>> "here and now," the program featuring the news and interests of the african-american community. here's your host, sandra bookman. >> coming up, time for a new year's resolution reboot? dr. ian smith on why the shred power cleanse may be just the thing. also ahead, changing lives in sub-saharan africa. we'll talk to the founder of the people project foundation. this year's national black writers conference taking on issues of race in literature.

"charlie parker's yardbird." and oscar winner-turned-broadway star lupita nyong'o.

"here and now." >> if that new year's weight-loss resolution has fallen by the wayside, perhaps a way to get rid of those extra pounds is by detoxing. joining us today is dr. ian smith to share some of the clean, lean, fat-burning tips from his new book, "the shred power cleanse: the two-week plan." welcome back. >> good to be back, as always. >> i have to be honest with you. i love this book. i really -- first of all, the two weeks is attractive. >> yes. >> and i like the idea of a detox cleanse where you don't just drink every meal. >> that's the key. that's the key, right? so, for a long time, i actually have spoken against cleanses because i felt as though they were too difficult for people to do. 30 days or more is, to me, a long time. and also because when you just drink liquids, you're actually not getting all those vital nutrients you need to be well

so, when i designed the shred power cleanse, i wanted to make sure that it was doable, meaning that people could actually last the whole time, but also that you were chewing something, because science shows us that the process of chewing, or mastication, actually is an appetite suppressant. like, you know, you loss your appetite, to some degree. so, with that, i wanted you to have four meals. some of them can be solid meals, like vegetables and salads, but, also, the snacks are critical, right? so, the power snacks -- things like almonds and olives and cucumbers and tomatoes and hummus, popcorn -- air-popped popcorn. >> which seems like -- i thought, "well, that's a lot of food on a cleanse, isn't it?" >> it is, but you know what? the average weight loss of two weeks is 8 to 10 pounds, which is a big number, by the way. but beyond the weight loss, people have reported lowering their blood pressure, their blood-sugar levels for diabetic, cholesterol levels, increased energy, so the shred power cleanse is just not a weight-loss tool. it's really about eating clean, getting lean, and really overall wellness. >> and so is it designed primarily to sort of get you

a -- i don't know -- more in-depth weight-loss program or if you just want to have a reset and maybe start looking at what you're putting in your mouth on a daily basis? >> sure. both of those things. it's a great reset because this time of year, most people are off of their new year's resolutions of weight loss, as you know, by now. this is a way to reset the button, to get myself back in shape to do a better plan. now, any diet you want to go on, so people on different types of -- i have the shred diet, so many people are using the shred power cleanse, then doing this 6-week shred diet, but whatever diet you want to go on, the shred power cleanse is a way to hit that reset button. the other thing is that it's a great way to transition into healthier eating, meaning eating cleaner -- foods with less preservatives and additives and chemicals. this gets your body together. my wife did the cleanse and, after the cleanse, went back and tried to eat a turkey burger, for example, and you know what? the system said, "this isn't agreeing with me," because you're retraining your body to start wanting to eat things that are cleaner in nature. >> and healthier. and i think a big issue for a lot of people, besides the issue

am i always gonna be thinking about food?" is "how am i gonna feel?" >> yeah. well, this is the great thing about it. people report increased energy. they feel stronger. they are sleeping better. one lady said, "i'm actually sleeping better." so, even though the scale is great -- the number that you're losing on the scale is great -- it's the overall wellness. how do you feel? and people just feel more energized. one lady said, "i feel 10 years younger because i just feel i have all these antioxidants and vital nutrients inside of me which are giving me energy." >> mm-hmm. and a big thing in this power cleanse is the purple -- >> the purple power detox smoothie. >> purple power detox smoothie. >> that's right. say that five times fast, right? here's the deal. the deal is that green is so 2015. so, purple is the new green, so a lot of the drinks in the book -- there are 50 recipes in the back of the book. a lot of them are purple. why? they're sweeter. people tend to like sweeter drinks. but you can also get the kale and the greens in there and not drink it or taste it. so, too, with the green smoothie, you can sometimes feel like you're drinking grass.

