i'm w. kamau bell. on this episode of united shades of america, we are talking all things white supremacy. the obvious stuff and the more subtle insidious version. we filmed this months before the police of indianapolis killed george floyd and before covid and the protests. before any of us ever heard of defunding the police, and before the president and his cronies used racism to describe the coronavirus which led to a

rise in hate crimes to asian americans. you don't have to look to history to see racism. just watch the news. but the question is are we really ready to do the work it takes to make america the equitable place it is meant to be? ah, the first episode of the united shades of america. such an innocent time. i hear it all the time. you're the kkk. why would you do that? america doesn't have a problem with racism anymore. you're right. it's gotten way worse. and that was all before covid- 19. and, before four cops in minneapolis killed george floyd rather than just treat him like

a human. a police station burning to the ground in protest. >> there is an african american man threatening my life. >> before too many karens. before fattening the curve. and through it all, a president incapable of handling any of it at all. aw look, baby's first bible. america is finally ready to get real about white supremacy. so let's start super easy and basic. these are white supremacists. 44 white presidents out of 45 in a land originally 100% native american is white supremacy. white supremacy is a big, complicated web of systems and institutions set up to keep power and privilege with one race. guess which one?

pittsburgh is a paradise. it is known as steeltown, usa. but the factories that gave it that game is almost gone. it is a progressive liberal city. but in the heart of deep red western pa. it is an industrial city. but also a blooming intellectual and technology hub. it is america's most liberality. one of the safest and most affordable cities. and, the worst city in america for black people. wait, what? what in the name of pittsburgh's mr. rogers is going on? the paradox of a seven time higher infant mortality rate

for black babies over white babies or a safe livable city versus the deadliest attack on jewish people in our nation's history at the tree of life synagogue means that in pittsburgh, the structure of white supremacy has us living two separate realities. you know, existing while black in pittsburgh is like starving to death in the supermarket aisle. i didn't come up with that. a great friend of mine who is a writer and pittsburgh native did. >> we are in the south side. if you ever hear about a pittsburgh steeler getting arrested, it always happens here. >> that's funny. >> reporter: damon young is a writer and cofounder of one of my favorite websites. he was born and raised here. most importantly, after he made it, he stayed here. >> i feel like pittsburgh is a

microcosm of america in a sense that i think that we believe our own hype. just as america believes its own hype. believes its lofty missions that were written by slave owners. and there's a reason why white people in pittsburgh seem to be thriving and black people are not. it's like, we didn't get this way just because of unconnected decisions. >> that is why i think when white people hear white supremacy, they are only thinking about the clan. segregation now. segregation forever. you know. but, they are not thinking about the structures that exist in this country that keep black folks at the bottom. >> and it is not even about hate. >> yes. >> it is not about hate. >> it is not about hate. you could have a black best friend. and still, your favorite show could be power. lebron james poster on your wall. >> you can do all of that and still have investment ins white supremacy. >> yeah. >> reporter: many people think white supremacy is just like

neo-nazis and kkk members but those guys are just the most visible tip of the iceberg. along with stuff like genocide, hate crimes, lynching, hate groups, you know the stuff good folks agree is bad. but beneath that cold dark water is actually most of the structure that keeps white supremacy rolling along. like police brutality. some states not even having laws against hate crimes. the legacy of jim crow laws. broken treaties with native americans and much, much more. as we move deeper down the iceberg, we get to the harder stuff to see. hearing racist jokes and not challenging them. a black guy not born in america. chinese virus. i never even owned slaves. it is too easy to look up at the top and say what a bunch of s. that's white supremacy and

i'm not that. and miss everything else. slavery ended and then the lakers and the celtics played the next day. >> when the disparities exist with welt, with education, with employment, with incarceration. and, these disparities exist everywhere in the country. but in pittsburgh, they are more stark. >> there are two cities happening here. >> yeah. >> reporter: while black community ins pittsburgh deal with huge racial disparities and quickly gentrifying neighborhoods, predominantly black steel mill towns like braddock outside the city are grappling with a common experience. the compound effects of industrial pollution and long term systemic white supremacy. >> this is the town that steel

built. this is where mostly a lot of the black folks lived back in the day. but all of this area was occupied. this is the steel mill. they literally just t worked right there. >> i can hear and see smoke coming out of there. >> they say it is steam. >> i heard that before. >> folks used to live on top of this all day and all night. this was the sound they heard. a lot of people say why would anybody want to say here? we are talking people with their social networks here. that right there is the school that my mom went to when she was in junior high. so a lot of the folks who live here have been here generations. >> reporter: summer lee. pittsburgh born, raised in braddock. the state rep for the 34th district. by the 1960s and the 70s , suburbanization moved white people up the hill. while the black folks remained

