. >> headquartered in montgomery, alabama. how many people on death row? >> actually the largest death row per capita in the country. country. it is unique in that it is the only state that has a provision that allows elected trial judges to override juries. juries. we have about 200 people on death row. >> we invited you want to talk about the book. your first book. >> the story focuses on walter mcmillan. there was a murder. a young white woman was murdered. the police could not solve the crime. a great deal of pressure. they were talking about impeaching the sheriff sheriff, and we think they decided to arrest someone and walter mcmillan became that man. he was having an interracial affair with a young white woman which brought him to the attention of law enforcement, so he was arrested and put on death row before the trial. the only case where i've had a a client put on death row. i was shocked by that fact. i was shocked by the fact that at the time of the crime he was 11 miles away with 20 people from his church raising money. it would have been so m

rights leaders who he so bravely marched for voting rights and equality from selma, alabama to the state capital of montgomery in march of 1965. as an donted ston son of the great state of alabama, having been educated at both auburn it is an honor to wreck knees these peace loving, god fearing patriots. these marchers led by civil rights leaders such as reverend martin luther king jr. and my colleague from georgia, representative john lewis, changed the course ever our nation's history. ultimately their fearless efforts led to the enactment of the voting rights act of 1965. the congressional gold medal is the highest civilian award presented by congress and i can think of no better time than the 50th anniversary of this moment in our nation's history to honor and recognize the civil rights leaders who sacrificed so greatly to bring equality to the voiceless across the united states. may their sacrifice diligence, and dedication to this cause stand as an example to all of us as we continue to serve in this chamber and in every aspect of our lives. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from flor

montgomery to protest the denial of their voting rights. led by our colleague and the reverend williams of the southern christian leadership conference, these put soldiers began the march towards the alabama state capital in montgomery. they pledged to keep on walking until they secured the freedom promised to them by the u.s. constitution. as they crossed the bridge, a wall of alabama state troopers were waiting at the foot of the bridge. news stations from across the country televised the brutality that followed as foot soldiers like williams, lewis robinson, botnets, and albert turner, senior, and so many others were attacked on the bridge on what has become known as bloody sunday. the journey of the foot soldiers we honor today was not an easy one. they were discriminated by whites and ostracized by blacks who were afraid to join them, but still they persevered because they could no longer bear the burden of second-class citizenship. the president of the dallas county voters league was not going to let nobody turn him around, he told me. he said given the conditions that existed in selma and the south at the time, he wanted to make sure that things were different. he was willing to do

here in montgomery, alabama court street. and behind me, two blocks that way, in the 1800s over 50,000 african-american slaves, chained up in small little huts here as the slave trade occurred at the epicenter here in montgomery, alabama. the irony about all of that is, the people who put out the sobering report on lynchings today, their office is just half a block away. five years of research in america's deep south yielded an inventory of nearly 4,000 victims of racial lynchings. >> the street, commerce street is where tens of thousands of enslaved people would be chained. >> reporter: in montgomery, alabama, brian stevenson and his colleagues initiated and investigating more than 160 sites in 12 states, locating places where hangs mob violence and lynchings occurred from 1877 to 1950. >> the report i think has a tremendous potential to open the eyes of the nation to the lingering impact of that era of terror in our country. >> for stevenson the lynchings and inequality of america's past still lingers. >> the failure of our

describes the moment when she sat down in the front of the segregated bus december 1, 1955, in montgomery, alabama. >> we have a window into the mind of rosa. >> curators at the library of congress are opening their newest archive of the memos, letters, and family heirlooms of rosa parks. >> it was that important to preserve these records of her life. you have to ask yourself why. >> this is the house that she grew up in. >> family photographs never seen before. >>this is a small portion of the 7500 documents and photographs in the collection. the library of congress will have it on loan. the notes and pitchers explain a deeper story of the private life behind a very public woman. >> always viewed as the demure, perfectly coiffed but the eyes burned fire. >> while her wife may have been defined by that moment, she left a question for future generations. >> when the facts of my life are told, are they interested or in different? will the results have been harmful or good? >> that answer may lie in the pieces of rosa parks' past. >> two large piles of dirt in arlington are not going anywhere. they a

