"he is not the president of black america. he is the president of all of america. he did not change the economy. he did not start the war. you get this sent the matter what the challenges are, that is why we elect a president, but black people are so have been about him being president and so protective of him being maltreated -- we saw how the tea party and other activists with people being spat upon. what do you say to these black people who do not want to push too hard on him because he did not solve these problems? he is doing the best he can. >> protectionism makes perfect sense. there is no president this is a president who inherited a lot of problems, but i take the position that it is not that we're asking him to do more than any white president would around the issue of civil rights and racism, but he should not be allowed to do less. the reality is if we continue to raise this issue, we can continue to push for an understanding of the way race operates in this country, which leaves him little wiggle room to get out. i do not expect him to stand up and even

our headliner, plus our roundtable discussion on black america's haves and have notes and from performing on subway platforms to opening for patti labelle, these two brothers are our "slice of life." captions made possible by the u.s. department of education and central city productions, inc. >>> as one of the founding members of the legendary group the ojs, eddie lavern is a giant in music and the patriarch of a soul legacy but the legacy was shattered by the recent of his son, soul man gerald lavert. eddie finished the book of love he and gerald started. i recently caught up with him in detroit to talk about how he's dealing with life after losing a son and his legendary career. eddie lavert is our "headliner." eddie, i want to talk about i recently saw you guys on stage. >> yes. >> and i told you that night and i'm telling you again, now, this is, i've seen you all for years. this is the baddest show that i've ever seen. what is it that you all are doing that really -- that audience did not sit down from beginning to end. >> we finally got a chance to re-address who the ojs really are.

. >> when you look at black america today, are you optimistic with the notion that these kinds of stories are reaching the people they need to, or do you feel that you were that blip on the screen, but we need more? >> i'm opt mimistic that we are reaching the masses. but i think we do need more. i think we were the blip. when you look at our story and how real it is, the reason why kids and people gravitate to us, it is real. they can see themselves in us. one kid, while we were on book tour, he told us directly, i took down my poster of lebron james and put up a poster of the three of you guys. that's the message. >> in your friendship over the years, was there ever a period where you all fell out or lost contact with each other? talk to me, if not, about the idea of how special it is to keep partners with you throughout the running? >> i don't think there's ever a time where we weren't in contact. we kind of connected ourselves in a way where -- even when there's rough patches, it seems like we still were in contact. we transcended the friend thing to where we've become brothers. i nev

me that you bring -- if we go back to your c-span special which is called "the agenda for -- black america's agenda is america's agenda"? tavis: you got it. >> i want to congratulate you. you had thoughts flying in that room under control. i don't know how you did it. that's a gift. you had everybody talking and i think the answer is going to come in a quiet moment of stillness when an inspired thought strikes. because we have intellect liesed it too much and what that causes people to do is to take sides and now we have this partisanship that is so out of whack that even the israelis and arabs look at the republicans and democrats and go oh, my god! they are crazy! they are never going to get it together. [laughter] tavis: what about the -- i read the other day, a piece the other day and someone was arguing what is wrong with america getting back to the culture. what's wrong with america is we don't have a moral leader. we don't have a gandhi or a king. there is no moral leader. >> i did that last time i was on. i said we need a moral leader. i mean, that's a tough job because it just -- i

listen, no serious patriot can claim to love america without talking about maximum investment in poor blacken and closing the funding and achievement gap in education. make no mistake about it, america has no future without the success of these children. we cannot compete in the global economy without these children. we cannot rebuild the american economy without these children. we cannot reestablish american values without these children. we cannot defeat global terrorism without these children. we cannot even fund social security in the future unless these children are gainfully employed. without them, there is no america. we believe that the moral vision means we can do what is good and what is right at the same time. too much of our human potential is in underfunded schools and overcrowded jails. too many young men who now run illegal drug cart teles and do battle with the police have the ability to run for tune 500 countries. many of our young ladies on chicago south side, all of them have the capacity to be the next michelle obama. we must invest in our future. and so our success repr

