that you're not good enough, you believe it. but first, the "nightline " 5." >> for a noticeably whiter smile. trust america's number one whitening treatment. crest 3-d white strips. white strips. shshow me homecoming. baby sloth videos on youtube. amy, do you uh mind giving someone else a turn? oh yeah i made myself a little comfortable here. i got a pizza for amy! yes, that's me! xfinity lets you search netflix, prime video, and youtube with the sound of your voice. and i don't have my wallet, so. that's simple. easy. awesome. get started with xfinity internet and tv for $40 each a month for 12 months when you bundle both. click, call or visit a store today. good evening. thank you for joining us. we begin tonight with the recent racial flash points that have renewed an old and painful conversation in america, and not just about race but redemption. hurtful headlines made this time by once rising star in politics and a hollywood leading man. >> a brutally honest admission. >> i went up and down areas with a cosh hoping some black [ bleep ] would come out of a pub and have a go at me or something so i could kill him. >> the fallout now from actor liam neeson's comments about race and revenge. >> you sometimes just scratch the surface, and you discovered this racism. >> democratic governor ralph northam facing a firestorm over that racist photo. >> i'm not either of the people in that photo. >> two new swipes at one of america's oldest wounds. virginia governor ralph northam and actor liam neeson. what they said and did and what it says about all of us and race, and can or should past since be forgiven? >> the structure of what allowed some of these racist practices to thrive and exist, it still needs to be broken down. >> so we sat down with thought leaders to examine how the nation is once again confronting racism and what this uncomfortable conversation means for our future. >> if there is any value in these recent conversations around race, it's that we're starting to get a window into the thought processes of people who are still wrestling with the contradictions of racism. >> the recent slate of scandals began, of all days, on the first day of black history month when this photo surfaced from virginia governor ralph northam's medical school year book, showing one man in black face and the other dressed as a member of the ku klux klan. northam once viewed as a rising star in the democratic party. >> this is somebody that you will be proud to have as your governor. >> now mired in controversy after he first admitted he was one of the two people pictured. >> that photo and the racist and offensive attitudes it represents does not reflect that person i am today. i am deeply sorry. >> but the next day, he denied it. >> it's not me. >> now more than a dozen prominent leaders from northam's own party have called for him to step down. the previous governor of virginia, a democrat said northam must go. >> there is no way you can continue to be the governor of the commonwealth of virginia. >> though northam now denies that he is in that photo, he says he has appeared in blackface before. >> that same year i did participate in a dance contest in san antonio in which i darkened my face as part of a michael jackson costume. i used just a little bit of shoe polish to put under -- or on my cheeks. and the reason i used a very little bit, but i don't know if anybody has ever tried, that you cannot get shoe polish off. >> he now says he regrets that costume. >> i look back now and regret that i did not understand the harmful legacy of an action like that. >> the offensive part about governor northam dressing up like michael jackson isn't the dressing, and it's not the impersonation. it's the shoe polish that he put on his face while doing it. he dressed in blackface. >> markkula mo lamont says ther long history of people missing the point. >> there is a long history of white racist public culture that uses blackface to demean and marginalize and ultimate erase black citizens of america. >> e. >> this is somebody who would not have been elected without the african american votes. >> northam, who has ignored those mounting calls for his resignation is staying in office. one of the politicians calling for northam to resign is virginia attorney general mark r. herring, who said "it is no longer possible for governor northam to lead our commonwealth." but just today herring was forced to make his own apology when he admitted to dressing up as a rapper and wearing brown makeup on his face during a college party in 1980. i am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain i caused with this revelation, herring wrote in a statement. but he stopped short of resigning, writing instead that honest conversations and discussions will determine if he remains on the job. i sat down with bob brown, a pr firm consultant of fortune 500 companies and a veteran of the civil rights movement who travelled with and advised the likes of dr. martin luther king and nelson mandela, from sit-ins to the ugly days of bull connor in birmingham, brown was there. tonight he gave his take on how the country should be responding to governor northam's revelations of past racism. do you think society is making too big a deal about something that happened 30 plus years ago? >> i think to a certain extent, we are making too big of a deal out of some these. what we need to do is hound some of these problems that we have right now. there are millions of young black people throughout that don't have any jobs. >> in the midst of all this political scandal, actor liam neeson found himself confronted not with racist actions but thoughts. he offered up himself during an interview with the independent. in it neeson described an 90 that happened years ago involving a close friend of his who was assaulted. >> i asked, did you know who he was? no. what color were they? she said it was a black person. i went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping i'd be approached by somebody. i'm ashamed to say that, and i did it for maybe a week, hoping black [ bleep ] would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something so that i could kill