with discriminatory home lending which was legal until 1968. it is clear that changing the law has not changed the reality. >> the jobless rate is over 15% in pittsburgh. >> reporter: and when the united states steel industry collapsed in the 80s , braddock, the town that had lived and died for steel, was left with the problems and little else except consistently some of the worst air quality in the us of a. >> we look at wages. when we look at environmental issues, education, we look at the school to prison pipeline. mass incarceration. we see those kind of as issues in and of themselves but in reality, they are all a part of the cycle of racism. perfect example. take my town. black folks, most of them live there because at some point, they were red lined. government policies. predatory lending. those things all colluded to ensure that black folks could not get into communities where

there were more opportunities. supreme court says education can be funded by the local level. which means that you live in this town, you get one educational experience. you live in that suburb, you get a vastly different one. you live in this community, you are more likely to live by an environmental hazard. we have u.s. steel in this community. you are more likely to live in a medical and food desert. we have in the zip code where we are, we have no grocery stores, we had a hospital that was notoriously closed down. and, you are less likely to have transportation in and out of your community. so you are literally physically trapped in your communities. you have not bought your kid a one way ticket right book into that cycle. right back into that cycle. that is cyclical racism. where do you even start to dismantle that? >> you just broke it all the

way down. i appreciate that. >> just last year, one of their facilities caught fire. day before christmas. we didn't find out until two, three weeks later. even me t state rep in this area. every other government official. we found out on the news when there was a big fire. if you live in any of these communities, we suggest you don't go outside from january to may. we are supposed to be grateful for the jobs. why can't we be grateful for the jobs and also be healthy? >> reporter: in the wake of covid-19, some people were wondering why black folks were affected in a higher rate? >> it doesn't make sense. >> back to the iceberg. >> black communities generally have worse air quality. which leads to chronic health and respiratory issues. and then, oh yeah. we have less access to health care and healthy food. then, you throw a pandemic on top of that, it is going to hit

you harder. >> we have a billion dollars industry in our town. but this town in braddock has 500 properties filled with empty vacant lots. basically, a ghost of what it used to be. we have to talk about what is the community partner. community partners contribute. they participate. they are active in your community. they are your neighbor and they are not doing all that, they are your colonizer. . we'll drive you happy at carvana. among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. there's no question it's something that i would recommend.

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post industrial job loss and poverty. one might think that the shared struggles would bring people closer. but nope. because our fears and frustrations have been used to divide us. and we all know that can end in violence. on affordable care act 27th, 2018, an alt-right white supremacist from just south of the city killed 11 people at the tree of life synagogue in squirrel hill. his online manifesto was packed with language blaming jewish people and immigrants for the problems plaguing the whites. i brought an expert. >> are you nervous? >> yeah. a little. >> there is no way. >> i'm scared of what you might get me to say. >> reporter: if you are watching cnn and a reporter is somewhere in america talking about racism, hate, or violence, it is probably sarah seidner.

>> get the [bleep] out of here. now. >> you are in it running after it. >> hatred comes from fear and pain. the fear is someone else is taking over and i'll be a minority. one of the big themes of this white supremacist movement is the browning of america. i'm a white supremacist's worst nightmare. not because i attack them, but because of who i am. my mother is caucasian and my father is black. >> there you go. >> i am mixed race. i am changing america. >> yeah. >> here we are sitting in this town. you know. it is like a lot of towns in this area. used to be an australia town. used to be good union jobs. >> you retired. you had a pension. >> yes. and then, you know, the

industrialization happens. jobs go overseas. people start to get frustrated. scapegoating starts. who do you blame? you don't want to blame yourself, right? you don't want to blame your family or your community. so you look at who could be the scapegoat. the immigrants. even if there isn't an immigrant to be seen in your community, they are are to blame for taking my livelihood and therefore taking my life. it gets people in this place where hatred is okay because i'm protecting myself and my family. the other thing is it can feel good. >> hatred can feel good. am i wrong? it's powerful. >> when mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. they are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime.

they're rapists. knock the crap out of him would you? you see these thugs thrown into the back of the patio. i said please don't be too nice. >> nothing happens in a vacuum. when that language is used by our leaders, it spreads. so when you see how far it can grow. hatred is turned into actions. and can become deadly, i sat down with a family in el paso. they were two of 22 people killed by a suspected terrorist at an el paso wal-mart. the mother was holding her child. the child survived. just a baby. you can't sit there and talk to families. without having that sit on you.