shantÉ wolfe-sisson, making history money when they became the first same-sex couple to marry in montgomery, alabamais the field organizer for "human rights campaign alabama." congratulations once again. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. when we come back from break, we will be speaking to the college roommate of kayla mueller. first, we're turning to this news here in new york. >> after months of protests calling for justice, new york city police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man last november has been indicted by a grand jury. officer peter liang faces charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and official misconduct. liang was reportedly carrying his gun in his left hand and a flashlight in his right hand when he opened the door to a stairwell he was patrolling in a brooklyn housing project. his gun went off, and the bullet hit akai gurley, who was walking down the stairs. police commissioner william bratton has described the shooting as an "unfortunate accident" and said gurley was "totally innocent." >> "the new

chip reid, cbs news, montgomery alabama. >>> coming up on the "morning news," dreaming of millions. tonight's powerball lottery auring is one of the biggest jackpots later. >> and later, this is the "cbs morning news." nces he's quitting. this is the "cbs morning news." (humming) oh yeah. (humming) they're magically delicious. ha! very funny, kyle. [coughing] dave, i'm sorry to interrupt... i gotta take a sick day tomorrow. dads don't take sick days, dads take nyquil. the nighttime, sniffling sneezing, coughing aching, fever, best sleep with a cold medicine. how do i get hotel deals nobody else gets?... i know a guy. price-line ne-go-ti-a-tor! i know this guy... konohito... and this guy... who knows a guy. hey guy. i know a guy in new york, vegas, dallas. i've known some guys for decades and some, nice to meet ya, let's deal. my competitors may know a guy, but i know over 60,000 guys. and gals. exclusive hotel deals - up to 60% off...priceline.com i've smoked a lot and quit a lot but ended up nowhere. now...i use this. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology he

library of congress will show personal papers letters and pictures of the woman who started the montgomery alabama bus boycott in 1955. she refused to move to the back of the bus. that collection has never been seen before because of a lengthy estate battle. and it shows her inner most feelings at the time. >> i don't think it's difficult for anyone really to empathize with these words. i think you can relate to her on a very basic human level. >> there is a posts at least once every single week. i make the site for kids that want to go to places and kids that have been to places. >> i need to see this website. it gets thousands of views each month and i'm sure it's a good resursource for parents as well. >> next she needs to figure out how to capitalize off that. >> it's coming. she'll make her way. >>> stay with us. "news 4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m.. >>> we begin with that deadly train versus suv crash near new york. overnight, another person died from that accident. >>> later this morning, the national transportation safety board launch as go team to investigate that crash. the te

the mostly african-american marchers went from selma to montgomery, alabama, to demand voting rights back in 1965. that bill is now heading to the house. >>> and the south jersey bureau finds a salary gap at rutgers university. according to the study, more than a dozen doctors and three athletic coaches make more than a million dollars a year. but half of the university's employees made less than $50,000 a year. the median salary for tenure faculty is around $120,000. and rutgers' president makes $650,000 per year. >>> students at montgomery county community college in pottstown could have a more traditional college atmosphere. the college spent 18 months studying the feasibility of adding dorms on campus. and now it's partnering with the philadelphia developer to build a student-only residential community. the developer is looking for land and working on a part timer in ship deal. >>> now to the jersey shore where projects to replenish sand on the beach of margate is on hold. they canceled the project citing legal issues. margate and beach property owners are suing in court over the

most of the african-american marchers went from selma to montgomery, alabama, to demand vote rights inhe bill is now headed to the house. >>> happening today, more potential white house candidates will take the stage at the conservative political action congress. this conference is a major platform for republicans. today's speaker include former governor jeb bush kentucky senator rand paul and former texas governor rick perry. yesterday cpac heard from the texas senator ted cruz scott walker and sarah palin along with new jersey governor chris christie. >> he told the interviewer not to count him out as a possible candidate for president. he has drawn low polling numbers in the united states so far and has not raised as much money as other potential candidates. but christie told the audience at the conference while some of those other candidates may be more popular in washington he has the unique appeal to the voters. >>> and a newspaper article is stirring controversial at the university of delaware that has the school's president and professors squaring off. earlier this month presid

