>> "here and now," the program featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up, as we celebrate black history month, we're taking a closer look at slavery on long island, including shelter island's sylvester manor plantation, still a working farm today. also, new york city's first female district attorney and the first african-american woman to hold the office in new york state. award-winning actor courtney b. vance talks about his role as famed defense attorney johnnie cochran in "american crime story: the people vs. o.j. simpson." and later, "on kentucky avenue," the musical inspired by atlantic city's historic club harlem, a one-time epicenter of black night life.

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>> she's new york city's first female district attorney and the first african-american woman to hold the office in new york state. we are talking about bronx d.a. darcel clark, who has hit the ground running with plans to tackle corruption, reduce backlogs in the courts, and set up a bronx task force on rikers island. we are delighted to welcome bronx district attorney darcel clark. so nice to meet you. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> congratulations on this job. >> thank you so much. >> so, how have these first weeks been? >> well, they've been very challenging and exhilarating at the same time, so it's, you know, very, you know, action-packed -- not a dull moment. >> now, i understand that this was your dream job. from the time you entered the law, you wanted to get to this post. why did you feel like this would be a good fit for you?

that believed in representing those that couldn't represent themselves, as a lawyer. and criminal law was my passion from, you know, being a kid, growing up in the bronx in the housing projects, seeing the way drugs was devastating the community and crime, and i always wanted to be able to do something about that. i started as an assistant district attorney and spent 13 years doing that right in the narcotics bureau, which, in the '90s, at the heart of the time when the crack epidemic happened, and then went on to the the bench and had a great career there, doing mostly criminal stuff. and then this opportunity came up, and it's like, "here's my chance to do it." >> mm-hmm. >> and i was happy to. >> so, what's the first thing that you feel like you really mark? >> well, right now in the bronx, the biggest thing is the backlog in the courts of the cases, and i think it's very important -- it's unfair and unjust for victims, as well as the

so long to get their day in court. so, as the bronx district attorney, it's my obligation to the people of the bronx to make sure that we get through that backlog, and i'm just going through every case in the office, determining the viability of it and determining which way to best get justice for the cases. >> and i understand that -- i know that rikers island and really trying to, you know, deal with some of the issues there are on your agenda, as well. >> yes. rikers island is under the jurisdiction of the bronx and the bronx district attorney's office, so there's a number of neighborhoods in the bronx, and right now, rikers is my worst neighborhood. put it that way. and there's a lot of violence and abuse going on there, and it's my job to take a leadership role to do something about making that place safe for all people that have to go there, whether it's the inmates, whether it's the corrections officers, whether it's the staff

>> and how do you start -- you know, a lot of people know there's a new sheriff in town. i want to take a look at how things are done, 'cause we got to make it better. you know, where do you start? maybe that's what i should ask. where do you start? >> well, it's something that i can't do alone. i have to be involved with all stakeholders in this. so, we're talking about the city of new york, the mayor's office of criminal justice, the department of corrections, of course. the courts play a huge role in this, as well, as well as my office and new york city police department. all parties now have to come to the table and say, "look, forget about the past and how we got here. we have to work on how we get through this and make it better, and i've already sat down on several occasions with the mayor's office, with the commissioner of department of corrections, with the president of the corrections officers' association. i've had some input from my transition committee from the defense bar. so, everybody has to play a

and we're working on new protocols to really make sure that we get the right type of prosecutions and, more importantly, that investigations happen in rikers island to get to the bottom of the violence. >> and why is this so important to you? >> rikers? >> mm-hmm. >> well, you know, it's public safety. it's all about the members of the community being safe, even those that are incarcerated. i mean, those people are there because they're accused of crime. they shouldn't be sentenced before their sentence, so having them there that long or having them go there, awaiting trial, and being abused and hurt or them causing problems for people that work there is not in the public interest, so, therefore, safe. >> i think also on your list is the conviction review board. >> yes. >> what is it that you feel like you need to tweak there? >> well, there's no real