still have your benefits of the green, but you can't taste it, you can't see it, and you have all these antioxidants on top of the fiber that comes with all the green stuff. >> and the ingredients you list in the -- i like the fact that you really explain what these primary ingredients do... >> that's right. >> ...they're easy to get... >> yep. >> ...what forms to get them in, and, like i said, if you could convince me to do it -- i even said to my husband, "i think we should do this." and he is a pasta eater and preparer, constantly. >> we have had everyone from c.e.o. of major companies to, you know, stay-at-home moms. everybody has tried it and loved it because it's so accessible. the ingredients are not expensive. you can find them anywhere. the smoothies -- more than 50 in the back of the book. they're so easy and fun to make. my kids -- most of those recipes are made with my kids in the kitchen, because the rule in my house was if the kids like it and the parents like it, most people are gonna like it, right? so, yeah. so, the shred program, the shred system, is all about accessibility and making it

you don't have to be gourmet. doesn't have to be totally organic. it's really about what's already in your kitchen. we have a challenge every month, by the way. the beginning of every month, every monday, we have a shred purple smoothie challenge, so people should go to our website at shredlife.com and join in. it's completely free. 50,000 people now are registered, and for two weeks, you can do it, too. for two weeks, we cleanse together. >> okay. i got to cleanse by myself. >> okay. okay. [ both laugh ] >> you're a private cleanser. that's okay. >> but it sounds like a great idea, because that is a motivating factor for a lot of people. and i have to ask you, before we let you go, you've been doing this for a long time. enormously successful with the shred power system because it is so accessible for people -- easy to follow, easy to understand. why did you -- but why does it seem to be so difficult for us to get a handle on how we eat, what we eat? and it does seem to be a peculiarly american thing. >> yeah. because i think we make it too complicated. you know, dieting and weight loss and being healthier is not

to make it. there are a lot of programs out there. you get mixed messages. one morning, the news says, "this isn't good for you. that's bad for you." so, it's confusing to people. so, when you go out in this really crowded marketplace to try to do it, you don't know how to do it. i say keep it simple. if you have more fruits and vegetables -- five servings a day -- if you reduce your amount of bad carbs, like doughnuts and pastries and sodas, you will lose weight. and, of course, exercise -- 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week. >> that's -- and i would miss, because i'm always so focused on the food, maybe deliberately. >> [ chuckles ] >> the exercise is really a key component, and what i like here is that you're saying you need to get moving. >> yeah, not in-a-gym exercise. just movement can make a big difference, and i have someone tell me all the time, if someone said to me, as a physician, you can write one prescription for better health, what would it be? that prescription would be regular movement or physical activity. that affects every organ system and prevents so many illnesses. >> okay. and i have to -- i said one thing before i let you go, but one more thing. >> okay. >> i love when you talk about

it and really seem to be invested in it. why is it so important to you? >> because i see the results. because i see people who have lost, on the shred system, 80 pounds, 100 pounds. people have gone off their blood-pressure medications, their diabetic medications. it changes people's lives, and i love transformation. and so the best reward for me is when someone hits me on facebook or twitter or i see them in an airport and they say, "dr. ian, you changed my life. i am now doing this" or "i couldn't do that." that makes it all worth it to me. >> yeah, and the power's in their hands. >> 100%. i want you to control your health destiny. >> all right, dr. ian smith. curious to see what you do next. >> all right. >> the book is "the shred power cleanse: the two-week plan." >> thanks for having me, as always. >> anybody can do that. >> that's right. >> thank you very much. >> all right. >> just ahead on "here and now," the nonprofit that's providing renewable energy and educational opportunities for children and

>> the project people foundation is a u.s.-based nonprofit that focuses on providing economic and educational opportunities for lower-income women and children in sub-saharan africa in an effort to promote self-sufficiency. joining us today is the founder of the project people foundation, reverend linda tarry-chard. thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. >> and thank you for inviting us. >> now, i know that, you know, working, you know, on -- working for others has really been your life's work. why did you -- this foundation and why this particular area of the world? >> well, i'll tell you, it was, um...a blessing -- unexpected.

