[ latin music plays ] >> "here and now," the program featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up, remembering dr. martin luther king jr. and the day his life was saved in harlem. also ahead, cracking down on deed fraud. the new york city commissioner of finance talks about his plans to protect the elderly. plus, life-changing assistance for women and children living below the poverty line in new jersey. we're gonna introduce you to the york street project.

"here and now." >> tomorrow the nation will commemorate the birthday of dr. martin luther king jr. the slain civil rights leader was actually born on january 15, 1929. he was assassinated in memphis, tennessee, while leading a sanitation-workers' strike.

nearly lost his life in harlem. in 1958, at a book signing at blumstein's department store on 125th street, a mentally unstable woman stabbed dr. king in the chest. joining us today is alfred howard, one of the police officers at the scene on that day, and here this afternoon along with him is pierre brooks. he is the son of dr. harold brooks, one of the surgeons at harlem hospital who helped save dr. king's life. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> this is a piece of history that a lot of people don't know much about. so, i'm gonna start with you, mr. howard. you actually were called to the scene after something happened at blumstein's. you didn't know what yet. you did know that dr. king was there. what did you see when you entered the department store? what was your reaction? >> well, at that time, i was

was patrolling the area. we received a call from headquarters, or the c.u. -- communication unit -- there was a disturbance in front of blumstein's. nothing was said about dr. king being stabbed or anything, so we responded in front of the store, and there was a confrontation between a couple people that was in front of the store. we got out of the patrol car and break up the disturbance and sent everybody on their way. and as i was returning to the patrol car, one of the security guards that was on duty because of the book signing at blumstein's -- he came outside. "officer," he says, "dr. king is inside. you know, he's been hurt."

blumstein's, and i observed dr. king with a letter opener that was protruding from his chest, realizing that this is probably the original call that we were supposed to return to -- to respond to. i went back to the radio car, got my partner, and had him to assist the people inside the store in removing dr. king up to the second floor to get him away from the crowd that was inside the store. so, we took him upstairs on the freight elevator, up to the second floor, and had him seated in a chair, and i said to dr. king, "don't move." >> and how did you know to tell him that?

training in the police academy. >> mm-hmm. >> i knew if that knife came out -- that letter opener came out, that would have been the end of him. >> and because it was really right up against his aorta. >> it went right into his chest about 2 or 3 inches in there. >> mm-hmm. >> and there was quite a few people around -- some of the local politicians. i remember one lady, anna hedgeman -- she was a deputy assistant to the mayor... >> mm-hmm. >> ...at the time. i guess today she would have been like a deputy mayor. but she was assistant to the mayor, so she was at blumstein's at the time, and i went back outside to move my car. i left my partner with the group up on the second floor.

spread that dr. king had been injured, and in harlem at that time, a thousand people can gather in no time. >> yeah. >> so when i went back outside, it had reached 1,000 people in front of blumstein's. >> and i understand that you were -- or people credit you with being able to give direction, keep the crowd calm, get them to kind of be orderly so that you could pretend, at least, that you were gonna move dr. king past them. >> that's correct. that's correct -- absolutely correct. but i came by with the intention of moving the radio car that was blocking traffic. i told the crowd -- "is dr. king okay? is dr. king okay?" i said, "he's gonna be fine," i said, "but i'm gonna bring him out this way. i don't want the crowd surging forward. i want to be able to get him out without you people pushing too close to him. so, stand back when i bring him out.

and they go, "okay, okay," you know. so, i moved the radio car around to the rear, over on 124th street -- the rear of the store and went upstairs on the freight elevator. >> mm-hmm. >> at that time, we didn't have walkie-talkie radio. the only communication i had with headquarters was to use blumstein's telephone line, and i'd notify c.u. that, uh -- what we had. and then i called harlem hospital, notified them, because we didn't have e.m.s. in those days. >> mm-hmm. >> each hospital had its own ambulance. so, i notified harlem hospital what we had -- dr. king had been stabbed. i described the wound, and they said, "get him here as fast as you can." >> and how did you transport him there? >> we transported -- i had them

