[spoken] ♪ this is "nightline." tonight, reclaiming black wealth. denied three times for a loan. why one business owner believes the color of her skin played a role. >> it makes me think they doesn't want to take a chance on me. >> now the group of entrepreneurs fighting for providing prosperity in once w hpcef tasm. >> we want to reclaim what's ours. >> and channelling the pain of the past, implodes the racial wealth gap. >> jeff bezos was the amazon of his time. >> yes, and dream to aspire and go higher. >> plus, triple threat, the third covid-19 vaccine roll out in the u.s.

how soon could you receive the single dose of hope? and what this student learned that made her cry tears of joy. "nightline" will be right "jimmy kimmel live!" will be right "nightline" will be right back. when heartburn takes you by surprise. fight back fast, with new tums naturals. free from artificial flavors and dyes. the sun is incredible. it makes our lipton tea leaves better. which makes the smooth tea taste better, and time together even better. and drinking lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton is a proud sponsor of the american heart association's life is why campaign. visible is wireless that doesn't play games. it's powered by verizon for as little as $25 a month. lipton is a proud sponsor but it gets crazier.

bring a friend every month and get every month for $5. boom! 12 months of $5 wireless. visible, wireless that gets better with friends. ♪ thanks for joining us. tonight a look at generational wealth stolen from black families and how one community

of entrepreneurs is fighting to close the racial wealth gap as covid threatens to erode it even further. further. here's my "nightline" co-anchor byron pitts with the latest in our turning point series. >> this is where he was killed, the fork of this road. >> and you saw his body. >> lying in the ditch, with his eyes open. >> can a five-year-old child ever forget such a thing. >> not that. not that. i remember. >> for 78-year-old josephine bowling her childhood, her life, shaped by her father's murder more than 70 years ago. a murder that today stands as a metaphor for dreams deferred, the unhealed wound of racism etched in stone. >> enraged jealous white business over the success of a negro i believe to be the

nature of elmore bolling, too successful to be a negro. he had a farm and was employing about 40 people. he started a milk route where he transported milk from ever -- other blacks to the dairies in montgomery, and then, when he went montgomery and then when he went to the churches my mom carried a trunk of food and people bought plates from us, so, and ice cream. >> sounds like in many ways your dad was a jeff bezos, amazon of his time. >> yes. so he was killed because he was out of his place. and dream to aspire to go higher. >> how dare he. >> how dare he. >> elmore bolling was 39, shot seven times by at least two white men. lynch law en route 80 in this montgomery county, road made famous by martin luther king, jr. and thousand that's marched from selma to montgomery. >> what impact did your father's death have on your family?

>> we lost everything. but it was something we had to live with and adjust with and go on. >> reporter: elmore was one of untold numbers of successful black business owners throughout the country who found a way to thrive in the early 1900's. >> at the time of my father's death he had 40,000 in the bank in montgomery, estimated to be worth $500,000 now. >> their family story is one of generational wealth not just lost but stolen. a truth repeated across the country, a truth with severe consequences. today a typical white family has nearly eight times the wealth of their black counterparts. she says after her father's murder white debt collectors fraudulently claimed they were owed and took everything, plunging her family into poverty. >> the older brothers quit school and got jobs. my mother got a job working at the dry-cleaners. she put me through college working in laundry.

>> folk in church say your momma made a way out of no way. >> that's what they'd say, yes. >> only one man was arrested for elmore's murder and the charges later dropped by a grand jury. >> what are you thinking. >> hard. difficult. he was not accused of a crime. had not committed a crime. yet, murdered, for being successful. leaving seven children and a wife. >> a loss never forgotten. wealth never reclaimed. >> when you're cut down to the bottom with nothing to build on, that's basically where black people are, you have nothing to build on. >> for those in this moment might ask, is elmore bolling's daughter asking for a hand out? >> absolutely not. my father did not and nor will i. >> you got fired up just now i think.