1995 as a seminary student, and i was there for a conference and had never been to the continent and attended a church service and had an epiphany that it was very clear that there was something here for me to do. >> mm-hmm. >> left, came home, shared it with my mother, who's my best friend, and she said, "well, let's see what happens." and two weeks later, i received a phone call from a jewish agency that i was consulting with, and they said, "we have someone here from south africa who would like to talk to you maybe about a project." that was the beginning -- the first project, the black doll project. >> okay. and tell us about the black doll project. i find it really interesting. honestly, you probably could have gone to some parts of this country and done the same -- >> mm-hmm. >> the same project. but tell us about that. it had to be an eye-opener for you. >> oh, it indeed was. when i met the founder of the organization in south africa, helen sat down.

apartheid, black children in south africa were forced to play with white dolls. they didn't have black dolls. now new south africa, post-apartheid, nelson mandela is president. "will you help us get black dolls for the children in the townships?" i said, "yes!" without asking how many she needed. >> [ laughs ] >> she said, "oh, let me tell you the number -- 15,000" for all of her nursery schools in the townships. >> uh-huh. >> so, i immediately then called my mom again and all of my close friends and said, "help!" and they did. at the end of one year, which was the time frame we set up, we had 16,000 brand-new black dolls collected across the country. >> if there's a will, there's a way. >> there's a will, there's a way. and a team of people who helped, including mayor david dinkins, who helped take some there. it was just wonderful.

focused on self-esteem. >> indeed. the children did not have an opportunity to play with dolls that looked like themselves. the dolls that they played with were white -- blond hair, blue-eyed -- and that was throughout the townships. and the first dolls that they saw that looked like themselves, it was amazing to watch them. they would look, they would turn the doll, and their parents -- the parents, the grandparents, the people in the township -- they were, like, amazed because they had never seen this before. >> mm-hmm. now, the next project of your impressive roster of projects -- the bundles of brightness program. >> yes. bundles of brightness -- that, again, was -- we tend to partner with organizations on the ground, and this was an organization that was introduced to me at the time, jewish heart for africa. and what they do is they provide solar energy in the rural areas.

to the rural areas, where they to the rural areas, where they do not have electricity. they're not on the grid. we decided school uniforms, shoes, socks, backpack, all that, and a solar lamp. so now the children could do their homework, read, after dark. >> and these are all things that many of us take for granted... >> that's right. >> ...that they just didn't have -- these were areas that no one was really focusing any attention or resources on. >> that is correct. and what we found -- we call it the side effects that we had not even anticipated. the children would do their homework, go to bed, and the mothers, grannies, would use the lamps to do housework. some of them did sewing of items they could sell the next day. so, it has been a community benefit. >> okay. and more than you ever expected when you started out. >> ever. >> now, your most recent project that was started january of this year is the step and strides preschool program.

>> well, we again have partnered with an organization on the ground -- ubuntu education fund. and they're in port elizabeth township of south africa. >> mm-hmm. >> and we have a similar mission, vision, and we have decided to work with the little ones, because their philosophy, as well as ours -- from crib to career. so, this preschool program -- we raise the money here and send it there, and they were allowed to have 50 additional children to begin preschool, and we here know all the reasons why early childhood education is important. >> now, is this in south africa? is there work also in uganda? >> well, we did our launch in uganda for the bundles. >> for the bun-- okay. >> that was a pilot project. >> mm-hmm. >> we work now in two southern african countries -- south africa, in the townships, and in botswana in the rural areas. >> okay. >> and we distribute bundles in both.

listening to this that may say, "well, some of that work you could do here." why do you think it's so important to offer these services in africa? >> well, i think there's two reasons. initially, it was to support the new democratic south africa. >> mm-hmm. >> now we know that it's important to give first at home, and most people do, including myself. we're very philanthropic. when you go to the townships and rural areas, they do not have the safety nets that we have here. >> mm-hmm. >> they don't have public hospitals. they do not have food stamps. they do not have all the things that we know, by default, we can have. in the rural areas, it's even worse. so, we're all god's children, and i think we should extend a hand. >> and you talked about raising money and raising resources for this. you know, how do you do that, and what do you need? >> well, how we do it is we approach individuals, civic

foundations across the board, and we are now moving in to social media, so that is a powerful tool, and we are asking people to support us by going to our website. if you go there, projectpeoplefoundation.org, you will see a "donate" button. we ask people to go on our facebook page -- project people foundation. like us. tell everyone about us. just... >> get the word out. >> ...get the word out. and then, thirdly, we're looking for people who can help us in the area of social media -- help us to move forward internationally, working with students and working with staff and volunteers in both countries -- botswana and south africa. >> and that's projectpeoplefoundation.org. >> that is correct. >> and another question folks have these days -- how much of what they send in goes toward the actual work? >> well, at this point, we're very proud to say that 100% of what you give goes to the

we are volunteer-driven, and our board, strong board -- they give the money that helps us with the back office. we give everything you donate to the children. >> all right. this is really actually an amazing program. we appreciate your being here. >> thank you. >> and, um... projectpeoplefoundation.org, so we hope our viewers will take a look at the website. and the next time we talk to you, we will be on to your next big initiative. >> that's right. join our team. it's a strong one. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> up next, the national black writers conference at medgar evers college. this year's stellar lineup includes award-winning journalist farai chideya. she's next.

