>> "here and now," the program featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up, infertility and uterine fibroids -- african-american women are three times more likely to get them. a new book sheds light on the issue and shares the inspiring stories of women who became parents despite the medical complications. we'll also introduce you to the council for unity, celebrating 40 years of transforming young lives, also providing alternatives to the violence in their communities. plus, the women of the wnba -- new york liberty players scoring big on the court and off. but first this afternoon, this month marks the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act of 1965. president obama recently called for a restoration of the voting rights act, and he urged more people to exercise the

right to vote. >> some of the protections that had been enshrined in the voting rights act itself have been weakened as a consequence of court decisions and interpretations of the law. state legislatures have instituted procedures and practices that, although on the surface may appear neutral, have the effect of discouraging people from voting. in the united states of america, we should have no patience and no tolerance for laws that aim at disenfranchising our fellow citizens. so we got to keep pushing.

at the federal level, we need a new voting rights act passed. at the state and local levels, we've got to fight back against efforts to make it harder to vote, and we got to embrace those legislators that are prepared to make it easier to vote. but there's one last aspect to this, and that is the job of citizens in actually exercising the franchise. >> joining us today to talk about why the voting rights act is still so important and why it is still so fiercely debated, the executive director of the state democratic party, basil smikle. thank you so much for being with us. >> good to be here. my pleasure. >> nice to see you again. >> thanks. >> congratulations. >> oh, thank you very much. >> i haven't seen you since you got this -- >> since i took the job. >> mm-hmm. so, you're the perfect person to talk about this. let's start. voting rights act -- why is it still so important today?

>> it's important because if you look at -- there are about 33 states right now that have some legislation that, in a sense, restricts the right of individuals to vote -- african-americans, latinos, the so-called minority class and protected class. and so when you look at that, these are all states where the african-american vote is critical. here in new york, we actually are pretty liberal about that. we actually have fairly easy access to the polls, but we sort of take that for granted. when you go to other states like texas, north carolina, you know, there are people asking you for certain types of identification. so, it sort of reminds of those days of the poll tax and asking these very prohibitive questions right to vote. so, it's still very much an issue, and there are folks all across the country mobilizing to try to halt this in its tracks. >> now, you mentioned texas, and just recently the court decided that this -- it's really sort of a -- it's a voter i.d. law. a lot of people saw it as a voter suppression law, and a

court recently said that there was a problem with that law. it didn't decide whether or not it was put in place for discriminatory reasons, but it decided it did discriminate in some form. talk to me about that. is that encouraging? might we see some of the other voter -- similar legislation enacted in other states rolled back? >> it's encouraging, but, as i said, we have 33 states. we have to fight this battle in multiple states. and it's a constant fight because every legislative session, these issues get brought to the table again and again and again. and as much as the president has talked about it on a federal level, we also saw the supreme court some years ago actually take some of the heart out of the voting rights act, as well. so, we have to fight this battle at multiple venues, over periods of time, and we have a presidential race coming up. and we just saw the midterm elections in 2014. so, it's nonstop, and we still have to sort of keep this fight

going. >> yeah, and some have suggested that perhaps we need a constitutional amendment instead of a voting rights act. what are your thoughts on that? >> well, you know, there are some constitutional protections in there, no question about it. but if you also look at a state like new york, where you don't have to show i.d. -- you just say, "i am who i am," and you go and vote. but there are other states that do it, that sort of restrict you and keep you from pulling that lever or filling out that box by asking much more subtle questions. it's a sort of intimidation. they'll take you off the rolls, for example. there's no instantaneous -- and some states don't have a procedure where you can just go to the poll and register right then and there. oregon is actually experimenting with this program and a new law so that once you're of age, you are automatically registered to vote. so, there are a lot of states that are doing the right thing, but there are other states that, even in very subtle ways, sort of under the law, are trying to restrict people's rights. >> you know, and i find it

interesting when, you know, the right to vote is one of the basic rights here. and you would think that, no matter what state you're in, the idea would be to get as many people or allow as many people that are actually eligible to vote, to vote. but in some states in particular, the voters -- as you pointed out, the ones that are most likely being allowed not to vote, being disenfranchised, really, are minorities, older people, african-americans, latinos, and perhaps -- so, that's a deliberate attempt perhaps to keep them from going to the polls and to keep those votes from counting. >> absolutely, and i would also include young people in that, as well. and you made a very important point -- that there are states that are doing this. and we tell people all the time, so much focus is on presidential elections, but you got to come out for your state elections 'cause you're electing state legislators and governors that are the ones overseeing redistricting.

