worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america ahead on "america tonight", the weekend edition, one of the nation's biggest school districts, and its stunning discipline programme. gaoling teachers. >> i saw in teacher gaol many individuals that were broken, depressed, suicidal. >> correspondent michael oku on l.a.'s teacher gaol and the lessons learnt from it. bright lights, bold shouds - a danger show by the best on broadway. how hitting the high notes puts a generation of vocal superstars at risk.

>> to expect a performance at that level, eight shows a week is ridiculous. also - surrogacy incorporated. this couple wanted a baby, but charged this man, left them heart broken and broke. >> rudy, some of your former artist. >> yes. and i'm sorry that they feel that way. "america tonight"s floyd mayweather broke the story. together he follows up with a tv interview. the c.e.o. of the surrogacy agency tells his story. good evening thanks for joining us, i'm julie chen. welcome to "america tonight", the weekend edition. we talk about the fight

schools. there's no figure more central than the classroom teacher. we look at california, where teachers are at the heart of a battle over school reform. michael oku brings us this report - do educators belong in teacher gaol. . >> this is a voice that inspired hundreds of high school teachers to sing out. this is a passion for music bringing awards to one of l.a.'s toughest schools, and for iris stefan son, the piano is the life line to a 30-year teaching career frozen when the school district sent her to teacher jail, a detention center where teachers facing disciplinary action are sent on paid leave. >> i never heard of, like, what they called teacher gaol.

i didn't know. i was naive about that. what steech sop knows is how -- stevenson knows is how music inspires students. teaching a nationally acclaimed programme at cep shaw high school, nearly every year hor koiral groups have been taken on the road, performing in jamaica, korea, belgium and often france. last december they were capped by a private performance for the president at the white house. >> since i have been at crenshaw high school we started trailing because i believe in a classroom without walls. i believe that learning ensues outside of the classroom. >> stephenson was stunned when she returned from the trip finding that she was in detention. ordered to report to a room in district headquarters every day,

instead of the classroom. the district still hasn't officially told her who allegations she faces. unofficially he is said to have jetted her students to paris and washington without permission. she and supporters say not true. the district approved her trips every year. >> they knew the itinerary down to the telephone numbers. >> reporter: while in teacher gaol she met greg schiller, an a.p. science and psychology teacher at a school for performing arts. his misconduct - allowing two students to create experiments with the word gun in the title for an annual science fair. >> this is a project that's been done many times, both at the country level in california, and at the state level. so i felt very comfortable with the student working with his parent on the project. it's been done before.

>> at the certain point i was polled and told to go home, and stay home for five days. after five days, i was sent to teacher gaol. >> the first days were painful. absolute and complete and total shock. i worried about my students. what were they going to do without me there. >> reporter: for teachers in gaol, the experience varied, depending on where they served time. when ever they served time reality sets in quickly. often they are restrict to cubicles. were you instructed to be silent or talk. >> i know in other places they'd yell at them for talking. plans. >> i asked would it be okay if i accept the lesson plans to my substitute so i could stay on

prepared. >> i was told i was not allowed to do so. >> i saw in teacher gaol individuals that were broken, depressed, suicidal. >> reporter: suicidal. >> very, very sick. and we just had to lift their spirits. that is what season son did, detention. >> i wrote music. it was fun. then i involved others. we began to sing. >> alex is the new president of the united teachers los angeles, and says getting figures from impossible. >> we made consistent requests to the district for demographic information, time information, et cetera. we cap ballpark it. we haven't got that information from the district.

we know there's been people in teacher gaol for three years, without any completed that. >> reporter: that, say teachers is where the injustice lies. what seems like an endless way to vet behaviour. they say -- investigate behaviour, they say poses no damage to students. >> no one is arguing that educators found to be in imminent danger to kids should be in a classroom or at a school. i have a 6-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son at these schools. many do not rise to the level of pulling someone out of a school, and destabilizing programs. in the case of. >> ra stefan -- iris stephenson, she is is a life line to the kids. >> reporter: the district calls for making every attempt to complete investigations within 120 working days, those that

