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[ocean waves crashing]
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[women singing]
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NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES: They say
our people were born on the water.
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The teal eternity of the Atlantic
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had severed them
so completely from their home,
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it was like
nothing had ever existed before.
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These African men and women
from different nations,
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all shackled together
in the hull of a ship.
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They were one people now.
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And although they tried
to break our ancestors,
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to erase our identities,
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we forged a new culture of our own,
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giving birth to ourselves.
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It didn't matter we were told
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that, by virtue of our bondage,
we would never be American
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because it was by virtue of our bondage
that we became the most American of all.
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♪
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This is The 1619 Project.
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♪
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WOMAN: Uh, Dad's here.
Happy Valentine's Day, Nikole.
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This is a tape for Nikole.
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Hello, darling. How you doing?
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Excuse me
while I partake of this cancer stick.
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[woman laughing]
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NIKOLE:
My memory of my father, Milton Hannah,
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is tender and complicated.
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He was brilliant, tough, funny,
hard-working, and hard-living.
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He always flew a flag in our front yard.
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Our home on a corner lot
of a distressed block was humble,
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but my father made sure
that flag was pristine.
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When I was young, I didn't understand
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how he could
so proudly display his patriotism
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for a country that had treated him
and our people so poorly.
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♪
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You see,
my father was born into poverty in 1945
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on a sharecropping farm in Leflore County,
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just outside of Greenwood, Mississippi.
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The region was notoriously violent
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when it came
to its near-majority Black population.
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Mississippi lynched more Black people
than any other state in the nation.
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And Leflore County
lynched more Black people
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than any other county in Mississippi.
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In 1947, my grandmother joined
the flood of six million Black Southerners
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who fled north during the Great Migration.
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Still, my father and his siblings grew up
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in a poor, segregated neighborhood
in Waterloo, Iowa,
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and went to segregated schools.
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So in 1962, at the age of 17,
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my father took
what seemed like the best option
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for a poor Black teen:
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he signed up for the army.
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So you were a-- a-- a child
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- when he came back from-- from service.
- Yes. I remember it so plain
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because, uh, we had a porch--
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- Remember we had that porch--
- Yeah.
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- And, uh, when that cab pulled up,
Mama said, "Milton's here."
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Yeah.
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LARRY TILLMAN: And, uh, got his--
Popped the truck, got his duffel bag out
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and everybody's looking like,
"Who is this guy?" You know?
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NIKOLE: I remember he was proud
that he learned to speak German
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over there.
LARRY: Oh, yeah. He sure did.
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- I didn't know any other
Black people who spoke German.
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And when I was in high school,
I took German
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because I thought it would be cool
to speak German with my dad,
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but then I-- I was terrible at German
and I didn't get very far.
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But it does speak to, like,
Dad was, like, so smart.
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I just--
MONROE TILLMAN: Yeah.
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- He used to read all the time,
I just remember--
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LARRY:
He was smart. All the time.
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That's why you got all of them brains.
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- [all chuckling]
- Thank you.
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But despite his intellect
and his military service,
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my dad was never able
to live the so-called American dream.
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Instead, like so many Black Americans
of his generation,
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he would toil his entire life
in service job after service job,
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never seeming to get too far ahead.
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The first thing you always see
when you come to our house...
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MONROE: Flag in the yard.
NIKOLE: ...is that flag on the pole.
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And one thing about Dad,
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he was patriotic.
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MONROE: Oh, yeah.
LARRY: Yes, he was.
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NIKOLE: I was embarrassed by that flag
when I was a kid.
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Well, you shouldn't have been.
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He was a part of that United States Army.
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He was a part of a big group,
and he felt that, and he enjoyed that.
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You know, they served their country.
They-- You know?
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But, hey, you serve your country
don't mean your country's gonna serve you.
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NIKOLE: Looking back
at my confusion and embarrassment
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over my father's patriotism,
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I realize that, like most young people,
I thought I understood so much,
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when, in fact, I knew so little.
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The truth is
my dad knew exactly what he was doing
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when he raised that flag.
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He knew that our contributions
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to building the richest
and most powerful nation in the world
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were undeniable,
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and that no people had a greater claim
to the American flag than we did.
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♪
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We laid the foundations
of The White House and the Capitol,
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and lugged
the heavy wooden tracks of the railroads
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that crisscrossed the South.
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The relentless buying, selling,
insuring, and financing of our bodies
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would help make
Wall Street and New York City
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a financial capital of the world.
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♪
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But it would be inaccurate
to reduce our contributions
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to the vast material wealth
created by our forced labor.
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- We can only stop fighting
when all our people are free.
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NIKOLE: Black Americans
have always been foundational
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to the idea of American freedom.
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[crowd chanting "Black Lives Matter"]
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We have to be that voice.
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We have to be the change.
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How would the history books remember you?
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What will be your legacy?
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NIKOLE:
Through centuries of resistance,
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Black Americans have helped the country
live up to its founding ideals.
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Without our idealistic,
strenuous, and patriotic efforts,
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our democracy today
would look very different.
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In fact, our country
might not be a democracy at all.
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Our identity as Americans
is anchored in the idea
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that we are
the greatest democracy in the world.
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We believe that freedom is, in large part,
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defined by the right
to choose our leaders.
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And so, perhaps,
more than any other nation,
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we define citizenship
by the ability to cast a ballot.
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Voting impacts our lives,
families, and communities.
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It determines what policies we enact,
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what we fund and regulate,
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what kind of justice we will receive,
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and, ultimately, what equality looks like.
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Voting is power.
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[crowd chanting "Stop the steal"]
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And that is why,
while calling itself a democracy,
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this country has always tried to limit
which people are considered citizens
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and which people can vote.
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And why,
after a multiracial coalition of voters
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elected the first Black president in 2008,
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it spawned the beginnings of a campaign
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to challenge the validity
of certain votes, certain voters,
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and ultimately, by 2020,
the results of elections themselves.
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WOMAN:
I just wanted to tell you, team,
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that we're glad
you are up bright and early.
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All of us will have our assignments.
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So far, there haven't been any problems
at any of the polling locations.
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You all voted this morning?
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- Yup, first time.
WOMAN: Where did you vote?
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- First time?
- First time.
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[all cheering]
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HELEN BUTLER:
I'm Helen Butler,
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executive director
of the Georgia Coalition
for the Peoples' Agenda.
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And I've been working
in this civic engagement work since 2000,
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but with the Peoples' Agenda,
I've been here since 2003.
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So it's over two decades of work,
uh, to protect the right to vote,
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to get people, uh, engaged
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and to really have them
be participants in the electoral process.
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They will call you with all issues.
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There will be things that you'll need
to escalate to me, to Lyndon, or to Susan.
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NIKOLE: The Georgia Coalition
of the Peoples' Agenda
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is a non-partisan organization
working to defend the right to vote.
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In 2020, they helped
mobilize a multiracial group of voters
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who, in a perennially red state,
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chose Democrats
for both Senate seats and the presidency.
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A move that shifted
the balance of power in Washington
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and prompted President Trump
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to infamously call
Georgia's Secretary of State,
Brad Raffensperger.
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DONALD TRUMP:
All I want to do is this.
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I just want to find 11,780 votes.
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NIKOLE:
By the winter of 2021,
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the fight for voting rights
had ignited into a pitched battle
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after Georgia's
Republican-controlled legislature
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passed new restrictive voting laws.
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- Today, the Department of Justice
is suing the state of Georgia.
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Our complaint alleges that recent changes
to Georgia's election laws
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were enacted with the purpose of denying
or abridging the right of Black Georgians
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to vote on account of their race or color.
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NIKOLE:
By the 2022 mid-term elections,
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Helen Butler and her team
were on high alert
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for any voter disenfranchisement.
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[phone ringing]
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WOMAN:
Good morning. Peoples' Agenda.
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MAN: [over phone]
We just got a report
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that, uh, because of an issue
with the zip codes of some voters,
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um, this is their assigned voting place,
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but they're telling them
that they can't vote there.
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When I get there,
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I should ask for the election,
um, the poll manager.
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MAN: [over phone]
Yep.
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And Anna will
meet you there outside as well.
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MARY-PAT HECTOR:
Okay.
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So we are about to head
to a polling location, um, in Atlanta.
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Apparently, as you heard,
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um, some of the elderly people
in the community have been told
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that they cannot vote at that location
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despite that being, um,
their designated precinct location.
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Um, so we're gonna head there
and speak to the poll manager
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and see
if there's anything that we can do.
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NIKOLE: The Cosby Spear Towers
are an affordable housing community
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in midtown Atlanta
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for seniors
and people living with disabilities.
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- They told me I could not vote
until I do a provisional vote or something
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because of the error
that they put 30309 for my zip code,
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which is 30308.
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They trying to send me to Hapeville.
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NIKOLE: Because of what appeared
to be a clerical error
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that mixed up zip codes,
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June Williams
and other residents in her building
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were being rerouted
to a precinct roughly 20 minutes away.
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WOMAN: And have you voted
at this precinct before?
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- Yeah, I vote here every time
and never had a problem 'til today.
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NIKOLE: If Williams wanted
to vote at her regular precinct,
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she would have
to cast a provisional ballot
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00:13:16,338 --> 00:13:19,424
and a County Board would later determine
whether her vote counted.
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But instead of being able
to cast her ballot immediately,
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the new restrictive laws required her
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to return near the end of the day
to do so.
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- So, they told them
to come back at 5:00.
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Once they come at 5:00--
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To me, it sounds like
they're trying to say,
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00:13:34,523 --> 00:13:36,817
"Oh, we can guarantee
your-- your ballot will be casted."
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It just doesn't make sense to me.
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And what was-- It just doesn't make sense.
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- Lyndon's calling the election office,
so hopefully...
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WOMAN:
It just makes me feel very uncomfortable.
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It should not be this hard to vote.
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It just does not--
Especially considering--
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And it kind of brings tears to my eyes
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because these people are disabled,
you know?
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It's just messed up.
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Just messed up.
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MARY-PAT: We're gonna fix--
We're gonna get it fixed.
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My shift was supposed to end at 1:00,
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00:14:01,091 --> 00:14:03,927
but I'm like, I'll be here
'til ten o'clock if I need to.
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00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:07,806
NIKOLE:
Black Americans have always had to fight
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00:14:07,806 --> 00:14:10,225
to participate
in this country's democracy.
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00:14:10,851 --> 00:14:13,729
And even before
that democracy was established,
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00:14:13,729 --> 00:14:17,316
we were fighting for the very principle
that laid its foundation:
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00:14:17,316 --> 00:14:18,317
freedom.
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00:14:19,526 --> 00:14:22,529
♪
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♪
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00:14:33,832 --> 00:14:34,917
NIKOLE: In this country,
242
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we are taught that we are a democracy
because of our freedoms.
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00:14:39,463 --> 00:14:41,423
Among them: freedom of speech,
244
00:14:42,382 --> 00:14:43,509
freedom of religion,
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00:14:44,259 --> 00:14:45,469
freedom of the press,
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00:14:45,469 --> 00:14:46,887
the freedom to protest.