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>> this year's national black writers conference at medgar evers college takes on the timely subject of race. its theme -- "writing race, embracing difference." joining us this afternoon is award-winning journalist and political and cultural analyst farai chideya. thanks so much for being here. >> oh, i am so delighted to be here. >> and i am so honored to meet you! i have admired you for years. >> oh, likewise. >> well, it is with great pleasure that we have you on "here and now." >> i really appreciate your show, and it's so important, and you have just such a great variety of people on. >> thank you. we appreciate it. hopefully, the community finds something that they want to hear more about when they turn on. we definitely want to hear more from you today. now, you're gonna be at the writers conference and part of a panel that speaks to writers in the digital age. >> yes. yes. it's gonna be -- so, this conference runs from the 31st of march, which is a thursday, through that following sunday, april 3rd. and i'm gonna be on a panel on sunday, and the reality is that

always been on the cutting edge because we have kind of had no choice to be. you know, you can't always wait for other people to catch up with your vision, and so there are people -- he's not on the panel, but new orleans-based afrofuturist kalamu ya salaam was one of the very first people to set up a digital community, the e-drum, for black writers. and so we're following in that tradition of talking about, you know, black writing in the digital age, whether that means publishing or whether that means innovation and community. >> and i would think that the advent of the digital age certainly broadened the playing field, that a lot of black writers, writers of color, that did not necessarily have a voice or feel like they have a voice in conventional media -- the digital was almost made for them. >> yeah, absolutely. you know, i mean, there are so many great writing groups, for

just people of color. there are many ways to connect online with each other, because the publishing industry is going through challenges, you know? every industry is going through challenges, but i think that we've seen some really successful forms of distribution, and i really just think that the center is a place where black writers gather to become informed not just about the trends nationally or even internationally but among other african-americans, and it's a very powerful -- this is the 13th annual conference. people come from all over the world -- really strong representation of black american, afro-caribbean, afro-latino writers. and this year, we're going to be able to gather with the founder, dr. brenda greene, and also with people like former poet laureate rita dove. yeah. you can't go wrong with that. and michael eric dyson, edwidge danticat. so, it's a really all-star

>> and the conference -- do you find it for the aspiring writer, as well? i mean, it is set on a college. it's got to be like -- >> it's everything, though. i mean, it's from super, internationally famous writers to people who are, you know, sitting in their room, scribbling in a notebook, and said, "i always wanted to write this book," and they come for inspiration and they come for community. >> okay. that's really important... >> yes. >> ...i think, and it's been around for a long time, so i think that speaks to the significance of it. >> absolutely. >> are there any of the -- we talked about the panel that you're sitting in. are there any that you, as a professional -- you have a lot of jobs. let's face it. >> yes, yes. >> as a professional writer, though, are there any that are particular of interest to you? >> well, i'm always interested -- i'm a huge fan of edwidge danticat, and she's someone whose career i've followed since she wrote the book "krik? krak!" about haitian

and she's gone on to do books about, you know, writing fearlessly, and she's done children's books, so i'm really excited. she's one of the honorees, and i'm really excited to hear her. >> and it's got to be inspirational, too, to, you know, talk to other writers about their work process. >> yeah. absolutely. >> and i don't know. i would think if you go to a conference like that, you walk away inspired. >> absolutely. you walk away inspired, and some people have even gotten together and gotten married, so, you know, you can always show up and see what other -- >> okay. well, please let us know if that happens. >> yeah, see what other literary-minded people are around if you want to get to know some. >> okay. so, this is not a hookup. >> it's not a hookup situation, but it does happen. you know, great minds... >> okay. all right. is that what it is -- great minds? >> great minds. great minds. >> all right. well, look, we've got you here. i do want to talk to you about your new book, "the episodic career." i haven't had a chance to read the entire thing yet, but i've gone through and read a couple of chapters, which, right now

