karen: today, state were presented gloria foster's historic time of the hill comes to an end. how a massachusetts ballot question could change communities of color if it passes. ? hello and welcome to cityline. she is the woman in the massachusetts bay -- statehouse with the longest history, serving since 1985 -- are presenting roxbury on beacon hill, in january. she received a lifetime

activism. the departure of the only african-american woman serving on the state legislature points to a -- points to an alarming lack of diversity in the legislative body. we welcome her to our program. gloria: thank you for having me. karen: thank you for being here. let me start by asking you, you have been here for some time now, public service has a bad reputation in today's world. lived in -- i began organizing in whittier street, and then i was prodded by pat rainer to be one of the paid community organizers through the antipoverty program. i worked my way from an organizer to the director of the

i stayed there until i was asked to run in 1984. i came in, in a special election in 1985, because -- name could not be taken off the ballot. i had to come in, in the spring of 1985, and i have been there, ever since. karen: see women running for political office, then and what challenges do you still see, now? gloria: always, the issue around financing and money, the money it takes to run a campaign, that it takes to do mailings and all of that, is a serious drawback for women, and especially women of color. most people don't look at that

of money if you want to run. the other thing is that people have to believe that it is winnable, and i was blessed that the first time out, when i ran, i was successful. i did not use a lot of money, and i usually have not in most of my races. karen: you do a lot of retail politics. gloria: hands-on, and i had a elected office, so people knew me and my community and knew the work i was doing as an organizer and the human service work i did as the director of the roxbury apac. karen: not a lot of diversity. you are just one of six black lawmakers in the 200 member body, only 17 latinos according

only four of us that are african-american in the house of representatives, and i am the only african-american woman out of 160 men and women in the house. our population shifts, so we have to constantly be organizing with a new population of people, in the african-american community, we have seen our population moving milton, but south, south. karen: that is kind of watering down the voting block. gloria: it definitely does that. it makes you work harder. it makes you stand stronger in your commitment. karen: election day is right around the corner.

gloria: from one side to the other. karen: what are you looking for? gloria: making sure there are no violations, making sure that all of our polls are covered and all the folks that are needed to make sure that inside and outside of the polls, we have some coverage, making sure that there is a flow of people constantly coming in, to vote. make sure my community comes out. we know this election will depend on how hard we vote. this election will come down to women and african american men and women. they say that our men don't vote. i am asking every woman of color to bring her man with her when she goes to the polls. hopefully that will happen and

about 20 million people. i am going to vote on the eighth with the rest. i will start at one side of my district, going through the fenway, working back to roxbury. i will go over to the end of my district and work my way back through. karen: my last question, what piece of legislation or you most proud of? gloria: health has been one of the top priorities. foster care. i was raised as a foster kid, so i always monitor all issues that deal with children living in foster care, or wards of the state, as we used to be called. karen: gloria fox, thank you.

then, i will be working with women in government and the national caucus of black state legislators. karen: congratulations to you. up next, how interracial relationships in america from yesteryear to today have

karen: can you believe it? it was just 50 years ago that the supreme court invalidated laws preventing interracial marriage. books since states across -- in states across america since colonial days. -- to set in motion a series of court challenges that would eventually overturned those laws. the struggles endured by the couple and their journey to the supreme court for loving versus virginia is a new movie called,

i am going to build you a house, right here, our house. when you marry me? >> they were two people that love each other and not understand what the rest of the world could not see it. >> i wanted to take her up to dcn marry her. >> are you sure about that? >> he was white, and she was black, and the world told them they could not love each other. >> -- they had your love -- pure love for each other. >> i now pronounce you husband and wife. >> in here. [indiscernible] >> sheriff brooks represents what people thought, that was

being a colored person did unlawfully cohabitate as husband and wife. >> was kept -- she was kept in jail over three days. >> when they were forced to move to d.c., that was a very painful shift in her life. >> hello, my name is i would like to look at your case. >> they were fighting for the idea of ending the law banning interracial marriage. >> i believed this fight and go all the way to the supreme court. >> they risk the lives of their children, their family, their selves. >> i don't care what they do to us. >> they opened the doors for somebody other people to love who they love.

rights movement, it was about two people loving each other and doing whatever it takes. >> i will take care of you. >> i love this story. it certainly came more known in the more recent supreme court case around marriage equality. >> anytime we can be reminded of the elegance and simple beauty of love, it is a good thing. >> you realize this case could on the united states. >> we may lose a small battle, but we will win the big war. >> is there anything you would like me to say to the supreme court justices? >> tell the judge i love my wife.

dr. carol bell is a assistant professor at the department of medication studies at northeastern university. person to be released book, the politics of interracial romance is the first comprehensive look at the representation and social significance of black/white romantic narratives in film. welcome to cityline. such a complicated issue, for so long. situation, and then the lovings come along and stand up and challenge the supreme court. give us some background on some of the things going on in society. >> it is interesting timing, because they were married in 1958 and arrested shortly after that. at the same time, the country was dealing with the aftermath of the brown versus board of

that role that separate was not equal in terms of education. the different states had several years to comply with that law. people were thinking about well what does this mean, how will this change things? one of the things that was driving fears about desegregation was that people were afraid that it would lead to broader desegregation and things like couples and mildred loving. the fear about the segregation in schools was not just schools was not just goals but these broader issues of racial boundaries, and whether or not there was something inherently different that need to be kept separate about black people and white people. karen: parallel to that, your area study has to do with images of interracial relationships in the media. talk about how that moved along with it.

