captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sunday, february 20: tensions increase as russia extends military drills along ukraine's border, sparking concerns of an imminent invasion; and a vibrant tribute and museum highlighting the efforts of women of the black panther party movement. next on “pbs newshour weekend.” >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter foundati.

koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zuckerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group: retirement services and investments. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no contract wireless plans designed to help people do more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thank you for joining us. ukraine asked for a ceasefire,

russia extended military exercises in belarus, and president joe biden held a national security council meeting at the white house today as tensions between russia, ukraine and nato-nations remained high. in belarus, the defense ministry said joint military exercises with russian troops, originally planned to end today, will continue. the drills are taking place near ukraine's northern border, about a three hour drive from the country's capital, kyiv. nato estimates there are now 30,000 russian troops in berus. intelligence officials in the u.s. and nato countries say as many as 150,000 russian troops, along with warplanes and equipment, are now positioned near ukraine's borders on three sides. in eastern ukrne, fighting-- which began in 2014-- is continuing between ukrainian soldiers and russia-backed separatists. today a russian news agency released video showing what it claimed was shelling in the middle of the night in the rebel controlled region. separatists have evacuated thousands of women and children,

but ukraine denies it plans any attacks and its military troops are reportedly withholding fire. in germany, before leaving the annual munich security conference this morning, vice president kamala harris warned that war could disrupt the 70 years of peace and security in europe that have followed world war two. >> listen guys, we're talking about the potential for war in europe. i mean, let's really take a moment to understand the significance of what we're talking about. >> sreenivasan: at the white house, president biden scheduled a meeting of his national security council to discuss the crisis, and this morning secretary of state antony blinken said the president is willing to speak with russian president vladimir putin again. french president emmanuel macron's office said macron spoke with putin by phone today and agreed on “the need to prioritize a diplomatic solution to the current crisis” and to secure a cease-fire in eastern ukraine in the coming hours. in ukraine's capital kyiv, ceremonies today marked the

eighth anniversary of deadly protests that led to the end of the country's former pro-russian government. npr correspondent frank langfitt is in kyiv and he joined us earlier this afternoon from independence square for more on the situation in ukraine and concerns about russia's military preparations. frank, a lot of us have been watching videos of tanks moving closer to the border with ukraine. what are the people that you're speaking to today, what are they thinking about this? >> reporter: yeah, i'm here today, hari, at the memorial service, actually, for people who died eight years ago who were actually fighting, being pulled closer to russia by the government at the time, and i'm noticing a change in conversation, and people seem a lot more worried today than they did just two days ago. and, you know, a lot of people say they don't see the possibility of war, they can't imagine a big invasion, but more and more people i'm speaking to today were telling me very soberly, we think there will be war, and that's a change from

the way people have been speaking earlier in the week. >> sreenivasan: so, in practical terms, what are these people do in terms of preparation? are they trying to leave the country or go someplace else? >> reporter: yeah, i talked to one woman today who said, you know, she came here a lot, she used to bring her child here. she has a four-year-old boy. she would bring her here to this memorial every year to teach about the history of ukraine and its sense of independence. and she said, "my son is now with my husband is lviv," which is in the far west of ukraine. so, they've evacuated. and she's here on her own, still working, she's aournalist. and other people though, i've got to tell you, it's not like people are running away. i think the same, sort of, little grocery store across the street from my hotel and they are still, you know, all the food is still stocked there. but i do sense a change in the mood as this is going on and on. and certainly, as we've heard from the united states,

president biden, what he thinks is going to happen. >> sreenivasan: what is the view of the people on the street that you're speaking with, at least in one city about the united states and the role that nato in the united states can play in this? >> reporter: yeah, i've heard, sort of, two different things today hari. one woman said, "i want to thank the united states for providing weapons and providing support." at the same time, i've heard people say, "wouldn't it be nice to be in nato now so that we wouldn't be threatened by russia?" people here are sophisticated. they understand that ukraine does not meet the membership standards for nato, and partly cause of corruption, things like that, and probably won't for quite a long time. but there is some frustration. this is a democratic country. it's a flawed democracy, but a vibrant-- kyiv, is a very vibrant city with a great sense of civil society and it's a frustration. i think here that they can't be more a part of europe, which i what the majority of people here would want. they feel much closer to europe, frankly, than they do to moscow and their years as a former part