it's the states that set these laws. so, if you sort of decide, "i'm gonna vote for the presidential every four years, but not come out every two years or every four years to support my state elected leaders," then you're actually putting a lot of those basic rights at risk. so, we tell people, "go to the polls during your state elections in addition to presidential years. >> well, since i have you here, i have to ask you -- >> [ laughs ] >> look, the presidential election -- it's all -- you're already laughing. it's already up and running. and, really, the show -- a lot of the focus has been on the it's gonna be an interesting presidential election, is it not? what do you think about what you're seeing so far? what are there, 15 republican candidates at this point? >> i think it's probably 20. they have their sort of own intramural teams going on in there. but what's interesting, going back to voting rights -- if you look at the last debate, there were 10 candidates on that stage. there was no conversation about voting rights. and there was one question -- with all of the dialogue around what was happening in ferguson and staten island, there

was one question about black lives matter, a 30-second response by one governor, and then they cut to commercial. so, there's no conversation or engagement about how their positions are impacting communities of color. i think john kasich, the governor of -- the republican governor of ohio, touched on it a little bit when he talked about his expansion of medicaid under obamacare. but beyond that, you really didn't hear any conversation about it. and the reality is, that's pretty much how this election is gonna go on that side of the equation. on the democratic side, it's a very different story. >> yeah, well, so far, it's somewhat of a race there, but we've not heard too much about it. so -- and before i let you go, i mean, i think you make a good point, is that -- don't you think the candidates, whatever side of the aisle they're on, need to be forced to pay attention to your issues? and i think this issue, black lives matter, is certainly one of them. >> so, listen, in every presidential election for the last 10 or so years, but

certainly since 2008, the african-american vote has increased significantly. registration has increased significantly. so, these are votes that people need to go after. democrats will do that, but in many ways, they count that as part of their base. republicans -- if they want to grow their party, they should be doing the outreach, as well. but if you're gonna have a debate and there are 10 people onstage and this issue does not come up at all or very little or even in a patronizing manner, that's not the way to grow your party. >> okay. all right. basil smikle, always interesting to talk with you. and i got a feeling we'll be talking to you a lot over the next two years or so. thank you very much. still ahead on "here and now," the council for unity, four decades of confronting gang violence and creating peace on the streets.

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for $89.99 a month, you'll get 100meg internet, and hundreds of hd channels. you'll also get unlimited calling to the us, mexico canada, china, and now india. call today. i switched. now i have a free app that lets me watch tv whenever i have the time. for $89.99 a month you'll get tv, internet and phone. and if you call now, there's no risk, no contract, no catch, no kidding. i switched to time warner cable and knew exactly when they were coming. thanks to their one hour appointment window. switch to time warner cable today. and now, for a limited time, you could get a $300 reward card. call today. >> ain't nobody never told me that they needed me.

everybody i know in society is telling me, "we don't want you. stay where you at." >> i got shot five times. i lost my whole family. all of them got killed by guns. you know what i mean? i didn't have nobody to turn to. >> i had already seen a whole lot of killing at 16. >> i've been a latin king for going on 10 years. got into a high-speed police chase, crashed into a house, and now somebody's dead. >> i kind of learned that we not so much different just because you wear blue and i wear red. what we banging for is really the same. >> in an effort to stop the violence and create more peaceful neighborhoods, one man managed to bring together rival gang members, challenging them to work on their differences. the result? six gang members became like loyal brothers. that's how council for unity began 40 years ago. and with us today is council for unity founder robert de sena, along with sean dino johnson,

director of program marketing, and deion johnson, who is a student in the program. thank you all for being here this afternoon. >> thank you for having us. >> pleasure to be here. >> there are a lot of people in a lot of communities here in new york city that would say you are doing god's work. you are focusing on young people in communities where there wasn't a lot of help, and doing so successfully. why do you think -- first of all, why don't you explain to the audience exactly what council of unity does? >> okay, well, council for unity is a program that is designed to meet the same needs in children that gangs do, but in a very healthy way. and in an educational system where the most important thing is promotion and graduation rates, the needs in kids are not met in classrooms like that. so, the council model has a curriculum that meets the child's need for a family, their

