>> look up your everybody. here we go. look up here. thank you. >> the nation marks the birthday of dr. martin luther king junior today. next a discussion on. then a discussion on race relations with dr. ben carson. later a breakfast in remembrance of dr. martin luther king jr.. following a two-year study a report was released about the cleveland police department. it was part of a discussion at the city club of cleveland

focusing on racism and the impact on communities. this is one hour. >> good afternoon, and welcome to the city club of cleveland. i am a junior at hawkins school. thank you very much for coming to see our panelists today. the goal of the council is identical to the city club. it is to host conversations, debates, and discussions that empower us to further understand the world around us and the people that comprise it. i am pleased to introduce our form entitled "a conversation on race". " as i want freedom just as you.

in many ways freedom has been granted to races of people subjected to oppression throughout our nation's history. there is a difference between freedom and liberty. freedom being a state of being and being able to make decisions without external control perhaps being guaranteed by government. liberty can be different. it is freedom granted by society and the world around us. in light of the recent deaths of michael brown and others we wonder how far we have come. many racist laws have been removed from the books. what today's discussion does is seeks to answer -- to answer questions regarding race in america.

joining us is shakira diaz. she has worked on policy campaigns regarding political activism and gang and initiatives. next undress -- under gonzales --andres gonzales. jonathan c gordon teaches legal analysis and writing. he was an inaugural mentor working with youth from east cleveland. he was a trial attorney to -- trial attorney handling cases involving racial discrimination. bashir jones hosts a variety of

radio shows in the cleveland.. during the 2012 presidential campaign he was a regional field director for organizing for america. the moderator for today's form is anthony price. [applause] >> thank you and good afternoon. i am a council member here at the city club. i want to thank you all for coming out to the special forum. we also have a second form on the 29th which you will hear. that should be good as well. i just want to thank all of our panelists.

i want to thank you guys for taking the time to come and talk about this topic. [applause] so when you hear the word race, what comes to mind, and how has it impacted you personally throughout your life? anyone can start. >> first, i am thankful to be here to see so many wonderful faces of those who put it on. you are moderating. can i be truthful? if i lie, it may hurt. if we have a conversation about race, and i look in the room and i see majority african-american that is a problem. because we have to bring to the table blacks, whites, latinos asians, all groups of people to

have this discussion. but when we're having the discussion with those who are receiving the most oppression who are receiving the hurt more than any other group, then we are not having the full conversation or full dialogue. we have to ask those who are from other schools and have an equal conversation. what we are doing right now is just talking to the people who are being brutalized. we know, we understand the pain because we deal with it every single day. recently the u.s. department of justice came out with a study that shows that the cleveland police department engages in excess of force. now many of us didn't need no department of justice to come out with a study to tell us with the police department has been excessive.

because we have been dealing with this on a day-to-day basis. so i appreciate the conversation, and i hope and pray that we all can learn. i always appreciate city club, but for future references, we have to have an array of different people in order to have a true conversation. >> so with regard to what i think of when i hear the word race, i feel there is another word that needs to come with it, and that is racism. in order to really evaluate and's and -- and to change structure of racism we have to talk about race and how it manifests itself. in many ways while we do not have laws and policies or legislation that specifically outline race to marginalize specific groups of people as we did in the past. what we do have today are policies and legislation that are specifically enforced in a

way that impacts traditionally. i will give you an example. there were laws at one point in this country that prevented black people negroes, people of african descent, from standing outside. you're not going to find those laws anymore. those laws do not exist. however, what -- with this country being so segregated, cleveland being the fifth most aggregated city in the nation who lives in black communities? black people. and everyone who raised their hand. [laughter] i call that the scenic route to racism. you can get the same outcome even if you are not articulating that. when i think about race, i also

recognize that we have to talk about racism. >> anybody else? >> when i think of race, of course, i think about differences, i think about diversity, i think about different backgrounds, different experiences. and there is a word that i learned when i was young. it is called paradigm. the best way for me to describe that is looking at other people or trying to understand other people through their glasses through their lenses. what i tried to do in my role as chief of police, what i tried to do is impress upon my staff and those men and women who go out every day to provide a service to be accepting of those diversities, of those different cultures. because we should not be

treating everyone the same. however, everyone has a right to be treated equal under the law. and so when i think about race, that's what i am thinking about. also, i am also thinking about myself, my family, my heritage, and where i come from. because it is no secret that if it were not for equal opportunity, i would not be here representing my career my profession as police chief being the first hispanic police chief in the county. race is very important something we should not take lightly, but something that needs to be respected, appreciated, and respected. >> i cannot speak as an african-american, but i am acutely aware of our society

that discrimination still exists. i think there is still many people who think we are in a post-racial world where it does not exist and that the law does treat people equally. i do not think that is the reality. i think especially well-intentioned people may not be aware. i am not a social scientist either but there are studies that detail sending out people with identical resumes but perhaps a name that is more typically african-american and another name that is more typically white. and a greater percentage of the white resumes even with identical information will get callbacks or offers, job offers. a recent study about ebay cell phones being sold on ebay. in the pictures you could see a black can't in some pictures

versus a white hand. purchases were made from the person holding the same cell phone but with a white hand. there are all sorts of other social signs and tests that have come up with similar results. it is really shocking the percentage differences in some of those. we have to understand that the police acting in interests -- inner-city communities that are predominately african americans, police are human. they have biases to -- also. some people have biases that come out in different ways. it could be great discretion especially when we're talking about petty crimes, stealing cigarettes jaywalking

selling's -- selling cigarettes. there's a great deal of discretion as to how people are going to be treated in those circumstances. we have to have better rules and policies that prevent the abuse of that discretion and abuse of people of color. >> where you think, since we're talking about race, there are many stipulations as far as the word race. it is a touchy word when we talk about race. where do you think that in order to have a greater understanding of accepting race, where do you think it starts? in the schools, at home, where does it start? >> it starts continues throughout society. it has to involve conversations that happen at home. it has to involve the great

systems whether it is education, social service, criminal justice, health care. all the systems have to become accountable to ensuring equity that all of us will know and live and breathe. even to that extent, we have to have conversations about how we recognize in justice -- in justice --injustice. we mention eric gardner, michael brown, and we have to uplift the name of women who have experienced disproportionate abuse or had died at the hands of police. the conversation has to happen every day in every city in order for us to move past hour passed as a country and our present.

i have heard people say we just have to get over it. but we have just -- disproportion today. these are conversations that have to happen. we all have to be collectively a part of that. in the same way that we have many people of various races and ethnicities uplifting the black lives movement. you will see black and white people and latino people and people of asian descent, young and old, all participating in uplifting the value of black lives. it is another example that we

all have are responsible to have this conversation and push and demand for more. >> i think it begins in the home , and at school, and everywhere in our community. we all have that responsibility to discuss these issues. i am deeply saddened by the events in ferguson and new york and here in cleveland and in paris last week. such tragic events. in the black lives matter mantra i think people need to understand that. that goes back to our schools and educational system and understanding that there is an entire history where people did not value black lives. slaves were not full human beings or deemed to be human beings under the law.

