not necessarily -- i mean, there are connections between what nina simone was saying and what james baldwininto a monolithic category, and i think that point will be clear later on. the sncc freedom singers were part of this tradition of civil rights freedom songs, we shall overcome, a well-known version, but this one is a little more topical and reflects a man sent to the united states by the state department to show odinga that racial progress was being made, so sncc kind of takes him under their wing and in some ways the song, like, you know, nina simone just did, reflects sncc's frustration with the federal government and their sense that they are betrayed and unprotected in the face of violence. and in some ways, you know, sncc is non-violent. they are sort of having a fantasy identification with the kenyan nationalist who, of course, the kenyan resistance movement used arm struggle, so they are sort of questioning non-violence but that doesn't mean they are going to engage in armed struggle like the kenyans were. it's an outlet for their evident frustration. ♪ to see your king ♪ befor

you remember james baldwin saying growing up it comes as a rude shock to be rooting against gary cooper against the indians and then you realize the indians are you. you understand how they can go a job on the mentalities both black and whites. now where does this music come from? there are several sources. the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s, which actually goes back to a more progressive left wing culture of folk music. folk music as synonymous of the 1940s. going back to woody guthrie and going back to other artists. we're going to focus on the revival of folk music in the 1950s and '60s, modern jazz, the spirituals. african-american spirituals and the freedom summits of the civil rights movement. now, i just wanted to give you a brief glimpse of some of the figures who were prominent in the move, and you can see this -- this pete seger recording is from a live concert. in 1963, june 8, 1963, so that would have been happening in the midst of the whole birmingham campaign and very close, i think, very approximate to the time of medgar evers' assassination. odetta sings bob dy

the peace references an amazing speech by james baldwin that i never read and i stayed up way pass teed it's like somebody threw a brick on you. >> people should search it on google. >> and it's about, you know, him speaking as a black, gay man in the midst of tremendous bigotry directed at black people and at gay people about what the nature of the american majority is. the reason i want to bring you into this conversation, we're talking about the success that the lgbt movement has had and you're someone who has come out twice in your life. >> i'm done, by the way. >> any big announcements for us, by the way? >> it's all on the table. >> if you gave me a chance. we can't vote, you know. >> you've come out twice. you've come out as a gay man and as someone who's an undocumented immigrant. and you have a foot in each of these worlds, i would say, and reported on politic ins washington. an i'm really curious, when you look at the immigration right tis movement and the did i have cultties it hass faced. poi particularlily in the white house. i think it's broad to say it's frust race. and c

previous recipients include frederick douglass, mary ann anderson, eleanor roosevelt, james baldwin. in 1957, martin luther king jr. and jack robinson were both on marie recipients. --- jackie robinson were both on marie recipients. 15 to 20 years from now, when i graduated, he did not occur to me that i would one day serve as the u.s. secretary of education. i have a much more sensible plan to play in the nba. clearly, that did not work out. if you look to the left and right today, in front of you and behind you, you will see america's future leaders. few universities can claim as many firsts. toni morrison, the former member of the faculty was the first black woman to receive the nobel prize and a pulitzer prize in literature. [applause] your extraordinary university provost is the first african- american president of the american college of surgeons and the american cancer society. [applause] other howard graduates or the first african-americans to be elected to the u.s. senate, a u.s. governor, mayor of new york city, and u.n. ambassador. and last but not least, the mighty thurgo

james lipton is giving mitt romney free lessons on, quote, acting human. he joined rick baldwinve for laughter. >> it isn't working. it's inert. >> it would be so much more hilarious if you could have seen it. our apologies. sometimes we have bug-a-boos. >>> yikes for the tough presidential campaign, your laugh is not working. listen to this. >> having spent my entire life in public service -- >> a heckler disrupting graduation speech of an obama cabinet member. the whole beef has to do with contraception. that's coming up. we are just getting word 50% of ninth and tenth graders in florida failed the state reading test. think that's bad? it's sending a shock wave through the education community. there is more to tell. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ [ female announcer ] the sun powers life. ♪ and now it powers our latest innovation. ♪ introducing the world's only solar-powered home energy syst