in the bronx district attorney's office right now. now that i am there, there will be. and i think you can't be a 21st-century prosecutor without being able to know that the work that you have done will withstand any type of review. so, it's something that i look forward to. i'm doing a lot of hiring -- well, not a lot, but i'm doing some hiring -- to get some key people in place to run that conviction review unit. it's important that you have somebody that knows appellate work to deal with massive, you know, record court files, someone from the defense side that knows that work, as well as a career investigator. and all those people combined, i think, will make up my unit and really be able to get through the review of the cases. >> and have you given yourself a deadline for any of these things -- a time when you say, "i need to step back and take a look at what i've accomplished and maybe rev it up" or...? >> well, everybody has benchmarks, but i've been in

i feel like i'm behind, i've only been there 30 days, so i can accomplish but so much. but, yeah, they have benchmarks -- 90 days, 6 months, a year. you know, i have a 4-year term, and there's a lot to accomplish in that time, so i hit the ground running, as you said, and i'm gonna try to accomplish all the things i can. however long it takes, i just want to make sure i do it right. >> okay. darcel clark, what a pleasure to meet you. and we would love to have you on "here and now" again. but we're gonna give you some time to get some work done. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> coming up, actor courtney vance -- he's gonna talk about his role as famed attorney johnnie cochran in the tv series "the people vs. o.j. simpson: american crime story." stay with us.

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chased by armed officers, my guard goes up. >> with all due respect, this is a possible killer who fled from the police. >> innocent until proven guilty. if the l.a.p.d. is involved, we should let history be our guiding principle. time after time, the police shoot first and offer sloppy apologies afterwards. 30 years ago, a young man named leonard detweiler was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital. she was about to give birth to their child. and that very same l.a.p.d. saw a black man driving too fast, and they did what they do. they shot and killed him. >> the trial of the century -- well, it's being played out again in the tv series "the people vs. o.j. simpson: american crime story." award-winning actor courtney b. vance stars as famed defense attorney johnnie cochran, capturing the tough lawyer's ambitious personality with undeniable resemblance. welcome to "here and now."

>> did you know you looked like johnnie cochran before you took on the role? [ both laugh ] >> didn't have a clue, until i sat in front of the mirror and put that beautiful wig on that victoria wood made for me. >> and the truth of the matter is your performance in this movie, this series, is not really so much about your looking like him, but you did capture the essence of him. is that the challenge when you take on a role, especially a recognizable? >> that's all we can hope to do. i know angela bassett did tina turner. jamie foxx did ray charles. you know, that's what you -- we all know them. we all lived through them and saw them. they're iconic figures. so, if you can capture -- and as i was preparing for it, i said, "i just want to read as much as i can." i didn't want to look it. i didn't want to meet anyone. i just wanted to see if i could find the essence.

allow the audience to enter into the world. >> mm-hmm. and are you happy with your performance? >> oh, when we finished on october 31st, or october 30th, we had our last day, i knew we did it. i knew i left it on the sound stage. >> and, in fact, a lot of the critics have been saying you did it -- that it really does capture the mood of that time. and the cast -- outstanding. yourself, john travolta, cuba gooding jr., among others. how was it working with that ensemble of people? >> they say that filmmaking or theater or just working in front of the entertainment industry is really about casting. it's 70% casting or more. and this, we had -- everyone wanted to be there. everyone was a team player. everyone knew that we were

and one that everybody knew about, everybody had run and had seen run. now we're trying to get underneath the material again. so, we knew that, at a certain point in the process of shooting this, each one of us was gonna be tried. we were gonna be tested to the limits. and so, consequently, when we saw that it was the other person's turn -- it's courtney's turn or john's turn -- we were all, like, holding hands, just going, "come on. come on. come on." >> [ laughs ] >> you know, and it was really trial by fire. i mean, we actually had to go through that trial again, and filmmaking is tedious, slow work, and when you're in that courtroom for days and days and there's the jury members and the galley members -- there's a hundred of them -- and 17 jury members and all of the cast members and all of the crew --

and sometimes we just had to let some steam off, and that's when cuba gooding would stand up. we used to call him "butt naked," and cuba gooding would stand up and just take his clothes off. >> all right. mr. "show me the money"? >> that's right. show me -- show me whatever. >> [ laughs ] i have to ask you -- we were talking about this a little bit before we started the interview -- the fact that the story, as you pointed out, so recognizable to all of us. we all come -- we watched it play out, people of a certain age. we come to it with our own biases -- you know, what you thought happened, should have happened, didn't happen. since you took on this role, had a chance to relive, as you pointed out, the story, did it change your opinions any? did you walk away feeling differently about the story and the outcome? >> well, i didn't really follow the trial in the first, initial go-around. it was -- o.j. simpson was -- he was iconic to me. i followed him since he was at