therefore, if you care anything about the state of black america, you have got to begin to focus specificallyn black men and not assume that the economy is taking care of them. now, we're not going to just be talking about -- this evening, as we hear from you as well, the audience witnesses, because you will have the opportunity to come up here and testify, as they say, for a few minutes, after a witnesses have testified -- but we're not only talking about what society has done to black men. we talking about black men have done to themselves. we are going to be talking about what our community has done to them and has not done for them. this is a societal problem, but it is our problem. and we cannot have our man off -- and our men off to a society which has been -- we cannot hand our men off to a society which has been uncaring of them forever. when we look at this recession, men have been hit harder than women. four out of a five jobs lost were held by a male worker. that figure astounded me. i realize that male unemployment was greater, but i did not understand the depth of it until i saw

america equal. we still have a huge race gap in the economy. we see blacks doubley unemployed to whites according to data, latinos almost the same. we see a huge gap in education. one of the thing that is president obama has worked on is and talked about all the time is closing the achievement gap. in fact, he challenged knut gingrich and i, ed duncan, on that. and we did five cities together. we see a huge gap in the criminal justice system. he talked in 63 we canned stop until police brutality stops. we see the oscar grant case in california. so again, we are saying we reclaim what dr. king talked about then that is still unresolved now. the second part is we've got to deal with some of the conduct in our own community. dr. king and others didn't fight and die for the right for us to have this kind of reckless violence, this killing, the killings that we've seen among gangs and youth in chicago and new york and atlanta. even in smaller cities around the country. we're going to be calling today for us to reclaim the spirit of nonvilings and of cooperation,

therefore, if you'd care anything about the state of black america, you've got to began to focus specifically on black men and not assume that the economy is taking care of them. we are not going to just be talking about this evening. as they hear from you as well, the audience with a says, because you are going to have the opportunity to come up and testify for a few minutes, each of you who desire, after our witnesses have testified. we are not only talking about what the society has done to black men. we are talking about black men have done to themselves. we are going to be talking about what our community has done to them and is not doing for them. this is a societal problem, but it is our problem. we cannot handle our men off to a society -- we cannot handle our men off to a society that has been on caring of them for forever. but we look at this recession, men have been hit much harder than women. so far, for at a five jobs lost -- 4 out of 5 jobs lost were held by eight male worker. those numbers astounded me. i did understand the depth of it until i saw these figures. -- i did not un

inoes across the country joined the charge for progress, for change, hope, and helped elect america's first blackre the kind of person who generously shares their heard-earned delarkss extends a helping hand, puts together needed goods to send aid back home. it is a success story of business leaders, athletes, artists and others who use their talents to help advance other fill i inoes. it is the flame of democracy rekindled through the burning legacy of the common desire for freedom. this lives on today in the younger generation who enhir -- inherited the wisdom of their forefathers, the passion for activism, and the commitment to vigilance in order to build a strong community. as we observe filipino-american history month, let us celebrate the land of the brave, the land we have come to call our own. [applause] >> doesn't that just make you proud to be a filipino american? we'd like to thank you all again for being everyday heroes to the filipino community awed -- all over north america and especially here in the bay area. we would like to welcome a member of the san francisco bay school board,

of cnn's "special investigations unit," she's received critical acclaim for her documentary "black in americacome... he's one of the greatest nba players in history.

me." >> narrator: news, sports, and the funnies all helped to make the courier the leading black paper in americawas about to be tested in crisis and victory. [explosion] >> when the bombs drop at pearl harbor on december 7, 1941, the blacks, who are very patriotic and want to serve in the war, go to the enlistment stations, and they go to the marines, and they're told by the marines, "we've never had blacks. we're not interested in having blacks." they go to the coast guard, and the coast guard says, "we've never had blacks. we're not interested in having blacks." they go to the army air corps, which we now call the air force. army air corps, exact same answer. "we've never had blacks. we don't want blacks." they're just turned away. >> i went down to volunteer. and the naval recruiting officer asked me, "what can you do?" i said, "well, i can run an office. i was--i ran an office for the librarian when i was in college. i can type as well as almost anybody. i have three gold medals in typing. i can take shorthand, 135 words a minute, and i can operate simple business machines." this is long bef