don't require law enforcement to day. >> people are sitting in teacher gaol for months and months, sometimes years. without even that basic district memo followed. >> the number of teachers removed for assignment. we use the term house. it's 151. there are other employees as well. not just teachers. >> john has been the superintendent of l.a. unified school district for four years. he will not discuss specific process. >> are some investigations faking too long? >> no, as long as necessary to students. >> reporter: even if it takes three, four, five, six years request a teacher teaching in the district for decades. >> the length of time a teacher

teaches in the decade has nothing to do. >> reporter: does the system need fixing in any way? >> i don't believe so. lith there'd been a tremendous amount of fixing. i think that the way that l.a. u.s. d operates is under the complete obligation of child safety, and under the obligation to make sure no decision will be made for an adult employment without complete information. >> the union charges the distribute's lingering investigations may be app attempt to force out vet rap or teachers. >> do you have a sense that the administration is targetting specific types of teachers? >> what i found out is that they are over 40, many of them are over 40. many of them are minorities. many of them are very active in the schools. >> unlike many, greg didn't stay

in limbo very long. supporters launched a facebook campaign. then in april students, parents and fellow teachers staged a walk out in protest. two months into his detention, schiller was reassigned back to his classroom in time to prepare students for the a.p. exams. >> i had a job to do. kids were supportive. the parents were supportive. on the heels of protest superintendent john daly changed the policy to relocate teachers to their homes, rather than administrative officers. >> they are on the defensive. they know they are not doing what they need to do. that's why we made the mo, we have to make sure it's not swept under the rug. >> the district investigation is not completely closed. like the community that rallied to support him. he rallies teachers to action. >> i meet with my colleagues in the justly gaoled teacher committee.

we meet at the union headquarters once a month. i offer whatever suggestions that i can to help them with the circumstances. i advocate for change. >> on the day we visited her iris was being honoured by the black business association for community. >> dr iris stefan son mcculler, hardly dispirited. >> i keep going. i just keep going. i just keep going. i will always teach, that's what i'm called to do. >> come the new school near, stefan son may face detention. her investigation is ongoing. she doesn't know when it will end or when she'll connect with the students or community she has been making music with

for years. next on "america tonight" - the weekend edition - should public school teachers have guarantee jobs? >> what is happening to the children is a crime. not only is it a crime. it has to be illegal. taking on teacher tenure, a groundbreaking lawsuit and why a judge believes teachers should have to make the grade.

everyone knows it isn't easy, teaching is a tough profession. for many, the best compensation for the challenges is a problem of job security, teacher tenure. a court ruling may close it in calf and across the country, we -- in california, and across the country. here again, michael oku. >> brandon, what is your basis teacher? >> she pulled me to the side and talked to me negatively and told me i wouldn't amount to anything at life. you. >> it can dig into you as a person, because that is somebody who has total authority over you at that time. >> reporter: high school senior brandon was one of nine students who rocked decades of tradition in california schools. they were the plaintiffs in a

court case, a lawsuit that attacked the sacred tower of education, teacher tenure. >> what rude comments would the teacher make? >> he was call us stupid and tell us that we'll clean houses for a living. >> reporter: the students charged the system beprivate them of an education by leaving the teachers in place. >> reporter: it was ruled that teacher tenure and laws was unconstitutional, depriving students, especially the poor, of their rights. evidence was compelling and shocks the conshns. silicon valley millionaire david welch came up with an approach to use student to sue the lawsuit. >> what is happening to the children is a crime. not only is it a crime, it has to be illegal. >> welsh spent millions creating students matter.

a nonprofit focus the on overturning state laws to keep subpar teachers from being identified and fired. >> what is wrong with california's schools? >> in a nutshell, they don't put the children as their number one priority. my premise is it's never acceptable to put an ineffective teacher in front of a child. the education system is about children. >> the judge that compared the case was persuaded by evidence sowing that to fire a bad teacher takes 2-10 years. at a cost of 50,000 to $450,000. tying the hands of administrators. >> parents give us the best thing they own, they put it on the door step and expect us to do rite by it. >> the inspect testified for the

