamerican Community has the highest numbers of negatives in almost every category in 2018. So whatever we had we got more of. So whoever goes first where is the onus . Some people fall through the cracks and cant get out. I draw my conclusion based on the government and look at where we are. The Great Society programs what is the track record what is working and what is not working . So to be on the same strategy to try something new. We are honoring king today is something i always think about on this day is the progress that blacks are making notwithstanding the rampant open to the racism existing in society. I think he would be completely unfazed by donald trump. I think he would say i had to deal with that. I had to do with people with these attitudes and frankly when i see trump it is more of an indifference at the base more so than animosity i see a man who has no real interest in uniting the country. I dont think he sees any plus in that for whatever he is trying to do so he is completely indifferent and says these things out of indifference more than anything else. I dont know if there is a grand strategy and if there is i cannot find that. I will challenge you on indifference im not saying it is or it is not that the naacp says there is a track record of indifference for things said that does not well with certain communities. The naacp said, write this down the definition of a racist is racial prejudice and power combined. So think about that. Racial prejudice and power intersect. Sure. That is why i get back to keying and what he could accomplish and what blacks are accomplishing in the 40s and 50s. Look at the metrics from black white differences and Home Ownership Educational Attainment during this period of open and rampant racism in this countrys attitude seems to be the racism is the content but we cannot let that stop us notwithstanding the racism. I once had a column a few years ago something he said to a black congregation in st. Louis. This was in the late 50s and he said something to the effect a little bit into the morality of the Church Thinking that we are 10 of a population population of st. Louis responsible for 50 of the crime. We need to do something about that at our problems in the white world in the black world we have to change the way we think and after i use the quote some people wrote into the wall street journal accusing me of making it up. What struck me is that in this day and age of google you can easily find the source and this one happens to come from a profile of keying written by James Baldwin of all people. But the second thing that struck me is that we now have a generation of people who find it very hard to believe that civil rights leaders used to speak this way. And what he said was not uncommon. Thurgood marshall, malcolm x, they did say things like this quite regularly. But today it does not sound right. I read your piece when you first and that but what you just said is not an answer to the question about what government does or anybody else does. You can talk about crime in the community and we all talk about it we are concerned about clan but that doesnt mean structural discrimination. There was a time when keying thought there was a role for the government to play. Equal treatment under the law and that was fine but there was also the role for the Community Connect the community has a responsibility. Where is the onus . To have this discussion here. The highest negatives of every category so who takes responsibility for it . So with this conversation as a journalist and reporter focusing on accountability. It is relatively futile and relatively impossible for me to show up in the community to conclude exactly i need to hold accountable and how i do that. I can go to a neighborhood in baltimore but the function of the tools i am equipped with to hold power government structure accountable for what it is. So also frankly we have to be clear in most communities those conversations are happening. That you are hardpressed to find people the black community has a role to play that think so strongly and in fact i cannot think of anyone who thinks my problems are more my fault than my father. [laughter] and his mother and father played that role. Sometimes that is lost from the conversation. But i do think there is the question of what is the role of government . I do think it is important to assess and hold into account Government Programs with their effectiveness and point out their failures when they have failed that has to be partnered with a true analysis to be fully in good faith to attempt to solve these problems if my pipes are leaking and duct tape doesnt work i dont say i just fix the pipes. [laughter] then maybe you should call the plumber you keep thinking of solutions you dont conclude this isnt the way to do this. But beyond that kenyas interesting because he is very often a vote in ways of the raw and radical beliefs held during this time. He was on record very clearly to say the one of government need to pay reparations to america. Among his last campaign in chicago so i think these are conversations we are still having which is the governments rule to address issues just because black people could go and are not every day it didnt mean there were not other societal those inequalities that my column at the boston globe did a story earlier this year about race in boston in one line that stuck out was in the city of boston the net worth of the average white family is over 200,000 the networks of the average black family