the buffalo bills, so when the game was preempted and we were in -- excuse me. when the finals, the nba finals, were preempted -- >> and people are going, "what game is he talking about?" >> that's right. and i'm in to the nba finals when they're on, and i was in sacramento, doing "panther" with mario van peebles -- "panther." when the game was preempted with a little box at the bottom of the screen, there was o.j. simpson, and, "what? what?!" >> yeah. >> "no." we were all, "no." and all of a sudden, the screen became the bronco chase, and the game was gone, and nobody missed it, and it was just -- i said, "this is not happening. this is not happening." and, you know, i didn't know much about his life. i hadn't followed -- i knew he was a pitchman for hertz, and we were very proud of him and very proud of all that he could do and had done in representing us, but this was something else.

see there was trouble in anymore. it was out -- it was very public. and i didn't know -- nobody knew which way it was gonna go. i mean, he didn't know what he was gonna do in the bronco. so, it was just -- we didn't see those kind of things. "this is not happening. this is not happening to us." and everybody everywhere around the world was watching. so, i mean, that rarely happens. i think the only other time something like that happened was the moon launch, and there weren't many televisions at that point -- or the kennedy assassination. >> now, you have another interesting connection with this case. it was written by jeffrey -- the miniseries based on a book written by jeffrey toobin, who you happened to be in school with at harvard at the same time. >> yes. >> did you have a chance to reconnect with him surrounding your work on this miniseries and talking to him about the book? because he, of course, covered the case as a legal analyst for television. give you any more insight into, you know, what was going on with

acted out the role yourself? >> he -- you know, jeffrey and i were college classmates together, but he -- the book that he wrote is a page-turner. >> mm-hmm. >> i mean, i would never have believed that. and, actually, i didn't know the book that the series, the miniseries, was based on was his book until i actually was cast in it. i said, "da-da-da-da-da." and he called. and he said, "yes, courtney! i'm so glad we're gonna be working together!" and i went [gasps] "ohh! yes!" >> [ laughs ] >> "yes, that's right! i know!" but i hadn't put two and two together. but then, you know, i started reading it, and i could not put it down. >> yeah. >> i mean, now, you know, it was -- he had his opinions about what happened, you know, but our piece is not based on his guilt or innocence. we don't deal with that here.

at the backstory. >> mm-hmm -- essentially that legal fight that was going on. >> exactly, so you can actually -- you know, you can see what my wife, dale, and how she helped me make decisions, and you see each of the -- marcia clark's life, which the drama that she was going through at the time and how everyone reacted to it. >> now, there are some folks that have criticized the miniseries. i'm not sure that they've seen it, but, particularly, the families of those who died in this incident -- nicole brown and the goldmans, the young man's family, um... saying, you know, it's one side of the story and dredging up this story again is very painful for them. >> i can imagine. >> do you think, though, that it is a story that it holds such a place in the history of this country that it is a story that

>> i know it does deserve -- the fact of the matter is we told the story, and it was because lance -- judge ito, judge lance ito -- made the decision to put it on television, it became all of our stories, and, usually, a court case is, you know -- only the people who follow maybe court tv or read the happenings of it in the paper, so it's a smaller group of people that are following. but because this was every day, it became all of ours, and because it was all of ours, it was very close and very personal for all of us, so when the verdict came down, we were very emotional. everyone was very -- had an opinion, a strong opinion, "'cause i saw it, and i know." so it became -- when the verdict went down, we didn't have the opportunity, because everyone was so close, and when it happened, everyone -- "no!" "yay!" corners. >> yeah. >> and there was nobody in the

back to the table to actually talk about -- now, town meeting. you know, anderson cooper -- "why did you react that way? why did you feel that way?" >> are you hoping that this movie somehow generates that kind of conversation? >> i would hope so. we so need it. we so need to be able to say we're different. we grew up differently. and, consequently, we can't say that we've melted in the pot yet because we haven't even admitted that we're different. so, we have to be able to do that so we can help stop the madness. there's madness out there. people -- young men being shot, women being -- you know, men being choked. i mean, it's -- here. if it was your brother or your sister or your mother, you would ask questions first before you went to the unthinkable, the place from which there is no