harlem hospital and told them to send it to the rear of the store, which they did. so, when the ambulance got there, we took him downstairs on the freight elevator and told him again, "doctor, don't move. don't breathe." but prior to that, let me tell you, there was a little incident that happened. >> mm-hmm. >> mrs. hedgeman was a sweet lady, and she was just trying to help him, but she made him move to remove the letter opener. >> mm-hmm, which is a natural move by somebody that doesn't know. >> she was trying to help the doctor. i grabbed her and almost had to throw her to the floor. >> [ chuckles ] >> but we took him down the elevator and got him into the

escort to harlem hospital, and the doctors were waiting. >> they were ready to go. >> they were ready to go, thank god, and -- >> i'm gonna -- go ahead. >> so, once we got him there, i left. the rookie -- the rookie patrolman that was with me that day -- that was the first time he had ever rode in a radio car. but he responded magnificently. his name was romano. >> yes. i spoke -- >> he was a great help that day. >> i'm gonna bring you into the conversation, mr. brooks. what did your father tell you about that day? he was one of the doctors -- a very young doctor at that point -- who was there, i think, in the emergency room when dr. king was brought in. >> right. i got the story about seven years later, 'cause i was pretty young at that time, and i got it segued through the assassination of malcolm x. >> mm-hmm.

with us, and he got shot. >> mm-hmm. >> so, we experienced both of these leaders -- my father with martin luther king, my mother with malcolm x. and when he -- at that day, when this happened with malcolm x, he sat me down and he basically said, "let me give you the journey," and the journey -- how he expressed it was, i think, that the ambulance came in. he was on the receiving end as a junior doctor at the time. his boss, so to speak, was dr. marquez, who is now deceased, who my father took over his position after dr. marquez retired. and he basically said that he prepped dr. martin luther king. then it was handed over to dr. cordice and also dr. naclerio, who were the

and the other part of the story was that this was a moment where if my father was not a doctor, he would have become a civil-rights leader, just by being in touch and having the privilege of being able to participate in saving his life that day. >> and he referenced the fact that when dr. king came in, he had this letter opener in his chest that was -- that he could have died if he -- my understanding is that, as i read accounts of it, if he had coughed... >> yes. >> ...if he'd breathed the wrong way, he may have indeed died. in fact, dr. king referenced this incident in harlem in his final speech, "i've been to the mountaintop." he talked about what happened in harlem, about how close he came. >> my father did touch base on that a bit by explaining the surgical procedures that went in to saving his life and that the biggest part of this was that someone was smart enough to

chest and bring him into the hospital. without that, he would have passed. >> can i ask you -- you're speaking for your father. what did that mean for him? did it have -- being there at that moment and being able to assist this man who was considered great, only to become even greater in most of our eyes in the years to follow -- what impact did that have on him lifelong? how much did that mean to him to have been able to be part of that team that day? >> well, if i can take three dots backwards for a quick second, our father comes from jamaica, and his background with understanding and knowing about bustamante and people of that sort. he had a certain sense of pride to begin with, and harlem hospital was not by accident that he chose, after going to the university of munich's medical school, to come back to harlem. >> mm-hmm.

pride, a sense of dignity to want to participate in not only aiding but supporting the community in which we lived in. three dots going forward, it actually enabled my brothers and sisters -- he instilled -- both of our parents instilled, but, in particular, my father instilled a lot of what i would call the good, old-fashioned sense of pride and dignity about who we are and what we're all about and that we can participate with others, as martin luther king would say, but we have to know who we are. >> mm-hmm. >> so, it definitely gave us strength to want to do certain things in our community. >> and, mr. howard, i will ask you the same question. more than 30 years... >> 31 1/2 years. >> ...in the police department? >> 31.

this event when you look at that 31 years? what did it mean to you to be able to be there that day, you know, have your wits about you, and, in a sense, save dr. king's life? you got him to the hospital... and knew enough to not let anyone pull that letter opener from his chest. >> well, like i said, at the time, i felt we were pretty well prepared... to do those type of things. we got good training at the police academy. but we were never prepared for that. >> mm-hmm. >> the communication was bad. it wouldn't have been so hectic if i had walkie-talkies where i could communicate with headquarters and so forth. but...