ate. Seven then eight . Correct left attend on bill take two dollars away. Now do employment rates factor . Education . Certainly. But wealth is accumulated over time. Inequality is facing my grandparents setting my father and his siblings back a step and that put me back a step in terms of competition not to say the response cant be they are rich but there will only be people who will overcome and outpace the average within a group but that is what we have to focus on. Looking at wealth accumulated over time you cannot divorce that from housing or real estate policy for generations of americans the equity of the park came from their house and also also talking about litigating people to become legalistic are they racist or not . There is some futility of that conversation but beyond that, sometimes we want to litigate or set aside the way individual attitudes of people have real life policy and reality impact. One study looks at what individuals believe a diverse neighborhood is. Black neighborhood when black americans believe if they make up 40 of the neighborhood that is diverse they are used to operating spaces with some relative minority and are fine with that. White americans once the neighborhood, three out of ten are black they have to go. So this cuts across educatio education, resources of School Systems begin to diversify and then that is in terms of who is living there and that deprives people of the resources that come with these communities. So if two black people live on your block not just one, now your tax base is that because those white americans with accumulated wealth and a net worth are moving to the suburbs further out you see black americans denied that collective and communal benefits of living in these never had the white peers were previously. That attitude is really at the bottom of what we talk about with immigration. Because the reality is america is black and brown and that scares people to death i think. There is no place left to me. So get along with people who are different than us where no particular group enjoys those privileges from being a majority then we have to have a shared democracy or fight to keep people out because too many black and brown are moving into the neighborhood we call america. At the bottom of it all is a deep hidden fear of loss of control. But that is the history of the country. But Benjamin Franklin was complaining in 1750s and it is interesting trumps choice of countries interesting were he prefer people come because if you go back to the debates of the early 1900s those who divided the world that they consider the scandinavian countries are mediterranean people or southern italy, all the different race of people the irish for a different race so on a came over to this country you take the irish people being drawn looking like apes this is the history of america. You are right this is the latest group are the hispanics they are the biggest wave right now but they are not different they are just the newest. We now see the majority of babies born to minorities in this country. The shift is happening. The head of the rnc told me this administration has an issue with the browning of this nation because this immigration piece tries to control the browning of the nation. You can go ask him. Google let. [laughter] this is our favorite part of the show we will let you ask questions race in america. Dont let me cut you off if we go in another direction. Are you enjoying this . B17 one of the great things about politics prose it is a diverse crowd thank you so much for sitting and listening and sharing. So we should remember with the browning of america, because you get a majority that doesnt mean they have the power. Ask south africa. Maxie my we have this amazing panel appeared today . I have been to all of them. Thank you. But thanks to all of you for editing but dr. Berry we were last here you said never to write another book. To talk with um lately and plead with you two i had plans never to write another book. I said i probably dont have any ideas. But when i was here and then to think about it. With that history of resistance. Those are the movements you have been in in vietnam war i was a reporter one summer in college. And you have to write about that is that im not writing about that. But some of my friends i dont even know enough to write it then and start to write it and it worked and i finished it. I have one question. I am a christian and i pray daily and also felt when volunteer race matters and word matters and of one more individual to make excuses for the president of United States i am sick of it. The time has come to speak out about it and when the leadership of the right president of Liberty University will rise to defend him again and again. We know the history of this country but if we go back to slavery and reconstruction and jim crow it all repeats itself. Do we let that happen again . Or do we fight or resist and do something . All of a. [applause] we are all praying but beyond that. Thank you for the question. Absolutely need to speak out. Sometimes it is just a false reality if you dont think you are disagreed to that extreme right or left people never challenge those ideas. We lives in a society that allows us to live in a vacuum with the chosen blindness. So we only interact with people that think and dress and act like us to give us that luxury of willful blindness on any issues so it does create an effect that other people can comment but in short absolutely you should speak out if there is something you