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00:14:48,430 --> 00:14:51,517
And our national mythology
credits the Founding Fathers
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00:14:51,517 --> 00:14:54,520
for establishing America
as the land of the free.
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00:14:55,103 --> 00:14:57,022
But even after independence,
250
00:14:57,022 --> 00:15:00,567
white freedom in America
was predicated on Black slavery.
251
00:15:01,610 --> 00:15:04,738
Black people dreamed of freedom
even as they lived without it.
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00:15:05,322 --> 00:15:07,699
And they fought for freedom for centuries,
253
00:15:07,699 --> 00:15:10,285
all the way back
to before our country's founding.
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00:15:11,578 --> 00:15:15,290
It is Black people who have been
the perfectors of our democracy.
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♪
256
00:15:39,356 --> 00:15:40,858
Slavery would be foundational
257
00:15:40,858 --> 00:15:44,111
to the economy, politics,
and laws of the new nation.
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00:15:44,778 --> 00:15:46,488
And so I've always found it strange
259
00:15:46,488 --> 00:15:50,659
that Black people are so absent
from so many historical colonial sites,
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00:15:50,659 --> 00:15:52,953
our presence virtually erased.
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00:15:53,954 --> 00:15:56,039
Especially here in Williamsburg,
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00:15:56,039 --> 00:15:57,833
where at the start of the revolution,
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00:15:57,833 --> 00:16:01,253
enslaved people made up
nearly half of the population.
264
00:16:01,253 --> 00:16:04,423
And the question of their freedom
sparked a historical event
265
00:16:04,423 --> 00:16:06,925
that created a tipping point
in the Southern Colonies
266
00:16:06,925 --> 00:16:08,969
at the dawn of the American Revolution.
267
00:16:10,554 --> 00:16:13,015
Look at this perfect coordination, though.
You see this?
268
00:16:13,557 --> 00:16:16,393
- Air Jordans!
I-- I'm wearing Costco Jordans.
269
00:16:17,978 --> 00:16:19,563
Costco Jordans! Is that a thing?
270
00:16:19,563 --> 00:16:21,106
No. It is now!
271
00:16:21,106 --> 00:16:22,816
[both laughing]
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00:16:23,942 --> 00:16:25,986
NIKOLE:
I think I wore Costco Jordans the first,
273
00:16:25,986 --> 00:16:27,946
you know, 15 years of my life as a child--
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00:16:27,946 --> 00:16:29,948
WOODY HOLTON:
I think you've earned some Airs.
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00:16:33,535 --> 00:16:38,332
NIKOLE: So we are here
on the grounds of the Governor's Palace
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00:16:38,332 --> 00:16:40,000
in Williamsburg, Virginia.
277
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,752
WOODY:
It is the symbol,
278
00:16:41,752 --> 00:16:43,837
the pinnacle of power
279
00:16:43,837 --> 00:16:49,468
in the largest British American Colony
of Virginia.
280
00:16:49,468 --> 00:16:51,637
It's where the governor resided.
281
00:16:51,637 --> 00:16:56,308
The governor in 1775
was Lord Dunmore, a Scottish Lord.
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00:16:56,308 --> 00:16:59,853
And he was extremely popular
among white Virginians,
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00:16:59,853 --> 00:17:03,649
because he had just led them in a race war
against Native Americans
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00:17:03,649 --> 00:17:06,026
whose land they coveted.
285
00:17:06,026 --> 00:17:08,278
NIKOLE:
So what changes?
286
00:17:08,278 --> 00:17:11,198
WOODY: James Madison,
who later will write the U.S. Constitution
287
00:17:11,198 --> 00:17:12,783
and become president of the United States,
288
00:17:12,783 --> 00:17:17,746
reported that African Americans
had started to hold meetings
289
00:17:17,746 --> 00:17:20,374
to choose who would lead them,
290
00:17:20,374 --> 00:17:22,960
to quote him,
"when the English troops should arrive."
291
00:17:26,296 --> 00:17:28,507
NIKOLE:
In April of 1775,
292
00:17:28,507 --> 00:17:31,760
rumors of slave revolts
were running rampant in Virginia,
293
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,054
sparking paranoia
among the white colonists.
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00:17:34,763 --> 00:17:36,348
But Dunmore had other worries.
295
00:17:37,099 --> 00:17:40,352
Even though the fighting
had not yet reached the Southern Colonies,
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00:17:40,352 --> 00:17:42,062
he had become gravely concerned
297
00:17:42,062 --> 00:17:45,649
that the growing patriot sentiment
stirring in Virginia against the British
298
00:17:45,649 --> 00:17:47,860
might bring the revolution
to his front door.
299
00:17:49,027 --> 00:17:51,613
So in order
to preemptively deter an attack,
300
00:17:51,613 --> 00:17:55,242
Dunmore confiscated gunpowder
in the capital here in Williamsburg
301
00:17:55,242 --> 00:17:56,660
and decided to make a threat.
302
00:17:58,495 --> 00:18:01,415
WOODY: Governor Dunmore said,
"If you touch a hair on my head,
303
00:18:01,415 --> 00:18:04,126
"I will declare freedom to the slaves
304
00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,337
and reduce the town of Williamsburg
to ashes."
305
00:18:09,089 --> 00:18:12,342
He thought, "If I play this card
of threatening to free the slaves,
306
00:18:12,342 --> 00:18:13,677
that will scare them off."
307
00:18:13,677 --> 00:18:15,804
NIKOLE: That's a serious threat to make.
WOODY: That's right.
308
00:18:15,804 --> 00:18:19,892
- Dunmore understands that he's playing
into the colonists' kind of gravest fear.
309
00:18:19,892 --> 00:18:20,893
WOODY:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
310
00:18:20,893 --> 00:18:24,855
Jefferson was always worried about
a revolution of the wheel of fortune.
311
00:18:24,855 --> 00:18:27,649
That is, we're on top now,
but this thing can spin.
312
00:18:27,649 --> 00:18:29,943
- He was just trying
to scare the colonists...
313
00:18:29,943 --> 00:18:31,528
- WOODY: Exactly.
- ...into not rebelling.
314
00:18:31,528 --> 00:18:33,280
- Exactly.
He was-- He was playing the race card.
315
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,033
He was using a threat
of-- of slave insurrection
316
00:18:36,033 --> 00:18:38,619
to scare white colonists
into standing down.
317
00:18:38,619 --> 00:18:40,537
While all this is going back and forth
318
00:18:40,537 --> 00:18:44,208
between Governor Dunmore
and white patriots,
319
00:18:44,208 --> 00:18:46,960
he's issued this threat
to free the slaves,
320
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,005
slaves are listening,
they heard his threat.
321
00:18:51,006 --> 00:18:53,967
They came and knocked on the door
of the Governor's Palace
322
00:18:53,967 --> 00:18:57,095
and said, "Here we are, man. You need us.
323
00:18:57,930 --> 00:18:59,431
"We can be great fighters.
324
00:18:59,431 --> 00:19:02,142
All you got to do
is promise us our freedom."
325
00:19:02,142 --> 00:19:05,020
And guess what Governor Dunmore said
to those enslaved people?
326
00:19:05,020 --> 00:19:06,271
NIKOLE:
What did he say?
327
00:19:06,271 --> 00:19:07,981
- "Get the hell out of here."
NIKOLE: Mmm.
328
00:19:07,981 --> 00:19:10,442
- That was an idle threat.
You know, we all do that.
329
00:19:10,442 --> 00:19:12,903
We threaten to do things.
"I'll take you to court."
330
00:19:12,903 --> 00:19:15,239
It was an idle threat.
He-- he didn't mean it.
331
00:19:15,989 --> 00:19:18,867
NIKOLE: But when enslaved people
continued to self-emancipate
332
00:19:18,867 --> 00:19:20,953
and presented themselves to Dunmore,
333
00:19:20,953 --> 00:19:23,330
he saw an opportunity
to shore up his ranks
334
00:19:23,330 --> 00:19:26,083
by declaring
he would free any enslaved person
335
00:19:26,083 --> 00:19:27,960
who agreed to fight against the colonists.
336
00:19:29,419 --> 00:19:34,466
So eventually, this threat
that Lord Dunmore makes becomes a reality,
337
00:19:34,466 --> 00:19:38,512
and he actually does issue,
uh, an emancipation order,
338
00:19:38,512 --> 00:19:40,681
that we now call Dunmore's Proclamation.
339
00:19:48,063 --> 00:19:50,732
WOODY: Dunmore issued
that emancipation proclamation,
340
00:19:50,732 --> 00:19:52,734
November 1775.
341
00:19:52,734 --> 00:19:57,781
And that emancipation proclamation
infuriated white Southerners,
342
00:19:57,781 --> 00:20:02,244
'cause this building is supposed
to symbolize white rule over Blacks,
343
00:20:02,244 --> 00:20:06,582
and now the guy inhabiting that building
has turned things upside down
344
00:20:06,582 --> 00:20:08,333
and is leading Blacks against whites.
345
00:20:09,585 --> 00:20:11,461
So you have this situation
346
00:20:11,461 --> 00:20:15,591
where many Virginians
and other Southern colonists,
347
00:20:15,591 --> 00:20:19,803
they're not really convinced
that they want to side with the patriots.
348
00:20:19,803 --> 00:20:24,391
And this turns many of them,
um, towards the Revolution, is that right?
349
00:20:24,892 --> 00:20:26,977
If you ask them, it did.
350
00:20:26,977 --> 00:20:28,645
The record is absolutely clear.
351
00:20:28,645 --> 00:20:32,399
I can't think of a point that I could make
about the American Revolution
352
00:20:32,399 --> 00:20:38,405
where I could compile as many quotes
as I can from white Southerners
353
00:20:38,405 --> 00:20:41,700
saying how furious they are
at Governor Dunmore.
354
00:20:41,700 --> 00:20:43,118
Some of them said,
355
00:20:43,118 --> 00:20:45,871
"There's-- There's no other expedient
you could have thought of
356
00:20:45,871 --> 00:20:48,832
that was as likely as this
to turn us against you."
357
00:20:49,708 --> 00:20:51,585
NIKOLE:
Further enraging the white colonists,
358
00:20:51,585 --> 00:20:54,713
Dunmore created
the all-Black Ethiopian Regiment
359
00:20:54,713 --> 00:20:57,424
who fought the patriots
at The Battle of Kemp's Landing
360
00:20:57,424 --> 00:20:59,801
just outside of Norfolk, Virginia.
361
00:20:59,801 --> 00:21:02,304
And the Ethiopian Regiment won.
362
00:21:03,597 --> 00:21:06,141
By the fall of 1776,
363
00:21:06,141 --> 00:21:09,186
approximately 1,000 enslaved people
had joined Dunmore.
364
00:21:10,270 --> 00:21:11,438
This understanding of the role
365
00:21:11,438 --> 00:21:13,649
that Black people played
in the Revolutionary War,
366
00:21:13,649 --> 00:21:16,068
why is there so much pushback?