did my heart good to know that i had known this man, who was a young man at the time. i think dr. king was 26 years old at the time. >> very young, mm-hmm. >> and to feel that i had a part in prolonging his life another 10 years -- i mean, those 10 years, he went on to become nobel prize winner, civil rights march on washington, and to raise the consciousness of the world. >> he did amazing things. >> and anything i experienced in the police department will never top that. >> all right. thank you both for coming on and sharing that story with us. >> i'd like to add one more quick thing. >> okay. one little sentence my father left us with -- he said that dr. martin luther king touched us, and even though my father

civil-rights leader, he felt that, through his efforts, he could touch others and heal them. >> a perfect way to end this conversation. thank you both... >> okay. >> ...for sharing your story with us. >> the one other thing, just for your information -- i saw dr. king maybe three, four years after that. >> mm-hmm. >> and i was not in uniform at the time. i was an undercover police officer. and we happened to -- he was in an italian, uh... sandwich shop... >> mm-hmm. >> ...on amsterdam avenue. and my partner and i -- we happened to go into the same place. and i was dressed like a bum. my own mother wouldn't have recognized me. but our eyes met, and he was staring at me, and i could see

did he know my face from? >> mm-hmm. did you tell him? >> i sure did. and i went over to dr. king. i said, "you're trying to figure out where you know me from." then i related to him, and at that time, he really thanked me for everything i did. he said, "i've been thinking about you ever since." he said, "i just want to thank you so much for what you did." and that -- that -- that made my day. it made my heart go, "boom, boom, boom." >> and you actually kept his >> thank you. >> thank you both very much. >> you're welcome. >> up next on "here and now," preventing deed fraud against elderly homeowners. we are gonna have a conversation with the commissioner of

stay with us. the common core rollout was a disaster. parents knew it. teachers knew it.

state tests don't unfairly count against students. and test scores won't be used in teacher evaluations. less testing. greater focus on learning. that's a start, but there's more to do. let's work together to support sensible and fair learning standards that help every child -- in every neighborhood -- succeed. >> deed fraud has become a major problem in new york city. some of the worst cases have affected senior citizens. in fact, since taking office, our guest today, jacques jiha, the commissioner of new york city's department of finance, has been working to try and reduce the loopholes in filing fraudulent deeds, and he is joining us today to talk about that. with us. >> thank you for inviting me. >> i think, first of all, this is a crime that a lot of people don't understand how easy it

>> yes. basically, it's when someone tries to deed out your property from under you without your knowledge and your permission. and sometimes by mistake, you sign over a document... >> mm-hmm. >> ...your deed to someone. so, this is the kind of -- this is how it happens. it's very easy. and this often happens to the elderly and to people in minority communities -- in particular, immigrant communities. >> because they just don't know. >> because they just don't know. >> they don't know what they're reading. >> they have language barriers, so, therefore, they try to prey on them. >> mm-hmm. >> yeah. >> and, you know, what are some of the scams that you've seen out there recently for getting people to sign over -- to even start having a conversation, and then they end up signing over their life's work, essentially? >> it takes different forms. >> mm-hmm. >> someone could just basically forge documents. they forge your name, your signature, and then they take the document and then take it to the city registrar's office and

that's one -- one scam. another scam would be somebody comes to you and offers to help you, offers you cash. in return, they promise they're gonna short-sell your property or they're gonna help you with your own modification or they're gonna help you with foreclosure prevention. and then you sign over the document to them, thinking that they're gonna help you, and, in return, they don't do what they're supposed to do. then you lose the legal title to >> mm-hmm. and there are some neighborhoods where you are seeing this more often? >> particularly in brooklyn, where the property values are very high. money. >> yeah. they've shot up. and i'm understanding queens, as well. >> queens, as well, yeah. >> so, was -- what are you -- what's the difference now? what is it that you are focusing on doing to basically stop this, make it more difficult to do, and also help these people get their property back?

