maya angelou was an activist and dancer.her writings are some of the most influential works of the past century. the new documentary ma"maya angelou: and still i rise" chronicles her life and legacy. here's a look at the trailer. >> everybody in the world uses words. the writer has to take these most known things and put them together in a way the reader says i never thought of it that way before. i remember i was 7. in those ideas i read every book in the black school's library. when i decided to speak i had a lot to say. >> she was a dancer. she was a beautiful sculpture. she was a writer. >> when i sought the pen to write i had to scrape it. >> i remember her being very angry. very angry. >> my mother taught me a lot. a lot of doing what's write. been a lot of doing what's right. >> i know know where the caged birds sings. it was a very important literary feat. >> caged bird was almost another bible for me. >> it was an opening for me to wanting to be a writer. >> it was the first time i read something that resonated. i t

maya angelou was an author, poet, activist, actress and dancer.ritings about race and america are some of the most influential works of the past century. a new documentary, "maya angelou: and still i rise." chronicles her life and her legacy. here is a look at the trailer. >> every man in the world uses words. a writer must take these known things and put them together in such a way that a reader says, i never thought of it that way before. ♪ >> my mother's boyfriend raped me. i was seven years old. so i stopped speaking for five years. in those five years, i read every book in the black school library. when i decided to speak, i had a lot to say. >> mya was a dancer. she sang, she was an actress. >> she was a beautiful sculpture. >> she was a writer. maya: when i reach for the pen to write, i have to scrape against those scars. >> she was responsible for teaching me why i should know more about my roots. i remember her being very angry. very angry. >> my mother taught me a lot about justice. the love of doing what is right. >> "i know why the cag

she is my angelou -- maya angelou.ave learned is it is more about how other people received here. we have gone to multiple screenings and one of the things we saw at the academy of motion pictures, a woman said she saw the documentary and felt healed. i think that her story is such a powerful story, that people maybe you have read only one book, or maybe sell the clinton -- or clinton's inauguration, adth ofd not see the bre it. and this woman's wind was taken away. when you see the full story, that is the full impact of energy is coming to life and that is something i am proud of and having rita and bob being part of this, this would not have happened in any other way if they had not come together and formed a relationship with my grandma. i am just standing here proud to , be her grandson and carrying her legacy a little further down the road. alison: so, the best piece of advice she gave you as grandma not maya angelou? ,just as grandma. [laughter] colin: always eat the food given to you at someone else's table. [la

alison: so you see her as grandma, not maya angelou?n: always eat the food that has been given to you when you are at symbiosis table. for me, the biggest thing that she gave me was the statement that she said, she was then hand at the small of my back, she would never let me fall. and that means she has watched out for me before and continues now and i have multiple pieces of evidence of her continuing in my life. alison: thank you so much. colin and the directors of "maya angelou: and still i rise." premieres today, february 21. when we come back, we talk to the director of "fire at sea." ♪ ♪ john: good evening, i'm john micklethwait, editor-in-chief of bloomberg, filling in for charlie rose. "fire at sea" is the new oscar-nominated documentary from gianfranco rosi. the film is set in the italian island of lampedusa, which has played a critical role in the european migrant crisis. it is closer to -- than italy. half a million people have landed there and nearly 30,000 have died. a.l. scott of "the new york times" writes, "mr. rosi doe

. >> this coming tuesday on pbs, "american masters" will present maya angelou and "still i rise."es the life story of poet, author, and activist as told by the people who knew her best. allison stuart spoke with the filmmakers along with maya angelou's grandson. >> from 2006 to 2010 i spent three or four days a month with her and i didn't know at the time how much information i was gathering, how i was learning her family, how i was learning that president clinton might call, we might do an interview with bishop desmond tutu. people would come by. and so hearing in the headset, i realize this is a documentary. >> how did she feel about this idea of documenting her life? >> she said three things. first she said, "you know i don't need another thing." because she had done seven auto biographical memoirs. she then said, "diknow what i was asking?" and i really didn't, and part of it was to ask her to go over her life near the end of her life when she had already done it. >> that made you laugh, colin. why did that make you laugh? >> that's just classic grandma. yeah. "let's not do an

her life and work is the subject of a new documentary, "maya angelou, and still i rise." premiering as part of black history month this tuesday on the pbs program "american masters." here's a brief look. >> i know why the caged bird sings. i.t. was a very important literary feat. >> caged bird was really almost another bible for me. >> it was the opening for me to want to be a writer. >> it was the first time i read something that resonated. it touched a very young-girlish rt of me. it reflected my own mother's life. >> when i read it, i couldn't believe that she was free enough to talk about this. >> i read those words and thought, somebody knows who i am. >> she was big. and she had the voice of god. >> out of the hut of history's shame i rise. up from a past rooted in pain. i rise. i'm a black ocean leaping and wide. well and swelling. i bar bear in the tide. bearing the gifts that my ancestors gave. i am the hope and the dream of the slave! and so i rise! i rise! >> sreenivasan: on "pbs newshour weekend" next saturday, the brexit effect on northern ireland. will it ch

maya angelou high school. no schools named after slave owners. any official discussion about the name change. but superintendent lee says there very well could be. is a name change a possibility or just one school board member expressing his individual concern? >> reporter: i say it's both. >> reporter: which is why the san francisco republicans have launched a campaign to save george washington high school. they are raising money and awareness to fight against an attack on america's founding fathers. francis scott key elementary school, for example, named after the man who wrote our national anthem is another school name up for