martin luther king organize the voting right march from selma to montgomery alabama. students the treat he suffered made him take a stand. >> the words and leadership of dr. king inspired me to find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. and i've been getting in trouble ever since. >> he is now a georgia congressman, co-writing a series of graphic novels about his life. >> in campbell leaders think interest there may be too much of a good thing. number of restaurants and bars increased by 27% to 40%. and the city considering making new restaurants pay for parking spaces but none of the business owners are complaining about the crowds. >> my fear is that it would add competition but it helped the business. >> we stay open because there are many people in the streets so restaurants have been good for us. >> the stoups hopes to present recommendations >> you may have to pay a tax if you haven't signed up for obamacare. >> also, president obama launches a new war of words against isis. >> you can find a new frontier. there's nothing stopping you and a l

martin luther king organize the voting right march from selma to montgomery alabama.told students the treat he suffered made him take a stand. >> the words and leadership of dr. king inspired me to find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. and i've been getting in trouble ever since. >> he is now a georgia congressman, co-writing a series of graphic novels about his life. >> in campbell leaders think interest there may be too much of a good thing. number of restaurants and bars increased by 27% to 40%. and the city considering making new restaurants pay for parking spaces but none of the business owners are complaining about the crowds. >> my fear is that it would add competition but it helped the business. >> we stay open because there are many people in the streets so restaurants have been good for us. >> the stoups hopes to present recommendations >> you may have to pay a tax if you haven't signed up for obamacare. >> also, president obama launches a new war of words against isis. >> >>> michael finney explained why some covered california part

. >>> this year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1i68 rights march from selma to montgomery alabama. president obama and congressional leaders will take part in one of two planned marches in alabama to commemorate the day known as bloody sunday. that has organizers upset. the movie "selma" shows people who were marching for civil rights how they were clubbed and teargassed by police. leaders in alabama say there has always been only one march and it happened on a sunday. this year one march will happen saturday march 7th which is the 50th anniversary, and the other will happen on sunday march 8th. >>> right now new england is bracing for yet another major snowstorm. this is a live look at rochester, new york where more than a foot of snow could fall today. right now parts of new england are under a winter storm warning. forecasters say the snow will get more intense later today. the snow is expected to fall through tomorrow night. >> can't help but feel for them especially considering the kind of weather we're looking at today which is definitely far and few between. >> i don't feel

jennifer, montgomery, alabama. mr.u said you had something to do with the upcoming movie killing jesus, so why did you let a muslim play jesus? because haz nailed the audition, jennifer. and i believe jesus being the ultrafair person would have hired him. prescott prescott, arizona, congratulations to be the one making a movie on jesus where the actor actually looks si -- bill, sometimes a woman needs an escape. that's "fifty shades of grey." now education myself and read killing patton. you'll have more fun reading patton than the other thing. waterloo, iowa how does one become a billoreilly.com premium member? tina one becomes a billoreilly.com premium member by going to billoreilly.com and signing up. presto, you won. get a free book of your choice. daily no spin broadcast just for you, tina. big discounts on gear. the perks are endless. >>> finally tonight, "the factor" tip of the day, nbc news replacing brian williams with lester holt. last week nbc defeated abc and cbs in the ratings. i've known mr. holt for year

. >> richard coen attended the white house summit yesterday, and joins us from montgomery alabama thisng. great to see you again. let's dive into this together here. >> okay. >> you attended the summit yesterday. the president said this is not about a war against religion or islam. does he have it right or is he dead wrong on this? >> we're not at a war against all muslims in the world, obviously. we're at odds with a verlent strand of ideology, aaron alexis -- and the president gets criticized for phrasing it that way. >> with your work with the southern poverty center what is your perspective on this conversation and the overall take away from the conference yesterday. >> it was very interesting, tony, you know the president said we're at this summit because of the threat posed by isis and al-qaeda yet the first terrorist incident that he talked about was the 1995 bombing of the oklahoma city building that left 168 people dead that was carried out by a white supermist gun nut. the problem is you know, we tend as a country to ignore the equally serious threat from other forms of domes

