featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up on "here and now," the inspirational story of how finding his biological father changed one man's life. also, "out in the night," a new documentary that takes a critical look at the role race, gender, and sexuality may have played in the case of four young black women charged with gang assault. and "the most dangerous man in america." former "eyewitness news" reporter art mcfarland brings w.e.b. du bois to life onstage. and it's that time of year again -- harlem arts festival. but first, we are reflecting on the life of civil-rights champion julian bond, who died last week at the age of 75. bond was at the forefront of protests against segregation and later pursued a lengthy career in politics and academia. he helped to establish the student nonviolent coordinating

committee, known as sncc, served 20 years as a georgia state legislator, headed the naacp, and founded the southern poverty law center. here today to talk about the legacy of civil-rights icon julian bond is hazel dukes, the president of the naacp new york state conference. thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. >> thank you for having me. >> wonderful to have you back. >> thank you. always. >> first, i want to ask you, you knew julian bond personally. and he had been ill. >> yes. >> just your reaction to losing him and his legacy, what it should be. >> well, the naacp family is grieving because of his stature, his commitment and dedication to the organization while he was a nonviolent student and worked with the poverty law center. but really, he gave a measure of

unforgettable sacrifice for the naacp. >> mm-hmm. >> and so for us, we lost our brother, our son to many of our members of the organization. and, so, but when we recount the history of julian bond, we still have something to be happy about, because he gave so much. each year i can recall over the last six years julian had carried students to the south on freedom rides, on a bus down in alabama, in montgomery, not only teaching them the history, but showing them the history of where many of the historical sites that these young people would never have known about if it wasn't for julian bond. he loved young people. he was a professor at heart, but he was an activist at heart. he used to say to us -- >> yeah. go ahead. >> he used to say to us, you know, "we are not a

social-service agent. we are advocates. we've got to go into legislatures, we got to go to the white house, we got to go to state houses and make things happen for our communities." and i loved that about him. he was furious, but yet humble. >> mm-hmm. he still had that activist spirit. >> absolutely. >> and you talked about him taking young people down to the south. he in fact started in the movement as a kid in the south. >> kid. absolutely. well, julian was born into the movement -- that's what we say about him -- because of his father, activism. and so it was in him to a part of it. he grew up knowing that segregation was real and what could we do about to change it. >> mm-hmm. what do you think is important that people remember about him? and think, what would make him most happy, that people remember

him or that they do the work in honor of him? >> they would do the work in honor of him. julian never wanted praise. he didn't want the kind of thing that some people who reach his stature would want. he was always about doing the work. and as chairman of the naacp, that was his point of view to us -- to do the work. and i'm saying to those who are left, those of us who are left, and the younger generation, the millennium group that is coming on, work. that's how we honor julian bond. be committed to change the system. >> and i also just want to remind people, you know -- and i think a lot of people would not say it is an overstatement to say he was one of those men, giants masquerading as men walking around during the civil right's movement. i mean, he walked beside john lewis. >> absolutely. with dr. king. >> with dr. king. >> yes.

>> and those are relationships -- >> and roy wilkins. >> and roy wilkins. >> all of these people that he worked with, you know, not just walked with them. he worked with them to change things. and it think that we owe a great debt of gratitude to his family for giving us such a person. >> did he ever reflect on having worked with these great men and talk about -- >> oh, absolutely. you know, he was a history buff. >> mm-hmm. >> julian was a history buff. absolutely. in his speeches, if you hear -- in many of his speeches he's given, he's talked about these men and why he was so committed and dedicated to further the work. >> i want to ask you, he was also charismatic. >> oh. >> he was undeniably a good-looking guy. >> absolutely a statue. his -- he was eloquent, in a sense. >> and eloquent. >> and smart. >> and smart? absolutely. he was brilliant. look at him.