367
00:21:16,068 --> 00:21:19,363
This is just historical fact, so why--
368
00:21:19,363 --> 00:21:21,073
Why do we have so much pushback?
369
00:21:21,073 --> 00:21:25,953
- Yeah. It-- It astonishes me as well,
because it just seems so obvious
370
00:21:25,953 --> 00:21:29,039
that both economically and politically,
371
00:21:29,039 --> 00:21:31,625
enslaved people
were at the center of the story.
372
00:21:32,125 --> 00:21:35,045
I would say-- I think if--
if slaves had been as passive
373
00:21:35,045 --> 00:21:38,674
as I was taught they were
in Virginia schools in 1960s,
374
00:21:38,674 --> 00:21:41,426
then the Revolution
might not ever have come to the South.
375
00:21:41,426 --> 00:21:43,762
And you can't win the Revolution
without the South.
376
00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:48,600
NIKOLE:
The way we are taught our history
377
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,020
has a lot to do with how we are supposed
to think about our democracy,
378
00:21:52,020 --> 00:21:55,357
how we think about who built it
and who should benefit most from it.
379
00:21:57,276 --> 00:21:58,735
When I was a student in Iowa,
380
00:21:58,735 --> 00:22:01,822
for the most part, the America
revealed to me in my education,
381
00:22:01,822 --> 00:22:04,658
in museums, and in monuments,
was a white one.
382
00:22:05,993 --> 00:22:07,911
And yet my world, my neighborhood,
383
00:22:07,911 --> 00:22:09,580
my friends, the aunts and uncles
384
00:22:09,580 --> 00:22:12,207
who crowded our home
for barbecues and card games
385
00:22:12,207 --> 00:22:13,500
was largely Black.
386
00:22:16,003 --> 00:22:18,255
I searched desperately to find our people,
387
00:22:18,255 --> 00:22:20,757
to find myself in the American story.
388
00:22:21,466 --> 00:22:24,469
Except for the occasional
passing reference to our enslavement
389
00:22:24,469 --> 00:22:26,430
and the Civil Rights Movement,
390
00:22:26,430 --> 00:22:28,807
the story of America
that I learned made it seem
391
00:22:28,807 --> 00:22:31,977
that Black people had not contributed
much of value to this land.
392
00:22:32,811 --> 00:22:36,315
And so for most of my life,
I never felt fully American.
393
00:22:37,232 --> 00:22:39,234
But then,
when I was a high school student,
394
00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:40,944
I took a Black Studies course.
395
00:22:40,944 --> 00:22:44,072
And Mr. Ray Dial,
the only Black male teacher I ever had,
396
00:22:44,072 --> 00:22:47,201
gave me a book
that told the story of the year 1619,
397
00:22:47,201 --> 00:22:49,119
the beginning of American slavery.
398
00:22:50,287 --> 00:22:52,998
I remember feeling angry
that no one had bothered to teach us
399
00:22:52,998 --> 00:22:56,502
that Africans and slavery
were here before the Mayflower,
400
00:22:56,502 --> 00:22:57,503
and then empowered
401
00:22:57,503 --> 00:23:00,672
that our lineage as Black Americans
went back that far.
402
00:23:01,715 --> 00:23:03,133
I was 15 years old
403
00:23:03,133 --> 00:23:06,678
and had no idea how those emotions
would fuel a quest for the truth
404
00:23:06,678 --> 00:23:08,222
that would shape my life,
405
00:23:08,222 --> 00:23:09,932
a quest to understand a country
406
00:23:09,932 --> 00:23:13,810
that the history we had been taught
did not, could not explain.
407
00:23:14,895 --> 00:23:16,897
♪
408
00:23:17,648 --> 00:23:22,027
- Please welcome back
Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones.
409
00:23:22,027 --> 00:23:23,820
[audience applauding]
410
00:23:23,820 --> 00:23:25,739
NIKOLE:
As the project's success grew,
411
00:23:25,739 --> 00:23:27,991
it became a target
of conservative politicians.
412
00:23:27,991 --> 00:23:30,118
- You know,
the-- the whole project is a lie.
413
00:23:30,118 --> 00:23:32,621
The 1619 Project
414
00:23:32,621 --> 00:23:35,123
and the crusade against American history
415
00:23:35,123 --> 00:23:37,125
is toxic propaganda.
416
00:23:37,125 --> 00:23:40,045
[crowd chanting "Shame on you!"]
417
00:23:40,045 --> 00:23:42,506
NIKOLE:
The backlash had real consequences.
418
00:23:42,506 --> 00:23:44,633
As of October 2022,
419
00:23:44,633 --> 00:23:46,844
there were
at least 33 state-level efforts,
420
00:23:46,844 --> 00:23:48,679
as well as a federal bill,
421
00:23:48,679 --> 00:23:52,558
seeking to restrict educators
from teaching The 1619 Project
422
00:23:52,558 --> 00:23:54,893
or discussing systemic racism.
423
00:23:54,893 --> 00:23:58,480
- Nevada groups, they want teachers there
to wear body cameras
424
00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,190
so they can monitor what they are teaching
425
00:24:00,190 --> 00:24:03,318
to make sure that they're not teaching
things like The 1619 Project.
426
00:24:05,112 --> 00:24:08,532
MAN: 1619-related curricula
banned in Texas, banned in Florida.
427
00:24:08,532 --> 00:24:11,869
NIKOLE:
And while the backlash to the project
may seem surprising to some,
428
00:24:12,369 --> 00:24:15,497
the truth is, the fight to include
slavery and Black contributions
429
00:24:15,497 --> 00:24:17,791
in the full story of America
430
00:24:17,791 --> 00:24:21,503
mirrors the fight to include
Black Americans in democracy itself.
431
00:24:22,129 --> 00:24:24,798
And that is a fight
that stretches back centuries.
432
00:24:30,596 --> 00:24:34,474
♪
433
00:24:39,479 --> 00:24:41,815
Through 250 years of slavery,
434
00:24:41,815 --> 00:24:44,484
Black Americans resisted their bondage.
435
00:24:44,484 --> 00:24:47,362
They continually plotted,
rebelled, and escaped.
436
00:24:48,030 --> 00:24:49,281
Some of those who ran away
437
00:24:49,281 --> 00:24:51,658
found safe haven
in Brooklyn's Plymouth Church,
438
00:24:51,658 --> 00:24:54,995
a place often called the Grand Depot
of the Underground Railroad.
439
00:24:56,371 --> 00:25:00,792
In 1860, then-presidential candidate
Abraham Lincoln prayed there
440
00:25:00,792 --> 00:25:02,419
before giving a campaign speech
441
00:25:02,419 --> 00:25:05,672
outlining his plan
to limit the expansion of slavery,
442
00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:08,008
an issue that would define his presidency.
443
00:25:09,885 --> 00:25:14,181
So in 1862, a year into the Civil War,
President Lincoln--
444
00:25:14,181 --> 00:25:17,768
This is before he issues the emancipation,
but he's considering it.
445
00:25:17,768 --> 00:25:22,397
Lincoln invites a delegation
of five Black men to the White House.
446
00:25:22,397 --> 00:25:25,067
What is this meeting about? What happens?
447
00:25:25,067 --> 00:25:28,070
- So Lincoln
is contemplating emancipation.
448
00:25:28,070 --> 00:25:29,780
And so what he believes
449
00:25:29,780 --> 00:25:33,951
is that if he can convince Black people
to leave the United States,
450
00:25:33,951 --> 00:25:37,538
then it'll be easier to get
the white majority to accept emancipation.
451
00:25:37,538 --> 00:25:40,249
So what Lincoln does in that conversation
452
00:25:40,249 --> 00:25:45,128
is try to guilt, insult,
do anything he can
453
00:25:45,128 --> 00:25:48,799
to persuade the Black folks
who were there in that meeting
454
00:25:48,799 --> 00:25:50,425
to leave the United States.
455
00:25:51,093 --> 00:25:54,888
And what they are very clear on
is that they are not going to leave.
456
00:25:54,888 --> 00:25:56,640
Robert Purvis says,
457
00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,185
"Sir, this is our country
as much as it is yours,
458
00:26:00,185 --> 00:26:02,020
and we will not leave it."
459
00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:04,022
And Purvis isn't alone on that.
460
00:26:04,022 --> 00:26:06,275
The vast majority of the Black population,
461
00:26:06,275 --> 00:26:10,696
the free Black population even, said,
"No. We're not going anywhere."
462
00:26:10,696 --> 00:26:15,158
Frederick Douglass said, "We were with you
when you arrived on these shores.
463
00:26:15,158 --> 00:26:17,077
"We leveled your forests.
464
00:26:17,077 --> 00:26:20,122
"Our blood, sweat,
and tears are in this soil.
465
00:26:20,706 --> 00:26:21,999
"We've been with you,
466
00:26:21,999 --> 00:26:25,294
and we are going
to be with you in the future."
467
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:29,590
NIKOLE: Instead of promising
to leave the land of their birth,
468
00:26:29,590 --> 00:26:30,966
Black men pushed Lincoln
469
00:26:30,966 --> 00:26:33,719
to let them sign up
to fight in the Union army.
470
00:26:33,719 --> 00:26:36,180
And desperate, Lincoln finally did.
471
00:26:36,638 --> 00:26:40,475
As W.E.B. Du Bois wrote,
"The North had to call in the Black men
472
00:26:40,475 --> 00:26:44,354
to save the Union,
abolish slavery, and establish democracy."
473
00:26:45,772 --> 00:26:49,193
And amid the ruin and devastation
of this nation's deadliest war,
474
00:26:49,193 --> 00:26:51,320
in an era known as Reconstruction,
475
00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:55,032
this country finally began to try
to redeem the grave sin of slavery.
476
00:26:56,366 --> 00:26:59,036
These newly emancipated people
pushed lawmakers
477
00:26:59,036 --> 00:27:02,873
to pass the 13th, 14th,
and 15th Amendment:
478
00:27:02,873 --> 00:27:04,291
Abolishing slavery;
479
00:27:04,291 --> 00:27:06,793
guaranteeing
equal protection under the law;
480
00:27:06,793 --> 00:27:11,507
and citizenship not just for Black people
but for any person born on American soil;
481
00:27:11,507 --> 00:27:14,551
and making it illegal
to deny voting rights based on race.
482
00:27:15,677 --> 00:27:17,179
In this moment of rebirth,
483
00:27:17,179 --> 00:27:20,974
Black Americans embraced democracy
and its promises of equality
484
00:27:20,974 --> 00:27:22,142
with the type of fervor
485
00:27:22,142 --> 00:27:24,853
that comes from living so long
with no freedom at all.
486
00:27:27,856 --> 00:27:31,068
KIDADA WILLIAMS: What they want
after slavery is over is justice,
487
00:27:31,068 --> 00:27:32,903
and they go about building it.
