This is a film about storytelling, about how we tell the story of our countrys past. Why do we want to believe one version and not another . Maybe because it makes us feel safe at night. There is one episode of americas history that is told very differently, depending on who you are and where you live. It is the story of our civil war and what came after. The Hot Winds Of War blew across the land. Made of it, a country divided. Friend turned into foe. Brother fought against brother. It was such a long and drawn out struggle. And the feeling on both sides was so intense. Were all just romantics, lost in contemporary times you might say. Every one of us feels like we were born 125 years too late. To introduce myself, my name is rachel boynton. This is nelson walker. We are independent documentary filmmakers. Were making a film about how we tell the story of the civil war. Were filming in different schools all over virginia and were going to place this with a deep connection to this history. What made you choose the civil war and reconstruction . Well, you know, america is kind of like a big family that tore itself apart during the civil war. And in order to make peace, we told ourselves a certain story about it. And for a long time, we had trouble telling the difference between that story and the truth. You can ask me anything you want. What did you want to do when you were little . And you have a backup for that if you couldnt get that . When i was really little, i wanted to be superman. When i got a little bit older, i wanted to be an anthropologist. Do you know what an anthropologist is . Somebody who goes Around The World and studies the ways other people live. Like this . Kind of like this. People are having to come to grips with the civil war, and enslavement, which are sort of the founding bases of the country. Our country is like a really old house that you may not want to go into that basement, but if you really dont go into that basement, its at your own peril. Whatever youre ignoring will be there to be reckoned with until you reckon with it. These voices were all happening on the eve of the civil war. Im Interested In what you think about it, im Interested In who is saying this. And im also gonna give you the Secession Documents from South Carolina. Where is he from . Whats he about . Who is he . Hes a philadelphia congressman, i believe. No, ohio. I think hes from ohio. So he delivers this, when . When is this written, because thats one of the questions that i ask . December 27, 1860. Exactly. And what does he basically say . He doesnt want secession because he knows if there is the secession, there will be a huge war. People will know this war with their own eyes. They will, you know, really experience war amongst ourselves. He sounds scary, doesnt he . Yeah. I think he probably was. What stood out to you in the arguments . So our article was presented by Alexander Stevens in atlanta, georgia. And not once does he talk about slavery, property, and what the war is really about, what theyre really fighting for. Other voices . Yeah. I noticed there seems to be a common idea that the civil war was totally about slavery. Im gonna disagree with that. The south did want to leave the union, because of slavery, but the issue of the civil war was keeping the south in the union. So slavery isnt like, the entire issue. Pushback . Comments . Were gonna continue tomorrow. We have class tomorrow. You are a thinker. That is for sure. The wedge is this labor issue, right . I think were agreed on that. Its just the way of describing it. Good job. Go, go, go. Youre spending a lot of time telling the story of the civil war and reconstruction, in your 8th grade class, why . Because i think we have not adequately, you know, understood who we are as a nation. Theres so much of this history that has been way too difficult for this country to look at. The reason its important to understand this history is because we carry it within us. These things need to be unpacked and looked at, and talked about, and we need to decide what we think about them now. It is challenging, but its where the juice is. [laughs] we call it the war between the states here. We dont call it the civil war. Why is it important to call it the war between the states . Because thats what it was, it wasnt a civil war. The war of northern aggression, the north came down here and invaded us. We didnt go up there. My grandmother was saying they had to had the food in the chimney because of soldiers who came in would take everything they had. They take all their livestock, any food that was in the house, and it was terrible. The war took place in our backyard, for the people up north, the war was a distant thing. Were both members of the local sons of confederate veterans, and we are responsible for taking care of that cemetery. But our generation is that, theres not gonna be anybody around to take care of it. Or to promote the true history of the 1860 1865 time. This class that im filming, the teacher is teaching the cause of the war on slavery. Oh, really . And so, does that offend you . I mean, can you explain to me why. Yes, because its not true. Youre telling stories that are untrue about my ancestors, about my family, about my country, the south. And tell me what the untrue thing is . Slavery. They are not telling the whole story. Slavery was one of the reasons, but for that professor to say that economics had nothing to do with that war is totally false. I would have fought for the south, you know why . It had nothing to do with political reason. Because my home was being invaded. The confederacy lost this war bigtime. No americans have ever lost a war quite like the confederacy lost this war. White southerners are going to need to process what the meaning of that whole collapse of their society really is. And their explanation of their defeat becomes a narrative. It becomes a memory. It becomes the lost cause tradition. And the lost cause tradition was this argument that the confederacy had really fought for noble aims. The war wasnt really entirely about slavery. It was about defending their homelands. Their families, their women, that slavery was not the great issue, that if it had left to them, they would have handled slavery overtime, and maybe even gotten rid of it themselves, they said, which is nonsense. There were alternative textbooks eventually published in the south. And it wasnt just textbooks they were trying to control, it was the stories being widely told in the public arena. And they had a tremendous influence. So, what is at stake in the memory of the american civil war, is who gets to control this narrative, the story. Youve done the hard part. You quit smoking. Now do the easy part and get scanned for lung cancer. If you smoked, you may still be at risk, but Early Detection could save your life. Talk to your doctor and learn more at savedbythescan. Org i tried everything to remove fabric odors, but my clothes still smelled. Until i finally found new downy rinse and refresh it doesnt just cover odors, it helps remove them up to 3 times better than detergent alone find new downy rinse refresh in the fabric softener aisle. I have to move the microphone. Do you have any questions for me . I have one. Forgot what it was. Do you consider yourself a radical person . Am i a radical person . No. Im not a radical person. I think im someone who questions things. Im questioning the stories we tell. Like, in your class, the story about slavery, right . They tell us something about why we are so divided. Do you see us living in a divided country . Every day. I am a member of the Holmes County Center High School family. Education first. The kids that i have here are determined to not follow in the footsteps of what was in the past. Im hoping i can spark something in them to say, i want to know more, i want to learn more. In mississippi, do people talk about slavery as the cause of war . You dont hear the word of slavery or slaves in mississippi. That was an incidental part of it. I guess the simple term is whitewash, as i told my class, that a lot of time, you want to see the good part of the history, especially history that you are part of, and you want to minimize the bad part about it. Slavery is not an easy topic to tackle for black or for white. So how do you tackle the story of slavery . One thing is that the slaves were more powerful than we give them credit for. People said lincoln freed the slaves, but you say, actually, they freed themselves. That was a question. Why couldnt slaves free themselves in a sense before all of this if they freed themselves . You didnt have the abolition movement. You didnt have those people step forward. But those people, to me, were just as brave as the 1960s, probably even more brave. Think about nat turner. To make a change, you have to be able to thats it, he caused people to think. He went from plantation to plantation, killing everybody. He wanted to kill the women and children. He wanted to do that. Why . You expect for a dude to be dead, you expect a mother, three kids, stuff like that of the past, he did. He set the right tone. You want to kill wives, children. Yeah. [inaudible] dont take for granted the lives that were lost. Who is brave enough to try the system when its wrong . That is what makes these guys heroic. We cant devalue what we did. A white guy whose grandfather was confederate. They can keep that memory alive, why cant we . In Holmes County, i noticed how we have the browns and the williams and we also have caucasian people with the same last name. I was always wondering, is there any relation between the two . Then i learned that, you know, slaves got their last name from their slave owners. Its like, did this family own this family . Or did they come from . I always wondered about that. There is this enormous history of slavery in Holmes County. Do people ever talk about that . About . Just the question of the history of slavery here. No. Do you know if your ancestors were enslaved here . I dont know. Would you want to know . Not really. Why . Because i dont want to think about what all they went through for us. How come . Because they are because they worked for all their life, being enslaved and not being treated right. That will just bring me down because they suffered and i wish somebody couldve did something for them back then to help them out. You dont wanna think about because it makes you sad . Yeah. I dont wanna hate people. I want to hate people based on their character towards me now, not what they did hundreds of years ago, or their family did hundreds of years ago. I think white people are afraid its going to make them feel ashamed. Yeah. I think so, too. Thats why theyre probably, when youre teaching i keep going back to the teaching. Its where it all starts because i doubt if a white man would tell his sixyearold daughter we owned slaves, or we did this to slaves. I doubt if that happens. I think we all should learn the real history because, as black people, we think we know but we dont. I never met my great grandmother. You know, they dont talk about slavery, the racial segregation. They dont talk about it. Would you want to ask her about it . I would. But i wouldnt, i think she would say she dont know to avoid the conversation. And why do you think she would want to avoid the conversation . It might hurt her. She might feel mad about it. Its hard to talk about things like that. Yeah. Its personal around here. Were in a southern state. Were talking about the civil war. Im going to have students that are pulling for the confederacy. I was that student. I pulled for the confederacy. They are southern. Im southern, right . Its not about slavery in your mind. Its just like its the cowboys versus the redskins and you want the cowboys to win the football game, right . It is what it is in their head. So, when you throw slavery in there, it complicates it. It is not a football game. This was real. Most History Classes we teach that the winners write history. The civil war, the losers try to write history. When we look at southerners, how they try and twist the narrative what happened, i want to put us in their shoes and learn why. If you can teach empathy when it comes to history, its such a powerful thing for the rest of your lives. All right, boys. In your packet, turn to new perspectives on slavery. What we have here are statistics about slavery. I want you to talk about whats jumps out at you. It says about 1. 