Show Transcript

Time	Speaker	Text
00:00:00	none	VETERANS' HEALTH CARE. . .
00:00:34	>>	70% OF BLACK COUPLE'S CHILDREN WERE BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK. I WAS A SKEPTIC. THE 70% WAS TRUE. THERE WERE SOME OTHER MORE DISTURBING TRENDS THAT WERE BEING EXPLOITED BY THIS DATA THAT WE HAVE THE HIGHEST DIVORCE RATES. THE HIGHEST SINGLE RATES. WE HAVE THE LOWEST MARRIAGE RATES. THAT SHOWS WHAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS BECAUSE JUST A GENERATION AGO WE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS. IT COST ME ABOUT $7,000 OUT OF MY OWN POCKET. SOME OF THE FANCY SPECIAL EFFECTS, YOU WILL NOT SEE THAT. IT IS ME SETTING UP A CAMERA HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOME OF THE LUMINARIES IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THEN OUT ON THE STREET.
00:01:24	>>	WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU DECIDED TO DO THIS MOVIE? YOU CALL IT IN MOVIE AND NOT A TAPE.
00:01:35	>>	I CALL IT A DOCULOGUE. REALLY IS A MONOLOGUE. IT GIVES THE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS WHAT THEY FEEL ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THEY ARE IN AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS. I WAS WORKING IN HEALTH CARE FOR 20 YEARS PRIOR TO DOING THIS. I WAS DOING MEDICAL SALES AND EQUIPMENT FOR PHARMACEUTICALS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
00:02:00	>>	LIVING WHERE?
00:02:02	>>	RIGHT HERE IN WASHINGTON. BORN AND WHERE EAST.
00:02:07	>>	BUT THE SHOW, NOT THE EXACT OPENING, BUT LET US SHOW YOU OPENING UP AT A CERTAIN POINT AND WE WILL ASK YOU WHY YOU DID WHAT YOU DID.
00:02:20	>>	MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO HARRIET TUBMAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT IF I COULD OF CONVINCE MORE SLAVES THAT THEY WERE TRULY WERE SLAVES, I COULD HAVE FREED THOUSANDS MORE. AS YOU SIT THERE IN ALL AND WONDER QUESTIONING YOUR ANCESTOR'S AND ABILITY TO BE AWARE OF THE TRAGEDY OF THEIR OWN CIRCUMSTANCE, THIS I TELL YOU AND I TELL YOU TO BE TRUE THAT 100 YEARS FROM NOW, YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL LOOK UPON YOU WITH THE SAME DISDAIN. QUESTIONING HOW COULD YOU HAVE LET THIS HAPPEN? HOW COULD YOU HAVE BOUGHT INTO THE FALSE CASTIGATION THAT KEEP YOU FROM ONE ANOTHER? YOU SIT IDLY BY AND WATCH YOUR MEDIA DISTORT YOUR IMAGES. YOU KNOW THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S STRATIFIES YOU. YOU KNOW THAT THE BLACK LEADERSHIP EXPLOITS YOU. YOU CHOOSE TO DO NOTHING. OR MAYBE YOU DO NOT KNOW. AFTER TODAY THERE SHALL BE NO MORE EXCUSES BECAUSE AFTER TODAY, YOU WILL LOVE. I WILL TELL YOU -- OF 10 OF YOU, FIVE WILL CHOOSE TO DO NOTHING. 3 WILL NOT UNDERSTAND OR COMPREHEND THIS MESSAGE. ONE OF YOU WILL BE SO ENRAGED THAT YOU WILL PROTEST IN THE STREETS. ONE OF YOU WILL GRASP AND BEGIN TO DO SOMETHING TO A FACT THAT CHANGE. -- A FACT THAT CHANGE. MY QUESTION MOVING FORWARD, IS WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
00:04:04	>>	HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
00:04:07	>>	IF I TOLD THE U.N. NOT BELIEVE ME. I FILM, EDITED, AND CUT THE WHOLE THING. IT WAS SHOT IN MY OFFICE UPSTAIRS. WE ROLLED CAMERA AND WROTE ABOUT A QUICK SCRIPT AND FELT MYSELF.
00:04:22	>>	DID YOU READ OFF OF A TELEPROMPTER?
00:04:24	>>	NO.
00:04:26	>>	YES. THE SPECIAL EFFECTS IS A COLOR CORRECTION. I HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT IN THE BIG GREEN. YOU CAN PUT THAT GREEN HAITI'S AFFECT ON THE ALMOST ANYTHING. -- GREEN HAZE OF FACT ON ALMOST ANYTHING. I CONTINUE TO TRY TO TAKE THIS BACK TO OUR FORBEARERS. PEOPLE WILL HAVE GIVEN THE STRONG WARNINGS OR DESCRIBING THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW. HARRIET TUBMAN WAS SAYING THAT SHE HAD DIFFICULTIES IN CONVINCING SLAVES THAT THEY REALLY WERE SLAVES. THAT JUMPED OUT TO ME WHEN I HEARD THE HISTORICAL ". HISTORICALLY, THOSE ARE JUST RELEVANT TODAY.
00:05:11	>>	WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
00:05:14	>>	CINCINNATI, OHIO.
00:05:16	>>	WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE?
00:05:18	>>	WHEN I WAS ABOUT 6.
00:05:21	>>	WHEN DID YOU LEARN ABOUT HARRIET TUBMAN?
00:05:24	>>	IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
00:05:26	>>	WHO TAUGHT YOU ABOUT HER?
00:05:29	>>	IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHER. I BELIEVE MY FIRST GRADE TEACHER.
00:05:35	>>	WEASE -- WAS YOUR SCHOOL RACIALLY MIXED?
00:05:39	>>	I WAS PART OF THE FIRST WAVE AND THEY STARTED DOING THE BUSING. I STARTED OUT IN LANDOVER AND I ENDED UP IN A WEEK. -- BOWIE.
00:05:53	>>	ARE YOU POLITICALLY ACTIVE?
00:05:55	>>	SOMEWHAT, I VOTE. I TRY TO LOOK AT THE POLITICS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION.
00:06:02	>>	BUT AS LOOK AT ANOTHER CLIP.
00:06:16	>>	YOU GAVE ME A SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR THE FIRST TIME. I UNDERSTOOD YOU.
00:06:25	>>	WHAT I AM SAYING THAT -- THE REAL DEAL IS THAT WE ARE BLACK PEOPLE RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE THE HIGHEST DIVORCE RATES, WE HAVE THE HIGHEST 40 YEAR-OLD SINGLE RATES, WE HAVE THE LOWEST MARRIAGE RATES, THE HIGHEST OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTH RATES. IN 40 YEARS, ONE GENERATION AGO WE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS. IN 40 YEARS, BLACK MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TURNED THEIR BACKS ON EACH OTHER. IT IS ALMOST TO THE POINT OF AN UNDECLARED CIVIL WAR.
00:06:58	>>	I THINK IT IS A NEGATIVE VIEW OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN.
00:07:02	>>	THEY HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP OR ON DRUGS. THEY HAVE A LOT OF BABIES MOTHERS.
00:07:09	>>	WHEN YOU FIND A MAN SOMETIMES HE HAS KIDS. HE HAS GOT PLENTY OF KIDS.
00:07:15	>>	WE ARE 24-YEAR-OLD MEN AND WE CANNOT FIND A DECENT WOMAN WITHOUT A CHILD.
00:07:20	>>	THEY DO NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR KIDS.
00:07:22	>>	THEY DO NOT TAKE CARE OF THE WOMAN THEY ARE WITH. THEY DID NOT STEP UP. THEY DO NOT DO WHAT THEY SAY THEY WILL DO.
00:07:31	>>	TO HAVE A SELFISH MENTALITY.
00:07:33	>>	THEY'RE NOT LOOKING AT ME FOR MYSELF. THEY ARE LOOKING AT MY CAR.
00:07:38	>>	THERE ARE SOME THAT HAVE A GOOD JOB AND A GOOD EDUCATION, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF FEMALES. WHAT A LOT OF THEM THINK THAT THEY ARE THUGS.
00:07:47	>>	THEY LIE ABOUT LITTLE THINGS.
00:07:49	>>	THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING BUT THEY'RE NOT REALLY DOING IT.