speaker brought together americans to march from selma to montgomery, alabama, across the now famous edmon pettis bridge. there were attacks and dogs, beatings and deaths. but still we marched because we as a country knew that all americans should have the same rights. the walk was an effort to demonstrate the desire of black american citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote. and to be treated equally. mr. speaker although the civil rights act of 1965 legally desegregated the south, discrimination and segregation remain throughout much of the united states. the march led to the passage of the voting rights act of 1965, which today continues to be eroded and a threatened bill. the communities across our nation are are certainly -- have threats to their basic rights. and there are certainly injustices. in the words of dr. martin luther king, they still ring true today when i think about his words, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. when i reflect on my recent trip to ferguson where i witnessed firsthand that it seems that we are still re-engaging in ou

the part not about the 11th century, but a group today called the equal justice initiative in montgomery, alabamallegations of lynchings from 1877 to 1950. they include a lynching in texas, where three black men, two of them innocent, were accused of killing a white women and under the gaze of hundreds of soda drinking spectators, were castrated, stabbed, beaten and tied to a plow and set afire in the spring of 1922. and one-time massacres of large numbers of african-americans such as occurred in arkansas in 1919 and in louisiana in 1887. and the time in paris, texas, when the two arthur brothers were tied to a flagpole and set on fire in the city fair grounds in 1920. and while those were race-based atrocities aimed at preserving the precivil war racial order they were committed by people who considered themselves good christians. members of the ku klux klan who could bomb church on sunday killing three little girls and then show up for church and sitting in the front row without so much as bat an eye. and when martin luther king wrote his letter before the bombing, and keeping in mind that then

. >>> rosa parks was known as a mild-mannered seamstress who helped spark the montgomery, alabama, bus boycott in 1955 but a different image emerges. it comes from a library of congress collection of private papers letters and photographs being made public for the very first time. they show a much more determined civil rights worker than her popular image. the papers will be available to researchers beginning tomorrow, but a public exhibit will be held in march. news4 news4's tom sherwood has a full report coming up on news 4 at 6:00. >>> selfies may have played a role in a small plane crash last year that killed two people in colorado. the ntsb today says recordings from a goprocamera recovered at the scene showed that the 29-year-old pilot and the passenger were taking selfies during the flight. the pilot took one selfie when the plane was at a very low altitude. investigators believe the flash likely disoreiented the pilot, causing him to lose control of the cessna. >>> you know the roads are slick even when salt trucks can't handle it. take a look at this. a public works driver in

. >> southern hospitality flies right out the window during a legislative session in montgomery, alabama 2007. the day ends with a bang. or more literally a punch. >> oh! >> uh-oh. there it is. that was quite a punch. that was a roundhouse punch it looked like. >> oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. >> journalist rhonda colvin covers the state senate for alabama public television and was there that day. >> it was the last day of the session, so usually they stay until about midnight, getting a lot of last-minute legislation through. it was very mundane, actually. >> but mundane quickly turns to exciting when senators from both sides of the floor start spatting. >> and you can see between mr. barron and mr. bishop there was a heated exchange. >> republican senator charles bishop and democratic senator lowell barron, both notoriously outspoken, begin to argue heatedly. >> you definitely see when you watch the tape that there are some words being exchanged and you're not quite sure what they're saying, but you knew that there was an argument at least. we didn't know, you know, what the outcome would

library of congress will show personal papers letters and pictures of the woman who started the montgomery alabama bus boycott in 1955. she refused to move to the back of the bus. >>> she grew up on the farm of her maternal grand parents and she talks about life on the farm. >> there is a picture about of parks at olney hear landmaryland where a middle school was named in her honor. it should be a powerful exhibit. >> there is a lot more history. most people will go expecting the bus boycott, but there is so much other information about her. other things that she did. >> love the library of congress. so much to see in there. >>> we're talking about the weather and a warm-up. >> yes, and our fount of information here weather-wise is tom kierein. >> yes, i'm just bubbling with energy and joy because it will be warmer today about that how about that? and then colder tomorrow. we'll talk about that later. sky is rather cloudy now. skycast 4 showing it. by 8:00 a.m. we'll have increasingly sunny skies with nice blue sky for your lunch hour. it will be that wonderful deep blue sky we get in the winter t