>> yeah yeah. that would be the last thing. my father believed in work. >> 700 miles north in richmond, virginia. >> we want to reclaim what is ours. >> a group of women entrepreneurs, shore and lindman and crateman, funding to provide black prosperity in a district known as the birthplace of black capitalism. >> at one point we had six black-owned banks here in the city. there was always good eating in jackson ward, that is where entertainment was, everything from the market to barber shops to salons, we had black-owned hotels. i'm the daughter of two entrepreneurs, actually and the sister of an entrepreneur and it's my responsibility to pass that down to my daughter. >> all that a mile from what was once the confederate capitol. by the 60's many things changed.

>> things we associate with thriving communities like running water, sewer systems and trash collection were all negligent in these communities. richmond peter turnpike which levelled roughly 730 homes. >> also standing in the way of rebuilding were hurdles like red lining, a practice where banks literally drew red lines largely around communities of color and the poor, denying loans, pinch holing prosperity. >> if i super imposed any area of poverty over red line area you would see correlation from areas that suffer from disproportionate poverty. >> the practice was outlawed in 1968 but still scars entrepreneurs. >> there's places i walk into that i immediately feel on guard and know i am not welcome is that may not allow me the same level of access.

>> reporter: these women founded the jackson war collective to connect black businesses to resources. >> the first challenge you face as a black business owner is access to capital. >> make sure she's on the list. >> reporter: before brown could open the doors in 2019 she says her loan application was rejected by three different banks. >> i was red-lined. they didn't see that we'd be able to obtain the finances to pay them back. just based on the area we were on. the amount i was asking for i had more than that in the assets i had. that often makes me think, you know, maybe they just did not want to take the chance on me maybe because of the color of my skin. >> and then one of the collective says she's too often hears. >> i'm here for three month assessment. >> on this day is checking in with dr. brown. >> this is the only black and

women-owned in the city in the middle of the pandemic so i imagine she needs support. >> she administers potentially life-saving vaccines for covid-19, she is having trouble qualifying for new loans to allow her business to grow. >> we're creating jobs here and paying taxes here, if there's any opportunities for businesses like mine. >> yeah because i know your overhead -- >> -- it's expensive, really, really expensive. >> i do know that. i don't want to name the financial institution but i do have a thought. potentially. the real worth lies in seeing -- creating equity ensuring a level playing field with business, land and real estate ownership. >> the struggle for economic justice is not a new one, and fundamental justice also lingers. >> do you ever wander what happened to those men. who killed your father? >> i had the opportunity to meet the white man's daughter and i did not do that. i did not think i could, i guess, upset her, not knowing

who she was. >> wait a minute. you were worried about upsetting her? >> yes. >> and her father killed your father and you're worried about upsetting her? >> yes, i did not know enough about the circumstance to infringe on her rights as a human. >> so you decided to show her grace. >> yes. >> a grace that was denied your father. >> yes. >> reporter: today a retired educator, josephine devotes her time and talent to this old school house. >> in 1883 it became a separate building. >> she attended here, and hopes to honor what her father believe in deeply, education, that she believes will close the racial wealth gap. >> the teachers really cared about the students and they wanted you to learn and they didn't hesitate to paddle if they didn't think you could learn. >> if those old walls could talk.

those carving school house love notes generations old. >> did you have your name over here. >> well, i was just five at the time. so, i didn't to anything but i would have. [ laughter ] >> she's converting this one-room school built in the 1800's into a museum and adult learning center. >> your dad never learned to read or write but valued education and knew the power of it. >> yes. i was the first black in a lot of circumstances. first black pe teacher couple times. first black administrator. first black president of the alabama association of school psychologists. >> what would your dad say about you now? >> he would be proud. i wish i had the business sense that he had. but i do have the fortitude. >> josephine bolling recalls proof diamonds do come from rock

hard and unspeakable pressure and pain. she hopes to create new jewels and wherever possible reclaim old ones. ♪ >> my thanks to byron, catch his report on the battle for racial reparations in a new abc series," soul of a nation" examining the lived experiences of black americans, preiering tomorrow evening 10:00, 9:00 central only on abc, coming up how the single-shot covid-19 vaccine may help turn the tide in the covid pandemic. we still have 12 hours to australia. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move! kim, no! mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours. loves me. loves me not. new neutrogena® skin balancing! 3 made-for-you formulas with 2% pha exfoliate and condition for soft, balanced skin. find the one. neutrogena®