dont agree with that is being america and what it is all about but does that change their position . I am doubtful because in those circles many conservative people hold their nose when it comes to donald trump however they feel as long as they get the Supreme Court justice then the end justifies the means. So it isnt that there isnt contention or disagreement, but the justification with conservative religious people as well as some ceos who were fighting for lower business taxes, it isnt that they agreed with his egregious remarks but as long as they get what i want i will put up with what i dont want. That seems to be the pervasive attitude that has cost america to be such a quagmire we are doing everything that you dont give up by any means necessary but do have a certain level of integrity that silences indicative of the fact we have an increasing amount of people in his country who feel as long as you get done what i want done i will look the other way and that is unfortunate. Power gives up nothing without resistance or fight. When trump won the election i took to my dad for two weeks. [laughter] but youre out now. Thats good. [laughter] but no matter how i feel about trump that will not get rid of. Even in this discussion for what is happening in washington so that is what i fear those people with those grassroots those two kids in alabama that the dnc had not heard of them and to those counties, those are the people that will win this. I would just like you to respond to the role of governments policy to get it passed but i dont see how we get rid of trump without supporting people in the grassroots. Echoes back to the onus of the grassroots. Also as Communications Director of the national aclu director and a good sister but what i want to say is she is right one of the reasons i started financially supporting grassroots local organizations instead of just supporting National Organization because i found some people like down in florida who are doing good work i like to give them help and support so they go out and work all the time on the issues. They want to get the right local candidate with the state legislature but it is those grassroots people the Democratic Party lost out at the grassroots that is why the party is so decimated. You have to work at the grassroots and also policy talking about issues of policy or whatever you said i was thinking to myself i havent thought about that but when the republicans came out with the tax bill i kept thinking where is that democrats tax bill . Have they introduced 1i could get behind that i found out they didnt have one. There is was to object of what the republicans taxed and to say now we dont need to change it. You have to change it if people feels there should be change if it is big policy then that is your thing. So they just said go against whatever. But with any kind of sport you have to have often and defense just cannot defend against what somebody else is doing with the grassroots flower and supporting people into supporting people at the grassroots not only a big political policy issue but criminal Justice Reform and helping the women who are drug addicted have children who have been in the criminal Justice System and coming out. I know some in new orleans and savannah and arkansas. Find those people and help them. That is where the power and opportunity being that i have a question to follow up on the road to the black community i am from a very Baptist Community in arkansas and i would argue it ministration also grew up not seeing women have the same opportunities. But when we talk about that now to be judged we talk about sexuality but not the lgb to one lb gt community or president allows transgender people in the military so with those conservative values predicated on collusion or do they deserve to perpetuate those as well . [applause] they could be similar but there is one distinct difference i dont have to go to your church but i have to live in your country. So when it comes to Public Policy it has a different tenor and has to protect our rights to disagree and own ideologies we are aware has to divide itself in such a way it is inclusive of all people when it comes to church today in the 21st century you can go online to get yourself a license to start the church to develop an ideology and there is no prevailing voice to control what you teach or preach as a leader. So whatever you believe that church needs to move forward he concerned that tomorrow. But that one point opposition some are exclusive from what the teachers tell you but do you think there is any responsibility for the church for the people of the community feel welcome . I get your point that is what they ought to be yes. But this would be difference of opinion. We have a lot of people i want to get to every last one. No opinions just give me your questions. [laughter] stop shaking your head left. [laughter] i think doctor king was probably a socialist so what are the thoughts about socialism . What he said about that i will be short. He said unregulated capitalism was evil he supported unregulated capitalism to be an interest of the common good and that socialism without any role for the individual would also be bad so what was needed was a combination of regulated capitalism. I am a black immigrant i am here to represent that i came here 17 years ago i do have a job ngo here in the city. But black immigrant say vigilant to think about what is said beyond that racial tension because it says in money we trust if youre comfortable which country