annenberg media ♪ narrador: bienvenidos al episodio 23 de destinos: an introduction to spanish. en este episodio, angela necesita hablar con su jefa. necesita pedirle permiso para ir a méxico. angela me dice que quiere ir a méxico para conocer a unos familiares. efectivamente. debemos salir lo antes posible. también vamos a conocer a otro personaje importante: el novio de angela.

te extrañé mucho. también en este episodio vamos a aprender algo del vocabulario relacionado con las casas y los apartamentos. aquí está la sala. ¿y la cocina? ya te la enseño. es muy moderna. este apartamento viene con tres baños: éste otro baño allá, y otro baño allá. también vamos a aprender algo sobre la comunidad puertorriqueña en los estados unidos. arturo: iraquel! esperaba que me llamaras. ¿qué tal? cómo estás?

tengo malas noticias. captioning of this program is made possible by the annenberg/cpb project and the geraldine r. dodge foundation. en ruta a san germán, el carro de angela se descompone y raquel, angela y laura pasan la noche en ponce una ciudad en el sur de puerto rico. al día siguiente llegan a san germán. carmen: en el nombre del padre del hijo y del espíritu santo. amén. en la casa de la abuela, conversan sobre el pasado

mientras toman café. la abuela les dice que deben revisar las cosas personales de angel. allí encuentran algo muy especial. al final de su estadía en san germán la abuela le da a angela un objeto de su padre de mucho valor sentimental. angela: es una copa. una copa de bodas. rosario brindó con esta copa. ahora, te pertenece a ti. está dormida. sí. no me has hablado mucho de arturo. ¿es simpático? simpatiquísimo. la historia de angel lo afectó profundamente.

viene pronto a puerto rico para conocerte. pero, nosotras vamos a méxico. pues, arturo también tendrá que ir a méxico. tú y tu hermano son su única familia. ¿cómo es mi tío, el hermano de mi padre? ¿te gustó? ¿arturo? sí, me gustó mucho. es encantador. y muy guapo. ¿sí? sí. me enseñó a bailar... el tango. ay, el tango... lo pasé tan bien en buenos aires. yo sé que recién nos conocimos pero creo que arturo te gusta

más de lo que quieres admitir. iya llegamos! te recojo a las nueve. dale las buenas noches a laura. buenas noches, raquel. buenas noches, laura. que duermas bien. gracias. hola. habla raquel. iraquel! esperaba que me llamaras. ¿qué tal? cómo estás? bien. tengo malas noticias.

angel ya... ¿cuándo? hace unos meses. era un artista muy conocido en puerto rico. y estaba casado. ¿has hablado con su esposa? no. ella murió hace unos años. ( suspira ) angel murió solo, entonces. no. sus hijos estaban con él. ¿sus hijos? raquel... sí. angel tenía dos hijos. su hija angela es una mujer atractiva y simpática. angela... he pasado dos días con ella. te va a gustar. ¿y el otro hijo?

todavía no lo conozco. se llama roberto y estudia en méxico. qué coincidencia, ¿no? angela y yo vamos a méxico a encontrarlo. ¿puedes reunirte con nosotros en méxico? sí, claro, claro. ¿cuándo es el viaje? no sé todavía, pero pronto. te llamo en cuanto lo sepa. ¿mañana? sí, mañana. mañana hago los preparativos para ir a méxico. perfecto. te van a gustar tus sobrinos. los vas a querer. ¿como yo te quiero a ti? arturo... está bien, está bien. no voy a decir más. hasta mañana, entonces. buenas noches, arturo. buenas noches.

al día siguiente, angela y raquel van al banco donde trabaja angela. adelante. siéntense, por favor. mi nombre es isabel santiago. raquel rodríguez. mucho gusto. angela me dice que quiere ir a méxico para conocer a unos familiares. efectivamente. debemos salir lo antes posible. la señora santiago ya sabe que mi abuelo, don fernando, está muy enfermo. si necesitas ayuda... gracias. pero necesito que regreses en dos semanas. no se preocupe. regreso en dos semanas. imucha suerte en tu viaje! y mucho gusto haberla conocido. igualmente. y gracias por darle a angela la oportunidad de visitar a su abuelo. gracias. raquel: con permiso.

