>> good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonig, insurrection aftermath. republican senators block an independent investigation into the mob attack on the capital on january 6. mega drought. the western u.s. faces a critical shortage of water as the threats of wildfires loom on the horizon. >> this threat is far from over, 2021 is shaping up to be the driest of all of the drought years in the last century. definitely one of the driest of the last millennia. judy: it is friday, david brooks and jothan capehart analyze the ilure to investigate the insurrection. president biden's $6 trillion change making federal budget proposal.

all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ >> consumer cellular. johnson and johnson.

financial services firm raymond james. >> the john s and james l knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. more atkf.org. >> with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ >> and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: at the sight of a deadly riot, republican senators block an investigation into the attack on january 6. the push to create a commission like the one established after

9/11 failed after gop leadership used special delaying tactics for the first time this year. lisa desjardins is here to explain what happened. i know you were following this well into the night as we waited for a vote. how close did the senate come to seeing this commission voted into existence? >> for this divided senate, it was close. the commission came within three votes of getting the 60 senate votes in support it would need. that is addingn some absent senators, because it was a late night, and about one dozen senators left washington before the vote because they thought it was a faded company. let's look at the republicans who supported moving on to the bill. kind of overriding the filibuster block. there were six republican senators. seven republican senators rather. you see them all right there. they either voted in favor of moving forward, or said they

would have voted in favor. i want to stress, of those 7, 6 were also senators who voted to convict president trump in th last impeachment trial, which was related to january 6. senator murkowski told reporters she did feel there was a trump factor to her word, she said some republicans did not want to rock the boat. democrats were furious. 50 votes is a majority of the senate. what does that mean for the filibuster? there was no effort by democrats to break the filibuster over this issue while there was outrage. judy: you have been following not just this, but the dynamics around what led to january 6 in the first place. what are you finding? what is your reporting telling you? >> our team has been carefully watching around the country what is happening. something really caught our attention in georgia.

as republican senators in washington were preparing to block the january 6 independent commission, in dalton, georgia, representative matt gaetz gave remarks to a crowd, sort of an america first rally, about the second amendment. i want to play his remarks. >> it is not about hunting, it is not about recreation, it is not about sports. the second amendment is about maintaining within the citizenry the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if it becomes necessary. i hope it never does. >> there you heard it is about maintaining an armed insurrection. he said he doe't hope it comes to pass. but this is different from converted -- conservative thought. it is an obvious statement about making government itself the enemy. i should note he is under investigation over accusations

involving prostitution and corruption he denies. we wanted to highlight the clip, because the reaction of the crowd and representative gaetz talking about government as the potential enemy. judy: lisa desjardins reporting on the angles of what has been happening. we should add that late today, gladys sick nick, the mother of the fallen capitol police officer brian sicknick, spoke to cnn about her reaction to today's vote, and the tense meetings with lawmakers. >> they knew what they were doing, how to talk to us, but we kind of held back. it was tense. because we knew they weren't sincere. >> and they didn't want to get to the bottom of what happened. >> no. and i don't understand it. judy: we will continue our look

at republicans blocking the commission later in the program. >> we will return to judy woodruff and the full show after the latest headlines. president biden formally released his $6 trillion budget proposal for the new fiscal year. the plan would sharply increase federal spending on infrastructure, public health, and education. it would be funded largely by tax increases in wealthy americans. even so, it forecasts a deficit of nearly $2 trilln, sending overall national debt to new highs. the cdc says fully vaccited children do not have to wear masks camp this summer. it also says children not vaccinated should use masks in crowds, or when inside. with covid restrictions easing, americans are traveling in near

record numbers. today, the secretary of homeland security warned of long lines at airports, with traffic hitting pre-pandemic levels. >> people will see lines, because there is going to be a tremendous amount of people traveling this weekend. but patience is required. this is a partnership between tsa and the people we serve. >> the who said it is formulating a plan for more studies on the origins of covid-19. overnight, the u.s. criticized the initial study as inconclusive. the report found it was unlikely the virus escaped from a chinese lab. a new cyber aack has hit more than 150 u.s. and foreign government agencies, think tanks , and humanitarian groups. microsoft says the culprits are the same behind the solar winds act. u.s. agency for international