forever. thinking about them. thinking about that family and what they will have to tell this child who has no idea. right? why his mother and father are not there. because somebody hated immigrants. how do you explain that? right? how do you? how do you even begin to explain that? that will forever bother me. i'm sorry you guys. >> no, no, no, it's all right. it's all right. >> see, this is what i was afraid of. i didn't even do anything. i'm a reporter, you hear me? >> welcome to my house. >> i cry on this show all the

time. it is what we do to move through these moments. >> the families that i talk to, they give me life because i see that they are able to function, they are able to move forward in their lives. they have no choice. they are still here. that fills me with, like, okay. get up, go do your job. and vanguard retirement tools and advice can help you get there. that's the value of ownership. (vo) get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. like manny. event planning with our best plan ever. (manny) yeah, that's what i do. (vo) with 5g ultra wideband in many more cities, you get up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost. get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on.

breaking news. the internet is a wasteland. it has always been a perfect incubator for extremist hate. for everybody, including kids. true evil is just a click away. we always think of the young generations as being free from that kind of hate, but kids today are being fed more hate per pound than any generation before. on march 15th, 2019, that hate turned violent in another safe city when a 20-year-old white supremacist live streamed the murder of 51 muslim worshipers in christchurch, new zealand.

>> those were gunfires. >> new zealand sucks. britain rules. >> 50 is a great score, britain. >> god bless brenton. >> i love spyro and fortnite. >> i like the name. >> i subscribe to pewtie pie and brenton. >> wow. >> yeah. >> yeah. that's a lot. >> and you have no idea where it came from or who those kids are. >> no. >> and they are all excited about the perpetrator in the new zealand terror attack.

the first little girl was clearly watching something where you were hearing gunshots. >> yeah. >> wow. and those are kids. >> those are kids. >> reporter: he studies extremist groups and terror organizations. >> there are people that are well educated who are involved in these groups from middle class backgrounds, upper class backgrounds. we have this broader historical ingrained within our collective psyche of white supremacy just floating around out there. and you know, everyone susceptible. >> and a lot of this has been supercharged by social media and the internet. >> absolutely. that has opened up so many doors. now white supremacists have been getting activated online even during the 1980s with electronic bulletin boards to distribute propaganda. >> reporter: as access to the web moved it moved them from

isolated cluster to globally interconnected organizations with a pipeline to the disenfranchised, the disillusioned and the teenager. >> everybody in the house put your hands up. >> reporter: meet youtube's biggest star. felix shellburg. >> the new zealand shooter references pewtie pie. >> over 100 million subscriber. >> yeah. cute videos. every now and again, some hate speech comes through. >> pay people to hold up signs. >> i feel partially responsible. but i didn't think they would do it. >> reporter: meanwhile, the neo- nazi website daily stormer thanked him saying it normalizes naziism. >> how did you get the name? >> i want to thank the internet

for allowing their emperor to be here for the evening. >> reporter: and it is just that easy. joke. not a joke. who cares? that's how ideas of hate and racism get normalized. if you think that doesn't have any real effect, you would be wrong. looking at you, pewds.

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have between 104-degree or 108- degree nasal tip rotation. those are the ones that are considered the most beautiful. >> i have a tv show. and even know that still, overall, black folks and people of color don't always get a fair shot on television. don't believe me? in 2020, the pittsburgh based heinz endowment showed that african american men were portrayed as athletes or criminals 72% of the time. how do you find your own voice when your city looks at how you break tackles or break laws? >> i accept the light of jesus christ. >> reporter: so when my friend, rapper and pittsburgh legend jazirix asked me to talk about my work in industry, i did. >> face the cross. for god. >> for god.

>> for country. >> for country. >> for kentucky. >> for kentucky. >> claims this is a symbol of god's love. holy. that is the final scene from the episode. >> were those people real clansmen? >> yeah. that is not the chappelle's show. yeah. this is not a sketch. >> i knew the klan existed. but, hearing them really say those things, i had to laugh because i'm like, wow. they really believe this. >> they have god and kentucky on the same level. >> yeah. exactly. >> i feel like klan imagery is a little older. our generation relates a little more than your generation. >> i'm not scared if i go down