him. >> the very next day he sat down with my colleague, robin roberts to discuss his remarks. >> we were doing a press junket, and it was, you know, the topic of our film is revenge. the lady journalist was asking how do you tap into that. >> in response, neeson says he recalled that incident with his friend and the lust for vengeance that it fueled. >> it really shocked me, this primal urge i had. it shocked me and it hurt me. i'm not racist. this was nearly 40 years ago. >> would you have had the same reaction if your friend said it was a white man? >> oh, definitely. i was trying to -- show honor, stand up for my dear friend. >> what are you hoping that people will learn from you making these statements? >> to talk, to open up, to talk about these things, you know. >> jamel hill, former espn anchor and current writer for the atlantic didn't mince words when discussing neeson's interview with my colleague michael strahan. >> should any credit be given to him for saying what he said and then coming on gma? >> no. and the reason i don't give him any credit for it, because i didn't hear an apology. >> yet others praised how neeson confronted his behavior. >> i found what he said refreshing in a way and so not pc at a time when maybe the conversation doesn't need to be pc, because he admitted he had problems. he admitted that he had thoughts that were bad. >> but crisis manager and abc contributor howard bragman says neeson should never have even told that story to begin with. >> any time you get into race and racial issues, i call race the third rail of reputation. it's taken down many, many careers. >> it remains to be seen what will happen with neeson's career. as for governor northam, bob brown at age 83 remains hopeful this latest episode more flicker than flash point. from jim crow to apartheid, he says forgiveness and faith to heal old wounds than force or finger-pointing. >> if you're going get all the people who had a black face, and you're going to condemn their whole life on the fact that they had a black face or they did something like that, then there is a whole lot of people in the country are going to be condemned or ought to be condemned, because they much worse things than that. >> do you just give someone a pass on that? >> no. they need to -- they need to 'fess up. i would tell them, hey, look, say what you going to do. let's have a whole series of things that you going to do to change this country from that kind of thing. >> it was bob brown's friend nelson mandela who said if people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. next, a hometown tour with the fonz. >> i wish you could be here to taste what we're tasting. >> oh, it's so good. oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. the way? embrace the chance of 100% clear skin with taltz... the first and only treatment of its kind offering people with moderate to severe psoriasis a chance at 100% clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of people quickly saw a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. don't use if you're allergic to taltz. before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. ready for a chance at 100% clear skin? ask your doctor about taltz. take new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool.asty cold, (acapella) whoa! (vo) and vaporize it with an intense rush of vicks vapors. (acapella) ahhhhhhhhhhh! (vo) new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. now no fruit is forbidden. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? nothing can prepare you to hear those words... for all-day, all-night protection. breast cancer. we thought that we would travel to cancer treatment centers of america. we left on day one feeling like we're gonna beat this and that feeling is priceless... visit cancercenter.com. this is charlie not coughingling because he took delsym 12-hour. and this is charlie still not coughing while trying his hardest not to wake zeus. delsym 12-hour. nothing lasts longer for powerful cough relief. and now to the man who will be forever known as the fonz. henry winkler played the too cool for school tough guy, but the man behind the tv character was struggling with a difficult secret. here is any "nightline" co-anchor, juju chang. >> we're going into zabar's? go towards the lox. >> bagels and lox with a television legend, the fonz from "happy days." no big deal. >> this is so luscious.m. like butter. >> i wish you could be here to taste what we're tasting. >> oh, it's so good. you can take the boy out of new york, but you can't take new t m m t o stories about your mother. mrs. winkler. >> where today he's greeted like royalty. >> you have fans from every generation. >> that's amazing. >> right? >> and they say hello. some children only know me as an author. the water boy, "happy days. >> ayyy. >> ayyy you. >> from every corner of the globe. >> i saw you on okinawa, japan when you came with happy days. >> oh, my gosh. >> loves you also very much. >> lithuania loves you! >> isn't it nice that you make people smile? >> i'm telling you, it is unbelievable. it is one of the great gifts. >> chances are there is a henry winkler character you know and love. >> ayyy! >> he first burst on to our screens as the smooth talking jukebox smacking tough arthur fonzarelli. >> better known as. >> because i'm on the fonz, ayyy! >> now at 7 years old, winkler is still one of the most beloved stars in hollywood. >> we are breathing rarefied air. >> and after six nominations. >> henry winkler. >> he got his first primetime emmy last fall for the hbo comedy "barry." >> i can't stop yet. my wife stacey, kids, kids, jed, zoe, and max, you can go to bed now. daddy won! >> it was so great to say "kids, you can go to bed now". >> that was adorable. >> and they are now 35, 37 and 47. >> but to really understand the man, you have to go back in time, the '70s. henry winkler was the brightest star on the biggest show on television. for near lay decade, "happy days" was must-watch tv. at its peak, 22 million homes tuned in every week. underneath the suave italian tough guy character was a 27-year-old nice jewish boy from new york, worshipped by swarming