a journalist. a professor. and an activist. a husband. a father. i mean, any adjective that you could find, julian bond is in it. >> and his name will go down in history books. >> absolutely, in history. no doubt about it. >> hazel dukes, thanks so much for being with us this afternoon. always a pleasure. >> thank you much. the nation has recently lost another political trailblazer, this one with close ties to the wabc tv family. congressman louis stokes, the first african-american from ohio elected to the house of representatives died last week. among the family members at his side, his daughter, our own lori stokes. he was 90 years old and battled brain and lung cancer. eyewitness news anchor bill ritter has a look at the legacy louis stokes leaves behind. >> louis stokes was raised poor, living in one of the country's first federally funded housing projects in cleveland. >> i've been fortunate enough to rise from having begun in

poverty to become a lawyer. >> stokes and his brother, carl, who became the first african-american elected mayor of a major city, came to represent a revolution in civil rights that would eventually see the election of blacks around the country. lou stokes started his career as a lawyer for the naacp, representing many of the activists fighting for civil rights in the 1960s. he was at the march on washington with his family in 1963 with dr. martin luther king. stokes shot this film. the little girl who could barely walk? that's lori, his daughter. louis stokes would in 1968 argue before the u.s. supreme court a case that would set limits and guidelines for police stop and frisk procedures. it was called terry vs. ohio. >> the terry case set up certain guidelines. they were called the terry frisk guidelines. those frisk guidelines are taught in every police department in america. they're also taught in the law schools, every law school in america.

>> later that year, stokes ran for and won a seat in congress, where he would serve for 30 years. in the early 1970s, along with 12 other black members of the house, he would start the black congressional caucus. his colleagues then included new york's charlie rangel and shirley chisholm. he was out of congress for nearly a decade by the time america elected barack obama. >> senator barack obama came up, and we hugged one another, and it's at that time that he said to me -- he said, "i'm here because of you and your brother." >> two years ago, we interviewed lou stokes and his daughter lori -- their first joint tv appearance. did you want her to go into politics, follow dad's footsteps? >> well, i let all of them choose their own thing. >> did you want her to go into politics? >> i did. [ both laugh ] >> i did not. [ laughs ] >> when his friend ted kennedy died in 2009, lou stokes summed up the famous senator's legacy, although, looking back, he could

very well have been talking about his own, and he likely was. >> the legacy he leaves is what a public servant can do to change conditions in a nation. he changed america in many

respects. >> we want to share with you the inspiring story of how finding his biological father changed one man's life. filled with an anger and restlessness he didn't quite understand, a 16-year-old learns that the man he had been calling his dad wasn't his father after all. vincent ellis white is the author of "finding chris, my father," and he is joining us this afternoon along with his dad, chris anderson. >> and, vincent, we are so happy to have both of you here with us this afternoon. >> thank you very much. >> you poured your heart out in this book. why is this a story that you

really wanted to share? >> because, you know, if you look at statistics, one out of every three young boy and young girl is dealing with a fatherlessness in their area, in their home. there's no father there. and i was one of them. so, i have a personal testimony that -- i know personal testimonies usually touch others. so, what better way than to put speak about it? ending. i know people love a happy ending. so, i just wanted to do my part to help everybody else. >> now, just -- i don't want to tell everybody the entire story. >> right. >> but you had lived with a man, your mother's boyfriend, for most of your life. that was the man you thought was your father. he was in and out of jail. there were some abuse issues there. you didn't really feel a connection with him the way you had hoped to have one with a father. on some level, did you ever think that this man wasn't your dad? or did you just not understand why, you know, you couldn't

develop that kind of relationship with him that you truly wanted? >> well, you know, he was my mother's husband. so, i mean, they were married. >> okay. >> but the thing is that, we had a connection the times he was home. so, the disconnect wasn't, i was wondering, "is he my father?" it was, he wasn't there consistently. he was in and out of jail and not there. and so, you know, you have to be able to spend time with somebody to have a connection with them. it doesn't matter who it is. even if it's your mother, you got to spend some time with them. so, i just didn't have that connection there. but i knew him as my dad. that was all i knew. i loved him even for his shortcomings. but i started to develop this inner turmoil and anger because i saw my mom struggling, single mom, single parent, single-income home. and i saw that i had a need for him, and he wasn't there, so i started, you know, acting out like a lot of young teenagers do. >> now, when your mother confessed to you who your father is -- it's an interesting story, how she actually saw chris again in the corridors of the hospital. >> right. >> she confessed to you who he was.

just your immediate reaction? >> oh, i went off. [ laughter ] i had anger. >> yeah, you talk about that in the book. >> yeah, and i made sure i focused on that in the book because a lot of teens that i meet -- 'cause now i work in human services. and the teens i meet -- i see it in their face. i see the anger. and i see it because it's like a mirror, you know? i had it, as well. so, i got angry. my mother and i got in an argument. you know, we didn't speak for a while. and then when it died down, everything was fine, but whenever she mentioned "father," i snapped again, and i'm ready to -- "don't mention that name. i don't play with father, you know." so, it was tough. but there was immediate anger, and there was -- i lost trust in a lot of people, not just her. but i didn't even trust his side of the family. i'd stopped talking to his side of the family for a long time. >> your real father's. my father. >> the other father's side. 'cause you were blaming >> yeah. >> now, chris, i want to bring you in the conversation. this woman that you had obviously had some sort of relationship with -- she tells you suddenly that you have a son. now, from what i've read, when you looked at him, you said,

