were in their own home. >> president obama's reaction to the 2009 arrest of harvard professor henry louis gatesdebate on race and policing. the president eventually invited the arresting officer and professor gates to the white house for the now famous beer summit. and the president writes about that incident in his memoir. mr. president, here's what you write. it seemed to tap into some of the deepest undercurrents of our nation's psyche, touching on the rawest of nerves, perhaps because it reminded all of us, black and white alike, that the basis of our nation's social order had never been about consent. because of this, black families for generations have had the talk, with their children, how to behave in public, especially with law enforcement. mr. president, since your mom and grandparents were both white, i'm curious, when did you have the talk? >> the truth is, again, growing up in hawaii, did you not have that day-to-day set of tensions, but what i saw and i have written about this in my first book, the -- you start noticing that when you're crossing the street suddenly door locks go d

event hosted by the gilder lehrman institute of american history, harvard university professor henri louis gatesior discusses the influence of the church in black communities. >> south carolina was majority black state. south carolina, louisiana, mississippi were a majority black state. ground zero for the black community during reconstruction charleston, south carolina. georgia alabama and florida were almost majority black state. there's a real concentration of black power reverend clyburn said in those six, seven states. that was true even before the civil war. south carolina's nickname was country because it was so full of black people and that was because of economy and productivity of the sea islands and expertise of africans brought to south carolina to grow rice but there's also a sizable brief black community. we know that ame church, first black denomination born in philadelphia, richard allen and it's formerly born in the year 1860. well, in charleston there is a church and in 1822, a man named denmark as you know, was accused of plotting insurrection in charleston. how did he get fre

obama to talk about thes wind incident and great detail happened in the summer of 2009 when henry louis gates actually has to break into his own house because he forgot his key and is in the back door and the neighbor calls the cops thinking someone is breaking into their neighbors house. somebody was but didn't know it was the neighbor gates is arrested obama as asset a press conference i thinknk he planted the question and he said first the police acted stupid those are the facts and then he says people like us now he's trying to identify with the yes of african-americans we have to face us alln, the time that is what life in america is all about then to us create the cop in question and go one matter of fact like it is no big deal. he did not count that it was obama supporter the head of the diversity unit at cambridge massachusetts police force his commissioner backed him b up 100 percent and the guys did everything right they tried gates to comply and set unless you calm down i will have to arrest you. of course this leads to which was nonsense now obama has two more opportunities unfort

whenfo he first tips his hand as it happens in the summer of 2009 when the harvard professor and henry louis gates had to break into his house because he's forgotten the key. the neighbor called the cops thinking somebody's breaking into their neighbors house, and someone was, not knowing it was the neighbor himself. the police come and he's arrested. obama is asked about this in a press conference. his answer was very timely and rehearsed. he said first we can say the police acted stupidly. we haven't seen all the facts but they've acted stupidly. tthen he says you know, people like us, not he's trying desperately to identify with us, authentic african americans like jackson, sharpton and michelle. we have to face this all the time and that's what it's all about. then he goes on to excoriate the cop in washington and go on like matter-of-fact like it's no big deal. we didn't count on the fact and obama supporter, and he was the head of the diversity unit at the cambridge massachusetts police force. his commissioner backed him up 100%. thene police reports will understand why. he did everything ri