good evening and welcome to "politics nation." tonight's lead, a special black history month edition of our show. special, not that it deviates from any and every show we've done. this is "politics nation" afterall, but because this week, i had the exclusive privilege of being vice president kamala harris first virtual sit-down television interview. it comes just over a month into the biden era as the vice president and the new administration tend to dual troubles. the ranker of the last four years culminating last month's violence and an impeachment trial that she declined to preside over. and of course, the covid-19

pandemic. which she serves as president biden's right hand woman in his war, in his war-time response to the plague which remains the prime legislative fight on capitol hill as the president's relief bill passed last night with no republican support. and even as the president is promising more vaccinations and more americans and even sooner than promised the numbers continue to bear out the fears that many black and brown americans have had from the beginning, that they would be left behind. i asked the nation's first black and brown vice president about all of this and, of course, the history she sees in the mirror everyday, one month after her historic inauguration and a little later in the show, i'll talk to civil rights royalty, the son, daughter-in-law and

granddaughter of reverend dr. martin luther king jr. join me with what kamala harris's rise means to them. of course, without exaggerating, the vice president still has much, much history left to make. and so with that, there's where we started in our conversation. legacy. >> i am honored on this black history special edition of "politics nation" to have with us the vice president of the united states, the honorable kamala harris. madame vice president, first of all, thank you for being with us for this. >> of course. always good to be with you. >> let me ask you, what does black history month mean to you? >> it means everything to me. including the fact that, rev, as you know, this week we acknowledged the half -- over

half a million americans who died in just the last year and, you know, part of what we must do as a nation, all of us, is recognize the loss and the grief so many families who because of the nature of this virus weren't able to be with their loved one during their last days on earth and so i think about the history and i think about what we then have a responsibility to do to carry the baton as our role in the ongoing history. i do think about this moment in the context of so much suffering and loss and how it has disproportionately impacted black americans. so there is that. i think about black history knowing that i, for one, stand on very broad shoulders of all those who came before me who imagined a day that there would

be a black woman to be vice president of the united states. i think about barbara jordan, i think about shirley chism, i think about all those great heros who fought and knew there would be this great moment. when we receive the baton in this relay of life, it is incumbent on us during the time we have it to lead with courage, to speak truth and do it in a way that uplifts people. >> i want to get back to the covid-19 issue that you raised. but let me first say and ask you this. about two years ago last week you were running for president and i took you to sylvia's restaurant, the world famous soul food restaurant and we sat at the same table that i had sat with barack obama when he was running for president. and we talked about the issues

that was of concern from health care to education to policing and all. but you also talked a lot about history to me. you asked me a lot of questions about shirley chism, who i worked with as a kid, about reggie jackson. i know you have a keen sense of history and my own journey. who are the people that influenced kamala harris to be the vice president of the united states? i know you, the americans know you. but there must have been people who helped to guide you, whether you knew them or studied them or not, who was important to kamala harris as a black historic figure? >> one of the first was thurgood marshal. you know, i grew up, as you know, a child of the shifl rights movement. my parents were active in the civil rights movement and

thurgood together with charles hamilton houston and constance baker-motley, they understood the power they had as attorneys, as lawyers, to translate the passions of the streets to the courtrooms of our country. they understood how they could challenge us to be true to the ideals behind the constitution of the united states and in that way fight for equality for all people. and they were heros in my mind growing up and that's why i wanted to be a lawyer. because i believed that being a lawyer was a way that you could fight for justice and equality. so shirley chism, barbara jordan, those women who challenge notions of who holds political office and who could even run and think of themselves as occupying a seat in the white house, i mean, shirley chism, we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the congressional

black congress, shir shirley wa of the founders and the way she carried herself and her unapologetic role of leadership. those are some. and then there are others who you will not know their names but in my mind they are also part of black history, people like mrs. regina shelton who from louisiana who was my second mother, who helped raise us and who always taught me to have courage and to believe i could be anything i wanted to be and to never hear no. so there are so many. and i think that, rev, when we think about black history, we also have to remember in that way that black history did not end in 1967. >> right. >> and that there are all of these historical figures since then and those that are living now. i mean, i think of one who we just recently lost with sicily