that you can contribute that we are here for Martin Luther king day and what you are able to do with yoursel yourself. So what do we do to reclaim the soul of america . That is why i came here. In money we trust. I dont propose to know what was in the mind of the person who made the statement that those who were involved it wasnt just black and white i do think it is about money and the attitude to respect money and not to respect people who dont those one desk component of the conversation swallowed up by race you are stumbling on the fact extremely wealthy people have a Business Leader to respect other wealthy people and that conversation is a reflection of the disrespect and disregard for other forms of wealth after my many trips back and forth to africa to come to develop a deep appreciation for other types of wealth and culture not just beyond africa but around the world i do think we have become so consumed we trust more in finance than anything else i dont know how to fix that but it really does go down to the core of how we raise our children because values are important but are only reaching a certain demographic that is why in the house able tell you what you teach her children is important that is how we change it every time every mother or father who has a child teaching what matters and what is important. Thank you for coming to the microphone we needed to hear from you. Also with the legacy of doctor king 50 years later what are your hopes . What are some important parts of his message or something falls it could be used or oversimplified. Entering as an oped it is a lot harder to oppose your union if you know that mlk was a labor organizer but to be with those actual politics and policies collectively once a year to get together to tell fairy tales about who he was. [applause] neck i want to address the part of the question you did not talk about he asked where would we like to see it go from here . I think the whole issue, there are many issues that need to be addressed but as opposed to the white sheets and burning crosses is the issue today. Invisible forms all of that is now gone. With the community to see addressed it is incarcerated it is destroying families to raise children alone in more contemporary steps those who are incarcerated in jail are for petty crimes or marijuana uses and the judge can set up tuesday good joint. We have to find a way with the criminal Justice System with the 21st century with a new form of slavery. Cash tag raised in america. First of all i have a concern im not sure can be answered but to think about it, clearly we are aware the stock market is going crazy and corporations are making lots of money and with that profit and money they tend to influence our society in humongous ways either being convicted they move in the wrong direction so the people we tend to hold accountable in the media are usually the ceos or the corporate leader. I want to think about the board of directors because they want profit support the eeos and they give directions but they stay behind the scenes quietly and they have responsibility so my concern is can we look at these board of directors are remade even know them and what do they do to change the direction of a corporation rather than just blame the ceo and move on . [applause] everything everybody has talked about the last few questions can be influenced by activism. Your church whatever they are doing you can have activism in the church so the church goes in the direction that you want but if you want to change what the corporation does or the board of directors if you want them to stop dealing with africa then close down shell oil headquarters. We close that down. So now people there are shareholders and they could be the allies. To quickly recognize that the god of abraham to bring this event and every uncle who has brought us here to serve as an example to find a dialogue so thank you for that so just to comment in question with the topic of race in america will this topic ever change to be nationality in america . Since race can limit or define or box defining myself as an as an israeli light lung dash so how can i be a part of this conversation . You are right there is no greater high to do volunteer work in the prisons working with women to teach them parenting because of restructuring of families will really make a difference to repeat and repair those dysfunctions of previous generations. You have a lot of questions. Im sorry. But. We have to leave that they or we have other people. One more. Please. You mentioned trump and the issue with trump as that to be a strategy as a surprise strategy of what he is doing for illegal immigration and illegal immigration i know some of the pastors and christian organizations i guess there was some support at some point . Can you give us an update not that you speak for all but if there is any insight to that collaborative support . I am so thankful for politics prose owners for doing race in america. No. Dont do that. Young lady this is not only about black people to question their own race it is about discussing the issue of race in america and anybody can come to discuss the issue. It has been an issue race is americas original sin. And it remains an unresolved problem. In the last five programs we have talked about this and i will take into consideration i will take what you said as well but i will say this as well i hear you when you say you are black israelite. I appreciate that but i will say this to you unfortunately in this time when people see you