tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. a conversation about the continuing crisis in ukraine. vice president joe biden arrived kiev. hindering this is the violence that broke out over the weekend. then we will turn to a conversation with daniel beaty. he has just published a new tome . the -- he will perform in los angeles with a new way that he wrote. late rubeno the hurricane carter. we are glad you have joined us.

♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: joe biden arrived in kiev

earlier today. shootout in eastern ukraine left several people dead. back with us to discuss the latest developments is robert english. dr. english, good to have you back. i wish under different circumstances. fallour hopes rise and when you heard about this fragile peace? or did you not buy it from the beginning? >> my hopes rose and they are still up there. i do not think this spasm of violence is the end of the process. what joe biden says to the ukrainian government right now and back channel negotiations have good potential for diffusing things. tavis: what do you think joe biden will say? >> publicly, he has to be tough,

to provide moral support to the ukrainian government. ivy league, he needs to tell them the process of -- privately, he needs to tell them the process takes greater account of the rights of these autonomous regions, it has to go forward. state. is a unitary most people will be surprised to know that governors are not elected locally. they are appointed from the center. tax policy, cultural policies, language, police things, all of those are determined at the center. they have to extend this all of branch and offer meaningful autonomy to their russian or ethnic russian speaking citizens in the eastern regions. , is thate distinction

duplicity or is that diplomacy? >> it gets tougher every year. domestic politics intrudes more and more on foreign affairs. presidents time when had a free hand and they could rely on broad support at home in the congress. partisanship stopped at the water's edge. .t is not that way anymore because of our own lyrical system and because of the 24 hour -- our own political system and because of the 24-hour news cycle and social media. ability, what power does the president really have to make a difference and this particular crisis? >> he is still the leader. congress provides the money to

implement it, but the president can engage in all kinds of negotiations without waiting for congress. congress pursestrings comes in the control. thes: congress is not entity that is being lambasted at the moment. the right suggest the president ought to be tougher, he ought to be this and that. at what power get he really does have to directly impact the situation. >> it depends on the situation. in this instance, i would propose the following. he can break the deadlock and change the terms dramatically with a little luck and a lot of vision. if em joe biden work out the framework for this major step -- if he and joe biden work out

this framework for this major step towards a new constitution that would be a federal state and he promotes it and gets the ukrainians on board and presents to the russian dominated east, it will be hard for it not to succeed. it will be almost impossible for them to turn down. if, thanks to president obama, they've gotten what they have been asking for. tavis: there are those who believe that is a lot easier said than done. they are witnessing a shadow war being waged inside the country. yet. has not won it the best evidence and the best journalist on the scene reporting is that even in the eastern city at the center of

this move to break away from the ukrainian state and join with russia, even there, not much over a third of the people who think they want to go that way. there is a significant minority who do not want to do that and the broad mass are unpersuaded in the middle. -- even thesee shadow forces, they have not won yet. my fear is that time is running out because the situation could go on for a little while longer. -- as soon asious serious blood is spilled, we will take sides. most ukrainians have not picked sides and most will say, what is this all about? my cousin is ukrainian, my

wife's brother, my aunt, one of my grandfathers. why can we keep this together and remain like others and sisters? once the shooting starts in a big way between extremists on both sides hitting civilians and becomes soople, it polarized that you reach a point of no return. tavis: do you think that notion of mass bloodshed is inevitable? >> i still retain hope. it reminds me the situation of the game of chicken, brinksmanship. we are saying publicly to vladimir putin, you have to back down first. you have to get these people to disarm. if you don't, we will ratchet up the sanctions. we are offering no concessions.

it is all sticks and no carrots. vladimir putin says i will not take the move until you create a new ukrainian government and until you take steps to guarantee their rights. careful no reason with diplomacy that we cannot compromise and each start -- each side start moving to get what it wants. >> i know these are apples and oranges, but i hope you will give me 30 seconds to set up why i am phrasing this question this way. years, itery four tickles me that we could have a two year campaign for the white house and a week or two out from election day, there are still undecided voters. they have been campaigning for two years.