00:07:53	>>	THEY ARE IGNORANT.
00:07:57	>>	THEY ARE -- DISRESPECTFUL BEGIN SEXY TO THEM.
00:07:59	>>	GET THEM. THAT IS WHAT NIGGERS IS.
00:08:07	>>	AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THAT.
00:08:09	>>	THERE IS A TENSION GOING ON INSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT I TRY TO EXPORT. WE DO NOT HAVE A GOOD GRASP ON WHAT WE LOOK LIKE TO ONE ANOTHER. WE TEND TO TAKE SOME OF THE LESS DESIRABLE BEHAVIOR'S AND TO DEFINE EACH OTHER, BLACK MEN AND BLACK WOMAN, BY THOSE LESS DESIRABLE BEHAVIOR SPREAD ALL OF THE TEMPERATE -- TENSIONS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THAT CLIP ARE LOOKING FOR EXTRANEOUS EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS DIVISION THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
00:08:41	>>	THERE IS A REFERENCE TO 40 YEARS AGO, WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?
00:08:46	>>	IF YOU LOOK BACK 40 YEARS AGO THE BLACK FAMILY DID NOT LOOK THE WAY IT DOES TODAY. WE HAD 81% OF OUR CHILDREN WERE BORN TO TWO PARENT HOUSEHOLDS. HOME AND BUSINESS OWNERSHIP IN THE 40TH OR 50TH PERCENTILE. SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY STRUCTURE. I AM GOING TO TRY TO EXPLORE SOME OF THE MESSAGES THAT WE SUBSCRIBE TO DURING THAT CIVIL- RIGHTS BILL BUT OF THE 1960'S AND HOW IT HAS HAD SOME ADVERSE EFFECTS.
00:09:15	>>	WHERE DID YOU FIND THE PEOPLE YOU TALKED TO?
00:09:18	>>	OLIVER. PRIMARILY IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. IN TALKING TO SOME OF THE LUMINARIES I GO FROM CALIFORNIA TO BOSTON. I JUST LEFT UNION STATION. THE SIGNATURE QUESTION, A PERSON SHINING MY SHOES. THERE IS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT BLACK PEOPLE LOOK LIKE AND WHAT OUR PERCEPTIONS ARE.
00:09:40	>>	THE PERSON SHINING YOUR SHOES WAS?
00:09:45	>>	THE QUESTION WAS ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE? HE SAID JAIL. I ASKED HIM WHY HE FELT LIKE THAT. I PREFACED THAT. I ASKED IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HEARD OR SOMETHING THAT YOU FEEL. YOU GET THIS LANGUAGE OF, I WATCH THE TELEVISION, YOU WATCH THE 6:00 NEWS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL. THERE ARE TWO PRONGS TO THE STORY. ONE IS THAT THERE WAS A PRESS RELEASE THAT SAID THAT THERE WERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL THAN IN COLLEGE. THEN THERE'S THE IMAGE OF HOW WE ARE PORTRAYED IN THE MEDIA.
00:10:21	>>	YOU DO HAVE A SECTION WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT STEREOTYPES, DO YOU NOT?
00:10:27	>>	A LOT OF THE IMAGES THAT WE SEE OF THE BLACK MAN, A LOT OF THEM ARE NEGATIVE, NOT JUST FROM SHOWS, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE PROMOTED. THE GANGSTER RAPPER THAT ARE PROMOTED.
00:10:40	>>	WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE- TYPECASTING OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH POVERTY, ALCOHOLISM, THE DOLLAR LOW, ALL KINDS OF FREAKY AND DYSFUNCTIONAL TYPES OF THINGS THAT BLACK MEN CAN BE TAGGED WITH NO MATTER WHAT AGE OR INCOME OR CLASS GROUP, I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST THESE IMAGES ARE DRIVEN BY THE MEDIA.
00:11:03	>>	WE ARE IN THE POSITION WHERE WE WILL DO THINGS TO SELL OUT FOR MONEY. WE WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AS LONG AS THEY'RE SAYING CERTAIN TYPES OF THINGS IN STEREOTYPICAL WAYS CELLS. IT PUSHES THESE PEOPLE INTO CELEBRITY STATUS. THEN WE ARE FLOODED WITH THOSE TYPES OF IMAGES.
00:11:23	>>	WE HAVE A CULTURE THAT IS ABOUT MINSTRELS AND STEREOTYPING BLACK PEOPLE AS A SILLY, LOTS OF USE OF THE N WOR D, SEXUALLY INDISCRIMINATE, UNABLE TO HOLD A FAMILY TOGETHER. THEY BOMBARD YOU ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE.
00:11:42	>>	WE ARE ONLY GETTING THE NEGATIVE STUFF. IF IT BLEEDS, IT NEEDS.
00:11:48	>>	ALL OF THAT IS PREDICTABLE. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF IT IS CONNECTED TO SOME VERY SEDUCTIVE LANGUAGE. IT IS CONNECTED TO A VERY EASY A MOTION WHICH IS ANCHOR. THAT IS NOW SAID TO SOME EXTREMELY CATCHY BEETS AND CALLED HIP-HOP.
00:12:05	>>	IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE IN MINSTREL, YOU COULD BE A CRIMINAL OR YOU CAN BE THE ULTIMATE CRIMINAL, A GANGSTER. A BIG G. HE HAS TO HAVE A LOT OF ATTITUDE. HE HAS TO DRESS LIKE HE IS READY TO COMMIT A CRIME. EITHER A PUFFY, WITH A GUN UNDERNEATH --
00:12:27	>>	WHERE DID YOU FIND THE PEOPLE THAT YOU TALKED TO?
00:12:34	>>	FROM THE EXPERTS PROSPECTIVE, THERE WERE IN BOOKS. THESE ARE FROM AN ACADEMIC AND SCHOLARLY STANDPOINT, SOME OF THE LUMINARIES OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. I THINK THAT BECAUSE THE BUSINESS CARD SAYS THAT I GET PAID TO STUDY THE BLACK SITUATION, THEY HAVE MORE CREDIBILITY IN MY EYES. ONE OF THE MISTAKES THAT WE MAKE IS THAT WE GIVE CREDIBILITY TO CELEBRITY. YOU HAVE TO SEPARATE THE TWO. THEY HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 25-35 YEARS ON THE SITUATION.
00:13:11	>>	"THE WASHINGTON POST" PUT YOU ON THE FRONT PAGE AND WHAT THIS UP AND SUGGESTED IN AN ARTICLE BY -- WHICH THE WHITE OR BLACK?
00:13:24	>>	SHE WAS BLACK.
00:13:27	>>	HOW DID YOU GET THIS IN THE POST?
00:13:30	>>	I HAVE A SCREENING IN WASHINGTON D.C. MEDIA OUTLETS WERE THERE. SHE DID A FOLLOW-UP AFTER SEEING THE FILM. WE HAD A STORY.
00:13:40	>>	WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF THIS STORY?
00:13:42	>>	FOR THE FILM?
00:13:44	>>	UP FOR YOU.
00:13:47	>>	IT WAS AN EXCELLENT RIGHT UP. IT WAS A RATIFICATION OF SOME OF THE DIALOGUE SO WERE HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO BILL COSBY TRIED TO CHALLENGE US. SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT HE USED MAY HAVE BEEN MISCONSTRUED. HE WAS CHALLENGING US TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE FACING.
00:14:12	>>	ONE OF THE MESSAGES THAT SHOULD TALK ABOUT WAS THE CONSERVATISM OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU TALKED TO.
00:14:18	>>	I WOULD SAY GIVE ME 90 MINUTES AND DROP THE LABELS. I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU TALK TO MR. FARRAKHAN, IF YOU TALK ABOUT OUR SITUATION AS IT RELATES TO OUR FAMILIES, THEY ALL SOUND ALIKE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEIR POLITICS ARE. I TRY TO STEER CLEAR OF THE LABELING. IF YOU LOOK THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VOICES ON BOTH SIDES. YOU HAVE MARTIN AND YOU HAVE BOUGHT THE MAX, W. B. BOYCE -- MALCOLM X, WB DUBOISE.