i mean it's a very good thing that they would do the black the city of america dozens of all right how can we avoid black white black people that was the best player. listen listen i'm not going to feign tea party all right now i'm going to race is going to . the eight point race i would love to atack you think this ultimately proves that the tea party is racist no no no because literally i've had the same conversation with my friends i went to atlanta two weeks ago and i was like where is the hood at so i can avoid it i'm trying to walk in the store i mean i learned it's understandable when you're watching the say but some of these they are saying you have to completely avoid the green line and the yellow line at all costs i mean they say like they didn't say avoid ok. people on the street didn't go that far yes ok yes the green line but on the flip side the group i have like what we have people hear the word hearty jennifer churchill lives on the yellow and green line this middle america ok ok i agree but her look at her i dress like her i would be nice anyways. in her defense this c

all the other avengers, you know, thor, captain america, black widow and agent coleson and then i break-- we've got the hulk and hawkeye, who's gonna be jeremy riner. >> jimmy: and mark ruffalo. >> and mark ruffalo is now the hulk. >> jimmy: did nerds heads just explode? [ laughter ] >> the energy level in that room was so high, i never felt such a surge of energy on a stage for people who wanted something so bad and they want this thing to happen. and, you know, robert downey kind of put us on the spot by saying, "yeah, this is going to be the greatest movie ever, because this is what you want." so, no real pressure on us to make a great movie now. [ laughter ] but i'm looking forward to doing it. >> jimmy: yeah, and speaking of good movies, we will talk about "the other guys" when we come back. my man, samuel l. jackson coming right back after the break. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ what if it snowed chocolate? what if sweet mocha fell from the sky? or imagine catching icy caramel flakes as they drift down -- melting just as they touch your tongue or sliding down mounds of whipped cream

moore is, i have a book that's coming out, first-time author, very controversial called "black kings in america." i want to know what was the driving force behind your very first film, knowing how controversial it is? >> the driving force behind "roger & me" was that i -- i grew up in the hometown of general motors, flint, michigan, and i saw what happened to the people in my town, and i thought i should try to make a movie about it, and i did. and now some 20 years later the town is still struggling. lots of good people there are trying to make it work. general motors, of course, has gone kaput. as far as flint goes, very few jobs left there now. very few jobs left in the state of michigan with general motors, but, you know, it's a sad story that has hit many towns across this country. it's not just flint, michigan, anymore. >> larry: you could get up to $1 million in state subsidies for making "capitalism: a love story" in michigan. given the film's critique of government handouts to the rich, is it hypocrite cal of you to take their money? >> yes. it would be. that's why i'm not talking it.

that is why the last great movement of appellation white, blacks, middle america latina as -- the greatent of appalachian whites, blacks, middle american latinos. there are not enough bridges. when is the opposite position of barack obama? we are locked into polarization and it is not good for progress. host: the headline in many of today's pager -- papers is about ethics and the investigation of rep rangel, waters, and ensign and how that will play in the 2010 midterm elections in november. can i get your thoughts on the current wave of these ethics investigations? guest: i do not know. congressman -- congresswoman waters has integrity. she is believable. this should be handled in a full committee and not the news room. i think congressman rangel is choosing to stand on his position and that is being worked out through due process. congresswoman waters will not take this sleight of her honor. i have a high regard for both of them. byope they'll be judged their record of service which has been a long term. host: md., sam on our line for democrats. caller: think you for taking my call. -

