>> good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first of, the president and ceo of the national urban league, marc morial. for the first time, they included hispanics in their findings -- first up, the president o. also tonight, actress anna torv, who can be seen and a much talked-about new series, "pacific." marc morial and actress anna torv, coming up, right now. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better, but, mostly, we are looking forward to helping you build stronger communities and

relationships, because with your help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance. working to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. >> ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >> and by contributions by viewers like you. to pbs stations. thank you. tavis: marc morial is president and ceo of the urban league. this year's report included findings about the latino community, as well. marc morial joins us tonight

from washington. good to have you back on the program. >> thank you so much for having me. tavis: let me jump to our report. on the cover, you cannot miss the word "j-o-b-s." certainly, the center of it is about jobs. you all are working with numbers that you build your case around in this report, but since this has gone to print, we have had other numbers come out that are worse than what is in your report. the new job numbers are coming out this friday, and they may be worse, certainly, for the communities that you are concerned about. what do you make about the fact that these numbers seem to be going down, a downward spiral? >> there is what we call a lagging indicator, which even after, quote, a recession, you

can have another year to 18 months of continued high unemployment. make no mistake about it. there is a crisis in this nation when it comes to jobs, and is a significantly deeper crisis in this nation -- and it is a significantly deeper crisis in this nation when it comes to blacks and jobs. we also tried in this report to give suggestions on how to fix the problem. tavis: i am not naïve, of course, and asking this question, but why is it that black folk and brown folk are being hit the hardest? >> it is historical, and that is that there is continued discrimination in the job market. it is still very real. secondly, those with lower

education levels, meaning those without high school, those with only a high-school diploma always, in good and bad times have a higher unemployment rates -- those with only a high- school diploma always, in good times and bad times, have a higher unemployment rate. there is a disparity. almost double for blacks, over 1.5% for latinos. they're real numbers are even higher, because these numbers do not count for those who are -- a real numbers are even higher, because these numbers do not count those who are no longer looking for work -- the real numbers. it is a combination. for many african-americans,

their class is tied to their race. it is a complex combination of class and race. high unemployment also exists in suburban trinity's, in rural communities. -- also exist in urban communities, in rural communities. it is a combination of class and race, but most african-americans and latinos to a great extent, the class that they find themselves in, the economic glass, is tied to some extent to their race, -- their economic class, is tied to some extent to their race. -any strategy has to meet the problem where it is. tavis: there is the challenge that the hispanic community, the

latino community faces. the naacp. i suggested jackson. i saw a doctor west. as i said -- i saw jesse jackson. i saw dr. west. there is this argument every day that links these struggles with black and brown americans with this issue. >> we added the hispanic index primarily because over the last five years, there have been questions about the status of hispanics. i do not think any true picture of equality in america alone is simply the picture of black and white america, although we think that is the most important historical lens through which to look at the quality, but there

is the growing hispanic and latino communities. secondly, my gut tells me, my political instincts tell me that a relationship, a working relationship, between the hispanic community and the black community around issues is something that is good for us and good for the nation. that does not mean that there are not going to be some places where we disagree, where our views may not exactly meche, but it is important as we look at the quality -- where our views may not exactly mesh. what the hispanic quality index shows is a wider situation which is not quite as large as between whites and african-americans. all of the numbers that are available for black america and white america are not available

for hispanic americans, so the index is not a perfect match, but it models the index that we have had for the last six or seven years when it comes to the relationship between black and white americans. tavis: i want to spend the balance of my time talking about solutions. that is the most important part of this. i will do that after asking you about the president's response to this. we will give you a chance to assess his response. the president said, basically, in terms of time here, there have been two responses given consistently about the lack of jobs in black america. a rising tide will lift all folks. -- lift all boats. number two, the second answer, and i am paraphrasing here, of

course, we are going to have to get whenever we get from the stimulus. now, you know well that there was a report out from a university that points that the stimulus has not delivered jobs, too small black and brown businesses -- to a small black and brown businesses. and thirdly, -- to small black and brown businesses. a rising tide will lift all boats. your thoughts on that? >> a rising tide lifts all boats if you have a boat in which to rise, and when people are chronically unemployed for more than a year, i would submit that they do not have a boat in which to rise, so, yes, it is an

analogy, but it is an analogy with an important caveat or an important footnote. we have said this to the leaders in the administration. the stimulus hinges primarily on giving money to states and units of local governments to spend it, mainly construction, contract, that component of it. they have got to do a better job holding those government agencies' feet to the fire to make sure that they do business on a fair basis with african- american and latino small businesses. secretary lahood and others have to do a much better job, number one, and number two, they have to send a message that they are not going to tolerate ignoring these federal mandates about participation.

this is why i believe very strongly that a stronger, more comprehensive, more targeted jobs program is needed by the president and by the congress. this is one that would, in effect, placed the resources in the hands of local government, give community-based organizations a larger role in job creation, and a strong reinforcement program to ensure that minority business participation takes place. here is what is important. it is important to very quickly learn the lessons of stimulus, both positive and the not so positive, and make sure that those lessons are incorporated. our six-point jobs plan is a plan that has as its emphasis targeting, targeting whether it -- where jobs are created, target where small-business

lending should take place, where training should be, two areas of high unemployment, areas where poverty is high. not exclusively in those areas, but actually placing more emphasis in those areas when it comes to job creation. this is a lesson we have learned from the 1930's and 1970's, when we had a deep economic crises. if you do get the result if you target the communities that are most at need -- you do get the result if you target the communities that are most at need. this is my message to members of the cabinet, our message to members of congress, our message in the state of black america report, and the good news is the congressman from california and a congressman from chicago, both of these representatives have now introduced bills that we think there are a lot of merit,