but that doesn't seem to happen. we shoot first and then find out, "oh. he was pulling out a phone." come on. come on. there's cameras all around. there's -- with that boy in chicago, everybody had guns around him. stop it. 16 times. one? okay. 16? that's excessive. you're, "uhh! uhh!" calm down. calm down. >> so, this is a conversation, really, we should have had a long time ago but we still need to have. >> but now we're here now, and my point is that let's have the conversation. let's begin the dialogue so we can narrow the gap, and when a situation like that happens, the potentiality of it going that way is smaller, because, "wait. let me -- hold on. let me -- let me check." >> because there's some understanding... >> understanding. >> ...between us. >> okay. courtney b. vance, pleasure to meet you. >> oh, pleasure to be here. >> "the people vs. o.j. simpson: american crime story" -- it's already gotten people talking, and i don't think anybody that

disappointed. >> thank you so much. >> thank you very much. >> [ chuckles ] when we come back, a look at efforts to preserve the history of enslaved africans on

>> as we celebrate black history month, we turn our attention to the lives of enslaved africans who worked on a plantation for some three centuries, not in the deep south but right here in our area -- on long island. shelter island's sylvester manor dates back to the 1600s, and it's just one example of the rich but often little-known history of how slavery shaped african and native american lives on the east end.

sylvester manor board member dr. stephen mrozowski and executive director and curator of the eastville community historical society of sag harbor, dr. georgette grier-key. with us. i'm gonna start with you, dr. mrozowski, because i think a lot of people don't know it but will be fascinated by the story of sylvester manor, this huge plantation on shelter island that i think most of us think plantations were in the south. >> right. right. most people do think that. it was in 1650. it actually was a plantation that encompassed the entire island -- 8,000 acres. and its chief role was to produce crops and things to send to barbados, because the sugar industry, which was such a big industry -- barbados was the richest place on the earth at that point in time. and the soil was so rich and so valuable in terms of growing sugar cane that they did not

or themselves, so they relied upon large plantations like sylvester manor to supply everything from boards for barrels, food to eat, things to drink. anything that they needed was brought in from a place like sylvester manor. >> and one of the interesting facts about sylvester manor is that it was at one time -- they had more slaves than anyone, i guess, in the northeast, at one point. but then when you say -- >> yes. >> so, when we think plantations and slaves, we think about down south, and we're talking about hundreds of enslaved workers. >> yeah. >> however, this was a smaller amount, but they were slaves. >> oh, absolutely. absolutely, yes. they would have been skilled workers and domestics -- folks that would have taken care of the home, done all the cooking, but also people like blacksmiths, carpenters -- the men. >> i want to bring you in to this conversation, ms. grier-key. is this history -- there's a lot

long island that we don't know. why is it so important that we really preserve the history of a place like sylvester manor and some of the other sites on the east end of long island? >> well, it's really important because we played, really, a lot of the groundwork that was laid in landscape of the community of long island. it was really done by many of these slaves and the ancestors and all of the ancillary businesses, and we worked there. we were there for a long time. and i think for so long, the design of long island, many people say -- and it is a fact that long island is one of the most segregated places to live in. >> mm. >> and all of these sites that we're talking about and that we work on are really hidden from the general public. so, what we do is, you know, we try to have public engagement to teach about the various communities and the way that these people lived their everyday lives. >> mm-hmm.

us to focus on finding out the pieces. unfortunately, much of the history are fragmented. there are gaps. so, there are things that we don't know. but the little that we do, we try to share with the general public because it's very important and it could lend to learning for today. really active learning is what we like to think of it. >> and getting back to sylvester manor specifically, there was one family that really owned this property from the beginning, right? >> from the beginning. >> and what i love so much about this story, too, is not only did this family own the property, they sort of passed it down over the generations. but it's continued to be a working farm, and now they're really focusing on preserving the legacy of the manor and all the people that were part of that legacy... >> yes. >> ...not only the owners but also the enslaved africans and enslaved native americans. >> well, they were not enslaved