488
00:27:33,445 --> 00:27:35,239
They knew that if Black people
489
00:27:35,239 --> 00:27:38,534
enjoyed all of these rights,
privileges, and protections,
490
00:27:38,534 --> 00:27:41,495
then all Americans
would be able to enjoy them.
491
00:27:41,495 --> 00:27:44,206
And that's the beauty
of who they were as a people.
492
00:27:44,206 --> 00:27:47,501
- We know
how the story of Reconstruction ends.
493
00:27:47,501 --> 00:27:50,462
A deal is struck that if, um,
494
00:27:50,462 --> 00:27:53,382
Rutherford B. Hayes
can get the presidency,
495
00:27:53,382 --> 00:27:56,802
then he will agree to withdraw
the federal troops from the South.
496
00:27:56,802 --> 00:27:58,387
And in doing so,
497
00:27:58,387 --> 00:28:02,099
he leaves these newly freed people
498
00:28:02,099 --> 00:28:05,018
to the mercy of their former enslavers.
499
00:28:05,018 --> 00:28:10,190
Can you talk about, um, what happens
in that period when Reconstruction ends?
500
00:28:10,691 --> 00:28:13,026
- And so what we see
over the next 25 years
501
00:28:13,026 --> 00:28:16,780
is whites in the South
constructing the new order.
502
00:28:16,780 --> 00:28:19,449
And this new order
will be what we call Jim Crow.
503
00:28:19,992 --> 00:28:23,412
But they can't construct it
until they disfranchise Black men,
504
00:28:23,412 --> 00:28:26,290
which is what
they spend the next decade trying to do.
505
00:28:28,375 --> 00:28:31,795
NIKOLE: White men in power
passed new allegedly race-neutral laws
506
00:28:31,795 --> 00:28:33,422
to get around the 15th Amendment.
507
00:28:34,173 --> 00:28:35,424
Grandfather clauses said
508
00:28:35,424 --> 00:28:37,759
you could only vote
if your grandfather had,
509
00:28:37,759 --> 00:28:40,345
but most Black men's grandfathers
had been enslaved.
510
00:28:41,221 --> 00:28:42,472
Slavery had ensured
511
00:28:42,472 --> 00:28:45,934
most Black people entered freedom
illiterate and impoverished,
512
00:28:45,934 --> 00:28:50,189
so white officials instituted
literacy tests and poll taxes to vote.
513
00:28:53,775 --> 00:28:56,904
I-- I think it can't be overstated
514
00:28:56,904 --> 00:29:00,073
how much violence
Black Americans were subjected to
515
00:29:00,073 --> 00:29:01,074
during that period.
516
00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:03,869
KIDADA:
So we saw that during Reconstruction,
517
00:29:03,869 --> 00:29:07,915
but we also saw that in 1898,
in places like Wilmington, North Carolina,
518
00:29:07,915 --> 00:29:12,419
where the democratically elected
government is overthrown
519
00:29:12,419 --> 00:29:15,214
by white mobs
rampaging through the city.
520
00:29:15,214 --> 00:29:18,008
And they had held on
to the promise of Reconstruction
521
00:29:18,008 --> 00:29:20,010
for much longer than anyone else had.
522
00:29:20,594 --> 00:29:22,513
And it has a chilling effect.
523
00:29:22,513 --> 00:29:24,556
Not only massacres like Wilmington,
524
00:29:24,556 --> 00:29:28,435
but also widespread lynching
throughout the region.
525
00:29:29,144 --> 00:29:32,981
And lynchers
are not targeting Black people
526
00:29:32,981 --> 00:29:35,776
who are committing crimes against them.
527
00:29:35,776 --> 00:29:38,779
They're targeting Black people
who are successful,
528
00:29:38,779 --> 00:29:40,155
who are prosperous,
529
00:29:40,155 --> 00:29:43,325
and who won't stand down
and submit to white supremacy.
530
00:29:47,704 --> 00:29:50,707
♪
531
00:30:00,217 --> 00:30:03,846
MAN:
This picture is essentially for Americans,
532
00:30:03,846 --> 00:30:05,889
people who call themselves American.
533
00:30:08,267 --> 00:30:11,144
It begins with the painful
and hard-felled assumption
534
00:30:11,854 --> 00:30:14,398
that we are not an island of perfection,
535
00:30:15,107 --> 00:30:19,736
but in fact, a land of imperfection
in an imperfect world.
536
00:30:21,572 --> 00:30:24,700
Negroes are trying to register to vote
537
00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:28,662
and help to change the situation
that they're existing under today.
538
00:30:29,371 --> 00:30:33,083
Help to bring about democracy
in our land today.
539
00:30:34,418 --> 00:30:36,211
NIKOLE:
The system of racial apartheid
540
00:30:36,211 --> 00:30:39,131
that was created
after Reconstruction was so savage
541
00:30:39,131 --> 00:30:41,550
that Nazi Germany
would take inspiration from it
542
00:30:41,550 --> 00:30:43,427
for its own racist policies.
543
00:30:44,094 --> 00:30:46,972
But Black Americans
would never stop fighting
544
00:30:46,972 --> 00:30:48,223
to democratize America.
545
00:30:50,726 --> 00:30:53,312
Black Americans
have always believed in this nation
546
00:30:53,312 --> 00:30:55,314
with a faith it did not deserve,
547
00:30:55,314 --> 00:30:59,443
risking and losing our lives,
generation after generation,
548
00:30:59,443 --> 00:31:01,987
to make this country
what it already claimed to be.
549
00:31:02,738 --> 00:31:06,074
And nowhere
was the fight for democracy more dangerous
550
00:31:06,074 --> 00:31:08,410
than in my father's home state
of Mississippi.
551
00:31:09,620 --> 00:31:10,621
MAN:
Well, hi there.
552
00:31:11,580 --> 00:31:14,541
NIKOLE: MacArthur Cotton was born
just three years before my father
553
00:31:14,541 --> 00:31:16,043
and about 50 miles away.
554
00:31:16,919 --> 00:31:21,590
MACARTHUR COTTON:
I was born in April 23, 1942.
555
00:31:22,508 --> 00:31:25,552
I was a person
who championed the underdog.
556
00:31:25,552 --> 00:31:31,016
So it was just a natural thing
that I would want to be in the movement
557
00:31:31,892 --> 00:31:35,687
because, uh, the choice to me was,
558
00:31:35,687 --> 00:31:39,191
you know, accepting things like they were.
559
00:31:39,191 --> 00:31:41,151
And that wasn't much of a choice.
560
00:31:43,028 --> 00:31:46,865
This is one of the pictures
that a friend sent to me
561
00:31:46,865 --> 00:31:49,618
when we were in SNCC.
562
00:31:50,327 --> 00:31:56,124
This-- This should be about '63,
I believe, when it was taken.
563
00:31:59,461 --> 00:32:02,464
[people singing]
564
00:32:04,258 --> 00:32:07,845
NARRATOR: In the fall of 1962,
a group of students arrived in Greenwood.
565
00:32:08,595 --> 00:32:10,722
They came
to organize the Negro population,
566
00:32:10,722 --> 00:32:12,349
to spread the word of the new gospel.
567
00:32:12,933 --> 00:32:14,893
They called themselves SNCC:
568
00:32:14,893 --> 00:32:17,020
the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee.
569
00:32:22,359 --> 00:32:23,819
NIKOLE:
In the 1960s,
570
00:32:23,819 --> 00:32:26,780
Greenwood, Mississippi,
became a battleground for voting rights.
571
00:32:27,322 --> 00:32:30,492
At the time, Leflore County
was more than two-thirds Black
572
00:32:30,492 --> 00:32:33,412
but only five percent
of the Black voting-age population
573
00:32:33,412 --> 00:32:34,621
was registered to vote.
574
00:32:35,873 --> 00:32:38,750
And in a state where
nearly half the population was Black,
575
00:32:38,750 --> 00:32:42,087
there was not a single
Black elected official in the State House
576
00:32:42,087 --> 00:32:43,839
or in U.S. Congress.
577
00:32:47,467 --> 00:32:51,054
Thank you, Mr. Cotton,
for meeting with us today.
578
00:32:51,054 --> 00:32:54,016
Let's start by just telling
where we are sitting.
579
00:32:54,016 --> 00:32:55,559
Where-- Where are we right now?
580
00:32:55,559 --> 00:32:59,271
- Well, we are
in Leflore County Courthouse
581
00:32:59,271 --> 00:33:01,148
in Greenwood, Mississippi.
582
00:33:01,148 --> 00:33:04,568
NIKOLE: So how--
how does a young Black man decide
583
00:33:04,568 --> 00:33:08,030
that he's going to get involved
with the Civil Rights Movement here?
584
00:33:09,239 --> 00:33:15,204
- Well, uh, I was always taught,
uh, civic responsibility.
585
00:33:15,704 --> 00:33:18,916
It was a civic thing to do.
The right thing to do.
586
00:33:18,916 --> 00:33:21,710
I had no interest in being a slave, so.
NIKOLE: Mm.
587
00:33:25,339 --> 00:33:28,842
MacArthur Cotton was a student
working in the Tougaloo College Library
588
00:33:28,842 --> 00:33:31,762
when the legendary civil rights activist
Bob Moses
589
00:33:31,762 --> 00:33:32,846
recruited him to join
590
00:33:32,846 --> 00:33:35,098
the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee,
591
00:33:35,098 --> 00:33:36,600
also known as SNCC.
592
00:33:37,184 --> 00:33:40,979
At the time, SNCC was making a big push
to register Black voters in the South.
593
00:33:42,272 --> 00:33:43,941
Cotton eventually left Tougaloo
594
00:33:43,941 --> 00:33:46,318
to work full-time
in the Civil Rights Movement.
595
00:33:46,318 --> 00:33:49,863
He sacrificed his college degree
to fight for democracy,
596
00:33:49,863 --> 00:33:51,990
eventually becoming a field secretary
597
00:33:51,990 --> 00:33:54,201
for the Greenwood
voter registration project.
598
00:33:56,411 --> 00:33:57,955
MACARTHUR:
You know, in the back of my head,
599
00:33:57,955 --> 00:34:01,750
I thought that we probably would be able
to register people to vote.
600
00:34:01,750 --> 00:34:05,921
I didn't expect, uh,
the kind of opposition that we had,
601
00:34:05,921 --> 00:34:08,423
even though I knew
it wasn't going to be easy.
602
00:34:09,007 --> 00:34:13,804
But, uh, after a while,
we found out it was almost impossible.
603
00:34:13,804 --> 00:34:17,099
- Why was it that so few Black people
were registered to vote here?
604
00:34:17,099 --> 00:34:19,017
What type of opposition did they face?
605
00:34:19,017 --> 00:34:20,769
- State-sponsored terror.
606
00:34:20,769 --> 00:34:23,981
You know, just straight out,
they-- they killed people
607
00:34:23,981 --> 00:34:24,982
for trying to register.