plaintiff. a practice challenged, which was declared unconstitutional, was giving teachers tenure less an two years after they teach. >> i haven't found out if you can teach chemistry before i give you a ten u to teach next year. in a curriculum like this, if you don't read by third grade you'll either by ipp cars rated or dead. the president of the california federation of teachers says it is an attack on teachers. >> i don't think the trial was about creating an atmosphere that seas teachers and teacher rights as an obstacle to providing public education. >> reporter: the plaintiffs want a longer lead time for tenureship or status. what is wrong with that? >> if you have someone working

with your child, do you want to give them more or less time to determine whether they should be with your child? >> frankly, i would be good with one year. >> unions acknowledged that there are incompetent teachers. they presented evidence in court that one to 3% of teachers are ineffective. that's thousands of teachers. >> our feeling was that the themselves. attorney. >> there are 275,000 teachers. how many do you think are dismissed for a year for poor performance? the number is 2.2. people. >> reporter: because the worst teachers are dumped in poor schools with the highest turn over. the damn is acute. >> 16 to 18,000 youths are homeless. ruthless.

in cars, in l.a., and every one of them wants to be us. they want to graduate, take meaningful employment, a roof over the head. it's called the american democracy. we know when a student has a highly infected tapers, they do -- techer, they do well. >> a classroom exposed for one year to a teacher costs them $1.4 million of life-time salary. >> this case will not put an additional pencil in a child's hand or an additional textbook, and the notion that we'll create an education reform model based on the way we fire teachers - i think it's ludicrous. teachers feel attacked.

mclachlan was cross-hai cross-hairs, criticised as subpar. the unions responded she was named teacher of the year and court. >> my favourite thing about mis-mclachlan is how determined she is. she wants to help her units. >> how did watching that video of ms mclachlan make you feel. >> it upset me. >> reporter: why? >> to know that what the students say in the video was a different experience that i had with her class. >> do you remember what she said specifically about you? >> i wasn't the best teacher, but i wasn't the worst. said that i never assigned homework. we never read novels. >> true. >> that is absolutely not true. >> we caught up with mclachlan, out of town and agreed to a skype grew. she said that a teacher's

quality can't be measured by one student's impression at a moment in time. >> the thing i have hold on to is that the product we produce in schools is unlike any other prurkt -- product. it's not always visible from start to finish. growth. >> i think the judge did a huge disservice to public education. what happens in court is the least of our problems. if they created an atmosphere where we are chonized, they have achieved achieve. >> the unions will appeal. they'll take the case to the california supreme court. the tenure laws, meantime, stay in effect while the case winds its way through the court. >> the evidence proves that the

statute is harmed. it forces the school districts to make decisions about tenure. >> how long is this process going to take? >> i don't expect to see that during my career. >> you don't expect the process to be resolved by the time you retire at the age of 65. >> i do not. there's decades, decades. >> this appeal process will go on for years and years and years. >> that report from "america tonight"s michael oku. >> changing times in the classroom and with new recruits in the battle to stop the wave of migrant children crossing the u.s.-mexican border. the ku klux klan is taking a message to southern states aiming to recruit new members. a florida police department will fire several officers. robert ray travelled to the border of north carolina and

virginia. we warn you that it includes explicit language that some may fine objectionable. >> it looks perfect, rolling hills, nice homes and quaint churches. but residents say all around them is the invisible empire, the ku klux klan. k.k.k. asked us to meet here in north carolina, at this post office, and they say from there we'll be driving somewhere to do our interview. as a matter of fact, here they are. turn the camera, derek. they are pulling up now. they have their hoods. hello, guys. hello. this is the right meeting spot. where you tole us to come, right -- told us to come, yes. >> yes. >> we'll take five minutes. >> okay. we'll do that. the k.k.k. has been around since the 18 '60s, promoting white supremacy.

classified as a hate group, members have been convicted of crimes, murder, torture, rape, arson. they say they are not a hate group, but white separatists. i guess i'll pull up obvious here, and we'll get out. >> this group in carl is the loyal white nights and claim to be the largest active k.k.k. operation in america. we were taken to a field with sunflowers, a place where they planned recruitment and burnt crosses. >> these days very have a new call to arms illegal immigrants. the crisis on the boarder, when we call the hot hype a couple of weeks ago.

