DONALD TRUMP HAS CELEBRATED THE LAUNCH OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH AS
ONLY HE CAN, THE FIRST IS MY FAVORITE, AS HE GOES DOWN THE
LINE TO HIS CREDIT HONORING SOME OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO
HAVE MADE SOME OF THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY,
GOVERNMENTS, AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
THE WAY HE DESCRIBES THOSE
CONTRIBUTIONS IS A LITTLE ODD.
LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN CATCH IT.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE
AN AMAZING JOB AND IS BEING RECOGNIZED MORE AND MORE, I
NOTICED.
HARRIET TUBMAN, ROSA PARKS, AND MILLIONS OF BLACK
AMERICANS WHO HAVE MADE AMERICA WHAT IT IS TODAY.
I AM PROUD TO HONOR THIS HERITAGE AND WILL BE HONORING
IT MORE AND MORE.
SO FREDERICK DOUGLASS WHO YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF IN HISTORY
CLASSES BECAUSE HE WAS BORN IN 1818 I BELIEVE.
HE HAS DONE A
GREAT JOB AND IS GETTING MORE
RECOGNITION.
FREDERICK DOUGLAS, SO HOT RIGHT NOW.
I BELIEVE HE IS TRENDING ON TWITTER ALTHOUGH NOT FOR THE
REASONS TRUMP THINKS HE SHOULD BE.
I JUST LOVE HOW HE'S LIKE I AM HEARING MORE ABOUT FREDERICK
DOUGLAS.
IT IS LIKE ME TRYING TO MAKE A SPORTS REFERENCE.
I HEARD ABOUT THIS HANK AARON.
BUT ANYWAY, MAYBE IT IS JUST
WEIRD, A WEIRD WAY TO SAY IT.
WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER QUOTE FOR YOU
WERE WHEN YOU HEAR HIM TALK HE DOESN'T TALK LIKE A NORMAL
HUMAN.
THE DEFENSE OF WHY HE SAID WHAT HE SAID IS GOING TO BE
EVEN WEIRDER PERHAPS.
HERE IS SEAN SPICER.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS BEING RECOGNIZED MORE AND MORE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO?
I THINK HE WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT HE HAS
MADE.
AND I THINK THROUGH A LOT OF THE ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS, I
THINK THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS WILL BECOME
MORE AND MORE.
THAT IS NOT A NONRESPONSE.
THE ONE THING THAT MIGHT MAKE WHAT
DONALD TRUMP SAID TRUE IS YES, THE BIGGEST AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY
THAT FREDERICK DOUGLASS GOT WAS
PROBABLY IN THE 1870S TO 90S.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
CHANGED THAT WAS THE LAUNCH OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
IF YOU ARE
ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE KNEE-JERK REACTION WAS WELL, WHY
DO WE NEED A BLACK HISTORY MONTH?
WHY DON'T WE HAVE A WHITE
HISTORY MONTH?
WHICH WE DO HAVE.
ONE OF THE PRODUCTS OF IT IS
THAT WE CAN GIVE EXTREMELY SHALLOW OVERVIEWS OF FREDERICK
DOUGLASS AND OTHER FIGURES OF
HISTORY THANKS TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
OF COURSE IT IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH SO THAT IS ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY THIS STORY IS MAKING
HEADLINE NEWS.
YOU TOUCHED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND
HOW BLACK HISTORY MONTH BRINGS UP THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF VARIOUS
BLACK HISTORICAL FIGURES INTO
AMERICAN SOCIETY.
CONSERVATIVES FOR A LONG TIME HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING AGAINST ANY TYPE OF
EDUCATION ON ANY TYPE OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER OR MINORITY LEADER
WHO HAS HAD A PROFOUND IMPACT ON
OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM, ON THE WAY WE RUN THINGS AND REACT TO
VARIOUS GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
FOR YEARS NOW, THE TEXAS BOARD OF
EDUCATION HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO
GET RID OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS IN CIVIL RIGHTS BOOKS AND
REPLACE THEM WITH RIGHT WING LEADERS.
BUT NONETHELESS THAT
ASSAULT ON EDUCATION NOT ONLY
WHITEWASHES HISTORY, IT GIVES YOU LESS CONTEXT INTO OUR
AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM
WITHOUT ACCURATE HISTORY AND ACCURATE HISTORICAL REFERENCES
YOU CAN'T LEARN.
THAT IS WHY WE SEE THE SAME MISTAKES BEING MADE OVER AGAIN.
THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE THE IDEA OF SOMETHING LIKE A BLACK
HISTORY MONTH OR THE OTHER EQUIVALENTS FOR OTHER GROUPS
THAT ARE TYPICALLY GIVEN THEIR
DUE WOULD SAY WHAT IS THE POINT OF FOCUSING ON THIS?
I KNOW
ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY, HONESTLY I THINK IT'S PRETTY MUCH WHITE
PEOPLE THAT HAVE DONE ALL THE GOOD STUFF.
THE REASON YOU THINK
THAT IS BECAUSE THE STORIES OF BLACK AMERICANS ARE NOT BEING
TAUGHT.
