attempting to get guest workers. their livelihood is predicated on them getting contracts. some of them were not allowed to enter as guest workers anymore, and he starts to lose hope. hope completely, in the summer of 1951 he is organizing workers in the imperial valley. then he thinks, this might be the ticket. he organizes at them, and tries hard. he works with it the leadership of alianza. locals, organizers, s arer why these bracero coming in and saying they are union members. there is such a great divide between american labor, mexican

labor, and even mexican documented labor, braceros, and for him this divide becomes challenging. tensione is the ethnic between mexican-americans and americans bornen in mexico. he also finds that the mexican government is augmenting their petition. the mexican government is augmenting their exploitation. they are being detained. the mexican government is not doing much for them. the mexican government is not working for their interests. the mexican government leave them out in the cold. and it is not the first time, right? there are multiple moments when more, and the do mexican government did very little for them.

sometimes, councils interceded. but it was a powerful movement. what do we know what the end of this article? decide after the strike that he cannot organize these men? that it is not possible? ernesto serrano saying, page 229, who can read it? he is part of the leadership of alianza, send a letter to galarza and says -- student: he wrote your distance is odd.

i don't know if you're thinking of retiring from the fight, or if it is too insignificant to reach your goals. if it is this, i am i'm sure you will find another campanero that on principle alone will constantly step up. serrano is detained and a to says yourrz distance is all. i am sure the you will not find nero who onpa principle alone, will step into the dungeons of the prison. he understands that a lot of the , they cannot move forward as a unit. a shifts his goals. what we know from the archives, his correspondence dwindled, and

carryd to the alianza to out research for his book, "strangers in the field." it is an expose of all the exploitation going on in the bracero program. brings up a conversation between exploitation in agriculture, and his research becomes the data for congressional hearings that in 1933 put an end to the oncero program, solely based exploitation practices, on human rights. what happens? do you know what happened to the alianza? it was not in the article, what do you guess happens to the alianza? once it and, there is

not much for them to do? their presence is predicated on the fact that they are guest workers. there is no longer a guest worker program. i know it is a sad story, but when we think about the bracero program, and the legacy of o,nesto galarza, and serran what did we learn? what did you guys learn about labor organizing? student: that you are not the only organization that exists for a purpose. anotherbined with organization to the same goals. but in doing that, also ensuring

you're not leaving out a certain group of people that are not working. not gaining too much negative light from the mexican government. because they lost a lot of from that, and no other organizations wanted to work with them because of this negative perception. earlier, maybed they would have had a better turnout. mireya: what do you guys think about the actual writing of the organization that in some ways failed? do you think the alianza failed?

is it a failure? you are nodding. student: i don't think so. what they were trying to do, the main goal of helping out people not represented by a huge shownment, their existence that we as minorities, or people who are underappreciated, we can fight for our own rights. we can unionize, do this or the other. or, we could fight back and say we deserve our human rights. we are born with these human rights, we do not have to fight for them. mireya: the resistance is worthy gf writing them out -- ridin

them out, even if they don't accomplish their goals. student: the fact that we can ask the question, what can we learn from this organization, i would say it is not a failure because we can learn from it. of greathere are a lot things in history that have been left out of history, but the fact that we can read about it and ask what we can learn from it. and how it still very much anything, organizing i would say no. they exemplified resilience. resilience that we don't hear about in the mass media. deceived, because they were stopped.

we have seen throughout the semester, how government isncies, whenever there pushed back on exploitation and marginalization of a people, they do try to make their lives better and help each other. that doesnarrative not get explored or get a lot of attention. so i don't think they were a failure. defeated like a lot of other organizations, unfortunately. mireya: what do you take for your own organizing strategies? i know you are organizing all of latino retention and recruitment. about howe talked groups are in trouble, coming up with a middle ground. they are having trouble relating to each other, and it applies to this. they talked about how alianza

could not get support from anyone else, it was just them. they were not trying to blend or relate to other people. on campus, we had to learn from them and do something different. we all have to find middle ground and work together. wheel of a common goal anyway, so why are we fighting each other? what he said struck me. the idea of deceit. that is i you feel as a student. for me specifically, seeing what has happened to the department, it is not that there is a push back, that they aren't strong. there is so much institutional power that has defeated what that is, and what they want to be. then i think of how that applies to my own life. that plays out in