tyson, right? and when we remember and think of black history, let's remember all of it and then remember, again, that we who are part of their legacy have as our responsibility to think of our role at this moment on earth, being alive at this moment on earth and what we will do to carry on the legacy around a commitment to justice and equality and fairness for all people. >> you're not only the first woman vice president, first black woman, first south asian, south pacific woman, you are also the first vbc graduate and first an ka member. dr. linda glover told me make you you teld the world in a she's aka. how much of howard university, how much of that shaped you? we began in the last decade or

so to see people, black, come out of ivy league school. but to come out of hbcu and you're sitting there in the ceremonial office of the white house as the vice president of the united states, this is your first interview in that ceremonial office, last night you had members of the congressional black office, a sista with the "a," not the "er" sitting there, how much of that at howard helped make you and who you are, and how you sit there now? >> there are two things i attribute to who i am. one is the family in which i was raised and the other is howard university. any graduate of an hbcu can tell what you it means in those years you become an adult, in those years of 18 to 24, where you are in a place where every signal you receive tells you that you

belong, that you will be nurtured and that you will be challenged and that will be expected to do well and to do well for others. you know, the divine nine. i enjoyed talking about the divine nine when i accepted the nomination to be on the ticket and i described, as i do feel, the divine nine as part of my family, right. so i talked about family as the divine nine family. and reporters would say, well, what is the divine nine? i thought, well, you're about to find out. because what we are talking about is nine sororities and fraternities, most of which were founded in the early 1900s for black women and men who were in college was about not only creating an environment in which they were nurtured but also charging us with living a life

that was about service, service to community, service to others and all of that informed in so many ways who i am. >> now, we are in the midst of a pandemic. we are disproportionately impacted in the black community, but as you said, a half a million people have died. and putting the politics aside, this is a real human crisis. and in the black community, we've had the problem of hesitancy and questioning and given a bad history, there's no reason why we wouldn't. but you've been that champion of trying to convince us, including people like me that were reluctant and you're doing something specific. tell us about thursday. >> so thursday i'm going to visit a pharmacy, which is one of the hundreds that we are directly getting -- getting vaccines to so folks can get vaccinated in their communities.

we have distributed 2 million vaccines to local pharmacies and communities. we're also getting at least a million vaccines to community health centers, those trusted place in the community where folks go for their health care. and the point, rev, is this -- i got vaccinated. i can tell you, first of all, that these vaccines are safe, it will save your life. there is a black woman, dr. kizy corbet who were part of the team of scientists who created this vaccine and it will save your life. yes, we must speak truth about the history of medical testing in this country, we must be honest about the fact that people have a righteous skepticism about how it has been used, how it has been tested and on whom it will be used. there is a righteous skepticism if you know history but i promise you and i'm telling you,

this vaccine is safe and it will save your life and the lives of your family and your community and we have it within our power to actually do that. so get your vaccination when it is your turn. it will save your life. >> you know, i, as i said, i've been out there dealing with covid-19 testing but i was skeptical about the vaccine. you turned me around, you talked to me. and while you were out there at the pharmacy, we're going to harlem and same time you're out there and get vaccinated, my first shot, because the vice president told me to do it. >> that's right. >> i think that's part of what you bring to that office. and as we continue fighting on other things, voting and all of that, the first thing we have do is be here and be alive. >> but that's right, rev. and here's the thing. let's not let covid get us. let's get the vaccine instead, right? let's not let this thing get us. we know black people are

disproportionately likely to contract the virus and die from it. we know when you look at who the front line workers are who have been most at risk, disproportionately we are talking about people of color. when you look at the fact that black small businesses, as many as i've seen, 40%, are going out of business or have gone out of business, it is disproportionately affecting us. and if we want to get control of this virus that is harming us at a disproportionate rate, part of it is to get vaccinated when it is our turn. part of it is to wear your -- i have my mask right here. wear your mask around other people. six feet of distance. wash your hand with warm and hot water and soap. let's save our lives. we're going to get beyond this. part of what the president and i are offering as part of the