need for safety, their need to be free from discrimination by coming together. bring everybody together, there's nobody left to fight. >> [ chuckles ] >> there's nobody left to make fun of. and self-esteem, which is another key part of what we do because when we engage a child, we don't look at where they're dysfunctional. we look at what they're capable of doing. and the final thing is empowerment, where the schools that enter into contracts with us agree to treat the council for unity participants as equal partners in creating a learning environment. >> mm-hmm. >> so, our mission, really, in the simplest of terms, is to promote unity, safety, and achievement in schools, communities, and correctional facilities. >> yeah, it really is a multi-pronged approach. >> yes. >> and, sean, as program -- in charge of program marketing, what is it that you do specifically with council of unity, and why do you think that it's such a

successful model? >> well, i do a lot of things with council for unity. >> [ laughs ] >> i kind of like formulate the programs, as well as develop -- just depending on our clients' needs. some schools have different needs than other schools, and bringing that all together to meet their specific needs to fit like a glove. >> so, it's really personalized. >> yes. >> and when you say meet a school needs, you mean in terms of, you know, the issues that you focus on at a particular school? talk to me a little bit about that. >> yes. you have some schools that have violent issues. then you have some schools that have issues just with the kids being able to come together. there's a lot of separation... >> mm-hmm. >> ...amongst the different segments. >> yeah, the cliques and -- >> right, absolutely. then you have some schools that have a large immigrant population, and they're having trouble trying to get to know the community and being a part of the community. and they feel like -- instead of feeling like outsiders, it

becomes a road to citizenship. >> yeah, so, it's personalized attention rather than taking what you do into each school and just doing it exactly the same. >> absolutely. >> now, deion, you're 17. >> yes. >> and you are a student at...? >> dewitt clinton high school. >> and -- tell me again. >> dewitt clinton high school. >> dewitt clinton. and you -- mr. de sena says your story is really special, how you came to be involved with council of unity. >> it all happened in december. >> mm-hmm. >> dino came, and a couple guys of -- the founders of council for unity came. and they had a talk with the whole school in the auditorium. but i wasn't there 'cause something happened, an altercation in school. >> mm-hmm. >> so, when i came back, they're just like the main kids that's gang active and affiliated, basically the leaders in school, kids that look up to them, they're joining this class. so, at first, i don't want to do it. talking about." >> mm-hmm. >> so, i just took the opportunity. it came out being good.

and now the school's become more of a community school and the school's come more together, with all the different nationalities and stuff. >> what about council of unity really spoke to you. >> "for unity." "for unity." council for unity. >> council for -- i'm sorry. council for unity. what about it really spoke to you and made you realize this was something you really want in your life and that it can make a difference for you? >> people are very active. like, they help us out a lot. they'll always be with schools, outside, problems. they're always here for us. >> mm-hmm. >> so, it taught me a lot. it gave me more people skills. issues. it made me a better person. >> mm-hmm, exactly the things that -- when you hear him say that, that's what you set out to do when you started. and you're doing it 40 years later. has it gotten harder to do? >> that's such a tough question. i-i-i -- it's -- never in terms of the participants, but you're dealing

with priorities in this country where people of influence would rather send a child to prison at $200,000 a year than to take a fraction of that and support a program like council for unity. with that kind of money, we could establish eight chapters with 240 kids like deion and give them aspiration and support because council's for life. it's not just a thing you go through in high school. >> yeah. >> it's like a gang, you know, but a good one. you go through a rite of passage to become a member, and it's for life. well, we realize that if we have to compete with that, then we have to do the same thing. so, the support system -- and deion's gonna find this out next year because he plans on going to college. and we're gonna use our resources to make sure that he gets exactly where he wants to go. >> now, if someone is interested

in donating money -- 'cause how do you -- how is it funded? donations? >> well, we're funded by the department of education in new york city, in all five boroughs, to run an elementary, middle, and high school network. we also contract with school districts outside of new york to provide our services. dino runs a tremendous workshop model, and we also have a gala. but people do, yes. our alumni contribute through our adopt-a-kid campaign. but we -- to be honest, we really haven't attracted the kind of philanthropy that could make this program an absolute phenomenon, in terms of the number of kids it could -- >> how many kids have you worked with over those 40 years, would you say? >> oh, god. >> [ laughs ] >> wow. >> how many kids are you working with just recently? i'll make it easier. >> a couple of thousand, but the thing that i think is