608
00:34:32,072 --> 00:34:34,157
NIKOLE:
I read some of Bob Moses' reports,
609
00:34:34,157 --> 00:34:37,661
and he said that Greenwood
was a hardcore resistance area,
610
00:34:37,661 --> 00:34:40,080
that almost no progress had been made here
611
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:44,251
after at least two years or more
of intensive organizing,
612
00:34:44,251 --> 00:34:46,753
and even the SNCC offices were bombed.
613
00:34:46,753 --> 00:34:48,589
They were burned.
MACARTHUR: Of course. Burned.
614
00:34:48,589 --> 00:34:49,923
They were shot up.
615
00:34:49,923 --> 00:34:52,301
Um, and you're entering into that
616
00:34:52,301 --> 00:34:54,928
to try to--
to reinforce the local efforts.
617
00:34:55,345 --> 00:34:57,139
We expected that.
618
00:34:57,139 --> 00:35:02,686
We knew that, uh, there would be bombings
and shootings and-- We knew that.
619
00:35:02,686 --> 00:35:06,690
You know, we always hoped
that it didn't happen to us,
620
00:35:06,690 --> 00:35:09,276
but we knew that that was a possibility.
621
00:35:09,818 --> 00:35:12,070
So we could have retreated,
622
00:35:12,863 --> 00:35:16,617
which we didn't feel
like that was an option.
623
00:35:16,617 --> 00:35:18,327
- So--
- You say that so calmly now.
624
00:35:18,327 --> 00:35:20,579
Were you--
Were you calm about it back then?
625
00:35:20,579 --> 00:35:22,789
MACARTHUR: Probably even more so.
NIKOLE: Really?
626
00:35:22,789 --> 00:35:26,376
- Yeah. You know,
when you're 18 or 19 or 20,
627
00:35:26,376 --> 00:35:28,128
- you're invincible anyway.
- Mmm.
628
00:35:28,128 --> 00:35:29,922
MACARTHUR:
You think about what you want to do.
629
00:35:29,922 --> 00:35:32,591
You don't think
about the consequences as much
630
00:35:32,591 --> 00:35:35,677
even though, you know,
we were intelligent enough to know that,
631
00:35:35,677 --> 00:35:41,308
you know, there were terrorists
and all kind of opposition.
632
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,980
NIKOLE: Cotton and his fellow activists
came up with a strategy
633
00:35:46,980 --> 00:35:48,690
to overwhelm the system.
634
00:35:48,690 --> 00:35:52,486
In June of 1963,
they turned up at the county courthouse
635
00:35:52,486 --> 00:35:55,739
with a group of local Black residents
who dared register to vote.
636
00:36:00,077 --> 00:36:03,997
MACARTHUR: Our idea was to, you know,
maybe double that the next day,
637
00:36:03,997 --> 00:36:05,582
and on and on,
638
00:36:05,582 --> 00:36:09,753
until we got
some kind of concession from somebody.
639
00:36:09,753 --> 00:36:10,754
Okay.
640
00:36:11,463 --> 00:36:12,464
And what happens?
641
00:36:12,464 --> 00:36:14,967
So you-- you go in,
you march up here, and what happens?
642
00:36:15,634 --> 00:36:19,054
MACARTHUR:
So we got to-- As they began to go in,
643
00:36:19,054 --> 00:36:20,764
I think they took a couple of them in
644
00:36:20,764 --> 00:36:25,519
and then they say, uh, "Well,
we're closing the courthouse for lunch,
645
00:36:26,603 --> 00:36:27,980
so y'all gotta get out."
646
00:36:27,980 --> 00:36:32,401
So we-- we refused to, uh, leave.
647
00:36:33,527 --> 00:36:35,195
So they, uh, arrested us.
648
00:36:37,281 --> 00:36:40,826
NIKOLE:
After the Sheriff's office arrested Cotton
and the other SNCC leaders,
649
00:36:40,826 --> 00:36:44,371
they were fined and initially sentenced
to four months of hard labor.
650
00:36:45,122 --> 00:36:47,124
But instead of staying
on the County Penal Farm
651
00:36:47,124 --> 00:36:48,542
for their full sentence,
652
00:36:48,542 --> 00:36:51,336
partway through,
they were transferred to State prison.
653
00:36:52,337 --> 00:36:53,797
So they take you to Parchman?
654
00:36:53,797 --> 00:36:57,885
Was one of the worst
places to be in America.
655
00:36:57,885 --> 00:36:59,595
MACARTHUR: Right.
That's what it's supposed to be.
656
00:36:59,595 --> 00:37:05,392
And I think part of that, you know,
they inst-- instill fear in people.
657
00:37:05,392 --> 00:37:09,605
And, uh, I think it kind of bothered them
that we didn't care.
658
00:37:09,605 --> 00:37:11,315
That didn't scare you at all?
659
00:37:12,065 --> 00:37:16,153
- Well-- Well, you know, really,
we, uh, we were living in Parchman.
660
00:37:16,153 --> 00:37:18,989
We couldn't st--
We couldn't stand up to the courthouse.
661
00:37:19,656 --> 00:37:22,576
We couldn't walk down the street
without being harassed, so.
662
00:37:23,202 --> 00:37:26,455
You know, it wasn't--
It wasn't a big change, you know,
663
00:37:26,455 --> 00:37:28,332
from being inside or outside.
664
00:37:28,332 --> 00:37:31,585
- Talk about Parchman.
What-- What was your experience there?
665
00:37:33,128 --> 00:37:36,089
- We were on-- on death row.
666
00:37:36,590 --> 00:37:38,800
- So they housed you with the...
MACARTHUR: Yeah.
667
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,093
With the death row inmates?
668
00:37:40,093 --> 00:37:41,887
Right, that's where we were kept.
669
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,060
NIKOLE: Activists faced extreme violence
and deprivation at Parchman.
670
00:37:48,060 --> 00:37:50,979
Cotton told me
of the brutality he experienced
671
00:37:50,979 --> 00:37:54,274
after he asked for food
that another inmate had refused.
672
00:37:56,693 --> 00:38:00,197
MACARTHUR:
They hung me, uh, stretched me, uh,
673
00:38:00,197 --> 00:38:01,532
at the top of my tiptoes
674
00:38:02,324 --> 00:38:06,411
and hung me, uh, to the bars by my wrists,
675
00:38:06,411 --> 00:38:07,704
you know, put handcuffs...
676
00:38:09,373 --> 00:38:10,624
So they tortured you.
677
00:38:10,624 --> 00:38:12,918
- Of course.
That was the name of the game.
678
00:38:12,918 --> 00:38:17,256
They might would've let me stay there
until, you know, until I perished.
679
00:38:17,256 --> 00:38:19,633
I don't know.
But just so happened,
680
00:38:20,425 --> 00:38:22,678
the International Council of Churches,
681
00:38:23,887 --> 00:38:25,013
uh, came
682
00:38:26,181 --> 00:38:28,267
to investigate.
683
00:38:28,684 --> 00:38:32,354
So their representatives came
and saw me hanging.
684
00:38:32,771 --> 00:38:37,401
And of course, by then,
my clothes was full of feces and all.
685
00:38:37,401 --> 00:38:41,989
Maybe that-- that was the straw
that broke the camel's back.
686
00:38:42,573 --> 00:38:44,366
And they were able to bail us out.
687
00:38:48,579 --> 00:38:50,414
- I'm so sorry. I don't--
688
00:38:50,414 --> 00:38:51,623
MACARTHUR:
It's okay.
689
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,251
You should be glad.
690
00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,504
You should be glad
that we had to sacrifice
691
00:38:57,504 --> 00:38:59,339
to-- to do what we had to do.
692
00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:04,761
'Cause... somebody had to do it.
693
00:39:04,761 --> 00:39:07,139
And, hey, I'm still here.
694
00:39:07,639 --> 00:39:13,312
- We've seen the Voting Rights Act of 1965
gutted by a conservative Supreme Court.
695
00:39:13,312 --> 00:39:18,317
We've seen, in the last year and a half,
more voter suppression laws passed.
696
00:39:18,317 --> 00:39:23,280
I just wonder, how do we think
about the challenge for democracy ahead,
697
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:27,284
understanding that history,
and what's your fear?
698
00:39:28,869 --> 00:39:29,995
Mmm.
699
00:39:32,539 --> 00:39:35,083
That I won't be here
long enough to see it.
700
00:39:35,667 --> 00:39:37,085
That's one thing, but, uh...
701
00:39:38,670 --> 00:39:39,671
It--
702
00:39:40,506 --> 00:39:44,551
Well, for people who were paying attention
703
00:39:45,802 --> 00:39:47,888
and understood,
704
00:39:47,888 --> 00:39:49,890
the opposition never quit fighting.
705
00:39:50,766 --> 00:39:56,355
So actually it wasn't
that much change in the mind or heart.
706
00:39:56,355 --> 00:39:58,941
So, just, you know,
the struggle continues.
707
00:40:00,025 --> 00:40:02,277
And it-- it will always
708
00:40:03,278 --> 00:40:04,279
be a fight.
709
00:40:04,279 --> 00:40:05,906
Democracy is a fight.
710
00:40:10,369 --> 00:40:12,579
♪
711
00:40:12,579 --> 00:40:15,123
NIKOLE: Just weeks
after his release from Parchman prison,
712
00:40:15,123 --> 00:40:17,793
MacArthur Cotton set on his way
to the nation's capital...
713
00:40:17,793 --> 00:40:21,797
MAN: We are requesting all citizens
to move into Washington.
714
00:40:21,797 --> 00:40:23,882
NIKOLE: ...where he joined
a quarter million people
715
00:40:23,882 --> 00:40:25,425
from across the country.
716
00:40:25,425 --> 00:40:29,388
MAN:
Go by plane, by car, walk if necessary.
717
00:40:29,388 --> 00:40:34,977
We are pushing for jobs,
housing, desegregated schools.
718
00:40:34,977 --> 00:40:36,520
This is an urgent request.
719
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:38,605
Please join. Go to Washington.
720
00:40:39,356 --> 00:40:42,693
NIKOLE:
On that hot August day in 1963,
721
00:40:42,693 --> 00:40:44,486
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke
722
00:40:44,486 --> 00:40:47,698
to Black American commitment
to the democratic process.
723
00:40:50,284 --> 00:40:54,454
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.:
There will be neither rest
nor tranquility in America
724
00:40:55,247 --> 00:40:59,251
until the Negro
is granted his citizenship rights.
725
00:40:59,251 --> 00:41:00,252
NIKOLE:
Two years later,
726
00:41:00,252 --> 00:41:02,754
after countless activists
had been violently beaten
727
00:41:02,754 --> 00:41:04,339
and many others murdered,
728
00:41:04,339 --> 00:41:07,843
Congress passed
the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
729
00:41:07,843 --> 00:41:10,721
forcing the South
to stop violating the Constitution
730
00:41:10,721 --> 00:41:12,848
by denying Black people the right to vote
731
00:41:12,848 --> 00:41:16,685
and enforcing the century-old rights
promised in the 15th Amendment.