raquel, ¿puedes ir conmigo a la universidad? quiero que conozcas a jorge, mi novio. acaba de llegar de nueva york. ¿jorge trabaja en la universidad? si, él es profesor de teatro. ¿y qué hacía en nueva york? estaba trabajando en una película. ¿de verdad? sí. jorge trabaja a menudo en nueva york. pasa mucho tiempo allá. angela dice que su novio pasa mucho tiempo en nueva york pero muchos puertorriqueños no sólo trabajan en nueva york sino que también viven allí. mujer: mi nombre es elsa pérez.

vivo en nueva york. trabajo para una compañía financiera en el área de economía internacional con clientes internacionales con especialidad en latinoamérica. como los puertorriqueños son ciudadanos de los estados unidos no tienen restricciones para ir de san juan a nueva york ni de nueva york a san juan. nick lugo, un dueño de agencia de viajes habla de sus viajes a puerto rico. puerto rico es un sitio donde tengo que viajar con bastante frecuencia. no te puedo decir, este, todos los meses que viajo pero algunas veces, hasta un mes, viajo tres y cuatro veces. y muchos puertorriqueños tienen amigos y familiares en los dos lugares. mi familia vive en puerto rico. mi mamá vive en puerto rico.

tengo una hermana que vive en puerto rico también y es casada y tiene dos niños. abuelos, tíos, primos... mucha familia en puerto rico. pero los puertorriqueños no residen en nueva york solamente. también hay grandes concentraciones de puertorriqueños en nueva jersey y en pennsylvania. el bilinguismo es común en las comunidades puertorriqueñas y no es extraño oír o ver el español y el inglés donde viven. ¿por qué viven tantos puertorriqueños en nueva york y en otros estados? la explicación se encuentra en la situación económica de puerto rico. durante los años cuarenta

muchas personas no podían encontrar trabajo en puerto rico. empezó la inmigración y poco a poco, muchos se fueron de la isla con esperanzas de una vida mejor en los estados unidos. se establecieron en el noreste de este país donde había empleo en la industria y los servicios de la región. además de puertorriqueños en nueva york también se encuentran dominicanos centroamericanos--n fin, mucha gente de habla española. todos contribuyen a la gran variedad cultural de la región. me encanta vivir en nueva york. la cultura en nueva york, tenemos prácticamente todo y también ofrece muchos eventos sociales para gente que hablan español. tenemos cine, teatro, comida hispana muchos vecindarios hispanos

donde siempre hay muchos eventos sociales. es una ciudad muy interesante para cualquier extranjero y también para los nativos de aquí también. angela: hola. ah, tío jaime, ¿cómo estás? angela, tengo a alguien que está muy interesado en comprar la casa. le gustó mucho. ¿el hombre del otro día? el mismo. le impresionó mucho la casa. esta es la habitación. sígame. aquí está la sala. como puede ver, es bastante amplia. y por acá, tenemos el comedor y como ve, el comedor es muy amplio también.

allí está la cocina. y aquí tenemos un balcón con una vista hermosa. luego te llamo y te doy una respuesta. cuídate mucho. iay! iqué situación! itodo va muy rápido! un hombre quiere comprar la casa pero todavía no tengo dónde vivir. ¿y qué vas a hacer? antes de ir a la universidad tendremos que pasar a ver unos apartamentos. ¿tienes alguno seleccionado? sí. déjame enseñarte algo. estos dos son los que más me gustan. este está en un piso 21, con vista al mar. mira. "precioso apartamento, piso 21, sala grande

"comedor, balcón, terraza con vista al mar cocina completa, dos cuartos, tres baños..." este es el apartamento que te interesaba. la sala y el comedor están juntos pero es un espacio muy grande. iqué vista tan hermosa! el balcón es muy grande. ¿y la cocina? ya te la enseño.

es muy moderna. los cuartos son bastante grandes. agente: este apartamento viene con tres baños: éste, otro baño allá, y otro baño allá. me encanta esta vista. angela, hay otras personas interesadas en éste. si te decides tienes que darme el depósito pronto. ¿para reservarlo? sí. a ver, ¿qué me dices, angela?

quiero ver el town house. agente: este es muy bonito. tiene estacionamiento para dos autos y está muy cerca de la playa. la sala y el comedor de éste son más pequeños. pero éste tiene un pequeño patio. vamos a ver la cocina. esta cocina es más grande. la estufa y la nevera son blancas. esta cocina se vería muy bonita en tonos pasteles. a ver, lavaplatos... no tiene.