relief is the american rescue plan to say it can't only be on folks, it has to be all of us working together, so that's what everybody needs to do as an individual, get the vaccine, wear a mask, social distancing, wash your hands. we need to pass the american rescue plans and get the $1,400 rescue checks to folks and pass the child tax credit so families can lift half of the american children living in poverty out of poverty. let's extend the unemployment benefits. let's do all of these things, partnering together, so that we can get through this moment of crisis. i'm telling you, i have faith, i believe in our ability to get through this and to be better on the other side, if we all work together to lift folks up and to lift ourselves up when we have the opportunity. >> let me ask you this last question, 50 years from now, black history month, they will look at this period and even in

the pandemic, we see an explosion of black woman, a black woman vice president but who also brought in black women. ashley -- in the white house. you didn't come and leave folk out. brought folk with you. i see an explosion of where. at msnbc, the first black woman president of a cable network. all of this happening. you'll probably still be around in some spot, pant suit and some converse sneakers but i'll be gone. what do you hope they will say about kamala harris, the first black woman vice president of the united states 50 years from now? >> i hope and pray for all of the names that you mentioned and all of us who are part of this, they will say they were great leaders, that they saw the people, that they saw the people and spoke to their needs and lifted us up.

not only in terms of our human condition but in terms of our spirit. >> well, madam vice president, we've known each other since you were a d.a. in san francisco, and you've always been straight and inspiring and i'm very grateful that you opened this special for us because not only do we study black history, because of you we are continuing black history. >> thank you, rev. >> my thanks again to the vice president and her team. there will be more white house interviews to come so we can keep our viewers updated on what the biden/harris administration is up to. >> following up on our interview, the vice president went to a local pharmacy thursday in hopes of combatting vaccine hesitancy. ms. harris has already received her shots. i kept my promise to the v.p. early thursday morning i went to

harlem and i got the covid vaccine. i was accompanied by other clergy and minister to promote the importance of getting the vaccine. so i encourage all of you, plan your vaccine so you'll be ready when it's your turn. just follow the information right there on your screen. i did it and so can you. i even got a cool band-aid. up next, the gop wants to keep voter turnout low in communities of color, which is why we must rise up against voter suppression. but first, my colleague richard lui with today's top news stories. >> some of the stories we're watching for you this hour, the fda is close to approving a third covid-19 vaccine. this johnson & johnson vaccine is a one-time shot. friday a panel of experts endorsed the vaccine.

>> the house passed its version of the covid relief bill. it includes another round of stimulus checks and weekly supplement benefits for the unemployed. >> the lapd confirms lady gaga's two french bulldogs have been safely returned to the pop star. attackers shot the singer's dog walkers and snatched her dogs wednesday. the dog walker is in the hospital and remains in stable condition. an unidentified woman returned the dogs. more "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton after the break. th reverend al sharpton after the break.

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for the last "rise up" of block history month, i want to address the centuies long cycle of blackness in america. every time black folks step up to taking a rightful part of the american dream, the backlash is swift and one is happening right now. first a quick history lesson. the first major victory for black rights in america came with the emancipation, which was followed by a short period of reconstruction. southern states were briefly forced to allow free black men to access the full slate of american rights, but white lawmakers, including some former confederate leaders didn't like this exercise of black political power and ended reconstruction

prematurely, enacting decades of barbaric jim crow laws, aimed at keeping black folks poor, uneducated and disenfranchised. the next legal breakthrough came in 1954 when the supreme court ordered the desegregation of public schools, brown versus the board of education declared that separate is inherently unequal, a decision which was followed by racist protests all over the country and decades of resistance from many previously all-white schools. just ten years later congress passed the civil rights act. that landmark legislation led the gop to adopt its so-called southern strategy, in which it began to specifically court white voters in the south who opposed civil rights. but despite decades of systemic