732
00:41:17,644 --> 00:41:21,064
Black Americans, just as they had
right after the Civil War,
733
00:41:21,064 --> 00:41:25,777
helped expand legal equality
and democracy for all Americans.
734
00:41:36,038 --> 00:41:38,290
With the balance of Congress
once again at stake
735
00:41:38,290 --> 00:41:40,667
in the 2022 midterm election,
736
00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:44,296
Mary-Pat Hector was trying to resolve
the issue at the Cosby Spear Towers
737
00:41:44,296 --> 00:41:47,257
that was routing residents
to another polling location
738
00:41:47,257 --> 00:41:48,759
about 20 minutes away.
739
00:41:49,301 --> 00:41:51,595
- I mean, Hapeville--
That just seems ridiculous.
740
00:41:51,595 --> 00:41:53,597
WOMAN:
And there's another polling site
right here at the--
741
00:41:53,597 --> 00:41:55,933
NIKOLE: Back at headquarters,
Helen Butler worked the phones
742
00:41:55,933 --> 00:41:58,519
with the Fulton County
election board representative,
743
00:41:58,519 --> 00:42:00,771
who confirmed
the County had made a mistake.
744
00:42:01,355 --> 00:42:04,483
- All right. Thank you.
So I'll get it taken--
745
00:42:04,483 --> 00:42:06,485
So they were in the wrong precinct?
746
00:42:07,194 --> 00:42:08,195
WOMAN: [over phone]
Yes.
747
00:42:08,195 --> 00:42:10,072
HELEN: Okay. All right.
WOMAN: [over phone] Okay. Okay.
748
00:42:10,072 --> 00:42:11,532
HELEN: Okay. Thank you.
WOMAN: [over phone] Mm-hmm.
749
00:42:12,157 --> 00:42:14,952
[line ringing]
750
00:42:14,952 --> 00:42:16,370
MARY-PAT: [over phone]
Hey, Ms. Helen, you talked to her?
751
00:42:16,370 --> 00:42:17,204
Yes.
752
00:42:17,204 --> 00:42:19,039
MARY-PAT: [over phone]
Uh, what's the update?
753
00:42:19,039 --> 00:42:22,209
- They're voting a regular ballot
on the voting machine.
754
00:42:22,793 --> 00:42:27,464
If a poll worker tells them
that they have to vote provisionally,
755
00:42:27,464 --> 00:42:29,299
ask for the poll manager,
756
00:42:29,299 --> 00:42:32,970
and the poll manager
will get it corrected.
757
00:42:32,970 --> 00:42:34,680
MARY-PAT: [over phone]
All right. Thank you so much, Ms. Helen.
758
00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:36,390
So, I-- I can leave?
759
00:42:36,390 --> 00:42:37,808
You can leave.
760
00:42:37,808 --> 00:42:39,226
MARY-PAT: [over phone]
Okay. Thank you very much.
761
00:42:39,226 --> 00:42:41,478
All right. Okay, bye.
762
00:42:42,271 --> 00:42:45,065
MARY-PAT: They can.
They can. Yep. Everything is good.
763
00:42:45,065 --> 00:42:47,150
So I'm about to leave
and go back to the office.
764
00:42:47,150 --> 00:42:49,027
That's a win. Small wins count.
765
00:42:49,027 --> 00:42:51,530
MARY-PAT: All right.
Very-- Small wins really do count.
766
00:42:51,530 --> 00:42:53,991
So thank you. I really appreciate it.
767
00:42:55,492 --> 00:42:59,162
BIANCA WEBB: Yeah, so myself
and some volunteers went over there,
768
00:42:59,162 --> 00:43:01,415
knocked on every door in that building
769
00:43:01,415 --> 00:43:04,001
that was impacted
by the error this morning,
770
00:43:04,001 --> 00:43:06,295
just to make sure
all of the residents knew
771
00:43:06,295 --> 00:43:09,882
that if they were turned around
that they can come back and vote.
772
00:43:11,550 --> 00:43:14,178
NIKOLE:
And while June Williams
finally cast her ballot,
773
00:43:14,178 --> 00:43:16,388
the mistake felt all too familiar.
774
00:43:17,764 --> 00:43:18,849
Speaking with Miss June
775
00:43:18,849 --> 00:43:21,727
and hearing how she's actually been
a part of the Civil Rights Movement
776
00:43:21,727 --> 00:43:23,770
and actually lived in those times,
777
00:43:23,770 --> 00:43:27,858
uh, where it,
in her own words, feels like a repeat.
778
00:43:27,858 --> 00:43:30,402
But to see her go the extra mile
779
00:43:30,402 --> 00:43:33,280
and say, "I will sit out this door
until seven o'clock
780
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:34,740
because I'm going to vote."
781
00:43:34,740 --> 00:43:39,328
Um, I think she really charged
my generation to have that same tenacity
782
00:43:39,328 --> 00:43:41,038
and do what needs to be done
783
00:43:41,038 --> 00:43:43,665
to correct whatever wrongs
that may be happening.
784
00:43:46,460 --> 00:43:47,794
NIKOLE:
For nearly 50 years,
785
00:43:47,794 --> 00:43:50,756
the Voting Rights Act
that protected Williams' generation
786
00:43:50,756 --> 00:43:54,885
was reauthorized with bipartisan support
from Congress and the White House.
787
00:43:55,511 --> 00:44:00,432
- So Bush actually signed
the last reauthorization
788
00:44:00,432 --> 00:44:02,684
of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
789
00:44:03,393 --> 00:44:06,396
I got a personal invitation
from George Bush.
790
00:44:06,396 --> 00:44:09,691
That's-- The red ticket
is my ticket to the event.
791
00:44:10,275 --> 00:44:13,070
We were out on the lawn
of the White House.
792
00:44:13,946 --> 00:44:17,157
And in the middle,
we got to take our picture,
793
00:44:17,157 --> 00:44:19,326
our little Georgia delegation.
794
00:44:19,326 --> 00:44:24,915
So it-- it is us there,
uh, enjoying the moment.
795
00:44:25,249 --> 00:44:30,963
But of course, we know
Shelby v. Holder changed that in 2013.
796
00:44:31,713 --> 00:44:34,967
NIKOLE: After President Obama
won a second term in 2012,
797
00:44:34,967 --> 00:44:36,134
the Supreme Court,
798
00:44:36,134 --> 00:44:39,054
determining the nation
had largely moved on from the racism
799
00:44:39,054 --> 00:44:41,473
that had once made
the Voting Rights Act necessary,
800
00:44:41,473 --> 00:44:44,142
overturned key protections in the law.
801
00:44:44,142 --> 00:44:48,814
NEWSCASTER:
The decision invalidating a section
of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
802
00:44:48,814 --> 00:44:50,774
deeply divided the justices,
803
00:44:50,774 --> 00:44:53,318
but it rested on a simple premise.
804
00:44:53,318 --> 00:44:55,779
As Chief Justice John Roberts said,
805
00:44:55,779 --> 00:44:59,658
"Nearly 50 years later,
things have changed dramatically."
806
00:45:00,492 --> 00:45:03,287
NIKOLE: Following the ruling,
by the 2016 election,
807
00:45:03,287 --> 00:45:06,665
14 states had enacted
new redistricting plans
808
00:45:06,665 --> 00:45:08,375
or new restrictions on voting
809
00:45:08,375 --> 00:45:12,296
that, before, would have required
preapproval by the Justice Department.
810
00:45:12,296 --> 00:45:15,090
And just like the laws
passed during Jim Crow,
811
00:45:15,090 --> 00:45:17,759
these new laws
were allegedly race-neutral.
812
00:45:17,759 --> 00:45:19,469
But the intent was clear.
813
00:45:20,053 --> 00:45:22,014
For example, a federal court found
814
00:45:22,014 --> 00:45:25,642
North Carolina's voter ID laws
had targeted Black Americans
815
00:45:25,642 --> 00:45:29,313
with, quote, "almost surgical precision."
816
00:45:29,313 --> 00:45:31,690
And the attack on the democratic process
817
00:45:31,690 --> 00:45:34,860
only escalated
in the wake of the 2020 election.
818
00:45:35,986 --> 00:45:37,487
CHUCK SCHUMER:
We are witnessing an attempt
819
00:45:37,487 --> 00:45:40,199
at the greatest contraction
of voting rights
820
00:45:40,199 --> 00:45:42,326
since the end of Reconstruction
821
00:45:42,993 --> 00:45:45,454
and the beginning of Jim Crow.
822
00:45:45,454 --> 00:45:46,955
NIKOLE:
Since 2021,
823
00:45:46,955 --> 00:45:50,459
lawmakers have passed
at least 42 restrictive voting laws
824
00:45:50,459 --> 00:45:51,919
in 21 states.
825
00:45:51,919 --> 00:45:53,212
And in Georgia,
826
00:45:53,212 --> 00:45:55,672
one of the most heavily Black states
in the nation,
827
00:45:55,672 --> 00:45:58,509
Republicans passed
the Election Integrity Act
828
00:45:58,509 --> 00:46:01,136
that created a long list
of voting restrictions.
829
00:46:01,762 --> 00:46:06,225
After a pandemic-era election saw the use
of mail-in ballots in record numbers,
830
00:46:06,225 --> 00:46:09,019
the law shrunk
the number of ballot drop boxes
831
00:46:09,019 --> 00:46:11,980
and added ID requirements
for absentee voting.
832
00:46:12,981 --> 00:46:16,318
Data shows Black Americans,
on average, wait longer than white voters
833
00:46:16,318 --> 00:46:17,611
to cast their ballot
834
00:46:18,445 --> 00:46:21,615
And yet, the law criminalizes
passing out food and water
835
00:46:21,615 --> 00:46:22,991
to those standing in line to vote.
836
00:46:23,951 --> 00:46:25,911
And finally, the law allows anyone
837
00:46:25,911 --> 00:46:29,748
to legally challenge the right
of their fellow citizens to cast a ballot,
838
00:46:29,748 --> 00:46:32,876
and created a new hotline
to accept anonymous tips
839
00:46:32,876 --> 00:46:34,294
to report voter fraud.
840
00:46:41,301 --> 00:46:45,055
So we are here today,
uh, to talk about democracy.
841
00:46:45,055 --> 00:46:49,518
Can you talk about the state
of American democracy right now?
842
00:46:50,185 --> 00:46:55,732
- Well, the state of American democracy
is really on life support in my opinion.
843
00:46:55,732 --> 00:46:59,653
You had the insurrection of January 6th.
844
00:46:59,653 --> 00:47:04,283
You have all of these draconian,
uh, policies being implemented,
845
00:47:04,283 --> 00:47:09,413
uh, to prevent people from being able
to select their representatives
846
00:47:09,413 --> 00:47:10,831
and to have a voice.
847
00:47:10,831 --> 00:47:16,753
The takeover process where they have
total control of the outcome of elections,
848
00:47:16,753 --> 00:47:20,716
uh, that kind of thing
is really putting us in peril.