significant is that the kids who join council for unity represent large groups. so, while you have a direct population -- picture, you know, the demographics in the school. the council is a microcosm of who is in that building. so, their relationship to those groups increases incrementally the number of kids who are drawn into the program. >> so, if folks want to find out more about the wonderful work that you all are doing, we're gonna send them to councilforunity.org. >> yes. >> okay. they can find out about your programs... >> absolutely. >> ...the wonderful work you're doing, and maybe offer you a little bit of help. that would be wonderful. >> all right. thank you all for being with us. and, deion, you keep us posted on where you're gonna go to school. >> stony brook, we think. >> stony brook. okay. all right. thank you very much. >> thank you, sandra. >> up next, why you should care about insurance fraud, when we

come back. >> staged car accidents,

unauthorized auto repairs, and unnecessary medical procedures are just some of the instances of insurance fraud that cost americans $80 billion a year. now, that's according to the coalition against insurance fraud. here today to offer some fraud-fighting tips and underline why it is in your best interest to fight fraud is elijah mercer with the new york alliance against insurance fraud. nice to meet you, elijah. thanks so much for being here. >> thank you. >> insurance fraud -- it's one of those crimes that i think a lot of people think, "well, that has nothing to do with me," but that's not quite true, is it? >> that is not quite true. insurance fraud, as you said before, costs $80 billion a year. it makes everyone's insurance premiums go up, especially in new york. new yorkers pay some of the the nation. and so when people don't take it seriously, it goes underreported

or it's not really as worried about as it should be. so, it's a very, very, very important crime that we should all be worried about because of our premiums and how it affects us personally. >> okay. yeah. i mean, it does have an impact on the economy. what are some of the most common forms of insurance fraud? >> sure. some of the most common forms of insurance fraud we see are things such as auto fraud. one type of auto fraud is something called a staged crash. and what i mean by a staged crash is that someone will purposely crash into you to collect insurance money. so, they'll either slam on the brakes, or they'll tailgate you or wait till you're really close. and then these turn into staged-crash rings, where people will purposely orchestrate organized rings with so-called victims, who will go and bill medical clinics for fake injuries or for fake claims that never really happened. and this, you know, drives up medical-insurance premiums, as well as auto-insurance premiums.

and innocent people are affected by this auto fraud or by these staged-crash rings, people who are just driving or who are innocent or who have no intention of being part of the ring. >> now, workers'-comp fraud is one of those, i think, that we've all seen. >> sure. >> it's visible because you see the videos of people who say they can't work or they can't use their shoulders. and, you know, they're playing golf or they're jet-skiing or, you know, water-skiing. so -- but -- people see that, and, you know, they laugh about it, and they think, "well, you know, that doesn't -- oh, well, good for him. you know, he got the money." but it's not free money. that's what people -- i think that's the mistake people keep thinking, that it is free money, >> you are right. it's not free money. it's coming right out of consumers' pockets. there's an estimate that says the average family pays about $1,000 in increased insurance premiums and consumer goods and

services per year. so, people may think it's a joke, but it's really not. it's a really high-level crime that can lead to time in jail, blemish on your record. and so people should really be taking it seriously. >> and one of the things i know that you guys suggest is, like, to pay close attention to even your medical bills that you get from the doctor's office. pay attention to what services. did you actually get those services that you're being billed for? things like that, that sometimes you miss. >> yes. you should definitely -- when you're on the road, you should definitely pay attention to if someone is tailgating you too close. when you get back medical bills, you should check to make sure that you aren't being billed for bogus surgeries that you never had conducted on you. or let's say you are being billed for services that weren't provided, especially if you went to the dentist and they're, you know, adding services on that you never asked for, you never ever had done on you. so, it's just very important to pay attention to that on your medical records. it's very important to pay attention to that on the road and make sure you're not a

victim of this ongoing crime. >> and at fraudny.com... >> yes. >> ...you can report suspected insurance fraud. is it easy to do that? i mean, i think a lot people worry about, "well, you know, i think this is going on, but i don't want my name used," that kind of thing. >> a lot of times, convictions for insurance-fraud cases usually start with a tip. someone will tip off the police. someone will tip off the attorney general's office. someone will tip off the department of financial services. and that tip will lead to them investigating that crime. investigating that crime. so, we feel that people should constantly report it, constantly go online, especially to fraudny.com and report, because that's how a lot of crimes are -- can usually lead to convictions. >> okay, through those anonymous tips. and that's fraudny.com. >> yes. >> you can report suspected fraud, but you can also find out some information about how to protect yourself. correct? >> yes. >> okay. >> also on fraudny.com, we are currently running advertisement campaigns that are shown

throughout all of new york. and these are targeted towards people in population centers in new york to educate them about insurance fraud and to help them learn about how to prevent these scams from happening to them. >> all right. elijah mercer, thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. when we come back, black women, fibroids, and fertility.