there was a call for a shoot to kill law. how do you describe that. hate. >> these people are criminals to begin with when they come to the country. they are breaking the law. once they get across the border, what makes you think they'll continue to break the law. >> these are it wille kids coming over, and we are call for a shoot to kill. to me, they are breaking the law. if we can't turn them back. it will leave the corpses on the border and we see that they are serious. >> in the u.s., there are more than 150 groups affiliated with the k.k.k., according to the southern poverty law center. there were more than 200, a spike.

elected. >> what do you think of the washington? >> i think president obama sold out the american people. that's the job of the federal government. putting a stop to it. the only thing acceptable to you is if you had european dissent. >> yes, a wide homeland. >> this is the united states of america. it will never happened. >> i believe you will have it. more and more are joining the plan and getting fed up with education. >> you guys have 8,000 members. you used to have millions, how are you on the rise. >> it's picking up every day. we are doing recruitment, tv interviews, and leaving bags of candy and flyers in neighbourhoods across the south with messages like the one on the phone hotline. >> time to arm yourself, black on white crime is going unreported bit the government-controlled media.

june 19th, a 65-year-old whiteman beat to death by two gorilla women. >> reporter: you realise the perception of most in america and around the world when they see the hoods and listen to some of the things that you guys say. they think it's idiocy. you know that. you do know that. >> i asked them to take off the hoods. instead the so-called imperial wizard went on to another ty raid and showed us this. >> when i walk in the streets during the day time i wear the clan shirt. i go into a gas station with thirds like this. >> reporter: what does it say - i said cures fags. >> yes. >> reporter: geese. you don't think it's hateful. >> people thank me for that shirt. i keep a trunkful of them and they buy them off me. >> reporter: what are your ipp perfections. you

are perfect. what are your imperfections? you don't bhooe your beliefs are a mental disease. >> i have the holy book telling me i'm right. >> reporter: you don't think you have mental illness. >> no >> reporter: you. >> no. >> reporter: yet you wear shirts like that and those are the thought you propa gait. >> you are not mentally ill. >> no. >> reporter: i see little girls dressed as a prison cess at disney world, is that not what you are doing? >> you point the finger at the catholic church who go out and rape children. >> reporter: they veptedate for blacks, jews and gays and said they were christians. these guys insist that the current immigration influx is

what they need to recruit new members. yet they offered no proof, just rhetoric. they insist that strong action is their new rising up. after the break - an "america tonight" exclusive. >> we lost over $20,000 from planet hospital trying to do surrogacy in mexico. it was devastating. we put so much money and emotion into the whole process, and you are so close, so close. and then - and then it explodes. >> they say an international surrogacy agency conned them out of thousands. adam may confronts the c.e.o. in >> on techknow, new hope for a cure >> he has a rare severe form epilepsy >> a miraculous medical

marijuana breakthrough... >> it's something we can all relate to, a sick child getting better >> a week went by, still no seizures... then we know we were on to something... >> tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america.

>> families torn apart... >> anytime they see a social worker, the immediate response is.... they're here to take my kid >> stuck in the system... >> they didn't protect my children, they traumatized them >> can native cultures survive? >> this is about as adversarial as it gets fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the door... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series the fight for native families only on al jazeera america you may remember a story we brought you recently about a california-based international surrogacy agency called planet hospital, which was accused of defrauding its clients. couples across the country told "america tonight" that planet hospital left them with empty promises and wallets. tonight "america tonight"s adam may has a follow up interview

with the man behind planet hospital. in his first tv interview the c.e.o. admits he made mistakes, but says he's not a criminal. >> rudy, some of your former artist. >> yes. and i'm sorry that they feel that way. if i was them i would probably think of myself that way too, but i'm not. if i was a scam artist, i would have cut and run from here, you know. country. >> why did you agree to us? >> reporter: rudy breaks his silence months after an "america tonight" investigation reveals his international surrogacy company took hundreds of thousands from dozens of couples. but never delivered their babies. people? >> around $350,000. clients? >> total of 16 or 17. >> reporter: can you write these people checks right now?