00:15:04	>>	IF YOUR FOLLOWER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING VS. MALCOLM X, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
00:15:10	>>	HE IS A LINE WITH THE INTEGRATION AND WORKING ALONG WITH THE LARGER SOCIETY. BOOKER T. AND MALCOLM WERE MORE OF A SELF-RELIANT TYPE OF MESSAGE. IF YOU FOCUS ON THE PHRASE, THIS SUMMIT TWO DIFFERENT MESSAGES. IT IS ALMOST LIKE TWO DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES. THE SAME GOAL IS THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE PEOPLE. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES -- WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN THE APPROACH THAT WE MISSED THE OVERALL MESSAGE.
00:15:39	>>	WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR EDUCATION?
00:15:47	>>	I GRADUATED FROM BOWIE STATE COLLEGE BEFORE IT BECAME A UNIVERSITY. I WAS IN THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY.
00:15:57	>>	WHERE DID YOU LEARN HOW TO DO FILM?
00:16:00	>>	MY BACKGROUND WAS IN MUSIC. I LEARNED HOW TO CUT MUSIC VIDEOS. MOVIES ARE JUST AN EXTENSION OF THAT. IT WAS URGENT. SOMETHING HAS TO BE SAID RIGHT NOW. THERE IS A LOT OF FEAR IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY TO MAKE SOME CHANGES THAT I THINK ARE GOING TO BE NECESSARY SO THAT THE NEXT 40 YEARS WILL LOOK BETTER THAN THE PAST.
00:16:24	>>	WHAT KIND OF MUSIC LABEL DID YOU WORK WITH? WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DID YOU REPRESENT?
00:16:30	>>	I IN A JAZZ MUSICIAN. I HAVE DONE ALL OF THE GENRES FROM R AND D TO HIP-HOP. -- RHYTHM AND BLUES TO HIP-HOP. I DID A COUPLE OF THINGS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS AS RELATES TO FILMMAKING. I HAVE LEFT THE MUSIC BUSINESS FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
00:16:53	>>	WHAT KIND OF THE EQUIPMENT DID YOU USE?
00:17:02	>>	I USE STATE -- I USED A JVC CAMCORDER. I USED A SOFTWARE THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE FILM. THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS IN THE ARTICLE, FIVE YEARS AGO THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. I COULD TAKE ON THIS PROJECT AND TRY TO ASSEMBLE AT ANY REPRESENTATIVE FORMAT AND PUT IT OUT.
00:17:20	>>	ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL ALIVE? WHERE ARE THERE?
00:17:25	>>	YES, IN ANNAPOLIS.
00:17:26	>>	WHAT DO THEY DO?
00:17:27	>>	THEY ARE RETIRED. HE WAS A TRAITOR AND A PROFESSIONAL FIRES AND MY MOTHER STAYED AT HOME. -- PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS AND MY MOTHER STAYED AT HOME.
00:17:41	>>	DID YOU GROW UP BEING A FIGHTER?
00:17:43	>>	NO, BUT I GROW IN THE FIGHTING GAME. MY FATHER TRAINED SUGAR RAY LEONARD.
00:17:48	>>	WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
00:17:51	>>	WHERE DID THE NAME JANKS COME FROM?
00:17:56	>>	MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER HAD THE NAME DOWN SOUTH IN LOUISIANA.
00:18:01	>>	WHAT IMPACT DID IT HAVE ON YOU?
00:18:04	>>	IT WAS A GREAT IMPACT. I GOT EXPOSED TO THE BALANCE EARLY ON. WATCHING THE MEDIA. AT ONE TIME HE WAS PROBABLY MORE POPULAR THAN MICHAEL JACKSON. HOW IMAGES ARE PUT OUT OR HOW STORIES CAN BE MISCONSTRUED. THAT WHOLE THING ABOUT HOW THAT SYSTEM WORKS I WAS ABLE TO FIND OUT AT AN EARLY AGE.
00:18:27	>>	HOW DID YOUR DAD GET INTO THIS BUSINESS?
00:18:30	>>	THE BOXING BUSINESS? HE WAS A PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER. HE WORKED AT THE LOCAL GYM. HE WAS THAT GUY.
00:18:40	>>	HOW MANY KIDS WERE THERE IN THE FAMILY?
00:18:45	>>	JUST ME AND MY BROTHER. HE IS A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMER. HE WORKS FOR A GOVERNMENT AGENCY. HE IS IN THE FILM, TOO.
00:18:54	>>	I DO NOT KNOW IF WE HAVE A CLIP OF HIM. YOU TELL US THAT WE DO.
00:18:59	>>	WE DO HAVE A CLIP OF HIM.
00:19:02	>>	LET US LOOK AT ANOTHER ONE.
00:19:04	>>	JUSTICE SAID THAT IN TO FINGERPRINT AND PUT THE BLAME TOTALLY ON THE MEDIA. IT HAS DONE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE IN PERPETUATING THE WORST OF THE WORST, THE STEREOTYPES ABOUT BLACK MEN. LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, EVEN WITHIN A STEREOTYPE, IT IS NOT GOING TO FLY UNLESS THERE'S SOME KERNEL OF TRUTH.
00:19:24	>>	THAT IS THE BIGGEST MYTH IN THE WORLD. WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT EVERYONE IS TRYING TO GET. WE ARE JUST THE PEOPLE THAT ARE FUCKING UP AND DOING THINGS BACKWARDS.
00:19:38	>>	IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE LYRICS TO THE LATEST RAP SONG THAT TO KNOW WHAT THE TEACHER IS TEACHING YOU. ENTERTAINMENT BECAME THE HALLMARK OF STRENGTH AS OPPOSED TO EDUCATION. THAT IS A PROBLEM.
00:19:54	>>	RAP DIALOGUE IS SAID TO BE THE LANGUAGE OF THE STREET. WHAT STREET COULD SUCH HATRED AND MALEVOLENT VITRIOL BE ACCEPTED AS COMMONPLACE?
00:20:10	>>	THE IDEA THAT IT IS URGENT, THAT YOU WOULD WRITE A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT TUPAC AND CALL HIM A GET THOSE ST. AND THE IDEA THAT HE IS MORE IMPORTANT TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THE MARTIN LUTHER KING -- AND HE IS. YOU JUST SAY THE SYLLABLES OUT THERE AND THERE WILL BE A HUSH AS IF HE SAID GOD.
00:20:35	>>	A RAPPER HIMSELF SAID THAT I WAS WRONG WHEN I WROTE THOSE SONGS. I CREATED A BAD SITUATION FOR MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY. EVEN HE SAID THAT. YOU ARE GOING TO TRY TO FIND THE WORST IN THE STATEMENTS.
00:20:49	>>	THE LIFE THAT HE MET IN THE MESSAGE OF THAT MUSIC HAS THE ICONIC STATUS MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE. IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE GIVEN INTO THIS IDEA THAT ANCHOR FOR ITS OWN SAKE, NOT CHANNELED IN ANY THING IS CIVIL-RIGHTS. IT IS A RACIAL IDENTITY. IT IS URGENT. IT IS A MESSAGE THAT IS DEEPER THAN ANYTHING ANYONE ELSE GIVES A SPREAD WE'D LOVE RESPONDED TO SENSATIONALISM. 397 PEOPLE SHOT AND KILLED IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. OPEN KNOCKE -- OVER 90% OF THEM ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENT IS 100% OF THEM KILLED BY OTHER BLACK PEOPLE.
00:21:27	>>	WE HAVE HAD NOT ONLY IN BALTIMORE BUT IN PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK RECORD HOMICIDE RATES ALMOST ALL BLACK ON BLACK CRIME.
00:21:38	>>	BUT ONE WHITE PHILADELPHIA POLICE OFFICER FIRED A SHOT IN THE DIRECTION OF ONE OF THE SPIRIT OF HIM PLOT A PISTOL AND PULL -- THROW GUM AT SOMEBODY, OH, MAN.
00:21:54	>>	IN GETTING THAT IS EASY. ONE OF THE EASIEST EMOTIONS TO PORTRAIT IF YOU'RE AN ACTOR IS A DANGER -- IS ANGER.
00:22:06	>>	WHEN YOU ARE ANCHOR, THEY CAN CONTROL YOU. THAT CAN CONTROL YOU. WHEN THEY WANT TO GET AN EXTRA PAY CHECK, THEY CRY RACISM. BLACK PEOPLE GO INTO AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FALL BUT EVER THESE PEOPLE ASK THEM TODAY. WHITE PEOPLE RUN FOR THE HILLS. RUN FOR THE HILLS.