figure out which archetype i am. >> archetype you are, yeah, 'cause there's a self-diagnostic tool. >> yeah. i really find it incredible that you were able to really voice, i think, what a lot of us are thinking these days -- that the work landscape is really changing. and for young people, that's got to be a little bit -- you know, makes you a little bit unsteady on your feet. >> yeah. so, i wrote "the episodic career" actually coming out of studying politics, 'cause i've covered politics for years. and in 2010, during the midterm elections, when that was the rise of the tea party, among other things, i saw people, after the great recession, just really struggling to figure out how to make a living in america. and i decided to set out on this journey to many states and talk to many different types of people, from a former tv reporter who became a google executive, a woman who was a street prostitute who was addicted to drugs and cleaned

you know, and middle managers and all these different types of people and figure out the lessons about resilience, and, basically, there's a certain emotional component to the book about resilience and believing in yourself, but then there's all these practical tips, because i just saw people really suffering and in pain. >> and struggling. >> yep. >> yeah. and it's -- you know what? it is nice to -- it's almost like a guide, in a lot of ways, that says, "you're not crazy, and it's not hopeless." >> yes. exactly. i couldn't think of a better way to sum it up, because i really -- you know, i have case studies like the ones i mentioned, but, also, i talk about the future of retirement, how that's changing. it's not just young people who are having to adapt. it's people of all ages. >> yeah. >> so, you know, basically, the american worker has been left with so many responsibilities that what we used to call "good-paying jobs" used to have, you know? used to be all the benefits, all the retirement. >> and that's shifted.

where we're expected to do more and more planning, not just for our finances today but for our finances tomorrow. so, i try to lay these things out so that people understand. >> you know what? because i have you here and i have to do it 'cause it's election season -- >> yes. >> your take on what we're seeing in this campaign? >> oh, absolutely. well, you know, there's this phrase that you're familiar with -- dog-whistle politics, which is when there's racial code words. and what i like to say is that the dog whistle has become the scream of a screeching train. you know, we have entered a kind of mirror world where some of the worst aspects of how america deals with race, religion, and diversity are coming out. but, again, that links back to jobs, because all of the analyses of voters who are motivated by what's called "racial resentment" -- it comes from people who are in economically distressed areas. and you also see it in europe,

extremist parties in europe. so, we're not alone, but this is a human condition where we as americans are not dealing well with the stressors in our lives, economic and otherwise, and we're at each other's throats, and i think that, regardless of what happens -- and i do personally think that both donald trump and hillary clinton will be their party's nominees. >> mm-hmm. >> regardless of what's happened, we need some healing in this country. after this election, it's a bit of a scorched earth, and we're not even all the way through it. >> well, unfortunately, it seems like it's been a bit of a scorched earth -- it's just sort of reached a zenith with this campaign season. >> yeah, and with donald trump refusing to debate, i mean, it's like, i guess, you know, so much for democracy. >> yeah. yeah. you know what? what is that? my mother has a saying. you know, she says it, and a lot of times, there's nothing new, you know, and it's all on the wheel, in a sense. >> yes. >> the chickens come home to roost. we could throw it all out there, right?

just one last thing -- when i think about the term "revolution," people on the right and the left sometimes talk about the republican revolution or the black -- this black or whatever revolution. revolution is a circle, so like your mother said, we just keep going in these circles. i want to step off the circle and kind of move in one direction towards progress. >> i think a lot of people would love to see that. >> yeah. >> farai chideya, such a pleasure having you on the show. you know you can come back anytime. >> i would love to. >> all right. the new book is "the episodic career." no matter how old you are, where you are in the job search, it is definitely worth reading. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> and the conference -- >> yes, of course. >> tonight, you're gonna be on a panel -- april 3rd. >> absolutely. yes. >> all right. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> all right. still ahead, the apollo theater hosts the new york premiere of the opera "charlie parker's yardbird." stay with us.

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come back today and we'll give you free installation with our exclusive one-hour arrival window. feels good to be back. come back today. you'll get free installation, tv equipment and epix included. and now get a $300 reward card. call today, and welcome back. >> it is true let's play some music >> [ singing indistinctly ] ba-ba ba-ba ba-ba ba-ba you are the... i am the heartbeat if you are the bee-bee-bee i am the ba-ba-ba if you are the >> bee-bee-bee >> i am the ba-ba-ba >> you must be kidding [ singing indistinctly ] >> your heart is trying >> you dig it? >> for the first time ever, an opera is taking center stage at the apollo.