the lives of marginalized people, and within academia and marginalized departments. and the authority they are supposed to have, but don't have. mireya: very good. does anyone want to give some last words before the bell rings? student: the only way you can get past a lot of these issues, and one of the ways alianza try to take part in that was solidarity with organizations, in order to bring down that system against them. remember that there is strength in numbers, working together is one of the most important ways to bring down oppression. mireya: thank you so much, you guys were a wonderful class. [applause] mireya: you guys did wonderfully, you are all winners. you are the best. >> join us every saturday

evening at 8:00 p.m. and midnight eastern as we join students in college classrooms to hear lectures and topics ranging from the american revolution, to 9/11. lectures in history are also available as podcasts. visit our website, .ww.c-span.orghistory year marks the 90th annual black history luncheon, headed by the association for the study of african american life in history. historian carter g. woodson founded the organization in 1915. in 1926, he initiated negro history week, a precursor to black history month. up next, we hear several presentations marking national african-american history month, including by the director of the national parks service, the unveiling of a commemorative stamp, and a keynote address by loyola university fessler

karsonya wise whitehead. it is myundles introduce broderick johnson. a'lelia: please come to the podium. and he is my close friend, michelle johnson's husband. broderick johnson -- broderick: thank you, thank you. good afternoon. first, let me thank you. you remember me from when i had a 'fro. now i keep itt closely cropped, as they say.

thank you my dear friend all these years. you do a great job, including being the mc here today. for the past seven years, the people in this room have been great supporters and friends, obama, the first lady, and this administration. has day one, asalh partnered with the president and the first lady, and we are incredibly grateful for everything done for this administration, for our community, and for making african american history month at the white house very special, every single year. i would especially like to thank your president. we look forward to working with you. your executive director, sylvia cyrus, and the entire asalh board.

it is notable that this is a 29 day february. we will make good use of that extra day this year. the president expects nothing less. from my earliest days, african americans have been central to the making of america. we were the slaves to corey the stones to build the white house during we were the soldiers who fought for our nation's independent, and to hold this union together, and for the freedom of others around the world. we are the scientists and inventors who helped unleash american innovation. shoulders of not only the giants in this room, but the countless, nameless heroes who marched for equality and justice for all. we have profoundly shaped american culture, music, art, literature, sports. i am proud to honor this rich

heritage. as you all know, black history month should not be treated as if it were separate from our collective american history. or boiled down to a greatest hits compilation of moments and their heroes. the well-meaning attempts to do that in classrooms and corporate ad campaigns, but we all know america -- african-american history is about more than just a few events. it is about the shared experiences of all african-americans, and how those experiences have shaped, challenged, and ultimately strengthened our entire nation. it is about taking an untarnished look at the past so that we might create a better future. it is a reminder of where we as a country have been, and where we still need to go. that bridge between the past, present, and future, is why we hosted a generational lounge -- roundtable of leaders and the discuss today's

efforts to reform our criminal justice system. the president hosted that meeting at the white house. the media included icons of the movement, like reverend cj billion, and lewis. the up-and-coming changemakers, using new tools to try to change history. i was privileged to be at that meeting with an incredible getting together of the young to be liens, and those from our past. including those who lived through bloody sunday. courageous,he n tell the, ct vivia president how historically monumental this presidency is, and how the first family could not help but be moved to tears.

i thought about the reverence courageous efforts in selma in 1965, before the march across the bridge. how he faced the vicious, violent and hateful sheriff clark who hit him and bloodied him. but he would not stop. he continued to demand the right to vote. they could not help but sit in , thisosevelt room incredibly courageous man of 91 years, and to see that as one of the great historical moments in our country. , equallyo tell you powerful, the fathers and mothers of the moment -- movement see how it is going today. it grew out of church basements and word-of-mouth or it was the power of young people's example. thanks to technology and social

media, today's leaders are building a new, inclusive movement that has mobilized people of all backgrounds to stand up for change, equal opportunity in education, to a criminal justice system that is smarter and more effective, and most of all, more just. that is a thing about america. our democracy takes all of us. while our elected officials are and the supreme court appointment the president will make is important -- [applause] everything comes down to the constant perseverance of citizens like you, and whether we exercise the right to vote that so many fought for. this nation is a work in progress. there is only the gap between where we are and where we aspire to be. you all know this to be so true. what makes us all americans, is

that we have fought wars, half log, organize unions, staged protest, and forged mighty movements to close the gap and pull ourselves closer to our highest ideals. we made the effort to form that more perfect union. as long as we keep at it, not just on one day or one month, but every single day, i have no doubt that we will live up to the promise of our founding ideals. all of our children, no matter who they are where they come from, will have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. i share the my brothers keepers task force. , more thanmmunities 200 such communities across the country now. i was in miami yesterday. miami-dadecounty of is now a my brothers keepers community.