brought to our attention, about a year and a half ago, by abc news, actually, we, at that time, decided we have to take some action. >> mm-hmm. >> the challenge we had is that the law does not give us much wiggle room, because by law, the city registrar's office, which is under the control of the department of finance, has to record any deed as long as it is in recordable form, meaning it's certified by public notary, it has a seller signature and a buyer signature. once you have these things in place and you have all the documents, by law, the city registrar's office has to record the deed. >> even if they're fraudulent documents?! >> because they don't know. they didn't know at the time. they didn't know because there is a public notary. the system relies on trust. >> yeah. >> okay? so, at that time, we said, "regardless of the legal constraints that we have, we

so, what we did first -- we trained our employees so that they could identify fraudulent documents. that's the first thing we did. then we strengthened the deed-recording process, and, thirdly, we put in place certain civil laws, the most important of which was the insertion of the sheriff's office into the deed process, because what happened before when someone submitted a deed application and if the staff identifies a problem with the application, we usually send it back to the filer with a word map telling them what to do to fix the >> mm-hmm. >> now the application is sent, it is referred, to the sheriff's office. now the sheriff's office looks at the application. if it's a legitimate application and the filer has some issues with the defect, we'll help them, and then the application will go on.

there are problems, the sheriff opens up an investigation. since then, since we put in these changes, we have arrested about 15 people, and then we have like 120 investigations ongoing right now. we also introduced legislature in albany so we could have the tools that we need to protect homeowners against deed fraud. >> mm-hmm. >> we're also working with the press and a community organization to make people aware of the issue. >> and to make them think twice. >> to make them think twice. >> yeah. >> so, something happened to someone, and, you know, there are certain things that you could do to regain title -- >> mm-hmm. >> first, i'll tell folks is you have to be quick, okay? >> the minute you see something wrong -- >> the minute you see something wrong, act right away. so, the first thing is file a claim with the sheriff's office, okay? it's very important that you open up a criminal

then hire an attorney -- okay? -- to help you regain the legal title to your property. >> mm-hmm. >> you should also review your title insurance policy to see if it covers deed fraud... >> okay. >> ...because that will help you -- okay? -- defray some of the costs associated with hiring an attorney. and if you don't have the resources to hire an attorney, the state attorney general's office -- they have a program called hopp, which is homeowner protection program, that could help you, okay? and you could also reach out to a community organization -- organizations like the center for new york city neighborhoods to help you in terms of providing you a legal service that you may need to help you regain title to your property. >> before i let you go -- and they're telling me i'm running out of time -- i wanted you to touch on one other program. it's the senior citizens rent increase exemption and disability rent increase

essentially, this program freezes the rent for seniors or those with disabilities who live in rent-controlled buildings. and you're telling me that a lot of people simply don't know that they may be eligible for this. >> yes. it is a very good program. it's part of our effort. we're trying to do a major outreach as part of our effort, part of the mayor's effort, with the affordable housing program that the mayor has, because we're trying to freeze people's rent, because it's a program which is affordable. we want people to take advantage of it. >> mm-hmm. >> the program is very simple. if you are 62 years old or older -- okay? -- and you live in a rent-regulated apartment, you earn $50,000 or less, and you pay more than 1/3 of your income in rent, you may be eligible for the program. also, if you have some kind of disability and you are 18 years old or older, you earn $50,000 or less, and you have a lease in your name, you may also be eligible for the program. so, if people want more

>> mm-hmm. >> ...which is nyc.gov/finance, or they could call 311 or visit any one of our business centers throughout the city to obtain more information about a program. >> all right. i mean, it does sound like a wonderful program that people should take advantage of. >> they should definitely take advantage of this program. >> mr. jiha, thank you so much for coming on with us. >> pleasure. >> and you got something else you want to talk with us about, you are welcome back anytime. >> thank you very much. >> still to come, a program in new jersey that is giving women and their children the means to

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>> when women and children have no place to go, the york street project gives them a roof over their head and a fighting chance to break the cycle of poverty. take a look. >> i don't know where i'd be if i wasn't in the york street project. >> when you see the women leaving for work every morning, when you see the mothers leaving for school and the children so excited to be going to the nurturing place, you know that you're doing something good and you know you're providing these women and children with a

their heads, food to eat, and a safe and secure place to put their children while they're either at work or at school during the day. and it's a service that's so greatly needed and that so many don't have. in new jersey alone, over 270,000 children are living at or below the poverty level. that's 25% of our state's children. of them, 7,500 are homeless on any given night. they don't have a home. sleep. their head. they have no place to go. >> well, joining us today from the york street project is executive director susanne byrne, education coordinator dominique sherman, and joshalyn wynn. she's a program participant. thank you all for being with us this afternoon. >> thank you. >> honestly, it is admirable what the york street project does because you attack the issue from all angles. tell us a little bit about the philosophy behind that.