"charlie parker's yardbird," about the famous saxophonist and composer. with us today is playwright bridgette wimberly, the librettist behind the opera and the story of a pioneer in bebop. welcome to "here and now." >> thank you. thank you. >> you started as a poet, and you were just telling me that your poetry started getting long, so somebody said, "maybe you need to turn it into something else." >> that's right. >> so, that's how this wonderful career got started. >> that's right. >> and why charlie parker's story? >> well, "charlie parker" started before me. the composer, daniel schnyder, is a friend of my brother's, michael wimberly, and he told him he was looking for a librettist, and my brother said, "well, try my sister." >> [ laughing ] okay. uh-huh. >> and that's how it started. so, we talked. the opera of philadelphia commissioned me to write the

i then read everything i could get my hands on about charlie parker, looked at ken burns' "jazz" series, everybody's documentary that were bebop artists, until i finally realized how i wanted to approach the story. >> and what does a librettist do, exactly? >> the librettist writes the story for an opera. >> okay. >> opera's really a musical form, but the librettist is the hanger that the composer hangs the music on. >> it's the story. >> it's the story. >> it's the meat. >> it's the meat. >> okay. was that difficult to do? >> well, it was difficult because this was the first time i wrote an opera, and my first draft was 72 pages long, and i knew i had to cut it down to 30 pages after that. but being a playwright, you have to find the conflict, the story, put meat on the bones of the characters. so, i needed to do that in order

then, you know, cut down to what's manageable for a 90-minute chamber opera. >> and what about his life makes it a subject -- such a great subject for this form? >> well, he was a great subject by himself. he was a self-taught saxophonist. he was born in 1920, in a time where -- jim crow america, in kansas city, kansas. his mother moved him to kansas city, missouri. she was a very interesting woman. she was really the person i connected with the most in research, and the difficulty with writing about charlie parker was that he never wrote about himself. he didn't speak about himself. so, you have to rely on the other stories to find out who he was. >> i guess he let the music speak for him. >> he let the music speak for him. but the whole reason why the music -- he grew up right around

and the swing music, right in the heart of it, which was his mother's fear because of drugs and crime. but that's where black folks lived -- right on that border. and while she worked at night, he snuck out and listened and then played. >> mm-hmm. >> so, these musicians became his -- his family, in a sense, and he practiced 11 to 15 hours every day, to the neighbors' regret. >> [ laughs ] >> but he was determined to be charlie parker, even if he didn't know that's what he was >> yeah. but he died really early. >> yeah. 34 years old, he died. >> he packed a lot of music and living into that short period of time, did he not? >> he did, and when i found out how he died -- where he died, really -- he died in the baroness pannonica -- and i can't pronounce her last name. but, anyway, she was a jazz patron. she really admired

would go to her hotel suite in the stanhope hotel. it was segregated, so they had to go around the back to go up there, but they would go up there and play and hang. and one day, on his way to boston, he stopped at her apartment. he had pneumonia -- he didn't feel well -- and, unfortunately, he died. but his body ends up in bellevue's morgue misidentified, so for three days, nobody knew where he was, and that's how i start this opera. >> it's very -- it almost was destined to be the subject of an opera. >> yes. yes. yes. yes. >> what are you hoping people will walk away when they leave the theater? what are you hoping they walk away feeling? >> well, this opera already having been done in philadelphia, i know they're gonna walk away... with a lot of emotions about charlie parker. >> mm-hmm. >> i mean, the first time i watched the opera when it went, but the other four times it was

audience, and they're all moved at the end. i want people to understand that charlie parker was a genius, that his place in musical history and even history is very important, and no matter with his drug addiction or whatever else, he was an important person, and it says something about all of us. you do what you do and do the best job you can, and, at the end, you just have to let it go. and for him and for the rest of us, he changed music, and music continues to go 61 years after his death. >> and having this opera at the apollo has to be special, as well. >> it is. he played at the apollo. so, to be able to do the opera in a place where he played -- and the apollo has meant so much to so many musicians and actors and performers. but, you know, to go on -- you know, it was just a venue, i guess, at the time... >> but it's much more than that now. >> ...but all these years have gone by. yes. yes.