the two were involved in acts of civil disobedience long before she boarded that bus in montgomery, alabama, on december 1st, 1955. she wrote about that day i have been pushed around all my life and felt at this moment that i couldn't take it anymore. >> we always think about her as the quiet seamstress, but in her writings you see how very courageous she was. >> we are really in the thick of it now. reverend king's home was bombed last night while we were at the first baptist church mass meeting. >> reporter: a moment she recalled during the montgomery bus boycott that ultimately desegregated buses, but the consequences of that courage would be steep for rosa and raymond parks. >> they sink into deep poverty and are unable to find consistent employment in montgomery after her arrest. >> reporter: the couple moved to detroit to try and make a ling, but they struggled to sur -- living, but they struggled to survive. rosa continued to support the civil rights movement as it evolved. >> she's attending black panther conferences. she creates the symbolism of her presence. >> reporter: this pers

. >> reporter: montgomery alabama, many the fifrts rosa parks arrested fingerprinted for refusing to yield her seat to a white man. history but not all of the history. >> this collection provides insight into her private life her innermost feelings and thoughts and reflections. >> reporter: at the library of congress beginning wednesday, researchers for the first time will have access to a treasure trove of personal papers never before seen because of a lengthy estate battle. a publicy will open in march. >> this is rosa parks' personal bible that she carried in her purse daily. >> reporter: but she was no mild-mannered seamstress. she rode a beam just 6 or 7 with her grandfather fearing the ku klux klan during the night. >> night keeping vigil with grandpa. wanted to see him hill a ku klux klan. >> the library of congress paper papers show early determination. >> i don't think it's did i feel for anyone really to emphasize with these words. i think you can relate to her on a very basic human level. >> reporter: this was rosa parks in 1993 at a middle school named for her. >> it wasn

my office is in montgomery, alabama and we've worked in that region and across the country trying to deal with some of these big issues. i bring with the other members of this task force a lot of concern about how we can improve policing in our communities. i'm responsibility. i'm particularly hopeful that we can find ways to create connections between law enforcement and many people who live in the margins of our society, the poor, people of color, people with disabilities, people who have felt too often excluded from the mainstream of society. i'm very hopeful that we can make tremendous progress and again very excited to be a part of this task force. >> good morning. my name is sean smoot. i'm the director and chief counsel for the police benevolent protector association and the treasurer of national police association of organizations. i've spent the last 25 years of of my professional life representing the interests of police officers in departments as large as the city of chicago and as small as a city like rochester, illinois. i share my colleagues hope and look forward to wor

christof with al jazeera, montgomery alabama. >>> you can see the report on america tonight at 10:007:00 pacific. now to the weather, cold extremely cold temperatures for the northeast and here is metrologist nicole mitchell. >>> the story over the next few days is not snow but temperatures especially the cold temperatures as we get into the northeast, we had the front come through and behind that between a new area of high pressure and the low that is has moved out that really causes a pressure gradient of high winds coming from canada but all that cold air funneling in so that is going to be pretty significant for us as we get into tomorrow morning. some of those temperatures 10-20 degrees below average but with that wind that i was mentioning that is going to put the wind chills well below 0 especially in places like north carolina in-- new york and wind chills could be 20-30 below 0 and on the exposed skin be careful with treacherous weather and the east coast is under that cold air, the west coast well above average, places like california about 20 degrees above average and reco

