you poor white people. this man right here, john lange stone came out of slavery. he came to d.c. as a congressman from virginia. this man was born into slavery. no question. no problem. it's congressman langston now. that's why i love reconstruction. you have real heroes. are we any different than these people were? >> no. >> no, we're not. you know the difference? we just don't remember. my name is greg carr, and i'm associate professor and chair of afro-american 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 having 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 the civil war, my family are share croppers, come in the eras of jim crow, great migration moving throughout the south.