-- we think have a lot america, jobs that will target things. i think there is going to -- have now introduced bills that we think have a lot of merit, jobs that will target things. this is to make sure this crisis is addressed as the nation's financial crisis and a crisis was addressed. -- the nation's financial crisis and bank crisis was tavis: in 30 seconds, let me ask you if you are hopeful that can happen in time to save black and brown folk in this country. >> i think there are people out there who understand this and support this. they have to weigh in.

this will not happen if we do not weigh in. we bailed out the banks. we have a $50 billion reconstruction program for iraq and baghdad, and now it is time for the political will, the emphasis on insuring that the jobs are there. -- the emphasis on ensuring that the jobs are there. tavis: the report is just out. it is called "the state of black america." incomes not annually. thank you. -- it comes out annually. up next, actress anna torv. stay with us. she stars on a very popular fox show, "fringe," and she can be seen in a new hbo show.

this is now a scene from that show, "fringe." >> it has prevented me from understanding the origin. and i know about it. i know the whole story. >> does peter know? have you told him? >> i am going to. >> no, you will not. >> what makes you so sure about that? >> because you have not told him yet. >> i have had my reasons for waiting. it is the right thing to do. >> is the right thing to do. i recognize the look in your eyes -- it is the right thing to do. tavis: you are sitting in for a

friend of j.j., hired by j.j.. we have had two or three guests who are all on these shows. there is something about this a genre that at least american television viewers have connected to -- this genre that least american television viewers have connected to. >> our show does not willis -- does not necessarily fit in that sci-fi genre. you can go anywhere with it. i was reading an interview that was done awhile ago. i cannot remember who it was. but the more sci-fi you get, you

have to keep that human emotions so real that the more human you get -- keep that human emotion so real that the more human you get. tavis: i like that answer. to your earlier point, you see "fringe" as different from some of the other paranormal shows out there. >> we do not have aliens. it is science fiction, and some of these things really can happen. it is also -- it is a family story. they come back together, and

they are sort of reestablishing their relationship. it does not just stick with the sci-fi. i play an fbi agent. she was just really good at her job. then there is a particular case that opens up sort of a whole new world for her. there is a team that starts to investigate some strange events going on. the drive is to find out who is behind them and why, and that gets into now and the clip that you just played. tavis: i want to ask a question that i do not think i have asked before. you sit here on a show like this, and you get the chance to talk to producers, you often

hear about why producers cast a certain person, and you expect that when talking to producers like j.j., but there is one actor takes or learns from someone who is at their apex. i mean, j.j. -- as an actor, what do you take away from somebody who is in their moment on the production side? >> i do not know how to answer that question. at the beginning, i thought you were going to say, "what do you think of him?" before we were doing "fringe," i was in australia -- tavis: do not talk about that.

i want to talk about that. >> this was a great opportunity. part of being number one on the call sheet is that you should go to work and smile every day. working with people who work with him, i do not know. it is like a family. they have been working together for so long. i mean, they go back to high school. i do not know how to answer that. you just keep your eyes open and listen and learn as much as you can. remember what you have got. tavis: "family" is not a word you hear too often in this town.

back to your point now about how you tested for this. when we think of auditions in this town, we think of someone going into a room with a bunch of producers, whoever, suits, and you do your addition in front of them, and you did that, but it was a really, really long distance. >> yes. i hate hearing stories about people getting plucked out of nowhere. i do not think that happened. i worked. i did sit in those rooms a lot before i got there. yes, i was in austria korea, and it all happened very quickly -- i was in australia. and it all happened very quickly. it was a really comfortable environment.

but what i did not know until after is that they had actually seen something i had done. i did it, and then they sent it off, and the next day -- i think they were frantic. they contacted me, but i think that is such a foreign story because everything is here, and you are sort of used to -- tavis: you have tested -- >> i set up my computer with the camera facing me, making sure the lighting is ok, and i sort of sent back off. it is a more common kind of

thing. tavis: it is fascinating. it makes me wonder if that is more challenging to do. is it more challenging to do it that way? or is there a freedom and liberty? or not? >> i think it depends on your personality. when you walk into a room, you kind of get a little bit of adrenaline. i also like to meet people. tavis: and then they tell you know a lot of times. >> yes. -- they tell you no a lot of times. >> yes, but i did not do so badly. tavis: you are happy, moving toward season two. >> yes.

tavis: you or on a little bit of a hiatus here. >> yes, we were -- you were on a little bit of a hiatus here. >> yes, we were. and this is a great stand alone one. i am more excited now than i was at the end of season 1. tavis: finally, the hbo project, you have a part in this? >> yes. they hook up. yeah, that shot in australia. i finished that. -- that was shot in australia.

tavis: i am anxious to see that hbo piece. it is on fox. nice to have you on. that is our show tonight. thank you for watching. pri, or you can access our web site, pbs.org. as always, thanks for watching, and keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i am tavis smiley. join me next nine. we will see you then. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better, but, mostly, we are looking forward to helping you build stronger communities and relationships, because with

your help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance. working to improve financial literacy and the economic and power meant that comes with it. -- the economic empowerment that comes with the -- with it. >> ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >> and by contributions by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--