"oh, yeah, that's my son." >> yeah. >> just how did you feel, learning this after all these years? were you angry about not being told, not being able to be in his life all this time? >> yes, very much so. i was angry in a way, and i was wondering, "why wouldn't she tell me about something like that?" because she says she saw me before when i used to run marathons. and so i was angry. i was disappointed in her. i was sad. and then i was happy, as well, 'cause now i have a son, but i couldn't believe it. i was in shock. >> so, when you first saw him, what did you think? >> well, he met me in the lobby of the hospital. and i came off the elevator. i saw him. i says, "that's my son." >> [ chuckles ] how'd you know? >> he just resembles my nephew, my brother. and, you know, his build was similar to my build. i mean, the genes -- and then we started talking. and i said, "oh, yeah."

we had a lot of things in common. >> mm-hmm. "that's my boy." >> yeah, i said, "that's my boy there." and then from that point on, we just hung out all the time or text each other or call each other all the time. >> was it an emotional moment, you know, seeing each other for the first time? or did you feel an instant connection? i'll ask both of you that. >> well, i'll go first. so, he's being modest. now, at first, he act like it wasn't me. he was leaning in, and he was like, "i'm not sure. i'm not sure." you know? and i said, "listen, we look just alike. like, i'm willing to take a paternity test." i pulled out a paper that had a list of places you could get a paternity test. >> oh, you were ready. >> yeah, i was ready 'cause i know i would want -- if somebody come to me almost 30-some years later and say, "you have a child," you got to prove that to me. so, i knew it. i'm a guy, you know? and so i did that. so, he was -- but later on, i found out that he said, "i already could see it in you. i just had to, you know, check it out." so, that was the thing. but it wasn't emotion right then, but later on, when we

found out, when we got those results back and it was 99.99%, it was emotion again, as i talked to him later and let him share that part. but the emotion constantly came out with me afterwards. i could just be sitting at home watching a cartoon and then cry for no reason. >> you sound like me. i can watch an alka-seltzer commercial, and i cry. >> and just cry? >> the other thing was that, i knew it was my son when i looked at him, but i didn't share it with him. in my own mind, i said, "that's my son." but i felt like, "okay, what do i say to him?" or, "how do i respond? how do i act?" you know? >> so, tell me -- i'm sorry to cut you off -- what has been the best part, for each of you, of being able to build this father/son relationship after all these years apart? >> well, first of all, i'm so happy that we connected. and, you know, it's like i got

my son back, although i didn't have him before, but i have him now with me, and i'm not gonna let him go. >> mm-hmm. >> you know, and i'm just -- and of course when i talk to him every time i tear up about it when i start thinking about it. but i was so thankful for getting him from the lord, having him. and, you know, all his accomplishments and everything like that. >> you're proud of him. >> yeah, i'm very proud of him. >> it makes you feel good to hear him say that, vincent? >> yeah, i can see him get -- you know, i see the emotion. >> i get emotional every time i talk about it. >> did it fill a void in you? >> yeah, that's another reason i wrote the book -- for therapeutic purposes, actually for myself. i had no idea that the book was gonna take off like this. i really wrote it for therapeutic purposes because i was dealing with a lot of confusion. i call it identity crisis. i didn't have, you know, a guy there. you know, anger -- and i was already maturing, but i had that kid part inside of me. and so when i found him and

everything was solidified, it was like -- it just made everything all right. it still took a while to get over those things afterwards, but it's like it made everything all right. and then to meet him, and as we talked, we found we had so much in common. to never have met each other -- it was crazy. i mean, we kept finding things out, i mean, like six months and years later, and more things we discover all the time. we're still discovering things. >> and i did want to mention that you have a family. you had two other children? >> i have one son. >> an older son, another son... >> yeah. >> ...who had had his own issues, i think. >> yeah. >> but so you've been able to bond with the sibling. >> when i tell you this story is real -- i just met my older brother a few months ago for the first time. and he is 39. and we connected right away. and i thought it was gonna be an issue there 'cause, you know, not everybody's receptive to that. but we connected right away. we looked alike. i mean, we're already saying "i love you," and we're just trying to make things work.

