except when jackie robinson started out. he didn't start out in brooklyn. >> guest: you into brooklyn's minor league team which was up in canada, montrÉal and he was beloved by many fans in montrÉ montrÉal. there was a famous line where jackie robinson helped to win the championship and he was mobbed by white canadians. the first time a white man and circle circle the black man out of love, that's how the story goes. >> host: is that the case when he went to massachusetts? >> guest: the first team that had the chance to sign jackie robinson were the boston red socks and they had the chance after world war ii and of course jackie robinson served in world war ii. the way he got to tryout was a city council in boston named isidore of bunch neck said, while the larger story is the boston baseball teams and able to play games on sundays they needed basically to get a waiver from the city council because there were laws against playing games on sundays. he said he was going to refuse to vote for the waiver unless one of the boston

athletes because jackie robinson was not just an athlete. he was a scholar and an academic. he went to colleges that were rigorous colleges. that's when a lot of whites with you call them conservatives or liberals change their attitudes are adopted new attitudes because of jackie robinson which was a breakthrough for race relations. when jackie robinson started out he didn't start out in brooklyn. >> guest: he started first in the leagues and then he went to brooklyn minor-league team which was in canada. montrÉal and he was beloved by many fans in montrÉal. there's a famous line that jackie helped to win -- but he was mobbed by a white canadians in the first time a white white mob encircled a white mob encircle the black man and out of love instead of hate is how the story goes. >> host: is that the case when he went to massachusetts? >> guest: the first team that had the chance to sign jackie robinson where the boston red socks and they have that chance in 1945 right after world war ii and robinson of course served in world war ii. he had

i would say that if you look at the life of jackie robinson, jackie robinson was a profound christian. very few people know that, very few people know that his ability to -- well, his strength in breaking the racial barrier came from his faith, from prayers on his knees that god would give him the strength to do something which he could not humanly do. his recruiter was a very serious christian and did what he did in large part because of his faith. now, you know, jackie robinson was not a william f. buckley conservative, but he certainly was a republican, there's no doubt about that. who cares? to me, his faith was just beautiful. so -- >> host: well, you talked about speaking at the national prayer breakfast. you have a mini book here, "no pressure, mr. president." what is that? >> guest: yeah. well, two years ago i had the high honor of being chosen to speak in front of the president, the first lady, the vice president, the assembled members of congress, every big shot you can think of at the national prayer breakfast. and it was the honor of my life. and i didn't take it lightly.

except when jackie robinson makes that plain. post go he went to brooklyn on a league team, which was up in canada. montrÉal. he was beloved by many fans in montrÉal. there is a famous line where they hope the montrÉal team to win a championship and he was mobbed by weight canadians and the first time i does love instead of a peer that is how the story goes. >> host: was that the thing when he went to massachusetts? >> guest: the first team to sign jackie robinson was the red? they have a chance in 1945 right after world war ii. he had his tryouts at the park. the way he got to try out was a city counselor in boston named isidore but >> said that he was going to -- well, the story is the boston baseball team in order to play games on sundays, and they needed this equate to get a waiver from the city council because there are laws against playing games on wednesdays. he was going to refuse to go further waiver unless one of the boston teams gave african-american players a fair trial. and so, this brought jackie robinson along with

and just like jackie robinson, just like jackie robinson had to take it, just like jackie robinson had to be twice as disciplined as anybody else, had to go for it may be saying some of the things that were on his mind, i think barack obama is in the same position. and that is what happens. so why give him -- i respect him. i admire him. has he done everything perfectly? of course not. that i think a given circumstance is, he has done in our world job. >> host: josh is in carbondale, illinois. josh, go ahead. >> guest: good morning. professor kennedy, i read several books and articles. i'm a big fan of your work. my question is i have a concern about some of the trends in higher education when it comes to affirmative action, were essentially institutions of higher learning are really concerned about the racial cheyenne accent diversity of the freshman class. but they are not really tracking and looking at the graduation class. when you look at graduation trends, why students might graduate of 55% from a 60%, and african-americans might graduate a 25% or 30%. there has been to discussio

