>> reporter: this is richard wright public charter school's way of addressing the violence. what they have are men and women volunteers walking these students home. you can see the guys pass the traffic behind me over my left shoulder here, but they started here at 4:00 and they're going until 5:00 escorting students from the school to their metro stop so they request can get -- can get to where they need safely. it's something the school has been doing for years now, but this year they opened it up to volunteers from local churches and other organizations all participating today. it's to promote safety, deflect harassment and deter crime and violence, but most importantly they say showing these students that there are adults here who care is the way to address this violence and the school's founder says it's those relationships that in the end will make a difference. >> it's painful to know that our kids are walking through the streets and as much as they are trying to do the right thing, studying and doing exactly what we asked them to do, someone will shoot them down in t

universities large share of small that if you approach the typical american literature ritter is richard wright or james baldwin? he would be told they're not worthy of inclusion on a college curriculum so they had to fight for their own education and so with the transformation of knowledge reduction and teaching the influence back -- black studies and latino studies but all disciplines in the liberal arts were impacted for the better. >> host: you address the critiques of african-american studies so when day one those demands when they first are / negotiations and meetings and trying to do research to demonstrate it is the appropriate area of inquiry but in light of foot dragging and a lack of change students finally decided it is time to escalate their tactics of a day engaged in direct action in protest. to occupy buildings and organized demonstrations and there is the time where we have summer after summer of urban unrest many college administrators were nervous coming into campus and escalating protests and ultimately they granted student demands. most notably the studies of ethnic studies

we have richard wright, who was significant in african american literature at that time. and of course, we have the marvelous actress marilyn monroe depicted in stunning fashion. and this fellow here with his leg up on the table is playwright tennessee williams. he and carson were part of a literary circle and cultural circle in new york that involved many famous intellectuals of that time living in what was called the february house. he and carson spoke frequently and he would have been a frequent guest at her dinner parties. i think the joy and enthusiasm for life that you see in this portrait is really indicative of how carson tried to live her life, and even as she wove these amazing stories -- "the heart is a lonely hunter," even as she wove these stories of outcasts and alienation, she still wrote joy in humant the connection that was so essential to her. and is reflected in all of her work. we are standing next to a dress that was worn by one of my favorite people in this exhibit helen augusta howard. ,she was born in columbus to a wealthy blueblood family. that, s

private at a literature professor ask why are there no writers on the syllabus quiz where is richard wright are where's langston hughes or james old went you would probably be told that they weren't worthy of inclusion on the college curriculum. so students really had to fight. had to fight for their own education and i think what they want has enriched american higher education and lead to a transformation in american intellectual life, a transformation in knowledge production and college teaching that certainly influenced black studies and latino studies but all the disciplines in liberal arts have been impacted for the better. >> host: in your book's "the black revolution on campus" you address some of the critiques of ethnic studies as not being intellectually rigorous. >> guest: when the students when these demands and they were one after first the students started by just negotiations and meetings and trying to do research and to demonstrate to the faculty and to demonstrate to administrators that this was an appropriate area of inquiry but in light of foot-dragging and a lack of chan

it's called man the black and it's richard wright public charter school's program to get these kids to their homes safely. they're also deflecting harassment. they're deterring crime, but most importantly the school's founder says they are showing these students that the adults here, they care about them. the school's founder says it's those relationships that will impact and make a difference. >> it's all about trust and it's all about a buy-in, some type of obligation. if i can tell that you have an obligation to me, typically i'm going to buy into you and now we have a relationsship where there's onus on both parts and the kids feel comfortable with that. >> there are men who care. there are men who want to show these young men that there's a better way, all right? the streets are not going to teach you what you need. >> reporter: this year the program opened its doors to outside volunteers, so you can participate and also it's only to the school here, but the school officials including the founder are hoping that it will extend to d.c. public schools as well. in southeast stephanie

wright customized furniture. after practical issue you ever wanted to move. by contrast richard schlesinger introduces us to a furniture making tradition whose designs couldn't be more practical. >> at the hancock shaker village in far western massachusetts, they have always kept things simple and clean. it's a museum now where visitors can seek classic furniture designed centuries ago by the shakers. the lines of the furniture are as clean as the rooms it in habits. leslie herzberg is the curator. >> they were thinking of it as being functional, streamlined simple. what we now say is beautiful design. >> they didn't mean for it to be beautiful? >> it's beautiful to our eyes but never referred to it as beautiful. >> these no frills, no flourishes chairs may be the best known legacy of shaker design. shakers came to the u.s. from england and established themselves as a christian sect in the late 18th century. their design style followed their lifestyle. it is simple and above all practical. this is a blanket chest made in the 1800s. >> what's the thing on the bottom? >> that is a