disenfranchisement, black americans kept fighting the good fight and in 2008 it was overwhelming turnover from black voters that clinched barack obama's landslide victory. but you know what happened next, republicans upset by the election loss and this outside show -- outsized show of black political power sprang in high gear to suppress our votes and dilute our power. they poured millions into their redistricting efforts in 2010, resulting in 33 seat majority in the next congress, even though democratic candidates had earned over a million more votes. this successful gerrymandering effort allowed other gop priorities to pass all over the united states, including hundreds of laws intended to make it harder for black people to vote. but black folks are not if not resilient, and we still showed up by the millions last november

in a global pandemic. we waited in hours' long lines, navigated a sabotaged postal service and hurdled every obstacle they put in our way. and 12 years after electing the first black president, we propelled his right-hand man into the oval office along with the first black vice president, kamala harris. but by now we know what to expect any time there's a show of black political clout like this, and republicans haven't wasted any time. their plans to gerrymander key states like north carolina and texas are dozens of states are already passing laws to make voting more difficult. after 22 republicans are desperate to keep their red states red, they don't want any more georgias.

thanks to black activists in georgia like stacey abrams and natasha brown, we have a play book for stopping this kind of republican malfeasance and every state in the union should be following it. get involved with civil rights organizers in your states, keep up with the shifting voting laws and hope as many voters to register as you can. find out who your state representatives are and keep the pressure on them. let them know there will be electoral consequences for trying to suppress your vote. the history of black america is the history of rising up against bondage, segregation, violence and disenfranchisement. we must honor the sacrifices of our ancestors by thwarting these ongoing republican attempts to punish our recent successes by sabotaging our future. if our voices don't matter, they

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welcome back to this special black history month edition of "politicsnation." my next guests need no introduction but they to prove that civil rights activism is a family affair, and that's the fight for racial justice, his work spans generations. joining me is martin luther king iii, chairman of the drum major institute, andrea waters king, president of the drudge major group and yolanda king, activist and 7th grader. so much of judge merrick gardner's hearing for attorney general this week was focused on

defeating hate groups. what was your message in that regard as we deal with white supremacists in post-trump era? >> rev, you just articulated so beautifully what happens when we get victories in america and african-american communities of color, that there's always backlash. that is what we are seeing. but my view is there are so many more people of goodwill, not that anyone is evil or of ill will, but racism is something, as you know, my father identified as one of the triple evils that we must get rid of, ris racism, poverty and militarism. today there's a real opportunity. the young people marching across our nation, they're not going backward, they're moving forward. many of these people are young people. while there's still racism out there in a large scenario, i believe we're going to defeat racism.

yolanda told us at the march, rev, that her generation is going to make sure these issues are eradicated. >> not o.j. do i remember it, the whole world remembers yolanda saying that. andrea, you have emerged a leader in your own right. it's no surprise because your mother-in-law, coretta scott-king, was and your mother was involved. i think that the family affair that you are showing tonight in this special, it was a family affair with dr. king and they dealt with issues. just this week, the pentagon issue, the warning of the threat of white supremacists inside the military. next wee we have the fbi testifying about how the agency will address domestic terrorists

and we're making progress addressing the threat from within. how can women leaders joining with men leaders and looking at this outstanding young giant coming up that you and martin are raising and yolanda, how can we all feed into this and follow what the drum major institute and others are trying to do? >> well, women have always been on the forefront of any type of freedom movement. you were talking about white supremacy. for many years i worked for an organization that monitored hate groups, hey crimes, white supremacy. we were the first group to organize a national summit dealing with hate crimes and hey violence in the 90s, and martin's mother was our key note speaker. but also actually during that time, not only did we have a very diverse coalition, but that included latasha brown, deborah scott. earlier today we were at a funeral service for our dear friend and freedom fighter keith