development, and targeted 3000 other accounts. the biden administration announced a series of punitive asures against belarus, including the re-imposition of sanctions on nine state owned enterprises. the white house is calling for an international investigation after earlier this week, a plane was diverted to land in belarus, and a journalist on board arrested. vice president harris told graduates at the u.s. naval academy that they will face chalnges unlike anything that came before. she spoke to about 1000 graduating midshipmen in annapolis, maryland. e first woman to do so in the schools 175 years. >> adversaries have their sights set on our military technology. our intellectual property. our elections, our critical infrastructure. the ransomware attack by crinal hackers earlier this month -- well that was a warning shot. >> 11 officers at a texas

sheriff's office have been fired, six others suspended after a man was killed in their custody in febary. officers hit joe kari simmons multiple times in the head while detained at the harris county jail. his death was ruled a homicide. houston police is conducting a separate criminal investigation. three police officers in tacoma, washington pled not guilty to killing a black man in march of 2020. two officers are charged with secondary murder. an asian officer is accused of manslaughter. prosecutors say officers held him down until he suffocated. organizers in oklahoma have canceled monday's main event commemorating the tulsa race massacre of 1921. there are disputes over direct payments to survivors, as well as disagreements among the organizers. other events are still on, and president biden plans a visit

next week. the investigation continues tonight in the railyard shooting that killed nine people in san jose, california. authorities say the gunman had piled weapons and 25,000 rounds of ammunition at his house before setting it on fire. officials have also identified the victims. here's who they were. 36-year-old taptejdeep singhh spent his final moments protecting others. mily says he was committed to serving others. michael rudometkin started as a mechanic before becoming a worker. he was described on facebook is a great friend. jose hernandez iii lived life with zest, his family told the associated press. he was described as a man with many friends. he was 35. alex frich was described as optimistic, passionate, and a dreamer.

he worked at a substation and was 49 years old. paul megia was a superintendent and always willing to help employees and accept tasks with a smile. he was 42 years old. timothy romo was described as caring and selfless, and had endless jokes. the 49-year-old husband, father, and grandfather worked there for more than two decades. lars lane was the first to help his neighbor, and loved his family fiercely. according to local news outlets, he would have turned 64 this weekend. abdolvahab alaghmandan worked there for two decades. he often worked overtime and through the pandemic treaty was 63 years old. adrian balleza was a light rail operator. he was a loving family man who still had so much to give, his family said.

adrian was 29 years old. >> nine souls lost. still to come, why the mega drought is dangerous for the western u.s.. how qanon is dividing families. art inspired by the tulsa massacre 100 years later, and much more. >> we return to our lead story. the move by the gop to block an investigation into the insurrection. former new jersey governor tom kane, a republican himself, was chairman of the independent bipartisan 9/11 commission. that was the congressionally approved panel that served as a

mol for the proposed january 6 commission. governor kane joins me now. so good to see you. thank you for joining us. what is your reaction to this vote, where the proposal to create a commission fell short by a number of votes? >> i'm sad. it looks to me right now like the american people may never find out the truth. and we need to know the truth. we have to find out why this happened, how it happened, why it wasn't offended the way it was, who is involved in the conspiracies. >> what about the argument made by a number of republican senators, six of them voted for it, but the vast majority voted against. a number said there were already investigations underway. congress has various committees looking into this. that the independent commission wasn't needed. >> it is the same they said when they tried to prevent the 9/11

commission from being created. the truth is congress cannot properly investigate this kind of thing unless you have a bipartisan structure, and staff to find out the truth. staff is busy doing things, that are extraordinarily partisan. we got to get this right. i'm afraid now, unless they change their minds, they will not get it right. >> i was also reading a comment from utah republican senator mike lee. he said if it had been created, it would have been a kangaroo commission looking at areas outside of january the sixth, and constituted a recipe for a witchhunt. did you see any potential for that in what was being suggested? >> none that i saw. congress should have a clear description of what this commission should do. i think it did in the legislation. i did not see any chance of a witchhunt.

i think they have done a good job. there are good men and women in both parties. they would have done it to find the truth this time. the truth is what we really need in our democracy so we can proceed. judy: this is what you are referring to in the comments. but help our audience understand what is lost by not having an outside, independent, bipartisan body to look into the events of the attack. >> credibility is what is lost. right now, in the congressional investigation, republicans yellingt democrats, democrats yelling at republicans, and the truth gets lost. we are asking for the bipartisan investigation with good people who are retired from the congress probably, retired from public service, who uld look at it impartially, openly, and make a report to the american people that would have been accepted as truth. the 9/11 commission worked.