1 million southern families owned no slaves. Only about a little over 350,000 owned slaves. Thats only a fourth or fifth. Its actually pretty crazy statistics. Only a handful of people had one or five slaves. Its just probably around the household, which probably wouldve been treated pretty well. It depends. Of course, the southerners were trying to they werent treated like regular humans, but they took care of them because they were a way to make money. Correct. It is an investment. Thats my money. I need to take care of my money. I want that to continue producing money for me therefore i take care of it. I dont take care of it and provide. I mean, its still a dirt floor they sleep on. You know . Im still working them 10 to 12 hours. Lets look at 210. Whippings per person. In the south, where was the wealth . Owning land and owning slaves. If i invested 23,000 in something, i dont want to beat it to a pulp, right . Why did they do it . Fear. You hit on it, thats the word. Heres what American Slavery is about. Money and fear. They are making lots of money. They are terrified of what happens if this goes away. What happens when people talk about abolition and emancipation . What do i start picturing in my head . Getting lynched. Yes. Retribution. Theyre going to come after us. So, you can look at it and say the situation is not great, but i dont want to get lynched. I dont want people throwing rocks through my windows. A. And i wanted to hide from the world. For years, i thought my t. E. D was beyond help. But then i asked my doctor about tepezza. vo tepezza is the only medicine that treats t. E. D. At the source not just the symptoms. In a clinical study, more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza had less eye bulging. Tepezza is an infusion. 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Com to get started. Powered by Innovation Refunds. Classical Piano Music go to getrefunds. Com to get started. [reporter] one of the deadliest Mass Shootings in us history at Pulse Nightclub in orlando. [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. If you are an ally of this community, speak out. There are more of us together than apart. It is the power of love in its rawest form. Classical Piano Music the violence, Police Officers pointed their guns into crowds of young people. It was shocking to me. Why are we still in a war in this country over race . Slavery, it lasted 200 years. You have to develop a psychology on the part of the white people who were doing this, that involves enormous acts of denial. We havent even claimed it as the horrific system that it was. She says, slavery is the cause. And so, many white people that we hear say, dont talk to me about slavery. I didnt own slaves. My parents didnt own slaves. The cultural conditioning that began in slavery has continued. The privileges that you see some white people have goes back to, im more than you, im better than you. Why . Why . Why, teresa . Why are they better . Oh, i dont believe that. I know, but why do they think theyre better . Privilege. Privilege has told them theyre better. They dont even know that privilege. And i remember a book i read in seminary i dont buy that they dont know they are privileged. I serve a congregation of over educated white people who dont recognize their privilege. They dont see that you start that its the norm. If you dont feel that you are privileged, how do you account for the differences between white people and disadvantaged black people . Theyre not comparing themselves to black people, right . Like, my white friends are mostly comparing themselves to other highly educated welloff white friends. But when you say, white people cant get it, i dont buy that. I dont know what they cant get . I dont buy that for a moment since the 60s, i have been proving to myself, and there comes a point in life when you say, im done. Its on them now, because i know i am okay. So the way i look at it, is your loss. I dont intend to spend All Of My Life proving to white people that im okay. Dont prove it, i think you need to get educated. No, we dont. What im saying is that they need to open their minds last night, i was at this conversation about slavery being the source of our racial problems. The topic of White Privilege came up a lot. The idea of, you know, white people have advantages in this country, or yeah, i mean, advantages. Or you can flip it around and say, black people have disadvantages in this country, simply because of skin tone. I feel like it kind of goes both ways. Sometimes white people have a disadvantage, i had a friend a couple of years ago. His gpa was like a 4. 26, and then he got a friend that was black. They had like a 3. 9, like a 3. 3, and they both applied to princeton. And the black kid got it. I feel like everyone says, theres a lot of White Privilege, so we have to give others like, other ethnicities advantages in this place, instead of trying to view everyone as just like an american. I mean, not talking about the race issue, just not bringing it up to the next generation would keep them natural in that sense, and they would not be racists. I dont think that slavery and the civil war and jim crow should be forgotten. I think they should be remembered because i think they are an important lesson that america isnt perfect, and to work against that in the future. If you look at things like that Incarceration Rate for, you know, young black men in this country, and why is it so disproportional, or why you have the socioeconomic situation that you have, between white people, black people, that you can see this didnt come out of nowhere. This isnt a reflection of the tone of somebodys skin. Its based in history that goes back before your generation, before my generation, before my grandparents generation. I mean, it goes way back. I think theres a balance between, like, recognizing our past, but also not overtalking it. Just over emphasizing the problem to where its always on our minds. And its difficult to be very equal when its always on your mind, racism and things like that. Yeah. So please welcome doctor kelly carter jackson. [applause] first off, i want to tell you a story about one of my students. He raised his hand and he said, who is Harriet Tubman . I was like, oh, my god i tried really hard. Sometimes as a professor, you have to like fix your face. Before i could answer the question, he goes, oh, i remember. Shes the woman who wouldnt get off the bus. And i was like, no, no, thats not her at all. But its important because i think it highlights the fact that we only see like one great black man, and one great black woman per century. So force and freedom, my book, really tries to introduce new voices and to highlight black abolitionists in particular. The moment the first black person is enslaved, theyre pushing back. They are collecting arms as much as they possibly can to prepare for what they believe is inevitable. And that is the violent overthrow of slavery. There seems to be a kind of cirricular resistance to teaching this aspect of American History. Look, and i think, im also a historian. I can understand this, and i can anticipate why. But i just wanted you to talk about, it takes your book to underscore force, as well as freedom, you know . And we all know that thats a part of this history, but its not taught that way. Yeah. Its not taught, i think, because we have this hypocritical, i think, hypocritical love affair with violence. We talk about violence, i think, in these really romantic ways. But thats only when were talking about white men, right . When the situation is reversed, it is terrifying to think of black people using force or using violence to bring about their freedom. Is it rolling . So, i want to talk to you about what youve learned so far, right, in college. Is there anything youve learned here about the story of the civil war, that would be hard to talk about with people back home . Yeah, if my daddy is like that typical southern male. He knows everything, you dont question him. You know, i love him to death. That is the way he is. Thats why people are down here. If i told him that the main cause of the civil war was slavery, he would probably, Like M Open The Bible and start preaching at me and stuff like that. I dont know. Why would he find that offensive . My greatgreat grandfather did fight the civil war. And he did come back, he came back like alive and it messed him up at the time. It was a bad situation for my family at the time that i would not know near enough about what were the details. But is just like remembrance of how hard times where at that time, because it was really hard for my family, because we were born and raised in , mississippi. In, like, my grandparents house, theres and old rebel flag in one of those flag boxes. And like, we dont take it out. We dont rub it at peoples noses. Its just, you know, up there above a cabinet. It has been called the War Of Brother Against brother, the civil war. Soldier and nation, together, found that their fears and doubts were not so strong as their faiths, and in national tryings like gettysburg. We memorialize the soliders that gave themselves, unreservedly for what they believed to be right. Remember and be proud. We never really had a racial reckoning. The problem started first immediately after the war. If you want North And South to get together and get along again, you dont talk about causes and consequences. You talk about the mutual valor on that battlefield. Why doesnt that confederacy, which only lasted for years, just go away . The racial reasons are paramount. It also has to do with this idea that the confederacy was a dissent. Man, they went to the limit. And they deserved respect for all of that courage. They claim, after they lost, that they were only reacting to the overreach of centralized federal power. There is the kind of admiration of that still in our culture. James mcgill, he settled this farm almost 200 years ago. And i felt like i followed in his footsteps. My wife raised the children. All i ever did was work. Of course, now, the federal government took my farm. So, i had it financed with the federal government farmers home administration. They wouldnt redo my loans. During the war and reconstruction, people in the south lost everything. I can empathize with them. It made me mad. I can understand why they were mad. They spent 150 years people are still mad in the south about it. It is wrong for the federal government to dictate to the states what they should or should not do. Ever since the war, no ones property has been secure. There is a lot of talk of reparations for slaves, you know . My greatgreat grandfather, no one paid abraham lincoln, he emanicipated the slaves, he did not get paid for them. The war southern independence changed our country for the worse. And my opinion. What do you think . Do you think they changed for the worst . Im trying to process everything. I do understand that parts of my father is speaking on because i feel that way. The government is too big and has too much power. It is an invasion. How long would it take them to free the slaves . How long would it have taken for them to realize that slavery is wrong . Do you think slavery left an imprint on the minds of people in america . Sure, it left an imprint. Im saying the war left more of an imprint. That is my personal opinion. For Black And White . Yes. You feel like the war itself was a bigger aggression than slavery . Yes. It feels like you are dismissing the experience of millions of enslaved people. It feels like you are not seeing what they experienced at the hands of the people who were enslaving them. I mean, how is treating people as property not a greater horror . My feeling is that it was legal. It was a settled way of order. They had laws that they had to live up to, and were forced on them, and treat them civilly. I dont hate james mcgill. I just want universities and schools to stop teaching our children to hate our southern ancestors. They dont deserve that. Okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. Together we support immune function. Supply fuel for immune cells and sustain tissue health. Ensure with twentyfive vitamins and minerals, and ensure complete with thirty grams of protein. And ensure complete when our daughter and her kids moved in with us. Our Bargain Detergent couldnt keep up. Turns out its mostly water. So, we switched back to tide. One wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping dont pay for water. Pay for clean. Its got to be tide. Do you know with the Confederate Flag looks like . Yes, it has a cross, and its red, white and blue, with stars going through it. Where have you seen that flag . I see it when im driving, when im traveling. I see it, i live in the countryside. And the countryside i traveled in greenwood, and its white people back there. Its no black people. And i see a lot of Confederate Flags that hang up the houses, hang up the mailboxes. I seen the back on peoples trucks. And what does it make you think . Grow up, basically. In class, you said you are good Public Speaker . Yes, i am. What makes you a good speaker . My projection, my performance. When i speak, i capture attention, and i know that i capture attention. I do oratoricals. I won first place in five, six oratoricals. And ive once taken place one. I dont notice any white kids at the school, are there any white kids at your school . No. Why is that . I would say, in my personal opinion, i dont know if thats why, but i would simply say, the fact that the segregation is like how we are here. Like, it just socially happened. Like this is the black schools. Central homes is the white kids school. This is how the neighborhood, this is how the parents separated everything. Have you ever had a white friend . No. I have never, i have never been around a white person. Ive never had a complete conversation to even become associates. Do you think that the civil war is relevant to your life . I feel that it is relevant because your past, your history, is your story. Whether or not you know it or not, it is your story. These are 209,245. Americans in the union army, its one of the civil war. They started every branch of the army. 142 regiments. Seven cavalry regiments. 