>> native americans -- okay. >> but, you know, when we went there, i have to tell you that when we first agreed to do the work there, the folks who owned it, the family, had to agree that we would tell that whole story. >> mm-hmm. >> and i have to say that they were, you know, on board with that. but what we didn't expect was that we would see this native american presence. and, clearly, everybody was living together and working together, and the archaeology is really very, you know, instructive in that area. but i think more importantly is the fact that the folks in the family today realize that that legacy means that they have to be part of the healing for today, and the manor is behind that, and we use it as a vehicle now, and the archaeology feeds in to that very powerfully by talking about the way everyone really did live together, work together, as georgette was saying, and that's a picture of that history that is not really often explained. >> and do you agree with him in

and what everybody brought to the table is part of, you know, just bigger conversation about race and who we really are? >> well, i think if i had to say who we are and what it was about, i think we could say that these people were, you know, marginalized people. they came together for a common practice, common work, common things, and common things that they wanted from their everyday lives. there is a difference between many of the african-american and african enslaved, but many of the native americans were indentured servants, not even just the african-americans. european immigrants were indentured servants, so we do see that there is -- we cannot singularly just carve out where it's just african-american. even for us in eastville and sag harbor, our tag line is "linking three cultures," where

was built around these three cultures that were marginalized come together to create a sense of community. >> i know this conversation could go on forever. we only have a certain amount of time, so i want to make sure we talk about the joint panel discussion that you guys are doing february 21st. tell me about the subject matter. >> how is the story told? in observation of burial grounds of the east end -- for instance, we have, in east hampton town, we just have a stone that says, "ned, the manservant." what is his last name? what did he do? what's his story? where are his people? so, that's a story. how do you tell a story when sometimes there's no face, there's no last name, and there's no information? >> and that's really what archaeologists do a lot of times. they put the pieces together. now, february 20th, 'cause they're telling me to wrap it up, you all have an exhibit of african-american, black dolls. >> yes. it's about black dolls. it's about imagery.

may not be pleasing to some people. but we see our role in telling history as telling it like it is and not editing it to meet someone's need and not purely looking at it from a lens of celebration but of what the true history is and what it means for us today. >> okay. and i know, dr. mrozowski, one of the things that you have said before and i've been reading about it is that this is history that you feel it's important for not only people of african descent to know but also for others, for white people, to know. >> yeah. i mean, to me, what's most important is it's important for the african-american community to speak, but it's more important for everybody to speak. and the archaeology really does demonstrate clearly that you cannot divide these folks out. they all had a common experience. some had a much harder experience, and you can't really do anything to sort of minimalize that. >> okay. >> and, after all, it is american history. >> it sure is.

it is all of our history. >> mm-hmm. >> yes. >> thank you both very much.

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>> this valentine's day, if you're looking for love, you may be looking in all the wrong places, especially if you don't start with the reflection in the mirror. our next guest says you should be the true love of your own life, and with us today is

lifestyle & relationships editor, charreah jackson. so nice to see you again. >> good to see you. thanks for having me. >> perfect time of the year. why do you believe it is important for you to have a loving relationship with yourself before you can truly form one with someone else? >> it's because every relationship you have in your life is a reflection of the relationship you have with yourself. and so we see in other people and we attract to us how we feel about ourselves. and so it's the same reason you don't go to the grocery store hungry, because you'll buy anything and get filled up on those potato chips and cookies before you ever got to the nourishing kale for your body. and so it's important that you not go on the dating scene deplete for love, that you're already -- you don't have to look for love. we are love. and so when you really start to step into that feeling of love, it really brings so much abundance to you, and it brings quality people to you. you don't want an empty person coming to you because you're empty when it comes to love. >> so, you get back what you're putting out? >> oh, absolutely. and people come to me. of course, i'm the person in the office -- "girl, have you met me

or my family reunion, everyone's like, "have you met?" and i'm like, "the best matchmaker in your life is you, so, yes, i know great people, and i'm happy to connect them, but you will attract that great person to you." and a lot of times, to get that great love of your life, you really have to heal a lot of things you've been through in your past so that you don't bring baggage into your relationship. >> yeah. getting rid of baggage -- that's another piece of advice you offer. >> it's critical. i talk about it. in a recent story in essence, i talked about how to star in your own romance and how to be the star in your own love story. >> mm-hmm. >> and it really requires you to really face everything you've been through in your past. i talk about my own journey of healing some daddy issues i didn't even know i had but how that was showing up in my relationship when it came to trusting other people and when it came to being vulnerable. and so when we really take the time to say, "what have i been through? what's my love legacy? what was the relationship like with my parents? what has my relationship been like as an adult?" if you find those patterns, you find those habits so that you can heal and create space for your own great romance. >> and it's interesting.