¿y lavadora y secadora? aquí. bien. vamos a ver los cuartos. están arriba. aquí puedo poner cuadros de mi papá y allí, plantas. iah! qué bien. tiene un abanico. ¿ese es el único baño que hay? mmm. ( suspira ) creo que ya me decidí. ¿cuál te gusta más? los dos tienen estacionamiento. eso es muy importante.

pero el apartamento me gusta más. la vista al mar parece que te convenció. sí, tengo que vivir cerca del mar. el mar... mi inspiración... y mi destino final. blanca... acabo de decidirme. después de ver los apartamentos, angela lleva a raquel a la universidad de puerto rico. allí está su novio.

bien. para el miércoles, tienen que aprender un monólogo de por lo menos dos minutos. que no sea muy dramático. quiero algo simple, sencillo. ¿me entienden? todos: sí. eso es todo por hoy. gracias. ( aplausos ) te extrañé mucho. yo también. ¿pasa algo malo? no. ya te cuento.

quiero presentarte a raquel rodríguez. jorge alonso, mi actor predilecto. mucho gusto. angela me dijo que estuvo en nueva york actuando en una película. sí, estuve por unos días. raquel me ha traído grandes noticias. ¿noticias? son muy buenas pero todo es un poco complicado. ¿por qué no se lo cuentas? bueno, vamos a uno de los bancos de la plaza. nos encontramos frente al teatro en un rato. de acuerdo. vamos. bueno, aquí estoy en la universidad de puerto rico. cuando regresamos de san germán

¿era de mañana, de tarde o de noche? ¿cómo es mi tío el hermano de mi padre? raquel: era de noche. en el hotel, hice una llamada de larga distancia. ¿llamé a méxico para hablar con pedro o llamé a buenos aires para hablar con arturo? llamé a buenos aires para hablar con arturo. ¿estaba arturo en casa o no? hola. habla raquel. raquel: arturo estaba en casa cuando yo lo llamé. ¿cuándo? arturo y yo hablamos un rato, unos minutos, iy qué sorpresa!

arturo me dijo algo que realmente me sorprendió. ¿qué me dijo arturo? ¿como yo te quiero a ti? arturo... raquel: arturo me dijo que... ¿qué voy a hacer? arturo es muy simpático, pero... ¿quiero tener unas relaciones serias e en estos momentos? no sé. ( suspira ) bueno. hoy fui con angela al banco donde trabaja. ¿por qué fuimos?

finalmente, vinimos aquí a la universidad. angela quería ver a una persona aquí, ¿recuerdan? angela quería ver a su novio, jorge. cuando llegamos aquí a la universidad ¿qué hacía jorge? ¿hablaba con un estudiante o daba una clase? bien. raquel: cuando nosotras llegamos, jorge daba una clase. ahora jorge y angela están en frente.

seguramente angela le está enseñando la copa. esa copa debe tener mucho valor sentimental. ¿qué va a decir don fernando cuando la vea por fin? ( coro canta ) ¿qué es esa música? me la entregó mi abuela. mi padre lo conservó por muchos años. ¿dónde la compró? no lo sé. es la copa de bodas de mi abuela, rosario. ella se la dio a mi padre. claro, de padre a hijo. tengo una idea. cuando nos casemos podemos brindar con esta copa. ¿me estás proponiendo matrimonio?

bueno... captioned by the caption center wgbh educational foundation

annenberg media ♪ for information about this and other annenberg media programs call 1-800-learner and visit us at www.learner.org. mujme casé, trabajé, unacrié tres hijos.ena. trabajé mucho y lo planeamos todo. todo menos la degeneración macular de los ojos. me ha robado mi vista y mi independencia.

y esta enfermedad de los ojos será una epidemia para cuando mis hijos alcancen mi edad. llame al 1-800-437-2423 para información gratis de la organización de investigaciones de la degeneración macular. ¿la podría usar, en una oración, por favor?c'. en el evento improbable de que su firma de corretaje cierre, sipc está ahí para protegerlo. sipc. c-i- lo siento, roberto. eso es incorrecto. lisa flores. lisa, tu palabra también es 'sipc'. ¿podría tenerla en otra oración, por favor? los fondos de sipc están disponibles para satisfacer las reclamaciones de los clientes de firmas de corretaje hasta un máximo de $500,000, incluyendo hasta $100,000 por rec 'sipc', eftivo s-i-p-k.