maya angelou high school. no schools named after slave owners. there hasn't been any official discussion about the name change. but superintendent lee says there very well could be. is a name change a possibility or just one school board member expressing his individual concern? >> reporter: i say it's both. >> reporter: which is why the san francisco republicans have launched a campaign to save george washington high school. they are raising money and awareness to fight against an attack on america's founding fathers. francis scott key elementary school, for example, named after the man who wrote our national anthem is another school name up for debate. and just last week, the board voted to change columbus day to indigenous peoples day. board president haney said christopher columbus isn't someone who should be celebrated. but the gop says history is something to be learned from, not to be changed. >> i think it's important that we celebrate people for their achievements but we also educate that people are imperfect and that we can learn still

what did maya angelou say?rget how you made them feel. >> how you made them feel. >> yeah, yeah. go to the stage with that in your heart. and i'll bring people a feeling that uplifts them, brings them courage and strength and hope. that's a deal. >> there are a -- i didn't just hear you, i felt that expression, i felt it across this space here. there are a lot of people, though, sadly, who no longer believe that music is still pregnant with that kind of potency, that kind of power, you still believe it has that kind of power. >> incredible, great power, marcus was with us when we did a great celebration of jazz in turkey, sponsored by the u.n. and the thelonius monk institution. herby was there, too. and marcus sat on the stage, and a question like that got raised and marcus said so wonderfully and eloquently, we go to japan or italy and people don't speak the same language that we do, but as soon as we start to play we're talking the same along. music, the special magic that creates feelings and sensitivities

to meet her parents -- you sit there and laugh because it's funny, but it's rooted -- my friend maya angeloud say, it's as real as rain. and you relate to it. >> you know, things -- if something rings true, it just does. >> yeah. >> and yeah, did's -- it's really -- it's really worked. i think part of the reason "guess who's coming to dinner" was some of the jumping off point to this movie, about the premise, down to the -- sid no poitier asks his girlfriend, do they know, the first thing in the movie? she says, no, why. i took that. and part of the reason is because there's something universal about the -- everybody can relate to the fear of going to meet your potential in-laws for the first time. there's an extra added dynamic to that when you have the interracial couple or someone of different faiths. the reason that "guess who's coming to dinner" worked was we were all on the same page instantly. we all relate to that fear. >> this could have been a comedy straight out. it could have been a horror straight out. you combined the two. why the nexus? >> you know, really i felt like tone was

there's a famous maya angelou quote, when someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them. he said it a lot. and they thought that he would not do quite the same thing, that it was all bluster. so they were surprised. they started to act on friday after the immigration ban came out. >> so what is at stake for them? the companies that are -- the seven nations that are named in this including iraq, iran, syria, yemen, those aren't the countries where a huge portion of foreign workers come from. >> they do -- >> there's more impacted -- they come more from other countries. what is at stake beyond the seven nations? >> the larger principle of immigration is critical to innovation, period. it's the core, the heart of this country. like how we grew as a country. and that immigrants are welcome. and i think in silicon valley you look at sergei, he's a refugee from russia. a refugee. he's not an emigrant, he's a refugee. you have steve jobs' father, syrian immigrant. you have the ceo of google, the search part of the business, immigrant. >> yeah. >> head of microsoft, immigrant. i

he had been a great elder for someone like simone and maya angelou.esponsibility for them. even the younger, more radical leadership, people like davis. inwrote a beautiful essay prison, and some of the leadership in the black panthers were somehow critical of him, but he kept close to them. like the elder, the older brother that he was. he raised money for them. he visited them in prison, so he had a role, and many other people like harry belafonte, they were very careful and protective of the younger generation. charlie: do you see something of his voice in -- yes, he is a young writer and very promising, and i think he is -- i would call him a son ,f baldwin, like toni morrison as well. they always say how baldwin was important for her to become a i think, webaldwin, do not understand an off of how baldwin is one of the greatest american writers of this century -- we do not understand enough how baldwin is one of the greatest american writers of this century. at a time when nobody else would writing a novel about a mixed gay couple. that was unprec

. >> we continue by look at the master's documentary on maya angelou. >> when we began the documentarye quote you will encounter many defeats and it's

before her death, writer and civil rights activist maya angelou reflected on the inspiration for one of her most enduring poems, a story that's featured in a new pbs "american masters" documentary. we take a look on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. and tune in later tonight. on pbs, on "frontline," "out of gitmo," tracking down what life is like for those released from america's most controversial prison. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> xq institute. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by cont

maya angelou and others. all of these are evidence of great people, or the likes of ruby moseley, who started with the city of houston, but wasen a act visit and is an activist, not one thing of good news happened around the city without ruby moseley's great leadership. she still is going. knowing barbara jordan and mickey leland and craig washington and myself who served in this seat in the 18th congressional district. fighting to make sure that seniors had housing, make sure their social security and city services were there and standing up and fighting for civil rights. so many like ruby moseley, all of them should be placed in late are ature to announce their great -- literature to announce their greatness. let me say how proud i am to have a father by the name of ezra c. jackson. one of the first african-american cartoonists working in new york city, in the media of comic books. he was a strange figure there. tragically and unfortunately, as the white men began to return after world war ii, the african-a