jackie robinson, very few people know the whole story of jackie robinson, what an amazing story. faced with the central -- faith was the central piece of that story. john paul, the pope, i am not catholic, but someone i had the privilege of knowing personally, chuck kohl soften. so that's the long answer to your question. would you prefer the short answer? >> host: that was fine. who was william will burr force? >> guest: well, he's the man who led the battle for the abolition of the slave trade in the british empire. if anybody knows very little about him, they may know that much. but there's so much more to him. i didn't know it until i wrote my biography of him, "amazing grace." when the movie came out, i was asked would you like to write a biography? i'd never written a biography, i'd never had the ambition or desire to write a biography. i figure that's a genre i will skip in this lifetime, very happy to skip it. but it's one of those things i really thought carefully about and prayed about it because this was a great man. and i thought the honor, the privilege to tell that

a lot of people look at jackie robinson as a guy who broke baseball's color barrier but forget jackie robinson was before rosa parks. he was a sports star in ucla. he joins the u.s. army. then he refuses to sit in the back of a bus in texas in 1944. does that sound familiar? he was arrested, nearly court-martialed. after jackie robinson, you had the examples of muhammad ali, the black power protests, '68 at the mexico olympics. here's the thing, poppy. we went through this dead period. we had players, particularly black athletes afraid to say anything. to be the epitome of that was michael jordan who made the infamous statement, the reason he doesn't speak out is because white people buy shoes, too. mo hopefully we're going back to the future. >> it's interesting, we did hear lebron james on thursday speaking up in terms of urging society to do better. we had magic johnson praising him for doing that. i want to show you some video just in to cnn of fans, we believe st. louis rams fans, burning rams merchandise today around the game. this, think about what happened a week ago, right? s

players like lebron james and derrick rose, goes back to jackie robinson.hat it's not only a great athlete move but it is an involved thinking athlete. meanwhile, others say they don't believe that race played a factor in his death, and certainly jackie robinson should not be trivialized. the trivialization was the attorney general. up next, crude oil prices cratering as the s&p 500 drops below 2000. will there be a santa claus rally? the market experts join us to tell us why the global crude oil tell us why the global crude oil market has flatted out and ♪ you don't need to think about the energy that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil and powering the world responsibly is our job. because boiling an egg... isn't as simple as just boiling an egg. life takes energy. energy lives here. lou: stocks closing lower common the dow jones down 100 points. close to 100 as you can get. the s&p 500 down 13 points come in the nasdaq dropping 48. volume on the big board 3.4 billion shares. crude oil plummeting 44th straight session, settling below

players like lebron james and derrick rose, goes back to jackie robinson.says that it's not only a great athlete move but it is an involved thinking athlete. meanwhile, others say they don't believe that race played a factor in his death, and certainly jackie robinson should not be trivialized. the trivialization was the attorney general. up next, crude oil prices cratering as the s&p 500 drops below 2000. will there be a santa claus rally? the market experts join us to tell us why the global crude oil market has flatted out and crashed ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to able global commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. great job. (mandarin) ♪ cut it out. >>see you tomorrow. ♪ pressure points on my tired, achy feet. i had no clue i was putting this kind of stress on my feet. i have flat feet. i found this out at the free dr.scholl's foot mapping center at walmart. in less than two minutes, i got my foot map and my custom number i'm a 440. i'm a 210. 340. that number matched the dr.scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with

but look at jackie robinson.niquely prepared for that moment. >> terrence moore, thank you to him. >>> next on the program, these words. arrogant and gangster-like. two of the words chosen by north korea to describe the u.s. after the release of the controversial film "the interview." so is the president reacting? that's next. ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. in my world, wall isn't a street... return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. >>> the north ko

you are admittedly the jackie robinson of the internet. you are bringing the show...efend yourself. >> look, it's where things have been going for the last, you know, you look at the last eight years the way in which people are watching, bingeing on shows. it all started with the box. the truth is i think that's been remarkable about how the audience has responded to house of cards coming out all at once all 1 of the first season came out is that they are in control. they can watch it how they want to watch it. if they want to binge, they can. if they want to watch two, they can. if they want to watch none, like you, they don't have to. >> stephen: your character represents the fifth district in south carolina. my home state great place. >> i was recently there. stephen: okay. but he's a democrat. you are a white democrat from south carolina. is this the show that's got the dragons in it too? because this seems like fantasy to me. i'm from there, buddy. who dreamt that up and what were they smoking? >> well, i don't know what they were smoking. but i hope they smoked

