>> thank you so much, ryan thank you all so much for joining us. the cnn special event, juneteenth, celebrating freedom and legacy starts right now welcome to a cnn special event, juneteenth celebrating freedom and legacy. i'm victor blackwell behind me is the beautiful national museum of african-american history culture in washington, dc this is the perfect setting for us celebration of juneteenth. because like the museum, juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery here in the united states. it's also a celebration of black culture and history. it tells our story of struggle genius, and beauty. tonight, we will bring you an exceptional lineup of iconic black musical artist you will see their dynamic performances and you'll hear their views on this holiday. and it's important. are night of uplifting music inspiring moments and entertainment from some of the best to ever renewing tonight special cnn, juneteenth celebration. >> i think it's progress. i think so so alluding freedom and honoring and important legacy, this is part of my calling as an artist. john legend, smokey robinson and their godmother of solon patti lewbel. juneteenth, celebrating freedom and legacy starts now this is the musical crossroads exhibit at the national museum of african american history and culture this is little richard sequent jacket. that's chuck berry's gibson guitar over here. this is jimi hendrix, purple embroidered vest and how about this? do you recognize this? this is parliaments mothership, the p fam this exhibit showcase music's role in popularizing calls for social change. the early jazz musicians, breaking free of the racist tropes of vaudeville surrounding black music. and the freedom singers or the 1960s john legend is a music superstar continuing that long tradition. he's a celebrated singer song hong writer saw. >> he's earned emmys, grammys, and oscar and atony he's also an activist and a philanthropist focusing on criminal justice reform did i read this right? uh, you have a juneteenth baby yes. >> ran yeah. he was born on juneteenth last year, so he is won today. >> all right. happy birthday to run aside from planning birthday parties, how do you make space for this holiday in your family and celebrate that too? >> well, this is a festive de i think for all black americans and for anybody who believes that america is supposed to be the land of the free we had that promise. our founders wrote that as the ideal early on, but we weren't living up to that ideal for such a long time. and i think part of the story of america is hopefully the continued progress toward meeting that ideal where we truly are the land of the free and the home of the brave. and i don't think we've accomplished that yet. it's something we have to continue to work on and be vigilant about. >> how has becoming a father shaped to you your view of the world and the work that way you have to do. well, i think a lot about all of the love and the resources and investment that we put into our kids and we know how fortunate we are to be able to afford all the things that we want to be able to do to make sure our kids have a great childhood and are very well prepared for the future. but then i realized that a lot of parents don't have those resources and i think about politics and about government and about how philanthropy as a way of filling in those gaps where parents don't have the resources themselves to do all the things things that they need to do. but hopefully, we as a society can come together to make sure that all children have opportunity, have the investment in the resources that they need to flourish in this life john, you could sing, release music and then go home. yeah. and not do the work. what compels you to engage and do the social justice work? >> well, part of it is i've always been inspired by the tradition of particularly black artists over the years realizing that when we have this opportunity, when we have this platform, we want to use it to stand up for what's right. fight for justice support activists and organizers who out there doing really important work to secure freedom for all citizens i come from a tradition of that. i believe when i think about my mentors and my heroes like harry belafonte and others they invested in the civil rights movement. they spent their money, they spent their social capital, and they use their platform to try to make the world better and always thought that was what an artist was supposed to do. so i feel like this is part of my calling as an artist. >> yeah. some of your work focuses on ending mass incarceration, reducing recidivism through the free america campaign are you seeing progress? there yeah, we want it to shine a light on this issue of mass incarceration in america, we started about ten years ago. >> and one of the seminal moments for organization and for me speaking out about this issue was standing on the stage at the oscars saying we are the most incarcerated country in the world. and we need to do something about it. and if we want to think about the legacy of dr. king and imagine what he might be working on now, i think this is one issues he would care about. and so we said about actually doing the work to try to make a difference and ending mass incarceration and through our efforts and the efforts of a bunch of other activists and organizers, we've actually reduced incarceration pretty significantly in the country all around the country, local, state, federal, incarceration has gone down. >> you talk about how this issue has impacted your own life and your own family. you talk about it on stage. yeah, we talk about it. i talked about it on stage because i want people to know that i just shoes as an observer, as somebody from a 10,000 foot level in my own family, we've had plenty of people who've been caught up in the system, people who have been incarcerated. we've dealt with my mom being incarcerated for a time when she was going through addiction issues. and so knowing that knowing that it's personal to us and to our family it makes it more real when i get involved in these policy discussions and and i'm not just coming out, it from a distance, i'm coming out. it was real first-hand knowledge in order to talk about the mass incarceration in the us, we also need to talk about the school to prison pipeline. >> yeah. >> and under-resourced, under-funded, under supported schools. you started to show me campaign that's been more than 15 years now. yeah and we talked a lot about especially now when we're thinking about mass incarceration, when we think about all the money while