of the soviet union. >> sreenivasan: frank, one of the concerns that people have had is that there could be enough disturbance inside of ukraine, that that could give russia the sort of pretext for an invasion. >> reporter: yeah, that's what many people think. in fact, i think the approach here is, here in kyiv, is they tell westerners, particularly journalists, to look very closely for some kind of false flag operations. we've seen out in the donbass an attack on a natural gas line and accusations of shelling from the ukrainian side. the ukrainian military is saying that they're telling their soldiers not to fire back, to not provoke the russians to find a pretext. at the moment, there is not any pretext for invasion, but many people think that at some point the russians will come up with something that they will say that they can use to justify to come in here, and that's the great fear. >> sreenivasan: npr's frank langfitt joining us from kyiv tonight. thanks so much. >> reporter: good to talk, hari. >> sreenivasan: britain's queen elizabeth tested positive for covid-19 toda

buckingham palace officials said the 95-year-old monarch is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms. the queen celebrated 70 years on the throne earlier this month and has received three doses of a covid vaccine. she is expected to remain at windsor castle and continue what palace officials called “light duties” during the coming week. in china, the 2022 beijing olympics came to a close today with a spectacular show and no official mention of covid or controversies. fireworks lit up the night sky over beijing's stadium as performers put on a show and athletes gathered inside. the closing ceremony, like all five time medal winner after checking silver and brns medals in these games, more than any other black athletes in winter olympic history. the 2026 games will be held in milan in italy and the next summer games in paris in 24. for more national and

international news, visit pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: the historically black, west oakland neighborhood, in oakland, california, was once a thriving cultural hub with a bustling music scene. it was also the birthplace of the black panther party. th neighborhood has since changed, but a small museum is honoring the history and efforts of an overlooked but impactful group: the women of the black panther party. newshour weekend's ivette feliciano has more. >> reporter: during the tech boom of the past 20 years, it is no secret that bay area cities are home to some of the fastest tes of gentrification in america, and the historically african american neighborhood of west oakland, just across the water from downtown san francisco, is no exception. since 1980, the black population has been cut in half, down to less than 25% of the current residents, a fact not lost on longtime resident jilchristina vest. >> i know that something really important to me from the beginning is to try to maintain

the community, maintain that this is a black neighborhood, it is a historically black neighborhood. and i love living in and amongst elders, and i love living amongst children, i love living next to an elementary school. it's still beautiful west oakland to me. >> reporter: at the height of the pandemic, vest felt that she needed to create something positive for her west oakland community. >> i realized i was walking downtown oakland, and all these gorgeous murals went up, it was block after block of dead black bodies. and i said, you know, we can't just memorialize what's being done to us. we have to pause and create monuments depicting what it looks like when we do for ourselves. and the black panther party were professionals at that. >> reporter: the black panther party was founded in oakland in 1966, just blocks from vest's home.

co-founder huey p. newton has a mural, a statue, and even vest's own street has been renamed after him. it's easy to find monuments to the men of this national organization that advocated for the self-defense of african americans. so, vest decided it was time for a monument to the women of the black panther party. >> you know, we have 70% of the panthers were women, average age was 18, 19 years old. i realized that if 70% of the panthers are women, what are their names? who are they? and are they still with us? >> reporter: to answer this question, vest sought the guidance of notable black panthers like ericka huggins and cheryl dawson. with a team of artists led by rachel wolf goldsmith, they designed a mural to commemorate the spirit of these women. the 2,000 square foot project was funded with local grants, as

well as hundreds of online donations from sportive neighbors and community members. >> i wanted to create something for this community, for these girls that walk by my house, and see themselves represented in a fierce way. and anytime that happens it automatically has you stand taller, and it has you fortified in a way that can't come from anything else. >> reporter: the images are based on the photographsf black panther photographer stephen shames. his subjects were often anonymous, but their identities are now coming to light. >> they were the bones of the organization, and they were the leaders, and they were the rank and file. they played every role that the man played as well, but they were never acknowledged, they were never named. >> reporter: vest came up with a plan to change that. with the help of the community, and former panthers like dawson and huggins, vest has collected