it assumes we've lost honor because of obama, because who ia black man. americas far more honored around the world. the rally should have been called restoring jobs, not restoring honor. he should have a speaker like ross perot. they should have been talking about how to restore jobs, u.s. trade policy, the trade imbalance with china, with japan, restoring jobs. we have on our around the world as a result of bush out of office who live as into a washington art and as a result of having obama in office -- bush out of office who lied us into a war and as a result of having obama in office. host: one of the questions that comes up is how many people were there. it you or the reference that glenn beck made that more than 1000 were there. "the washington post" trying to put that in perspective -- the numbers game. the attendance at glenn beck's gathering promises to be contentious. crowd sizes on the mall are notoriously difficult to estimate. law-enforcement agencies have stopped providing numbers. at one point, they joked that they just got word from the media there

no serious picture can claim to love america without talking about maximum investment in poor, black,ng the funding and achievement gap in education. make no mistake about it. america has no future without the success of these children. we cannot compete in the global economy without these children. we cannot rebuild the american economy without these children. we cannot reestablished american values without these children. we cannot defeat global terrorism without these children. we cannot even fund social security in the future unless these children are gainfully employed. without them, there is no america. we believe that the moral vision means that we can do what is good and what is right at the same time. too much of our human potential is untouched in under-funded schools and overcrowded jails. to many young men and now run illegal drug operations and do battle with the police have the ability to run fortune 500 companies. many of our young ladies on the chicago south side, all of them have the capacity to be the next michelle obama. we must invest in our future. our success --

that is why the last great movement of appellation white, blacks, middle america latina as -- the great movement of appalachian whites, blacks, middle american latinos. there are not enough bridges. when is the opposite position of barack obama? we are locked into polarization and it is not good for progress. host: the headline in many of today's pager -- papers is about ethics and the investigation of rep rangel, waters, and ensign and how that will play in the 2010 midterm elections in november. can i get your thoughts on the current wave of these ethics investigations? guest: i do not know. congressman -- congresswoman waters has integrity. she is believable. this should be handled in a full committee and not the news room. i think congressman rangel is choosing to stand on his position and that is being worked out through due process. congresswoman waters will not take this sleight of her honor. i have a high regard for both of them. byope they'll be judged their record of service which has been a long term. host: md., sam on our line for democrats. caller: think you for taking my c

america. they started programs for blacks and asians and i went over and said, if you're going to do it for them, you are going to have to do it for indians and i forced them so start a native americans study program. they were looking for an indian ph.d. to start the program. out of a whole race of people, we only had 10 indians in america in 1969 who had ph.d.'s. 10. they were about 15 doctors and two or three psychologists and so forth. so i went to work on my master's, finished that and started on my doctorate and they started an indian studies program and since they couldn't find the ph.d.'s that they wanted, they gave it to me. it was an opportunity. i took it. and i started that one and i got kicked out thereof for my indian affairs and started the one at u.c.-san diego and i got kicked out. i started the one at sacramento state and i got kicked out. and then i came and i started this one in an indian community college in san pablo and my second year there i got arrested by the f.b.i. for harboring a guy named dennis banks they were hunting. and they were going to kick my ass out of there

the entire speech was about the inequality, about how america had given black is a bad check, that had bounced in the, in the bank of justice. about how we have to end police brutality, how we have to step into position and nullification of certain governors. you can't redo what dr. king said his dream was. and i wish that mr. beck had read the speech and said he agreed with it. he didn't. he said he admired the man. they never got to the message. and august 28th was about his message, not the man. he made a very specific detailed speech that day. if i was going to speak on a day that ronald reagan had made a speech and said that i was reclaiming reagan conservatism, conservatives have the right to critique that since i have not a conservative and i am speaking to something that they're committed to. that's all we raised. >> i have to quickly point out something. >> larry: i will have dana respond to that and whether dana agreed completely with every word that martin luther king said so many years ago. we'll be right back. when you approach things from a different perspective, you don'