so, i met my nephew, as well. i have a 19-year-old nephew. happening. like, it's ongoing, too. both of you. thing... >> mm-hmm. go ahead. >> ...because this is what really touched my heart, too. when i told my wife that i had a son, she said to me -- she said, "if he's your son by dna or if he's your son, we're gonna welcome him in the family." >> you married the right woman. >> that touched my heart a lot, and i mention that every time i talk about it because she loves him just as well as i do." >> thank you, guys, for sharing your story with us, not only to honor you, chris, but also to honor you. >> and i have a son. my son is 9 years old. his name is jordan white. so i'm a father, too. >> the story -- "finding chris, my father" -- can we find this book on amazon? >> yes, it's on amazon.com. "finding chris, my father" is on barnes & noble. i have a traveling stage play. table now. >> oh, well, you got to keep us posted.

>> we're rolling now, yeah. >> and we may have to have you come back. >> yeah. >> thank you, both, very much. >> i appreciate it. thank you. >> next on "here and now," "out of the night," a documentary about four african-american lesbians accused of gang assault, they say, for defending themselves.

their side of the story next. >> "out in the night" is a powerful new documentary that tells the story of four young black lesbians who say defending themselves against a violent attacker landed them behind bars. it will be the first film to air in the new season of pbs's documentary series "pov." here's a clip. >> he was like, "mommy, can you do me a big favor? if somebody tries to fight you, can you walk away from it now? and you'll get to keep you. and if you don't, if you fight them, everything that's

important will get taken away from you." >> just a real nasty gang assault -- seven on one. >> if we'd have chose to call 911 instead of defending ourselves, one of us would be dead. >> and he pointed at my lower area, and he said, "i want that." >> in the d.a.'s version, he merely said "hi" to the women as they walked by. >> he started calling us "dyke the street. every time we tried to walk away, he kept on pursuing us and pursuing us. >> when i got sentenced, he said that he was sentencing me because i testified falsely. and my lawyer actually had to stand up and say, "your honor, she never testified." >> there is the historical emergence of self-defense within the context of movements for justice and for freedom.

you either assent to the homophobia of everyday culture, or you figure out a way to stick out, to resist." >> i'm not pleading guilty. let the people judge it. >> she told me that she's gonna be there for a little while. but she told me to don't be sad because she's always there. >> now, two of the women whose stories are being told in "out in the night" are joining us this afternoon -- renata hill and patreese johnson. also with us, the film's director, blair dorosh-walther. i said your name right, blair, didn't i? >> yes. >> thank you all for being with us this afternoon. this story really is very

powerful. and, you know, as you watch it, did it capture, renata, the events that happened and how it has affected your lives and your relationships with the other women? >> definitely. i felt like it captured everything important. i feel like it can always be more, you know, that it could have captured -- but when you're working with a certain amount of time, i think it turned out pretty good. >> was it difficult, patreese, to relive that night and everything that followed? >> for me, the first day that i actually saw it, yes, it was difficult 'cause i had lost my brother and i never really got closure. so, seeing him for the first time and also going through my dad's illness and seeing him on the film -- it did bring me back, and a little bit uncomfortable, but it was worth it. >> now, let me just fill in a few of the gaps here 'cause it is a long, complicated, emotional story. you guys were out for a night of

fun with a group of seven women, total. you were in the village here in manhattan when a man approached you and, essentially, attacked -- >> right. >> attacked you. you defended yourself, and i think -- am i -- patreese, i think that you had a knife... >> yes. >> ...because of what had happened to your brother, who had been killed, and you always carried a knife to protect >> correct. >> and you felt threatened enough to use that knife that night. >> correct. >> and what followed was, you guys were accused of being a gang and attacking him. and you went on trial. >> right. >> mm-hmm. >> do you -- why -- blair, i have to ask you -- why is this a story that you felt needed to be told for people to really understand what happened that night? >> well, first i just want to say that when patreese did pull out her knife, it was a moment when renata was on the ground and this man was on top of her, choking her.