after emancipation we had jim crowe laws. we have mass incarceration. very disproportionate numbers of african american men in our prison system. numbers are staggering in the sense that i think there are more men subject to our prison system who are on parole or on probation as being in the criminal justice system, not necessarily all in prison. that numbers greater than the number of slaves prior to emancipation. we can't ignore that disproportionality. we can't ignore that history. i think the police have co-opted . police urban important role in our society. they take risks on the job. many, if not most are dedicated to being public servants and

upholding the law and observing the constitutional protections. but there are bad apples and they need to be weeded out. we have to understand through education, to answer your question, we will, i hope be able to address these problems. there are programs that i think some of the students here are part of. i think serve that purpose. i see some from a high school were a group on race relations has been serving the community for a quarter of a century. i think that is where we start before we can act -- expect the criminal justice to change on its own. >> there are two sides to the question. of course it there's more we can do in the community. for the students who showed up today, i see some of you with

notebooks and others with no notebooks. anytime you come to events like this you should come prepared to write down things, because there is no way possible you will remember everything. for adults, make your students bring their weaponry. do not build your shield on the battlefield. you have to come to these kinds of places, meet different people get contacts, network. that's how you will be successful. we know there is hatred that exists in the world, but the real question is how do you feel about you? do you love yourself? when you look at your neighbor dca beautiful person or a hateful person? there is a community responsibility that we have. but on the flip side, the media plays a strong part in the

perception of how we are viewed. for example, everyone heard about france and we are very sad about what happened in france, very sad. but who is talking about nigeria and what happened in nigeria and west africa? i was driving, when i was driving here i was driving through little italy. everybody is familiar with little italy. it is a beautiful place, you know. the history that is here. no one feels offended when you hear little italy. when you're going through a jewish neighborhood, you don't feel offended. you don't feel offended by it. you don't feel offended when you go to tiny town and see the history of chinatown. why is it that people feel offended that we would call our community little africa? how would that the offensive?

why is it that some african-americans would be offended to call it little africa, and some get offended when someone says you look like an african? why would you this -- why would you be offended with that when some of the most beautiful people come from there? when you see africans you see skinny somalians. you don't even want to view yourself in that light. in -- in a sense of self-hatred that the media plays a part in. there was a media panel with all the media people here in cleveland. the majority of stories that come out in the media about african-americans are not positive. i appreciate c-span being here but why are not other stations here? let something negative happen

and all the media is there. you know what i'm talking about. [laughter] the media plays a part as well. we are very color conscious here in america. i was in australia and a young lady was asking me why everything is so black and white in america. at the same time she was talking to me about the atlanta hip-hop wives. [laughter] there is perception of who we are. some people play into that perception. the majority don't. before you even get a chance to open your mouth, people already have a perception of who they think you are. before you open your mouth young ladies, she has an attitude problem. as soon as you walk in.

if we were to pass around a survey about how you feel about iranians or some others, many would say negative things about them, and you may not even have met someone like that. but yet in still, you artie have a perception as to who you think they are. what i want to say to us is that there is a community responsibility for every person in here must speak and talk about humanity. we all deserve to be treated fairly. why are you upset that i am marching for justice? why does that offend you so much? why are you so angry when i say i am a proud black man? why does that offend you question mark why are you so angry that im proud to be of who i am? why is it that when you walk up

to my car you already have your hand on a gun? what makes you feel i am dangerous? i could be in a suit and walk into an elevator and someone will hold their purse. this is an issue we are dealing with. but, in closing as young people you have a responsibility as well. razor hand. -- raise your hand. if young people like this today would change things to be not as discriminatory as your grandparents were. these race issues that we are dealing with in america will be the downfall of our country. without a doubt. [applause]

>> mr. gonzales. >> let me be the first to say because i noticed as a police officer i am trained to look at people and try to gauge responses. it's true. as my colleagues were speaking, i could not help but see everybody looking and then looking at me. [applause] [laughter] let me at knowledge a couple of things. in this conversation. cops we don't always get it right. that's the truth. we don't always get it right. unfortunately, because we are police officers, and because we took the off -- the oath of office and because we made a commitment that no matter what

we were going to lay our lives down if we had to. that just puts an additional factor into how we make decisions. because we don't always get it right, the challenge for us is to work to get it right. when we sit back if we just sit back and do nothing. if then you need to get rid of us. you need to get rid of that police department, because they are not serving you in the way you need to be served. the truth is this, folks. a police department is only as strong as the community allows it to be. when the community loses confidence in the police department then that is almost

the beginning of the end. i would say to you, all of the young people in this room. we asked where the starts, in the family, at home. i would say it starts with you. i am not going to be a police chief forever. someone has to step up and step in to my role. someone has to be a police officer in the future. someone has to be an attorney and a judge, and all the professions you hear about. the issue is getting to a point where you are going to start making a contribution, a positive contribution regardless of your background regardless of your race, regardless of what you believe in. at the end of the day, are you making a positive contribution to your community, your school your family, and to your total

environment? for me, it is about you. it is about what commitment what decisions are each of you going to make that is going to lend yourself to be a productive citizen in the future and eventually a more productive community. thank you for listening. [applause] >> i want to add that you guys will make all the difference. i am saddened by those recent events, these tragedies but i am also extremely hopeful because you guys are here and you care. i think there are communities in france communities in africa communities all of the united states now that because of these tragedies will come together i hope. it is not just the public discourse that this fine

institution stands for and has for so many years, that action needs to be taken. the cleveland police department is going to make changes -- is going to need to make changes. in terms of abuses, whether it is us in the community who have known of the abuses, not enough has been done. perhaps through our actions and collective efforts, through our concerns, all of us can help make a dish -- make a difference. public discord is not enough by itself, we need to take action. >> we are in a room full of teenagers, and it may be a few leaders, or it may be all leaders in a way. some do not have that particular push to do something in the community.

what can we as young leaders or game changers or what if you want to call it, what can we do as teens in our community? >> first i want to start answering that question by asking all of your question. raise your hand if you know anyone with a criminal conviction. this country is the number one incarcerated are of adults and children in the world. ohio has the -- is the sixth largest prison state in the nation and we rank fourth with -- in regards to incarceration of women. we have to be mindful that when people are settled unfairly, unnecessarily with the criminal conviction, we are preventing them from contributing in some

way. we have to be real about that. we have to be real about the consequences of criminal convictions. not only how they impact us but families and communities. i would say that we have to tell our stories. have to tell our truths. whether you have been treated unfairly, whether you have you witnessed someone being treated unfairly, there are -- there is value in demanding our system changed. you and i were having a conversation before on the program.

we are the number one incarcerated or of all people the world. if we invested in education and value it the way we value incarceration things would be different. [applause] one of the things i value most about young people is they have zero tolerance for hypocrisy. but young people have zero tolerance for that. the fact is many systems are

talking about this beautiful equity we have to work towards but the truth is that policies are not made in that way. budgets are not allocated that way. we have to call it out. we were at a program a few years ago and young man from martin luther king high school said that his biology project consisted of dissecting a cookie. i will never forget how that child was violated. he was prevented in many ways from pursuing a career in medicine. you know why? you is not properly educated. the city was a city that spent 23 years testing crack pipes to charge people in the city of cleveland with felony cocaine

possession instead of misdemeanor position of paraphernalia. 23 years. 35,000 african-americans have a felony conviction they should not have because cleveland was the only city that had the policy. some people into prison. the cannot get financial aid to go to college. the city of cleveland did not test rape kits and dating back to the 1950's. it is all about priorities. when we evaluate the priorities we have given to the war on drugs over other more important issues, we have to look at ourselves. we have to look at ourselves. the choices that have been made in our name. we all pay taxes with her we make a little bit of money or a lot. this is our system. we have to take control.