ukraine.me back to at least our elections would undecided voters are not about life-and-death. this is a life-and-death matter in ukraine and you are talking about this big mass in the middle of people who are undecided. how can you be undecided as ukrainian? >> to continue your analogy, they do not like either candidate. they think both candidates stink. if there was a moderate, they would not be undecided. tavis: this is about your country and the future of your country and how the country will be governed. i do not want to reduce it to a choice of one or two candidates. >> that was my analogy for the program offered by the western ukrainians and this interim revolutionary government is for rapid movement.

fairly hard-line unitary policies. the program offered the direction that vladimir putin and his people offer is rejoined the soviet union, not literally, but it scares people that is what it would lead to. they do not want either of those. reasonably. here, the people are smarter than the politicians. they have an innate sense that there is common ground if the two sides would moderate their positions. tavis: i am not naïve. that joesuspect biden's presence is going to magically turn this around, but what would -- how would you define joe biden strip as a success -- joe biden's trip as a success?

successful just by he is going there? >> that is important to continue to show support for the country and its integrity. success will be very simple. if there is not a near-term escalation of violence. if whatever discussions are underway lead to prolonging this dangerously short, but still existing space we have for diplomacy. i cannot know this and will only learn the details in six months or a year, what is the scenes, he said, we will support your reforms, we will tide you through this bankruptcy you were facing. in return, it is time for you to disarm your own right-wing groups right away and it is time to start charting a practical path towards federalization.

you have delayed too long and it is adding to the anger on the russian and the pro-russian side. tavis: robert english on the developments that seem to be changing by the minute in ukraine. good to have you back on the program. coming up, daniel beaty. stay with us. ♪ finding strength in a turbulent child heard -- childhood forms the base, it chronicles how we found inspiration in the difficult circumstances that might undermine so many others lives. it listen to create a new play called "the tallest tree in the forest." from hisform a piece

"transforming pain to power." >> ♪ old man river ♪ on rolling along ♪ tavis: i certainly get it. i think he is one of the most unappreciated amah undervalued -- unappreciated, undervalued. >> he epitomizes the artist activist. think it is really important to highlight the story of

artists who really did take a stand. tavis: he is the ultimate renaissance man. run through some of the things they will learn about him in the play. >> i call him a black superhero. it does not even sound real when you tell the story. he was born the son of a slave in 1898. he was the third negro ever to graduate from rutgers university . he went on to columbia law school. after that, he got into singing and did not stop there. he made hollywood films. what was really amazing about him was that he had such a huge platform any use that platform to talk about issues he felt were urgent, ranging from the plight of black people to the plight of workers all over the world. tavis: and he played -- he paid

a hellish price for it. >> there is a line, no more singing pretty songs. i will use my voice for workers and my negro people. tavis: what is happening? set the stage. what causes such a pushback on r obeson? >> he understood the link the between race and class. when he went to truman and truman was not willing to do anti-lynching legislation, he went to the street and the unions and he got poor folks of all races to unite together. that is when he became really dangerous. it got to the point during the era --he was all of a

sudden deemed un-american. it took a toll on his mind and his heart and he was depressed. as the play starts, his wife has brought in a stock of cotton to remind him of where he came from and to give him some strength as he goes before the house un-american activities committee . how will they decide if i am un-american? that leads him on a journey through his life. tavis: how does america, how do we pay the debt that we owe to paul robeson? that we doing justice to him when we treated him so horribly. >> it begins with people knowing

the story. to me, i was really upset when i first found out. i was listening to cds of spirituals and i said, who is this man with this incredible voice? never had i heard about him and school. -- in school. it starts with telling the story. in attainment is the greatest -- entertainment is the greatest socializing force in the world. i am doing what i can, but i would love to see a miniseries done about him. tavis: i get to indiana university is the first time i hear the name. angeles and i los feel very fortunate and blessed that in my lifetime, i've got to be friends with harry belafonte and sidney fortier. you can talk to him more than