we found out the truth, acted in the truth, we made recommendations, this country has never been attacked the same way. judy: you are republican, you served two terms as governor of new jersey. how do you explain the fact so many members of your party are opposed to the idea of investigating what happened? >> i think they are worried. probably worried about what would come out. but the truth never hurts in the end. it is what you need in a democracy. so i think they are making a mistake. they did the same thing about the 9/11 commission. opposed it for the same reasons. it got through because the families pushed it through the congress. we need that kind of push now, because we've got to find out what happened so we can proceed and go ahead. judy: we know it was not just former president trump who made

it clear he opposed the idea of this commission, but the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell worked hard to persuade other republican senators to vote against this. what is your message to him? >> what we learned in the 9/11 commission was republicans were very worried what democrats would find out about then president bush, and heading into reelection. we found out the former president was telling the truth, it probably helped his reelection. you don't suffer if you find out the truth. the only way in this very divided country of ours, this divided congress, to find out the truth is to do it in this manner, a bipartisan manner, and one that everybody accepts. unfortunately, it looks like it will not happen. judy: now that we've had this vote, is there a way you know of where there could be some kind of independent investigation short of what congress was trying to create?

>> you can do it outside of congress, but subpoena power, you don't have the tools you need to do a prer investigation. this is the right way to do it. my hope is the public and others will call, and people in both parties will do it right and tell the american people what they have to know going forward. >> have you been in contact with members of congress, members of the senate to make the kinds of arguments you are sharing with us? >> i have not. i probably should have. i said a number of things publicly. i talked to a few congressmen, but not members of the senate. judy: based on what you are seeing, do you see hope? you talked to people in public life all the time. do you see prospects for creating something that could

get to the bottom of what happened? >> it looks very discouraging, and it is not discouraging for this, if congress has now decided they have an inability to appoint an independent commission, that is a very bad sign for the future, because if they can't do this properly, they will not be able to do the next one properly. it sets the wrong pre-said it. that congress is incapable of telling the american people the truth, and something very important that happened. that is wrong. judy: the former governor of new jersey and the former chair of the 9/11 commission, tom kane. thank you very much. nearly one half of the cotry from the pacific post to the

great plains and upper midwest is experiencing moderate to exceptional ought conditions. it is expected to get worse through the summer. it is the western states, in particular, taking the hardest hit. >> across the american west, there simply isn't enough water to go around. in the full heat of summer, it is just getting started. from the rio grande to the rocky mountains, a maker drought is underway. it is shaping up to be the worst water crisis in generations. the darker the red, the worse it is. reservoirs that store waters for millions are below normal and expected to hit historic lows soon. this month, california's governor, gavin newsom, expanded drought emergencies to 41 of his state 58 counties, affecting one third of the state. >> l me just state unequivocally, it is really bad. >> in utah, spencer coxe

delivered ace eight wide drought emergency and has asked all residents to conserve water. lake mead, created by the hoover dam, is the largest reservoir in america. it is getting so low it could trigger a first ever federal shortage declaration, which could limit water for millions. for those who have been studying quite ash climate change, it has been brewing for years. >> since the year 2000, the western u.s. and northern mexico has been in near perpetual drought. >> park williams is a climate scientist. by studying ancient tree rings, he can compare today's climate and drought conditions to those of the past. >> while there have been droughts longer than this one in the past, you have to go back hundreds of years to find one. this drought is just as severe as the driest 22 year periods in any of the historic mega droughts. >> and this one is not over, as

far as we can tell. >> far from over. 2021 is shaping up to be the driest of all of the drought years in the last century. certainly one of the driest of the last millennia. >> this dryness is endangering fisheries and wildlife while farmers across the west are facing crop failures and cattle losses. >> when you talk about compounding multiple years of drought, it becomes very difficult. >> kevin richards is a fourth-generation farmer. >> if you don't have the water to plant a new crop, you are starting off one step behind. even if the drought were to recover, if we don't have new crops that need planting in the fall, it will take an entire 12 more months to recover. >> there is unfortunately no relief in sight rate much of the winter snow pack welbelow normal. in california, where snowmelt delivers roughly three quarters of the water, snow cover is the