10 or 20 years from now your children and grandchildren will look to you and ask you what did you do for me to save me? we have to demand better. we cannot allow these choices that are made in our name to continue to drive wedges and to give us a distinction we should not have. the lands of the free cannot be the lands of the went down. >> i want to thank you all. this will conclude our moderated portion of the forum. i will lead it over for announcements. >> hello.

i attend [inaudible] we are enjoying a panel discussion on racism in america today featuring andreas gonzales jonathan gordon, and bashir jones. as i'm sure you know, racism in america has been sparking a lot of conversation and controversy. i believe that it is our duty to stay informed on such a controversial topic. not only is an a great conversation starter, it is very important for the future of our country as a whole. our moderator is another youth room councilmember, anthony price. these formulate questions for our panelists now and i remind you that your questions should be brief and to the point. on thursday, january 29 of the city club youth forum council

will host a found discussion entitled the cleveland response. for more information about our upcoming forums, please visit us online at city club.org. we would like to return to our speakers for our questions and answers period. first question, please. >> i will add -- ask the first question. what do you think -- to what extent does reverse racism exist and is it an issue and anyone can answer that.

clicks i do not think there is such a thing. i do not think they have the power to be racist and a sense. what i mean by that is diffuse let me and i am upset you slapped me and i slap you back and i am not encouraging anyone to slap anybody but i am reacting to what you have done to me, that is exactly what is going on here. we do not have the power and when you see what secure has been talking about your talking about institutionalized racism. are talking about the tower to stuff a person from doing something or allowing them to do it. there is discrimination across the globe. look at what is happening in nigeria. look at what is happening in places in europe and parts of asia. there are all caps of people.

what we see is across the globe that there is hatred that exists and hatred for other people. it did not just start. it started with the native americans. we cannot forget about the people who have been impacted by the idea that i am better than you. that it -- that is what it boils down to. i am that are than you and your beneath me. it is not happen with just race. it happens with men and women it happens with religion, it happens with all types of cultures. you can go into africa and pakistan were there are travel issues. my tribe is better than yours. when we look at it from a global perspective we will be successful. particularly when it comes to but i want to talk about

ferguson for one second. we had a chance to go down to ferguson, we created an organization here, we took 30 people down and we sat down at the place where might brown possible it is still on the ground stating the pavement. they're trying to repave the streets and the place where mike brown was killed is a housing complex. they are telling the people they cannot move back in. the cat we knew the release of their loving everybody out. ferguson is a situation different from cleveland. the police department and mayor white. cleveland is different. even though racism may be in the fold but cleveland got a black mary and has a black chief of police many african-americans were city council. it is not just a situation where

it is a black or white situation here. i would say this. we must truly look at -- you will not like this but i will say it anyway. we must look at how the african-americans have been treated. we have to bring different parties to the table. we are not just a one night stand and that is how we have been treated in the city for years. what we have -- so what, we have a black mayor. what does that mean if we go through the same situations that we happened dealing with for years? what does it mean that we have majority african-american city council the money don't go to the side? they build the convention center so quickly. i went downtown one time, it was

still the foundation. and came back it was all the way up. the question is why is the mean -- money going to the east side? i do a class at collinwood. look at collinwood high school and look at glenville. look at these schools and then go to the casinos and look how that looks. look at the taj mahal, a.k.a. the juvenile detention center. it is not just a black and white issue. it is a little bit deeper in the city and i think as adults, we must bring to the table republicans, democrats, and independent. that is our choice, not just go with a certain party because we have been going with it.

[applause] >> martin freeman once did an interview and one of the questions was how do we stop racism and he said we stop talking about it. do you think this is rational? if not, how would you have answered the question? >> would anyone like to respond? >> i will start. i think it is irrational. what i would say is that we need to spend more time walking in each other's shoes. but bashir mentioned the issue about schools. i used to work in schools and i was fond of fascinating that we were able to find money for medical detectives -- metal detectors but not cold paper and soap in the bathroom. it gets to the issue of priorities and how we message to

young people about the value of their worst create when you do not allow young people to have access to toilet paper or so and kids figure out a way to do that . you are telling them you're not worthy. you do not deserve it. so when we treat people like less than human from the time they are children that we condition them to walks or mental protectors before they can get their education, where conditioning young people for prison. by the time the get there, they have lost ownership of their minds and bodies. i think it is important to walk in one another's shoes. if children who are not in schools have to experience these types of conditions, do not know that that is not normal for everybody.

if children do not have -- realize there are other kids who think there experience is normal. we have to take time to have those conversations. what is it that we are not giving you? i think that is how we can start.

there are others who want to talk in do not do nothing. we have to take the responsibility of doing something. >> we're glad you're here. i am a big fan of morgan freeman but i cannot completely agree. maybe he meant you cannot just talk about it but that is where we start and that is what we are doing and that is why i said i said it was hopeful. we do need to take more action. those folks that system is leading them to prison and mass incarceration in the get out of prison and cannot get jobs and cannot vote in some states, they cannot participate. they are underfunded. we need to be devoting our resources to that. we have to make those policy decisions and choices.

we could be spending millions on investigations. we need to spend money on resources and training and good hiring practices. we do need to talk about it. as i said before we need to take action. some of those actions include things like body cameras. there are still civil actions that may bring some remedy to that situation. i do not think it is over.

we do not think it will happen here. it is terrible watching those videos over and over again. we know what happened. it cannot be denied. we cannot pretend it does not happen. bringing together the community we can make a difference and make the necessary changes going forward. >> i hear a lot of, i do not see color. do you -- can you explain why that is something that puts a speck in the fight to understand and combat racism? >> that is a lie. if you can see color and seeing color does not mean that you are proactively racist.