849
00:47:20,716 --> 00:47:22,801
MARY-PAT: I think, you know,
Coretta Scott King once said,
850
00:47:22,801 --> 00:47:25,470
like, "Freedom is--
is a never-ending process.
851
00:47:25,470 --> 00:47:26,471
"Struggle is never really won.
852
00:47:26,471 --> 00:47:28,682
You win it and earn it
in every generation."
853
00:47:28,682 --> 00:47:33,061
And, um, one thing that Mrs. Helen
often says is, "This is our Selma moment."
854
00:47:33,061 --> 00:47:37,649
And so while I know our democracy
is in a very, very bad place,
855
00:47:37,649 --> 00:47:39,526
I feel like we've been here before.
856
00:47:39,526 --> 00:47:42,905
- And really, if you look
at the Civil Rights Movement,
857
00:47:42,905 --> 00:47:45,616
it wasn't won overnight.
858
00:47:45,616 --> 00:47:50,037
It was a drawn-out period of time
before we could get that right.
859
00:47:50,037 --> 00:47:55,375
We are just really a resilient community.
860
00:47:55,375 --> 00:47:57,127
Uh, we have fought.
861
00:47:57,127 --> 00:47:58,128
And who is the "we"?
862
00:47:58,128 --> 00:48:00,506
We, Black people.
863
00:48:00,506 --> 00:48:01,590
Black people are the--
864
00:48:01,590 --> 00:48:03,675
- MARY-PAT: And Black women.
- And Black women, yes.
865
00:48:03,675 --> 00:48:05,719
We are resilient.
866
00:48:05,719 --> 00:48:07,763
We can make it happen.
867
00:48:07,763 --> 00:48:09,848
- And we can't give up.
- Yeah.
868
00:48:09,848 --> 00:48:11,767
Uh, I'm a fighter.
869
00:48:11,767 --> 00:48:17,356
And, you know, if you don't believe
in something that you would die for,
870
00:48:17,356 --> 00:48:19,149
then you really don't believe in it.
871
00:48:19,149 --> 00:48:23,320
It has to be so incredibly frustrating
872
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:27,407
that you convinced people
to have a stake in their democracy,
873
00:48:27,407 --> 00:48:29,034
that their vote matters.
874
00:48:29,034 --> 00:48:32,287
How do you return
to those people again in 2024
875
00:48:32,287 --> 00:48:35,541
and say,
"Yes, they didn't protect your rights.
876
00:48:35,541 --> 00:48:38,168
"They're not respecting your agenda.
877
00:48:38,168 --> 00:48:40,295
"They pass more laws
that's gonna make it harder for you.
878
00:48:40,295 --> 00:48:42,089
Do it again because your vote matters."
879
00:48:42,089 --> 00:48:45,384
- It is a hard message,
but it's a necessary message.
880
00:48:45,384 --> 00:48:47,469
We can't tell them, "Give up."
881
00:48:47,469 --> 00:48:49,054
I can't tell anybody to give up.
882
00:48:49,054 --> 00:48:50,138
HELEN:
You can't tell 'em, "Give up"
883
00:48:50,138 --> 00:48:52,599
because you don't want 'em
to stay at home,
884
00:48:52,599 --> 00:48:54,268
because that makes it even worse.
885
00:48:54,810 --> 00:48:59,648
So it's always the lesser of two evils.
886
00:49:00,107 --> 00:49:01,275
Quite honestly.
887
00:49:01,775 --> 00:49:03,360
It's the lesser of two evils
888
00:49:03,360 --> 00:49:06,113
until you can get in
889
00:49:06,113 --> 00:49:09,533
and have a true majority.
890
00:49:12,995 --> 00:49:15,998
♪
891
00:49:20,502 --> 00:49:22,296
NIKOLE:
Black American freedom struggles
892
00:49:22,296 --> 00:49:25,507
have laid the foundation
for every other modern rights struggle.
893
00:49:27,593 --> 00:49:29,595
The laws born out of Black resistance,
894
00:49:29,595 --> 00:49:31,305
first during Reconstruction
895
00:49:31,305 --> 00:49:33,348
and later
during the Civil Rights Movement,
896
00:49:33,348 --> 00:49:36,476
guaranteed equality in law
and banned discrimination
897
00:49:36,476 --> 00:49:40,898
based not just on race
but on gender, nationality, and religion.
898
00:49:42,691 --> 00:49:45,068
When other marginalized groups
demand their rights,
899
00:49:45,068 --> 00:49:48,363
they sue under the equal protection clause
of the 14th Amendment,
900
00:49:48,363 --> 00:49:50,741
including when same-sex couples used it
901
00:49:50,741 --> 00:49:52,868
to win
their constitutional right to marry.
902
00:49:55,204 --> 00:49:59,499
We have made tremendous progress
toward realizing our democratic ideals,
903
00:49:59,499 --> 00:50:02,628
and yet the ongoing fights
over voting and elections
904
00:50:02,628 --> 00:50:05,047
show that a significant portion
of our country
905
00:50:05,047 --> 00:50:07,299
still does not believe in democracy
906
00:50:07,299 --> 00:50:11,053
if democracy requires
sharing power with multiracial citizens
907
00:50:11,053 --> 00:50:12,387
in our multiracial nation.
908
00:50:13,847 --> 00:50:15,557
I think a lot about what it will take
909
00:50:15,557 --> 00:50:18,602
for a true democracy
to take shape in this country.
910
00:50:18,602 --> 00:50:21,104
And I worry
about how the nation will respond
911
00:50:21,104 --> 00:50:23,649
to what is clearly a democratic crisis.
912
00:50:28,570 --> 00:50:30,864
So you both are,
uh, political scientists
913
00:50:30,864 --> 00:50:34,117
who study
how democracies work around the world.
914
00:50:34,117 --> 00:50:37,287
But you guys argue
that this backsliding of our democracy
915
00:50:37,287 --> 00:50:40,332
really began as early as the 1980s.
916
00:50:40,332 --> 00:50:41,750
Can you tell me more about that?
917
00:50:42,459 --> 00:50:44,294
Well, the Civil Rights Revolution
918
00:50:44,294 --> 00:50:47,047
and the increasing diversification
of our society
919
00:50:47,047 --> 00:50:48,632
with large-scale immigration
920
00:50:48,632 --> 00:50:51,635
triggers a dramatic transformation
of the party system,
921
00:50:51,635 --> 00:50:53,512
where, by the early 21st century,
922
00:50:53,512 --> 00:50:58,392
the Republican Party was
an overwhelmingly white Christian party
923
00:50:58,392 --> 00:51:02,855
in a society that was much more diverse
than ever before.
924
00:51:03,397 --> 00:51:08,110
And it was a party that concentrated
the vast bulk of white Americans
925
00:51:08,110 --> 00:51:11,238
who were uncomfortable
with racial diversity.
926
00:51:11,238 --> 00:51:14,783
And that's the base
that Trump eventually taps into.
927
00:51:15,742 --> 00:51:18,287
But that's a slow movie.
That doesn't get invented by Trump.
928
00:51:19,538 --> 00:51:22,040
Trump is a product of that,
more than a cause of it.
929
00:51:23,500 --> 00:51:26,879
[crowd chanting "USA"]
930
00:51:27,588 --> 00:51:28,922
- In order to understand
our current moment,
931
00:51:28,922 --> 00:51:31,133
it's actually useful to look back
to the 19th century
932
00:51:31,133 --> 00:51:33,177
and the first effort to create
a multiracial democracy
933
00:51:33,177 --> 00:51:34,928
after the Civil War.
934
00:51:34,928 --> 00:51:36,388
And this was a major effort.
935
00:51:36,388 --> 00:51:39,016
All these Constitutional Amendments
to guarantee voting rights
936
00:51:39,016 --> 00:51:42,728
failed by 1876,
at the earliest by the 1890s, certainly.
937
00:51:42,728 --> 00:51:45,606
And what this meant
is that voting rights were now excluded
938
00:51:45,606 --> 00:51:47,149
for African Americans in the South.
939
00:51:47,608 --> 00:51:50,360
By the time we get to the 1960s,
their second effort at this,
940
00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:52,738
and the question of political equality
941
00:51:52,738 --> 00:51:55,741
for all groups
and all individuals of all backgrounds
942
00:51:55,741 --> 00:51:57,201
is now on the political table.
943
00:51:57,868 --> 00:52:00,245
It's explosive,
and there's a backlash against it,
944
00:52:00,245 --> 00:52:03,207
just as there was
after the first attempt at this.
945
00:52:03,207 --> 00:52:05,834
And so we're living
through that moment right now.
946
00:52:05,834 --> 00:52:06,835
And I guess the question is
947
00:52:06,835 --> 00:52:09,922
to what degree will we make
the same mistakes we did last time?
948
00:52:10,756 --> 00:52:13,050
White people are being targeted.
949
00:52:13,050 --> 00:52:18,347
- Joe Biden's five million illegal aliens
are on the verge of replacing you.
950
00:52:18,347 --> 00:52:24,186
[crowd chanting "You will not replace us"]
951
00:52:25,562 --> 00:52:30,150
- You also had people
that were very fine people, on both sides.
952
00:52:30,150 --> 00:52:32,152
[people screaming]
953
00:52:34,821 --> 00:52:37,658
- They openly campaign
for racial reparations
954
00:52:37,658 --> 00:52:40,744
and bigoted policies
that target white people.
955
00:52:41,495 --> 00:52:44,665
- So, what are some
of the warning signs we see
956
00:52:44,665 --> 00:52:48,502
when we have politicians
that are working to threaten democracy,
957
00:52:48,502 --> 00:52:50,379
or that have become a threat to democracy?
958
00:52:51,380 --> 00:52:53,549
- In our book,
we identify four warning signs.
959
00:52:54,174 --> 00:52:57,427
One: If a politician says
they won't accept election results
960
00:52:57,427 --> 00:52:59,721
or challenge a democratic constitution.
961
00:53:00,347 --> 00:53:04,101
- We will never give up.
We will never concede. It doesn't happen.
962
00:53:04,101 --> 00:53:07,104
You don't concede
when there is theft involved.
963
00:53:08,105 --> 00:53:12,234
- Number two: If they condone
or threaten violence in their rhetoric.
964
00:53:12,234 --> 00:53:15,487
Usually they go on and tend
to support this kind of stuff in action.
965
00:53:17,364 --> 00:53:19,283
Those are people that love this country.
966
00:53:19,283 --> 00:53:21,201
- You know, if you didn't know
the TV footage
967
00:53:21,201 --> 00:53:23,370
was a video from January the 6th,
968
00:53:23,370 --> 00:53:26,290
you would actually think
it was a normal tourist visit.
969
00:53:26,290 --> 00:53:27,833
DANIEL ZIBLATT:
Number three:
970
00:53:27,833 --> 00:53:29,793
Do they threaten
to assault civil liberties?
971
00:53:29,793 --> 00:53:31,670
Do they threaten the press, for example?
972
00:53:31,670 --> 00:53:35,299
- The Republican candidate allegedly
throwing a reporter to the ground.