13 they look to each others, because if you served for three years, all you had is your comrades. Go left, go left, go left, go left, right. Go left. Go left. Go left. Go left, right. So this is the African American civil war museum. In the museum, we built a great model of history. America has a history of that whole conflict they did not include African Americans, and these African American soldiers that played a great role in ending that war, to preserve the nation and end slvery here in the United States. The war started. Well, once he realized he couldnt win this war without us, then the war started to change in lincolns favor. 150, 000, they were enslaved, living in all southern states. They literally lived up with uniforms on and rifles and pockets. So if you think, i live in a world thats Out Of Control and, theres nothing that i can do about it. Well, there is something you can do about it, and you can take lessons from these people whose stories we tell here in this museum. I think its liberating. Were making this tone that how we tell the story of the civil war, and i think you guys have been what did you think . I hear like its living in this country. Its like, oh, the civil war, you know about it. When you start to learn about it, theres so many like, intricate details of why things happened. And i think its its important that we learn about it. But the one thing that does like not concern me, but most people here have the same kinds of political views, which, you know, its great to be around people who think like you. But at the same time, there is no like real conversation. Theres no real dialogue and understanding. Like people of different views than you, which is i think how we can move forward. I think thats important. And in order for people to really get your perspective and understand where youre coming from, whats one thing they should know about you . Right. I mean, the biggest thing for me is gender. I try to present as masculinly as i can. You know, people still sometimes take me for a girl, and thats a big thing thats hard for me to deal with. Yeah, thats probably the biggest one. Its like youre not getting fully seen . Right. Yeah. Reconstruction has been the most contested question in americas historical memory. Reconstruction is a period of time that begins immediately after the war. 10 to 12 years, when america had to truly reinvent itself. 14th Amendment puts equal protection of the law into the u. S. Constitution. And the right to vote for black men in the 15th amendment, was a constitutional and a legal revolution. And some black spokesmen by the 1890s, at the turn of the 20th century, would often refer to 1865 as the year zero of a new calendar. A new beginning to history itself. But you have to incorporate the white south into an american union. A society that had just lost approximately 18 of its adult male population in war. How do you reunify those people at the emotional level, with the side that is the victor . Of joy and l ove. Im so blessed to be her parent. Brennon i think shes the most beautiful girl in the world. You know i love her with everything in me and shes so tough. Mckenzie eliza is diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma at four months. Its cancer of the eyes. Its aggressive and its fast growing and as a mom hearing that, i still cry, because you want to take away all of the pain and you dont want your kid to be sick, obviously. Brennon it just breaks you. And with what weve been going through, i dont know how we would have made it without st. Jude. St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life threatening diseases. Mckenzie the care that shes gotten at st. Jude, its seriously saved her life. Good job. Mckenzie and its amazing that we dont receive any bills from st. Jude. We only have to worry about eliza. We are so thankful that there are people out there who care and who give to st. Jude so that we can care for our baby girl. Join with your debit or credit card right now and well send you this st. Jude tshirt that you can proudly wear to show your support. Brennon st. Jude has given us hope. Were going to grow with her, and laugh with her, and make so many memories with her. And the people that donate money each and every month to st. Jude, its all because of them. Please call or go online and become a st. Jude partner in hope right now. I screwed up. Mhm. I got us tmobile home internet. Now Cell Phone Users have priority over us. And your marriage survived that . You can almost feel the drag when people walk by with their phones. Oh i cant hear you. Youre froze ladies, please you put it on Airplane Mode when you pass our house. I was trying to work. Were workin it too. Yeah work it girl woo i want to hear you say it out loud. Well, i could switch us to xfinity. Those smiles. Thats why i do what i do. That and the paycheck. Just look around. This digital age were living in, its pretty unbelievable. Problem is, not everyones fully living in it. Nobody should have to take a class or fill out a medical form on public wifi with a screen the size of your hand. Home internet shouldnt be a luxury. Everyone should have it and now a lot more people can. So lets go. Were having our monthly the digital age is waiting. Civil law roundtable. We call ourselves a Civil War Roundtable named after a town. We sent 300 men from this town and thats how i think it was four. Close to 400. 50 of them died, but bases of our meeting tonight, we called a reconstruction in what went right and what went wrong . Holy macro. I want to talk about reconstruction. The physical period of time from 1865 to 1877. You know, in the schools, we came to reconstruction and the chapter ended on the civil war. How are you gonna build this part of the country with malice towards, as lincolns words, how can you do that . No one on the civilian side, on the confederate presidency, was ever forced to concede and repudiate what they believed. And we allowed a group of people that waged an armed insurrection against their government, to build statues, to their heroes. So that has kept it alive. We have never solved the core problem, the civil war. And thats why, reconstruction didnt have a chance, the north was fighting back and forth here in the whole reconstruct period. The elephant in the room, the North And South were racists, period. The black was not considered to be a human being. Good how are you . Have you ever had an African American member of this group, because it struck me in the conversation about race that everyone was white . We never really had. Have you checked of the demographics of this area . Is it all whites . Were in the 90s, well, which is an odd thing because we live in we border brockton, which is predominantly i would say minorities, which are really the majorities now. I mean, how you reach out to say that theyre welcome, theyre welcome . I mean, how do welcome make them to feel that theyre welcome . How do you do that . I mean, yeah, thats a good question. Ill have to think about that. Its the same question as why we live right next to brockton and we dont have a Larger Population of blacks. Other than kingston. And theres not that Large Population of blacks in the county of kingston. The civil Lake Region High School is the fourth or fifth lease diversified high school, with, you know, 1500 kids in it. I mean, there are a few families, but why . Yet, you go into brockton, or you go into the cities you tend to find a larger minority community. Is it because those minorities feel more comfortable there . I dont know. I dont have the answers. Facing the rising sun, of our new day begun. Let us march on until victory is won. They say shadow beneath our hand. May it forever stand. True to our god, true to our native land. See, you guys were tricky. My native land, what does it make up . Our land. What does us mean to you . What was reconstruction . When was it . After slavery. After slavery, yes,. After the civil war. This is when black people tried to teach america how to have a real democracy. During reconstruction, black people who were able to vote in the south, and they got in the State Legislatures and passed laws. To say things like, everybody should go to school for free. White people, yeah poor white people too. This man like here, came out of slavery in virginia. He came to d. C. As a congressman from virginia. This man was born into slavery. [inaudible] i mean, its Congressman Langston now. Thats why i love reconstruction. We have real heroes. Are we any different than these people were . No. No were not. You know whats different . We just dont remember. My name is greg carr. Anyone associate professor and General Department of African Studies here at howard university. And what connection do you have to the history of the civil war and reconstruction . Well, in addition to the direct history, my ancestors have been brought here from North Carolina and alabama. No civil war veterans in my direct family, but we were enslaved in alabama. So obviously, coming out of a civil war, my family, share croppers, coming in the era of jim crow, Great Migration moving throughout the south. You know, im a living part of that stream of history. And as a professor here at howard university, and particularly in africa american studies, which is the steady and area i work in, i devoted a great part of my work to understanding the implications of the civil war and reconstruction, in terms of contemporary american life. Whats this right here . Deed of sale. These are reconstruction era documents. Most people in the country dont know anything about that. You are the only teacher i you can all say, we start sale of the land. Filmed who is focused on the free peoples Point Of View, when teaching reconstruction. How does teaching from that Point Of View make a difference for your students . Well i hope they walk out with with a sense of Human Purpose that they have a stake in. Theres always the threat of forgetting, in terms of national memory. When you Start Talking about a settler state, like the United States that came out of a settler quantity colony, with many different people. Theres almost a requirement from getting, a violence for getting, in order to force a type of unity of culture, unity of national identity. So the word work that needs to be done is to recognize our full history. That story will make you so proud, and also break your heart. Ds best. The farmfresh taste you love. Plus, superior nutrition. 