country is dealing with that and with the sort of unspoken fears about integration, at the same time, hollywood is starting to respond to these changes in american society. in 1957, there were actually two films that dealt with interracial romance and sexuality, released by major studios. one was island in the sun. other was a film called band of angels which starred clark gable as a slave trader, but also a romantic hero who rescues a mixed race woman from being sold at auction and later became romantically involved with her. you have these two films in 1957 that were coming out and even though they were not necessarily

that we were all equal, they were still challenging the racial line in some ways. because of that, these films were actually protested when they came out. you have these interesting juxtapositions of a north carolina, ireland and the sun opening september 4, 1957, and the kkk picketing outside of the movie theater becausat images on film impacted societies perception of -- society's perception of interracial relationships? >> they contribute to our conversations about race. i am interested in these depictions both for what they say about except in --

say about our beliefs about race , and the politics of race at any given moment. they reflect the norms, changing beliefs, changing values and these depictions, there is a symbolic struggle that is taking place on screen that really reflects broader also take place in american society. karen: president obama is the child of a mixed race marriage. many people theorize that because of his dual background, that he was able to become elected as president. >> having that background, he is the first black president and the first biracial president. he could really speak to multiple audiences.

was raised partly by grandparents, by my white mother, who was a great influence and my grandmother from kansas, and really claim that as an important part. he has always been someone who has been very comfortable, speaking to different cultures and different people and really, his rise to prominence at the democratic national convention in 2004 was talking about that duality, not just race, but parties. not just red america and blue america, there is just the united states of america. there is not just black and there is not just white. karen: this is a very interesting topic. no ordinary love, the politics of interracial romance in american film.

iceberg on this topic. up next, economic, social and cultural impact communities of impact may gain or lose when it comes to legalizing marijuana in massachusetts.

karen: this tuesday, in massachusetts and several states across the country, a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana stands to shift national public opinion. in 2008, massachusetts boated to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less and medical marijuana was equalized in 2012. most predict question for concerned about marketing to children and public health risks. advocates say an economic boost in what could become a billion-dollar business and the shrinking of an illegal market for marijuana. some leaders in communities of color sea passage of question for as an opportunity while others oppose it. joining us now is the president and founder of -- and a cochair of the northeast cannabis

the aclu of massachusetts published a report titled the war on marijuana, black and white, a massachusetts update, which examined marijuana law and is meant and arguments by opponents of legalization. i will begin with you. let's talk about some of the findings in that report, specifically about arrest rates of blacks and latinos versus people in the white community. >> out with is uses rach -- usage rates among black people and white people is the same. black people are arrested at a rate of 2.2 times white people. it has come back down, but it is still more than it was before decriminalize asian. black people get arrested at 3.3 times the rate of white people for possession of marijuana.

turn into jail sentences and a disproportionate amount. >> the fact that somebody is stop by the police, arrested, held on bail can have a disruptive effect on people's lives. karen: decriminalizing this will eradicate all of those barriers. >> it has not completely eradicated all of those things, but legalization is another step in moving harassment and communities of color. we recently issued an interactive map that shows where the concentration of boston police activity is on marijuana arrests and it is concentrated in roxbury, dorchester and mattapan. about 13 police encounters a week in those sections of the city. those red spots indicate where marijuana arrests have occurred through august of 2015.

population in boston is concentrated around the west rock, parts of roslindale and that is for people of color are concentrated, and that is were the arrest activity is concentrated. blacks and white use marijuana at the same or similar rate. karen: you have a personal story. >> correct. in 2010, after decriminalization, i was arrested for less than the decriminalized amot. was pulled over for a minor traffic violation that turned into being booked an almost charged. thankfully, i was able to argue and convince them to get released, but if that is happening to me in a place like sharon for less than the criminalized amount, you can imagine what is happening to other young people of color. karen: let's assume question

how are communities of color going to gain access to it? are there barriers to communities of color? what needs to be done to make sure that there is opportunity for communities of color? >> that is a huge concern for us when we were drafting this initiative. karen: you are one of the drafters. >> correct. in cannabis. unfortunately, when colorado created their regulations, the excluded people with prior convictions from participating in the industry. if we were to do that here, that would eliminate a large portion of people of color from participating. karen: what kind of business opportunities exist? what avenues are there?

developing technology for patients. software programs, hvac. plant genetics testing. all of these businesses when you look in that impact, the majority of those do not touch the plant. it is a broad industry. we made sure to have a provision that said that people with prior cannabis convictions cannot be excluded from thin investment overwhelming for businessmen of color? >> that is what we saw in the medical program, requiring $30,000 for an application fee. in this initiative, application fees are no more than $50,000 -- $15,000. karen: many groups like a black ministry alliance have come out

>> black people only make up 8% of the commonwealth but we make up 24% of the marijuana possession arrests and 41% of the marijuana sales arrests. it is unconscionable to allow that to continue to exist. given the potential for greater economic -- inclusion in communities that have historically been impacted by the war on drugs, i think there is an opportunity to address some of the underlying concerns. karen: we'll have you both back after the election, once we see

conversation. thank you for being here. you can learn about everything we featured by logging on to our page at wcvb.com. this tuesday, make your voice heard, no matter where you stand, and vote if you have not, yet. thank you so much and have a

what's kelly ayotte costing you? you're paying more for prescription medicines. kelly ayotte blocked lower cost generic drugs. you're paying high interest rates on college loans. ayotte voted against letting you refinance at lower rates. and you're paying higher bank fees while ayotte voted for special breaks to wall street executives. kelly ayotte. she's siding with corporate special interests and that's costing you.

ck music) - welcome to teen kids news. i'm veronique. let's begin with our top story for this week. not all of us are intending to apply to college. but for those who do, here's some good news. as amelia reports, the earlier you start to prepare, the better your chances. - when do you think students should start preparing for college? - i believe early on, 9th, 10th grade is the best place to start. because you've already started taking your psats,