>> i cannot. i cannot, i'm sorry to say that, i cannot. >> reporter: planet hospital closed shop at the beginning of this year. fertility doctors and others quit providing services because they weren't getting paid. it was a disaster. >> a disaster. it upraveled. the whole process unraelled completely. >> yes, crash and burn. >> reporter: chris and jonah from new mexico signed up with planet hospital in may 2013. they travelled to cancun mexico, after rudy promised to hire an egg donors, a fertility doctor and a mexican surrogate to carry the baby. >> you can see the caribbean, and the blue waters. it was amazing, gorgeous. we sort of put our wishes out into the universe there. >> their scrurpy to father -- journey to fatherhood and nightmare.

>> the clinic pulled out. we had to switch and end the um with a u.s. egg donor who was homophobic, and basically left us in the lurch. we lost over $20,000 from planet hospital trying to do surrogacy in mexico. it was devastating. >> you put so much funny and emotion into the whole process and you are so close, so close, and then it just explodes. >> this is a copy of the contract that you had with chris and jonah. >> yes. >> on the top of page 7, could you rate what the first couple of lines say. >> if a party terminates the agreement in the event of a termination any fund should be refunded in entirety within 15 days. >> did chris and jonah is have an embryo transfer? >> no, they didn't.

>> did they get an eare fund? >> they did. they said they didn't. they reversed the credit card charges. >> reporter: they say they sent a check for $16,000, and a letter from sara at your office. they claim they owed $16,000. >> i know what the contract says, but we provided service. >> your contract says embryo transfer. they did not get that. don't they deserve the $16,000. >> i didn't have time to do that. giving them a refund, i deny someone else a chance to do their thing. it interrupts my cash flow. >> you have a list of people you want to give money back to. chris and jonah is not on the list. list. >> right. >> are you going to change that? >> i feel there are others who

need the money back first, people with no services or partial services. let me take care of them before dealing with the world. >> reporter: he admits 33 couples who signed contracts did not get babies. >> he was a master of diplomacy, making you feel warm and fuzzy about planet hospital. >> a d.c. trial lawyer, a $37,000. >> there's nothing i haven't seen as a trial lawyer in this crazy world. this was a first. i had never seen the level of victimisation where you take someone whose hopes and dreams of childhood are imperative and private. and bring it and outright steal their money. fraud. >> daly contacted the u.s. department of justice about planet hospital.

the fbi won't comment on any potential activity, but daly says he received a grant jury spap. and after "america tonight"s original report, we learnt a whistleblower has come forward with intimate knowledge about planet hospital. have you met with the feds? >> i have. i have nothing to hide. rather than sit and wonder. i went to visit them. but, you know, i'm here talking to you. i'm not a criminal. i have nothing to hide. i made bad business decisions. i went to visit them and showed them my side of things. >> do you at all fear you can go to jal? >> honestly, no. honestly, no. i don't think i criminal. >> before venturing into mexican surrogacy, rudy sent his clients to india. "america tonight" spoke to about

a dozen clients who actually got babies. in fact, he says he did 300 successful surrogacies, charming clients around $35 grand a piece, where is the money. >> planet hospital's surrogacy business was profitable i would imagine at this time. >> reporter: not really. >> the margins are good, yes. typically we would have made in india all total from beginning to delivery, $10,000. but if you take the $10,000 and divide itted by, you know -- divided it by a 12 month relationships, that's less than $1,000 a month. >> reporter: why continue to separate a surrogacy business when you saw the problems. why continue to do it? >> at the end of the day the few clipt having kids through this thing, the happiness, the joy

was awesome. i attended a gay wedding two weeks ago of someone i helped four years ago have a kid. i was introduced as the go that made it possible. what a great feeling. >> for now rudy's baby business is on hold, claiming he lost most of his money in a failed attempt to open his own clinic in mexico. some former clients are trying to force him into bankruptcy. he vowed that he will rebuild planet hospital. it doesn't look like chris and jonah will start over. they are not sure if they can years. >> who do you blame for the problems in mexico. >> rudy. he was the tap tape at the helm who wept into the iceberg. i would be happy to see him go to gaol. >> if i was cooged, had mall