it was december 1 1955, in montgomery alabama. >> we have a window into the inner rosa. >> to what would have been the civil rights icon 102nd birthday curators at the library of congress are opening up their newest archive of memos, and family heirlooms of rosa parks. >> she found it important to preserve these records of her life. and as i said, you have to ask yourself why. >> it's the house that she grew up in. >> there are family photographs never seen before. >> this is just a small portion of the 7500 documents and 2500 photographs in this entire collection. and the library of congress will have it on loan for the next 10 years. the notes and pictures explain a deeper story of the private life behind a very public woman. >> always viewed as the demure, perfectly poshed little hat on but the eyes burned fire and they've been burning fire for a while. >> while her life might have been defined by that moment on the alabama bus, she left a question. >> will they be interested or indifferent? will the results be harmful or good? >> that answer may lie within the pieces of rosa parks' p

in the march to montgomery, in montgomery, alabama, when king gave his speech, to give you a sense ofbecomes a civil rights anthem, if not the civil rights anthem -- he spontaneously launches in to "the battle hymn of the republic," and the others join in and sing all five stanzas of the song. they have memorized it. the last public utterance before king is assassinated, in his last public speech in memphis, are the words "mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord." it is a profound african-american hymn. the legacies of "the battle hymn of the republic," as i suggested, are also the legacies of the abolitionist movement especially the wobblies, the new deal, civil rights. i emphasize this because most scholars have said -- there have been very few legacies of abolitionism, because abolitionists have been forgotten or demonized in the 20th century, particularly among the wobblies, new deal civil rights activists. "the battle hymn of the republic" helps them fashion themselves as holy warriors, as a source of transformation. they are born again as the new abolitionists. t

steve osunsami abc news montgomery, alabama. >>> a uniquely modern problem here.rning about its smart tv technology. the company is advising users of its voice activation feature to avoid discussing personal information in front of their tv sets. you see, that's because a smart tv feature is listening and may share any details it hears with samsung or a third party. and that's a little more than some users had bargained for. >> i feel a bit annoyed it wasn't made clear to me in advance of buying the tv or when i set up the tv. >> samsung says it does not retain voice data or sell it to third parties. the voice recognition feature can be disabled through the tv settings menu. >> that's really scary because my tv has heard a lot of things. >> i don't mind if it hears me just as long as is it doesn't see me. >> yeah. don't repeat what i've told you. >> exactly. >>> and if you were with us at this time yesterday morning you know we told you about beuf the bulldog -- you may have missed this. we said it 23 times. the bulldog who skateboards and is getting used to surfi

she was the first person arrested under the circumstances comparable to rosa parks in montgomery, alabama. and she went to jail. little is known about her. little is known because it was thought at the time she was not the ideal person around which to rally. it was thought at the time that a more senior person was needed, a person who had greater standing in the community. she was not that person. awe, but here's where history -- history tells a story. she was one of four people to file the lawsuit the lawsuit that ultimately ended segregation of the bus line in montgomery, alabama, because -- although rosa parks and dr. king and the multitudes marched and protested, they marched, they protested for approximately a year or more. it was not the march of protest that actually brought about the ending of this discrimination. it was really the lawsuit broader v. gail, and it was important to note there were four plaintiffs in the lawsuit and claudette colton was one of the plaintiffs. it was the lawsuit that made a difference in the lives of not only those people in montgomery, but people acr

rights leaders who he so bravely marched for voting rights and equality from selma, alabama to the state capital of montgomery in march of 1965. as an donted ston son of the great state of alabama, having been educated at both auburn it is an honor to wreck knees these peace loving, god fearing patriots. these marchers led by civil rights leaders such as reverend martin luther king jr. and my colleague from georgia, representative john lewis, changed the course ever our nation's history. ultimately their fearless efforts led to the enactment of the voting rights act of 1965. the congressional gold medal is the highest civilian award presented by congress and i can think of no better time than the 50th anniversary of this moment in our nation's history to honor and recognize the civil rights leaders who sacrificed so greatly to bring equality to the voiceless across the united states. may their sacrifice diligence, and dedication to this cause stand as an example to all of us as we continue to serve in this chamber and in every aspect of our lives. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from flor