we just gave you the jackie robinson stormtrooper. what more do you want? and it was all over one tinny decision. >> a grand jury decided not to indict officer darren wilson in the shooting death of michael brown. >> hundreds warmed the federal courthouse before fanning out through the city streets. >> the courthouse is barricade. the sidewalk blocked. protests overnight moved from ferguson to st. louis. >> yes, ferguson has erupted because officer darren wilson will not face trial. for some reason, these protestors won't take its unarmed black man for an answer. folks, these demonstrations it have been a sobering reminder that st. louis is this. i thought they were supposed to leave ages ago through that star gate they built. now-- now, now would be a good time, guys. >> and it's not enough that they destroyed it ferguson. these protests it have spread to an american hold most sacred, football. >> the event in ferguson have crossed over into the world of sports. >> five players of the st. louis rams put their hands over their heads in a don't shoot pose ri

jackie robinson breaks the color barrier in baseball. he can play, he should be out there. if use not out there, that means playing players are not national baseball. >> let me ask this final question to you. when the donald sterling incident happened, you wrote the article in time magazine. it was a good article. here is what i want to ask you. the incident became public on a saturday. we are in l.a. on tuesday morning because we hear the commissioner is about to make a ruling. i call you and your team the night before, we come down to city hall, you come to city hall . you, steve nash, luke walton, all these great players. why was it so important for you to be there at city hall? what were you thinking right before and silver made his ruling -- adam silver made his ruling? n myhe nba has bee life and i don't want some racist clown being the face of the nba. [applause] --missioners dilbert commissioner silver did such a good job. i played in milwaukee. they hired the very first black general manager. , i have life since then seen in the nba make more and more reaching out

years out we know will be doing between now the rest of the decade history of cancer cancer, jackie robinson, a history of vietnam's war, a history of country music, a biography of ernest hemingway but believe it or not in the twenties we want to talk about american innovation and technology and of course, you would have to include the 19th century so we are thinking about it. so we would not run out of topics but that is a very good one. >> talk about the voices. >> i felt since the beginning of my professional life that other person narrator is somebody that tells you what you should know and that is called homework is to relate to break the films up with the first-person voice is that read the reports and diaries and journals and telegrams we had an immediate -- amazing supporting cast for the roosevelts we had ed harris but we also had meryl streep and i just want to say i really think she is going someplace. [laughter] she is fantastic. >> good morning. in the series with the proposed takeover could they the the of army of the potomac could you comment on this briefly? >> it did not com

jackie robinson breaks the color barrier in baseball. people say he should be out there. if he is not, that means the best players are not playing major league baseball. sports has that potential, and i think for that reason, it is a good thing, especially as we know it here in america, and the things it makes possible for all of us in terms of understanding and knowing each other. >> i have this final question for you. when the donald sterling incident happened, you wrote the article in "time" magazine. i did not understand half your big words, but it was a good article. >> read a dictionary. [laughter] >> here is what i want to ask you. the incident became public on a saturday, friday night, saturday morning. we are in l.a. on tuesday morning because we hear that adam silver, the commissioner, is about to make a ruling. i call you and your team the night before. we come down to city hall. you come to city hall. we are in mayor garcetti's office. you, norm nixon, steve nash, luke walter, all these great players there. why was it so important for you to be there at city h

jackie robinson was uniquely prepared for that moment. that everybody has the tolerance to deal with these things. so, i just don't think that that's a relevant thing to look at. >> do you know what, it's a great point, and everyone has very different circumstances. and that all affects what they choose to come forward or not. >> and not everybody can be a journalist. >> terence moore, good to have you on the program. thank you, sir. >>> coming up next, a new year means new gadgets. phones, smart watches, tablets. all of them. >>> all right. time for another chapter in cnnmoney's 2015 playbook and it's the toughest league out there gadgets from smartphones to tablets, smart watches, fitness trackers. christine romans has her new york draft picks. >> 2015 the year of the apple watch, the mobile wallet, and the connected home. here's what we're expecting in tech. cheaper pcs. it's a race to the bottom with slumping pc sales and tablets they're out. that's okay because you have your phone. giant smartphones are firmly in power. smart watches