this is where the work can be so important and so moving. -- meet with group a group of young people. 8 year oldn -- an wearing an in memoriam t-shirt. -- who the two people were. jesse was 10, who was shot in the back of his head, and the other was 12 when he was shot. others whatoy and they want to do another life, growing up in liberty city, many of these families live well below the poverty line. people, these young what do you want to do in life? said i won't get to 21 or 15, every single one of

them said they want to go to college someday. they want to grow up and go to and grow up to be lawyers and doctors and entrepreneurs. [applause] and they were also full of hope. it is justifiable hope. what moved me the most was a askedwoman who said, i what would you like me to take back until the president? they have every reason to believe the president wants to know what they have to say. said, tell himn we will miss him. her, wee able to say to will all miss him, and we will all miss the first lady in their current roles, they are not leaving us. they will find new ways to lead this country and the lead us to a better place. [applause]

thank you very much for everything you do, and for having me here today on the behalf of the president. i would like to read the proclamation on african-american history month issued by president obama this year. national african-american history month, 2016, by the president of the united states of america. a proclamation. greatness is a testament to courageous individuals who, in the face of uncomfortable truths, accepted that the work of perfecting our nation's unending, and strive to reach freedom to all. for too long, our most basic liberties have been denied to african-americans. today, we pay tribute to countless goodhearted citizens, along with the underworld up, and sato stood in to right the wrongs of our

past, to extend the promise of america to all our people. during national african-american history month, we recognize these champions of justice, and the sacrifices they made to bring us to this point. we honor the contributions of african americans since our countries beginning, and we recommit to reaching toward a day when no person is judged by anything but the content of their character. from the revolutionary war, through the abolitionist movement, marches across selma and montgomery, african-americans have remained devoted to the proposition that all of us are created equal, even when their own rights were denied. as we were joined in victories won by men and women who believed in the idea of a just and fair america, we remember that throughout our history, our success has been written by bold individuals, willing to speak out and change the status quo. nations to accept our

original sin, african-americans bound by the chains of slavery broke free and headed north. it was antithetical to our country's inception of human rights and dignity. they fought to bring their moral imaginations to light. when jim crow mocked the amendments, a new group of men and women galvanize and the same force of faith as our ancestors. bringing attention to disparities that continue to plague our society that mirror the nonviolent tactics of the civil rights movement, while adapting to modern times. let us also not forget that those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so that we can make our voices heard, by exercising our right to vote. even in the face of legal challenges, every eligible voter should not take for granted what is our right to shape our

democracy. [applause] we have made great progress on the journey for ensuring our ideas ring true for all people. high, african-american school graduation and college enrollment rates are at an all-time high. the african-american unemployment rate has been have since this recession peak. more than 2 million african-americans gained health insurance, thanks to the affordable care act. [applause] the incarceration rates for african american men and women fell during each europe this administration, and are at their lowest point in over two decades. [applause] challenges and obstacles stand in the way of becoming the country of vision of our founding. and we would do a disservice to all who came before us if we to how the path

of justice has shaped the present. there is a disproportionate amount of prisoners that are african-americans. we must inform -- reform our criminal justice system to make sure it is more fair and effective. we have seen unemployment rates decrease in many communities, particularly those of color, continuing to express more opportunities. too many young people and women feel like no matter how hard they try, they may never achieve their dreams. our responsibility as citizens is to address inequalities and injustices that linger. and we must secure our birthright freedoms to all people. ofwe mark the 40th year national african-american let us reflect on the sacrifices and contributions

made by generations of african-americans, and let us resolve to continue our march, so everyone knows that the unalienable -- rights of life, liberty, and that pursuit of happiness. obama,fore, barack president of the united states of america, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution, and the laws of the united states, do hereby proclaim february 2016 as national african-american history month." [applause] i call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities. this 29th set my hand day of january, in the year of our lord 2016, and the

independence of the united states of america, the 240th, barack obama." thank you very much. [applause] thank you so much, broderick. we are going to miss this family in the white house. but they will continue to do many great things. and we are going to miss you in the white house, broderick.