00:22:29	>>	AND A LOT OF THINGS I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT. I SAW THIS THREAT YOUR WHOLE FILM. HOW LONG IS IT?
00:22:35	>>	87 MINUTES.
00:22:39	>>	YOU SEE IT THAT LIKE A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE IN THERE, HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THAT?
00:22:44	>>	IT WILL BE A TRIVIA QUESTION ON THE INTERNET. IT IS IN THERE A NUMBER OF TIMES. IT IS NOT THAT IT COMES ON, IT IS TO REINFORCE WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING BEHIND IT. AS THE DOCTOR SAYS, IF YOUR ANGER -- AND GREEK AT SOMETHING, THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO CONTROL YOU. -- ANGRY AT SOMETHING, THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO CONTROL YOU. IF YOU HAVE HOSTILITY OR RESENTMENT, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I WILL ULTIMATELY HOLD YOU HOSTAGE. THIS IS HOW WE PROTEST AGAINST A DON IMUS SITUATION, IT IS A RESENTMENT OR ANGER THAT YOU HAVE. YOU ARE SUBJECT TO THAT ANGER.
00:23:26	>>	WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE DON IMUS SITUATION?
00:23:31	>>	AS I SAY IN THE FILM, I THINK WE PROTESTS SOMETHINGS THAT ARE MISSING THE MARK. WE DO NOT HAVE OUR EYES ON THE PRIZE ANYMORE. HIS RESIGNATION OR TERMINATION, I DID NOT BELIEVE IT BENEFITED ONE BLACK PERSON AT ALL. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE THAT PROBABLY HALF OF BLACK AMERICA DID NOT EVEN KNOW BEFORE HE WAS PUT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. WHAT THIS IS TERMINATION DO FOR US? NOT TO SAY THAT RACISM DOES NOT EXIST OR SHOULD BE ADDRESSED, BUT PETITIONING THAT SITUATION AND THE OUTCOMES, I DO NOT SEE A BENEFITING COSTS.
00:24:09	>>	YOU GRIMACED BUT THAT STRONG LANGUAGE.
00:24:14	>>	THERE WERE CERTAIN TO PLACES THROUGHOUT THE FILM WHERE THERE IS PROFANITY AND IT IS VERY METHODICAL. I GRIMACE BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT IT TO BE -- THIS MOVIE IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL, RUN OF THE MILK BLAXPLOITATION FILM. IT IS NOT THAT. IT HAD TO BE EDITED BEFORE IT GOES OVER THE AIR. I KNEW IT WAS COMING UP.
00:24:40	>>	MANY TIMES A -- MANY TIMES WE LET THE LANGUAGE THING GO SO THAT PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE. HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE "TALK TO ME."
00:24:50	>>	YES, I HAVE.
00:24:53	>>	FOR THE AUDIENCE THAT DOES NOT KNOW HIM, COULD YOU TELL US.
00:24:58	>>	HE WAS A LEGEND IN WASHINGTON D.C. AT WLOL RADIO. DURING THE LATE 1960'S HE WAS A SOOTHING VOICE. THE SITUATION COULD HAPPEN AND LOT WORSE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR VOICES LIKE IS GIVING SOME STABILITY AND BALANCE TO THE EQUATION. YOU CANNOT ASCRIBE LEFT OR RIGHT TO HIM. HE IS SAYING THAT THIS IS WHAT IS BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD ADDRESS?
00:25:29	>>	HE HAD BEEN IN PRISON AND HAD A RADIO SHOW IN PRISON. HE HAD A VOICE. WHAT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, THE LANGUAGE IN THAT MOVIE AND MANY OTHERS LIKE IT ARE SO STRONG. WHY? DOES THE BLACK COMMUNITY, CERTAINLY THE WHITE COMMUNITY DOES IT TO, BUT IS THERE MORE OF THAT LANGUAGE THEN SHE THERE SHOULD BE?
00:25:52	>>	I AM NOT AN EXPERT. THE FRAMING OF THE QUESTION IS BLACK OR WHITE. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I AM TRYING TO FACE IS THAT WE CONSTANTLY FALL INTO THAT ESPECIALLY INTO BLACKS VERSUS WHITES. WE ARE KILLING EACH OTHER. WE ARE AN EMPLOYEE, WHAT OF THE WHITES DOING. WHAT WE NEED TO PULL OURSELVES BACK FROM THAT THE QUESTION. IS THAT LANGUAGE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT IS A PREVAILING? MAYBE. DOES IT GO ACROSS THE WHOLE ECONOMIC STATUS? THERE ARE SOME MEN THAT WILL NOT DISRESPECT FOR USE AN ABRASIVE LANGUAGE. SOMEONE NOT COLI THE N WOR -- CALL YOU THE N WORD TO YOUR FACE. YOU COULD SIT HERE AND CALL ME GREEN HAIRED. I AM NOT WANT TO MOVE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT ME. IF YOU CALL ME THAT, IT IS NOT GOING TO MOVE ME. I SAY THAT WE'RE DANCED AROUND LIKE PUPPETS BY OUR ANCHOR. WE MISSED THE BULL'S EYE OR THE PRICE BECAUSE OF THESE ANCILLARY ISSUES LIKE LANGUAGE.
00:27:06	>>	WHAT HAS TO CHANGE?
00:27:08	>>	WE HAVE TO KNOW WHO WE ARE. WE HAVE TO ASK BETTER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT BLACK PEOPLE LOOK LIKE ASK BETTER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SUCCESS STORIES THAT YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT. WE SHOULD BEGIN TO ABOLISH ONE ANOTHER FOR WHAT WE REALLY ARE.
00:27:26	>>	IN THE LAST CLIP THERE WAS A PERSON NAMED STEVE PERRY.
00:27:31	>>	HE IS A PRINCIPAL AT 89 THAT SCHOOL OR A CHARTER SCHOOL IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM WAS FAILING YOUNG BLACKS. WE DON'T GET, THE PRINCIPAL WAS BLACK, THE SCHOOLS, -- OWN IT, THE PRINCIPLE IS BLACK, THE WHOLE THING WAS BLACK. HE WANTED TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATE MEANS FOR THE PUBLIC SYSTEM THAT WAS THERE.
00:28:06	>>	HOW DID YOU FIND HIM?
00:28:07	>>	I CALLED HIM. IT WAS THAT SIMPLE. IT WAS A TESTAMENT TO EVERY MAN IN THAT FILM. I PICKED UP THE PHONE AND GIVE THEM A 22ND, THIS IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO DO. THEY SAID, I AM IN. I ACCIDENTLY CALL NPR AND GOT WILLIAMS ON THE FRONT AND 20 SECONDS HE SAID THAT I AM IN. MICHAEL, ALL OF THESE NAMES, NOBODY MORE THAN ABOUT TWO MINUTES AND THEY ALL SIGNED UP. WE ARE A CRITICAL JUNCTURE IN OUR HISTORY THAT 40 YEARS AFTER THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THAT IF WE DO NOT START TO CORRECT SOME OF THESE PERCEPTIONS AND OUR ATTITUDES ABOUT ONE ANOTHER WHICH WILL BE TO THE CORRECTION OF OUR BEHAVIOR, WE ARE GOING TO KEEP GOING DOWN A PATH OF DESTRUCTION AS IT RELATES TO OUR FAMILIES.
00:28:59	>>	NO JESSE JACKSON, HOW SHARPTON, CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE NAACP, WHY?
00:29:04	>>	ALL ASTIN ALL DECLINED.
00:29:17	>>	-- ALL ASKED, ALL DECLINED? AS YOU TALK TO PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE, YES STEVE PERRY, YOU HAVE TO ROAD GAMES, THESE ARE PEOPLE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM THAT WE WILL TELL OUR STORY.
00:29:34	>>	AS THE BACK TO YOUR FILM.
00:29:39	>>	AS I WALK THE STREETS ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY FROM MAINSTREAM TO THE UPPER ECHELON IN BEVERLY HILLS TO INNER-CITY WASHINGTON D.C., CONSISTENTLY, THERE ARE MISNOMERS, MISREPRESENTATIONS, AND FALSE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT BLACK MEN THAT WHENEVER YOUR SOCIAL OR ECONOMIC STATUS IS, WE BELIEVE.