the first thing they see is color than gender. I know what you are what you have told me and you have professed but the unfortunate thing people dont see that. They see you as a black woman and that is the definition of race in america and i hear you. The fact we are not individual or who we are in the eyes of people who see and ready for president 1972. Primarily the Largest Group it is still there and he did not go to church. Scratch that level of suppor support. Is not even a year yet. The issue of race the way it is treated of wealth or power privilege and survival. It is also generational thing that disparity between blackandwhite families it is still closer than it is now. They get less in terms of benefit so that current generation is coming up with their own survival and the elders in the room. How do we engage the rest of you . It is not being an elder to earn a wage to allow you to survive after that point with the diminishing prospect so to stand on your own or reduce what about the intergenerational scaffolding . How do we reach out. And to defer to my older. [laughter] that would bring the level of income up that is appropriate. But the parents taught us it is about a job so entrepreneurship seems to be the way as a possible answer. But i am serious about ownership i see those millennials and i know there are problems that make that a difficult process but alternately if you can survive not only control your destiny but the destiny of your children that is underserved in the community so what should our generation do i can see you dont agree with it i will let you have your say in a minute. Hillary to vote so they are using their voice to. I know its not the way for everybody but when you look at it all of the jobs in america came back, if all of them came back still 70 of the American Population is employed in small businesses. I think its not for everybody but its a conversation that is so important in our community. Generally we worked for somebody even if we are the employees and we are the customers, we are seldom the owner. We have people selling us anything from hair Care Products to and something had to change in the psyche of our culture where we do at least consider entrepreneurship so are businesses can be realized in so we can have a better chance. Let it go, let it go, let it go. [laughter] sir, we dont have time. I have to cut you off. Do you want to give a response . I think he covered it. This lady in the brown. Im trying to get to you. We have got to go fast. I have a very quick question. Im a journalist and this is for you ryan. They said we wish to play their own cause too long have other spoken for us so i wanted to talk about the issue of black dress and we study agendas at the beginning of every presidency but when it comes to a black presidency we have failed to do that i feel the problem is when i watch Major Networks and i work for a Major Network we now have talking heads and it feels like an infomercial but we dont have journalist, experienced journalists especially people of color. That way when we have conversations in the president s says derogatory things against africa and haiti we can have someone come on and say take those words seriously because they were countries who actually used immigration and brought in there to widen their societies and we dont lose that information. I dont see that because the black press is not come together for an agenda, a collective agenda or should we even do that that . I think the black press needs to get together. Please tell the story that other people dont know or they choose not to know. We have to be there. There are days when i can talk about anything but when there are black issues i am a lot of times there. The sad thing about it is i have shed a lot of light on it and i think each Community Needs to be in the newsroom because a lot of times people just dont understand and dont want to understand so therefore i mean you know mine is not a traditional path. 50 years old. Ive been doing this for 21 years. They say where have you been . I have been there. You have been there, yes. Thats what im saying. I dont see her on tv like she should be and thats one of the reasons why she is here. [applause] she is an actress. She is walking history in the problem is i dont know what the thought process is but she used to be on a lot and sometimes people change. I dont know what it is but i think what we have to do is understand that we bring something to the table and sometimes we have to knock the doors down because they are not going to come looking for us. Thank you. So there are a few things here. The first is that theres this question of what is the role of the black press in this moment and in this moment we are in currently. There is more press than there has ever been before and they are more Media Outlets and physical formats. Cable news is the relatively recent invention and is there a role for a black press to specifically focus on stories from the black community telling the stories and empowering the stories. The diversity crisis within journalism i think underscores the need and the importance for a vibrant lack press. There are still many major newsrooms in which the black faces inside of them are far and few between let alone the asianamerican faces. Journalism is currently largely a field for folks with some level of economic privilege than in many cases require some level of a degree and also acquires youtube enter where you can basically expect to never make any money. Many folks do end up