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>> according to the u.s. department of health and human services, most american women will develop fibroids at some point in their lives. that number is 80% for african-american women,

infertility one of the not-so-benign side effects of these tumors. a new book tells the inspiring stories of those who realized their dreams of becoming parents despite the medical complications. >> you know, i was kind of like, "go," until i hit a wall after that fourth ivf cycle failed, you know? >> friends and family around us getting pregnant who weren't really trying to, and we very aggressively were. it was horrific. >> i wanted to have a biological child. >> i have people saying, "oh, my god, thank you for sharing because your story has given me hope." >> we were successful with the in vitro. we were very successful, and we had twins. >> joining us now, the author of "hope beyond fibroids," gessie thompson, whose battle with fibroids and infertility ran for 14 years. along with her is obstetrician and gynecologist

dr. alicia knight-debrady. this afternoon. >> thank you for having us. >> your book, gessie, is so inspirational. i was reading through it last night, and, you know, it was so much about, you know, the horrible medical problem you had, but it was also a book >> yes. >> ...and believing and really deciding, you know, what you >> yeah. >> 14 years. >> crazy, you know? >> at some point, you must have wanted to say, "enough. it's not worth it." but you didn't. >> mm. yes. >> why not? >> it's funny. we were just talking about this backstage. and, you know, after the fourth ivf cycle, we were nine years in. and, you know, you'd think by that time, somewhere along the line, you would stop. but really i -- my faith was like, "you know what? god, you have a plan for me. here?" 'cause i was at that point after

that fourth ivf cycle and it didn't work where i wanted to give up. and i said, "you know what? what are we supposed to do here?" and we really -- my husband and i -- he's a real man of faith, a real man of prayer, and that's where we really put our attention. and once we kind of really had that "aha," green light, it was time to move forward, i still had another myomectomy to do because i had -- the fibroids had again come back. and this was now my third myomectomy. >> and how old were you when you first learned that you had fibroids. >> i was 30 years old. you know, 3 1/2 years into the marriage, we were like, "all children." and we thought it would be that easy, but it was not because infertility was the issue -- that was why i found out i had fibroids. we weren't getting pregnant. and i was developing this little was pregnant. >> let's not even talk about that. >> so, people were like, "are you pregnant?" and i'm upset because i'm not, you know? and so now i go to the g-y-n to find out, "what's going on? why am i not --" and it was because fibroids were infertility. battle.

i mean, there were some real health scares. beyond not being able to have a child, there were moments when, quite frankly, you and your husband and your family were not sure you were going to survive. >> yeah. you know, on the operating table, when i was having my daughter, my heart actually stopped. before that, i had scar tissue that caused obstructions where you had to cut out -- i had to do additional surgery because of the fibroid surgery. so, it was more than -- it was really a test of faith. and, you know, if it wasn't -- essence -- you know, they profiled our story in their may issue, the mother's day issue. and it really opened up the floodgates. i didn't realize how many women were struggling with this -- because it went viral when it went on their facebook page after it went in the magazine. and they were like, "thank you so much for sharing your story. your story has given me hope. i'm almost -- i was really about >> yeah. >> "but thank you because you know? and it made me write the book. >> yeah, so, you wrote this book, really sharing your story and the stories of 14 other people in this book, couples,

individuals in this book. >> yes. >> and also we can't bury the lede because you have a beautiful daughter. there was a happy ending here for you. >> yes, yes, yes! [ laughs ] >> and how old is she now? >> she's gonna be 4 in a month or so, but she's 3 1/2. she'll tell you, "i'm gonna be 4," you know? but she's really gonna be 40 'cause she's too grown. >> yeah. [ laughter ] and i want to bring you in here, doctor. you also had fibroids. you have three children. >> yes, i do have three children. >> and fibroids were an issue in your pregnancies all three times. why are they so prevalent? i have fibroids. >> yeah. >> right now we don't have a lot of research on fibroids. what we do know is that we are feeling they are genetic. we do feel they are genetic. and as you know, 80% of the african-american population by the age of 50 will have had some type of encounter with fibroids. and the same thing in the caucasian population -- approximately 50% of those ladies. >> still high. >> yeah. >> by the time they're 50.