intend. the easiest thing to do would be start a new company, have someone else run the business. i'm not doing that. i will call planet hospital. >> do you think you can rebuild a reputation after all of this. >> i'll do my best. this is my passion, my love. now it's a change. i don't blame anyone es but myself for what happened. i will say this: i will work for as long as it takes to pay everyone back. after the break on "america tonight". the sound of strain. [ singing ] big voices behind some of broadway's biggest hits. sheila macvicar tells us why they are at more risk than ever of falling silent. >> saturday. gaza, experience what it's like

on the ground, first hand, as our crew gets caught in the chaos. the reality of war. shujayea: massacre at dawn. saturday, 10:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

complex melodies sung in a brassy style - performers reaching the high notes and holding them are impressive, but it's risky too. the women of the stage today are more vulnerable than ever to injuries that could be career ending. [ singing ]

i starred to do theatre in third grade. when i got to college i wept with the intent to pursue musical theatre. that was my major. i was going from a small town where i was known for my ability and everyone just knew i was going to make it to new york city where it was scary and everyone was talented. >> reporter: when kimberley townsend moved from mann hatton to new jersey -- manhattan to new jersey to pursue her dream, the odds were against her. >> it's terrifying. >> reporter: then she suffered a vocal injury, one that is common among singers. >> i would force my voice, lose my voice, feel anxious, and i would feel, "am i going to do

it." [ sings ] >>. >> potential for innoury exists in ever -- injury exists in every gen rer. >> dade is a renowned -- david is a renowned vocal instructor. >> in "wicked", "brooklyn", and "the heights" shows are written where female voices had to go higher. >> reporter: pop singers like adele and john meyer have gone under the knife to repair their incidents. a new wave of broadway musicals are forcing females to go above their range. >> in the past decade, big-time belters came into favour. the notes are higher, and

require more vocal left. >> broadway singing breaks down into two categories. >> the sop rannos lofted the sound. and the contemporary belt is like pat isabelle. [ sings [ sings ] >> so what do you do when you have to get above that. in "wicked", there's an f. in "brooklyn", an a flat - you have to increase air pressure. it's the increase that is pushing on the vocals, and their resistance, and they have to resist more, more. it's like going to the gym and trying to pick up 300 pounds.

you'll sprain something. >> these are really high-level vocal athletes. >> doctors milan and ryan bransy treat some of broadway's performance. >> to expect at that level, day in day out, eight shows a week is ridiculous. >> this is a young performer. the goal is a smooth strait edge on the vocals. you see there's irregularities among the edge. and we expect it because the load placed upon the organ goes along with the beside that they are in. >> they conducted the first study of vocal health for broadway singers. the results - over 25% of performers had a diagnosed vocal injury. one of those is a vocal noddual,

a bump in the vocal cords. >> they don't happen overnight. they happen over months to years of chronically beating the heck out of your vocal koords. >> reporter: kimberley townsend is working through her injury. she exercises her voice for hours each day. >> three hours every day for sure. sometimes more. warm-ups. >> she sings scales and practices songs, slowly strengthening the muscles weakened by her injury. she'll make a full recovery. doctors say it could take years before she's as good as new. >> i know that i have the talent. it's raw. it needs to be refined and shaped again. >> as broadway braces for another year.

singers are putting it on the line. ahead in the final segment - say it loud. he was the god father of soul. james brown - get on up, there's more to his story than his music. sara hoy remembering the legendary james brown, and a new movie about his life. >> now available,

the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now >> every saturday, al jazeera america brings you controversial... >> both parties are owned by the corporations. >> ..entertaining >> it's fun to play with ideas. >> ...thought provoking >> get your damn education. >> ...surprising >> oh, absolutely! >> ...exclusive one-on-one interviews with the most interesting people of our time. >> you're listening because you want to see what's going to happen. >> i want to know what works what do you know works? >> conversations you won't find anywhere else. >> talk to al jazeera. >> only on al jazeera america. >> oh my!