it means that you are acknowledging you can acknowledge differences. what we should not do and cannot do is deny human dignity. >> i know someone mentioned that cleveland is the fourth [inaudible] and with a rebranding of cleveland which is downtown and they are rebranding it as this wealthy community, i am asking how can we as youth combat this in the future because having a black mayor has not helped. having a democratic mayoral candid -- cabinet has not worked. what can we do to combat the segregation that contributes to racism in cleveland? >> we have to come back to

segregation even amongst yourselves. you have young people who -- what school you go to? hathaway brown. you have a young woman from halfway brown who will not spend time with the young lady from laurel. there is the segregation amongst even -- let me go deeper real quick if you do not mind. even within the african-american community there is segregation. this young lady is from halfway brown. i am from east tech. we helped create a program at laurel guiding star. they make a connection between that school in the school within the inner city. there has to be more dialogue

with [inaudible] and mlk high school and shaw high school and university. i want to go even deeper and say that when we talk about racism the worst part about racism is it creates self-hatred. where some of you truly look into the mirror and you do not like what you see. because you have been told for so long that you are too dark or two light or too slim or this or that and it has become -- begun to affect you and some people play into the perception that people have about us. my current generation -- like your generation is some champs. you are afraid to fight to better your school, you are afraid to fight and stand up for your community. when they shot down tamir rice,

where were you? where do you -- what are you doing? you can talk about who he to all day but what are you doing? some of you are afraid to be different. you go back to school and you are just following the crowd. you are going throughout school talking how some of you talk and what happens to the school? there are some people who need to go to jail. some people need to go to jail. we have some cousins and stuff they need to be locked up for sure. if not they will cause problems. when i am saying and i think mr.

gordon said this. what are you doing, what can you do better in your life? your cousins they don't mind. do they know those lyrics that are than they know their multiplication table. are the things he can change in your household and community that just because the teacher thinks i'm stupid does not mean that is the way i have to act. the question is how you change yourself. you can chage you. when you change you the world around you will change. [applause] >> we have time for one more

question. >> high,i, everyone. i have a comment. the question you asked for was how did we lose our race or how do we embrace our race now but the question should be how was it lust? it was lost only came over in the middle passage. that is when it was lost. i am not saying that there was -- the african american race brought over. like in class, history, for instance. they teach us, we're stuck on industrialization. that is all the tedious. slavery is the last topic. they do not want to get that far because they have to do with discipline.

the only thing that we know about slavery is there was sharecropper's and the emancipation proclamation. just the basics. this was -- he was a slave master and he tried to trade, he wanted to turn the black race against each other with age race, gender. he was turning them against each other and he wrote a letter about it. other slaveowners started to use that method. i spoke on that. many people do not know because we're stuck on industrialization and the progressive movement and all of that. one comment about what you said you said that there are some bad apples. honestly, i think that there are any bad apples. the whole system is bad.

the whole system is a bad apple. we -- reflect the system that oppresses us. thank you. >> you need to take the initiative and to get outside of schools. i want to give you a reality for one second and when we were down there marching in ferguson, i was marching with a 90-year-old jewish woman and the march was sewed diverse. i do not want you to think for one second that this mission to uplift humanity is not a mission that is taken up by everyone. there are people of all races and religions and cultures who understand the humanity of what is going on and who are standing up and fighting for you and they are people who look like you helping with the destruction of it. we have to work with everyone

who wants to work with us and stay away from those who want to work against us. >> i agree that we have a systemic problem when we are talking about the cleveland police department. the department of justice report amplifies why that is. we need to study history as you apparently are doing and we need to recognize all the progress that has happened since slavery. we have a long way to go to recognize -- do you know what happened on january 15, 1929? martin luther king's birthday and we should acknowledge that. his actual birthday is tomorrow. i honored to be here celebrity that firstly. i hope you are studying the civil rights movement. that was 50 years ago and my students think that was ancient history. that was my lifetime. i grew up during that time.

i remember april 4, 1968 when he was killed. it has been 50 years since the civil rights act of 1964 in the voting rights act of 1965. we have come a long way. we still have a long way to go. if people did not see color anymore, that is ridiculous. we all see differences that we need to embrace our differences with the we are able-bodied or lgbtq members or different religions, ethnicities as well as race. i could go back to what i saw about do black lights matter? does that mean -- all lives should matter. historically black lives did not matter as much. they were considered expos will, unbreakable -- expos will anddisposable

and ungrievable. treated with we c dignity and justicean be. we have a lot of work to do to achieve that vision still. [applause] >> i will lead it to autum for closing. >> we have been participating in intense and enlightening discussions. thank you to secure a -- shakira diaz johnathan gordon and bashir jones. thank you for coming and i hope you learned a lot about your roles in the community and this form is now adjourned.

[applause] [bell] >> on the next "washington journal" a discussion of the process of writing the state of the union speech. thena a preview of president obama's tax proposal and congressional actions. "washington journal" is live every day at 7 a.m. eastern. you can join the conversation with your comments on facebook and twitter. >> pennsylvania governor elect tom willful be sworn in tuesday as the state's 47th governor.

live from the state capital at noon eastern on c-span three. tuesday night, president obama delivers his state of the union address. live coverage begins at 8 p.m. eastern including the presidents speech. the gop response delivered by newly elected i was center joni ernst, and your reaction to open phones live on c-span and c-span radio, and watch from statuary hall at the u.s. capitol on's -- c-span [applause] -- c-span3 and c-span.org. next, conversation with dr. ben carson professor merritt is at the johns hopkins school of medicine. he discussed the state of race relations in the u.s.. the legacy of dr. martin luther king and his future political goals. this is 45 minutes.

n 2. host: we are joined with retired nurse surgeon, author dr. ben carson. you wrote if dr. king could see america today, he would be disappointed in what he sees in the black community. guest: what he was advocating for was not people being sustained, but for people to be empowered. what we have seen is the opposite. look at trajectory of the black community in america from the time of emancipation, it was almost straight up, until the mid to late 1960's. since that time it has been going down. you have to ask yourself, what happened? a lot of people who consider

themselves great and wonderful do-gooders started patting people on the heads and said, "i will take care all of your needs." it has created a cycle of dependency. i do not think that is what dr. king wanted. he wanted a situation where people had a fair chance to given their god-given talents and to be contributors rather than need to be taken care of. host: let me ask you this question. who best embodies mlk's legacy today? guest: there are people across the nation in every home. they don't have to be famous people. look at the people who have turned their attention to the opportunities and to the talents they have and have worked with

those things to create opportunities for themselves and their families as opposed to those who say, i am going to concerts raise -- concentrate on the injustice. there was injustice yesterday today, and tomorrow. you can spend all your time concentrating on that are concentrate on something else. my mother used to say if you walked into an auditorium with racist people, you don't have a problem, they'll have a problem. you can sit anywhere you want. that is the way i have lived my life. if they have these problems, let them stew in it. i have important things to do. that's what i think dr. king would be saying. there are $1 trillion worth of assets.