>> it's come full circle. >> and folks can go to apollotheater.org and get information about the performance and tickets? >> and tickets, yes. yes, yes. and the other events. there's a bus tour of all the places he played in harlem, 'cause harlem was very much his home. there's minton's, where he and dizzy and monk and all got together and figured out bebop. so, there's a tour on sunday -- saturday, march 26th, i believe. >> okay. you find out the story behind the story. >> right, the story behind the story. >> thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. >> oh, thank you for having me.

>> oscar winner lupita nyong'o recently made her broadway debut in "eclipsed." it tells the story of five women brought together by the upheaval in their homeland of liberia. it's another milestone in the career of this star, who seemed to come out of nowhere just a few years ago. she talked about that journey with entertainment reporter sandy kenyon. >> her unforgettable oscar moment two years ago has led to new opportunities for lupita nyong'o. >> after the "12 years a slave" and the academy awards and everything that came -- all the blessings that came with that, i was asking myself, "what next?" and for me, theater has always been my backbone, and i wanted to get back to that backbone.

"eclipsed" as a student at the yale drama school, newly arrived from kenya. what is it about it that grabbed you back then and grabs you now? >> well, i understudied the role i play right now, and i just remember being in the rehearsal room and feeling so blessed to watch this play come to life. it's so -- it's deep. it's riveting. it's funny. it's suspenseful. it's moving. and i just remember feeling like i wanted to be a part of telling the story one day, so i made a little note to myself, and here we are today. >> why doesn't your character have a name? why is she called simply "girl"? >> why? you know, i think it's because -- this is a question for danai, who wrote the play, but i think it's because in her, we are -- we get into the story with her, this world, this very bizarre and unimaginable world of the liberian civil war and being held in captivity.

she's new to this compound, and we come in with her, so we can project our experiences through her, and i think that's why. that's my personal reason. >> to be frank, why are these women in this room? they have a purpose, don't they? >> yeah. >> they are -- >> they are held in captivity, and i think their purpose is to survive. and the way in which they do so is so distinct. each one chooses to deal with the circumstance in a very different way, and i think that's what's so riveting, is because they find themselves in the same situation, but they deal with is so individually. >> they're there to be raped. is that a fair statement? >> yes. they're being held in captivity by this man, and, yes, he has them as sex slaves. >> nyong'o plays one of a group of women held as sex slaves during a civil war in the african nation of liberia, and last year, she earned rave reviews in the play at the public theater. the same cast now moves uptown

her first glimpse of the marquee posted on instagram. >> [ laughs ] it's real! i wanted to do this one because, for me, i had never seen a play with five women telling their story of african descent ever. and it moved me, and i thought it was so -- it was such a human experience and yet so specific to the liberian situation, and that specificity and the universality of it were what drew me to it. to really get back to the craft of it, to the blessing that is rehearsal and to being able to create together collectively a story we want to tell and to be able to do so in a story that adds a different kind of voice to what we usually hear. >> i read that when you were growing up in kenya, you were starved for stories like this. >> i was. i was. exactly. and so, for me, this fed me.

was so special and meaningful, and i felt like, "i would like to share this with other people." >> lupita is part of a trend towards greater diversity on what used to be called "the great white way." "hamilton" is a hit for the ages, and "the color purple" is packing them in. how's broadway doing compared to hollywood in that regard? >> [ laughs ] well, i think there's room for all of us to embrace inclusion. >> for the second straight year, all of oscar's acting nominees are white, but this past winner approves of recent moves by the academy to increase diversity and owns her part in the discussion. >> i feel very encouraged by the changes that the academy has made, and, for me, i think the academy is -- basically, it's at the end of the chain. what needs to happen, i think, is that the kinds of stories that are being told, are being

that's where the diversity needs to happen, because then that will inform what is possible when it comes to recognition. >> are you a member of the academy? >> i am a member of the academy and a very proud one. >> you were asked after you won or before? >> sorry? >> were you asked to join - >> after. after. after i won. yep. >> now, "12 years a slave" -- there was a lot of talk about that maybe this would lead to something, more of these different stories being told. you understand why some people are discouraged that perhaps that wasn't the case? >> i can understand that. i feel... as far -- when it comes to me personally, first of all, i feel a lot of gratitude for the kinds of opportunities that have been afforded to me thus far, and what i want to do for myself is to use the little weight that i have to tell stories that would otherwise not perhaps see the light of day.

