not noticek he would if marian anderson was singing in washington dc to 75,000 people?kerdoes charlie become charlie parker if he is not raised in kansas city? >> we can't imagine that. now, he would have been a superior musician if he had stayed in any other city in the world, but kansas city was so corrupt that you could actually play all of the time. so charlie parker would be playing and he would go to jam sessions, and then he would go to the park and play. then he would sit up -- in-depth sitting on a bench all by .imself playing saxophone you could do that in kansas city. you could actually sit up and play in the park, and the cops never bothered him. the neighbors never bothered him, the community. the people were like so oriented to serious music, that you could be playing all the time. me,s: say a final word to and to the audience, about the abiding lesson to us that we can learn from charlie parker about the dedication to craft. >> well, the thing that he showed you, shows all of us, is how powerful the individual actually is. ,o matter what obstacles are tha

instead, lyndon johnson gave the award to marian anderson. at the white house today, the tradition lives on. >> i'm grateful, bill, as well for the advice and counsel that you've offered me on and off the golf course, astronaut sally ride. >> she blasted through the ceiling. >> reporter: oprah winfrey. >> her bosses told her she should change her name to susie. i have to pause here to say i got the same advice. >> reporter: feminist icon gloria steinem. >> her one piece of advice to gu young girls is do not listen to my advice. >> reporter: ben bradlee. >> i hope we carry away a reminder of what jfk understood to be the essence of the american spirit. >> reporter: the 44th president beginning a tradition begun by the 35th president even as his flame burns on. andrea mitchell, washington. >>> i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow >>> thank you for joining us on this wednesday. >> another wet day and sluggish commute around the bay area. giving you a live look now outside in san jose where the roads are just

why silence marian anderson? philip randolph was one of the leaders of the marian anderson event.was also involved in the first march on washington. fanas to force fdr to discrimination. eleanor is right with him, too. >> we only have a half hour left. she did travel to the pacific and this is a speech she made. you're looking very depressed. he said oh, i have not shot a. jap. that and youo shoot that. [indiscernible] he said do you want to come? there and i said to hell with it. [laughter] >> did she serve as fdr's eyes and ears during the war? >> the uso is about getting the morale up. .he writes beautifully about it she went all the way over there. the soldiers loved her. early on, in 1933 you had the right atch of veterans the time of fdr's inaugural. hoover sent the army on a bonus right deaths march. eleanor went to talk to the soldiers. she had a lot of veterans who admired her in the military . admirals.loved by the successful tour in 1943. you see eleanor walking through here. you see her tell that joke. what you do not understand is what happened to her in the flight go