teenagers. >> 25,000 people showed up when the four of us, ron howard, don most, anson williams, and me, showed up in dallas. and our car was on the other side of the 25,000 people, and i said all right, let me tell you something. you're going to part like the red sea, and they're not going to touch us. we're going to get to that car. and we just walked through. it was the only time i used the fonz. >> the fonz just appeared in front of me. >> the fonz could do anything. so when ralph and potsie accepted a challenge to jump over a shark, no problem. >> i learned to water ski on lake. >> those are clearly you water skiing. >> oh, they are me. i did everything but the jump. if you watch that episode, i land on the beach and s out of the skis, and there i am, and i'm smiling. half that smile is the fonz going hey, look at that, i did it. and the other half is henry going oh my god, you did it! >> but while the yale drama grad was playing the epitome of cool, you henry winkler were not that much like the fonz. >> no. i don't ride a motorcycle. i have never ridden a motorcycle. i finally realized that cool is also just being authentic. that is powerful. but when i changed my voice, i was like it unlocked me. i became like i could do anything, you know? my mind just was like on fire. >> at the same time, henry was dealing with a life-long struggle with dyslexia. he didn't even know what it was until his own son was diagnosed. >> the dyslexia was so crippling for you, you had trouble even at table reads during "happy days". >> most embarrassing. i couldn't read it. and i didn't know why. so i constantly had to make up excuses or do something with humor to cover my shame. >> he channeled his pain into a best-selling children's book series. his latest, everybody is somebody is about a boy named hank who, like henry, has dyslexia. >> his mom pushes the door open. can you believe that i got my picture hanging on the bulletin board of ps 87? you're special, hank. never forget that. she gave me a kiss on the forehead and left the room. and the last thought that i had before i drifted off to sleep is hank zipser, some day you're going to be somebody. >> you're eyes are misting. why? >> because that feeling never leaves you. when you're told often enough and young enough that you're not good enough, that you're not going to make anything of yourself, you believe it. when you meet a child who says how did you know me so well, because they've read the book, you think this is the proudest moment of my entire life outside of my family. and i want every child to know that they have greatness inside them. >> winklerno about perseverance. after "happy days," he says he was type cast and couldn't get acting jobs for years. so he went behind the camera, producing and directing shows like "macgyver." >> to the left. >> and in the '90s, an onscreen resurgence, stealing scenes in smash hits like "the water boy." >> he pretends to fake. i don't know where i am. >> and creating memorable tv characters like dr. saperstein on "parks and rec". >> it's like a little fleck of cream cheese on the green. >> and barry zuckerkon on "arrested development". >> i'm the only actor who has jumped a shark twice. >> but away from the glitz and glamour of hollywood, henry is still in touch with that starry-eyed boy from new york. how many boyhood memories come through? >> that was my building, 210. >> that's where you laid in bed and dreamed of being somebody? >> that's exactly where i was dreaming, yes. >> there is not a person we haven't passed who is not starstruck by you. you don't need fame and fortunate to be somebody. >> no, you don't. i followed my dream. i wanted to be an actor, and here i am, and it worked. but no, you -- being who you are is to be somebody. >> what a wonderful life. >> yeah. you know what? that is so true. >> for "nightline." >> i'm juju chang in new york. >> our thanks to juju. and next, bob marley fans around the world get up, stand up to celebrate the musician. ♪ don't give up the fight how 'bout lobster lover's dream? more like a lobster dream come true. a butter-poached maine tail, roasted rock tail and creamy lobster linguine.na it's a crispy coconutty,ne h roasted rock tail 'cause what's better than steak and lobster? steak and lots of lobster. so hurry in and see how you're going to lobsterfest. when i walked through a snowthat's when i knewtte, i had to quit. for real this time. that's why i'm using nicorette. only nicorette gum has patented dual-coated technology for great taste. plus intense craving relief. every great why, needs a great how. let you sleep, try new nyquil severe with vicks vapocool. (acapella) whoa! (avo) and vaporize it. (acapella) ahhhh! (acapella) shhhh! (avo) new nyquil severe with vicks vapocool. the vaporizing, nighttime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. th advil, you'll ask... what sore muscles? what pounding head? advil is... relief that's fast. strength that lasts. with advil. my dbut now, i take used tometamucil every day.sh it traps and removes the waste that weighs me down, so i feel lighter. try metamucil, and begin to feel what lighter feels like. that leave therea lasting impression. like the feeling of movement as a new journey begins, or the sight of soft fur, warmed by the morning sun. you might remember new flavours, the sound of an old friend's laugh, or a view that defies all expectations.with you, long after the moments have passed. denny's new super slampler. bacon, eggs, french toast, and buttermilk pancakes for $6.99. male voice: $6.99? are you out of your mind? why are we still out of our minds? denny's new super slampler, all for $6.99. ♪ get up, stand up, stand up for your right ♪ ♪ one more time, get up, stand up, don't give up the fight ♪ >> and finally tonight, we get

Related Keywords

New York , United States , Maine , Hollywood , California , Virginia , San Antonio , Texas , Poland , Lithuania , Dallas , France , Polish , America , French , American , Klux Klan Northam , Michael Jackson , Ron Howard , Bob Marley , Youtube Amy , Bob Brown , Henry Winkler , Nelson Mandela , Mo Lamont , Martin Luther , Anson Williams , Jamel Hill , Liam Neeson ,