and so my story -- you know, i'm an ob-gyn resident here in manhattan. >> mm-hmm. >> and i had to be out of my residency for 10 weeks because of fibroids. i was on medication. i went into preterm labor, the whole thing. and then i had to be sent back to work at 35 weeks with my baby's head so low down because the fibroids were pushing him out so early. >> i mean, what do you do? is it important that women need to find out, the earlier they have them, the better? is that the advice? >> were you listening to our conversation? >> right. she had to be there. that's what we were saying -- you need to have early detection. if you notice you're having different cycles than someone else, you're planning on having a child, and it's, say, 12 months of having intercourse, you're not pregnant yet, we need to see you. >> ask for a sonogram. ask for a sonogram. find out what's going on. we were just talking about the fact that if you can find them early enough, you can do things in minimally invasive procedures, where you won't have to be cut open or won't have to deal with all of the ramifications of open surgery.

>> and a lot of times, they're benign, but they can really wreak havoc with your body. >> they absolutely can. miscarriages. i mean, there are so many implications -- the financial implications of being out of work, the infertility and the emotional stress around that. there's just so much. >> and why do you think people don't -- i do feel like more people talk about it now. >> now. >> they are. >> but why do you think, in the past, women just kind of just let it go? >> i think people thought that they'll -- like, the number-one thing we see is this heavy bleeding. a lot of ladies are under the impression that, "you know what? that's normal. that's normal for me." >> yeah. >> and they have to understand, no, it's supposed to be a tablespoon, a tablespoon for the cycle. >> i've never seen that. >> and the shame. i'm wearing white because of an organization i'm on the board of called the white dress project. right. and we actually have petition out. if you go to my website, hopebeyondfibroids.com, you can learn all about it. but women -- we wear white to empower women because when you have that, you're afraid of wearing white. you know, you don't know when you're gonna have that moment. >> if you have an accident.

>> yeah, and accidents are not just accidents. >> so, on your website, we can find out about... >> everything. >> ...the white dress project. >> sure. >> and the website is hopebeyondfibroids.com. >> absolutely, yes. >> it is a wonderful book, the heartfelt stories, and if you ever have a moment of hopelessness and you don't know how you're gonna go on, pick up this book. it is absolutely fabulous. i'm gonna reach over and get yours. "hope beyond fibroids." gessie thompson, dr. debrady, thank you both for being with us this afternoon. >> thank you for having us and having this conversation. >> yeah. next on "here and now," the new stamp honoring award-winning author and poet maya angelou.

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>> the new postage stamp honoring dr. maya angelou will be dedicated at the african burial ground in month. hosting the event, the ebony society of philatelic events and reflections, or esper. it's an organization that promotes the collecting of stamps that focus on people and events related to the african diaspora. elizabeth rankin-fulcher is a member of the board of esper, and she is joining us today. thank you so much for being with us. >> it's my joy. >> i -- stamp collecting. i always thought of it as a kid, but it is really a popular hobby >> absolutely. >> and you guys focus specifically on those stamps that relate to people of color, essentially. >> yes. about? >> oh, there are lots and lots of them. >> mm-hmm. >> we focus on not only the black heritage series stamp, which is exclusively

african-american, but we also -- we collect from around the country. >> mm-hmm. >> for instance, usually when i go to another country, i go to the post office. and i seek out a stamp there, a stamp of color. and so when i went to china, i got a stamp of mr. obama. >> mm-hmm. in china? >> in china. >> it's almost like, in a way, a history lesson, too. >> absolutely. that's why we'd like to get young people involved. >> having much success at that? >> little right now, but i'm gonna be really working on that. >> pushing for that. >> yes, absolutely. >> now, this maya angelou stamp, which was, i guess, officially unveiled back in april -- they presented it. what is so special about this stamp? and i understand that it came quite quickly because generally there's some conversation about whether or not the person -- you know, how long the person has to be deceased and -- >> right. >> so, it really happened pretty fast. >> they've changed the rules a little bit. >> mm-hmm.