in their life, they want the relationship, but they spend more time actually preparing for the career or for buying a house than they do... >> oh, absolutely. and it's crazy, because we do live in a society that you spent so many years learning about your career, investing the time, going to college, and for a lot of us, we've never learned how to be in healthy relationships. i always ask that when i do workshops. "how many people have been to a session where you learned about how to love?" we learn how to do our taxes. we spend more time doing taxes than deciding who sleeps in our bed, and that's a critical decision that we make, so i often do say that. who sleeps in your bed, who lives in your heart -- the most important decisions you ever make, so don't take them lightly. take them serious and really make sure that you're learning about yourself and also getting professional information so that you can make educated decisions. >> yeah. you -- in fact, essence has started a new column that i think is really interesting. >> oh, yes. yes, yes. we started a new column. it ends every issue of essence. it's called "notes to self." and it's really speaking to what

that importance of you slowing down enough to check in with yourself. so, every month, we have different words that we give to our readers to try different actions, so we started in january with "capture." make sure you're journaling. for february -- this month is february -- it's "connect." it's crazy that we live in a time where you can text, tweet, snapchat, direct-message, call -- all these ways we can connect with people -- and yet our society, in some ways, can feel more disconnected than ever. we have more people who live alone in american society than any time in history, where you have people who spend so much time alone, maybe putting a cute facebook status that "i'm so great," but really i'm not, and so we say, "pick up the phone" or even get in the car, time with people. really spend time in real communication, 'cause that's when that meaty good connection comes. it's not on the cute little picture. and even in my life, i'm sure you have it where people think they know what's going on 'cause they see it on facebook. i'm like, "that's not my life. that's like 1% of what -- you know, when i'm at the laundromat, you're not seeing me -- or working late --

so making sure we have those real connections. >> because these social-media connections are kind of antiseptic. >> yes! >> in a lot of ways, they keep you apart. >> they keep us apart, and they also keep us feeling we have to catch up, because you see something, and you don't know the backstory, so you just see a one-moment picture. it's funny. i posted a picture of me and cam newton from years ago -- two years ago. i posted it on sunday, just saying, "happy super bowl!" at the super bowl?" i wasn't at the super bowl! >> they just made assumptions. >> yeah! people make assumptions. so, it's so important that -- in that column, we talk about really slowing down enough to really make sure we're checking in with ourselves, and it's just really from a cry from the readers, saying, "we want to work on ourselves." >> now, let's check -- talk about some of those relationship pitfalls that we fall into. you know, there's that whole question of how important is it to have a real friendship with the person you want to be in a relationship with, and, also, how important are looks in a relationship? >> we know that the friendship is critical, right?

and friendship implies, "i trust this person, and i have a good time with this person," and those are the foundations of a long-lasting relationship, because looks do matter. we say chemistry does matter. but there's also been many studies that show it's not always in the first glance that we have that long-lasting chemistry. so i've interviewed couples who've been married 10, 20 years. the first meeting's so-so. i don't know. so, it took time for them really to get to know each other. >> 'cause once you get to know a person, a lot of times, what you see when you look at them really evolves. >> it evolves. it's like i didn't even see how beautiful -- and then you get to see who they are to the core, because there's plenty of people who we know are people who we thought were gorgeous, and then they do things that -- you know what? all of a sudden, they don't look so great to you, because you see their heart isn't so clean. and as you are -- the great thing about friendship is they're built on really commonalities, so we also get the question a lot, "do opposites attract? should i have someone who's just like me?" and i always say, "yes, your values systems should align with the same things that are important to me, but personalities don't have to be connecting."