making money but you signed up with the median salary for journalists at 42,000 a year. You signed up not expecting to make a lot of money even if you end up wealthy and that becomes a selfselected group to begin with. We had a conversation about the status of the black journalists. Oftentimes i think about how we are probably a decade or twoway of using a lot of our historically black newspapers where in many cases you are one generation of the family dying before a community loses after the same time we have to have a conversation about the vibrancy and the function of the role of many of these organizations and the need for some of them to pivot and change and reinvest resources where they are still vibrant journalism happening. One thing thats important to think about is a big generational shift i think between the conventional wisdom of the young black journalist coming in now as opposed to one generation ago. My father was a journalist. For the previous generation there was a real in many ways hesitant for a lot of journalists to become race reporters and cover issues. Its not that there arent many who still do but would it be possible at a time when journalism is diversified if you became the black person would you be able to get another job in the room . It seems this current generation in part because i think we have all been empowered to run our mouths whenever he wanted however we wanted social media, as one that feels much more strongly, if you care about something that is what you should pursue. Ive spent too much time in micah rear worrying about it. Ive never had a shortage of desire for me to write about white people. There is plenty but i do think that there is her question was framed around this i idea should there be a collective agenda and frankly i think for me at least personally as a black reporter working in the newsroom my agenda is always one of accountability and i think the agenda of accountability will proportionally affect those that are disproportionately disenfranchised by an unaccountable system but if you think we need to take the temperature and have real honest conversations about who is capable in this moment of doing that than reinvesting some of our resources and talent because i do think its important to have these organizations and their voices being heard. Thanks. The Washington Bureau chief says there are a lot of black face is not going into political journalism anymore so the numbers are dwindling for black people in political journalism. We need all people. Heres what we are going to do. We have five minutes. I want you to ask your questions and somebodys going to take it. Thank you for standing so long. I am a genx earned a news junkie in the First Network that everybody comes to what may have questions about whats going on the world. I have a millennial young lady that i work with. Shes the mother of two and i was ranting as usual about the russians had infiltrated our political system and congress is doing nothing about it. She says to me how do you know that they infiltrated our system . I looked out across side and i told her. How do you know the truth, who said that . She said how do you know they are telling the truth then she talked about something on youtube. What this led up to them this is my question for my journalists on the panel is what i see happening is that the millennial generations do have all the social media. Although social media really is opinion. When you look at the news now where their opinions the president says something in a meeting but now becomes his opinion. Who really believes he said that so now nothing is a fact and the people who need to be coalescing and really have a movement, they dont know what to believe. They dont even know where to source news so my question to you is is there anything that can be done or is being done to bring back the integrity of journalism being a place where you go to get facts and not just opinions . Yankee for the question. Yes sir. My question is for t. D. Jakes. Do you see the parallels in terms of egypt when you have a children of israel enslaved you have a situation where they were in such bondage and anguish that they could not hear even though god sent moses to tell them things are going to get that her because of their pain and suffering they couldnt hear from the creator when he was about to do something. Do you see that or feel it lacks something has to break and something has to give . Are you comparing that to Todays Society . Bishop j. Called on. I will let you come back. Good evening and thank you all for being here tonight and all of your contributions. Two questions. To april ryan and t. D. Jakes. April ryan i am so fed up with Sarah Huckabee sanders and the way she answers your walls questions. Is there any way that you can ask her and im respectfully asking this question. Can you respectfully give me an answer not be insulting to me . I was just, oh, oh. [laughter] i wasnt feeling guilty. I just didnt want anyone to feel [laughter] the second question to you bishop t. D. Jakes would you be interested in offering trump any counseling or advice and if you were, what would be the three main points that you would share . Thank you, thank you, thank you. Im glad i got it straight. The question of how do we bring integrity back into the news fact versus opinion . I think mrs. Going to be on news organizations and media organizations to start acting like it again. I think some of the more ability to not only written down his allies but also his enemies. The press