tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with actress laura dern on her new series "enlightened." >> every community has a martin know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] [captioning made possible by kcet public television]

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with tony bennett, 15-time grammy winner is talking about "duets." the disk is called "duets ii." he celebrated his 85th birthday with an arts fundraiser that including president clinton. i'm glad you joined us, tony bennett, coming up right now. >> every community has martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place to gather with your community. make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to empowerment. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: it isals such an honor and delight to be in the company of tony bennett. his influence on music for generations to come and also one of the most kind, humble and giving people i have had the pleasure to befriend. he has a collection of duets with some of the biggest names in the

tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. oin me next time for part two of our poverty tore and the growing number of children. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where wal-mart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, glad to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> brought to my the aarp foundation. -- you by the found foundation. >> wk kellogg foundation, engaging communities to improve the lives of vulnerable children. learn more at wkkf.org. >> the anne e. casey foundation, helping to build better futures for america's kids and families. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television]

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight a conversation with "new york times" excessive editor jill abramson. her thoughts tonight on a very busy last several days in the news business and her new book "the puppy diaries." and also john carlos. his defiant salute at the 1968 summer olympics. he is out now with a new memoir called "the john carlos story." we'r glad you have joined us. "new york times" excessive editor and olympian john carlos coming up right now. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic emrment one conversation at t a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank

tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley.oin me next time for a conversation with anita hill. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tav smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is ines economic tavis in workingds d oanmovebstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide ion your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. mo

tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with michael lewis. >> every community has a martin it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where ur communi to make every day bette >> nionwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy anrm ce t onconversation at mo wee emrmont conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> brought to you by the aarp foundation. w. k. kellogg foundation, engaging communities to improve the lives of local children. learn more at wkkf.org. >> the annie. e casey foundation, helping to build a better future for american kids and families. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] kcet public television]

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with musician and producer dave stewart. he has a new group called super heavy featuring a mick jagger and others. dayton -- the debut disc its stores next month. this week he has "the blackbird diaries." includes duets with stevie nicks and martina mcbride. two special performances. coming up right now. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where wal-mart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: it is shaping up to a busy year for dave stewart, the acclaimed musician has a just released a new

tavis: good evening, from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. we continue our conversation on party in america. our guest is kathleen sebelius. there is a push to protect programs like medicaid, temporary assistance for needy families. in tonight's edition, we will look at the housing projects in america and its impact on all citizens. we're glad you have joined us on 93 that we have devoted to party in america coming up right -- on night 3 that we have devoted to poverty in america coming up right now. >> it is not just street or a ut b a place where one stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insuranceylao improve literacy, remove obstacles to economic empowerment. >> brought to you by the aarp foundation. ♪ >> w. k. kellogg foundation, engaging committees to improve the lives of vulnerable children. -- engaging communities to improve the lives of vulnerable children. ♪ >> the and the tk foundation, helping to build their futur

tavis: ouch. sounds to me like somebody is on the precipice of doing something momma's not happy about. i'll let you explain the play, though. >> i can't explain all of the play because it really is a mystery play because every one -- i'd say the five characters in the play and i would say four out of those five have secrets and they really are not what they seem, including mine. tavis: how would you describe what? how can you describe it so folks are interested in seeing it? >> it's a family living, the father is a retired actor, they're both republicans, friends of the reagans. she is -- my character is a long retired screenwriter, very right winning but in an old style republican way, the reagan republican way. they have three children, the eldest of whom, in the 1970's, was implicated in a bombing of a recruiting center, who was a wild kid, a young man who subsequently disappeared, killed himself, leaving behind two other siblings. the youngest of whom is now a tv producer, i'd say, probably t

tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with basketball legend and former laker great jerry west on his new memoir. that is next time. see you then. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in mp i ftoroveciin to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on ythank you.

[captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: good evening. i am tavis smiley. we bring you night two of our look at poverty adn the poverty tour across america, including the kids who live at or below the poverty line, and i will be joined by vicki escarra . we thank you for joining us on night two of the poverty tour. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. one last place to gether with your community. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley, and works to improve financial literacy one question at a time. >> brought to you by the aarp foundation. ♪ >> the w.k. kellogg foundation, improving the lives of vulnerable children. learn more at wkkf.org. ♪ >> helping to build a better future for america's kids and families. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. ♪ tavis: in our second part of the poverty tour, we look at the inw pour,or," who used to be the middle class. >> the blues are a personal catastrophe expressed lyrically. >> the white literary blues. >> i teach them in my class. >> the tennessee williams festiv

tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a focusing on the poverty tour with cornel west. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the coe erstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where wal-mart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic eer .onversation at time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. thank you.

tavis: there you go. for all the talk about tommy smyth and john carlos, what john did not say because he is such a good friend. peter norman is the third guy. the other members on the stand, who was a to tommy and he heard john say he went to australia, for standing with them, the hell that he caught for the rest of his life. he died in what year, john? >> he died in 2004, i think it was. tavis: were you a pallbearer? >> no, he actually died 2005 the year after the games. yes, i was a pallbearer. i felt when i god got the call that he died, i didn't have a bank account but there was no way in the world that i was going to miss peter norman's service. tavis: what did peter say the day after that incident where he was the third man, the white guy on the stand? >> we say collectively in terms of the fact that we were getting ready to face the biggest storms of our life and we had to stand strong for what we believe in and carry on the legacy what we just laid down for society. tavis: did he ever recuperate