the resources that go into locking people up and inflicting punishment on them it costs us because not only does it cost us that money, it means we're not spending that money on something else. and so i always try to illustrate how important it is for us to invest in our communities invest the resources in education, and health care, and making sure our kids are fed all those things that will help them grow up and to be contributing citizens, flourishing citizens in this country. and make sure they don't go down the wrong path. let's invest in them early on so they don't go down the wrong path and we don't have to clean up our mess later on with incarceration and all those other punishment methods were a few months out from the national election. and i've spoken with far too many people. and because of the work i do, most of them people of color. and they're just not enthused by either the major candidates and they don't believe they're doing spoken to in their issues are being taken up what do you say to those people who just my sit it out? >> well, first of all, i want people to realize that elections are not just for president they're not just national elections. there's so much that is decided in elections and their local. when you are voting for your school board, when you're voting for your mayor, when you're voting for your representative, both state and national when you're voting for your governor, when you're voting for your district attorney all these people have a role in your life and you may not be enthused about the top of the ticket, but all of these folks that are on the ticket up and down the ticket are going to affect the way your life is lived. there going to affect your community. they're going to affect so many things. and so realize that you have the power to affect some outcomes that are going to be really felt by you and your neighbors. and so don't set it out. it's important that you get involved. >> let's talk music and glory. you wrote that with common. it's been almost ten years since it was released when of golden globe and academy award? yes. take me back to that moment and writing it and what you were feeling thinking well, i was called up by my friend common and he was in the edit room with ava dover neigh wow the had this no. >> man no. weapon formed against yes. glove is destined every day, women and men become blanche is to go with his saskia and become blessings. >> she was finishing the film, selma selma, of course, was celebrating dr. king's life and the work that all of his his organizers and folks who marched with him did to secure voting rights for everybody in this country. so it was focused on that is focused on this story of justice and equality and equal voting rights and they wanted a song two in the film and comments that i was the first person he thought of and was like, let's do something together. we had worked together many times over the years and he suggested a few song titles for me. and one of them was glory. and i was like i like glory and so i just started fooling around with the idea of glory. i was on the road in europe and i wrote the course for glory, recorded it and send it back to common. and he wrote the versus for the song, welcome to week big tall. the common the lord, my blog one such a powerful song during that moment because not only was connecting with dr. king's work, but it was connecting with the black lives matter protesters who were marching in the streets at that moment and have continued to use our song over the years as a rallying cry to help inspire their protests, have them make you feel it makes me feel. >> well grateful, and it makes me feel like it's kind of like a full circle moment because we were inspired by them, were are inspired by the activist. >> and in turn, we wrote something that inspires them to you sing in glory. >> and this is the reason i brought these nodes you saying, now the war is not over, victory is not one and will fight to the finish. then when it's all done, will cry glory. what does the finish look like? >> well we'll probably never get there. that's the thing, you know. and i think part of what the song is, it's, it's aspirational, it's looking toward a goal, but knowing that you may never actually reach it. but realizing that the struggle is worth the struggle and you the finished looks like freedom for everybody, equality for everybody belonging for everybody, flourishing for everybody well-being for everybody. and that's what we're working toward. and we'll probably never get there. but i think it's worth the struggle. >> here's john legend performing for one hit all of me well, i would i do without your smart jaw and you kick and mia gotten my spoon kid i can then you was going on beautiful hamas harming your magical mystery dizzy, don't know bri breathing crazy it out labia no he oh, perfect good. my all no my by began when i lose i'm when gulag me hey, you give me you, how many times do abs zhao he cry in you to who to well, and is me down but worse this fracture maoris kate's saying you breather i don't know, man thing oh, you no no you back give by begin when i gave you hi, you give me two. >> more music from john legend plus or performance from smokey robinson give me and why one of the most famous tracks ever recorded on motown was not a song at all. that to my luther king came to motown. he said i want to do my, i have a dream speech here the cnn presidential debates, june 27th, bit nine. >> my cnn and streaming on max. >> welcome to the waiver hood with wave. finding your style is fine the music starts grabbing it, doesn't matter i'm sorry, carl, this is me and chair form. i don't see you. this one. >> perfect for you, but you love it. >> i told you we should have done opinion ada i explained it so many the not sitting you need to sit down, every style, every home you know, what's brilliant think about it. >> boring is the unsung catalyst for bold. what straps gold do a rocket and hurdles and into space. or in dems boring makes vacations happen, early retirements possible, and startups start off because it's smart, dependable, and steady all words you want from your bank for nearly 160 years, pnc bank has been brilliantly boring. so you can be happily fulfill which is pretty unvarying if you think about it that, they blocked the road term. everyone comfortable, yet there's plenty of space got it. >> right? >> no, no, don't don't don't let's just wait them out. >> the volkswagen atlas with three rows and seating seven everyone wants her, right? >> okay. good and see despicable me before and theaters july 