00:30:04	>>	ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE? BUT THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
00:30:09	>>	IN JAIL.
00:30:11	>>	MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL.
00:30:13	>>	I WOULD HAVE TO SAY JAIL.
00:30:15	>>	MORE IN JAIL.
00:30:17	>>	THERE ARE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL.
00:30:19	>>	IN JAIL.
00:30:21	>>	I AM GOING TO STAY IN JAIL.
00:30:24	>>	IN JAIL.
00:30:25	>>	IN JAIL.
00:30:28	>>	WORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL.
00:30:29	>>	IN JAIL.
00:30:31	>>	IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU HEARD OR SOMETHING THAT YOU FEEL?
00:30:34	>>	I WORK AT A JAIL.
00:30:38	>>	THEY WOULD SAY THAT THERE ARE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL THAN
00:30:42	>>	IN JAIL. " I THINK THERE ARE MORE IN JAIL THAN IN COLLEGE.
00:30:47	>>	IN JAIL. FOX IN JAIL.
00:30:53	>>	PROBABLY MORE INCARCERATED THAN IN COLLEGE INSTITUTIONS. YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME?
00:31:05	>>	THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE SAVE BLACK AMERICA, AND IT IS ALL ABOUT THE BLACK MALE. EVERYBODY GET IN THERE. HOW ARE YOU DOING? I'M FILMING RIGHT NOW. EVERYBODY, ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE?
00:31:19	>>	COLLEGE.
00:31:21	>>	JAIL.
00:31:23	>>	ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE?
00:31:26	>>	IN JAIL.
00:31:28	>>	ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE?
00:31:31	>>	IN JAIL. WHAT'S MORE LIKE MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE?
00:31:34	>>	JAIL.
00:31:36	>>	IS VERY NEGATIVE. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE ALLOWING TO BE PUT INTO THEIR MIND.
00:31:42	>>	ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE?
00:31:48	>>	IN JUNE JAIL. POTTS THE ANSWER IS COLLEGE. THERE ARE SOME TOUGH MOMENTS IN THAT FILM. THAT IS ONE OF THE TOUGHER MOMENTS. THERE IS NO QUESTION WERE NO HESITATION. THERE IS NO TALKING TO AN AUTHORITY. THEY JUST THROW IT RIGHT OUT. THIS IS THE CONVERGENCE OF WHAT I SAID ABOUT THREE THINGS, THE GOVERNMENT, AND THE PEOPLE THAT YOU REFERENCED EARLIER. THE JACKSONS AND THE SHARK FINS, SOME OF THE LUMINARIES IN OUR COMMITTED -- SHARPTONS, SOME OF THE LUMINARIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE SHOULD RECLAIM MORE POSITIVE INFORMATION ABOUT US THAT IS OUT THERE. WE ARE GOING TO GET TO THE NEGATIVE, IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY WERE ALL IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. I WALKED UP TO THEM AND HAD TO GO BACK AND TALK TO EACH ONE OF THEIR PARENTS AFTER WORD SPREAD
00:32:45	>>	EACH ONE OF THEIR PARENTS?
00:32:48	>>	I WANTED A SPONTANEOUS RESPONSE. I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY WOULD SAY. I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THEIR PARENTS TO GET THEM TO SIGN THE WAIVERS.
00:32:58	>>	YOU HAD A PIECE OF PAPER FOR EVERYONE?
00:33:00	>>	EVERYONE OF THE KIDS. IT IS RIGHTS, IT IS A DOCUMENTARY BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO GET PERMISSION FOR MINORS.
00:33:08	>>	DID YOU DROP EVERYTHING TO DO THIS FILM?
00:33:13	>>	THERE WERE A LOT OF LATE NIGHTS AND WORKING ON WEEKENDS IN FLYING AND TAKING A VACATION TO GET IT DONE.
00:33:19	>>	WHEN WE SEE YOU ON THE SCREEN TALKING, ARE YOU TALKING TO THE BALL OR ANOTHER HUMAN BEING? WHEN WE SEE YOU TALKING SOMETIMES.
00:33:30	>>	THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. IT IS BOTH HAS ASKED THAT BEFORE. SOMETIMES I AM TALKING TO MYSELF AND SOMETIMES THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON.
00:33:40	>>	WHAT IS THAT BY TALKING TO YOURSELF?
00:33:44	>>	THERE IS A LOT OF TIMES -- YOU'LL SEE CLIPS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THAT IS ME TALKING TO THE CAMERA.
00:33:51	>>	THE NEXT ONE IS YOU TALKING TO A BOARD. BUT AS OF THAT THAT. .
00:33:57	>>	WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK OF THE TRIP. ARE THERE MORE BLACK MEN IN JAIL OR IN COLLEGE? THE WAY WE WILL DO THIS IS THROUGH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THIS QUESTION IN ITS INCEPTION WAS A DEFEAT WOULD -- A GAMBIT ON THE BLACK COMMUNITY. WHAT IS THE TYPICAL AGE RANGE OF THE COLLEGE PERSON AND THE AGE RANGE OF SOMEONE IN JAIL? AND COLLEGE MOST PEOPLE FALL BETWEEN THE AGE OF 18-24 UNTIL HIS 15-55. THIS IS AN APPLES OR ORANGES COMPARISON. TO BE FAIR, DOES THIS LOOK TO THE SHEER NUMBERS REGARDLESS OF AGE? IN PRISON, YOUR HARD CORE 1 YEAR SENTENCE. PRISON HAD 540 -- 547,200 PEOPLE. JILL HAD 200,795. THIS WAS A TOTAL OF 800,995 INCARCERATED. COLLEGE WAS 864,000 AS REPORTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. FOR THE YEAR 2005 THERE WERE MORE BLACK MEN IN COLLEGE THAN IN JAIL.
00:35:05	>>	THAT IS QUITE A BIT. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE MY AGE GOING TO JAIL. WHAT ARE THE STATISTICS ON THAT?
00:35:12	>>	I DID NOT WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF WHAT I USE OF THE PEOPLE OF. THAT WOULD BE AUGMENTING DATA OR PULLING OUT POCKETS OF DATA FOR A CERTAIN PURPOSE. LIKE MANY 18-24 YEARS OLD, WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE IN COLLEGE? THERE IS A TOTAL OF 473,000 IN PRISON, 106,000 IN PRISON. THE RATIO OF BLACK MEN IN COLLEGE VERSES' PRESENT IS FOUR- ONE.
00:35:39	>>	IS 4-1 BUT NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE KIDS ARE SAY THEY ARE BEATING OUT WOMEN AND OURSELVES THE FACT THAT MORE MEN ARE IN JAIL. THAT IS ALL THAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT.
00:35:55	>>	ANY TIME THAT WE BUY INTO A MYTH ABOUT US THAT SAYS SOMETHING HORRIBLE ABOUT US, IT DOES TWO THINGS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT JUSTIFIES ALL OF THE NEGATIVITY THAT WE FEEL ANYWAY. IT ALLOWS US TO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE DETACHED FROM IT TO LOOK DOWN ON THEM.
00:36:15	>>	IT IS GOOD THAT WE HAVE THE STATISTICS AND INFORMATION, BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS TO BREAK IT DOWN AND ASKED, HOW DID THIS MYTH IT STARTED? WHERE DID THIS ALL COME FROM? WHY ARE WE THINKING THIS WAY?
00:36:29	>>	WHERE DID THE GET STARTED?
00:36:31	>>	IT IS TWO FOLD. THE ORIGINAL STUDY, THERE IS A GROUP CALLED THE JUSTICE POLICY INSTITUTE THAT THE CELL BLOCKS OF VERSES CLASS RUNS. THAT WAS BASED IN 2008 IT WAS RELEASED IN 2002. THE PRESS RELEASE ON HOW THAT INFORMATION GOT INTO THE BLACK COMMUNITY WAS STUNNED BY THE NAACP. THAT IS NOT MY QUESTION. THAT WAS PROPOSED BY THE ORGANIZATION OF JUSTICE POLICIES.