lowest it has been in the 21 years and nasa satellites have been monitoring it. all of the perched land increases the likelihood of another deadly, destructive, and extended fire season. california has already seen 900 additional wildfires this season, compared to 2020, which itself was a record year. this is a regionwide concern. from last spring to this winter, arizona, mexico, nevada, and utah each had their driest stretch in 126 years. >> the farmers that grow hay are in a good position, because the price is high. >> dustin is a farmer and cattle rancher. >> we are getting to the point if you feed cows $250 on hey, or sell the cows. if you sell them, you will not get much because of -- there is a big supply of cattle, not a big demand, because no one in the west -- it is not just

regional, it is all over the west. >> drought conditions are also causing problems for native american communities. like the tribe along the klamath river. >> drought puts our national resources and way of life at risk. >> at a virtual hearing, a representative told congress drought, as well as restrictions on water flows by the government had harmed the salmon, which are ceral to her tribes traditions and economy. >> historically, the river was the third-largest salmon producer on the west coast. tragically, it is estimated only 2% to 5% remain today, and we have lost millions of dollars as a result. >> the impact of the drought could ripple to consumers nationwide. a huge percentage of fruits and vegetables, nuts, and beef come out of this increasingly arid west. >> it will take more good luck

to pull ourselves out of the drought, and less bad luck to fall back into the drought. the long-term normal is changing in western north america. >> for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham. >> a survey released by the public religion research institute found 15% of americans believe the false qanon idea the government is controlled by a cabal of satan worshiping pedophiles. just one in five republicans fully reject the qanon conspiracy theory. for many americans, the ideas are not only outlandish, but dangerous, and tearing families apart. we spoke with three people whose relationships have been hurt by these far-right, unfounded beliefs. >> my name is rachel, my

relationship with my mother has become completely estranged in the last year. >> my parents have fallen down the qanon rabbit hole, and have become extremely obsessed with it. >> i have a sister who believes the qanon conspiracy theory. she is watching youtube videos and getting funneled down that algorithm to more radical, bizarre things. >> i dad was my best friend growing up, we did everything together, and in just the past year, he has changed into a different person. >> my sister has always been my best friend. and she is to this day. i love her. it is hard to explain sister love. i love her in a way i can't love anyone else. and i worry about her. >> right before the pandemic year was the closest we ever were.

we would go on walks, she would play with the kids. it's easier to feel angry at her than it is to start thinking about how much i miss her. i have always been proud of my mom, she is a nurse, a cancer nurse. she has helped a lot of people and their families face difficult moments, death. she is a kind, loving person, and i feel like she has been tricked into believing all of these rings that contradict her core values in a way that is so obvious to me. >> qanon is trying to make the

entire world conspiracy, literally. it will connect the dots to everything that you touch, see, feel, whatever. that is where the danr zone -- that is when i started to be fearful for her. these people believe you can't take the covid vaccine because it will track you. that is dangerous for people to be believing that, because they are putting themselves at risk, but also others at risk. they are putting people at risk that they love. >> it is not just a funny conspiracy theory, unicorns and bigfoot being real, aliens, all of these things, ialmost indoctrinated them, and it is exactly like a cult. it is really scary. >> what happened in my relationship with my mother is now i'm part of that, part of this evil force she has to reckon with. she doesn't trust me, doesn't

believe i could sympathize with her, or respect her. a big mistake i made is she things i think she is stupid. there is a lot that if i could go back and correct, what i could take responsibility for, i wish i had gotten less frustrated. i wish i had been more patient. i wish i had been slower to react. >> i thought that if i pointed out all of this stuff, that dad look at all these websites that proves otherwise, it just came back into my face. and i think i'm at the point now where i've given up. >> i pray for her every day that she will come to a realization that this is nonsense. i can't do much more than that. if i discuss it with her, it will only break us apart. >> i can't change him, i can't force him to do things.

i just have to sit here and wait and hope for one day he calls me, text me, shows up at my door and is justly i was wrong -- just like "i was wrong." and we go from there. but i hate that i have to wait. it is for my dad, so i will do it. judy: those are voices we have heard from in the last number of weeks. we turn from that to the analysis of brooks and capehart. new york times columnists for the washington post. great to see you both. we are sharing those voices, because we know it is part of what was driving the surrection at the capitol. came to a vote today in the congress, the senate, republicans blocked it. what does it say about not just the republican party, but the

consequences of what happened? >> the vote today was just shameful. this should not have been a democratic issue or a republican issue. it should not have been a rtisan vote, it should have been a vote just grounded in patriotism. being able to say with a unified voice that what happened on january 6 when they were trying to certify the electoral college vote in a presidential election, that what happened was something that needed to be investigated, and people held accountable, and lessons learned so it doesn't happen again. it says a lot about the republican party. but to me, i worry what the message sends to the country about how congress is functioning or not functioning, but also whether the capital could withstand another attack.