learn to turn your dollar over in your own community two or three times before you send it out. that's how you create wealth. just about everybody. we need to learn how to do those things. host: you say you have important things to do. does that include running for the presidency? guest: that is something i am considering. sometimes you find yourself in a situation. i thought all the clamoring would d ieie down. sometimes you have to do things that you are obligated to do rather than what you want to do. when i retired, i bought a nice home in florida on a golf course. i was going to relax. somehow that doesn't seem to be in the cards. host: he made in a parents this

weekend in south carolina. "our founders wanted to make sure there was not a political class in this country. that hasn't worked so well for us." who did you mean? guest: i mean no particular individual. the way our system was put together, it was put together with the people in mind, the common people. anybody was supposed to be able to be a representative, not just a select group of people. that is what i was referring to. host: we are talking with dr. ben carson. if you have questions or comments, the phone lines are open.

we will start on a line for republicans. keith calling in from tennessee. caller: thank you. i would like to say you are one of the most brilliant men that has ever been seen on tv. you have the right attitude. you know what dr. king would have wanted, to do the best they can do in their own environment and take care of the resources that are there for them, not to go out and destroy them and crying wolf every time somebody says something they do not like. stand up for yourself, get an education and use the talents god give us all. everyone was given talents to develop and share, not to go out and cry, i do not have.

the thankful for what i do have. enjoy ensure with others. guest: absolutely. we the american people need to understand something that is very important. we are not each other's enemies. enemies are the people who are trying to divide us. race, income, age on religion, on just about anything you can imagine. that is not why we're called the united states of america. we have to rise above the division and look at the good things that exist. host: tonight on this martin luther king, jr day you will be holding an event with the attorney for'michael browns family on how to move forward

with race relations. guest: it is so important that we begin to discuss things rather than get into corners and shoot hand grenades at each other. one of the things which is incredibly important in terms of relationships with police is to get to know each other. i was talking to ed mullins last week. he is working with leaders and are trying to put together a league throughout the neighborhoods, an athletic league, and they can't compete against each other involved in each of the teams. it is an interesting thing. when you get to know people, the horns disappear and the fangs go away.

sometimes you don't think about what color they are. host: efforts with the head of the justice department grant program that focuses on policing. that is next with ronald davis. let's go to michael in detroit michigan. good morning. caller: good morning. this is what i would like to say. to be a black man and to say what you just said, that doesn't make no sense to me. the party you represent represents the kkk. thank you. guest: i wonder if this gentleman knows that the republican party was formed as an abolition party. the republican party fought for the rights of freedom to have guns, so when the kkk came in

and tried to destroy them they would at least have the opportunity to protect them. it was the republican party that fought the civil rights legislation and for the voting rights legislation. the republican party was the party of abraham lincoln of martin luther king sr. of george washington carver, of frederick douglass, of booker t. washington, and i could go on. what is important? here is the important thing. no democrats -- not democrats not republicans. how do we reach a point where we don't have to be depended on anybody else, where we use the talents god has given us, developed those. don't allow ourselves to be

manipulated by those who want to create division, because that's how they keep you under control. host: we're talking with dr. ben carson, the cover -- t h story of the cover story ofe "the weekly standard." how do like that title? guest: my whole life has been composed of long shots. people saying what could be done and what hasn't been done. using the talent god has given you, faith and hard work, i do not believe those things. host: jerr is up nexty == jerry is up next. caller: it has been refreshing to hear dr. carson's comments.

that's long as people worship obama and al sharpton as idols instead of jesus christ, and with the purpose was, everybody was created equal, we need to take a good strong look at dr. carson because he is not afraid to stand up to the truth. i really appreciate his comments. guest: courage is something that is severely lacking in our society. a lot of people believe the same things i believe, but they are afraid to say it because somebody will ostracize them or call them a name. this is the land of the free, supposedly. supposedly, the home of the brave. i would just say to people, be willing to stand up for what you believe in. i remember in high school in detroit, there were a lot of people who believed in hard work

and personal responsibility. but they would not say it because somebody would call them a name. that doesn't work for me. host: let's go to michelle, arming him alabama, republican line. caller: good morning. dr. carson, i went to apologize for the democrat. i don't know how you can be so stupid not to know the democrats are the ones who started the kkk . but that is not the reason i'm calling. to compare and contrast you with president obama, the huge difference, the biggest difference between you is content of character. it doesn't matter what anyone says to you, you do what you believe is right and you will go so far, maybe even the presidency. i am kind of crossing my fingers. guest: thank you. caller: and you have my vote. guest: i appreciate that.

it is the content of character. that is what he preached. so many people are superficial and the way they look at things. i was asked by an npr reporter, dr., white of you talk about race very often? i said, because i'm a neurosurgeon. he thought that was a strange answer. i said, when i cut somebody's head open, i am actually working on the thing that makes them who they are. skin doesn't make them who they are, it is their brain. as some people are so superficial, they can only see the skin. host: we asked our viewers to write into our facebook page with questions for you for your appearance today. guest: no, i don't think they represent what he was about, but i am happy that people are speaking out. as long as they do it in a legal and peaceful way, that would be

representative. but what i hope that people don't allow themselves to be manipulated because if we are going to be taken seriously in the black community, we must be objective. if there is somebody who is engaged in a lot of criminal activity, a lot of violence, and something happens -- you know to come out of say, well, this guy was really a wonderful heroic figure, it blunts any arguments we have down the road when something really does happen. so it is basically crying wolf. if we just say anybody who is black, no matter what they have done, no matter what their history is, if something happens to them, we're going to get outraged, that really delegitimize his us.

yes, those lives are important that we need to be thinking about things that we couldn't do to prevent the situation from occurring in the first place. we need to be teaching of people values and how to react to authority and personal responsibility. we need to be teaching the young ladies that they are valuable, not to be allowing somebody to impregnate them and end their education and send their children into a spiral of poverty and that this go on generation after generation. until we can begin to deal with those things, we're not when a make any progress. host: one other question from facebook -- guest: that is a complete and total fabrication and myth that

is a perpetrated to try to get people to hate me. that is absolutely incorrect. i don't want to do away with things that are necessary and a safety net. what i want to do is create opportunities for people to escape the situation. you don't have to be dependent on those things. my mother worked two or three jobs at a time because she didn't want to be on welfare. she occasionally had two of -- had to accept assistance. she did not want us to be on it, either. but it was there when it was needed. i have no problem with that. in fact, i am glad that we have that kind of system. i want to see it expanded, but expanded a business, industry wall street, churches, the private sector. i want them to get even more involved.