THIS IGNORANCE IS
LEADING YOU TO THINK THAT THEIR HISTORY DOES NOT NEED TO BE
TAUGHT.
IF BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVEN REMAINS, FUTURE GENERATIONS
MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE DIVERSE
ORIGINS OF ADVANCES IN AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENTS AND
ALL OF THAT.
THERE IS A TONE, OR CLUELESSNESS THAT COMES WITH
EVERYTHING HE SAYS.
FIRST OF ALL HE HAD TO READ FROM A PAPER THAT
WAS PREPARED FOR HIM.
YOU CAN'T USE THOSE NAMES THAT ARE ALL ON
THAT PAPER, USE THEM FOR YOUR
ADVANTAGE FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING TODAY, THEN WHAT IS THE USE?
HE
DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
FREDERICK DOUGLASS WHO SAID HE IS BEING NOTICED MORE AND MORE.
HIM AND SPICER WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT IT IT IS WELL, THEY
SOUNDED LIKE FOURTH-GRADERS WHO WERE CALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF
HISTORY CLASS WHEN THEY WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION AND THEY HAD TO
BE US THROUGH FIVE SECONDS OF AN ANSWER, AND THEY ARE GROWN ASS
MAN.
WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY THEY ARE DOING THIS.
WHY THEY
ARE EVEN HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION.
IT'S NOT LIKE DONALD TRUMP REALLY CARED.
IF IT
WAS DONE FOR SINCERE REASONS I GET IT.
ARE THEY TRYING TO
APPEAL TO BLACK AMERICANS?
THEY HAVE NEVER CARED ABOUT THAT
BEFORE.
IT WAS SUCH A HALFHEARTED ATTEMPT TO CONNECT
WITH THEM SO I FEEL LIKE IT DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
JUMP HAS
GOTTEN REALLY FAR BY BEING VERY CARELESS IN HIS RHETORIC
REGARDING THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND MINORITIES.
IT IS WEIRD THAT
HE WOULD PUT HIMSELF IN THIS
POSITION TO EVEN COMMENT.
IT IS LIPSERVICE WHICH A LOT OF POLITICIANS DO.
THEY DON'T
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE
THEY NEVER HAD TO.
IT WAS LIKE THEY SAID WE HAVE TO PUT
SOMETHING OUT THERE, IT IS FEBRUARY 1.
SURROUND HIMSELF
WITH BLACK FOLKS, AND WE WILL BE
DONE.
WE SAY WE CARE ABOUT EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY.
IF YOU'D ASKED ME THREE WEEKS AGO WILL HE RECOGNIZE THAT I
WOULD'VE PREDICTED THAT HE WOULDN'T.
I DO WANT TO GIVE HIM
CREDIT THAT HE IS DOING IT AT ALL, EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN A
SHALLOW WAY.
IT IS ONLY SLIGHTLY
MORE SHALLOW THAN HELP PAST PRESIDENTS HAVE REALLY DONE IT.
THERE IS A COMMON CRITICISM OF EVEN THE WAY THAT BLACK HISTORY
MONTH IS TAUGHT FOCUSES ON A COUPLE OF KEY INDIVIDUALS RATHER
THAN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, THAT IS
ALL TRUE.
LAST THING, THIS IS WHAT FRUSTRATES ME.
A LOT OF PEOPLE
DON'T KNOW ABOUT FREDERICK DOUGLASS'S LIFE.
WE MAKE THIS
ASSUMPTION THAT BLACK FOLKS KNOW
ABOUT BLACK HISTORY, WE DON'T.
WE LIVE IN THE SAME AMERICA.
THIS WHOLE DIVISION OF NOT KNOWING ABOUT BLACK HISTORY GOES
TO EVERYONE.
ALL WE EVER TALK ABOUT IS THE SAME FOR FIGURES.
WOULD YOU COULD SAY IF YOU
ACTUALLY WANT TO BE REAL, YOU CAN SAY I NEVER LOOKED DEEP INTO
IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE WAY OUR
SYSTEM WORKS.
I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK ABOUT HISTORICAL FIGURES,
AND THE REASON WHY THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE IMPORTANT
TODAY ñ SAY YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR ANYONE TO DO?
IT'S
HUMAN NATURE TO PRETEND LIKE YOU
KNOW EVERYTHING.
CONFESSING THAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS ONE OF THE
HARDEST THINGS.
YOU SEE THAT IN USE ALL THE TIME WHERE PEOPLE
HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT AND PRETEND LIKE
THEY ARE EXPERTS.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
I CAN SAY I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW
ABOUT FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
IN SCHOOL I THINK I READ ONE OF HIS
BOOKS.
BUT ALSO I AM NOT AT A BREAKFAST DELIVERING A SPEECH
ABOUT HIM.
LET'S MOVE ON TO HIM
ACKNOWLEDGING ANOTHER IMPORTANT AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
LAST MONTH WE CELEBRATED THE LIFE OF REV.