>> and not just for dr. angelou, but they have loosened up the restrictions. >> it's special. >> yes. the specialty of it. >> mm-hmm. >> ...because, you know, i just think she's just such an inspiration, her work, all of her poetry. >> mm-hmm. >> of course "and still i rise" is one of my favorites. >> and i guess having someone like dr. angelou, too, at this point in time is a real good introduction for someone that's maybe just new to the hobby. >> absolutely, especially those >> mm-hmm. >> ...because they're familiar with her poems. >> and if you're collecting stamps, can you just go to the post office and get them and -- you know, is it -- are there some stamp collectors that are gonna collect a stamp that's actually been used, or is it just building the collection by going to the post office and getting new ones? please pardon my ignorance. >> no.

you can collect used stamps, as well. >> mm-hmm. >> and you can go to the post office, but for the most part, unless it's a current stamp... >> yeah. >> ...you'd have to get it online. >> that's -- and it's relatively easy to do that? >> absolutely. >> are these valuable collections, if you've got a really good one? >> yes, they are quite -- they can become quite valuable. in fact, recently i read about a man who left his stamp collection to one of his young relatives. >> mm-hmm. >> and i don't remember the value of it, but it was... >> it was up there. he'd been collecting for a while. >> yeah, it surprised me. >> so, this dedication, which is on -- is it thursday, august 20th? >> yes. >> at the african burial ground. >> yes. >> tell me about that. >> well, the program is free and open to the public. new york's chapter of esper decided that we wanted to have our own dedication... >> mm-hmm. >> ...of her stamp because everyone couldn't travel to d.c. so, we got the permission from the post office, and thus we are going to celebrate her on august 20. and it's free and open to the

public. but seating, however, is limited because the african burial ground is small. >> mm-hmm. >> so, i would advise anyone who... >> is interested. >> ...is interested, they should just hop on the train and... >> get there early. >> ...come there quickly. >> 11:00 a.m., correct? >> 11:00 a.m., yes. >> and if we want to find out more about esper and stamp collecting, we can go to esperstamps.org. >> yes. >> all right? >> yes. >> thank you so much, ms. fulcher, for being with us this afternoon. >> it's my joy. >> thank you. >> thank you.

>> we'll be right back. welcome to fort green sheets. welcome to castle bravestorm. it's full of cool stuff, like my second in command... and my trusty bow. and free of stuff i don't like. and in my castle we only eat chex cereal. chex cereal. it's full of delicious crunchability.

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to watch jared tell us that he loves us. these are memories that we'll have forever. [announcer] be a part of their journey, donate today at uso.org. >> since the start of the wnba 18 years ago, the new york liberty women's basketball team has won the hearts of fans on and off the court. in the studio with us today, three-time wnba champion swin cash and essence carson, recently awarded the wnba cares community assist award. welcome, ladies. so nice to see you. you know, you lifted the mood in the studio when you walked in -- all smiles. >> aww, thank you. >> and i got to think that some of that is because you guys are leading the eastern conference right now, right? >> yes. >> good season? >> oh, yes. >> yeah. >> so, what's made the difference in this season, do you think? >> oh, i believe it's the camaraderie on the team. and we have all of the missing pieces that we were missing in

the past seasons. we have great veteran leadership, and we have that youth that, you know, keeps the game, you know, energetic and at a high tempo. and we have a good combination of both. >> and what are you, 15? i love the way you say, "we have that youth." [ laughter ] 'cause i know you've been -- you're eight seasons with the liberty, right? >> yeah, this is my eighth season. >> okay, so, you're a veteran with the liberty now. so, you got some of that new blood in there that made the difference for you. >> oh, yes. >> and so what is the key to maintaining that first place so that we end up seeing you guys in the championship game? >> well, we just have to take care of ourselves. we can't get too far ahead and look ahead to the playoffs and championship. i think the one great thing about this team is that we stay in the moment. whether it's getting better in practice, getting better game by game, we don't look too far ahead, and we enjoy it. the season goes by so fast that you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself. >> i have to ask you -- you know, madison square garden --

i mean, i think it's the most famous arena in the world. of course, there are people in boston that might argue with that, but i think that madison square garden is the most famous. what is that feeling like, being at center court, playing there? >> it's unlike any other feeling. you know, playing at different arenas around the country -- not only around the country, but around the world -- there's no environment like that. you know, new york fans are die-hard fans. you know, if you're not doing well, they'll let you know. >> in a heartbeat. [ laughs ] >> exactly. and if you're doing great, they'll be sure to be there to cheer you on. and just the whole -- the way that the garden was actually built -- it creates a -- although, you know, it's large and it's big, it's still -- >> intimate. >> yeah, it still has the intimate feeling. and there's no other place that's like that. >> yeah, and i always say -- i mean, i was on the other side of it 'cause i didn't play my whole career in new york. and so i used to always love coming to play in new york. you knew that you were gonna have that magic in the arena. you knew the fans were gonna heckle you. they were gonna give you everything that you came for and you paid for.