[ ♪ music ] finally this hour. everywhere has got an image they remember of james brown - hearing his name makes you want to sing out. with the just released movie "get on up", america is rediscovering the life and times of an influential musician. james brown was more than a popular performers, he was a prominent figure in the movement of the '60s, the black pride movement. sara hoy has the story. >> reporter: these moves and grooves laid the foundation for pretty much every soul rock'n'roll and hip-hop song. james brown's biopick "get on up" hits the theatres this week,

shining the spotlight on his chaotic life and evokes memories from those that new the godfather of sole. mick jacker is a producer. >> i saw him many times and studied hip, the way he moves. the way he gave his best. >> reporter: jagger met brown at the tammy show, an all-star concert filmed in california. the really stones took the stage after brown. one of them calling it the biggest mistake of their career. brown was not going to let a bunch of kids steal a show from them. this may be the james brown most know. but brown's contributions went beyond music. he was a prominent social and political figure. those who knew him best say that legacy is one that should be celebrated.

who is james brown? >> well, it's a difficult question to answer because james brown had a lot of perimeteries. >> thomas heart, film producer, a close friend produced the documentary "james brok brown - the man, the music, the legend." he had the style and music on statement, offstage he was different. he believed in the community he never forgot. he came from dirt poor circumstances. not poor, poor much he was someone that would reach down and help someone else come up. he didn't just open up the door. he opened up the door and left it open for others to come behind him. >> brown's influence on the community is based on words and deeds. as the 1960s wore on. brown became involved in the

civil rights movement. in 1968, after the assassination of martin luther king, mayors and the president turned to brown for help. >> reporter: some of that that we looked at was when he stopped the riots in boston. >> that's right. it was a dramatic time in his life and the life of the nailings. you're wan -- nation. urban centers blew up in flames. >> reporter: this concert took place the day after king was killed. it was put on tv and kept people at home, off the streets. boston was spared. washington d.c.'s corridor, historically black neighbourhood was not as lucky. it was the scene of intense rioting. then brown showed up. >> then he came to washington d.c. and did the same things by

walking around the nation's capital, and telling people in the community to take the second thought, don't react emotionally, don't destroy your community. rebuild the community. person. >> reporter: for 13 years this was a drummer. we met him footsystems from where -- footsteps from where broib performed. what sticks out the most? >> he was more than a musician. he since "i feel good", these are the songs making people smile, bringing them together. >> reporter: is that the message of james brown. >> it was. it wasn't just love, but pride. released in 1968. say it loud, i'm black and proud was the first song to celebrate black culture.

>> joe is the music director for whur radio at howard university. >> of course, with the song, "i'm black and i'm proud, it did a lot for african-americans men, because back then you didn't describe yourself has being black, you were negro. so i'm black and i'm proud came out. it was on. you know, the afros got bigger and the pride was something to see back then. >> reporter: this is the curator of music and performing arts for the smith sewnian museum of the history and culture. everything about james brown is about pride. it's about about being proud of who your. being willing to let the music come out. james brown ex-sueded that assistance of pride. >> reporter: "i'm black and i'm proud", it touches everywhere. >> you touch everywhere, you may

not ai'm black and proud, but wherever i am i am proud of what i am, what who i am. tas the confidence and self-esteem that james brown gave to everybody. whether you were rich or poor, black or white. women or men. you could say i'm proceed of who i am. >> reporter: what's it like to watch in over and over? >> i mean, you know every word. >> it's emotional though. no matter how many times i see it. i get emotional about it. that was the ghory years. -- glory years, and we lost a soldier. we lost him in 2006. before him there never was. and after him there'll never

be. [ ♪ music ] ed godfather of soul it is. that is it for us here on "america tonight." monday on the programme an "america tonight" investigation, elite junior athletes victimized by their coaches. we sit with former olympic hopefuls, abandoned by a system charged with winning above protecting children. that's monday. remember, if you would like to comment on any stories, log on to the website aljazeera.com. join in the conversation with us on twitter or at our facebook page. more of "america tonight" tomorrow. >> an american tonight investigative report >> i never would have thought this would happen to us >> athletes going for the gold >> i've had a lot of people ask me... why didn't you scream?... why didn't you yell?...kick... why didn't you go tell your mom? >> betrayed by those they believed in the most >> there's bad people out

there in youth sports >> could this happen to your child? >> my sole purpose in coming forward, is to help change the culture of sports >> an america tonight investigative report only on al jazeera america