the names of hundreds of women who were members of the black panthers, and she has added them to the mural. and more nes are still being submitted through social media and the website westoaklandmuralproject.org >> where's your name- >> there's-- no-- here it is, right here. is right here. let me just say this to you out loud, that something holy used you to do this, because you raised us from the dead, you understand resurrected us. ( laughter ) >> to be acknowledged. >> because how foreign is that concept? >> i just lo how people can stop by, and this is what you said you wanted. >> oh, i'm sure. >> you know, to see yourself. >> for me, i see that, i see those beautiful brown faces, i see me. no, i see me because i remember what i looked like and what i

felt like when i did the work. i see myself. >> reporter: since its completion last summer, there has en a constant stream of visitors to the mural. vest wondered what she could do next. >> somebody walked by one day, and they could see that the window was empty, and they sai“" wait, is there a museum down there?” and i was like, “there's not yet.” ( laughs ) >> reporter: when her downstairs tenants moved out, vest partnered wi artist lisbet tellefson, to turn the one- bedroom unit into a museum honoring the women of the black panther party. >> so, we can figure out, when they're all up, how you want to walk through the spac >> this is absolutely insane. i can't believe how beautiful this is. this is exactly what this space is for. >> a this is an introduction. >> reporter: you won't see many rifles, berets, or militant imagery, soften associated with the panthers, but you will

learn about their vast community projects-- almost all powered by the labor of women. >> and this one, i love. >> reporter: for vest, input from former black panthers, like huggins, was essential-- and validating. >> she's the longest standing member of the panther party, she's an amazing leader, and i wanted to make sure that what i was feeling in my heart, was something that would resonate with her. >> reporter: after the completion of the project, huggins met up with dawson to check out oakland's newest museum. >> oh, my god. they're the grandmothers, you know, and we had to get their approval to go forward. >> that's right. and they told us how to be while we were out there. >> that's right. >> and they looked at us just like they're looking at us here. >> like, are you for real? you know, let's see what you're going to do.

>> or they would say to us,“ sugar, did you eat anything today?” >> yeah, or, “are you sure you're going to be aight out there?”“ yes, ma'am, i'm going to be alright.” okay, and they would look at each other like, alright, if she says so. and so, now it resonates because, who's the grandmother now? >> we are. >> we are. >> well, we might not have even thought we'd live until now. >> no, we didn't. no, we did not. how could we, when the f.b.i. was chasing us from morning ¡til night, you know? >> reporter: alongside artifacts of the panther's broader political and cultural impact, the museum highlights their many local projects they implemented, like children's free breakfast programs, voter registration drives, medical and dental services, a free ambulance program, and elder assistance. >> i love this one. somebody walked into the office in oakland and said, “can you children get me to the bank, and

the grocery, and the doctor?” this man here was probably one of the people who took her shopping. look, she has her litt notebook. one of the women i will point out to you, arlene called me and said, “they probably live alone most of ¡em, they don't have their sons and daughters around anymore.” >> they didn't. >> we need to add to this program, visiting them regularly. and so we did. >> reporter: the museum opened to the public on juneteenth last year, and people lined up to get in. >> in line over here, up the stairs, up the stairs. >> reporter: it's no surprise to vest that a museum about the community has become a gathering place, even with social distancing. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it's shown that it's a community project, and it's for the community, and for these

women, many of whom lived in this community. and the fact that it was going to bring me joy, it has absolutely brought so many other people joy. i feel like the house is asking to be seen, like black women are asking to be seen. and this is a space that is going to allow that. >> sreenivasan: when bill pinkney sailed solo around the world via the capes almost 30 years ago, he became the first african american to do so. one goal, he said, was to inspire and educate children. last year, he was honored for those efforts, and more, with a lifetime achievement award from the national sailing hall of fame. special correspondent mike cerre has the story. >> reporter: newport, rhode island's, world class sailing, stately seaside mansions, prestigious yacht clubs, and bill pinkney's historic induction into its national

sailing hall of fame. a world away from where he grew up on chicago's south side. >> i'm the first person of african descent to be a part of this, to be recognized for my efforts as a sailor, not as an african-american, but as a sailor. >> reporter: the sea doesn't care what your economic status is, your religion, your nationality, your sex. it doesn't care what you think. it cares one thing: i am the sea. >> reporter: bill pinkney chronicled his historic solo sail around the world, the first african-american to do it the hard way aund the great southern capes, in his 1992 video diary and documentar >> it's been very, very rough. for seven days i've had nothing but bad weather. the boat's been knocked on its side a couple of times. >> reporter: pinkney had been knocked down before while growing up on public assistance