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Power e trades easytouse tools make complex trading less complicated. Custom scans help you find new trading opportunities. While an Earnings Tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. What will you do . What will you change . Will you make Something Better . Will you create something entirely new . Our Dell Technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. Because we believe theres an innovator in all of us. My name is brother rogers. I work at the Mississippi Department of archives and history. I created a website with the picture of every Historical Marker in the state. Have you taken a picture of the clinton writes marker . Ive taken a picture of that marker. I know exactly where it is. Near the Railroad Track in clinton. Thats right. And what do you think of, would you know about that marker . Well, i think that the Clinton Riot Marker is particularly important, because there was a riot during reconstruction in the town of clinton, that was not in the History Books that i read growing up, studying mississippi history and in the local public schools. Reconstruction in america, not just in mississippi, is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated historical eras. And the people who wrote about it afterwards, North And South, wrote about it mainly from a White Supremacy Point Of View, whether they were from ohio, michigan, alabama or mississippi. There was lots of violence throughout american reconstruction against African Americans. Its a terrible time in our history from that perspective. Its a great time, again, of experimentation with providing the rights of citizenship and political equality to African Americans. Unfortunately, through the lens of White Supremacy, that was too much for a lot of white people to take during that time. Are there any other markers in mississippi that acknowledge white violence against African Americans . The only marker of which im aware that exists, that depicts the talks about white violence against black people during reconstruction is the Clinton Riot Marker. In mississippi . In mississippi. My name is missy jones. My title is a visiting a of history at mississippi college. Almost 15 years now, if i think back. What is this . This is johnson milling company. Its been here for ages. But right behind it is the location of the old train depot, and the thought was that we would put the marker for the clinton riot here because of the importance of the train. The Clinton Riots began on september 4th, 1875, and the direct behind me tells a virgin of those events. The original train depot is where white paramilitary units flocked into clinton. There was a political valley, and it was one of the first times that African Americans had gotten together to really listen to political candidates, and it was organized by the republican party. But there was also a group of White Democrats who were sent there to disrupt things. Shooting out African American families began to flee the scene, even one mother left her child in hollow of a tree just for protection. And over the course of the next several days, white liners began to flood into clinton, and then systematically, round up those, and organized the rally, and then killed them, sometimes in front of their own family members. So this is a group of White Democrats killing the black republicans . Correct. It was the plan of the White Democrats to keep African Americans from voting. The violence served as a pretext for the return of white rule, and the end of reconstruction in mississippi. Do you feel like people know that this marker exists . No, i dont. Just given where it is behind this old mill, i feel like it has the potential to look hidden, and that was my fear with placing it here. I would definitely prefer it to be in a more prominent location, because this event is by far the most important event that ever took place in the city. The clinton riot has always been one of these contested events. For years and years and years, its been told that it was caused by African Americans, that they were gonna take back the city, at the cost of women. For essentially 140 years, the history was told incorrectly. And the violence was blamed on the black members of the clinton community. My name is james robinson. Im from here in clinton. Lifetime residents, except for a few years. Im debra. James is my cousin. This picture here, my grandmothers grandmother. When she was caught in the proximity of the clinton riot in order to save her child, they hit the child in the tree. And then after, they went back in and got the child. As the article says, Old Clinton History told from tales by ex slaves. This was published in the newspaper in 1961. As far as the black citizens in clinton, you dont hear a lot about our history. A lot of times i like our elders have tended to just discuss things them among themselves, as opposed to bringing it to the forefront. Because they can stir up a lot of emotions. And whats the result of stirring up emotions . You get a lot of good, and you get some bad. Whats bad . The fact that somebody could vandalize it if you put up anything. I just hope that doesnt happen in clinton. Theres still a lot of racist attitudes. There are some that, and im thinking about missy. When i first met missy, she said, the first word that came out of her mouth was nigger. And her parents were so proud of her. When she said that word, because that myth that you knew you were in failure to somebody else. Youve been so dedicated so long, youve dedicated so much care in time and effort to this. Why do you care about this . Im gonna get emotional. But i grew up in a family in mississippi. My dad was from new york. My moms family was from south mississippi. 90 white, 10 black, still segregated in the ways in which people in the communities live. But i was raised in a racist family, a Racist Community at the time in which i grew up, and things have changed in a good bit now. But for me, i think that i dont repeat that. I feel responsibility to the profession that ive chosen to tell things accurately, and to not repeat generational incorrectness with my own family. I want to do something different. Wrinkle guard penetrates deep into fibers, leaving clothes so soft, wrinkles dont want to stick around. Make mornings smoother with downy wrinkle guard fabric softener. One role of a lifetime. One sore throat. But she had enough. She took Mucinex Instasoothe sore throat lozenges. Show your sore throat whos boss. Mucinex instasoothe. Works in seconds, lasts for hours. With the new law, our family found a healthplan for less than 57 a month and knowing that we are covered, it simplifies life. With my plan for 0 a month, i know i can get the care i need to live my best life. They were able to make sure that i was taken care of. It was really life changing to have that. And i only pay 16 a month for the first time in my life, i found a great plan for 0 a month. Healthcare. Gov is here for millions like you. When people come, they say theyve tried lots of diets, nothings worked or theyve lost the same 10, 20, 50 pounds over and over again. They need a real solution. Ive always fought with 510 pounds all the time. Eating all these Different Things and nothings ever working. Ive done the diets, all the diets. Before golo, i was barely eating but the weight wasnt going anywhere. The secret to losing weight and keeping it off is managing insulin and glucose. Golo takes a systematic approach to eating that focuses on optimizing insulin levels. We tackle the cause of weight gain, not just the symptom. When you have good metabolic health, weight loss is easy. I always thought it would be so difficult to lose weight, but with golo, it wasnt. The weight just fell off. I have people come up to me all the time and ask me, does it really work . And all i have to say is, here i am. It works. My advice for everyone is to go with golo. It will release your fat and it will release you. Why are you passionate about this project . What drives you to make this documentary . It didnt start as passion. I started as curious. And i had the sense that there was something missing in the story that i have been taught. And its only through the making of this film that ive really come to see that story was totally white. I used to think that White Supremacy means a bunch of guys in white robes. But it really means not even recognizing that were only telling white stories. During the reconstruction era, there was fear all over the place. White fear of those black majority populations was colossal. So many white southerners saw this idea of black people serving on juries. Black people only land is an intolerable revolution. And it necessitated a counter revolution, even if it necessitated the use of terror, use of violence. A lost cause tradition was a response to that tremendous fear. We like to go to bed at night, believing our society is in social order. I dont have to worry about my child tomorrow being confronted by totally unusual and repugnant ideas, or totally unusual and repugnant people. I am safe by the history i know. So, the lost cause tradition that southerners developed this story for their explanation of their defeat. It came ultimately a victory narrative. Victory over reconstruction. And they crushed the very idea of slavery as the central cause, and the very idea of emancipation of 4 million slaves as the central result of the civil war. They began to see white scale, even official efforts, to crush what we might call black memory. If we throw away our Confederate Flag, we throw away the history of South Carolina and of the United States. We are true southerners, i guess. To me, its a flag that everybody, Black And White, represent their heritage, can understand to some degree how they wouldve been upset years ago. 130 years ago. [noise] [noise] [noise] wide only, no black send them home a horrific scene in charlottesville, virginia. A white mob descended into deadly violence and chaos. Since the city voted to remove the robert e. Lee statue, there have been protests. And now, violence. Tell me, who are you . I am stephanie roth, and i am an Assistant Professor of history at a college in jackson, mississippi. The images that we are seeing on our computers and our own phones and television, you cant divorce this from the need to return to some sort of innocent pass. What like the old south . Yes. What is the old south . After the civil war, the old south myth is this mythologized place of big plantations, houses with currently and and modulus and hoopskirts, and southern gentlemen and happy slaves. Everyone is well taken care of. Some people are owned by other people, but everyone is well fed, well clothes, loved and appreciated. And that is not this is why Something Like this would appeal to white northerners, because thats not the environment that they lived in. Its really a story about the merits of White Supremacy. You know, i saw another history, and it said it was really White Supremacy that helped the north and the South Reunify after the war. Isnt that true . I fully believe that when were talking, even across the spectrum from the coming of the civil war, to the prosecution of, it and the aftermath, i think its much more proactive approach to describe and understand White Supremacy, that it is to even talk about slavery. Slavery doesnt survive, but White Supremacy does. The war ends, reconciliation has been achieved. What happens unexpectedly is that in that reconciliation, the nation itself embraces the confederacy. And the memory of the confederacy. This is why by the time you get to the 1930s, people from all over the country are coming to places like mississippi, to tour homes. And the same woman in hoopskirts, and people dressed up as enslaved persons. This is a vacation for them. Do you think of a cultural footprint of this today . Where the south gets sort of franchised. Great second through fifth, we go every year through the plantation. And what does that tour include . It included a tour of the plantation. They also id like a little show put on. People dressed up and stuff, and saying songs. Playing music. It was almost like a little party. Are they towards an anyway engaging enslavement . They dont really talk about the slavery part. I used to look forward to going to the plantations. It was a big deal. I mean, can we even think about these plantations as spaces of violence . We think about things like confederate monuments or symbols and flags, all of these remembrances are white visions. Those are renewals of White Supremacy. And in my mind, keeping that confederate battle flag in the top left corner of Mississippi State flag, its a way to keep that narrative alive, and its threatening, because if we lose it, what happens to our memory . My name is william shirley. I served in the Mississippi House of representatives for district 84, about 16,000 people in the whole county. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody knows, im not here to argue the design of the flag. That is not my intent. Some universities took the flag down. In State Dollars and in public universities, and you should display whatever that symbol is. Do you think this is an issue that matters to the people in your district . Yes, maam. Why . I just think its a heritage, its a history. Theres a big movement to remove confederate history. Well, its part of history. You know, where and when is enough . Do you feel like slavery was something that was in the past, lets move on . Or do you feel like slavery still has an effect today . Its over. And it is part of history, its part of the past. I dont know any person that owns a slave, or has been a slave. To this day. I think were gonna make it a major issue, as long as we keep rubbing it in from the standpoint of the minority saying, well, we were slaves and mistreated. I understand that. What the hell you want me to do about it . Im sorry. I wasnt there. Im 50 years old. I wasnt there. And what do you say to historically black universities that say, were not gonna fly this flag because its a symbol of slavery . Do you think about their Point Of View . It is a state flag of mississippi. But if they say it actually hurts us, it deeply offends us. It represents something that gives us pain. What do you say to that . I dont say the pain in the symbol. New orleans is just the latest city to start taking down historical, but controversial monuments. Many say that celebrates slavery and confederacy. All right. We had to celebrate the taking down of the Jefferson Davis statue here in new orleans tonight. These were all jim crow era statues, meant to emphasize that white people are in control. There is no value in keeping those statues. There is value and remembering with these statues were put up four. What do you say to people across this state, marching with Confederate Flags . I dont say nothing to them. They are not on my radar. They are unredeemable as far as i know. We prayed a lot for those who are attacking our heritage me for their since. We pray our lord the truth of history would triumph. I feel like the country never really were unified after the war, in a way that included all of its citizens, right . Like maybe taking down these statues now could help us reunify. But dont try to take away history, because you dont agree with it. And if you really studied history, you see it was more than just slavery. There was taxation issues. Well, then, do you put on a bulletproof vest . Probably. Why . Because they were acquiring people the other night. Sounds harmless, but whos to say that they dont try something more. All these people from out of town. These are visitors from out of town, who are confederate supporters. And they come here to occupy a city for a couple of weeks and stand their ground. And all that good stuff. But isnt the goal to have more people feel represented . I mean, dont you need to listen to each other . They say that statues is a southern pride. Fuck white pride the source of all this tension and anger comes from the African Americans history, bloodlines cost families for hundreds of years. The way theyre upholding, okay . So if you cant balance that in your mind, then i cant do anything for your lack of iq or common sense, im sorry. Its not about race. This has never been about race. We feel like were having our history stolen from us. This was our only confederate person, and he died here. A diverse neighborhood how is it an object this simple effect to so that that you cannot see it [noise] [inaudible] dear god and heavenly father we thank you for your love and grace and your mercy. And please, let us during the coming hours, as we pay homage to our ancestors, the 15,265 souls that gave their lives to defend the great state of mississippi. For christ sake, amen our next speaker is someone that really appreciates, and hes got backbone. And that has got people to stand up. Mr. Williams surely, would you come say a few words . Give him a hand. [applause] the flag means a whole lot to me. You are not gonna take the damn flag down. Im gonna do all that i can do, and i suggest that you try to find and make your ear known for him or her, because we all in the Mississippi House are gonna get to vote on amendments again and again and again. And they dont get tired to see it. And theyre gonna try to get somebody to replace people like me they just dont go along with the boss man if you take State Dollars, you fly the flag in the state of mississippi. [applause] thank you all. [applause] Political Correctness is an incredibly dangerous doctrine. Its antiintellectual. Its antidissent. It demands conformity. Do you believe theyll stop at the monument . Do you think theyll stopped with a parent and design of the flag . They ridicule our traditions. They mocked us. They laugh at us. You feel like youre losing your country, dont you . You feel marginalized. Youre scared. Mississippi has to stand. We have nothing else to surrender. We are those lawyers, men and women of the soil, stubborn, courageous. We stand here on the edge of history, ready to push back one more time. Help is not coming from california. Its not coming from massachusetts. It has to be you. What are you gonna do about it . Id like to thank our sponsor Liberty Mutual. They customize your Car Insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Contestants ready . Go only pay for what you need. Jingle liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. What will you do . What will you change . Will you make Something Better . Will you create something entirely new . Our Dell Technologies advisors provide you with the tools and expertise you need to do incredible things. Because we believe theres an innovator in all of us. Why are 93 of sleep number sleepers satisfied with their bed . Maybe its because you can gently raise your partners head to help relieve snoring. So, you can both stay comfortable all night. The queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is only 899. Save 200. Ends monday Classical Piano Music [reporter] one of the deadliest Mass Shootings in us history at Pulse Nightclub in orlando. [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. If you are an ally of this community, speak out. There are more of us together than apart. It is the power of love in its rawest form. Classical Piano Music how would you like to [inaudible] at the end of the day, historical memory is always about who is controlling the story. And you gotta do it in a society that has this horrible problem was racism. The theories of race that most white americans, north or south, still share. By the 1890s and the north, there is the tremendous fear of a world that seems to be flowing into disorder in these teaming new cities, full of these immigrant speaking unusual languages. Maybe the question should just be left to the south. Weve always known how to handle the race question. At the same time, there will be over 9 million African Americans, mostly in the south, there is no longer the system that kept us all contained. White southerners need to keep this burgeoning black population on the land, as laborers, not engaging in educational advancement. They need a new system to keep them there. The solution and the south was a system of jim crow laws. Everything from schooling to voting, to transportation, public accommodation, every element of life is now going to be segregated. Lots of white americans, north or south, can unify around segregation as a way to keep society at social order. The way in which this culture became within the first half century after the war, an American North South reunion without racial justice, left a deep set of legacies. We are of course, still struggling with. And every time we think we have so much of this put aside, were suddenly reminded that we dont. The only way today well see a new, more inclusive reunion of americans, is if there is a coalition of interests that stops looking only at their own individual interests, and sees themselves in these four or five issues, and sees themselves and other people. Coalition of interests that stops looking only at their own individual interests, and sees themselves in these four or five issues, and sees themselves and other people. Okay. We just gonna connect the recording. If you can change the frame to if i were Gonna Make A Movie about you, what do you want to make sure that i include . I want you to show like, the great things that im capable of. Like, yeah, if i do something i am a great football player, but im also smart in the classroom. I try to just trying to be great, and i hope im trying to make some difference in my life. Im trying to be successful. To be honest with you, when i went through, there are people who just look at the good things, look at the good things. But id rather you see what the negativity was. So its like counter acts, but here is the bad, and heres where im good now. All in the good zone, when im saying is more like you dont just tell half of my story. Id rather you tell the whole story. There was this one teacher that once described me as, yeah, i think it was sympathetic. I thought she called me pathetic when she said that. It might have been empathetic, yeah. At the end of the day she was like, we know, we all have feelings. We all have history that nobody else knows about. And yeah i was certainly not taught this way my high school. [laughs] neither was i. I got shocked when i find students of a certain age who havent seen gone with the wind, and i point them to it. You need to watch that film. You watched a movie of alltime people are eating this stuff up. Like, theres a real reason why people have weddings on plantations, right . Like, you would never go to auschwitz and be like, lets get married. Like, you would never do that. But we have so made a black pain and suffering like a place of our enjoyment, a place that feels good to us, a place that feels familiar to us, that we dont Pay Attention to the suffering. We dont Pay Attention to why its problematic. I know you talked about the force and your presentation, but how do you define freedom for yourself . I have been conditioned to think about emancipation as an ending point. So i realize that freedom was not just liberation. Freedom was like owning your humanity, operating on your full humanity, being recognized for your full humanity. I think that the spirit of slavery that he talked about before, that makes a color a mark of degradation, is still very much with us. And i think for too long. Racism has been put on people of color to solve, when this is not really like the people of color issue. This is white supremacist issue, or why people need to talk to other white people about how they can overcome these issues. White allies today have to take a very radical stance, and that they cant just, you know, but up the Bumper Sticker of black lives matter. Are you gonna allow your child to be one of the few whites and all black schools . Are you gonna be vested in that school, to make sure that not just your child, but every child in that Community Gets a fair shape . To balance like this great injustice that has taken place for hundreds of years, it requires sacrifice. I dont know when that will look like exactly for you, or for each person. Its different, i think. Research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. So to help you remember that Liberty Mutual customizes your Home Insurance, heres one thatll really take you back. Its customized Home Insurance from Liberty Mutual only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Its official, america. Xfinity mobile is the Fastest Mobile Service. And gives you unmatched savings with the best price for two lines of unlimited. Only 30 a line per month. The Fastest Mobile Service and major savings . Cant argue with the facts. No wonder Xfinity Mobile is one of the Fastest Growing mobile services, now with over 5 million customers and counting. Save hundreds a year over tmobile, at t and verizon. Talk to our switch squad at your local xfinity store today. announcer enough with the calorie counting, carb cutting, diet fatigue, and stress. Just