taking calls after his presentation with us here at our stand-up site on the stage here in the langston hughes auditorium. but now we're pleased to be joined by dr. harriet washington who was one of the panelists on the science and health panel, and we've got the numbers up on the screen, a lot of callers already lined up. we're going to get to those calls after one question. dr. washington, there were a lot of politics involved in this discussion. why is that? >> guest: well, first of all, i have to point out that i'm not a doctor. >> host: i apologize. >> guest: no problem. because medicine has parallelled the politics of this country. it has grown and changed in the same way that our political system has changed. and we often find abuses in the medical sphere that directly parallel abuses in the political sphere. when we had enslavement as the law of the land, there was medical enslavement. when segregation was the law of our land, we had a lot of medical segregation, and today we are still struggling with disparities in our health care system as in our research system. >> host: well, harri

. >> welcome to booktv live coverage of the fifteenth annual harlem book fair held in the langston hughes auditorium on the corner of malcolm x boulevard and west 135th street in harlem, new york, new york. several author panels and had they and several author called in opportunities as well. here is the lineup which can be seen live on c-span2 as well as booktv.org. in just a minute we will introduce you to max rodriguez, the founder of the harlem book fair. and the first panel of the day on science and health. after that one of the panelists, harry at washington will be joining us here on stage, has written a couple books including deadly monopolies and medical apartheid. after that conversation between professor e. are shipped and dr. carl heart who appeared on our afterwards program a few weeks back. his book is called high price, it is about drugs in america. he will be joining us for a call in program. following that a panel on african-american history and the twenty-first century. joining us then will be sarah griffin on twenty-first century historian. it is coming up this fall so

we are at the langston hughes auditorium at the schomburg center and we have been watching a panel on african-americans and joining us is columbia university professor farah griffin who has a book coming out called "harlem nocturne." professor griffin what is your book a life -- about? >> guest: it's a book about three women artists featuring novelist. their involvement not only in the arts but in the rest of politics during world war ii. >> host: that will be coming out in the fall and you will see an extended conversation on booktv and a couple of months. let's start this call-in segment with a to be that we received. this is from free one month and as a professor of english and african-american studies should an african-american and african diaspora and -- diaspora curriculum vitae that? >> guest: very good question. there've been efforts to create an african-american curriculum that is taught in public schools philadelphia is one that is tried that. i certainly think the conclusion of work about african-americans and they african diaspora should be included in the public school cu

langston hughes auditorium. at the malcolm x boulevard. the last panel was on religion and politics. one of the panels, obery hendricks is now joining us to take your calls, tweets, facebook comments. we will begin with the tweet by teaming. appreciate the panel. but is the black church even really relevant in 2013? >> guest: that's an interesting question. some would say it is not. but black church is, it's relevant -- let me answer that t in two ways. black church is relevant because it still remains an important part of like life. if one wants to reach the masses of black people we usually do it at the churches. on the other hand, the question isn't as relevant as it can be or should be with regard to policy, policy making and policymaking influence. and in trying to offer models or economic justice and political justice. i think it can be a lot more relevant than come in that regard. but over all, yes, it is a relevant institution in my opinion. >> host: professor hendricks is also the author of "the politics of jesus: rediscovering th