daddy, youwere a were rooting for this role. he was president of the local chapter of 100 black men, and so many other things. broader, thank you. [applause] ,elp me welcome ronald stroman who helped me unveil a new commemorative stamp. ronald: good afternoon. it is my privilege to be here to unveil the 2016 black history month stamp for the founder of the african methodist episcopal church, bishop richard allen. [applause]

a man whose spiritual journey to christianity, and whose secular journey to freedom have no parallel in american history. a man of such unshakable sense of mission, that even in his 20's, he could see a barren parcel of land in philadelphia, who could hear, on this rock i will build my church. allen was a freedom fighter, long before that term was coined. 1760, he began4 a lifelong struggle for equality by convincing his master that slavery was immoral. years, purchasing his own freedom for the princely sum of $2000. he did not stop there. founded the free

african society which helped supply free men with money and other material support, and allow local philadelphia government to have a african-american burial ground. in 1790 four, he was the first african-american in america to have writings against racial injustice copywritten. 1804, he founded a society or the education of youth. he wanted to counteract the negative stereotypes that white society had imposed upon african-americans. to noted his home abolitionist of the time, people like david walker and morris brown, and indeed, frederick douglass, described the debt they owe bishop allen. , heas a freedom fighter

combined activism with an african ethic in the context of the methodist religion, founding the methodist episcopal church that made him legendary. freedom,purchased his he became a preeminent preacher being drawn to the religion in large part, because the methodist with the largest anti-slavery religion in the country, after quakers, at the time. church leaders asked him to expand the black congregation. the st. george's methodist church -- within one year of coming to st. george's, he had expanded it from a four, to 50. african increasingly became an influential part of the church. you know how the story goes. it is ok when you have a couple of you around, but when a

critical mass of african-americans started to form, things started to change. the leadership of the church started to find fault with richard allen. they told him his preaching was a little too emotional, and he needed to tone it down. white complaints that blacks were mingling in with the white. the fact that the methodist vigorously opposed slavery, and believed inequality for their congregation. practiced a moral relativism. they supported segregation, but not slavery. initiated a confrontation with the white church leadership, by having black church members sit in large numbers in the so-called white pews.

when white members tried to forcibly remove black members aom the pews, allen led walkout of the church. his owned him to found denomination. [applause] emphasize, is to that it really was the tireless work and support of the african-american women that allowed his church to survive. flora, whowife, unfortunately died early, and his second wife, sarah. these women were, the real foundation of the church. richard allen desperately needed their support because the methodist church leadership did not relinquish power easily. they took richard allen to court. they got the best lawyers in that itphia, who argued

was really under the leadership and control of the methodist church. they hired the most esteemed lawyers, and the case went all the way to the supreme court. 7, 1850, in the case of green versus african-american episcopal society, the pennsylvania supreme court ruled in favor of richard allen, concluding that the ame church was a free and independent corporation. and the methodist church could not control it. but the methodist leadership was not finished, as you know. they give up power with difficulty. they tried to auction the land on which the church was built on june 20 2, 1850. there was a sheriff's order to sell the church in the land. wealthy landowners came up and down the east coast to buy that land. at that time, philadelphia was

the largest city on the east coast. it was as if he was trying to buy a parcel of land in new york city right now. landowners came to purchase the land at the auction. there was another man at that auction. a man whose skin was a little darker than anyone else's. a man whose hair was a little coarser than anyone else. a man whose skin was a little rougher than anyone else. a man who did not come to make money, a man who was there because he just wanted to do the will of god. and he was there that day. that man's name was richard allen. bidthey thought they could and bid on that parcel of land. over,en the auction was the owner of that parcel of land was richard allen. he purchased that parcel of land

with $10,000. this is the man we have come to honor today on our stand. with that, i would like to invite dr. higginbotham and jonathan jarvis of the national parks service to unveil our 2016 black character to stand. stamp.k heritage [applause]

thank you very much. and i think i heard you preaching a little bit. [laughter] i think that was something new, a new dimension. thank you. tried to log on and do a little tweeting. i can't get on because so many of you are tweeting. we have exceeded the number. that is a wonderful thing. are so wonderful for preserving our history and teaching our youth about on whose shoulders they stand. right, in saying they remain among the postal service is most popular items.