taking one golo release capsule with three balanced meals a day has been clinically proven to repair metabolism, optimize insulin levels, and balance the hormones that make weight loss easy. Release works with your body, not against it, so you can put dieting behind you and go live your life. Head to golo. Com now to join the over 2 Million People who have found the right way to lose weight and get healthier with golo. This is an abandoned cemetery. This is where most African Americans and the city were buried. It was in operation from 1891 through 1970. One day, i saw in the paper an article about an abandoned cemetery, i thought i cant believe that there is a place where thats so rich in history, and i did know about it. And so, i use the map on one of the newspaper, and drove over to the cemetery. And found this beautiful place. And immediately felt the need to organize some Community Cleanups to bring attention to it. Many African Americans that were buried here were not slaves. And so, they could be buried and recognized in different ways. But theres a very interesting cemetery called beck knobs cemetery, thats located on the north side of the town. And it was a slave cemetery. And when you look at how overgrown it is, its almost sad that you can almost drive pass it and not even know it. Would you take us there . I can take you there, but dont know how much will be able to see, because its really overgrown. Wow i knew i wasnt crazy. Look how close this line is to that. What has been the most important story that youve talked about in history class, so far this year . Well, slavery was bad. You just dont feel guilty because its something that happened. What has been the most important story that youve talked about in history class, so far this year . Well, slavery was bad. You just dont feel guilty because its something that happened. But we interviewed a kid from estonia, and he has a white skin. And his family wasnt even here. Should he feel guilty about it . Well, if hes living in our country now, then i think he should feel a little guilt, because its still part of hisits still part of his history, because now hes part of our country. And he should feel a little bit, i think. Is guilt useful . Yes. Tell me why . Because it helps us understand that what we did was wrong, and we shouldnt go back to doing it. And we should fetch our ways so we can do better in the future. I, personally, like, slavery was more like, you shouldnt own other people. Its not something that should happen. But i see the reasoning behind it. And i can understand it, and not accept it, but i see like behind it, i guess. I think a lot depends on whose eyes are looking through, right . Like are we talking about our white Point Of View, a black Point Of View . A lot depends on who you are, i think. I want to know what your perspective of the whole slavery situation, how you feel like, because you know youve been raised, and like, how do you feel when people i feel like it was wrong. I feel like it was deeply wrong. But i also feel like i never thought about slavery as a white story. And people around me, we never talk about slavery is Something Like people did and benefit from, you know . It was always presented a something thats always that just happened. Im want to introduce abraham kennedy. Abraham you argue that the current threat of racist is more insidious now than it has been in the past. Precisely, just as lincoln said that the nation will either become all one or the other, being slavery or anti slavery, that could see the same reason for racism and anti racism. If we see americas history of steady racial progress, that we have now reached the mountaintop, racism is no longer critical and important. Were also saying the cause of racial inequities today is not racism, cause weve moved beyond racism. Its the inferiority that particular people that are not working hard enough. There is a racist idea that is still very prominent within the community of people you consider themselves liberal, even progressive, or even radical. The oppression in theory is feeding the thesis. First, it was slavery making black people into groups. Right now, its poverty. This idea about that racism itself, or discrimination, wasnt just sort of harming people, but it was literally leading to inferior behaviours. Why are 93 of sleep number sleepers satisfied with their bed . Maybe its because you can adjust your comfort and firmness on either side. Your sleep number setting. To help relieve Pressure Points and keep you both comfortable all night. The queen sleep number 360 c2 smart bed is only 899 save 200. Ends monday its something about having that piece of paper. Some people think thats worth more than my skills. Ive run this place for 20 years, but i still need to prove that im more than what you see on paper. You gotta be so good they cant ignore you. Its the way my mind works. I have a very mechanical brain. Analytics and empathy. Thats how i gain clients. I am more. Im more than who i am on paper. When you walk down the street, and people see you, what do you want people to think about you . Do you think about that ever . I want them to think that im an intelligent girl, and im not bad. Im actually very good, and im smart. What makes you very good . I would follow directions, sometimes, most times. What else . I want them to think that im not ugly. It seems to me that one of the major challenges for you as the History Teacher would be teaching in a way that connects with such a diversified body. Yes, it is. Its kind of like a nation in miniature. Because they did start as a segregated all male institution. Yeah, its the Oldest School in the country. It was founded in 16 35 by a portion of the population of boston, england. It was all male, it was all white. It was all people of privilege. You know, have really come to believe that part of the purpose of history to tell the story that makes us. But in order for that story to work, we have to see ourselves as being in the same spot we begin with. Yeah. We have to see ourselves as connected to other people. I really agree. So in your class today, how do you tell a story that helps the kids see themselves as connected to all the Diverse People that surround them. Well, its important to talk about race and history. And i want gets to understand that where we are today has its roots in the past, but its really hard to convey the history of this country how it plays out today. And its really difficult to talk about race. How do you actually help kids be different than our generation, who doesnt really know how to do this very well. The only way to do that is by having them do it. Okay, i want to know which went into place after reconstruction. Look at integration in schools. They treated by juries. Those are the kinds of things that how are we doing it now, well put the School Segregation folks in that corner. Well put the Jury Selection folks in the back corner. The black voting rights, i found that the 15th amendment, it gave African American males the right to vote, but they kept finding loopholes to keep them from voting. And today, 13 are prohibitive, because they have served in prison. Yeah. Well, i guess ill say, since were running out of time, i just think talking about this is really not helpful. Because i mean, what it does is it puts people in unproductive mindsets, because what it does is it makes white people feel guilty, and it makes black people feel like victims. Dont go anywhere. And i want to know what people want to say back to that, because i think its important that you have a chance to say something. Some gonna go with injury on a first. Like if youre tweeting differently because of something you cant change, why wont you be a victim. Yes. I see all these hands and we have a bill. And im so sorry thats gonna have to stop this. But we will pick this up. Look, right where you are, put your hands in the. Air this is where we start tomorrow. How do you feel about the conversation in section 41 . Terrified. The idea i want to dismantle is that there is like a system in place, like benefits, it benefits white people and like has a negative effect on black people. I dont want to squash this child. Hes, you know, bringing sincere, you know, and rigorous i think the word he used was logic. Hes thinking about it logically. And logic says that theres gotta be a reason for that. But he doesnt have an answer when i say, you know, so what might be the reason, if you think its not systemic racism that has caused this. What is the reason . And he says, i dont know. You shouldnt have suffering to blame your problems on. And i dont think, i dont think thats a good thing. Asian americans here, they have a hard time, but they still succeed. Thats gonna be continued tomorrow, and im Gonna Spend My Time thinking tonight, what am i gonna say that respect how hard this kid is thinking about these things, which is exactly what i want him to do, and still push back a little bit and say, you know, so, i think youre missing some of the picture here. In a really important way. My most important kitchen tool . My brain. So i choose neuriva plus. Unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. To help keep me sharp. Neuriva think bigger. Its nice to unwind after a long week of telling people how Liberty Mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need limu squawks hes a natural. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Only pay for what you need. Youve done the hard part. You quit smoking. Now do the easy part and get scanned for lung cancer. If you smoked, you may still be at risk, but Early Detection could save your life. 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So boost your bottom line by switching today. I gave you this document about comcast business. Powering possibilities. The jim crow area which was written by michele pro alexandra, so, as youre reading through that i want to thinking, how did they recreate it class based on race after reconstruction . Black people in prison, they auctioned off prisoners to the highest bidder. There was a loophole about slavery in the 13th amendment. Did anyone catch that . Yes, they outlawed slavery but it was fit as a punishment for crime. But she is trying to say is that the criminal justice system, it is literally like the same thing as jim crow. Which is her point. I think i would say its a new iteration of it. Thats what were really trying to look at. Its the ways that is still with us. Thats assuming that jim crow has a presence today. Yes, thats your assumption. And that is not my assumption. Asian americans are routinely discriminated when applying for colleges. They have to get about 400 as sat points higher than black people. And, also, theyre discriminated against when theyre applying for jobs. Your mind is so closed off to certain ideas. Well continue. We will continue. I love that you hang in there. They are not willing to consider certain ideas because theyve been taught that those ideas are yes, but is the certain idea that you really suggesting that asians are better than black people. Thats not what youre really saying, is it . I mean, im not saying that they are inherently better. Im just saying that their situation is better right now. But, what would you attribute that to . Higher income. Higher representation in colleges and in but why do you think they have that, and why do you think black people dont . I dont know. I mean, asians are discriminated much more in those areas because than black people . Yes. We will agree to disagree on that point. But, we will come back to it. Okay . Okay. Well i hope you will look into it. I will look into it. Good. Thank you. Its a revelation to me that no matter how much information you present, sometimes people are going to hear it the way they want to hear it. And they are not going to budge, at least not yet, hes not. But, that is exactly what youre in for when you open the door to having these kinds of conversations. That is what is hard to navigate. We are celebrating confederate heroes day, its a texas state holiday, celebrated on the 19th Of January every year, which is also robert lees birthday. The bill was filed by a representative from pensacola. It says that a memorial cannot be moved unless it needs to be refurbished. This monument, right here, outside of the old courthouse in downtown pittsboro was given to the county by the daughters of the confederacy back in the early 1900s. I mean, the fact that