for "good morning america," steve osunsami, abc news, montgomery, alabama. >> a lot of discussion onl media about this yesterday. >>> but now to amy with today's other top stories. good morning. >>> good morning, everyone. >>> we begin with breaking developments in the high-profile murder of hannah graham. she was last seen leaving a bar and her body found five weeks later. now according to wvaw, the man seen leaving that bar with graham has been charged with her murder. he is already behind bars charged with attacking a woman back in 2005. his dna has been linked to the 2009 murder of a virginia tech student. >>> major questions about airport security. a woman known for boarding planes without a ticket has allegedly done it again. this time in florida. police say mary lynn hartman was able to get on a plane in minnesota and fly top jacksonville. she was later arrested after checking into a resort using another woman's name. hartman was arrested several times last year for similar offenses including sneaking by security to board a flight to l.a. >>> well, breaking overnight from the

pivotal victory in 1956 when following a year-long campaign in which african-american citizens of montgomery, alabamaycotted segregated buses, the court decided in their favor and ordered the buses to integrate. even today the geographical divisions in american cities can be traced to decades old transportation policy. president dwight eisenhower created one of the greatest public work's projects but it also enabled white flight to the suburbs and eviscerated long established communities in the inner city. i wanted to tell that history in part to remind us that it may be a public good but always a political battle. >> it always has. you can go back earlier than that which is 1883 overturning of the civil rights act, which was the 1875 civil rights act which was a specifically about an instance in which a black woman and white man were riding a train and they were ejected for being in the company of a person of another race and that case went to the supreme court and led to overturning of the first major civil rights act at the civil war. and so it's there. and ida b. wells and then filing a lawsuit a

a few days ago over 2,500 school choice supporters marched through montgomery alabama in a determined quest for another kind of freedom. the freedom of school choice. this march was led by two american heroes. first that great warrior for children, the indomitable civil rights leader dr. howard fuller. and second the american federation for children heroic combatant who's present with us today, calvin chavis. [ applause ] in his great 1920 book request the quout line of history," h.g. wells, the distinguished english author, historian futurist essayist teacher, and avid socialist advised that the world -- advised the world that human history is becoming more and more a race between education and catastrophe. let's take a look at the current education situation and see how we're doing in that great race. almost 32 years has passed since the current generation of school reform effort was ushered in by publication of the alarmist call for action entitled "a nation at risk." even so, our public school system today is disastrously close to insolvency. in spite of 32 years following a natio

the back of the room is actually a civil rights protesters in 1 of 3 marches from selma to montgomery alabama. this photo was first published in 1965, they tell me it is a good reminder that people have gone through a lot of hardship but we've also made a lot of progress. i love the patriotic nature of the carrying of theflags. the next one is of the golden spike. golden spike actually happened in utah. it was taken on may 10 1869. by joining the central pacific and union pacific lines on may 10, 1860. the golden spike was the ceremonial last spike driven in to join these rails to form the first transcontinental railroad across the united states bridging the east and the west together. the next photo is really the only portrait that i would consider here but interesting itly enough, this was first published in 2006. it is from the library of congress. the lincoln memorial is obviously one of the best sights we have in this country, certainly in the united states. but when he was congressman lincoln, he served on the post office and post roads committee and the expenditures and department of w

suit is alleging -- it's something that's occurring throughout the nation actually whether in montgomery, alabamactice and pattern of incarcerating poor people and particularly people in communities of color because of outstanding debt that they owe to those municipalities. the that's what we're alleging in our suit. go ahead. >> clearly, this disproportionately affects those who can least afford it it creates a cycle of poverty. >> that's correct. >> so among other things -- it's partly a cycle of poverty, but it's also about the description in this suit of the conditions in the jails. among other things the cells were overcrowded, prisoners didn't receive regular showers or even tooth brushes. they were forced to sleep in filthy conditions. miss jenkins, what was the jail like when you were there? >> jennings jail was very horrible to me. it was overcrowded. they have -- the women's cell has eight -- it bed eight womens, but a lot of times, like the last time i was there at jennings, it holds eight women but we had like 15 or 16. so therefore, they had like seven to eight women on the floor wit