¿no conoce a sipc - securities investor protection corporation? no importa. se lo deletrearemos. visite nos www.sipc.org.

annenberg media ♪ e shall overcome ♪ ♪ we shall overcome ♪ ♪ we shall overcome someday ♪ the promise of social and political equality has a powerful hold on american life. whoever we are, we want to live free from discrimination. we want equality. we call this our civil rights.

i'm renee poussaint. as children, we all learned the words of the declaration of independence. "all men are created equal" with "certain inalienable rights." why men? well, when the country was founded, the only group of americans who had full civil rights were men, white men with property. it wasn't until after the civil war that the 14th amendment was added to the constitution, guaranteeing equal protection of the law to all people in the united states. since then, one group after another has used that tool to fight discrimination,

and for each group, it has been a long and rocky road. the 14th amendment was originally designed to grant equal rights to the newly freed slaves, but it did not end segregation. in fact, segregation was supported by the united states supreme court in 1896 when it ruled that equal protection of the law could be interpreted to mean "separate but equal." no aspect of segregation was more harmful than the separation of black and white children in the public schools, especially in the south. and few americans know how black students in 1951 staged a strike in farmville, virginia, that played a major role in ending school segregation. that case in farmville is the one

that really sets the dynamite to exploding segregation in america's public schools. poussaint: john watson, who experienced segregation firsthand, helped organize the strike led by classmate barbara johns. we had a student body of 450. now, where are you going to put all those students? it was like we were a bunch of cattle or something, because tar-paper shacks. imagine in the summertime. so they were too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. and if it rained anytime, a lot of times it would rain on you. so eventually we simply got tired of it. i should say -- excuse me -- barbara johns got tired of it. my sister, barbara, got on the stage and started to tell us that there was going to be a strike and that we should follow, uh, whatever instructions she gave. and she got up there and started talking.

and i was shocked. by the time we got to that meeting on the 23rd of april 1951, everyone had been motivated to understand what we were up against. number one, we were up against a system that had ignored us completely. the students who were on the committee had traveled, they had seen other schools, other minority schools, that had better facilities than we had. poussaint: barbara johns' leadership at moton high school was believed to be the result of the influence of her uncle, vernon johns, a well-known civil rights activist at the time. woman: we wanted so much here and had so little. and we had, uh, talents and abilities here that weren't really being realized. and i thought that was a tragic shame. and that's basically what motivated me to want to see

some change take place here with the students. poussaint: the students kept their strike going for two weeks and then returned to their segregated school. but the white power structure was angry -- there were repercussions. my sister was sent to montgomery, alabama, to live with my uncle vernon because they were afraid for her life. there had been threats. and i guess that was the only solution they could come up with to ensure her safety. aunt mary called and said, "something bad has happened here. a cross has been burned on the schoolyard." i said, "aunt mary, you're joking." she says, "no." and we get there and it's still smoldering. i mean, um, you know, you could smell the rags and things. it scared me. to see a cross burning on the grounds in that triangle -- and that's where it sits -- was very scary because it brought back memories

of what my father and mother had talked about in regards to the ku klux klan wearing their hoods in the south. poussaint: the student strike in farmville was not in vain. within weeks, the national association for the advancement of colored people, the naacp, made farmville one of five test cases it would use to challenge the entire doctrine of separate but equal in america's public schools. three years later, separate but equal was no longer the law of the land. in may 1954, the u.s. supreme court delivered a unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case brown v. board of education. the court ruled that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. the members of the farmville school board fought back. for five years after the supreme court ruled,

they closed all public schools rather than integrate them. for those who played a role or were present during the strike, the memories are still painful. so those old hurts last a very long time, on both sides. history was made here. we had the best teachers in the world. we did what we did because we wanted to give them the proper building and materials in order to really carry on. well, i think it's hard for blacks who were in school at the time to talk about it because it is so painful. and, uh, we tend to always end up crying when we talk about it. i couldn't go back to farmville for a long period of time. and i could not talk about it until around five years ago. poussaint: the brown decision became the catalyst for the expanding civil rights movement of the 1950s. the movement reached its peak in the mid-sixties