00:37:00	>>	THE ONE THING THAT IS TRUE IS THAT OF THE 800,000 THAT ARE IN JAIL, THERE ARE ONLY IN THE COUNTRY, A TOTAL OF 2 MILLION. THERE IS A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF BLACKS IN SOCIETY. YOU HEAR BLACK LEADERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT A LOT. THAT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UNFAIR TO THEM. HAS IT BEEN UNFAIR?
00:37:23	>>	AS A BLACK MAN IN THIS COUNTRY, AS WE PETITION THE FAIRNESS OF THE SYSTEM, I SAY THAT THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON -- YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT THE PITFALLS AND THE TRAPPINGS ARE. RACIAL PROFILING, WE HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF BEING LOCKED UP FOR PATTI DRUGS OR PETTY ARSON. THAT IS THE WAY THE SYSTEM IS. IF YOU KNOW HOW THE GAME IS STRUCTURED, IF YOU ARE PLAYING BASKETBALL, YOU ARE NOT WANT TO DO LAYUPS AGAINST SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, YOU WILL SHOOT A THREE- POINTER. WE ARE PROBABLY NOT ONE TO CHANGE.
00:38:00	>>	BUT BACK INTO YOUR OWN LIFE FOR YOUR WORK IN MUSIC. DID THE MUSIC THAT YOU WORK WITH, WAS SET MOSTLY BLACK MUSIC?
00:38:09	>>	YES.
00:38:10	>>	WHAT IMPACT DID IT HAVE ON YOUR THINKING?
00:38:14	>>	IT CHANGED. WHEN WE WERE KIDS GROWING NOT, WE ROMANCED OR WE SERENADED AND WE CELEBRATED. I DO NOT EVEN CALL IN MUSIC NOW. IT HAS ALMOST BECOME A TESTAMENT TO A CERTAIN INDIGENOUS FACET OF US. SOME OF THEM ARE LESS DESIRABLE SPRAYED DROPPING IT LIKE IT IS HOT OR GOING TO A NIGHTCLUB AND POPPING CHAMPAGNE. YOU CAN ONLY MAKE SOME MANY SONGS ABOUT THAT. IT IS NOT TELLING OUR ENTIRE STORY. MUSIC REPRESENTED MORE OF THAT AND OUR PAST THAN IT DOES TODAY. I THINK THE MUSIC HAS GIVEN THEM A MISCONSTRUED REPRESENTATION OF THE ENTIRE PICTURE. YOU WATCHED THE MTV OR VH1 OR BET, YOU'LL SEE A CERTAIN SEGMENT OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY BUT YOU WILL NOT SEE THE ENTIRETY.
00:39:22	>>	HE REFERRED TO TUPAC BEING LIKE A GOD. WE HAVE DONE PROGRAMS HERE. WHY IS IT SO BAD THAT HE IS LOOKED UPON AS A GOD IN THE COMMUNITY?
00:39:38	>>	AS I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE PITFALLS. HE WAS A GENIUS, BUT HE WASN'T ANGRY GENIUS. BEING ABLE -- HE WAS AN ANGRY GENIUS. BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO OUR ANCHOR WAS A WAY TO MISS OUR MARKET. IT WAS AN ANCHOR AND IS A REDEFINITION OF CIVIL RIGHTS ARE PETITIONING THE LARGER SOCIETY IS JUST THROUGH OUR ANGER. THAT IS NOT WHAT IT IS GREAT IT WAS GREATER THAN THAT 40 YEARS AGO. MARTIN LUTHER KING TOLD YOU, HE SAID THAT WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HATE OR BE ANGRY. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LOVE IN ORDER TO OVERCOME. I THINK THAT MESSAGE GOT LOST SOMEWHERE IN THE PAST 40 YEARS.
00:40:24	>>	YOU SAID THIS COST YOU $7,000 TO MAKE. HOW DID YOU DO IT FOR $7,000 WITH THE TRAVELING AND THE RIGHTS?
00:40:32	>>	THAT IS THE COST. BECAUSE FOR THE VIDEO. THAT IS THE BIG DEAL RIGHT THERE. THE FILM DOES NOTHING. THE DVD IS A DOLLAR. THE TRAVEL WAS MARGINAL. A LOT OF THOSE GUYS ARE IN WASHINGTON. I WENT OUT TO THE WEST COAST TWICE.
00:40:53	>>	HOW DID YOU START TO PROMOTE IT?
00:40:54	>>	YES. IT IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.
00:41:03	>>	$19.95. THERE ARE USED VERSION SADR OUT THERE.
00:41:11	>>	WHEN DID YOU FIRST BEGIN TO SELL THIS?
00:41:14	>>	THE 25 OF AUGUST.
00:41:15	>>	THE 25TH OF AUGUST. WE ARE TAPING THIS BEFORE THE 20TH OF AUGUST. THE 25TH OF JULY OR AUGUST?
00:41:27	>>	I AM SORRY, THE 25TH OF JULY. I AM SORRY, GUYS.
00:41:36	>>	WHEN YOU FINISHED THIS, HOW DID YOU FIGURE YOUR GWENN TO MARKET IT? MOST PEOPLE WOULD KILL FOR A WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON "" STORY.
00:41:50	>>	I THINK AS WE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND THE MINDSET OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY I THINK THE CHALLENGES OF THE FILM MAKERS AS WELL. THE SHOP A FILM TO IN MARTYRS' TO DEAL AND PUT THEIR HANDS TOGETHER AND SAY PLEASE. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DONE LIKE THAT. I THINK SOME OF THE TRUISMS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT BLACK MEN, SOME OF THE INTERNET MARKETING -- MARKETING AND VIRAL THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE. THE AWARENESS WAS HIGH. WHEN THE MOVIE HIT THERE WAS SUCH AN LEVEL OF ANTICIPATION THAT IT HAS BEGUN TO TAKE OFF. THAT IS WHY I AND SITTING HERE WITH YOU.
00:42:26	>>	DID YOU HAVE A SCREENING?
00:42:28	>>	YES. THE SCREENING WAS ON THE 25TH OF JULY. THAT IS WHEN THE REVIEW WAS.
00:42:34	>>	HOW DID YOU DO THAT? WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THIS IS SOMEONE ELSE'S LISTING. " I CALLED THE LOCAL THEATER AND I SAID THAT I HAVE A MOVIE AND I WOULD LIKE TO READ THE THEATER FOR THE EVENING. YOU SEND OUT A PRESS RELEASE TO EVERY LOCAL MEDIA THAT YOU CAN FIND. THEY WILL COME.
00:42:55	>>	WHERE DID YOU HAVE YOUR SCREENING?
00:42:58	>>	IT IS UP ON CONNECTICUT AVENUE.
00:42:59	>>	WHAT THEY CHARGE YOU?
00:43:02	>>	IT WAS MARGINAL. FIVER $600.
00:43:05	>>	DID IT WORK?
00:43:06	>>	I THINK IT DID.
00:43:11	>>	HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU HAVE IN THE RAHM?
00:43:12	>>	A FULL HOUSE. IT WAS A FULL HOUSE.
00:43:18	>>	HERE IS MORE FROM YOUR DOCUMENTARY.