and so i think that when we looked at the camera, you could deduce that, if patreese hadn't pulled out her knife, renata would probably be dead. >> mm-hmm. >> so, i just want to make that clear. so, i first found out about the case of the assault the day after it happened. the media attention in new york was very immediate. and it was -- you know, they were calling them a "wolf pack" and "a gang of killer lesbians" and "attack of the killer lesbians." but then the new york times did an article entitled "man is stabbed after admiring a stranger." and that one really got me because it's a national paper, it's not a tabloid, and it was two female journalists that wrote it. and even though we didn't know exactly what happened right away, to call a man an "admirer" of a woman and there was a fight at 3:00 in the morning is absurd. so, i really got involved as an activist for the first two years. and then in 2008, when their appeals were approaching, that's when i was starting to rethink it as a documentary.

but, really, why i thought it was so important is, you know, i've been catcalled and harassed on the street. and when i'm with a group of white friends, we've been in fights before, and nothing has ever happened. and this wouldn't have happened had they been white. so, that's what i... >> so, you think, mixed up in all of this, in the way the case was handled, was gender, race, sexuality, all of the -- there was a bias built in. and i know that there were things that -- there was, by the way, surveillance video of the event. >> right. >> but you guys feel like, once this got into court, that was somehow used against you, except for the fact that it actually showed what occurred. >> right. >> why do you think that happened? >> in my opinion, i think pretty much we were already guilty in the eyes of everyone due to the media outlet and what everybody got from that, you know?

and i feel like the surveillance cameras basically told the clear story. like, you clearly see this man coming towards us. you see us backing away, trying to get away from the situation, and he just kept coming after us. but like blair said, you know, we're black, we're lesbians, we're in the west village, you know, as black lesbians, we're women, and i guess it was just really hard for them to believe that we actually got harassed. >> mm-hmm. patreese, were there things that you feel like were not said or shown in the trial, as well, that may have made a difference? >> once i watched the film and i saw that there was police tapings of the incident, like, it came over the radio and he actually had a conversation, that was my first time knowing that that evidence was available and that the d.a. kept it away from our lawyers and our attorneys, who didn't have no clue that that was there. i felt like that significant evidence right there would have held up real good in court

on our behalf and -- yeah, that's my opinion. had that. >> now, let me be clear because i know i'm leaving a lot out of this story -- there were seven all. three of them pleaded guilty to lesser charges, but four of you said, "no, we did nothing. i'm not gonna plead guilty to something that i didn't do." so you stood trial. and what were you convicted of? i was convicted of assault in the first, assault in the second, and, if i'm not mistaken, gang assault in the second. >> and you, renata? >> i was convicted of assault in the third, gang assault in the first, and gang assault in the second. >> and how much time did you serve? >> 3 1/2. >> and you were... >> 8 1/2. >> ...8 1/2 years. would you have done anything different if you had known, not so much that night, but even the trial? do you wish you'd pled guilty, or do you... >> i don't have any regrets... >> no, i have no regrets, no. >> ...about that night or, you know, deciding to go to trial. >> mm-hmm. >> you'd do it again because you feel like you were really the

victims that night. >> right. >> correct. >> what are you hoping, blair, that this documentary will do, in terms of letting the public know this story? >> well, i think it kind of is just another story in this bigger narrative that's happening right now. i mean, when we -- i think there was a lot of things that went wrong in this trial, but i do think it really came down to them being black and gender lesbians. and i think that self-defense is not something that works for everybody. i mean, when we look at the trayvon martin case, you know, he was tested for drug and alcohol in his system. and they criminalized him and tried to show that, you know, zimmerman had injuries, as though he wasn't able to defend himself against a stalker at night. and it was similar with the women. they put this gang assault on them, and the media ran with it and didn't, you know, define the difference between being a gang member and a gang assault. and it was just criminalizing them without -- like, not seeing

them as being able to defend their bodies. >> mm-hmm. >> so, i just hope that the film just adds to the larger narrative of what's happening right now. >> and give people a closer look and introduce folks to these women. i want to ask you both quickly -- what are you hoping people -- when they walk away from this film, what are you hoping that they think about you, about your -- do you care or -- what are you hoping somebody that sits down and watches this film walks away with? >> i absolutely care about what they think, as far as my character, because they diminished my character. they dehumanized us in the media. and the way they utilize the media, people actually believe what they write or what they see on the news. so, knowing that they did that, people may look at me as a monster, and now i get to get my character back and be me and people see me as who i am today. >> mm-hmm, and the full picture. >> the full picture. >> and what about you, renata? >> i mean, pretty much the same, you know?

in a matter of, what, a four-minute fight, you know, we kind of just was trashed by the media and betrayed by the system, and nobody really came to our aid besides blair to, like, really -- that cared enough about our story to see what happened that night. and this documentary basically gave us that opportunity to let people in our lives to see the type of individuals that we are. and i also hope that it gives people, you know, strength and hope to just, like -- don't be afraid to defend yourself. like, yeah, even if there's consequences, you have the right to defend yourself. >> right. >> thank you all so much for being with us this afternoon. again, the documentary is "out in the night," and it airs, it premiers on "pov" on pbs june 22. and it's going to be airing simultaneously, i understand, on >> yes. >> all right. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you.