when congress passed sweeping civil rights legislation. non-violent protests and marches, the montgomery bus boycott, student-led sit-ins, and the massive 1963 rally at the lincoln memorial became defining moments in a turbulent era. i have a dream that... poussaint: in the 51 years since the student strike, farmville has become a model for integrated schools. man: i think farmville really sets a tone. and every student should understand what's going on in farmville and what has happened. don't start with today, just taking a snapshot of today. but you have to start with the brown v. the board of education decision and then you have to look at the backlash of that decision. and then study the transition that occurred between 1954 and 2002. the sentiments of a nation can change, the sentiments of a people can change. and how when we pull all of the entities together,

we can get the best results for our children. at america's birth, the founding fathers granted women almost no civil rights. it took until 1920 to win the right to vote and until the 1970s to win overall legal equality. the modern women's movement took its lessons from the civil rights movement that was underway. women, in order to show that discrimination against them was unconstitutional, had to prove that they were treated less favorably for no other reason than that they were born as women. set! poussaint: girls in michigan school sports play to win. they hit, they dive, and they strive to excel. but these female athletes say that too often

they are put at a disadvantage simply because they are girls. we just want equal rights for all of us, not because of our gender but because we are athletes and we have the talent. go, baby, go! go, stef, go, babe, kick it! poussaint: jay eveland is a guidance counselor at east kentwood high in grand rapids, michigan. her daughters are athletes at east kentwood. her friend and colleague diane madsen is a chemistry teacher. her daughters are athletes at northview high. there is a law that already says that this should not be happening. poussaint: the two moms have teamed up to fight what they say is sex discrimination in michigan high school sports. woman: in the state of michigan, the athletic opportunities for females have been positioned behind the athletic opportunities for males. and that in itself is discriminatory and found to be illegal. poussaint: jay and diane say michigan girls get second best

to the boys in almost every aspect of school sports, in the scheduling of seasons, in the assignment of game times, and in the facilities they're given for practice and play. this is bailey's park. this is where they put the girls for the state softball tournament. poussaint: bailey's park is a men's slow-pitch field hastily converted for girls' fast-pitch softball. and this is the battle cat stadium where the boys play. poussaint: battle cat stadium is a minor league baseball facility with all the trimmings. eveland: how would you feel if you were a girl and the guys compete here and you get what's left over, over there? what bothers me the most are the messages that we send to young women about their position, about what we expect of them, and about what we expect them to accept. poussaint: but diane and jay say the girls suffer the most concrete harm from the scheduling of seasons. in most states, girls play sports

in the same seasons as boys. in michigan, girls are forced to play in less desirable or non-traditional seasons. we have basketball, which is played in the fall in michigan, it should be in the winter. we have volleyball, which is played in the winter, it's supposed to be in fall. we have soccer, which is in the spring, it's supposed to be in the fall. so all of these girls' sports were fit around where they could fit them in because the boys were already playing in the advantageous season. poussaint: diane and jay say because the girls' seasons are out of sync with the rest of the country, girls miss crucial opportunities for scholarships, college recruiting, and participation in special club teams that sharpen their skills. i began to feel like a second-class citizen, you know, knowing that i deserve just as much as the guys. and i wasn't getting it, you know, made me angry. poussaint: after lobbying state officials and legislators for five years to change the system and getting nowhere,

diane and jay filed a class action sex discrimination lawsuit against the mhsaa, the michigan high school athletic association, in federal court. announcer: briana eveland, a sophomore gets the kill. poussaint: the mhsaa coordinates school sports across the state of michigan. michigan schools have long argued that separate seasons make maximum use of school resources, like coaching and facilities, and increase opportunities for girls. the plaintiffs in this case say any difference means discrimination. the mhsaa and the law says sometimes differences promote young athletes. poussaint: the moms sued under a 30-year-old federal law known as title ix, an amendment to the u.s. civil rights act of 1964. title ix forbids sex discrimination

