. >> well, my mother used to tell me that i was named after paul dunbar. and she read to me all his poems as a child. so, it left an indelible impression. so, i think that i was stamped from birth. to have a respect for the written word and the joy in the respect for it. so that's what got me started. in 1965 when i was a reporter for the oakland post i went to selma. i had an opportunity to have 14 hours of exclusive interviews and walks because i doubled as both a reporter. and then usher. >> to montgomery. that was when i waited for journalism and civil rights activism. >> as you mentioned, what did you think of the movie and the creation event. they captured the essence and it was accurate. and those scenes of showing doctor king that was real. so, the viewer got a chance. one of the other reasons we said that was because, i saw myself in there. so, the movie was definitely accurate. >> when i met you in the late 60s, you were so involved in the community. so, i immediately withdrew to all the work that you're doing. what inspired you to continue to wo

>> paul lance dunbar in 1892 he wrote a poem called "a negro love song."ack people on his show. but if you were hip, you wanted to be on arsenio. >> this was something i heard a political analyst talk about recently. he said you kind of were -- i use the word chilling out. he said you were pulling back a little bit. you had been instructed not to say as much or be outspoken. no? >> i've heard that, but i never know who says it. i think it's wishful thinking on the part of some people. >> guess who suggested to bill to do the arsenio hall show if you want to get a younger demo? hill-dawg. ♪ >> he attracted a lot of people who weren't fans before that night. ♪ >> the '90s was a glorious moment for black television. because you saw these representations that you'd never seen before. ♪ the premise of "the fresh prince" was this kid comes from philadelphia. ♪ in west philadelphia born and raised on the playground is where i spent most of my days ♪ >> his mom says i'm going to send you to live with your uncle. he shows up at this mansion in bel air, baseball cap