>> former "eyewitness news" reporter art mcfarland talks about his new leading role onstage as the most dangerous man in america -- w.e.b. du bois. we'll be right back. join the millions who have already switched. we switched. and now, we're streaming netflix. who knew time warner cable's internet was so fast! mom switched. and now, we can watch our favorite shows together, on demand. i switched. so i can connect to the internet just about anywhere with my free twc wifi hotspots. join the millions who switched to time warner cable.

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>> "the most dangerous man in america (w.e.b. du bois)" was the last play written by the great amiri baraka. it tells the dramatic story of how the founder of the naacp, scholar, and political activist survived the era of mccarthyism. former "eyewitness news" reporter art mcfarland is starring in the lead role. "eyewitness news" entertainment reporter sandy kenyon has more. >> the man is w.e.b. du bois, an early leader in the struggle for civil rights who was persecuted during the 1950s by the u.s. government. >> ...as the most dangerous man in america. >> if the man playing du bois looks familiar, that's because he is. the star of this play is a former colleague of ours. >> i wouldn't give back one single minute of my 31 years that i spent as a reporter at "channel 7 eyewitness news." it was great.

>> long before he found a home on tv, art mcfarland trained as an actor at the famed juilliard school here in the city. >> as a very young man, i used to dream of achieving and becoming and unfolding as an actor, only to take a detour into a very, very, very productive career as a news reporter. >> following his retirement, mcfarland was approached by veteran director woodie king to star in the title role of the last play by the late amiri baraka. >> he said, "i want you to play du bois," and my jaw dropped to the floor. >> art had taken acting classes during his years as a reporter and even appeared onstage from time to time. but carrying an entire show was in another realm of difficulty. >> it was scary. >> surrounded by a terrific cast, guided by a theatrical legend, art landed in the pages of the new york times,

celebrated as much for his acting as he had been for his reporting. >> and i say to anyone who is retired -- you must find your passion. you must not just go fishing and not try to do anything else. >> art mcfarland is here in the studio today along with woodie king jr., director and founder of the new federal theatre. welcome to both of you. we've got superstars in the house. >> thank you. thank you for having me. >> art, so good to see you. >> good to see you, too. only thing is, it's so weird to be asked questions by you. >> i know. >> but i'm trying to adjust. >> i know, and we don't have a beer or a cocktail. >> exactly. >> we got to take care of business. >> okay. i always knew you had a love of theater, and many of the people in the newsroom did. how does it feel to be taking the stage as this character, as this great man? >> well, first of all, the

opportunity to play a figure, a giant figure, in my mind, as w.e.b. du bois comes from woodie king, who took a leap of faith, knew i was an actor, knew i was trained to be able to do this, but somehow took a look at me and decided, "that's my du bois." so, the opportunity comes through his vision. >> mm-hmm. >> and his direction of the play has also been consistent with that faith. he has given myself and all the rest of the cast members the things that we need to work with to bring this story to life. how does it feel? it's wild. >> yeah, it's beyond your wildest dreams. >> yeah. >> and i have to ask you, mr. king -- what makes art your w.e.b. du bois? >> well, first of all, art has been an icon. you know, we look at television. we look -- you know, you look for tele-- "oh, the one black guy."

[ laughter ] so, everybody -- and his reporting on educational things really made us go back and delve into what really happened there. the thing is, when i was traveling around the country, i saw him in a play. i thought new york. i thought -- you know how this effervescent thing just happens in your head? i said, "i know i've seen this guy before. i know i've seen him." and it was an adaptation of "othello," and the language of "othello"... >> mm-hmm. >> ...is something that -- you know, du bois was a master at language, a master at putting words on paper. and you go back to "eyewitness news," his mastery at speaking and talking. and one day he was sitting across from me, and somehow he had grown a beard. and i'm looking. and i said, "that guy -- that's -- i don't have to look any further." you know, it would have had to have been a major search, you know?