MARTIN LUTHER KING
JUNIOR WHOSE INCREDIBLE EXAMPLE IS UNIQUE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
YOU READ ALL ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER KING A WEEK AGO AND SOMEONE SAID
I TOOK THE STATUE OUT OF MY OFFICE.
IT TURNED OUT THAT WAS
FAKE NEWS.
THE STATUE IS CHERISHED, IT'S ONE OF MY
FAVORITE THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOOD ONES, WE'VE LINCOLN,
JEFFERSON, DR.
MARTIN LUTHER
KING, AND WE HAVE ñ BUT THEY SAID THE BUST OF DR.
MARTIN
LUTHER KING WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE
OFFICE AND IT WAS NEVER EVEN TOUCHED.
SO I THINK IT WAS A
DISGRACE, BUT THAT IS THE WAY THE PRESS IS.
VERY UNFORTUNATE.
IT'S NOT A DISGRACE, AND IT IS NOT FAKE NEWS.
FAKE NEWS IS
USING THE GUISE OF A LEGITIMATE NEWS SOURCE THE PATH INFORMATION
YOU KNOW IS FALSE.
WHAT HAPPENED THERE IS A NEWS REPORTER
COULDN'T SEE THE BUS BECAUSE IT
WAS BLOCKED BY A DOOR/A GUARD.
HE SAID IT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN
TAKEN AWAY.
WHEN HE THOUGHT IT WAS THERE, HE RETRACTED AND
APOLOGIZED.
BUT THAT IS A DISGRACE FOR HIM.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE STATUE.
LIKE, I DON'T CARE.
I DON'T CARE
ABOUT THE LIPSERVICE OR THESE RIDICULOUS MEETINGS WHERE THEY
ARE PRETENDING TO CARE ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
WHAT I CARE ABOUT
IS POLICY.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS OF THIS PAST ELECTION
IS THAT WE HAVE COMPLETELY MOVED
AWAY FROM POLICY-BASED CONVERSATIONS AND WE FOCUS ON
NONSENSE LIKE IS THE BUST THERE?
I GET IT, IT'S A SYMBOLIC ñ OF
COURSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
NOTICE THAT KIND OF STUFF.
I DON'T THINK IT IS THE END-ALL
BE-ALL OF HOW SOMEONE IS GOING
TO TREAT A CERTAIN GROUP OF PEOPLE.
I THINK WHAT MATTERS
MORE IS THE TYPE OF POLICY IDEAS COMING FROM THAT PERSON.
HE HAD
A LOT OF STRONG THINGS TO SAY ABOUT BLACK COMMUNITIES AND HOW
THEY ARE NOT WINNING.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HELP THEM?
HOPEFULLY WIN.
DUH.
WHEN I SAW THAT HE HAD PUT UP A PORTRAIT OF
ANDREW JACKSON THE OVAL OFFICE MEANT SOMETHING TO ME.
HE
APPARENTLY GLORIFIES THESE GUY WHICH IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE
MOST REPREHENSIBLE PRESIDENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
HIS NORMAL ROUTINE IN SPEAKING, YOU CAN TELL HE IS
READING IT FIRST OF ALL.
THEN HE DIVERTS TO HIS ASIDES EVERY TIME
HE GETS A SOMETHING THAT TRIGGERS HIM.
HE GOT TO MARTIN
LUTHER KING JUNIOR, AS HE GOT TO THAT HE REMEMBERED THE BUST.
IT
IS BACK TO HIM EVERY TIME.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IN
REFERENCE TO MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID
TO ME?
THEN GOT BACK ON HIS PREPARED SPEECH.
EVERY TIME HE
GETS OFF IT IS ABOUT HIMSELF.
IT IS THE ME SYNDROME.
JAYAR JACKSON, DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT FEBRUARY 1 IS BLACK
HISTORY MONTH?
LET'S DO THIS NEXT CLIP.
HE WILL BRING IN ONE
OF HIS SUPPORTERS FROM THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
THIS IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH, SO THIS IS OUR LITTLE BREAKFAST,
GET TOGETHER.
HI LYNN.
JUST A FEW NOTES.
DURING THIS MONTH WE
HONOR THE TREMENDOUS HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS THROUGHOUT
OUR COUNTRY, THE WORLD IF YOU
REALLY THINK ABOUT IT AND THIS IS ONE OF UNIMAGINABLE
SACRIFICE, HARD WORK, AND FAITH
IN AMERICA.
I'VE GOTTEN A REAL GLIMPSE DURING THE CAMPAIGN, I
WENT AROUND WITH BEN TO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES.
I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND HIM AGAIN ABOUT NOT TALKING ABOUT
THE INNER CITY.
GENERALLY, THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS HE DESERVES
THE MOST CRITICISM FOR.
THE FACT THAT PREVIOUSLY WHENEVER YOU ASK
HIM ABOUT CONCERNS THAT THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY HAS
HE WILL BEGIN TALKING ABOUT THE INNER-CITY AND CRIME.
THAT IS
THE LENS HE SEES PEOPLE THROUGH.
THEY ALL LIVE IN THE INNER-CITY.
THE ONLY THING THAT WORRIES ME
IS THERE CRIME RATE.