the national historic trail commemorating the march for voting rights from selma to montgomery, alabama. and most recently, the martin luther king jr. memorial on the mall are important monuments and places of historical significance that help tell the story of the african-american experience. as the national park system continues its important work to commemorate and preserve african-american history by providing greater public access and information about the places and people that have shaped the african-american experience there are very few units dedicated to the lives of african-american women. this historic park is the first national park in honor of a woman. now, obviously the first historical park for an african-american woman. as we celebrate black history month and women's history month next month i cannot think of a more fitting hero than harriet tubman to be the first african-american woman to be memorialized with a national historic park. these parks tell both her purge story and -- her personal story and her lifelong state to for justice and freedom. fighting with her fig

alabama would be the 37th state where same-sex marriage is permitted, and in some counties today, the licenses were granted. chip reid is sorting all of this out for us in montgomery. >> reporter: billy clark and kerry perez, both 26, have been waiting to get married for four years. today they did it after an alabama judge issued their license. >> it feels really good to have people recognize what we've always known to be true. >> uh-huh. >> i love you. >> reporter: last month a federal judge struck down alabama's ban on same-sex marriage finding it violated the u.s. constitution. that decision took effect today but not without judicial chaos. >> it's an aberration of our institution in alabama. it violated alabama law. >> reporter: in a defiant challenge to federal authority chief justice roy moore of the alabama supreme court ordered alabama's from bait judges not to issue marriage licenses. >> i don't like to say anybody shouldn't be happy but nobody's stopping them from living together. it's about the understand talking of marriage. and when that institution is destroyed, it's the basic building block of our society. >> reporter: in a state where most resident

i have a younger sister who is a proud graduate of alabama state university in montgomery.is a proud got her at -- proud graduate -- my question is, what do you see as the biggest challenge facing historically black colleges and universities in the 21st century? and what do you see as the best solution for said problems going forward? guest: great question. i want to let you know that i visited all three of those institutions. alabama state alabama in montgomery, as well as miles called -- college while i was at the white house. i think they are solid hbcu's. great leadership. the biggest challenge for hbcu's , in my view, is what i call capital impairment. we need to be -- most of us are undercapitalized. there is not an hbcu with an endowment that is more than four times what it spends every year. state-of-the-art in the business is to be at least five times and when you are talking about harvard and yale, you're up to 10 times. so they have endowment that are $1 billion plus. the strongest hbcu on that measure is spellman, with an endowment-expense ratio of four. most of

the selma to montgomery march in 1965 which ended in violence after alabama state troopers attacked demonstratorstus bridge. while those events took place 50 years ago, john legend last night reminded viewers of the telecast last night that the fight for voting rights continues. >> we say that selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now. >> yeah. >> we know that the voting rights act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. >> u.s. congressman john lewis of georgia led that march in selma 50 years ago. he's now the author of a series, they're called graphic novels called "march" about the history of the civil rights struggle in this country. the second book in that series just came out last month. i've got it right here. you can have it right now. it's called "march." mr. lewis. >> yes. >> i worked on the hill, so it's always going to be mr. lewis. not even congressman lewis. >> you can call me john. >> i like honorifics. let me ask you about "selma." that guy. i wasn't close to dr. king. you were. he seemed like dr. king to me. i thou

i grew up on a farm in rural alabama about 50 miles from montgomery. outside of a little place called troy. my father was a sharecropper but in 1944 when i was only 4-years-old, my father saved $300, and with $300 he bought 110 acres of land and there was a lot of cotton and corn peanuts, cows and chickens. on the farm, it was my responsibility to care for the chickens and i fell in love with raising chickens like no one else could raise chickens. does anyone else anything about -- no anything about raising chickens? can i see your hands? ok let's have a little fun this afternoon. [laughter] he would place them under his sitting hand and wait for three long weeks for the little chicks hatch. some of you may be saying, john lewis, what were they able to? from time to time it began and you had to have fresh eggs. you had to be able to tell the fresh eggs from the eggs that were already under? do you follow me? you don't follow me. [laughter] [applause] it's ok. it's all right. the chick would hatch i would take them and put them in a box with a lantern a