so please stock up on them, usps.gov,u go to usps.com, you don't have to wait a minute you do that. or go to your neighborhood post office. and now, i have the pleasure of introducing our keynote speaker for this afternoon, dr. karsonya wise whitehead. and we are big facebook and twitter followers of each other. is karsonya wise whitehead associate presser of communication and african loyola, studies in maryland. of thethe director center for education, research, and culture, and the author of -- " books, including open letters to my black sons,

raising boys in a post-racist "the carter g. woodson lectures." , she is at for asalh k-12 history teacher, an award-winning writer and history lecturer, an award-winning baltimore middle school teacher, and maryland history teacher of the year. as well as a three-time new york emmy nominated documentary filmmaker. so many lives. [applause] she had spoken for the past three years on the black history month panel. you to know she is a wife and the mother of teenage boys. i think broderick's wife was

being interviewed on the diane reese show, and someone said something about being afraid to and that is having currency now. you can read more of her in the she received a distinguished alumni peace award. please help me welcome dr. karsonya wise whitehead. [applause] thank you very much. i am deeply honored to be here in a room with people dedicated to advancing african-american history. i am so excited to be here, because i know i am standing on the shoulders of all those who have come before me. and i am standing taller because of them. asalh is a great organization by

any standards. and they have held up the banner of black history for 100 years. as we turned the corner into the new century, we do stand with our heads held up high, because we know we are going to tell the world about black history. that is our challenge, and that is our goal. i also want to thank our newly elected president, dr. higginbotham. it is amazing to be up here with you. and i also want to thank sylvia cyrus, who i found out this carlton gr than woodson, she is the longest director of asalh. i want to speak you today about our theme. africanfights in

american history, and i want to suggest to you that we are standing on holy ground. on which our blood is mixed with the soil. in 1848, black people have grown up with this country. he said we are born american, and we belong. forced to leave because we built this on our backs. hugheso you, langston added to that. me,ica never was america to and yet i share his hope, that america will be. this nation is our holy ground. we recognize the places where we stood our ground, where we chose to go forward, rather than backward. we are fighting now for justice in this land, with a cry for

young brothers and sisters coming up. we have to remember that the fight for justice is a long one. we have been fighting this for so long, since 1853. 1965, manyid it in of you remember when they asked him in selma, alabama, they said how long? said, not long, because truth will rise again. king, how longr. before we get what is coming to us? he said, not long, because no black can live forever. and they said, what about us? long.d, not the universe bends toward justice. but justice has taken a long time to get here, and we have to keep sending this and working as

hard as we can. dr. king said, the universe is on the side of justice. i am just wondering if we are all on the same side of the universe, because justice is not playing out the way i think it should. time whening in a black people are being shot for the crime of moving and breathing and being black in this country. this is a crisis point. and we have a great responsibility. if you have lived in the history or studied it, then you are the keeper of our historian legacy. not pulling more young people into this? it is not their grandfathers movement. lives matter,lack standing on the shoulders of the civil rights movement. they are not two separate things. we are built to survive and

struggle and we must share this knowledge to ensure that the next generation does not get lost. don't teach them about black history, then how will they ever know? , after myre today father's work. networkre caught in the that dr. king talked about. directlyaffects one affects another. we are all tied to what is happening in this country. it is a holy ground, and we have to pay attention. even though the media is marking lives, no of black one is keeping track of how we are living it out. no one is keeping track of what it means to see stacks of bodies, black bodies after black

kepts, killed and choked, under. broken next snapped. there is a cost that we have to pay, by seeing these images, one after another, play out on our televisions and phones, on the internet, in our faces. the cries of black lives matter, caught up in the notion that all lives matter. that sounds to me like white lives matter. saidconfused, as nobody any lives matter until we said black lives matter. so we keep pushing for that. i like to suggest you that there are three tools that we need in our arsenal. three tools we pull out when we need to fight. the first tool is commitment. that is laced with passion. i think of the 1992 olympics, some of you might remember that.

i don't remember anything but derek redman. remember he snapped his hamstring and he stood up and around. hobble people tried to help him, he waved them off. a man broke through the stands, that man was his father. he asked, why did you stop? said i came to barcelona to finish a race and not just to start one. he said i did not even know i was going to finish until my father came out and carried me. we are where we are today because our ancestors carried us. that survival instinct is embedded within us. 1619 when thein first 20 africans arrived on the shore. they had no idea what they were in the midst of building. a carried out almost 200 years

of slavery, whips on the backs. it carried out through the civil war, abolition, jim crow. we taught our children how to abide. we are a long-lived and stubborn people, and we survive. the great depression, vietnam, reaganomics, we will survive donald trump because we are a strong-willed people. [applause] we survived lynchings and cross burnings, and being terrorized for trying to re-claim what is ours. we have survived because we are strong-willed, and we are stubborn. whennk of my grandmother, obama was first elected it she laid prostrate on the floor.