3, rated pg nothing dems my light like a migraine with nortech ott. >> i found relief. >> the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent all-in-one to those with mine i see you for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults don't take if allergic to nortech odi team allergic reaction factions can occur even days after using most common side effects are nausea indigestion, and stomach pain. pain. >> it's time. we san francisco's been through tough times. london breed led us through the pandemic, declaring an emergency before anyone else, saving thousands of lives. from growing up in the western addition housing projects to becoming mayor, london has never given up on the city that raised her. london is getting people off the streets and into care. london never gave up on me. i found a home, and my life is on the right track. london made it super easy for me to open my small business, by cutting city fees. and she's reinventing downtown to make our city vibrant again. she's building 82,000 new homes and helping first time homebuyers, just like us. and london's hiring hundreds of police officers, and arresting drug dealers. san francisco has been through difficult times, but our hard work is paying off. working together, we're building a better future for the city we all love. ad paid for by re-elect mayor london breed 2024. financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org. concert event with performances by keith urban maybe wrexham, the killers and many more board in america. >> thursday, july 4, dead seven eastern on cnn we have, seen as human beings, the fillings with the us have up being slow of women, but now we know the new jim crow to stop search and arrest, stop souls police. >> the policy sees patrol philosophies, self-control accrue away and say get whole. we let go to free them. so we'd give us america's moment to come to jesus welcome back to cnn, celebration of juneteenth at the national museum of african-american history and culture i met the defending freedom defining freedom exist tibbets it showcases the pivotal moments of the civil rights movement behind me is a photograph of dr. martin luther king junior on the national mall where he delivered the i have a dream speech and that famous speech was memorialized and shared with the world on records pressed by the black own label, motown records i spoke with the legendary motown artists smokey robinson about the day mlk came to motown and a lot more let's start with juneteenth. >> it's only the fourth year that it's designated as a federal holiday. yes. but what does the designation mean that this is now a holiday for the country? >> i think that it means progress, math it means if we progressed to the point where whereas everyone is willing to acknowledge the fact that we do have black people they are significant i think it progress. >> do you think is just for black people know, that's why i said i think it's progress. >> i think it's for everybody you know, everybody should acknowledge it. and every once you celebrated your i almost started that question as is it an african american holiday, but i read somewhere that you don't prefer to be referred to as african-american that you write a black american or american why okay, man, i wrote a poem and it's called being a black american okay. >> now, in my in my life and my career, i've been all over the world. i have never even been to africa okay. when they will offer me dates and stuff in africa was during apartheid and i wasn't going to go during apartheid and do that there's a passage in the poem that i wrote. and he says all the wonderful black americans who served and all the wars served in the armed forces and gave their lives and all the wars. they didn't do that for timbuktu o'keefe down to kenya the deaf, mississippi, and alabama and georgia, louisiana, and texas. and licinian. did i continue? and if you're a novice data, if you don't claim that you play right to the hand of the white supremacy into glucose clan, who claimed day own this land now, that's why, because we have cultivated it we've built, we've raised the kids we've done everything that you could possibly do to contribute to a country. okay, so now for me to come along and say, okay, i'm an african american that's kinda denouncing my american citizens. your can announce on the fact that i'm an american i'm proud to be an american american as like i said, have been all or this is the greatest country in the world to me so i'm proud of that fact. i want to be acknowledged as an american. >> that's why you talked about progress and black progress in this country. and often when we think about progress and especially the civil rights era, the music we hear music that's kind of a soundtrack is motown take me to the time dr. king came in and what he was doing was matching what motown was doing and how the i have a dream speech came to be a motown recording. >> what am i proudest achievements the prioress things in my life is moretown, man is the fact that when we first started motown, will fledgling. we were just in detroit and add arbor and flint, michigan. okay? and there are areas in detroit. i grew up in new george was born there there are areas in detroit, whereas if you were black and you in one those areas, you better be working for somebody or you've got to have someone who says you worked for mysore zones also that's why you in that neighborhood, if released. got you there. you might get your blood worked or be put out whatever it was. but there were areas in detroit like that. so we've been in business for maybe a year and we can lead us from the white kids in those areas. i regret the fact that we didn't think because we was just young people making music don't want it what we loved. and i regret the fact that nobody thought to save those letters, there will be invaluable at this point. we're going to let us from the wake, is zero and say, man, we got to music we love your music. but our parents don't know that we have it. because if they knew that we had it they might make us get rid of it you're so later we get a letter from the parents. >> hey man, we felt like kids will listen to your music and we listened to it we're glad you're making music that our kids can listen to. >> this doesn't be invaluable. so dr. martin luther king came to mortality, said, hey man i want to do my, i have a dream speech here with you guys because you're doing with music what i'm trying to do with legislation. >> do you know what i didn't know until i started preparing to talk to you was that there was another imprint. th