i would love the stores of watching jackie robinson play at what it was like to north new jersey. then they would just laugh. sadnesser the story -- trivial -- a sense of optimism and belief that all things are possible. >> what is your favorite ring of african-american history? >> i think what excites me the most is really the slavery. i'm fascinated with how african americans dealt with an institution that could have destroyed them. family,ey came out with humanity, and humor intact. are their slaves in your past? >> yes. both sides of my family are slaves mainly from north carolina. i never spent much time looking at that. my father sister died. i father was thinking about his own family. we did some work. we started looking. relativesou find your really moved me in a way i could barely describe. >> what was your phd dissertation about. >> i wrote about black leadership. i was interested in who are the leaders of the black community? especially the free black community. -- were there others at the local level? >> what did you find? >> that was most exciting to me. >> was there

we have a history of cancer coming out, a biography of jackie robinson, jeff and i are working on an 18-and-a-half hour series on the history of the vietnam war, we're doing the history of country music, a biography of ernest hemingway, but among the things we want to do is talk about american innovation and technology, and, of course, you would have to include, you know, the 19th century. and so we're thinking about it. you know, if we were given a thousand years to live, we wouldn't run out of topics in american history, but that's a very good one, thank you. >> host: take a moment to talk about the voices that bring these characters to life in the documentary. >> guest: so i've felt that that narrater, that third person narrater is often if it's all alone a kind of scold, a kind of somebody that's telling you what you should know. and the last time i checked, that's called homework. so we like to break our films up with first person voteses that read journals and diaries and newspaper reports and military things and telegrams. we were fortunate in the roosevelts to have patricia c

sort of like the brooklyn dodgers finding the right jackie robinson. >> reporter: he is no rookie butea wolves head coach he made a hire that could start a change in college sports. . >> keep your feet moving! >> reporter: men constantly coach women, natalie wisdom is doing the opposite. >> i need a coach to go out there and whistle and do the laundry on the road and drive a van and do all the stuff sweep of the floor all the stuffs we do. >> reporter: despite the job description she is in uncharted territory. in 1990 bernadette maddox was coaching the kentucky men. there have only been three women in division one since. wisdom is believed to be the only female coach among division 2 programs. >> girls are fairly emotional and you often times have to worry about what's going on in every aspect of their life, you know, if they had a bad day or if something came up or if the teacher did something in class, they are going to bring that to the court. guys when they show up, you know, barring some catastrophic event, they show up to play. >> step up here or here. >> they are very respectfu

there is jackie robinson's glove. there is a ticket to the first crossing of the brooklyn bridge. what else? i brought a couple of things down. there is a bunch of other things. what do you see? i am trying to remember. nightis the statue of that used to be on top of penn station, that is now at the brooklyn museum. what else? there are a number of things. there are probably a disproportionate number of things from brooklyn. the bell at coney island that used to announce the arrival of ships from manhattan and from soft auckland that came to coney island. a whole bunch of things. >> do you have anything like 10 pound ballet or the apollo theater? >> the apollo theater has the tree of hope, the tree that used to stand outside, that is now on the stage of the apollo. day,erformers, to this rubbed the stump of the tree for good luck, even now, just before they perform. broadway, i was torn. i was trying to figure out what would symbolize broadway. and the thing that i thought was most enduring, and we can argue this one all night, is the , which iphantom mask thought people would rec

we've seen it since muhammad ali, magic johnson, jackie robinson. opinion, i feel as though prominent african-american athletes have an opportunity to use their name, to use their position of power and influence to bring questions of race and other pivotal social issues into the height in this country. i don't think that player for the browns needs to apologize for anything. i believe the police union really has no need to comment on that. as an athlete, as an american, he has the right to lift his voice and make his grievances known, whether on or off the field. and i commend him for his courage and his bravely by making a stand on such a big issue in the state of ohio when you've had two major killings there recently. i think that's pivotal. >> john, as you know, the protests have continued today. earlier we saw protesters chaining themselves to the entrance of the oakland police. they raised a flag with the faces of eric garner and michael brown on it. how long do you think these demonstrations will continue? >> i think they're going to continue