"i don't have to look any further, but will he do it?" because, you know, we had talked about things, and i was just so pleased that he said, "i would love to. i would love to try it." >> yeah. and he's done it quite well. >> he is du bois. everybody -- the older generation who comes in to see the play -- louise patterson, who had been his friend -- had been du bois' friend -- said, "woodie, he sounds just like the good doctor. he sounds just like the good doctor." you know, you say, "wow." and then we'd go back and listen to the recordings of... >> du bois. >> ...du bois. so, i don't know -- you know, i can't tell you how much research or anything like that that art did, but i know, the first read-through, all the other actors was, "oh, my god. woodie, this is great." so, he'll tell you his research and all. >> so, what is it about -- tell me about du bois as a man that

makes you feel connected to this character and that allows you to be able to bring him to life onstage. >> one of the first things i did after woodie was kind enough to give me the role was to go the internet. >> [ chuckles ] >> and i've always said i would have been a much better college student if the internet had been around when i was in college. >> would we all have been? >> so, i looked at a number of things. there's a w.e.b. du bois society, webdubois.org, and one of the things i found was an actual interview with him at the age where he was during the play, where he covers his whole life, from growing up in great barrington, massachusetts, to going to fisk university, to going to harvard and everything that followed. and so i was able to sit and listen to these volumes of his life spoken by him. and that was my first serious

step in the research into his life. >> and what do you think it is that people today need to know about him that's -- we were talking before we started the interview. you said you don't feel like people know enough about him. why do you feel they need to know this man and his story needs to be told over and over and over? >> the turn of the 20th century was a long time ago, but at that time and into the early 20th century, he was one of the two or three most well-known african-americans that there were. no american scholar is more published. no american scholar is more accomplished, in terms of the respect that he garnered, not only in academic circles, but in circles of artists and politicians who were like-minded, who shared his view and everything else.

he was a giant figure in terms of what he knew and what he was able to produce from his intellect and from his talent. i think a lot of it got lost in the '50s because he did become a communist before he died. he officially signed up for the communist party, as if to say, "you've been calling me a communist all this time, so now i'm gonna be a communist" kind of thing. and so he did. that may be a factor, but not enough is known about this giant career of his. died. >> and i want to ask you, mr. king -- it was written by amiri baraka, who you had a friendship. you were friends. >> yeah, 50 years. >> so, it's this work about this very important man written by a very important man. why do you think this work resonates with audiences today? >> well, i think it resonates because everyone hears what they want to articulate, but are afraid to.

and the words that du bois used and the words that amiri baraka use are words that a lot of african-americans feel, but are not in a position to articulate it or not in a position to articulate it well. too much is at stake if they do articulate it. and so what happens is, young people miss out on the courage. they miss out on the articulation. they miss out on the unbelievable education of dr. du bois, you know, the first african-american to graduate harvard, you know? ironically, he and art went to fisk, you know? so, it's like, these interconnections, these crossings. but i think amiri baraka really was writing about himself in a sense because, you know, america really, in his last years, treated him terribly, in terms

of the awards he would receive that was taken back, the reviews on his books that was re-reviewed totally different than the way they were reviewed originally. so, for example, his play in 1964 got an obie award. once he moved the play uptown, they said it was incendiary, it was racist. but in the village, everyone loved it, you know? i think -- >> so, he was working out some of his frustrations... >> yes. >> ...and disappointments in this work. now, the play is running through june 28 at the castillo theatre? >> yes. >> and if you want to get tickets... >> you just go to www.castillo.org. >> www.castillo.org. all right. and the play -- "america's most dangerous man (w.e.b. du bois)," starring art mcfarland, directed by the great woodie king. >> thank you.

>> thank you both for being with us this afternoon. >> thank you, sandra. >> best of luck to you. when we come back, we're gonna take a look at this year's harlem arts festival. stay with us. get this. i was at my shop tied up with a customer when i realized the time. i had to get to the bank before it closed, so i made a break for it. when i got out it was almost closing time. traffic was bad. i knew i was cutting it close.