the statue states, a lot of ancestors of mine have fallen and died. And they did not die for slavery. They had no slaves. [applause] [noise] [noise] [applause] the story starts with seeing the monuments. But its also about being in this black body. What does that feel like . To have your country, your nation say that this is what we stand by. No we want more. We demand more. We say yes to something that looks like us. We say yes to inclusivity. We say yes to broader notions of what it means to be an american. A must in your medicine cabinet less sick days cold coming on . Zicam is the number one cold shortening brand highly recommend it zifans love zicams unique zinc formula. It shortens colds zicam. Zinc that cold Classical Piano Music [reporter] one of the deadliest Mass Shootings in us history at Pulse Nightclub in orlando. [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. If you are an ally of this community, speak out. There are more of us together than apart. It is the power of love in its rawest form. Classical Piano Music hello, you just watched the civil war, which traveled across the United States to explore how american studies story of their civil war and laid bare a nation in the now, haunted by an embittered pass and the story refuses to tell, from flags and monuments in the town square to we the living continue to grapple with how to confront this singular event of National Trauma and the horrific system of enslavement. And then continue grappling with its time a reckoning with america, is what compelled me to explore how contested and personal the meaning of this defining event remains. In the months after george floyd was killed by minneapolis police, 30 confederate monuments were taken down and United States. That is also what happened in 2017, after heather was murdered in virginia. While protesting a white supremacist demonstration. 30 confederate monuments came down that year. Thats the year i began studying our countrys stone ghosts. What it means to people who built them, and what it means to people who tore them down. Heres a special presentation of what i found during my travels. This is stone ghost in the south. In 2017, hundreds of white nationalists descended on charlottesville, virginia to defend the monuments of robert e. Lee. Their arrival marks the beginnings of 24 hour violent clashes with protesters. One person was killed. Others beaten and bloody. [inaudible] [noise] after the Unlawful Assembly was declared, it was literally manifested. It felt like we won. That is when we heard this loud bang. [noise] one car got pushed into the intersection. Another car got pushed in right behind it. It was just utter chaos. It is hard to imagine that such a big moment happened in this little space. But that is common in america. These big moments happen in little spaces. Absolutely. This is what we learn. We learned that these small spaces can set the stage for huge explosions. The battle in charlottesville seem to be over a single statue. And it is a battle that has been repeated in cities across the country. But more than 1500 monuments to the confederacy remain. Honoring those who fought and died to keep black america, like my ancestors, in bondage. So i decided to travel the south to learn for myself just how deep these roots are buried. Im looking for understanding. For something that will make sense in this moment. Along the way, i visited monuments. Those are that are not so easily removed. Artifacts, small enough for some to ignore. Landmarks, too large to take down. That reside in our memory, and in our blood. Because the fight was always about more than just a statue. Beautiful morning in frederick, virginia. I didnt want to take this journey alone, so i asked my friend, a reporter from the New York Times to join me. To help me process what it all means. What is going on, man . Good to see you. We talked about race in history, how his people came from trinidad. And mine from the slave trade. In 2017, the city council of fredericksburg, took out the question whether to remove a slave Auction Block that stands in the corner of downtown. Were about to see an Auction Block where people were sold. Whats crazy is when you look at the old advertisements, several strong negroes for sale but the idea that were not just talking about what we considered as manual labor, we are talking about artists and professionals. When my uncle was young, he took a picture on the slave block. They wanted him to take a picture. For him, it was about getting the money because he paid him. And when my grandfather realized that he had sit on that block and had his picture taken. My grandfather whipped him and threw the money away. And he told him what that block was. And why he was never to go on that block again. That story has been with us since we were little children. This says, not only did we not want you here. But we still do not want to here. The lone black councilman pushed to remove the Auction Block. The six white people in the council said they voted to keep it in place for future generations. I heard you say that fredericksburg maybe the most famous city in america. Indeed, our citys most famous. When i walk by city hall, i walk by i walk by the home that my mother was born in. You also walked by an Auction Block, didnt you . I did. What does that mean in terms of the history . At some point, you arrived at a point in history where people were bought and sold in this community. That is an artifact. The very fact that you can stand where somebody was treated as property, and where families were separated, is very moving. Its like what germany did when they kept auschwitz and all. Its like, dont ever forget. You cant ever forget how horrible that was. Councilman chuck proposed removing the block. The Auction Block has been on my mind for a long time, since i was a kid. I used to see people spit on it, and i saw a mock auction. Their lives were so depart. And my thing was all always that it needs to go. It was a 61 vote with city council. Do you think there is a way to do the block in a respectful way and keep it there . I cant change my view. It tells a story that is a more full indepth story. When you walk by there, with your children, with your people. What is the message that you are sending . There is a possibility that youre great grandfather was sold here. It seems the fight over the Auction Block is whats in our history book . What it represents has a rippling effect of what it represents. That is america. The black barbershop has always been a place of community. Where wisdom is passed, and stories are traded. Today is no different. So what was it like growing up with that Auction Block right there on the corner . It was an embarrassment. I do not need to see that block to see what the past was. It made you mad because i could sit there with my great grandmother, my greatgrandfather. You bring them there and then you tell them. How are you trying to memorialize Something Like that . It is completely unfair and unreal that people can sit there and say that, oh well, we are just saving history. No, what you are doing is spitting in our faces that is what you are doing just across the river from downtown is the chattel plantation. Where hundreds of slaves toiled for a century. You imagine the conversation that happened here, the idea that fear was in the family. Torture. But the flipside is, the fear that you could be sold at the Auction Block. Yeah, can you imagine from down here, looking up here. You see this nice brick house. But youre not thinking that, youre in the haunted house. But the only thing youre serving is the servitude, or death. But is something running away . For the white folks, it says the children would respond. And theres terror. But thousands of black folks went across the river to join the union army. Could you imagine that moment . In kentucky, the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, they are struggling with telling a story among these memorials. Including [inaudible] dedicated to the only president of the confederacy. Look at that, my goodness that is huge when youre thinking about the conversation and debate especially over the last year, what are the effects that cannot be turned down by this statue . How can they go into this debate. We are talking about a obelisk at 350 feet tall. Thats why were moving into, within the past few years it is talking about the construction of confederate memory in kentucky. Routed specifically in the routes that are raising money to create this audience of landscape today. To sell it back to not only the south, but the entire nation. And with the south in the civil war, recognizing that this history comes much later. It is situated with the story of the process. During the early 20th century, groups in the confederacy started promoting a revisionist spin on the war. This lost cause was about more than memorializing dead confederates. It was about painting the north as an occupying force. And the south as noble defenders of virtue. All while the influence would have the united daughters of the confederacy were especially horrific. Starting in the 1890s, they put out many memorials to the confederacy. Symbols of the confederacy arent all copper and stone. For decades, descendants of veterans have connected through the path through these. Jeff has been living through this for 25 years. He compares dozens of soldiers to his family tree. When were looking at here . This is a six pounder, model my brother and ive built this, we looked it over and he said, yeah, i can make. Those so thats first what we thought, why not . , that was a hot day. When youre out there and youre in your uniform and you see the flags, is there a connection to the past . Is that what hinges yes, there is a connection to the past. Yes. If youre Interested In history, its ten time better than reading about it in the book. So, i guess it gives you a greater appreciation of your forebears and the suffering they went through. Is that appreciate dampened at all for you by the fact that they were fighting for the cause of the slavery states . Have to get into the mind of what the 19th century mind. Or get into the 18th century mind. It is pretty hard to do. You have to do a lot of reading. The library is full of reading about why people decided that it was worth fighting and dying to own people and send people. I dont know if thats and again, one of the topics its a big topic. Thats a big topic well, if you didnt own slaves, its not such a big topic. Do you think the veteran at all and how we should view these monuments, theres a Large Population of americans who those monuments represent them not being human . So, should we squash it . Do we rewrite history . If you dont have some type of proof, generations from now, you have people arguing it and it may just vanish. Considering that for a great number of people, those things represent deep trauma and great violence against people. Havent we got beyond that . Have we . Well, how many People Living in America Today were slaves . How many People Living in America Today own slaves . Its roughly zero, so we shouldve gotten beyond. But we dont have, myself for example, we dont have our last names, a religion, my native tongues. This language is not my language either. Right, but you benefit. Everybody in america has a benefit. Its the greatest country in the world. But not everyone has a benefit of slavery. Everybody living in America Today has a great benefit. The people of african descent in this country, people descendants of slaves, what benefit do they get from slavery . Theyre here. Whats amazing is you get such a sense of place. This could be any town, usa, but youre surrounded by momentos from the past, including momentos and monuments of the confederacy. How do you grapple with that . There is as Much Division because Different Things there is a lack of consideration of how this might make us as americans feel. Black americans feel. There seems to be this lock on the idea that we cant throw away history. But youre not telling the whole truth history. Coming up, my conversation with a descendant of the president of the confederacy. Jefferson davis. Thats ahead when stone ghosts in the south continues after this. Every day, more dog people, and more vets are deciding its time for a fresh approach to pet food. Theyre quitting the kibble. And kicking the cans. And feeding their dogs dog food thats actually. Well, food. 