it wasn't the end of something, it was either the beginning of something, or we are in the middle of something. and even though the independent commission failed, it doesn't mean investigations aren't going on. i'm not just talking about the court cases happening, but speaker pelosi could form a house select committee. there are committees in the house and senate that can do their own investigations. the only problem is it would have a partisan tinge just from appearances. i would argue any investigation into what happened on january 6, would be done for the sole purpose of not partisan -- not through partisan lens, but a patriotic lens of trying to figure out what happens so it doesn't happen again. >> what you are thinking as you look at the vote and listening to these family members of people who believe t qanon

conspiracy. >> every party and organization has loyalty mechanisms. normally we commit to something together. the republican party is you have to believe in the myth, the lie about the election, the lie about the insurrection. so you go today, 74 republicans think leftist activists were a large part of what caused it. you have to believe in the myth. a senator has to believe in it to stay part of the party. that is the way it is. i have to imagine mitch mcconnell and normal republicans would love to get rid of the myth a get rid of the trump he and craziness. it seems to be for the benefit of the party and country, this commission is a way to expose the truth and begin the detoxification process. sure your party takes a short-term hit, but the long-range health of the party, it's got to be a good thing to

get to the truth and expose what happened. the final depressing thing was 9/11 happened. it was a national below. we were at least able to come together around the centrist groups of establishment terrines trusting individuals and form a commission. we are no longer that country. so if we are hit by another blow , will wever have a commission again? do we have a center in this country? do we have people trusted on both sides. i'm not sure we live in that country anymore. >> it does raise questions about not just who we are as a country, but what has happened to our political parties and their entire belief systems. speaking of belief systems, i want to turn to president biden. today, he proposed a shockingly large budget proposal, $6 trillion.

it really is bringing together all of his recent proposals on infrastructure, families, and for the last several weeks, but it is a number we have not seen before. is it realistic? does it meet the needs of the country? >> i think it meets the needs of the country in terms of this. speaker pelosi, if you ever interview her about budgets and things like that, she will tell you "show me your budget, and i will show you your values." i think what president biden has done him a he is showing the nation what its values are, what priorities are, and what they are on behalf of the country. in his joint session speech, he talked about and grounded a lot of what he was saying, we must do this as a nation to repair the roads and bridges to expand opportunities for americans,

expanding broadband access, because for the 21st century, that is what the international highway system was. all as a means of improving the country so we can compete against china. and we are in this battle right now between autocracy and democracy. the only way we can prove democracy is better is if we can show democracy works. $6 trillion, a huge price tag. but as we know from president biden, he sees this as a moment to do big things, to help as many people as possible. that requires some cold hard cash in volumes we have not seen before. judy: what is your cold, hard assessment of the budget plan? >> my warm, moshe assessmt is it is probably necessary.

i have never been a progressive or even close, but it is simply a fact over the last 30 years, folks with a high school education and associates degree have not been reaping the benefits of our economy. president biden wants to maken investment in those folks. i think it is just. i was struck by how often he brags about the infrastructure bill, the benefits, the jobs, they go to people with associates degree and high school degrees. folks with a college degree don't need as much help. it redirects money to those who need it. the cautnary warnings would say is first, and the threat of inflation is real. it is not just warren buffett warning about this and other business people. the consumer price index is up maybe it is a hick up these are temporary, but if we overheat the economy and wind up with inflation, the fed has to slam on the brakes and the people who need help most will suffer most. that is something real to look at. hate it when we get rid of

truisms. it has been a truism that if your debt passes 100% of gdp, your nation will be in trouble. to pretend that law no longer exists worries me. i'm worried about the inflation on the debt, but i think the investment is necessary. judy: are you saying because of the inflation worry, the budget is less needed? >> no, i'm saying we have thrown trillions of dollars into the economy. that has heated up the economy to a great degree. if we throw another bunch of trillions in, we are really heating up of the economy and possibly overheating the economy, which leads to inflation, which leads to lower living standards, which leads to huge government payments on the debt that we owe, at least the 1970's, which was all sorts of bad things. judy: a lot of warnings. in the final minutes we have, i want to turn to something we observed this week.