south that i will get lynched anymore. i'm more scared when i go outside the house. am i getting shot by a police officer? >> reporter: what nicholas just said right there is the whole show. it is easy to focus on the kkk. but you can avoid the kkk. but the police? you're going to eventually have to deal with the police. a 2018 rutgers university study showed negative media portrayals which foster fear of black men were a significant factor in a five times higher rate of unarmed black men being shot by police than unarmed white men. that fear has justified not only excessive force, but also claims of self-defense. >> i think a lot of that has to do with you see us in mainstream media, we are dehumanized. so when antoine gets killed, it is like oh, that's a young black dude. >> reporter: you know how it goes. a black 17-year-old named antoine rose is shot and killed by a police officer, michael rossfeld who had been fired

from a previous post for misconduct. antoine's community focused on the fact he volunteered, was an honor roll student. never been in trouble with the law. many outside his community focused on a drive by shooting he was allegedly involved in. his community finds it hard to focus on that since the officer shot antoine in the back. as he was running away completely unarmed. >> when the trial came, there was the idea it was going to be violent. so they had the courthouse surrounded by police. they shut the streets down around the courthouse. >> the police presence grew every day. it got thicker and thicker. you would think that the president was here. it was mild. it was madness. come on. >> reporter: a bunch of well armed and mostly white folks

marching on the steps of the government building. this was just two-and-a-half months after the tree of life massacre. it was a protest proposed gun regulations that were hopeing to avoid another gun massacre. why would we want to do this? when the white folks show up at rallies, no matter how violent or ridiculous their wants are, they are given the benefit of the doubt. and look at these. in one case, the cops shut down the street for the rally. in the other case, they shut down the street to stop the rally. who are you afraid of? >> i just imagine us saying we are going to arrive with our guns and just how far would that bus get? >> it wouldn't get off the block. >> to me, this is where white supremacy really functions. we gave them no reason to believe. >> none. >> that it would be any type of violence. because, we protested all year and every single protest was non-violent. the verdict came out friday

night, that following monday, young organizers from the universities and the high schools organized a largest protest that pittsburgh has ever seen. >> what do we want? >> justice. >> when do we want it? >> now. >> that is what gave me hope. seeing how they organized and the manner in which they showed up. that is never the narrative. >> reporter: and we are seeing that play out again. the protests following george floyd are some of the most engaged acts of civil disobedience since martin had that dream and it is easy to see the disparity. remember, george floyd was killed over suspicion of having a fake 20. but this guy? cops bought him some burger king.

you know how some media is. never missing an opportunity to paint black people as scary while completely ignoring the issues at hand. aka, what's up, tucker? >> for the past week, all of us have seen chaos engulf our beloved country. what do the mobs want? >> reporter: and while many of you out there get caught up in why are people rioting? well, your hero martin luther king jr. said a riot is the language of the unheard. and somebody else said, it is hard to start a riot when everybody has a good job, a full belly, well-educated kids, access to health care, and feels safe and protected. try getting somebody to throw a brick through a window with you then. that was me. i said that

(vo) get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. like manny. event planning with our best plan ever. (manny) yeah, that's what i do. (vo) with 5g ultra wideband in many more cities, you get up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost. get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. the truth is, as much as we are surrounded by it, we rarely talk about the bottom of the iceberg. we are fascinated with the violence white supremacy creates. but then the victims do most of the talking. the responsibilities is on them

to bang the drums, into the interviews an clean up the damage. the tree of life massacre was one of those days in america that makes zero sense when you hear about it. but then you quickly remember that days like these have become more common. i won't do over the details. you can do that on your own. i'm here because of what came after. >> the muslim community modeled how to behave at a time of trauma to the jewish community. they were outside the tree of life as the incident unfolded. said this is where we knew we needed to be. but, it didn't end there. they started a go fund me page. and raised a quarter of a million dollars and said don't worry about the funerals. we are taking care of that.

>> and we knew immediatelily we wanted to do something. and we have similar burial practices and it had to be immediate. >> we returned the love and kindness six months later with the massacre in christchurch. we put together a go fund me page and sent $650,000 to christchurch. >> and we do that all the time. and i think those things don't get highlighted because our faiths don't tell us to run around boasting about the good things we do so the divisions are often concocted. >> and i think it is really an important message for people wondering can jews and muslims get along? well why not? >> reporter: rabbi jeffrey meyers who was conducting shabot services and the mosque have worked together since the tree of life shootings to bring peace to the city.