black members of the caucus so this becomes highly explosive. >> do you think it's racist, juan, do you think it's about race? >> i don't. but you better believe in americaack people in the well it will become about race. >> chris: we have a minute left and i want to talk about politics with you, bill. one hand, we could have the two trials, rangel and maxine waters in september in the height of the campaign. on the other hand, as i point out with the republican leaders, it's not like the republicans don't have their own ethics problems. can republicans make it stick in the same way that democrats seem to make the "culture of corruption" work against republicans in 2006? >> i think the republicans would be foolish. they should shut up. there is a bipartisan ethics committee. let the process go forward. there are plenty of members on both parties who are imperialists and there is an expectation will be treated well. everybody said mark foley blew the polls open. but the polls were just as bad as they were when the scandal it as the next week. the democrats are going to lose the house and suffer a lot of -- suffer a loss of senate seats. the idea that they

i'm doing it now i mean i'm speaking two or three times a week all across america and i never have any time that we have a black president no i am not arsene that i have never seen now i've i've been there and i'm sure there are some races racism here in america i have never seen it at any of the fifty or sixty events i've been to the reason and i want you and everybody listening in america to know and understand it's because of barack obama's policies he took the abuse of the bush administration he took the. views of the clinton administration to the tenth power i'm going to tell you right now for the record i will never take nationalize socialistic brock obamacare ever and if he wants to come and arrest me tell him to come on i'll give you my address because i'm not taken i don't want to be speaking to him any time soon but he's watching our scene he's sure that you're watching this this is one of the best news agencies around i want to ask you specifically about the uprising that is being seen between local and state officials and federal officials that are now entering states and you know what i call that i

at a time when america was black and white, hefner's earlier tivo shows brought the races together.nchises in miami and new orleans refused to admit black patrons.... >> he bought back the license of those clubs at a loss. and then black, white, doesn't matter. everybody was welcome. >> reporter: around the center fold, the magazine published controversial authors, discussed controversial topics. >> we know about the sexual revolution. people are less aware of the part related to racial equality. gaiman rights. the changing of drug laws. we were the amicus curia, friend of the court in roe versus wade that gave women the right to choose. >> all these big, important issues he was there. all these little things. they make up the total of what this man is. >> first valentine to my mother. >> reporter: all these little things that hefner has been keeping all his life. >> my first plane. >> reporter: a lot of history here. artifacts and mementos from his earliest years to the present meticulously filed away in 2,323 leather-bound scrapbooks. i might have volume one. maybe volume 2. if it

america. thanks for watching "black or white: kids on race." have a great weekend. ♪ take my mind. >> larry: he makes a pit stop at our studio. i pardon you right now. >> you can arrest me. >> larry: the legendary willie nelson and i team up for the hour next on "larry king live." ♪ stay a little longer dance all night ♪ ♪ pull off your coat stay a little longer ♪ >> larry: know that treat we have in store for you tonight. we welcome back willie nelson to "larry king live." he's on the road again, literally with the on the road again tour. and his newest album country music will be released next tuesday. always good to see him. last time you did this show, you were on the phone from your tour bus. you're touring again now, right? >> we were just in vegas for b my. convention down there and the broadcasters convention. >> larry: how big is the tour? >> i don't, you know, i'm just starting. i don't know. just one long tour, you know. >> larry: they don't tell you beyond the next night? >> i don't want to know. >> larry: because we got some seeds

evolving to a new era like the ones you something that was a period now is that black is the thing to do more secure and has americaalways been a melting pot where someone's getting burned we live. lorie lyster our teeth new york. you can always check out our website for many more stories anytime you choose here's what's waiting for you online right now. immigrants are in germany told to stay there welcome but they're afraid of what awaits them back home because of. spectacle of speed i'm luxury the world's latest cars attracts thousands to an international motor show in russian come about and much much more all to the. u.s. president barack obama seems sincere in his desire to improve relations with moscow but u.s. policies could be telling the opposite that's the view of russia's prime minister vladimir putin who gave an interview to the newspaper in unusual circumstances he was driving at the time in the country's far east for more. a very interesting interview these time around is that it's extremely rare these days for journalists to get a chance to chaffetz vladimir putin one of why and this interview was ver