-- the lastsurvive president she saw, was someone who looked like her. i think that is an amazing thing to think about. that first tool is commitment. , that quote, lord, be, but what we want to where we usedin't to be. but commitment is that first will. the second tool is courage. i believe the true mark of courage is being able to stand up in the face of incredible all. there are moments in life where you have to decide who you are

going to be, and whether you have the ability to be race-free. speak out when you see something that should not happen. can you be courageous in that moment? isg said that freedom earned, and you win it in every generation. if you are not willing to die for, you should take freedom out of your vocabulary. freedom is something we have to fight for in every single generation. this is one of my favorite stories. my youngest son and 13 was playing upstairs in his room. you know what great time it is when your kids can entertain themselves. you get a moment to think about some things. out god later he yells bless you, amir. yourself?u're by

he said, wiggling your by yourself you have to bless yourself. you do.id yes, even if you're by yourself you have to bless yourself because they don't know what you are capable of. you have to be able to bless yourself. when they try to break the backs of our children, we got to be able to bless ourselves. god bless you, you are going to make it on my mirror. light. support love and are you able to bless yourself? are you able to be what we have been waiting for? stand tall, the torch is now yours.

can we give that torch to our young people and support wisdom, math, science, history, english, and survival. can you go forward with that? my father told me that during the civil rights movement, the cops would raid the headquarters naacp, and the lights are go off, and they would grab the hand of the person to the right and the left and they would start to sing. be buried in my grave and meet the lord, that is courage in the face of fear. ,he first tool is commitment and that second tool is courage. believe we need to have, we have to have faith. we need to believe in something bigger than ourselves. i have to be transparent with you.

when i was younger, i was absolutely convinced that the world was awful and people were too stupid to figure it out. it took me a while and i learned the hard way, that the world does not revolve around me. it revolves around the sun. but i don't have to be the sun in order to shine. you have to have faith that there is something bigger than what is in front of us. yet the push of against the wall of racism. and believe me, we will get it. but we have to knock down everybody in the way. there is the notion that when you come to the end of all that getting readyare to step off in the darkness. will be having something really strong to stand on. this notion of faith has carried us.

we understand that we have been beaten and start. we have been disenfranchised and disempowered, overlooked, ignored, underpaid, underrepresented. but we have survived anyway. i have been keeping a list on my names.ere i add new eric garner, john crawford, forward,rown, he's all dante parker, tanisha anderson, tamir rice. i do it so i won't forget. plan,e gray, and you laquan mcdonald. namest so i can add their , and have a piece of them in this moment that will remain. and we will move forward. somewhere to new that , someone is paying attention.

i recognize as a black woman in america, every time my sons walk r's the door, i could be tami trayvon'scould be mother, i could be eric garner's wife. i could be that person. what keeps me going, what allows me to get back up every day, and say i will face this once again, is this notion of faith. that there is something bigger than me. because survival is our legacy. surviving every day in the system is our goal. you have got to have commitment. finish this race we have been running. you have to be courage and be able to bless yourself. you have to have faith that there is something bigger than you. that existslace beyond our current reality and

broken promises, beyond poverty, crime, illiteracy, police brutality. this place at this moment only exists in our dreams. buyplace we can get to offting genius, by taking our shoes and realizing we have work to do. if we don'tstand, tell them about history, they will never know. today, i challenge you in the spirit of carter g. woodson, andard allen, rosa parks, the spirit of those who fought for justice, who pushed for change, who gave their lives to this country, because they believed something better was waiting on the other side. . challenge you to join with me leave them to that space. that space we helped to

co-create. as you lead into this space, asalh grab the hand of the person to the right. and grab a hand of the person to the left, because we can get there, but we have to get there together. god bless you, asalh. thank you. [applause] >> today, american history tv will be live from ford theater in washington dc, where john wilkes inth shot abraham lincoln 1865. the ford theater is hosting an

all-day symposium on the president's life and legacy. authors will also discuss his views on reconstruction and emancipation. it is next saturday, live on c-span3. each week, american history tv's railamerica brings you archival films. 50 years ago, march 16, 1966, gemini 8 blasted off with neil armstrong and david r. scott on board. mission.e sixth man is a 29 minute nasa film, telling the story of a docking in space and a failure that caused the capsule to violently tumble. they were forced to abort the mission and