i have been in gauged with some programs around the country where people would adopt, for instance, young boys out of the inner city of single-parent homes who are moving in the wrong direction. and bring them to affairs, get to know them, help them out financially. honest everything the one of them graduates high school and goes on to college. that is what happens when we have personal relationships. it very seldom happens when you're just getting government handouts. i am looking for ways to bring people to the point were they are willing to invest in each other. and the reward for that investment is moving somebody from dependency to independents. that is what america should be about. host: we're talking with dr. ben carson from john hopkins school of medicine. he directed pediatric surgery there for 29 years at john hopkins children's center,

author of half books. let's go to georgia, democrat line. caller: dr. carson, good morning. i am also from detroit. i remember back in the 1960's, i think i was about 13, when it were passing the civil rights law, hearing people say, buy them a ticket and send them back to africa. today, this country is full of people buying guns are just killing young black kids. have you been back to detroit recently? guest: yes, have. caller: have you supported and try to build up detroit like they're trying to do? what you really need to do doctor, by that home in florida on the golf course. thank you. guest: i don't see any threat there. i don't know what he is talking about. host: mark, pennsylvania,

republican line. caller: yes, dr. carson, i saw you on fox and i often tell people that you should have been the first black president. you are very intelligent. your analytic. you wait things out and think before you speak. you know a lot. you embody what them ok -- what mlk wanted for the black community. i am a little nervous, but if you run for president, i will spread the word for people to vote for you. guest: thank you, i appreciate that. i find it amusing sometimes when people say they're probably won't be another black president in our lifetime because of all of the things that have happened

under the first one. but my answer to that is, isn't he half white? does that mean we aren't going to have another what president either? host: a column in the new york times, looking at campaign noting cash is piling up for ben carson with a two-party tilt noting people want him to run for president have already donated some $12 million to the cause. your thought on the amount of support out there? guest: there is plenty of support and plenty of money. i hear people saying, jeb bush is getting in, mitt romney is getting in. you better announce right away so you can get some of the money. i don't play those kinds of games. i just think it is silly. you do what is right and you do what makes sense and the timing ticket service self. host: sandra, republican line. caller: good morning.

dr. carson, it is an honor to talk to. i just wanted to take i'm so thankful you are running -- i mean, i hope you are, and i hope the big republicans, wherever they are, china put in mr. bush and mr. christie and the other one, i can't even think of his name, that they will stop and think about the smaller people want, and you would be an honor to vote for. you are very honest and brilliant. thank you very much. guest: i appreciate that. if i do run i think a lot of people will become clear to people when we get to the debates and they get to actually hear real solution and real logic. i don't really care how many people are running, because i believe if we have an open-type primary, people will see what is going on. host: can you give sandra a

sense of when she might a decision from you? guest: i will have made a decision by may 1. host: nancy, san antonio, texas independent line. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i think the man sitting next to you [indiscernible] i think it is so sad that for so long [indiscernible] not in the spirit of people. until the black people can see the people like dr. carson are really the ones who have their back [indiscernible] host: i don't know if you were able to hear. guest: i got the just. if you look at the history of

black america, you go back to the time of slavery and in some states, there were actually more slaves than there were slave owners. they were very concerned about the power of the blacks and the ability to perhaps even to overthrow them. so they began to tell the slaves that worked in the house of they were the ones that worked better in the yard and the ones in the are that they were better than the ones in the field. they were always creating rumors to make sure that they never amalgamated their power. after slavery ended, they were saying, the light skin is better than the dark skin. on and on it goes. and today it is, well they don't believe this than they are against you and their hateful. because the last thing the people who want to control you want is for you to be able to amalgamate your resources, your intellect, your people, and to be able to become independent thinkers.

they don't want that. think about it. host: we have about 15 minutes left with dr. carson. we will get to as many of your calls as we can. springfield garden, new york, independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. dr. carson, you seem confused to me politically on the national stage. as a certified brain surgeon you're constantly boasting about your cheap rent -- achievement as to how you have risen from the slum to a mansion in florida. that is great for you. however, you seem to purposefully negate the fact racism exists and that not all will have equal opportunity based on how they look. your refusal to address the real issue, what is your agenda as --

on the national stage? what is it you're trying to do? it seems to me that there are a few people on fox news who are promoting you as the savior of as another black person who thinks differently than the average black person. don't you think that is racism? guest: first of all, i don't think i ever said there was no racism. in fact, what i said is there have been problems yesterday today, and tomorrow, and it will be as long as people are involved. i think we need to focus on the right kinds of things. a lot of our young black men get into trouble. we have more involved in the penal system than we do in college and graduate school. these are not good things. homicide being the number one cause of mortality for young

black males in big cities. we need to be thinking about a different way of approaching things. maybe if we taught those young black men that they have a very rich and strong history in this country, you can give him a history lesson he'll never forget. walked on the street, before you do so, look at your shoes. a black man revolutionized the shoe industry. you step out of that cream street, a black man, charles book brooks created the street super. a young man black man invented the refrigerated truck. the traffic signal. in the gas mask the save lives

after the war. a black woman invented the underwater canyon and made a possible to launch from submarines. you can use the opportunity to talk about a black woman who invented cosmetic products for women of dark complexion and the first woman of any nationality in america to become a millionaire. walked past a hospital and talk about the contributions to blood bank and understand the function of blood plasma. the first successful open heart surgeon in the world had mortality rate of less than 1.5%. thomas edison wasn't black, but his right-hand man was, came up with the filament that maybe lightbulb work for more than two or three days. invented the electric lamp. diagrammed the telephone for alexander graham bell. walked past the railroad tracks, automatic railroad spurred on

the industrial revolution. the automatic lubrication system for locomotives. yet so many inventions, somewhat say, is that a mccoy? is that the real mccoy? that is where the term comes from. we need to make sure our young people understand this. they need to understand they have a heritage here of invention, innovation and hard work. let's bring the right focus to them and stop all the animosity. host: talking about firsts. dr. benjamin carson performed the first separation of siamese twins joined at the back of the head in 1987. james, florida, democrat line. good morning. caller: good morning, dr. carson. i am getting back to the point where you brought up the fact, i

think you said lincoln and martin luther king and others for republicans back in the day which is true. my family was republicans, and i am mississippi, but they changed as the years went by. you know that republicans now it is not -- you seem like republicans -- they are not out to help people. the way you're sitting there talking, it is like people want a handout. people don't want a handout. black people don't want to handout. i'm quite sure it is the white people that are also being helped. i'm just surprised that you're sitting there saying things like that. i'm in, i don't understand that. you need to get your publicity or whatever here on c-span this morning, and i understand you have to say the right things so you can at least have a chance at election, but i think if

you're going to be honest, you should be honest all the way. i noticed that everybody is calling and talking about president obama. president obama has been in office for six years and he is trying his best to do what is right to help people, and he has been blocked. i can't understand why you think the same thing is not going to happen to you. host: dr. carson? guest: i will simply say, she obviously hasn't heard a word i said. go back and replay the tape and listen to what i said. you'll see it is just the opposite of what you have heard. host: on our twitter page -- guest: well, i think we have some excellent laws already on the books to do with immigration policy. we need to enforce them. we are a land of immigrants. we have a mechanism whereby people can become legal citizens

of the united states. i shortly support that. when it comes to illegal immigration, i think it is dangerous and we need to stop it. and the way you stop it is you turn off the spigot. the things that are drawing people in here, turn. and you secure the borders. as far as the people who are going to say a large part of our economy is raised on workers who perhaps are here illegally, i understand and i agree, and i don't think they should be working in the shadows. i think we probably should look to the north of us that has a very good guestworker program. they come in pay taxes, are registered. i think that could work in a situation. if they want to become american citizens, they can get online just like anybody else.