in educational programs receiving federal funds, including school athletics. the michigan case is a classic title ix case because it involves different and discriminatory treatment for girls but not for boys. poussaint: girls and young women have been participating in school sports since the turn of the 20th century. but only after the passage of title ix in 1972 at the peak of the women's rights movement did girls' participation in school sports begin to soar. and as a child i was involved in many different sports. and luckily i had the opportunity to take a basketball scholarship to the university of north carolina. and that wouldn't have been possible without title ix. poussaint: but participation did not necessarily mean equality. and in the three decades since title ix's passage, young women and girls have had to fight in the courts

for equal treatment in school sports. well, there weren't enough teams and there weren't enough coaches. and if there was a coach, there wasn't an assistant coach. and the facilities were extremely poor. poussaint: it was diane who first noticed the difference in girls' and boys' sports programs when she brought her youngest daughter, kelsey, to a girls' basketball game. madsen: so she said to me, "mom, where are the cheerleaders, where's the wildcat?" the wildcat is the northview mascot. and i said, "they don't do that for girls." and then she said, "well, then i'm going to have to be good enough to be on the boys' team." it made me sense that she was thinking she was something less because she was a girl. poussaint: the moms sued on a wide range of issues, including scheduling of seasons and unequal facilities. before the michigan lawsuit actually went to trial, the mhsaa settled on the question of facilities and agreed, among other things,

to renovate bailey's park for girls' championship softball games. but the mhsaa wouldn't budge on the scheduling of seasons. all the surveys are consistent -- overwhelming majorities of schools and girls have said that it's best to leave the seasons where they are. poussaint: but what is popular is not always legal. in 2001, three years after jay and diane filed their lawsuit, it was an upset victory for the plaintiffs. tim, today's decision will mean big changes for both the students who play the sports and the schools who have to implement these changes. poussaint: federal judge richard enslen ruled that the scheduling of seasons did hinder girls' advancement in sports and was discriminatory. he gave the mhsaa six months to come up with a more equitable schedule. the mhsaa is appealing its case to a higher court.

meanwhile, the issue is far from settled in the court of public opinion. in theory, the ruling was made to help promote girls' sports in michigan, but that is not the feeling of the athletes we talked to at... poussaint: ever since the lawsuit was filed, diane and jay have been relentlessly criticized in the media and in the community. eveland: no one wants this kind of attention. the rejection, being called media whores, being called title ix commandos, being called, you know, attention-seeking crazy people, being called feminist nazis. the current situation is illegal so it has to be changed, regardless... poussaint: jay and diane have learned an important civics lesson -- changing the system takes time and takes a personal toll. eveland: i think another piece of our reliance is going into gyms or to games, getting into these events and looking at little girls and looking at who we're fighting for

and the outcome for them. poussaint: and while the michigan moms steel themselves for a longer struggle, their daughters keep reaching for the sky. [ cheers and applause ] each new group that fights for equality expands the definition of what constitutes discrimination in american society. and for each group it takes years of mass organization, protest, political lobbying, and legal challenges to win new laws and the power to enforce them. but equality is worth the fight. no group knows this better than those americans who seek the end of discrimination against people with disabilities. ♪ i do believe ♪ that we shall overcome

poussaint: in the 1970s, a young disabled rights movement echoed the sentiments of those who had fought for racial and gender equality. are we going to perpetuate segregation in our society? poussaint: the first big break came when congress passed the rehabilitation act of 1973, which included key section 504. it said that federally funded programs and facilities must be accessible to disabled individuals. but the law changed little because it lacked enforcement. so in 1977, activists, including teacher judy heumann, grew tired of waiting. they confronted policymakers at a federal office building in san francisco. heumann: the first exciting point between us and the media was trying to get the media not to look at us as sick people but to really focus on this as a civil rights issue.

poussaint: 26 days later, federal officials agreed to sign the regulations, and the protesters declared victory. heumann: it was the longest demonstration takeover of a federal building in the history of the united states, and still is. poussaint: every federal agency developed a set of regulations to enforce 504, which gave disabled individuals better access to public places. it laid the groundwork for the passage in 1990 of the broader americans with disabilities act, known as ada. we believed that we had won a victory and it was a very important victory, but we were not so naive to believe that this one victory was going to result in the end of discrimination. poussaint: in 1992, air force sergeant bobby coward became the innocent victim of an automobile accident. coward: on my way home, there was a police chase.