five minutes without hearing about paul robeson. both of them sat at the feet of paul robeson and they will tell you they are not who they are without him. >> i speak about an experience in my book. urgot to take a private to h .ith him at the exhibit i stand on the shoulders of harry belafonte and ossie davis and paul robeson. i am honored to be able to have experiences with people like that and when they talk about their giants, that is when you know this is somebody we have to pay attention to. tavis: what is the message you want to get through? >> my father was a heroin addict

and a heroin dealer. he has been in and out of prison 59 times during the course of my life. i had a lot of images of who i could be in the world. our deepest pain is that path to our highest purpose. it can be a platform to real contribution. it is part my story and it is part a roadmap. the short answer for how you navigated through all of that to become the artistic performer that you are today? >> i believe personal healing is the path to social transformation. becomes, what about my story, what about my experience gives me something to give to other people? tavis: is going took, he perform for us a piece called

"run, lack man, run -- black man, run." >> sometimes late at night when these projects get quiet, i come upstairs to the roof of the building be and i talked to my mind and try to be bigger than my fears. i have been told every action begins with a thought and if you don't watch what you're thinking, your thoughts will get the best of you. it is like the mind is an untrained child you have to teach what to do. sometimes my mind tells me, you will never be enough. why even try? you know it is going to be tough, look at where you live, broken hopes, broken dreams. you scream the silent scream of a child without a father as a guide. there is no daddy by your side. you fill that space with rage, a rage that keeps you caged and a

cycle that never ends. you ain't going to be no better than the man who fathered you. your daddy left, so you will, too. the sense of the father will visit the sun. when life it's tough, the abandoned run. trying to choke out any type of hope or possibility and that is why i stand here on the roof of building b and talk back to my mind. i have heard enough and i know my path is rough. she gave me a lot and i have a mentor and he helps make it through. say what you want, but there is nothing i can't do. i do find my destiny. i will father myself and my children will see a black man stay. this cycle can and and it all depends on where we go from here. when life gets tough, the

abandoned run. i say, ron, black man, ron. run to your children, be more than you think you can. he a man and take a stand. -- be a man and take a stand. man, roun.an -- black [applause] is daniel beaty , now performing in l.a.. his latest text is called transforming pain to power. in, theyou just tuned pc just performed was "run, black man, run." as we close tonight, a

remembrance of another man who never stop fighting for justice. hurricane carter died this weekend at the age of 76. >> how do they navigate forward without being bitter? >> with great difficulty because prison is bitterness, prison is violent, prison is hatred, humiliation, degradation. prison is all of those things and those things are imposed upon us. no matter who you are or what you are in prison for am a whether you are innocent or guilty, it makes no difference. everybody is affected by a prison. prison is the lowest level of human existence that a human being can exist on without being dead. that is what prison is. tavis: that is our show for tonight.

thank you for watching. as always, keep the faith. >> i am happy to congratulate you on the star on the hollywood walk of fame. i am proud of you. >> you are getting your star on the walk of fame. finally, people walk all over you. >> i've just been told that you will get your very own star on the hollywood walk of fame. i could not be less excited about this. it will be -- it will give me an opportunity to walk all over you. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time with a conversation with joseph stiglitz and after that, ian somerhalder. ♪

♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ >> be more. pbs.

hello. welcome to this is us. i'm rebecca king read. we're on the campus for guide dogs for the blind. these little guys are full of fun. one day they'll learn to be guide dogs and make a big difference in someone's life. today you'll see they're trained, how they impact lives and how this great organization got started. we'll also profile two extraordinary local women, noted doctor sylvia earl, the former chief scientist for noa spent so much time on the ocean floor, and amy chow, a gymnast and member of the magnificent 7, the first american team to win an olympic