komu jennings. this is something that goes back decades in our family and these women that thele world are now discovering have been on the front lines in the 90s. these are the same women that helped nurture yolanda. when yolanda was an infant, natasha would come to the house and we would sit around as yolanda was a brand new baby. these are the type of leaders and women that she has been nurtured on and that have been leading fight for decades here in georgia and all around our country and world. >> now, yolanda, you spoke at the commitment march last august directly addressing the young people in the crowd, that massive crowd. listen to what you said. >> my generation has already taken to the streets peacefully and with masks and socially distanced to protest racism. and i want to ask the young

people here to join me in pledging that we have only just begun to fight and that we will be the generation that moves from me to we. >> as you spoke, it resonated all over the world, more than anyone that spoke that day. people are quoting you, as you make that appeal to young people. what inspired you? i mean, you are -- in your blood is the blood of martin luther king and coretta king and your mom and dad. a lot of people would be sitting back celebrating. something has driven you to be out there and to be part of making that change. what is it that you feel, yolanda, as the grandchild of dr. king and bearing this kind of legacy and speaking to your generation about it? you're only a seventh grader. >> well, you know, i was raised in i guess the household that my

parents never forced me to be an activist. they always invited me and said whatever makes you happy, whatever you feel like you want to do. of course i was nurtured into this work and i think as a child i had the opportunity and i say opportunity, even though it is unfortunate that we have all these issues and see all these issues, you know, one of the things that may be a barrier for many my age is they don't know what happens. and i think that it's fine -- well, i think it's important to know what's going on in this world. and i understand that how maybe some worlds don't want their kid to really -- they want to show the beauty of the world. so i think my parents were the balance. they showed me the beauty of the world and they also let me see

the conflicts we have, things that we must change. and so when i was nurtured into that environment -- >> in that light, yolanda, you not only spoke at the commitment march and challenged young people, a couple years ago i remember you spoke at the save our lives march. like your father you were born into racial justice but you also champion other activist causes like that march for lives against gun violence. what does that mean to you to fight for that change and your hope of people your age to begin that night? >> so, you know what many people don't know is that even before that i actually -- well, there was a new bus installed into the oval office during the days of the obama administration so we were invited to go to the oval office to see the bust. so my parents were like as

europe meeting the president, we want you to prepare a question. they're like we can help you if you want. and then i'm like, okay, i think i have my question. so, you know, the day comes and i asked the president my question and i asked the president, mr. president, what are you going to do about these guns? and at the time that was two years before the march for our lives. so again it relates to the last thing i said, my parents never forced me or told me you have to become an activist. they kind of let me pick it up by myself and let me explore with it and with the issues they've taught me that kind of brought me into it. >> wow. well, i wanted to have you on the night that both you, your parents and on the night we also had the vice president because she wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the king family, but you all are keeping it going and

it's such an honor you could come on tonight on our black history special. how do people get in touch with the drum major institute if they want to get more information? >> look us up at the drummajorinstitute.org. we have a lot of exciting programming that's coming out this year. so definitely stay tuned because we all believe that it's up to all of us to do our part in creating the beloved community. this was the only organization that martin luther king founded by himself. >> you're continuing it on, martin. and the results are there. like you are and always are around andrea, we're quiet, but i think now yolanda has even taken it a step further. like when i was around your mother, i shut up. when i'm around andrea, you notice i have little to say.

i know who's in charge. coming up, we'll continue the theme of black excellence. the new ceo of the iconic "jet" magazines joins me with some news after the break. gazines joe news after the break struggling to manage my type 2 diabetes was knocking me out of my zone, but lowering my a1c with once-weekly ozempic® helped me get back in it. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic® ♪ my zone? lowering my a1c and losing some weight. now, back to the show. ozempic® is proven to lower a1c.