america. the defect of memory driving them forward to separate themselves from the shadows that follow all immigrants. fleeing went the puerto ricans, escaping the same blackness, but impeled by the fear of blood, both physical and hereditary, fearing with greater horror the prospect of losing themselves in the anonymity that america forces on all of its people, both groups fought the country's wish for that homogenaity. they both retained both their irishness and puerto ricaness. both sides spoke of the ancestral home as if it was the land of milk and honey. this stance was staunchly held to, even though the deprivations endured by many had forced them to leave their island homes, yet inflexiblely they remained branded in their hearts, each year marching in pageants of ethnic excess. that's the first part. and the second part: the second part has to do with having in front of you a very odd-looking sort of leprechaunish -- latino leprechaun. as a matter of fact, in my novel that margaret spoke about, about jazz, in it, billy farrell, who is one of a very large number of characters, is a jazz pianist and before he begins playing a black leprechaun appears to h

america. the defect of memory driving them forward to separate themselves from the shadows that follow all immigrants. fleeing went the puerto ricans, escaping the same blackness, but impeled by the fear of blood, both physical and hereditary, fearing with greater horror the prospect of losing themselves in the anonymity that america forces on all of its people, both groups fought the country's wish for that homogenaity. they both retained both their irishness and puerto ricaness. both sides spoke of the ancestral home as if it was the land of milk and honey. this stance was staunchly held to, even though the deprivations eed

america. the defect of memory driving them forward to separate themselves from the shadows that follow all immigrants. fleeing went the puerto ricans, escaping the same blackness, but impeled by the fear of blood, both physical and hereditary, fearing with greater horror the prospect of losing themselves in the anonymity that america forces on all of its people, both groups fought the

because she really stood out as someone who made a difference not just for black people, but for americae was willing bury her past around reach out to help this farmer. and that's what happens in this country. she turned a negative into a positive, and i think if more people could take a page from shirley sherrod and say hey, i'm willing to put aside the past and move on. and that's what the black farmers want to do. we want to turn the page you continue to hear in the press where this discrimination took place and the black farmers were shut out of all these programs. the only way to do that is to put this settlement out there and put it on the table and say the settlement is not perfect. what happened in the past is not perfect, but we want to mend fences. it will send a message to the black farmers that they are now welcome again at the department of agricultures. but right now the black farmers have a sense of distrust saying why are they promoting programs when they refuse to pay this settlement? so we're going to have meet gs where we begin to talk about other programs, but the is

but it's the black and the blue of the loving on the shoes, let alone a dime or water, america, you are always scotched earth in our mouth. always a rain of disaster of streams of our broken eyes. now the rags are the most turn. our pores the poorest that can be worn in the souls shop. now that all is lost and there is only nothing to lose. long live the courage and the poor. they begin to waiver. [applause]. >> vennetia. i was enranged at your body enettia. chicanery that cried out of an awfulor gast. slowly i found you should side streets where you practice a strolling stillness without any engine sounds and the skies turning on into color and then eternal magnificence of twilight, it accompanies your every move and theirs doubt about it, you are more adorable without the car wrapped around you, where you can be what you are. walking water. that gently laps. i have come to you this midnight and lane down in your black body with it's soft red blush and pulled the starkly blue cover over a cheek or moon blushing through the midst. and the final for me. juna. that's juna bomb. that she l

black robed regiment is back again today. these 240 men and women of all faiths are standing here today. america, your mosques, anyone that is not preaching hate and division, anyone that is not teaching to kill another man -- but you go the dozen or teaching the lasting principles. these 240 men and women from all faiths represent thousands of clergy that we could not fit into this area at that are among you now. thousands of that come to the mall to stand with america and god. and those thousands that are here represent 180 million people. there are thousands that are willing to do the right thing. but we must not at year. and we must not get lost in politics. i know the media will say -- and the most crazy thing that he said -- [laughter] that finallyple find ourselves in incredible times. we all find ourselves saying, you have made a mistake. i have made a mistake. but i come to you as someone they will declare their principles and their values. it can disagree on politics. we can disagree on some much. these men and women do not agree on fundamentals. they do not agree on everything that ev