they came to the intersection at which i had a green light. i tried to avoid the accident, turned my truck over, broke my neck. i woke up a month later in the trauma unit, paralyzed from the neck down. poussaint: family and friends visited bobby every day. and to help him return to an independent life, they turned the basement of his mother's house into accessible living quarters. coward: this is my cave, this is where i hibernate. but i don't get tortured here, though, i love it here, i love it. poussaint: bobby set his sights on a less physically demanding administrative job within the aeronautics field. he started applying for government-sponsored training programs designed for people with disabilities. coward: i spent a whole year and a half planning an independent work plan. i take it to a counselor within the administration. they review it, and within a matter of seconds, denied.

and, like, whoa. and that was it. and i wasn't accepting denied for an answer. so i began to fight back. you know, i found adapt. bam, got with adapt. poussaint: bobby went to work for an organization called adapt, a national disabled rights advocacy group. coward: my first project i took the lead on was transportation. there was a barrier, meaning that there was an excessive gap. we wanted them to come up with a solution to fix the discrepancy. and they finally came up with a solution to install rubber reducing strips. that's the strip. poussaint: persuading subway officials to make a change put bobby on track to becoming an advocate for the civil rights of some 54 million disabled americans.

moving on, bobby focused his attention on getting young disabled people out of nursing homes in washington, d.c. a lot of people are stuck in institutions that don't need to be there and that don't want to be there. they need to get out. poussaint: take the case of carpet layer mikel elmore, who was struck and paralyzed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike. since he lived in an inaccessible second floor apartment and had no other options, he was sent to a nursing home far from his family. i was stuck there until i could find an accessible place for me to live. poussaint: bobby coward and his adapt colleague, attorney marjorie rifkin, assessed mikel's situation. bobby and i first met mikel in the nursing home. coward: we all talked, "mike, what are your goals? you know, is this where you want to be?" no, he wanted to be with his family and he wand his own place. poussaint: then marjorie and bobby discovered

that the d.c. government violated a section of the 1973 rehabilitation act by falling far short of the number of accessible public housing units it was supposed to provide. bobby and marjorie asked public housing officials how they planned to comply with the law. coward: they had no plan. we had no other alternative but to seek litigation. poussaint: adapt filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of mikel elmore and eight other disabled individuals. the d.c. government settled the lawsuit out of court, pledging 568 more accessible homes. and they also found a suitable apartment for mikel elmore. elmore: the biggest thing about this is that i got my family back together. he literally answers the phone, not knowing it's me, saying, "you've reached the happy home of mikel elmore," which just tickles me no end. poussaint: and so the struggle for independence

and equality goes on. bobby, bobby coward of the capital area adapt. one moment please. poussaint: bobby still plans one day to pursue his career in aviation. meanwhile he remains optimistic that his efforts will pay off in time, enabling more disabled americans to choose independence and claim their equal rights. as americans, we cherish equality. this ideal is expressed in the declaration of independence and guaranteed by the 14th amendment. yet for much of american history, the guarantee of equality applied exclusively to white males. that is no longer the case, but the struggle for full political and social equality remains long and difficult. the problem is, that although we support equality in the abstract, to guarantee it to some citizens requires

government action that limits the liberty of others. any discussion of equality must also confront the question of what it means. does equality mean equal opportunity or does it mean equal outcomes? assuring equal outcomes requires more government intervention and greater conflict with individuals rights because government must intervene to promote the interests of the disadvantaged. finally, there is the question, who deserves protection in the name of equality? 50 years ago when the civil rights movement got underway, few would have imagined the modern women's movement or demands for equality that would be voiced by the disabled, the aged, or the poor. yet all of these are important issues today as the government struggles to decide who needs protection against discrimination and who doesn't. which of these interests should the nation honor, and at what cost? for "democracy in america," i'm renee poussaint.

funding for this program was provided by the annenberg/cpb project this program has been edited in sequence. captioning is made possible by the annenberg/cpb project from the birthplace of the constitution, can this nation of immigrants deny opportunity to the latest newcomers? how many aliens can we absorb? in the southwest they say, "let me see your visa." the joke is, "i only carry mastercharge,"