was founded back in the late '80s by the sisters of st. joseph of peace. they had been ministering and working with the people in jersey city since, really, you know, the early 1900s. and back in the early '70s, they were just seeing that there was just abject poverty all around. and, you know, the sisters -- they worked with families in jersey city and was asking them what their needs were. and, at the time, there was a lot of single mothers. they were dropping out of school at an early age. they didn't have any place to put their kids. they didn't have any place to live. and the sisters asked, "if we could do anything for you, what did you want us to do? what do you want us to do?" and it was they needed housing, they needed childcare, and they needed a decent education, and the sisters had these properties in downtown jersey city and came up with the concept for the york street project just as a holistic approach to really attacking the cycle of poverty that they saw existed there. >> how many women are you serving right now? >> right now there is 207 women

total. that's between the four programs that we have. >> and, yeah, the programs -- kenmare high school, st. joseph's home, st. mary's residence, and the nurturing place. >> yes. >> now, dominique, you are the education coordinator, and i guess a big component of helping folks get back on their feet, being able to help themselves and their families, is education. >> absolutely. so, the nurturing place -- what we do is we work in conjunction with kenmare high school and st. joseph's home, and we take in the children, and we provide a safe place for them during the day, while their moms are out working or in school or whatever it is that they're doing during the day, and we really try to provide an excellent education. it's not daycare. we consider ourselves a development center. and how we do that is really just the extra hands that we have, the volunteers. we reach out into the community, people coming in from the

extra time, rocking babies, you know, talking to kids, giving their influence to the kids of jersey city. >> they're nurturing. >> i mean, it's nurturing. the staff are -- i mean, they are the basis for everything, and we have a dedicated staff. i mean, a handful of our staff have been there for 20 years, which is incredible. >> the philosophy of the nurturing place is to give these children a love of learning at an early age so that they are, when they get into the public-school program, you know, they're already ahead of where they should be, and, also, you know, school is something that they look forward to, you know, and, yeah, it's -- love it. >> yes. >> now, ms. wynn, you are -- you've been -- how long have you been working with the... >> i have been a part of the kenmare high school for approximately two years, and i have been living at st. joseph's since february of 2015. >> so, tell us, as a participant

many of the services they offer, how -- what has this meant to your life? >> oh, i've gained a second family. >> mm-hmm. >> the women, the staff at st. joseph's -- they have become my second family. our resident supervisor, miss leslie -- she's become like a second mom. my principal -- she's stern -- at kenmare high school -- she's stern. she's straight to the point, and she's very blunt. she holds no punches with us. >> [ laughing ] yeah. >> she's the swift kick a lot of us need with the motherly love that most of us desire. i love the person i am now. i've changed drastically -- my attitude -- overall. your story. young age. you were estranged from your own family. struggles. >> yes. >> and they were really able to help get you on your feet... >> yes, ma'am. >> ...and see your life beyond where it was at that point. >> when i first came to the

high-school diploma, but i will hopefully be finished with the program and obtain my high-school diploma in july. i also will be obtaining my certification as a c.d.a., and i just recently started my internship at the nurturing place, so not only is miss nikki educating the children, she is educating me, also. so, i'm looking forward to my future, and i'm looking forward to coming back to st. joseph's and the organization to lend a helping hand to make sure the program stays alive for another woman and her child that needs help. >> and how can we help to make sure the program stays alive? i know that you recently got a very important neighborhood grant. >> a neighborhood builders grant from bank of america, yeah. that is huge. what people can do, really -- obviously, you know, monetary donations are big, but even, you know, we're always open to volunteers. you know, the opportunities -- just people's life experiences to come in and if they want to share their experiences with our and volunteer at the nurturing place with the children or become a tutor at

all that stuff is welcome, and even people's expertise -- we have people that come in just to lend a hand with the website, with our database, you know, just with different things -- technology issues we have going on -- so there's a lot of opportunities to help there. >> and this really isn't about a handout. it honestly is a hand up when you need it. >> it is, and it's a hand up, you know, for the whole family, 'cause, you know, i know one of our philosophies is that if you can take care of the mother and if you can help her get her education, help her get back on her feet and feel good about herself and, you know, be happy, you're taking care of the children, then, too. you're taking care of that next important. and, yeah, we're just very thankful for all the opportunities we've been given, the people who have helped. we have a lot of corporate sponsors and longtime donors, you know, that support our organization. >> so, we're gonna send people to your website,