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a new weapon against covid-19 approved for shipment, as the virus claimed the lives of more than 514,000 americans. >> reporter: this morning, a third vaccine joins the arsenal in the fight against the coronavirus. johnson & johnson's single shot cleared for emergency use. the cdc signing off. >> it's got greater than 85% efficacy after severe disease and critical disease and there were no deaths or hospitalization in any of the countries that were tested. >> reporter: today the initial batch of 4 million doses loaded on to trucks and then planes bound for all corners of this country. but health officials warn even with more vaccines now is not the time to let up. >> you could be protected from disease and still have virus. if that's the case than that's the reason you hear all of the public health officials say to wear a mask.

and the reason is essentially to protect other people. you may inadvertently affect someone else even though you are protected. >> for more on the third vaccine earlier this evening i spoke with abc contributor dr. brownstien and dr. chester, thank you both for joining us. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. >> as you know some are worried the j&j vaccine might be less effective than pfizer and moderna at preventing infection, what do you say to people who might be comparing the numbers and vaccine shopping and just how big of a deal is this third vac on the war on covid. >> well, first, the third vaccine now in a year to have against this pandemic is just absolutely amazing, it's nothing short of a miracle to have this vaccine to provide strong protection robust across

demographics and variants and is incredible vaccine to add to the mix. we have to avoid comparing to to the other two, moderna and pfizer, because it's apples and oranges. this was tested in a different time period of this pandemic and it was also tested when we have variants. all three are effective weapons, when it is your turn to get the vaccine you should take whichever one is available to you. >> there's surveys out there that suggests that there's an alarming skepticism out there how do you address it? >> the way i've been addressing it since this whole pandemic started an the vaccine became available was continuing education, letting the science speak for itself. i tell people this is not the past where we didn't have information at our fingertips. we have that information now. go to the cdc website. you go on the world health organization websie. all of the information is there.

an the science proves that these vaccines work. >> now dr. brownstien there's tremendous optimism but head of the cdc said not to let down our guard, as more are eligible to get the vaccine, what kind of bottlenecks are you seeing and how do you think we overcome them and manage optimism. >> right we can't take the pedal off the gas when it comes to masking and social distancing at this moment. we're seeing some plateauing happen with cases and positivity around the country so now's not the time to fully let go. we should be aiming to get the vaccine. yes it's been super challenging, we've had websites and siloed tools and refreshing the websites to get vaccine appointments. we launched with cdc called vaccine finder, that is helping to open up availability. and of course we need new sites not just the pharmacies and mass vaccination sites but also mobile clinics and community intervention so we can actually

open vaccines to more of the population and remove the disparities we're seeing across the country. >> hopefully the j&j vaccine will help on that score. dr. chester, you were in the hospital fighting throughout the pandemic and since north well health started vaccinating last december you've personally vaccinated hundreds of people. what kind of reactions stand out to you? what's it like as people receive that life-saving dose. >> i will tell you no two vaccine administration is the same. you sit and listen to their stories of how they lost someone, colleagues, family members, multiple people in their households and these individuals are crying, these individuals are proud, and a lot of the people say i wish more people would come and get this vaccine because this is where we could get back to some sort of normalcy. >> how have you responded emotionally?

>> oh my goodness, it's proud. emotionally i wish it was sooner, to save so many lives that have been lost to covid. but this is a fight i know we're going to win and i'm so happy i'm part of this battle of getting the vaccines out there. >> well, we're so happy you are with us tonight to share that with us, thank you both, be well. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> up next, after nearly a year of virtual learning why one student broke down with tears of joy. joy. so you're my you clefairy godmayo? yes, i wield the power of best foods to magically transform any food into creamy, dreamy works of art. boop. with a butter knife? this is a mayo knife. ♪ se on contact, withse on contact, just wipe, and rinse. get dishes done faster dawn powerwash dish spray. spray. wipe. rinse.

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♪ and finally ♪ and finally tonight, a sign of hope. >> school got cancelled on the 13th of 2020. >> like so many kids across the country virtual learning has been tough for t ne-y going t at home for nearl surprising her with the best news ever. >> really? >> she'll get to go back to school. >> i can go to school. it's been such a long time. >> i know. >> and back to a little

normalcy. one small victory. that's "nightline." watch all our full episodes on hulu. see you back here tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.