the one year since the murder of george floyd in minneapolis at the hands of a white policeman. what do you see about our country over the past year? have we come to terms with what was shown by the death of george floyd? >> it depends on my mood. on the one hand, yes. we have come to terms in the sense that we are now talking more openly and a little more honestly about racism, structural racism, and the inequities built into our system and how black and brown people, african-americans in particular, bear the brunt of that. i take that as a good sign as we

are able to talk about it more frequently and more openly. where things have not changed is in the other shootings. the other incidences of law enforcement killing black people. you've got the situation of ronald greene, who was killed two years ago, but the video has come out where one thing, and it shows something horrifically different. or the derek chauvin trial for the murder of george floyd. right when we were waiting for the verdict. daunte wright was shot and killed by a brooklyn senator of minnesota, just up the road a bit from the courthouse in minneapolis. again, another unarmed african-american man killed by police. while we have incremenl progress in some areas, we are reminded sometimes daily that the hard work of changing and

whiting away and chiseling away at systemic racism is a tough job, it is a hard job, but it is a task that is necessary and requires persistence. judy: and it keeps happening. i'm sorry, only about 30 seconds. >> i think the big thing that has changed for the good is what you might call the mainstreaming of systemic racism. a lot of people used to think it was a bad person hating african-americans. but we understand as we take a look at the wealth gap between blacks and whites, it is not just about individuals hating, its built into the structure of our society through discrimination, redlining, and the rest. so the president became the first to use the term systemic racism. to me, it is a step forward. it is not about blaming people, it is about recognizing the legacy of the past and how it continues to apply injustices in the present. the mainstreaming of that recognition strikes me at least one step. judy: a conversation we will

continue to have in the days, weeks, and months to come. david brooks and jonathan k part thank you. >> new coronavirus cases continue to drop in the u.s., the immense toll of the virus remains a constant for so many families who lost loved ones during this pandemic. we pause to remember some of their stories. ♪ >> she was a trail blazer dedicated to helping new immigrants and asian americans gain access to resources she never had as a young refugee in the 1970's. known as eileen to family and friends, she fled war in laos to a small town in iowa at the age

of seven. helped to raise her younger siblings while their parents worked long factory hours. and went on to become the first model woma admitted to the minnesota bar association. empowering young asian american women was a special focus of hers. she leaves behind a series of nonprofits and an annual summer festival in st. paul that celebrates asian cultures across minnesota. she was 52. 74-year-old john jack delano harding was a renaissance man, his wife said. he had a passion for the outdoors, art, and theater. a family man, he loved to share his hobbies with his wife, kids, and grandkids. above all else, he was drawn to science and all of its possibilities. he loved discovery and collaboration. he dedicated himself to the field of molecular biology, and

went on to work at the national institute of health in maryland. running the primate research center for almost 18 years. his wife said breaking new ground that could better people's lives is what endeared him to his work. simone parker's favorite place was in the classroom, according to a close family friend. as a high school chemistry teacher, for the past two decades, simone brought inspiration and encouragement to every one of her students, especially those who struggle. after her passing, the school honored her with a painting and a plaque that included her usual saying to her students, "be good, be careful, come back to me tomorrow." she was 46 years old. cole brooks served his small town of no water, oklahoma as a paramedic for the last eight years.

age 60, he was a humble man of faith, a cowboy throh and through. he would help anyone he could, said his wife. the father of two cancer in 2018. then immediately went back to work on his ambulance crew. the fire and emergency medical services department held a processional in his honor after his passing. his family brought him home for the last time. the chamber of commerce later named him hero of the year. growing up in the phoenix suburb of tollison, arizona, it shaped hector's life. he became a hometown hero when in 1960 one, his predominantly hispanic little league a small team won the arizona state championship. he went on to serve in vietnam. after the war, he became a high school art teacher. a sensitive soul, he expressed everything through his art, said

his family. and loves sharing arts healing nature with students. a beloved father and brother, he saw beauty in erything around him, especially within his family. he was 71. 100 years ago monday, a white mom descended on a black neighborhood of tulsa, oklahoma, killing many people and burning homes and businesses. the massacre is being remembered in many ways. one of them, and art and history project. jeffrey brown has our report. >> alack man and white woman enter an elevator. this is created by re: christopher in tulsa, oklahoma in 2021. 100 years ago, just such an

encounter, a black man accused by a white woman of assaulting her in an elevator, a charge never tried or proven, led to one of the worst acts of racial violence in the nation history. an out-of-control white mob killing up to 300 black people and destroying an area called greenwood. a neighborhood so vibrant, it was dubbed black wall street. part of the commemoration, the greenwood art project, co-led by rick loper. >> as i talk to the neighborhood folks, they had such powerful stories they were referencing about this history. many of them through direct family relations. that is what this project is all about, taking those stories and contextualizing them in the way people see the art. >> some of the results can be seen around tulsa already. installations of photos from the past. and one by krystle campbell.