like "eclipsed" or "the queen of katwe," which will be coming out in the fall, with disney -- those kinds of things to lend my voice to stories that otherwise may not have been told, and i think that's part of it -- when the mandate becomes everyone's mandate, you know? >> tell us a little bit about the disney film, since we're owned by disney. >> oh, yeah. yeah. "queen of katwe" is -- it's, uh -- it's a very moving, true story of a young ugandan girl who develops a dream to become an international chess master, despite coming from abject poverty. and so it's a real story of hope and -- and -- and defying all, you know, logic to pursue a dream and make it come true for yourself. >> final question. let's bring it back to broadway. you are a classically trained stage actress. you're making your broadway

>> what's going through your head and your heart as you go through the rehearsals and know that the first night on a broadway stage is ahead of you? >> you know, i feel very lucky to have had 10 weeks to try this show out at the public theater and to be able to go to broadway with the very same cast. there's a lot of trust. it's a circle of trust. this is a show that is a real ensemble piece, so you really -- everyone needs each other on that stage, and these are four women that i love, and we have a chemistry that we've built that count on. there's so much trust, and we have so much fun together, and so i feel nervous, but i also feel very excited, because i know i believe in what we are doing.

>> "re-discovering america: family treasures from the kinsey collection" is an exhibit that represents 400 years of african-american achievement with its rare art, documents, books, and artifacts. philanthropists bernard and

collection is now being showcased at walt disney world's epcot center in orlando, florida. "here and now" got a chance to talk with the kinsey family about their collection and their passion for american history. >> we have a saying -- there are the stories that made america, and there are the stories that america made up. we know america is european, indian, and african. but if you look at the history books, it's only european. so, that part of the history that has been left out is what the kinsey collection does through books, manuscripts, documents, and 2- and 3-dimensional art. well, for the last nine years, we've had 4 million people see it before disney, and we are expecting 15 million to 20 million people to see it at epcot, which is an amazing show. if you think about disney dedicating almost 3,000 square feet to tell the african-american experience, i mean, it's just unheard of. >> we all know we have black history month once a year, and that's about the only time that the history of

schools, and kids seem to have only three or four people that they talk about every year, regardless of what grade you're in. this collection gives them a chance to understand and know that there are other people who did amazing things and contributed significantly to the building of america, and that's what we want all people to understand. this is not just african-american history -- it's american history. >> the first piece that really started this, i think -- >> or that touched you. >> yeah, touched me deeply -- was an 1832 bill of sale of a young african-american young man in alabama, being sold for $550. and it was almost like i was holding him in my hand when i opened this fedex this friend sent me. and i just couldn't believe how someone could own someone. and we also have a 1598 document of a married couple in st. augustine -- augustine and francisca... >> which is my hometown. >> ...getting married in shirley's hometown in 1598. well, which, all of a sudden, it just throws away everything you

and i think that texture of our history is important not just for black folks but for white folks, and the emotional content associated with the kinsey collection is powerful because we call it a reading show. for instance, we have a document from 1595 of an african-american girl from st. augustine being baptized. let's put that in perspective. jamestown was founded in 1607. here's a young african-american girl being baptized in 1595. now, she had parents, which meant that she was there before 1595. and the idea that african-americans were not here before jamestown is what we blow up, and we blow up that we came here differently than what everybody said we came here differently. and that's important because a lot of black folks and white folks really believe that this struggle thing about slavery and enslavement is really all of our history, and it's just not. the iberian peninsula was owned by the moors, black folks, for 700 years.

the iberian peninsula, they started these conquests, starting with columbus. one of them was to florida in 1513 -- ponce de le_n. another one was with men\ndez. >> pedro men\ndez. >> 1565. on the ship with men\ndez were 800 spanish-speaking people -- 400 africans and 400 spanish. so, the settlement that we're talking about in st. augustine came out of the original founding of st. augustine in 1565. >> one in particular that's a letter, and it's about frances crawford. frances is 17 years old. she's being sold, and she doesn't know she's being sold. she's carrying this letter in her hands to a slave dealer. >> in richmond, virginia. >> yeah, because her master has said -- and mistress, in this case -- has said that she has to sell her to buy horses for her stable. >> and when you come to the kinsey collection, you'll see american history for what it is. and it's still a beautiful place, but you understand why

we're still struggling with race today in america. it's because of these vestiges from the past that we've not dealt with. >> 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.

enjoy the rest of your day. welcome to a special edition of "our world with black ebtnter prize." we continue our coverage of the north american auto show in detroit.