>> non-jewish americans thought anti-semitism was a thing of the past. not something that jewish people dealt with. >> unless you experience it personally, you don't necessarily know that it is anti-semitism. i was ten years old. came home one day from school. and, in the driveway were a couple of swastikas in chalk with the words jeffrey is a dirty jew. i always thought that putting up with anti-semitism was the price you had to pay for being a jew and wanting to live in the united states. >> i think it is a very similar thing. a lot of black people on some level feel as long as we are not experiencing the harshest end of racism, you start to not complain about things you should complain about because at least it is not worse. when was the last time you were here? >> oh. let's see. i think it was about three e weeks ago. >> uh-huh. >> sometimes, the mood is such that you could be having a

great day. and, something reminds you of the events of october 27th. and, there are times when i just can't drive by here. i will detour. the visual reminder sometimes of the facade is just too much. >> yeah. >> to me, the greatest horror would be that they just pass away in anonymity. the answer to people dying because they were jewish is doing even more jewish. >> i like that. do even more jewish. >> there is this wonderful phrase in tomwood. it is not upon you to finish the task. in the talmud. but it is not upon you to finish the task but you are not

off the hook from trying, at least making a few steps of progress. >> to get a little mlk on it. no matter what our race, creed, and religion. if we all work to make the world better, it gets better. >> absolutely. >> i can't help but think about my mom in moments like this. hearing her talk to her friends. she was playing martin luther king jr. records in the house. at the time, i was thinking why? can't we put some temptations on? and, to stand here and realize, she was building the bridge for me to be here right now talking to you. >> you honor your mother by doing the same thing to your kids. >> yes. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> i knew i would get emotional. thank you rabbi. >> thank you. >> a&m glad you came to pittsburgh. >> it is hard no not stand here in pittsburgh in mr. rogers' neighborhood and not say it's a

beautiful day in the neighborhood. >> indeed. today, the sun is shining. it is a good day.

when you had me, what was your idea about racism with a black boy? >> i was very conscious about that. i remember when you were a little guy. six or seven years old. there was a drugstore near us that we would shop in. as soon as we walked in the door comedy store detective would follow us. i said, be really careful. i pointed out the store detective. because we are always being watched. >> i remember that lesson. it sticks with me today. so much so, i'm aware that when i am in stores as a fully grown adult, where my hands are. you know, as a kid, i was aware because i did not want to be arrested. and now it is because i do not want to be killed. the other thing i want to talk about is about how i did not think america would ever elect a black president. and then i remember you voted early because indiana had early voting.

and then you flew out to san francisco -- >> to watch the returns with you . >> we could have just talked on the phone. >> no, no. i wanted to be there when the results came in. yeah, yeah. it was a historic occasion. living history. i did not ever think in my lifetime that i would see a black president. >> we only have one blurry picture from that night. of you being, like,! >> i will never forget that night. yeah. >> and then a years later . >> every time black people make any progress in this country, there is a backlash. this is the backlash to obama

being president. >> how bad do things feel right now? like i said, you experience every part of racism except for slavery. >> i feel fascism coming on. so that really, really frightens me. if we do not somehow overcome this in the next election, i am worried. >> i do not know if i ever told you this, but i remember when trump won. i was, like, it is kind of too bad she did not die while barack was in office. >> really? >> you know i don't mean that. >> i know, i understand. >> i just felt, like, come on. >> you know, all of my siblings are deceased. i had the thought that i was glad they did not have to live through this.

one of the biggest success stories and racism in the united states is how they have kept the racist apart. that was deliberate, of course. segregation started it. so to keep people apart so that they do not get to know each other, then they can just hate that unknown group. all the people of color in the disgruntled white people came together, they would not stand a chance. people in power want to -- they would not have a ghost of a chance. i have to keep using us as decoys to keep white people from understanding that they are being ripped off too. one thing i know for sure is that when people get to know each other, they cannot hate each other. >> yeah. >> every single episode of the show, by the end, i hoped the

screwed up thing we talked about would be over forever, but it never is. sometimes, honestly, i feel alone in this. i bet a lot of you do. but one thing we are seeing right now is that we are not alone. >> many other groups joined in, and support. >> seen the wave of demonstration with solitary to u.s. protesters. >> at home or in the streets, we are in this together. okay. maybe not every one of us. but a lot of us are out there in this fight. >> you see what is in front of them right now. >> really in the -- of putting ourselves on the line. from huntsville alabama to berlin, trying to do everything we can to make sure that no matter what happens, we will do whatever we can, fight as hard as we can, love as hard as we can to make sure that tomorrow, as one of pittsburgh's favorite son says, it is a beautiful day

in the neighborhood. this is jared stephen leone. he is 18. he is in city hall and riverton, oregon. according to him, he is high on mushrooms. he starts to fight with the cops. they all wrestle, and then jared grabbed a cots gun and shoots it. more cops jump in. it ends up taking seven cups two full minutes to restrain jared, and he makes it out alive. this is white privilege. if that idea bothers you, let's