00:43:20	>>	THIS IS HOW THE GAME WORKS. IF I WERE TO LIKE THIS THING RIGHT HERE, I WOULD BE COMMITTING A CRIME. A MISDEMEANOR. THAT IS JOHN CHANGE. HOW DID THEY GET TO THE BIG DOLLARS? THEY DO TWO THINGS. THE COME UP WITH AN ISSUE THAT DRIVES YURY MOTION FOR GETS INTO YOUR FEELINGS. THE SECOND THING THAT THEY DO IS THEY MAKE THE PROBLEM LOOKED SO BAD THAT NO ONE CAN FIX THAT EXCEPT FOR THEM. YOU CANNOT BELIEVE ME? I HAVE TO GIVE AWARDS FOR YOU. GLOBAL WARMING. -- I HAVE TWO WORDS FOR YOU. GLOBAL WARMING. WHY IS IT THAT THEY ALWAYS LABELED THESE THINGS AS THE EPIDEMIC. THEY SAID THE CRACK EPIDEMIC. STORING UP A MEDIA FRENZY FROM COAST TO COAST. BLACK MEN ROBBING, BLACK MAN MURDERING, LIKE MEN JUMPING INSIDE OF WINDOWS A ROBBING THEIR OWN MOTHERS OF VCRS. BETWEEN 1992-1996, HOMICIDES IN THE BLACK KNITTED THE WENT DOWN. GUESS WHAT THESE GUYS THAT, THEY JUMPED THEIR COVERAGE 400%. THAT LEAVES THE GUISE OF THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TOWN TO DO SOME ABOUT IT. THEY HAVE TO COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION BECAUSE THE HYSTERIA IS TOO MUCH FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HANDLE. BY 1994, THEY ALL NEED TO HOW TO SAY FOUR WORDS, THREE STRIKES AND YOU ARE OUT. WHAT DOES THAT TRANSLATE INTO? THEN COMING UP WITH THE PERFECT SOLUTION. INCAPACITATION THROUGH INCARCERATION. EVERY RESPONSE TO INCARCERATION BRACING YOUNG BLACK MEN RAISING AT A RATE ALMOST AS FAST AS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BRENNAN AND ORGANIZATION LIKE THIS IS GIVEN BIRTH TO. THE JUSTICE POLICY INSTITUTE. THEIR MISSION STATEMENT SOUNDS LIKE THIS. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR THE WAYS TO KEEP YOUNG MEN -- YOUNG BLACK MEN OUT OF JAIL. YOU HAVE INCREASING EDUCATIONAL LEVELS AS IT RELATES TO INCREASING ST TIME. THOUSAND AND NOBLE CAUSE WRONG. THIS IS WASHINGTON. AT THIS LEVEL OF THE GAME, VERY FEW CAUSES ARE STILL NOBLE. IT IS ABOUT THE MONEY.
00:45:35	>>	WHEN DID HE DEVELOPED THE IDEA THAT IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY?
00:45:42	>>	ULTIMATELY, WHEN YOU LOOK OF THAT PROPOSITION IN BLACK MEN IN JAIL VERSES' AGAINST COLLEGE, AND THE ORGANIZATION IS A MEETING THAT TO THE COMMUNITY, IT WAS THE REVENUE DRIVEN STATEMENT. IT WAS A WAY TO EXTRACT MONEY FROM THE LARGER SOCIETY. AT THAT. IN OUR TIME, BECAUSE THE CRACK EPIDEMIC AND THE WAR ON DRUGS WAS SO BIG, A LOT OF THE MONEY THAT HAS -- WAS BEING ALLOCATED TO THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WAS BEING FOCUSED ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE. YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH A PROPOSITION TO REFOCUS.
00:46:19	>>	WHEN YOU SHOP THOSE IN FRONT OF THE CAPITAL AND IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND ALL AND IN FRONT OF CBS, DID YOU HAVE SOMEBODY OPERATING THE CAMERA?
00:46:29	>>	NO.
00:46:33	>>	IS AT THE CAMERA UP AND AS PEOPLE WALK BY AND SHOT IT.
00:46:38	>>	AND CRAZY PEOPLE -- PEOPLE IT'S A, LOOK TO THE PRESIDENT.
00:46:43	>>	PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS A TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY?
00:46:45	>>	IT WAS JUST MADE.
00:46:48	>>	WHERE DID YOU LEARN HOW TO DO FILM OR TAPE OR ANY OF THAT HOW FAR BACK AS I GO.
00:46:55	>>	MAYBE TWO YEARS. I DID NOT GO TO FILM SCHOOL. BY STEADY MOVIES. I LEARNED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EDITING VIDEOS WHEN I WAS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS. I AM NOT A FILM MAKER. THIS IS MORE ABOUT A MESSAGE THAT IS IN A FILM FORMAT. I DO NOT KNOW IF I WILL EVER MAKE ANOTHER FILM AGAIN. THIS WAS DESIGNED TO START A DIALOGUE. THERE ARE SOME NECESSARY QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED OF THE COMMUNITY. THERE ARE SOME NECESSARY STATEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THEM. THROUGH THUMB, I HAVE THE BEST WAY OF CAPTURING AN AUDIENCE.
00:47:34	>>	ARE ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS SURPRISE THAT YOU DID THIS?
00:47:40	>>	I AM THAT GUY ON A SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY I WAS SICK, WHEN YOU STOP THE TALKING ABOUT -- THAT IS IN THAT WAY I HAVE BEEN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BREAK A LOT OF MY CLOSE FRIENDS ARE PARTICIPANTS.
00:47:51	>>	GIVE US AN EXAMPLE. HAVE WE SEEN HIM YET?
00:47:57	>>	MY BROTHER, MY BEST FRIEND FROM COLLEGE. THE WAY THAT THIS FILM STARTED WAS A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION. IT WAS FRIENDS AND FRIENDS OF MY FRIENDS SITTING AROUND AND TALKING ABOUT THE BLACK SITUATION. THE UNDECLARED CIVIL WAR THAT I TALKED ABOUT ABOUT HOW THE DIVISION IS GOING ON. SO MUCH WAS FOCUSED -- I HAD TO PULL MYSELF AWAY. I SAID WE ARE NOT COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS BRIT EVERYONE IS SHOOTING BOWS AND ARROWS AND SHOOTING RIFLES OF ONE ANOTHER. I SAID THAT I HAVE READ SOME BOOKS, THAT MEET THE TWO EXPERTS AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY AND HOW WE GOT INTO THIS SITUATION WHERE WE ARE SO ANTAGONISTIC TO ONE ANOTHER. THAT YOUNG LADY DESCRIBES A YOUNG BLACK MEN AS. THAT IS NOT THE EXCEPTION. I WILL NOT SAY THAT IT IS THE RULE, BUT IT GOES ON TO MUCH IN OUR SOCIETY.
00:48:50	>>	HERE IS MORE OF THE DOCUMENTARY.
00:48:53	>>	HOW DO WE GET TO THIS STATEMENT RIGHT HERE. BRING IN THE LAST PLAYER IN THIS GAME. ONE THAT SHOULD BREAK YOUR HEART. OUR OWN NAACP. THESE TWO ORGANIZATIONS WILL NOT BE TOGETHER IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE SWEET 1960'S, IT WOULD NOT SIT ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE TABLE. THEY LEARNED HOW TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS SPREAD OF THE DEBT WOULD NOT DO ENOUGH. A OF THIS ORGANIZATION SAYS THAT TO MANY BLACK AND ORANGE JAIL, YOU SAY YES, BUT IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU TO DO MUCH READ THIS ORGANIZATION SAYS THAT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH MEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION YOU SAY, YES, BUT IT DOES I DID YOU TO DO MUCH BREAD IF YOU SAY THAT THERE ARE MORE YOUNG BLACK MEN IN JAIL AND THERE ARE IN COLLEGE, IT IS A FEEDING FRENZY -- FEEDING FRENZY. THESE GUYS DO WHAT THE PRESS RELEASE SAYS TODAY. FREETHINKER SPENDING PRIORITIES. SOME OF YOU ARE SITTING THERE SAYING -- LEE THINK YOU'RE SPENDING PRIORITIES -- RETHINK YOUR SPENDING PRIORITIES IT IS ABOUT THE MONEY. I DID NOT HEAR YOU. IT IS ABOUT THE -- THANK YOU.
00:50:13	>>	THE AND EE -- THE NAACP HAS BEEN EXPLOITATIVE OF US. THAT IS EXPANDING THROUGHOUT OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY. IF YOU WANT TO SEE AN EXAMPLE THAT IS CLOSER, THE TO THE PROFICIENCY SCORES IN YOUR SILK -- IN YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. THEY DID NOT CARE.
00:50:28	>>	HE IS WILL SMITH, HE IS A GOOD FRIEND FROM MY CHILDHOOD. HE IS A REAL-ESTATE AGENT. JUST A REGULAR GUY. WE ARE REGULAR GUYS, WE DO NOT AGREE ON EVERYTHING, BUT WE ALL LIKE MINDED AND SOME OF THESE SITUATIONS AND CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE FACING.
00:50:45	>>	WHERE DID YOU MAKE THESE FRIENDS?
00:50:47	>>	WE GREW UP TOGETHER. SUMTER COLLEGE, JUST THROUGH THE COURSE OF WORK AND GROWING UP IN WASHINGTON.