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>> the harlem arts festival showcases music, poetry, spoken-word, and visual artists. now, the festival aims to preserve harlem's artistic legacy while making room for new creative work. so, with us today are the co-founders of the harlem arts festival, neal ludevig and

chelsea goding. thank you both for being with us this afternoon. so, we're coming up on the festival. this is the fourth year... >> yes. >> ...you have it. and, look, this is a city full of festivals. what makes the harlem arts festival stand out, in your estimation? >> well, there's a few things. the festival opens up every single year at the richard richard rodgers amphitheater in marcus garvey park. it's a huge event that takes place over the weekend. this year specifically, there's some pretty exciting updates. we're actually gonna be live-painting a car during the festival, which we're commissioning an artist to do. >> uh-huh. >> we've added a semi-permanent installation, which will be put in on top of the acropolis in the park. and there's an opening-night party, and on that saturday, we'll be doing an after-party, as well, which will get all the artists together, kind of pooling and jamming together. >> now, when you guys came up with this idea, why did you

think it was important to have this event that specifically highlights, you know, arts in harlem? >> yeah. well, we live in harlem. all three co-founders live in harlem, and we know a lot of artists that also live in harlem. and what we hear often is that, "the artists are performing in brooklyn or downtown." and if you're not an established artist, you don't really have the opportunity to showcase your work for your community. so, we thought we would create this platform to have them perform and present for free for the community. and that's where it was born. >> and it's been getting bigger every year. >> it's been getting bigger every year. >> one of the things that i really found particularly interesting about your festival is that it's so much -- so not just about performing on the stage. i mean, you really -- there are a lot of benefits to the artists that participate. so, talk to me a little bit about what you get as an artist participating in your festival, in addition to the chance to, you know, show off in front of a big audience.

>> so, our mission is giving career resources, visibility, and opportunities to artists. so, the festival is just one of our programs that happens at the end of june every year, but in addition to that, all of the artists that are actually selected by an artistic selection committee -- we do concerts every single month. we do exhibitions throughout the year. we do showcases. we do educational workshops with the artists in schools. it's actually a full, year-round organization that kind of culminates in this big celebration at the end of june every year. >> and a lot of what you do, my understand is, is that you really help them to network, help to get, you know, the word out there about them. they get to mingle with other artists, but, i also assume, meet other people that may help them perform somewhere else or move them along in their career. >> absolutely. one of the things that we love about the festival is that a lot of our artists get to meet each other for the first time. and then they come up with new creative ideas and perform together.

we also sometimes get asked by other people, "do you know of an artist who would be good for this event?" or, "i have this opening slot -- who could fit in?" and so we look at our roster of artists and try and select the best ones. >> so, give me a rundown of some of the highlights this year's festival. >> as i mentioned, a few of the visual arts -- >> well, the car and the -- >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> i'm obsessed with this car being painted. [ laughter ] >> well, our two headliners this year -- actually, divinity roxx, who is beyonc\'s bassist, and she is unbelievable. she is gonna be performing with an enormous choir and actually some harlem arts festival alums from prior years, which is pretty cool. and chris turner -- he's done stuff with prince, has been on bet. really, kind of his career is exploding. i actually just saw him in north carolina at a different festival. he'll be performing, too. so, those are, i mean, the first two things that pop in my head. >> and are you happy with the way the festival has developed over the last four years? >> absolutely. we, as a small team, have

thought a lot about making the festival sustainable as much as possible and growing in a way that we can keep growing and keep expanding while still giving that individual attention to the artists that they deserve and that we try and provide. >> and i suppose it's not difficult to find artists in this community to perform. >> no, it's -- even touching on your earlier point about some of the successes, last year, our headliner, india carney -- that was the first time that we presented her and kind of really gave her a stage. and she was just a local artist. she was a ucla student. she just finished top five on "the voice." >> ah. >> i mean, that's kind of a little, like, picture of what we're about, that it's giving that first stage, that first presentation to world-class artists that live in the community. >> and if you would like to find out more about the artists that are gonna be performing, we're gonna send folks to harlemartsfestival.com. >> yes. >> free events saturday and sunday in marcus garvey park. >> that's the important part. >> that's a big part of it. and we like the fact that it's free for the community, for them to just come and enjoy. >> okay. thank you guys very much. >> thank you.

>> we'll be right back. >> thanks for joining us on "here and now." if you missed any portion of our program, you can watch at 7online. and if you'd like to comment on the show or share your story, e-mail us at 7online or follow us on facebook and twitter. i'm sandra bookman. enjoy the rest of your day. >> ...want to be defender. >> well, he's being cuffed. [ indistinct shouting ] >> you can't put those cuffs on him. [ indistinct shouting ] >> get them cuffs off! get them off! get them off! >> you heard the man. >> what's he waiting for? >> mm-hmm. [ laughter ] >> [ chanting ] free du bois! >> [ chanting ] free du bois! >> free du bois! >> free du bois! >> free du bois! >> free du bois!

>> free du bois!