973
00:53:35,799 --> 00:53:38,051
[objects clattering]
974
00:53:45,934 --> 00:53:47,728
And then number four:
975
00:53:47,728 --> 00:53:49,730
Do they challenge the legitimacy
of their opponents?
976
00:53:49,730 --> 00:53:51,148
She shouldn't be allowed to run.
977
00:53:51,773 --> 00:53:55,986
Chris, she should never have been allowed
to run for the presidency.
978
00:53:55,986 --> 00:53:58,238
Why doesn't he show his birth certificate?
979
00:53:58,238 --> 00:54:00,657
Because I think it's a terrible pall
that's hanging over him.
980
00:54:01,742 --> 00:54:05,037
NIKOLE: Today,
we once again find ourselves
in a chapter of America's story
981
00:54:05,037 --> 00:54:08,498
where some in power
are eroding our democratic norms.
982
00:54:10,125 --> 00:54:12,211
REPORTER: One day
after top Senate Republicans
983
00:54:12,211 --> 00:54:14,213
decidedly dug in their heels
984
00:54:14,213 --> 00:54:17,090
saying they will not even hold hearings
985
00:54:17,090 --> 00:54:19,510
or even meet
with the president's nominee.
986
00:54:19,510 --> 00:54:21,303
NIKOLE:
After President Obama was blocked
987
00:54:21,303 --> 00:54:24,765
from appointing a Supreme Court nominee
in his final year of office,
988
00:54:24,765 --> 00:54:27,351
President Trump appointed three justices,
989
00:54:27,351 --> 00:54:29,269
creating a conservative Supreme Court
990
00:54:29,269 --> 00:54:31,355
that may soon
strike down equality measures
991
00:54:31,355 --> 00:54:33,398
established during
the Civil Rights Movement.
992
00:54:35,150 --> 00:54:39,029
One that addresses the legacy of slavery
and Jim Crow in higher education.
993
00:54:39,029 --> 00:54:40,864
The conservative majority appears ready
994
00:54:40,864 --> 00:54:44,952
to roll back 40 years of
affirmative action on American campuses.
995
00:54:44,952 --> 00:54:47,788
NIKOLE:
And another that undercuts fair elections.
996
00:54:47,788 --> 00:54:49,915
- The Supreme Court
hears arguments this morning
997
00:54:49,915 --> 00:54:53,919
on a significant case focusing on race
and voting rights in Alabama.
998
00:54:53,919 --> 00:54:56,755
NEWSCASTER:
With Black voter registration
at historic highs,
999
00:54:56,755 --> 00:54:59,633
Black leaders say
Alabama is using redistricting
1000
00:54:59,633 --> 00:55:01,718
to dilute the power of their vote.
1001
00:55:02,886 --> 00:55:05,138
NIKOLE:
In the 2022 midterm elections,
1002
00:55:05,138 --> 00:55:09,810
nearly 200 candidates who did not accept
the results of the presidential election
1003
00:55:09,810 --> 00:55:11,270
ran for office.
1004
00:55:11,270 --> 00:55:13,063
And on the state level,
1005
00:55:13,063 --> 00:55:16,191
we saw armed poll watchers
intimidate citizens in Arizona.
1006
00:55:16,859 --> 00:55:18,360
And in Florida,
1007
00:55:18,360 --> 00:55:21,572
Governor Ron DeSantis
created a special election police force
1008
00:55:21,572 --> 00:55:23,156
to go after voter fraud
1009
00:55:23,156 --> 00:55:27,160
even though study after study showed
widespread voter fraud wasn't occurring.
1010
00:55:28,579 --> 00:55:34,168
- So if a political party or a politician
tries to tilt the playing field in a way
1011
00:55:34,168 --> 00:55:37,796
to make it so that it's really so hard
for the other side to win elections,
1012
00:55:37,796 --> 00:55:39,965
that basically the other side
can't win elections,
1013
00:55:39,965 --> 00:55:42,176
often doing this legally
by changing election rules,
1014
00:55:42,176 --> 00:55:44,136
by changing
how election districts are drawn,
1015
00:55:44,136 --> 00:55:46,388
changing who counts the elections.
1016
00:55:46,388 --> 00:55:49,349
- And these are things that we're seeing
happening in the United States right now.
1017
00:55:50,267 --> 00:55:52,811
STEVEN LEVITSKY:
Yeah. Um, look, we're at a point
1018
00:55:52,811 --> 00:55:56,273
where the bulk of the Republican Party
at this point
1019
00:55:56,273 --> 00:55:59,151
did not accept defeat in 2020
1020
00:55:59,151 --> 00:56:03,864
and has not clearly, unambiguously
rejected the use of political violence.
1021
00:56:04,448 --> 00:56:06,783
And so to us, that is a warning sign
1022
00:56:06,783 --> 00:56:12,539
that one of our major parties
is no longer fully committed to democracy.
1023
00:56:12,539 --> 00:56:16,502
And when one of two major parties
is not committed to democracy,
1024
00:56:16,502 --> 00:56:18,420
your democracy is imperiled.
1025
00:56:26,595 --> 00:56:28,472
MARY-PAT:
This is my first time doing this, so...
1026
00:56:28,472 --> 00:56:29,306
WOMAN: Yes.
MARY-PAT: Okay.
1027
00:56:29,306 --> 00:56:32,935
- You go in to the right
and those tables and those chairs there.
1028
00:56:32,935 --> 00:56:33,936
MARY-PAT:
All right. Thank you.
1029
00:56:34,728 --> 00:56:36,563
So we're watching the ballots come in,
1030
00:56:36,563 --> 00:56:39,650
and we are watching
Fulton County count the ballots,
1031
00:56:39,650 --> 00:56:42,361
um, of all of the people
within this community.
1032
00:56:43,904 --> 00:56:47,115
Seeing all of the work
that organizers have put forth
1033
00:56:47,115 --> 00:56:50,118
to combat
voter suppression in this state, um,
1034
00:56:50,744 --> 00:56:53,163
really has me amped up,
but it also has me scared.
1035
00:56:53,163 --> 00:56:56,959
It has me scared
about what's gonna happen either way.
1036
00:56:56,959 --> 00:56:59,044
Um, this election takes place tonight.
1037
00:56:59,044 --> 00:57:02,047
Either way it goes,
it has me scared about what's to come.
1038
00:57:06,552 --> 00:57:09,638
HELEN:
I think history will show in the future
1039
00:57:09,638 --> 00:57:15,477
that the demographics
of the United States will be different.
1040
00:57:15,477 --> 00:57:19,523
People of color are gonna be the majority.
1041
00:57:19,523 --> 00:57:22,526
And I'm hopeful that at that point,
1042
00:57:23,861 --> 00:57:26,572
then we'll have
the true democracy that we want.
1043
00:57:27,573 --> 00:57:30,242
- That's maybe why
they're fighting so hard right now.
1044
00:57:30,242 --> 00:57:34,288
- I think that's--
I think you hit the nail on the head,
1045
00:57:34,288 --> 00:57:38,709
is that they're fighting
because they see those numbers changing.
1046
00:57:38,709 --> 00:57:42,129
So, to me,
when we get that demographic shift,
1047
00:57:42,921 --> 00:57:44,590
I think we'll be better
1048
00:57:44,590 --> 00:57:49,720
at not having to work so hard for this.
1049
00:57:49,720 --> 00:57:54,600
- I wanna be able to look back and say,
"I did this so that you didn't have to."
1050
00:57:54,600 --> 00:57:57,227
You know, my grandfather did a lot.
Ms. Helen did a lot.
1051
00:57:57,227 --> 00:58:00,564
She integrated, uh,
the University of Georgia, right?
1052
00:58:00,564 --> 00:58:02,232
And so, you know, she can say,
1053
00:58:02,232 --> 00:58:05,611
you know, "I did this
so that Mary-Pat didn't have to do that."
1054
00:58:05,611 --> 00:58:08,030
Um, and that's--
that's what legacy is all about.
1055
00:58:14,119 --> 00:58:17,664
♪
1056
00:58:20,042 --> 00:58:21,502
NIKOLE:
As a woman in my 40s,
1057
00:58:21,502 --> 00:58:24,129
I am part of the first generation
of Black Americans
1058
00:58:24,129 --> 00:58:25,923
in the history of the United States
1059
00:58:25,923 --> 00:58:27,382
to be born in a society
1060
00:58:27,382 --> 00:58:29,927
in which Black people
had full rights of citizenship.
1061
00:58:30,928 --> 00:58:32,763
Yet, in that brief span of time,
1062
00:58:32,763 --> 00:58:35,766
despite continuing
to face rampant discrimination,
1063
00:58:35,766 --> 00:58:38,519
and despite there never
having been a genuine effort
1064
00:58:38,519 --> 00:58:40,270
to redress the wrongs of slavery
1065
00:58:40,270 --> 00:58:43,106
and the century
of legal discrimination that followed,
1066
00:58:43,106 --> 00:58:45,776
Black Americans
have made astounding progress,
1067
00:58:45,776 --> 00:58:49,154
not only for ourselves
but also for all Americans.
1068
00:58:50,697 --> 00:58:55,202
Our struggles and strivings
have made America more fair and more just.
1069
00:58:55,202 --> 00:58:57,454
And as much democracy as we have,
1070
00:58:57,454 --> 00:58:59,706
it has been born of Black resistance.
1071
00:58:59,706 --> 00:59:01,375
In other words,
1072
00:59:01,375 --> 00:59:05,337
the very people who were never supposed
to be a part of our democracy
1073
00:59:05,337 --> 00:59:08,048
have played the most pivotal role
in creating it.
1074
00:59:12,302 --> 00:59:14,471
So what if America understood,
1075
00:59:14,471 --> 00:59:18,058
finally, now, after 400 years,
1076
00:59:18,058 --> 00:59:20,894
that Black people
have never been the problem
1077
00:59:20,894 --> 00:59:22,312
but the solution?
1078
00:59:33,115 --> 00:59:35,200
♪
1079
00:59:35,200 --> 00:59:38,161
But that solution
came at a tremendous cost,
1080
00:59:38,161 --> 00:59:41,123
and so much of it
has been borne by Black women.
1081
00:59:42,249 --> 00:59:45,752
WOMAN 1: There's a direct link
to maternal mortality today
1082
00:59:45,752 --> 00:59:48,714
and the challenges that women had
giving birth during slavery.
1083
00:59:49,381 --> 00:59:50,674
NIKOLE:
What did she tell you?
1084
00:59:50,674 --> 00:59:54,386
- She said,
"Baby A doesn't have a heartbeat."
1085
00:59:55,137 --> 00:59:57,514
And I couldn't understand.
I'm like, "I don't--"
1086
00:59:57,514 --> 00:59:59,266
I'm like, "I don't understand."
1087
01:00:00,184 --> 01:00:04,730
WOMAN 2: The legacy of slavery
is so ingrained in our system,
1088
01:00:04,730 --> 01:00:06,064
and we don't even see it.
1089
01:00:12,613 --> 01:00:16,200
♪