host: charles, republican line. you're on with dr. carson. caller: it is a pleasure to speak with you. i had a couple of points. one, when over seven out of 10 african-american babies are born to single parent households in america and it is growing every day, how in the world can we turn it around? it has gotten worse under president obama. it seems in the national media whenever a black man becomes very prominent and successful, he wants to marry a white woman. it looks like there is an all-out assault on black women in this country. why do young black men why -- is it unpopular to marry a young black woman? it just looks like there's an assault on black women in this country. guest: well, i know a lot of very successful black men who are married to black women including myself.

i'm not sure that is true. you see a lot in hollywood and athletics, but i don't see it as much in the real world. it really doesn't matter. people are people. people tend to associate with people that they are around. relationships developed with people who they are around. so that, i don't see, as a relevant issue, to be quite honest with you. the first part of the question i don't remember. host: kevin has a question in palm springs california am independent line. caller: as a fan of brian lamb, i want to ask a brian lamb-style question. dr. carson we never hear about your personal life, your family your kids and all of that. the obama's are proud and have always been out front with their family. you must commend him for his fine family style, i would imagine.

as your style, i notice you are trying to parent america. i'm interested to know about your parenting style. i would also like to know about your religion. your seventh-day adventist. will you be taking saturdays off as president of the united states? that is really a slight to god for you to be working on a saturday, so i would like an honest answer on that. guest: ok, you will do what needs to be done on any day of the week. as a surgeon, there were many instances where somebody had a life-threatening situation on saturday and i would deal with it. so you do what needs to be done. but you always give honor to god. as far as my family is concerned, i have three sons. my oldest son murray, was born in australia. i spent a year over there for

his dual citizenship. he is an engineer. all three are married. they all got married in 2011. my middle son, bj is an entrepreneur, owns several companies. very savvy financial individual. my youngest son royce, is a cpa. nobody became a doctor, although, one of them is married to a doctor. and they're all doing very well. host: what was your parenting philosophy when raising them? guest: they did not have televisions in their room. when we did watch television when they were young, we watched it together. i was very busy as a neurosurgeon and i traveled a lot. i was made it a requirement that my family go with me. so they had frequent flyer cards

for every airline and travel all over the world, met all kinds of people. iowa's took them, my wife, and my mother -- the six of us, the musketeers, and it was wonderful. my mother lived with us for a large part of the kids growing up period, which was wonderful, because you do tremendous influence on them. . host: richard, republican line. caller: dr. carson, let me preface everything by saying i hope that you win the presidency. i will vote for you. i've heard you articulate over a third of time and my mother has a lot of your books and is for a high on u.s. well, with the common sense approach you have in the knowledge and background you have, i believe all it is gonna take for you to catch on is for people have a little bit more exposure to you. wine calling today is i have a dreaded fear of what the next

presidential election is going to bring forth. i believe when eric holder step down from the attorney general's position, it was to stir and agitate the racial relations in this country. ferguson proved that to be correct, because he went in there and said, well, there must be something there we have to investigate this and investigate that. let me take what i think the endgame is here. i believe what they're looking for when they have al sharpton and the other jesse jackson and some of these other people, all that does is create racial strife. but they want racial strife and i will try you why. we have a republican congress and senate. and what i think there endgame is this -- i think they're ultimately going to have these protests every chance they get to turn race relations around and ultimately what they're going to ask for is reparations.

host: dr. carson? guest: you could have some validity in those points of view. i think what the republican party needs to do is to really start reaching out to the black community, to the hispanic community -- to all communities who in the past they have not perhaps reached out to. and to really push the ideal of developmental potential and investing in people. in 2006, mohammed younis won the nobel prize for his micro-lending theory. lifted millions of people out of poverty in bangladesh in that region of the world. 97% of those loans have been paid back. there are a lot of things we can do. we need to invest the time and effort. but if we invest in alabama people and the tide rises -- if we invest in all the people in

the tide rises it hosts well for all everyone. there are things we can do for the economy. the fact that it is even still alive with all the things that are going on tells you is a powerful and if we create the right kind of environment, it will explode and there will be excellent jobs available. and only at that point shall we talk about entitlement reform. host: richard brings up your book. i want to ask about "america the beautiful." buzz feed revealing some sections of that book were lifted from different sources, including website titled socialismsucks.net. what happened? guest: this was largely a historical book. we decided a lot of historical things" a lot of historical things and we missed a couple. basically, that is what happened. host: independent line, linda you're on with dr. carson.

caller: good morning. . turn down your tv. we can hear you. caller: good morning. dr. carson, you have great ideas . most people -- i think a lot of people do have great ideas. i just can't get with you because you say animosity. i have been seeing you on fox news a lot. oh, my god, i just can't believe it. you are on their a lot. i think if you just go around. you have to mingle, but you are on their a lot. they are way, way far right. i just can't get with way way far right. i really can't. i think this country is a mental country. we need to try to edge our way

back to the middle. i have it up and down. i've been up and down. i think it is about love. we'll talk about christian and this and that, but i don't think we know the real true meaning of jesus love. host: dr. carson? guest: i would say look at our program tonight when benjamin crump and i will be talking in the sinclair broadcasting across the nation. host: where is that taking place? guest: at one of the television studios here in town wjla. tomorrow i will be on cnn after the president's speech to give my reaction to it. i have been on a number of different venues and programs, so keep your eyes open. host: do you want to talk about your relationship with fox news and some of the viewers concerns? guest: i was a fox news country

bitter until a few months ago -- contributor until a few months ago when we mutually decided since there's a possibility i might be running for office, he probably would be good for me to sever that tie. do i still appear on their from time to time? of course, but i appear on other stations to. when you are a country bitter, used to -- when you are a conservator, you have to have an exclusivity clause. host: democrat line, charlie, good morning. caller: i noticed you touched on this a little bit earlier, but i was reading an article yesterday over 50% of the school children now are living in poverty families living in poverty. i know you say everybody is going to be having great inventions are making millions of dollars, but how are they going to do it when they

are not getting the proper nutrition to learn what they need to learn when they are young? i noticed earlier you had mentioned you are going to be announcing whether you're going to run for president or not by may 1. you better be careful because there's a lot of right-wing kooks that my think there are some communistic undertones to that date and anything in declaring presidency at that time. that is it. host: first of all, i don't know what program you're listening to. i don't think a said anything about everybody becoming a millionaire and great inventor. i'm not sure which program that was. host: do you want to talk about school reforms? guest: i will say education is the great divide in the country. it doesn't really matter what your background is, what your ethnicity is. if you get a good education, you can write euro ticket. think that given to the days of slavery.