on chicago's south side. >> the fact that i was black meant that statistically before i was 21, i would be either killed from a crime of violence, on drugs, or incarcerated. now, i never believe the statistics. >> reporter: at 86he's retired in puerto rico, where he first learned how to sail small cargo skiffs while stationed here with the navy in the '50s. >> i was a terrible student, but i read this book entitled "call it courage," about a young man who was an outcast with people on his island in polynesia. i held that as my dream for a great adventure in my life. >> reporter: after a successful career as a cosmetics executive, bill pinkney decided to sail around the world in 1990 while in his mid-50s as a legacy for his grandchildren, and to teach inner city students back at his former elementary school how far

they could go with a basic education and by ming a commitment, like he named his boat donated by other sailors and businessmen. the lesson plans he created with chicago educators eventually connected his voyage with nearly 30,000 students throughout the country. now a member of the prestigious new york yacht club, he thinks sailing often gets a bad rap for being confused with yachting as an elitist recreation exclusive to those with more privileged backgrounds than his. >> but i'm very proud that i am a member of that ethnic group who has been part of the sea all along the african coast, all along the coast of the united states, cause the first people and the watermen in this country were slaves. >> reporter: absalom boston, the first african-american captain of a nantucket whaling ship in

1822, is on the sailing hall of fame's nomination list, like bill pinkney was the past 12 years prior to his induction in 2021. >> i don't believe that my entry into the hall of fame had anything to do with the times that we live in, or black lives matter. i think it had to do more with my ability, what my story is, my history, what my achievements have been. just me. no cat, no dog. no birds. no nothing. >> reporter: solo sailing might be bill pinkney's claim to fame, but sharing his adventures and passion for sailing as a metaphor for life has also been his longstanding obsession. prior to joining the sail newport sailing program, most of these fourth graders from newport's public schools had never been on the water before, like bill pinkney never had while atnding chicago public schools. >> i probably learned more at sea than i ever learned in school or anyplace else.

when they're out there, they've got that tiller in their hand and they learn about control, self-control, they learn about teamwork, they learn about all of the basics that one needs in life to be successful. >> reporter: i'm sure no doubt throughout your life there were obstacles, social obstacles that you had to confront, either go around or get over somehow. did you find that in sailing as well? >> in the actual sailing? no, i didn't find that at all in saing. like i said fore, it's a great equalizer. >> reporter: a bit older than your typical male model in the ralph lauren polo ads for nautical and club attire, bill pinkney still wears a 40 regular right off the rack, and was a perfect fit for a "rl magazine" feature story on his hall of fame induction. there's one other thing that you wear that probably nobody else does wear in this club, the jewelry. >> ah, the jewelry. this little piece of gold right

here, that was tough to get. i had to sail around t world to get it. >> reporter: and what'the symbolism of that? >> well, it's an old sailing tradition that when a sailor rounded cape horn, he put a sail maker's needle through his ear and put a piece of gold in it to signify that he had rounded cape horn. if you look at a painting of absolom boston, you'll notice he has earrings in both ears. that means he's double the horn. east to west, west to east. >> reporter: joined by family, friends, sponsors, and fellow sailors, captain bill pinkney was inducted into the national sailing hall of fame and also received its lifetime achievement award for advancing sailing to a much broader community of american life. >> the united states, by its very population, is diverse. what wneed to do now is to

embrace our diversity. thank you all for this. ( applause ) >> sreenivasan: that's all for this edition of pbs newshour weeked. for the last news updates, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. i'm hari sreenivasan. thanks for watching. stay healthy, d have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh acss.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind p. walter foundation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities.

barbara hope zuckerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make theost of today. mutual of america financial group: retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by: consumer cellular. and by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching

announcer: this program was made possible in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ (choir vocalizing) benise: join me on this journey of hope as i celebrate the people, the places, and the cultures that have inspired me. music and dance, universal languages that can help us unite. and as we gaze upon the stars, we may feel lost. but as long as we hold hope in our hearts, we are never alone. ♪ ♪