complements you and you don't need a clone, 'cause you already have you. >> there's always this talk about soul mates, and you suggest that a person can have more than one soul mate. >> yes. yes. and i believe -- and people ask me that. "is he the one?" and i think our society likes to romanticize relationships, because i do believe in long-lasting, good relationships, but if you have a relationship that ends, it doesn't mean, "a," you don't get another great love and, "b," that that person didn't serve a role in your life. so don't be concerned if it's forever. just "does it work for now? are we really bringing out the best in each other?" because that can be for 10 years, or it could be for longer, so just enjoy it. but i definitely believe in soul mates. >> instead of trying to force it to be or make it to be something perhaps it wasn't meant to be. >> and you might be blocking the next great love because you want -- this relationship has expired, but you don't want to let it go. >> and, of course, the important question here, before we let you go -- maintaining that relationship. >> oh, that's the critical part, because the truth is you talk to -- i've interviewed so many singles, and most people who are single have met at least one

their life with. so, the issue isn't meeting people. the issue is how do we get past the first argument? and so maintaining a relationship means we make it through those rough moments. and so couples -- the best time to maintain is when it's going good. when your relationship is going down. "what's working?" and have regular maintenance, the same way we go to regular check-ups for our doctors, same way we service our cars. service your relationship. check in, because we're all constantly evolving. >> charreah jackson, you're so young to be so smart. [ both laugh ] it's always a pleasure to see you, and essence.com. >> yes. come on over. check out our content. of course, the new issue of essence is out on stands. insight. >> all right. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> still ahead, shining a spotlight on a little piece of black history -- the musical that pays tribute to atlantic city's club harlem.

>> that's right! >> everybody's on kentucky avenue [ electric-guitar solo ] some water taxis driving... just off the boardwalk, there's a peach of a beach that they call chicken bone >> there's a peach of a beach that they call chicken bone >> don't shout out to the masses whisper to the few ...got the fever good times in the blue on kentucky, on kentucky avenue feelin' lucky, bring that...

on kentucky avenue [ song ends, applause ] >> "on kentucky avenue," a celebration of atlantic city's club harlem, is a musical inspired by the famous night spot that catered to african-americans for more than 50 years. club harlem showcased stars like ella fitzgerald, billie holiday, duke ellington, and more and became known as "the black copacabana." here today is the creator of "on kentucky avenue," jeree wade, and gregory shanck. he is the managing director of the city college center for the arts. thank you both so much for being with us. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. >> this is just such a wonderful story that i really wasn't aware of, and you actually performed at club harlem. >> i did -- my husband and i, 10 years apart. we didn't know each other, but we both performed there. >> what was it about that story that so resonated with you and stuck with you that made you say, "you know what?

share this in tribute to the place"? >> i think that's it. it's gone, number one, and, number two, i think we don't do that kind of entertaining again, and so not only in tribute but in education and in preserving the history and the genre of the music and the dancing and the production and how it was a family. the club harlem was really a family. i did a lot of research. i talked to a lot of showgirls, and, you know, a lot of people are gone, but the ones that were still alive -- they were just generous in telling us what their life was like at the club harlem, and it was wonderful. >> just tell me if you can, what was so special about this place -- special and unusual? i think when we think about atlantic city, especially in its heyday, i think we think "gambling" and we think "white." >> yeah. well, it was the north side of town, and the whole town was special because it was really a good community, and it wasn't just middle-class. it was everybody in that

unfortunately, that's not the case today. the community has really fallen apart. >> mm-hmm. >> but at that time, there were many black-owned businesses, and kentucky avenue was one long street with about seven clubs on it that, all day and all night, from memorial day to labor day, was packed with people, because they came from the tri-state area and all over. but it was the north side of town, so they spent all of their time on kentucky avenue. >> mm-hmm. and, mr. shanck, i want to bring you in to the conversation. >> great. >> what about this musical and club harlem, "on kentucky avenue" -- what about it makes it such a good fit for your arts center? >> it's perfect because many of the performers that performed at club harlem performed at aaron davis hall. aaron davis hall has been around for over 35 years, and folks like nancy wilson and billie holiday -- we've done a project with billie holiday, and her memory is there, but a lot