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Because we believe theres an innovator in all of us. Classical Piano Music [reporter] one of the deadliest Mass Shootings in us history at Pulse Nightclub in orlando. [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. If you are an ally of this community, speak out. There are more of us together than apart. It is the power of love in its rawest form. Classical Piano Music for many, this is in the bloodline. We reached out to the great, great grandson of Jefferson Davis. Hes trying to reclaim his legacy for those to see davis as a hero of White Supremacy. The night before meeting, we slept in the home of joseph davis, jeffersons brother and mentor. You say youre a davis divorce and then the mississippi. You better be ready. It brings responsibility. People are assuming that you are going to be a davis. Somebody asked me, why dont just supply kim. Hayes davis still holds on to artifacts from is great, great grandfather. A bookie signed, a letter he said, a chair he said. Is there more residents with something that you own than something in a Public Square . To me, yes, absolutely. Because everything thats handed down this chair has reverence to me. A confederate statue, when those first put it up, it had reference to them. How do you balance or reconcile or wrestle with the dual americans around Jefferson Davis . One, that weve all heard is the first and only president of the confederacy. On the other hand, theres 52 years of his life before the civil war. I dont know, i reconcile almost as much as i try to bring them together to have a complete understanding. And when you put that four years of his life, which is 5 in total perspective, is it what it is that we want to remember . Or do we want to have a complete understanding of the entire four years of his life . But that four years is pretty big for years, right . Pretty big for years because it was the most dramatic part of American History and a lot of respect. But they let that country in the position that he was appointed to. Not one that he wanted. Since were dealing with the folks who do a lot of Jefferson Davis is that he supported the expansions of slavery even before the civil war before he came the president of the confederacy. He did not believe that black people were inferior to white people. In your mind, does that tarnish his legacy at all . What bothers me the most is exactly what you just said. The statements he made and reference to the slaves were his own feelings about their status. And i cannot say that i support that. But, again, its the link the perspective of the time in the place that he lived. It is not the most favorable aspect. But it is part of his character and we have to understand that. I have to wonder, are you welcomed in those groups that are so staunchly pro confederate . They dont want to see anything happen to any statues, they dont to see anymore plaques, are you welcomed in those spaces . In the pro confederate folks, i would say that im probably not. Before leaving town, we hear that there is one more stop we should make if we really want to understand why keep so many southern whites rooted to the confederacy. First, could you do you mind spelling and saying your first and last name for us . My first name is gordon, g o r d o, and and cotton, co tio, and just like you pick. So, with all the confederate statues and the, flag is it time for us to move forward . No, because if we move forward, were going to leave Everything Else out of our history. Are we going to be selective in what we are going to keep and what we are gonna forget . But, what about this idea that these men were fighting to maintain that system of slavery . That was not it all, they were fighting because our homes were invaded. The whole thing was based on money. Most things are. Going back to the charlottesville, someone was killed someone was shot and someone else was beaten up. Does it surprise you to see that some people are beloved to but their support in defense of robert e. Lee and the rest . Well, they arent the ones that started it. Defending it, yes, i can understand that. But they are not the ones who started it. Had the people not wanted to tear down a beautiful monument, it wouldve not happened. Perhaps they should be moved to somewhere where they can be respected, not in a place of public display where its doing nothing but sending us a certain kind of message. I totally disagree with you. It happened right here, we commemorate it right here. What do you think of Jefferson Davis . He is my personal hero. I think he is one of the greatest men in American History. What about him, obviously, being someone who supported slavery . Should that diminish or tarnish his legacy . No, because he was not the only one. I think growing up in this Community Seven miles from briers feel, going to a school named Jefferson Davis, can destroy what they can, but they can never destroy the legacy of the man. How much trans do you get to the idea that these are men of their time. Certainly that they were men of their time, but that its exactly what we, say that we forget . Having this conversation is kind of weird with people who are able, somehow, to separate, you know, african slavery and the inferiority of black people. Lets, say they are great guys who had a lot of accomplishments. Thats hard to square. Can you imagine this filled with people and tear gas, police on horsebacks, baton beaten bloody out here . But this is stone cold history. Alabama play such a crucial role in some of the most infamous periods of violence, right . But also of civil rights of progress. And so, this place here, it plays a significant role. It is significant one side of history because and then pettus was framed as a come for the reds leader and as a grand dragon. But, also associated him with the bridge with the fight for black civil rights. Throughout this whole trip, we have heard people talking about history, you cant lose history. This is one of those cases where i think if someone says that, it kind of makes sense to me. I dont know. In this old section [inaudible] theres that guy again. Jefferson davis. [inaudible] grandmaster of the klan. This monument was erected october 7th 2007. This is how they describe this man. This man stands out of testament and devotion and respect. One of the finest heroes. Up next, the southern history that is not told in these monuments, the horrors of slavery and of lynchings. You will meet a woman whose fathers was lynched and erected her own plaque to memorialize the place where he was murdered just 20 miles from the alabama capital. Stone ghost in the south continues right after this. Theres something going around the gordon home. Good thing gertrude found delsym. Now whats going around is 12hour cough relief. And the giggles. The family that takes delsym together, feels better together. Research shows people remember commercials the family that takwith nostalgia. Her, so to help you remember that Liberty Mutual customizes your Home Insurance, heres one thatll really take you back. Its customized Home Insurance from Liberty Mutual only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. The first time you made a sale online was also the first time you heard of a town named. Dinosaur . We just got an order from a dinosaur, colorado. Start an easy to build, powerful website for free with a partner that always puts you first. Godaddy. Tools and support for every Small Business first. When you look here, people were judged by their skill, their price, their complexion. The daughters of the the daughters of the confederacy they were an active group. Look at this, the nightly as of the nightly race. Im assuming not africans. A deathless all of chivalry, its about sullivan chivalry, standing for their homes, their farms, their children. There is no tearing this thing down, this will loom here, this is not some little town square, this is the state house of alabama. Some memorials are easier to find than others. 20 miles from the capitol, a plaque stands on the side of the highway. It marks the spot where a black man was lynched, and his body left in a ditch just 100 yards from where his fiveyearold daughter josephine waited for him to come home. When youre black in alabama, you cant help but walk in the shadows of these huge confederate monuments. Do you see a connection between the message being said about White Supremacy and what happened to your father . Very much so. The articles that described my fathers death say enraged white jealous of the success of a black man. You acquire more than they think you should, they have to put you back in your place. Enraged . Enraged. Josephine says she paid for her fathers marker herself after the state refused to allow her to place it in public land. When you think about what you missed in life from not having him my mom went from prosperity to poverty almost overnight. Sometimes ive wondered what my life couldve been had he lived. What my life couldve been. Elmores name was included among the thousands of lynching victims at the National Memorial for peace and justice. The memorials director, brian stevenson, hopes the collected names will help change the narrative of a country still grappling with how to tell its own story. When i moved to montgomery, this was a city that had 59 markers and monuments of confederacy and you couldnt find the word slave and slave freed anywhere . How is that possible . People had been intentional about denying that part of our history. So this memorial, this site, this is intended to be an intentional response to our silence. We talked to folks around the country about the confederacy stood for, the monuments, they say black people own slaves to, there were white slaves. There are many reasons beyond slavery. These are all things that are designed to deracialized what happened. And they are aberrations. Weve allowed that to happen because we were fighting these other struggles, right . This site is designed to help people understand that you cant ignore this any longer. You see one county with one name and then one county with two names and then you see a county like this with over a dozen names. Do you have any dodge county georgia . My greatgrandfather, they were farmers in dodge county georgia, there was some issue with a white man, and at the end of the year, he sent his son, cornelius, into town, they shot him put him on a horse and sent him back. And we have the death certificate says aged 12, 12 gunshots. People who engaged in these terror lynchings, they couldve buried the body in the ground, couldve tried to hide the violence, thats what you would imagine people would do. They did the opposite, they were proud to engage in this kind of racial terror. Thats why hanging was so common. The whole idea was to taunt and to terrorize and to torment African Americans. Thats why you have to think about this as terrorism. There are thousands who get killed, but there are millions who are victimized. Seven black people lynched in screamer alabama in 1888 for drinking from a white mans well. Dozens in louisiana because they were protesting their low wages. Am i crazy for when i read these things, im scared, i feel like thats couldve been last week. It couldve been. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. It weighs on you. There are so many more, i know from my family story what happened, and he is not here. There is so much more. Some say these monuments are about heritage and heroes, but if anything, they are also reminders of americas unsettled war with itself. I started this journey looking for light and understanding, to examine what these monuments mean to those who honor them. But it was never really about the monuments, the large, looming stone facades. Or the grotesque stumbling blocks. Or what lives inside the man who is grappling with history had been shaped by the myths they hold its truths. If anything, it was about a reckoning and a time of american terror. Im not sure where we go from here, but the road through history is lon and winding, with markers along the way. Classical Piano Music [reporter] one of the deadliest Mass Shootings in us history at Pulse Nightclub in orlando. [barbara] walking into the building for the first time after the shooting, it was crippling, but it had to be preserved. If you are an ally of this community, speak out. There are more of us together than apart. It is the power of love in its rawest form. Classical Piano Music