>> yes. >> they can find out what you do and how they can help, be it monetary or services... >> yep, absolutely. >> ...or volunteering. thank you all for being with us >> thank you. >> i appreciate it. we'll be right back. meet the moore's! we're the moore family, and as you can see, we need an internet that can do more. we do more games, and more streaming. so we need more speed. that's why we switched to time warner cable. you can too. call now. now we can connect more devices, at the same time. the wifi in this house is amazing. so is my guacamole. hi grandma and grandpa! ha, look at that! [laughs] time warner cable even has an internet plan for us. get the internet speed that's right for you. from 3 megs to ultra fast 300 megs they even made it easy to switch with a one-hour arrival window.

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provided internships for almost 800 students interested in the media industry. here today is the president and c.e.o. of the emma bowen foundation, dr. rahsaan harris, and a fellow, an intern, kanu jason kanu. thank you both for being with us this afternoon. so, what is the mission of the foundation? >> the emma bowen foundation is the partnership that empowers diversity across media. we accomplish that by providing multi-year internships for students of color that are in college at major media companies, and the goal is to get them hired in full-time employment at those companies after they graduate so that we can diversify media. >> and you've been doing it for 26 years. do you feel like you -- you know, what's the evidence of the success? because you guys have landed quite a few people exactly where you were hoping they were gonna be after those internships. >> the evidence and success

all of our graduates have, and gio benitez, who is at abc and does appearances on "good morning america" and the sort -- he's one of our graduates, and he's one of our shining stars, so it's great seeing people like him on camera, but we also have a lot of success behind the camera, with people who are helping take care of the storytelling of media, the business of media, and also innovation in media. so, it's not just being on television, but it's about technology and social media. it's the revenue that drives the business, and we really try to bring those opportunities to people of color because their voice really matters in what's happening in america, and we feel that by them being included in the process that they can do a great job of really making innovation and opportunity available. >> yeah, and a lot of people would argue, you know, that's where the power is, actually -- behind the camera -- whether it's in the financing or the production or, you know -- that those people hold a lot of power, and i see, kanu, you're shaking your head.

program "now," and you're at cornell -- in school at cornell. what year is this for you? >> i am a sophomore. >> so, you're gonna be heading in to the job market in not too short a period. >> yeah. >> how important has this internship and the experience, being part of the emma bowen foundation family, been to you? >> it's really opened the door for me in the media industry. it's allowed me to make so many connections as a college freshman, which is, like, really unheard of. so, it's really helped me to jump-start my career at such a young age, and now, after the program's over, i'm almost 100% sure that i'll have a job in the media industry, which is amazing. >> and what area of media are you interested in? >> i'm a computer-science major at cornell, so i'm really more interested in the tech side, but i love all of it. >> yeah. the door is wide open. >> yeah. >> and you still have time to

does it excite you when you hear him say, "you know, i'm pretty sure i'll have a job"? because you're a bright kid that just needed that -- that sort of leg up, and that's what the foundation is trying to do. >> kanu's story is exactly what we want to see. lots of times in the black community -- at least when i grew up -- i was told to be a doctor or a lawyer because i was achieving as a student, and those are great things, but there's a world of opportunity that's out there outside of that realm, and kanu being a computer-science major and working in a large media company will open a door for him to be able to provide for his family in a wonderful way but also bring innovation from his unique perspective that would have been missing if he weren't able to participate in that company. >> yeah, that diversity you talked about. so, tell us, how does one become an emma bowen fellow? what are the qualifications, and