ella fitzgerald. and they performed in aaron davis hall, so it's a perfect fit. it's a perfect fit for us. >> and this will be the second string of performances. it premiered last year? >> that's correct. it premiered last year, and we were sold out for all performances. we had three performances, and this year we added one sunday. people were asking all year, when are we going to bring club harlem back to aaron davis hall, and here we go. it's back again, and we're very excited about. >> now, was this a story you were familiar with before? >> no. no. i learned a lot. i learned a lot from jeree. i did not know about club harlem. my folks used to go to peg leg bates' in upstate new york, and they did go to club harlem, but i didn't go. i think i was too young to go. >> yeah. i would suggest that you probably were, too. [ laughter ] jeree, what's so great about your story is that you not only performed at club harlem, as you

husband actually did, you also -- you were living in atlantic city and then coming to harlem, you know, back and forth, so you really had a feel for both communities. >> yeah. smalls paradise, wells chicken and waffles, the apollo theater, and then i could go to atlantic city and do -- there's club harlem, grace's little belmont, wonder gardens. it really did form my personality as an entertainer and as a performer. and the character that i play, damita jo -- i saw her, and i just wanted to be a singer, and i was, like, you know, very young, but i just had to be a singer, and club harlem was the first stage i sang on. >> now, at the heart of this show, it's a love story -- a classic love triangle. i'm not gonna give much of it away, but just describe for us, if you will, you know, the cast, how big it is, just how much of a production of it is, and if you feel like you really managed to capture the essence of, you

>> i did, and the amazing thing is nobody had gone to club harlem except myself and my husband. this cast is incredible, and, pretty much, we have alternates, but we've kept the same cast that we started out with. you know, when someone has to work -- 'cause they're great. you know, when you have the best, you lose them. you know, every once in a while, they have to do their work and they have to make a lot of money, but they've been very faithful to us. so, the stars are ty stephens, who is also one of the creative producers, and we have been a part of a production company, along with frank owens and my husband, and branice mckenzie, who isn't here, for many, many years. and we joined with wilbur bascomb, our bass player, and so we're the creative producers. and the producers -- bob blume, who is another producer that has helped us along the way. but city college... >> [ chuckles ] >> ...is something that every show that is struggling -- >> mm-hmm. >> this man is a great producer. his staff is wonderful. his partners are wonderful at city college.

byron and sylvia lewis are sponsors. you couldn't go in to a situation where you didn't feel more cared for as artists and more productive and you want to do your best. then you want to soar. this year we want to go higher than we went last year, and i think we did pretty good last year. >> yeah. we did well. >> is that part of your mission? >> oh, absolutely. absolutely. >> to do what she said in terms of nurturing this show and...? >> oh, absolutely. we want to be helpful. we want to grow shows. we think that shows that have significance in the community need to be in aaron davis hall, and we will give it everything that we have. i must say that byron lewis, sylvia, and karen witherspoon are the ones that had the vision and said, "this needs to be in aaron davis hall." and so it has grown. we have grown, as well, and we're so happy to have it there. >> and the show is february 19th through the 21st. >> that's correct. >> how many performances, and how much are tickets? >> we have one performance on friday and sunday and two on saturday.

citycollegecenterforthearts.org for more information. >> okay. and, look, we're hoping that we're gonna see -- this won't be the last time or the last stage that we're gonna see this production on. >> i hope so, and we are just delighted to be with you. i think you're terrific. you're a kentucky avenue girl. >> honestly, you know what? i think i would have been. i probably would have been a lot of trouble. [ laughter ] >> thank you so much, and happy valentine's day. >> the same to you guys.

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>> 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, on facebook and twitter. i'm sandra bookman. enjoy the rest of your day. >> we've got something, people, special just for you on kentucky, on kentucky, on kentucky avenue new york's got the night life, canvas sky will do jersey's got the seashore, there's plenty things to do

on kentucky avenue some water taxis driving just off the boardwalk, there's a peach of a beach that they call chicken bone

masses welcome to a special edition of "our world with black ebtnter prize." we continue our coverage of the north american auto show in detroit. it's a race to the future. first up, we talk to ford ceo about redefining his company. >> people want more access versus ownership of vehicles. >> right. >> so we are saying how can ford