it was illegal to teach a slave to read. why? even they knew an educated man was a free man. we have to concentrate on that. look at some of the inner cities where the charter schools have so much greater graduation rates than the public schools. consider the -- instead of the officials trying to thwart the charter schools, let's figure out ways we can get more people into them and into the private schools and into the once that are successful because that has a tremendous effect on what happens to them the rest of their lives. host: we're talking with dr. benjamin carson, here with us. time to take your questions and comments. we also want to note the secretary of homeland security is speaking at the martin 13 junior memorial this morning -- morton is looking junior memorial this morning on the washington mall. here's a minute or two from the secretary's remarks. >> the movement to make dr. king's birthday or holiday momentum in atlanta in the

1970's, mrs. king made it her mission to see the nation honor her husband every year on his birthday. and mrs. king and her son martin listed morehouse, spelman students and other college students as the foot soldiers in that effort. on november 2, 1983, president reagan with mrs. king at his side, signed a bill that made martin luther king's birthday a national holiday, effective for the first time on the third monday in january 1986. today the name martin luther king is one of the most recognizable in america, honest every major city in america has a street named for him. almost every public school in america has his picture in a classroom. however, in the year 2015, dr. king has now been dead longer

than he's been alive, as was pointed out, and most americans alive today were born after april 4, 1968. for some of us, dr. king is still a contemporary figure. for most of us, king is a figure consigned to history like the other men for which we have built monuments in this space. host: you can go to our website if you want to continue to watch jeh johnson speaking at the martin luther king jr. memorial this morning. dr. carson, your 13 when the selma marches were taking place in 1965, almost 14 when the voting rights act was passed 50 years ago this year. what are your memories of dr. king? guest: very vivid memories. i remember as a youngster looking at the television, looking at the fire hoses being turned on the children, the dogs biting them. looking at dr. king marching.

i was very into politics even as a youngster. i've always followed it very closely throughout my life. and the day he was killed, it was very traumatic. the next day at our school, there were horrible riots. i found myself embroiled in the sense that i had to keep to the biology laboratory and i hid some of the students and their -- in there who are targets of some of the animosity. host: white students and black students? guest: yes, because it was a black school and they were just out to get anybody who was white. as i mentioned before, my mother taught me to look beyond the color of a person's skin. that is always going to be the way i do things, but i am very

concerned about everybody in our society, particularly, the downtrodden in our society. we talk about the 47% that romney talked about. i say, we need to make a concerted effort to make sure they have a way to get out of that situation. and if we concentrate on it, we can do it. this is america. this is a can-do society. host: dr. ben carson, we appreciate you being here this morning. later, a homeland security secretary jeh johnson speaks at the martin luther king monument in washington dc.

on the next washington general a discussion on the process for presidents writing the state of the union address, and the history of this date -- of the speech. guests are mary kate and paul o rzulak. washington journal is live every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on seas and. you can join the conversation with your phone calls and comments on facebook and twitter. ahead of president obama's state of the union, send their -- senator orrin hatch, chair of the finance committee, will be at the u.s. chamber of commerce. starting at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span two.

also tuesday, house armed services chairman mac thornberry land -- outlined his focus on defense policy and national security issues. that is here on c-span. dr. anthony fatty, our guest this sunday on q&a, is on the frontline battling against infectious diseases. >> we have drugs right now that when given to people who are hiv-infected, if someone can send, i can shade the dichotomy. in the early 80's it someone came in with aids, the median survival would be 6-8 months. half of them would be dead in eight months. now, if tomorrow when i go back around on friday and someone comes in to a clinic who is 20 plus years old, relatively recently infected, and i put

them on a combination of three dads -- drugs, i can accurately predict and say we can do mathematical modeling to say if you take your medicine regularly, you can live an additional 50 years. the reverend al sharpton held an annual breakfast honoring martin luther king jr.. speakers included housing and urban development secretary julian castro and health and human services sylvia burwell. this is one hour and 45 minutes. >> good morning, washington, d.c.! happy king day! oh, you can do better than that. happy king day! happy king day!

[cheers and applause] >> all right, first giving honor to god who is the head of my life, to reverend sharpton, the head of this merry band, thank you so much reverend sharpton. i want to thank all of you for coming. my name is nate miles. i'll be your emcee for the morning. i say that happy king day and i mean it very seriously because there used to be a time when we used to have to sneak and take the day off from work. joe, when we couldn't tell them that we really, when everybody else went to work except us and we secretly protested and had our own king day, but thanks to coretta king and all of the rest of the king family, reverend sharpton, jackson, and all of the other civil rights leaders around the country, we have a day that we can legitimately say happy king day! let me hear you say it. >> happy king day! >> that's a lot better.

as we come today, we have a great program that has been put together for you. please, as you come on in, we want to make sure that you know what we realize what a crossroads the united states our country right now, we are seeing protests in the streets. we're seeing issues that we thought long ago solved still bubbling up to the top. we see relationships that we thought were repaired are still fractured. it turns out we have work to do. america will come together as it always has and it will handle this. we are a better people and we are a better nation than what we have seen in the past few months and over the last year or so. i'll tell you one thing, i believe in my heart that with people like you, people like reverend sharpton who helps to continue bring us together we're going to make this thing work. when you figure that over 50% of our kids now in our public

schools are getting free and reduced lunch, what it says is that poverty is on the rise. dr. king spoke of a benevolent community, a beloved community and the question today we will ask at this breakfast and reverend sharpton will give us all a charge to, is what are we doing to bring about that beloved community. that is a community that we know can and should happen in this nation because we have too many kids who are deferring their dreams and as longston hughes said, what happens to a dream deferred, does it drive up like a raisin in the sun, fester like a sore and then run, at the end he said or maybe it just sags , like a heavy load or does it explode? we don't need any explosions in this country. what we need are people who are right-minded and thinking and sit down and answer the question, we see our children and can't tell our children one or two things anymore and expect them to believe it.

because of social media and others, you can't contain what is out there now. our kids can get online and see for themselves, speak for themselves, act for themselves and do for themselves now because there are other avenues. we better make sure we understand that the eyes of the world are watching and more importantly, the eyes of our children are watching. with that, i would like to say to make sure that we go upstream, we have sylvia hayes here, so much of the cabinet that are represented by a president and administration that believes like do, there is a guy with a story about a baby floating down the river. the guy watching this baby, he runs out and grabs this baby pulls him to the shore and starts pumping the water out of him. one of the buddies standing by man, that was a good job. another one said we got to make sure that doesn't happen again. he goes out and gets another baby. while he is pumping the water out of this baby, where are you going? you can stand here and try to

save babies all you want. i'm going up the river to see who is throwing them in. reverend sharpton always looks to she who is throwing them in. he makes sure to call them out as he sees it. that's what we're gathered today for. what i would like to do is get us opened up with our national anthem sung by ms. kathy stansberry. please welcome her as she comes to the stage. [applause] >> please rise. oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the

twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star spangled banner yet

wave oer the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ [applause] >> well done, well done, kathy. at this point we would like to bring up the reverend coates senior pastor and board member to lead us in prayer.