00:50:57	>>	DO YOU ALL BELONG TO A CERTAIN POLITICAL PARTY?
00:51:01	>>	NO, WE GO ACROSS POLITICAL SPECTRUM. THERE ARE CONSERVATIVES, LIBERALS, LIBERTARIAN'S BRAND THAT ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. TALK TO US ABOUT OUR FAMILIES. IF YOU'RE 12 YEAR-OLD SON COMES IN WITH HIS PANTS HANGING AROUND HIS BEHIND, WHAT OF THE GOING TO DO? THEY ARE GOING TO LOOK THE SAME. I AM 84 SAY, I DO HAVE A DAUGHTER.
00:51:25	>>	DID YOU TALK TO HER ABOUT THIS?
00:51:27	>>	SHE IS TOO YOUNG TO GRASP WHAT IS GOING ON. SHE KNOWS THAT SHE WAS ON TV. THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO HER JUST YET. SHE WAS WITH ME ONE DAY WHEN I WAS INTERVIEWING AND THEY ASK A JAIL VS COLLEGE, AND THEY ASKED ME AN INTERVIEW QUESTION, WHY DOES EVERYBODY KEEPS SAYING JAIL? TO TRY TO EXPLAIN THAT TO AN 8- YEAR-OLD, THE POWER OF THE INFORMATION AND IMAGES AND WHAT THEY HAVE ON THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, IF YOU YEARS FROM NOW SHE WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND. SHE HAS THE ANSWER. AS THE COMMUNITY MOVES FORWARD, AS EACH BLACK PERSON CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION CORRECTLY, THERE ARE MORE BLACK MEN IN COLLEGE THEN THERE ARE IN JAIL, YOU START TO TURN THE TIDE ON HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER.
00:52:17	>>	HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR OWN PERSONAL POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY THAT GUIDES YOU EVERY DAY?
00:52:21	>>	I AM IN A LIBERTARIAN. I AM SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF CENTER AS A LIBERTARIAN.
00:52:28	>>	YOU ARE PART OF THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY FOR JUST THE LABEL THE LABEL. I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH EITHER PARTY. I HAVE BEEN MEMBERS TO BOTH. AS YOU FRAME THE QUESTION, WHICH POLITICAL PARTY IMPLIES A DICHOTOMY. SOMETIMES AS A RELATES WITH BLACK, YOU LOOKED AT A POINT IN THE STATE THAT HAS TO THE BILL FACES. THERE'S ACTUALLY A SIDE. -- YOU SAY THAT IT HAS TWO FACES. THERE'S ACTUALLY A SIDE. YOU HAVE THIS BATTLE OF LEFT AND RIGHT AND CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL. ALL OF THAT, TAKEN AWAY FOR 90 MINUTES AND LET US TALK ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF FUSS AND GET AS TALKING.
00:53:14	>>	WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE GREAT SOCIETY.
00:53:18	>>	A PROFOUND MISTAKE THAT WE MADE WAS TO BEGIN TO BELIEVE IN HIM AND THAT GOVERNMENT RATHER THAN IN OURSELVES. WE HAVE SUFFERED FROM THAT MORE THAN WE SUFFER FROM SEGREGATION.
00:53:34	>>	IF WE WANTED OUR FAMILY TO EAT AND HAVE A ROOF OVER OUR HEAD AND I WAS UNABLE TO FIND A JOB, I WAS UNABLE TO LEAVE.
00:53:44	>>	WE BEGAN TO BELIEVE THAT THAT WHICH WE ARE CONFRONTING IS ENTIRELY GOVERNMENTAL AND SYSTEMATICALLY DRIVEN.
00:53:57	>>	HE CALLED AT 12:00 OR 1:00 IN THE MORNING AND YOU WOULD SEE IF YOUR SHOES ARE THERE AND IF YOUR CLOTHES ARE HANGING THERE. THEY WOULD CUT THE CHECK OFF IF OF THE FLIGHT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN COMING THERE.
00:54:11	>>	WE OF -- AS THE PEOPLE SAID, THE GOVERNMENT -- GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO HELP US, WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING FOR OURSELVES.
00:54:19	>>	NO LONG-TERM WERE YOU EXPECTED TO WHAT INTO YOUR MARRIAGE TO HAVE A CHILD. -- NO LONGER WHERE YOU EXPECTED TO WAIT UNTIL MARRIAGE TO HAVE A JOB. THE WOMAN WAS PENALIZED UNDER THE GUIDELINES IF THE MAN WAS THERE.
00:54:35	>>	IT WAS WRONG IN THE BEGINNING. TO MAKE THE CRITERIA TO GET HELP FOR THE FAMILY THE FACT THAT YOU HAD TO LEAVE THE HOUSEHOLD WAS WRONG.
00:54:43	>>	THE MORE CHILDREN THAT YOU HAD, THE MORE MONEY THAT YOU'VE GOT, THE MORE FOOD STAMPS THAT YOU GOT, THE HOUSING WAS PROVIDED FOR YOU, A MAN BECAME ONLY NECESSARY FOR BREEDING PURPOSES.
00:54:57	>>	AS THE WOULD DREAM OF REDEMPTION AT THE HAND OF SOMEONE ELSE, WHERE IN THE ENTIRE CONDITION OF HUMAN HISTORY HAS THAT HAPPENED? ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE.
00:55:11	>>	HE SAID THAT YOU BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN HIM. WHO IS SAM?
00:55:16	>>	THE LARGER SOCIETY. HE IS REFERENCING THE LBJ, THE PRESIDENT AT THE TIME. THE STATEMENT, IF THEY'RE BEING HELD BEHIND IN A RACE TO COME UP TO THE STARTING LINE TO BE EFFECTIVE. HE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT LBJ PERSONALLY, BUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS OF THE GREAT SOCIETY.
00:55:36	>>	EAST UP -- YOU GUESSED NOT IN ANOTHER WAKE UP.
00:55:40	>>	YES, I DID. HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE NON THIS ASCENT -- THE NECESSITY OF MEN. THE FAMILY WAS PENALIZED IF THE BLACK MEN WERE INSIDE OF THE HOME OF THE TIME. YOU CANNOT HAVE A MAN INSIDE OF THE HOUSE TO RECEIVE YOUR BENEFIT. YOU CANNOT GO TO COLLEGE AND CONTINUE TO RECEIVE YOUR BENEFITS. TO PARAPHRASE SOME OF THOSE GUYS, SOME OF THEM SAT ACROSS THE TABLE WITH THIS DEAL WAS GETTING CUT AND SAID, YES. AS YOU LOOK AT THE DIVISION INSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY TODAY, I BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY THAT SOME OF ITS GENESIS WAS THROUGH THAT PERIOD OF 1965- 1972.
00:56:24	>>	ANOTHER TECHNICAL QUESTION ON YOUR DVD, WHERE DID YOU HAVE THIS PRODUCED?
00:56:31	>>	THE ACTUAL DVD? IT IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT THE CD REPLICATION AND THE BEEDIS.
00:56:37	>>	HOW DID YOU GET IT ON AMAZON?
00:56:42	>>	GEETA SET UP AN ACCOUNT. IT IS ALMOST LIKE THE DAY OR ONE -- I JUST SET UP AN ACCOUNT. IT IS ALMOST LIKE THE DAY OR ANY OF THE OTHER ONES. -- EBAY WAR AND THE OTHER ONES. I HOPE THAT THE CONVERSATION GETS STARTED. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME, IT IS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AT THIS JUNCTURE IN OUR HISTORY. MARTIN THE THIRD KING SAID THAT WE WILL GET TO THE PROMISED LAND. -- MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID THAT WE WOULD GET TO THE PROMISED LAND. THE PICTURE IS NOT AS BLEAK AS PEOPLE BELIEVE. WE ARE DOING GOOD ON INDICATORS SUCH AS ECONOMICS, EDUCATIONAL. WHEN IT COMES TO OUR FAMILIES, THAT THE VISION IS ONE OF THE TOP -- THAT DIVISION IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF GRAVITATING TOWARDS THOSE VISIONS.
00:57:35	>>	IN A ONE-MAN BAND. HE DID THE DOCULOGUE, WHAT BLACK MEN THINK WELL -- "WHAT BLACK MEN THINK."

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