>> so, emma bowen fellows have to apply at our website, and i believe it'll be shown -- emmabowenfoundation.org. >> mm-hmm. >> and on our website, you'll see this application that shows that you have to have a 3.0 grade-point average. so, the very first bar is academic excellence, 'cause that's what we expect. you need to be a person of color, so we are looking for african-american candidates, we're looking for latino candidates, asian-american, native american candidates, and you just need to have an interest in really working hard and dedicating your summers to this endeavor. if you're interested in the technology, come on. if you're interested in going into media sales and being a salesperson, we have a place for you. if you want to be in front of the camera or behind the camera, production or in news, they're all places for you, so we really want a wide swath of people from across the country to apply. >> and it's multi-year? >> it's multi-year, so most of our participants come in when they're a rising freshman or rising sophomore. in some special instances, we have opportunities for

multi-year piece is really to help our students understand the culture of media, and that creates a mutual learning that happens at the media company but also with the student, so by the end, they really have a great relationship that they can take advantage of and hopefully turn that into a great employment and employer relationship. >> and the selection process -- you know, you apply online. you have to -- you know you've got to come correct when it comes to your grades -- at least a 3.0, you said. >> absolutely. >> and then how are they selected? is there a committee? is there an interview? >> so, students are going through a two-stage process. the first cut is the emma bowen foundation saying, "you're a great candidate, and we'd like to introduce you to a media company." so, if we like your application, we'll give you a phone call, or, if you're in person, in new york city, you can come and meet us in person, and if you pass that stage, then we introduce you to the media companies. and then the media companies select one of the candidates that we sent them.

it's going through a job process. >> absolutely, just like a regular job interview. >> it's so nice to meet both of you. i know that we're gonna hear from you again, and i suspect we will be talking to you again. and emma bowen foundation -- give me the website again. >> so, it's emmabowenfoundation.org. >> okay. all right. thank you both for being with us today. >> thank you. >> still ahead on "here and now," "tappin' thru life" -- a conversation with the legendary dancer maurice hines. >> stick with me, baby i'm the fella you walked in with

luck be... the common core rollout was a disaster. parents knew it. teachers knew it.

state tests don't unfairly count against students. and test scores won't be used in teacher evaluations. less testing. greater focus on learning. that's a start, but there's more to do. let's work together to support sensible and fair learning standards that help every child -- in every neighborhood -- succeed. >> he is a show-biz legend -- star of stage, screen, and television, one of the last great tap-dancers. and he'll soon be telling his life story onstage -- life." it's also a tribute to his late brother, gregory, and other great performers who inspired him. take a look. >> hey, d.c.! i'm back! [ "it don't mean a thing (if it

stick with me, baby i'm the fella you walked in with luck be a lady luck be mine luck be a lady tonight now i'm in love with you and you and you and you and you and you and you and you and you [ scatting ] [ song ends ] [ cheers and applause ] >> here this afternoon, the one and only maurice hines. welcome to "here and now." >> how you doin'? >> i am wonderful! and, you know, i've seen you performing onstage, and you're just as big in real life. >> [ laughs ] thank you very much! >> what a pleasure. so, this show -- you're gonna walk all the rest of us back through your life, huh? >> yes. do you know -- i'll tell you how it really started. i was choreographing a jazz-and-hip-hop ballet in the

this magazine, on tap, and they didn't mention my brother's name at all. i said, "oh, no. i can't have that. that's not happening." so i started incorporating stories about gregory and i when we were little and when we first started, and my mother had pictures of us, so i put them on screens, if i could get the screens in different places. and then i met jeff calhoun, my director, and he said, "let's do a big show about that." and so i have all these stories about gregory and i when we were little and going to dance class and my mother taking us there and all the great stars that we met that influenced us, that taught us, like nat king cole, like lena horne, like the nicholas brothers, like cab calloway, like ella fitzgerald, like judy garland. these are in the show because they gave us the language of theater and of show business. >> you are such a name-dropper. >> i know. >> [ laughs ] >> and i love doing it, too, 'cause it brings back those memories, you know? i mean, especially to meet the nicholas brothers, who we were sort of patterned after. we'll never be that great. we'll never be that great as the

but we learned so much from them and john bubbles, you know, of "buck and bubbles" and "porgy & bess" fame. i love telling those stories. they bring back -- my whole life is there, you know? >> and that music -- i mean, for a new generation of people who it may be new -- it doesn't get old. >> you know, that's a great thing you just said, because in the show, i pay tribute to frank sinatra, 'cause when we met frank sinatra, we met him through sammy davis jr. in las vegas, and i'll never forget how wonderful he was to us, how his arms, and he said, "welcome to las vegas, guys." 'cause we were working with ella at the time. we were working with the first lady of song, you know? that -- it was all that. so i do this tribute to him, and i sing "i've got you under my skin" and i sing "luck be a lady." you're right. those songs are priceless! they're gems, you know, so i tell. can't you tell? it, even. >> and i think even just watching you sing and perform them. and one of the other things i understand that's great about the show is that you're not