brant miracles -- vibrant murals representing the community. a collage in the black wall street liquid lounge. a van being filled with art taking videos urged -- visitors around the neighborhood. >> we are in greenwood, more of the business district. more doctors, lawyers. >> those riding along will see the work of professional artists, but also that of community members getting a chance to have their voices heard. >> i come from a long line of survivors and a long line of people that make their way out of no way. that is what my grandmother used to say. >> the film rebuilding black wall street was created from her father's old home movies and photographs. it is partly an homage to a man who loved his community, a businessman who captured it with his camera's. >> i remember as a child opening up a closet door, and the

cameras were falling out, because every time a new one would come on the market, he would get it. their biggest back-and-forth was about him spending money on equipment. >> it is also a tribute to resilience and survival. her father was of the generation that helped rebuild the neighborhood after the destruction. >> it was about survival, living the american dream as quietly as you can and not drawing attention to yourself so it would not be taken away. >> what happened in tulsa in 1921 was hidden away for many years after. city officials saw to erase the record. black survivors still living in fear for years after often did not discuss it with their own families. no one was ever held accountable, no compensation paid. there was no offici record until a 2001 oklahoma commission report previewed by news accounts, which is how join the

konta she first learned what happened to her grandmother and others. as part of the greenwood art project captured in this video about him, she is organizing a june 1 century walk to replicate the flight by foot out of the city many took to escape the town. >> century walk is a way to commemorate her by walking a mile in her shoes. it is not a protest, it is not a march, it is just a simple, quiet, memorable walk. we are only doing 5.5 miles. but my grandmother walked over 60 miles. >> alexander toman and debra richards both transplants to tulsa, taking another approach. connecting the past the contemporary black entrepreneurs. they are building large terra-cotta blocks. a nod to the art deco tradition

to enhance today's business spaces. >> the history of greenwood is one of resilience, building, and rebuilding overtime because of what happened. so we thought how could we build a workflow for this project, for tulsa about rebuilding and building in this ceramic history? >> the commemoration of the centennial is upon reflection and looking back. we wanted to be more forward thinking. more aligned with hope for the future. just a progress. it is a part of my giving back, not just consuming, but just contribute in. >> the pakistani born artist who first came to tulsa for an art residency, offers a different kind of connection. >> the shared histories of states sponsored violence, oppression, massacres of communities, and side-by-side,

the pictures look exactly the same. those connections, also personal connections, a history of trauma. >> one event in the greenwood art project was a re-creation of a 1920's so-called striders ball, colete with period dress. and imagined a moment where people realized what was beginning to happen in the streets outside. >> hide your families, hide your valuables. what are you doing? >> today, community members say greenwood faces new challenges around gentrification and economic opportunities. and continuing issues that permeate all of society. greenwood art project lead artist richler. >> whether it is police

brutality, gentrification, economic exclusion, all kinds of racial impacts we need to be talking about. while the george floyd issue kind of woke the nation up, the folks in tulsa have been living with this their entire lives. >> organizers hope the centennial commemoration honors the history, but also inspires action for the future. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. judy: the anniversary coming up on monday and tuesday. separately, we are excited to announce a launch of the first podcast from our student reporting labs team on our minds with noah and zion. we will explore the biggest mental health challenges facing teens today. take a listen. subscribe and engage what you hear. you can find on our minds wherever you get your podcasts. that is the newshour for tonight.

thank you, and please stay safe. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ >> consumer cellular. johnson and johnson. bnsf railway. financial services firm raymond james. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems. skoll foundation.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions.

d friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. thiss pbs newshour west, from w eta studios in washington and our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

>> a conversation and a concert this week on "firing line." a conversation and a concert this week on firing line. he played for many more presidents at the lighthouse in honor of president biden's inauguration and played with the world's great orchestras but also for children on