but at the end of the day, it was just -- you knew it was new york. this is the big time. this is the mecca. and that's why, you know, teams always like to come to new york and take a picture on the home court -- because to them, you know, it's famous, as well. >> yeah. do you think that -- look, if you play in the wnba, you got to be serious, okay? do you think you guys get the respect at this point, almost two decades of playing, that you deserve? >> i don't think so. i believe it's getting there. you know? a lot of people -- although it's been around for, you know, 18 years, it seems like a lot more people are starting to pay attention, you know, especially since, you know, elena delle donne and skylar diggins and brittney griner came onto the scene. it's like, "wow." the attention -- everyone now -- everyone's looking. everyone's paying attention, and especially now since we're doing well, the whole city's behind us, and we love that. >> yeah. yeah. >> it has to be great, a terrific feeling. okay, i want to talk a little bit about what you guys do

personally 'cause you two ladies are also busy, you know, off the court, and i think the community activism is very important to both of you. i'll start with you, swin. cash for ki-- what is it? >> yes, cash for kids. >> cash for kids. tell us about your charity and why it was important for you to do this. >> it was important because i come from humble beginnings. and as a young kid, i used to always go with my mother to help out, whether it was at a soup kitchen or free lunches, and just really being around and having that instilled in me that to whom much is given, much is required. as i got older, i knew i always wanted to be involved somehow, but it wasn't until i tore my acl after the 2004 olympics that, you know, i was feeling down about myself. my mom said, "you know what? get your butt off the couch and go do something for somebody else." and so that's how kind of cash for kids came about. and really what i try to do is empower the youth and encourage them to use sports as a platform, as a way to enhance themselves. we focus on three areas --

sports, academic enrichment, and also community and giving back. >> okay. your mom is my mom. [ laughter ] or at least they were talking to each other. now, essence, in june, you were awarded the wnba assist award. >> yes. >> tell me about the work that you've been doing. >> well, i've done, you know, quite a bit of work with different organizations. one of the organizations would be health equity initiative, which is geared towards, you know, creating equity in the health... >> arena. >> ...field, no matter what sector you're in, whether it's public or private, and, you know, no matter your socioeconomic status, just making sure that we all are afforded the same opportunities to be healthy, lead a healthy life. i also do a lot of work with -- >> garden of dreams? >> yeah, the garden of dreams, of course. >> definitely the garden of dreams. i love the garden of dreams. you know, they're geared more towards inner-city children and children with disabilities, also affording them a lot of opportunities that they may not have been afforded outside of that.

and then lastly, i do a lot of work with the village, which is based out of toronto, as well. it's based around the concept of, it takes a village to raise a child. and, you know, they do their outreach through sports. and, you know, of course i love sports, so why not be a part of it? >> yeah, and use it to uplift someone else. >> i have to -- before we let you go, you said that one of your big idols was wayman tisdale? >> oh, yeah. >> because i know that music is a big part of your life. >> yes. i've been involved in music since i've been about 9 years old. a lot of people don't know that, but i began playing the piano before i actually became part of organized sports. so, you know, with wayman, he was a professional athlete, and he was an incredible, incredible musician, as well. so, you know, when i was in high school, a performing-arts high school, we had a big poster of him, of him and his album cover, "power forward," you know, which is a play on words. you know, he's a power forward, and then, you know, he's up there with his bass, you know, which is awesome. so, i was like, "man, i really look up to him. i thought i was the only one.

>> [ chuckles ] well, no, you weren't. he was quite an athlete and quite a musician. he was a favorite of mine, as well. and i think you have an album coming out? >> i'm actually working on a project now. i had an album that i released about two, three years ago called "broken diary." you know, it's a hip-hop album where i did about 80% of the production myself, did all the writing. but now i'm working on a new project, in between working on production for other independent artists. >> okay, and, swin, before i let you guys go -- three-time wnba champ -- you feeling good about the liberty's prospects this year? >> i feel really good. i think we're in a good place, a good space, and looking forward to what the future holds. >> you think that experience that you've had helps you, you know, help lead the team? >> i think so. i think we have great veterans. i mean, this is my 14th year in the wnba. i've been around a while. i've experienced the highs and the lows. and what better place to try to get history and get number four than to be here in new york for me.

>> okay, so, you're gonna come back, right? >> yeah. >> okay. >> we'll come back after we, you know, see what happens in september. >> okay. all right. [ laughter ] so nice to meet both of you ladies. best of luck to you, with whatever you're working on. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back.

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