introducing two brothers that you say remind you of your -- you -- of you and gregory. >> yes, definitely -- the manzari brothers. >> you are sort of introducing the larger world to them. >> yes. yes. i met them -- i was doing "sophisticated ladies." charles randolph-wright directed this wonderful show, "sophisticated ladies," in washington, and i was teaching at the duke ellington school, and i was teaching a jazz-hip-hop class. and in the back, i saw all these curls jump up, and i said, there!" i thought it was a girl. so i went back, and he had hurt his foot. and i said, "gee, are you okay?" he said -- and behind me, he said, "yeah, my brother's okay." i said, "you're brothers?" i said, "really?" i said, "do you guys tap?" and john, who is kind of a little full of himself -- he said, "yeah, we can tap," like that. i said, "i'll tell you if you can tap. you don't tell me." >> did he know who you were? >> he didn't care. [ both laugh ] >> okay. >> so, i said, "come tomorrow to the lincoln theatre," and they came, and they were phenomenons. they were phenomenons! and they're beautiful to look at, and they're classy, and, oh, i just love 'em. and they're wonderful.

i said, "wait a minute. i'm supposed to get this. you're not even supposed to get this." >> how does it make you feel to be able to open up that world to them and introduce them, to mentor them? >> well, it's sort of my home training. my mother always said, "i don't care what you do. you give back. you give back. whatever you do, whatever you decide to do in life," 'cause she didn't push us to be in show business. she didn't want to be one of those stage mothers. she said, "do it as long as you like it." and we liked it all the time. >> you loved it. >> we loved it. we really did. and so to give back and show these boys to the world is joy. that's my joy! you know, i love being onstage this is new. this is for new york. i do a number with them. >> uh-huh. >> they're trying to get the old man, but i still can do it. >> i can put it down. >> [ laughing ] okay. you say this is a tribute, in part, to your brother. >> yes. >> do you still miss him? what, it's been 12 years? >> yes, i do miss him. my father recently passed away a couple of years ago, and my

it's lonely for me. i'm lonely without them. but in the show, because it's all the pictures -- my mother saved all the pictures, so you see all of us growing up. as we're growing up, you see all these pictures, so i don't feel so lonely. and, also, this is a tribute to my mother, i have to say, because my mother kept us together during those hard times when we couldn't get work, during the racist time, 'cause there were a lot of racist things in show business at that time. she protected us from it. she let us know it was there, but she didn't allow it to infringe on our life or change us, you know -- get bitter. she was a wonderful woman, and without her, we would've never had the career we have, so, at the end of the show, i sing "you're just too marvelous for words" to her pictures, and she's 16 years old, and we see her growing and meeting my father. in fact, i sing the first song my father sang to her at the audubon ballroom in 1942. i have their first picture together. "i can't give you anything but love, baby." and i sing it just like he sang it to her. it's a wonderful, warm show. >> you are a ball of energy. and they're telling me i'm

i just want to ask you -- >> running out of time?! we just got started! >> you know how that goes. that means you have to come back. >> i'll come back. >> okay. when people leave the theater on that evening, what do you want them to be feeling? >> great question, 'cause my mother said, "this is what i want. i don't care what you do. when they leave that theater -- when they leave the theater, they got to say, 'i had a good time, baby. i had a good time.'" that's what they're gonna leave doing. >> well, i had a good time, baby. >> thank you! >> and you can come back so we can do it again. >> yeah, we will. >> and it's tappinthrulife.com? >> right. tappinthrulife. >> and that will -- you can find out information, 'cause the theater here in new york is -- >> it's at new world stages on 50th street between 8th and 9th avenue, open for previews december 23rd, official opening january 11th. >> okay. all right. thank you so much, maurice hines. >> thanks for having me!

>> thanks for joining us on "here and now." if you missed any portion of today's show, you can watch at abc7ny, and if you'd like to comment or share your story, e-mail us at abc7ny or follow us on facebook and twitter. i'm sandra bookman. enjoy the rest of your day. [ laughter ] >> i'm not going. i'm not gonna go. i am not going. the manzari brothers, ladies and