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your symptoms could mean something serious, so this is no time to wait. talk to a doctor right away, by phone, online, or in-person. continues on tonight's "politicsnation." it was nearly 80 years ago that "jet" and "ebony" magazine was launched, getting their week any news from "jet" magazine which centered black journalists and their reportings years before news rules integrated. as print magazines lost ground to publications, both struggled

to find their way and going bankrupt until a recent purchase of a former nba star has given them a new like, a new look and a new leader. my name is michele ghee and i am the new ceo of ebony and "jet." the new "ebony" will pay homage to our powerful past. it will pay homage to our black culture but our mission is to lift black lives. >> joining me is the new ceo of "ebony" and "jet" magazines. for a young viewers like our young guest we just had to

understand, but if you went anywhere xiao side your mother's living room, you were going to find a johnson magazine in there. what is the legacy of the magazines you are now revamping for 2021 and the video we just watched? >> thank you. it's an honor to be in the company of vice president harris and the king family. i am a student of history, right, and back when mr. johnson created this publication, it was so we could see ourselves in our totality. today we still need to do that because we are still walking hallways, we are invisible, we have to check our culture at the door, reverend al, and i believe

we still need a place to see ourselves magnificency. the bridgeman family purchased this do really good work in the community. i'm excited to be part of this yourn. >> after you took the reins of these two brands, you said "everything we say will be through the lens of black journalists." what does that look like on paper or rather on screen, ms. ghee? >> pray for me, reverend al, that this happens. march 1st we're going to launch this. this is my responsibility, right, a lot of times i've been told and maybe not the words that there's only room for one. we hired a black woman, she's sitting at the table, we don't have to hire anyone else. and i don't have that sentiment. every hire that we have had thus far has been a black person who is talented and hasn't maybe

been given the opportunity. so all of our stories will come from black journalists. we're not going to be able to tell the truth unless we tell the truth. that's what we're going to do every minute. >> i think one of the great things is the bridgeman family, mr. bridgeman reached in and did this where it shows those of us that have made it did not feel they were completed, they did not keep an organ that tells our story and keeps our story going. i think that in and of itself is a lesson in black history. >> it is. can i just tell you really quickly you know the power of this underground railroad we call black women and black women in power, right, so eden bridgeman asked in the community like who could run this brand? and my name came up a couple times. first of all, i just want to

thank every other black woman that had the courage to say michele ghee could run this brand. i thank them. they didn't have to do that. and she reached out to me and eden and i had never met and sh done, based on my reputation, based on conversations we had. and we decided that we're a team. i just love the fact that two black women can get together and do something that's going to create the next part of history, and that's going to be part of black history. and our tagline is "history in the making" because we do so many things that add to this american fabric that we don't get credit for, but we want to start documenting those so we can have our next set of archives to leave to the next generation. >> well, i think that they've invested faith in you and certainly those that know you know that is not misplaced faith. again, it starts march 1st. michelle ghee, thank you for your time tonight. up next, my "final thoughts."

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people. if i look at history and people that went through far more than we are in this generation, somehow they kept going. i thought about my own journey, and i said to him, how can i have despair, how can i lose hope, when i saw as a kid a shirley chisholm fighting to even be respected as a presidential candidate? jesse jackson, registered voters, and lived to see barack obama put his hand on the bible and be sworn in president, and kamala harris become vice president? i remember when i was a boy preacher, i would try to get on programs to preach as a kid, on programs with gospel group, the mighty clouds of joy. now i'm at msnbc watching a black woman, joy reid, on primetime, five nights a week. i remember we used to march on tv stations in new york hoping to get a black in the newsroom. and now we have a rashida jones, president of msnbc, running newsrooms. yes, we have had some real deep

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that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern for another live hour of "politics nation." my colleague, alicia menendez, picks up our news coverage now. >> thank you, reverend sharpton, and congratulations on that excellent interview. i'm alicia menendez. as we come on the air this saturday, americans grappling with the devastating costs wrought bit covid-19 pandemic. more than 500,000 americans no longer with us. millions out of work, facing a financial cliff. at the same time, a new reason to be hopeful. any moment we expect word from the fda giving johnson & johnson's sios