in many cases am i not talking about an opinion. I get paid give my opinion to not play it straight but my colleagues on the news side who are supposed to be playing it straight i think to the womans question, its hard to tell. Whether you are reading the news side or the opinion page and if these news organizations want to regain that respect that they once had thats going to be on them to clean up their act and start at king like the object of journalists that they claim to be. I think it is a challenge and its unfortunate. That is a very sad commentary on whats happened to the Mainstream Media. Bishop jakes, a parallel between the children of israel and bondage in egypt. I think there always parallels that can be taken out of scriptures and there certainly distinctives between the two. The point is has the oppression lee reached a level of a breaking point . Im not really sure about that. Every time i think its at a breaking point it goes further in some regard. Every time i think of for the most shocking thing that you could ever hear Something Else happens but i dont think we should never lose sight of the fact that despite the audacity of the times in which we live right now, i dont think we should lose sight of the fact that in many ways things are better than they were in many regards. Im not saying that we should rest on that but having lived in a time where the lynchings were real and where some of my relatives we never found because they ran away and we dont know whether they are living or dead, we have made some progress. Should more be done in . Absolutely so i dont know whether we are at the Tipping Point. It might be better that every generation has a Tipping Point and i might be the Tipping Point for this generation. I dont know. We will have to wait and see. Should you be or could you be for President Trump a counselor . And what would you tell him . [laughter] stopped waiting to get your voice out there. You can easily get your voice out there and you can get your voice out there and a kind of way that dispels misunderstandings and that sort of thing. The election is over so lets be the leader at the base needs to move the country forward and thirdly when it comes to International Policy words do matter. Even though they are debating about the Mental Health of the president we dont know for sure sure. What we dont know for sure while you may do something tending to provoke and expect reaction and you might get a reaction that causes us to lose millions of people. But i want to go back and say this. Very seldom, would i do if . I dont know because im not sure the confusion and the drama that exists right now to have a voice that can be heard, its very difficult to get around the leader of that magnitude and not have splashed the drama and a consistencys and the photo ops that would suggest that you are supporting them as opposed to informing them. Im going to give everyone a chance. Im going to answer your question. Lissa the White House Correspondents association is the Advocacy Group for the White House Press corps. They are talking to her, the press secretary and the former press secretary. When it comes to Sarah Huckabee and what is perceived as her being disrespectful to me i will say i think it was last week Sarah Huckabee and i broke bread together. There was an airing out session. We will see would happen but i think the conversation continues continues. Depending upon what day and she basically reflects the president. When you see her and her moves thats what he wants her to do. Thats what he wants her to do. Hes watching and his executive time and in the oval office he is watching. So it is what it is but i thank you for being concerned. Now if you want to respond to the twitterer fast. The reason why trump cant stop using twitter essentially is because he cannot use the Mainstream Media because it gets connected to the question about the bias in the opinion, getting into the news and the Mainstream Media and what the Mainstream Media made clear from the first day he got elected its their duty. There was a piece in which he said the major task of the paper during this period had to be to go after trump and dissect them him and made it clear. The Mainstream Media which reflects people like me and some of you in here and that is so adamant about trump and he has tried to use them as a place to talk to get their point across and they would never hear him. He is using twitter as a way to bypass them just like other president s who use local media. You know how they do, to bypass. I guess what i meant was some of these policies are serious policies and to be limited to such few characters to express an issue is reprehensible. Because the leaders around the world are having to take them seriously you cannot exactly, that kind of thing is really concerning. I have always wondered maybe its a strategy in fact to change the subject. I have seen that happen sometimes because it seems like all the media jumps on it and it becomes a subject for the next three days. We thank you all. [applause] the fifth installment with jason riley, Wesley Lowery t. D. Jakes and mary frances berry. This was a great conversation on the stage to remember a man who wanted citizenship for all. Thank you all so much. Well be talking talking to you about the next installment. Thank you guys, thank you so much once again. Doctors mary frances berry, dr. T. D. Jakes and Wesley Lowery and i am april ryan. Thank you so much. Have a great day. 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