>>
>> I
>> I THINK CERTAINLY IF YOU'RE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, SLAVERY IS
AT THE CENTER OF WHAT YOU SEE AS
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
BUT FOR MOST AMERICANS MOST OF
THE TIME, THERE WERE A LOT OF
OTHER THINGS GOING ON.
THERE WAS SEVERAL HUNDRED
THOUSAND WHITE AMERICANS WHO
DIED IN THE CIVIL WAR IN ORDER
TO FREE THE SLAVES.
>> FORMER REPUBLICAN HOUSE
SPEAKER AND PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE NEWT GINGRICH
CHALLENGING A NEW YORK TIMES
SPECIAL REPORT CALLED THE 1619
PROJECT THAT SHOWS THE LEGACY OF
SLAVERY IN AMERICA IN A WAY THEY
DON'T TEACH IT IN SCHOOL.
GINGRICH AND OTHER CRITICS SAY
THE REPORT DOESN'T TELL THE
WHOLE STORY.
WHOLE STORY. THEY POINT TO THE CIVIL WAR AND
WHITE AMERICA'S ROLE IN FREEING
THE SLAVES.
THE SLAVES. WELCOME BACK.
WELCOME BACK. DR. WANDA TUCKER IS STILL WITH
US.
US.
US. AS
US. AS YOU HEARD, SHE'S DESCENDED
FROM SLAVES ON THE VERY FIRST
SHIP THAT ARRIVED ON THESE
SHORES.
SHORES.
SHORES. WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY TWO PEOPLE
WHO HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO HER
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. THE REVEREND REGINALD WALTON.
PASTOR AT CME CHURCH IN PHOENIX.
WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
I HOPE THIS IS GOING TO BE A
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. QUESTIONS FOR DR. TUCKER, FOR
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. BUT I DO WANT TO
START WITH THAT SOUND BYTE FROM
NEWT GINGRICH QUESTIONING THE
WHOLE PREMISE OF THE 1619
PROJECT.
PROJECT.
PROJECT. REVEREND WALTON, I'LL START WITH
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
OTHER CRITICS ARE SAYING THE
SAME THING.
SAME THING. >> FIRST, THANKS FOR HAVING ME
ON.
ON.
ON. THE
ON. THE IGNORANCE YOU HEARD FROM
NEWT GINGRICH, IT ECHOES A
NARRATIVE THAT IS UNFORTUNATE.
THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE.
THE NARRATIVE WANTS TO BELITTLE
THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE THAT
HAVE BEEN THROUGH TRAUMA FOR
GENERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
TRAUMA OF THE MIDDLE PASSAGE
BEING FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM
THEIR NATIVE HOME AND BROUGHT TO
THIS COUNTRY TO WORKFORCEFULLY,
NOT AS INDENTURED SERVANTS.
WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE THE
NARRATIVE AND I'M THANKFUL THE
STORY IS FINALLY BEING TOLD IN A
WAY THAT VALUES EVERYONE'S
EXPERIENCES.
EXPERIENCES. >> AYESHA GRAVES, I WANT TO ASK
YOU, HOW DRAMATICALLY DOES THAT
REPORT CHANGE YOUR NARRATIVE AND
WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT
SLAVERY IN AMERICA?
>> I'M HONORED TO BE HERE.
I THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. I'M
WELL. I'M HONORED TO ME YOU AS WELL.
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT
ONLY NEEDED, IT'S SO NECESSARY.
I GREW UP IN A COMMUNITY WHERE
BLACK HISTORY MONTH WAS ROOTS.
THAT'S ALL WE SAW.
THAT'S ALL WE TALKED ABOUT.
>> YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALEX
HAILEY'S ROOTS?
HAILEY'S ROOTS? >> THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF IT.
THIS CONVERSATION, YOUR STORY,
YOUR JOURNEY IS MOVING THE
CONVERSATION FORWARD SO YOUNG
PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW GOING THROUGH
SCHOOL HAVING THESE
CONVERSATIONS ACTUALLY HAVE
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT THAT
THEY CAN BE PROUD OF.
>> THAT'S SO INTERESTING TO ME
BECAUSE I WAS TELLING YOU
EARLIER I'M PART OF THE ROOTS
GENERATION.
GENERATION. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, ROOTS
WAS A MAJOR MINI SERIES BACK IN
THE DAY WHEN EVERYBODY WOULD SIT
AROUND THE TV AND WATCH IT BY
ALEX HAILEY BUT IT ONLY WENT SO
FAR.
FAR.
FAR. >>
FAR. >> I
FAR. >> I DON'T EVEN RECALL.
>> DIDN'T GO BACK TO 1619.
SO ONE OF THE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE
REPORTS COMING TO THE SURFACE,
WHAT PART OF THE STORY NEEDS TO
BE TOLD, DR. TUCKER?
>> I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER
THE RESILIENCY OF THE PEOPLE.
IT'S KNOCKED OUT OF MANY
STORIES, THEY WERE STRONG, THEY
WERE BRAVE.
WERE BRAVE. THEY WERE KIDNAPPED BECAUSE THEY
WERE STRONG AND THEY WERE
CAPABLE AND FOR THEIR SKILL SET.
NOT THAT THEY WERE LAZY.
NOT THAT THEY WERE IGNORANT.
THAT PART OF THE NARRATIVE
CONTINUES TO BE TOLD OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.
OVER AGAIN. THAT'S NOT ALL THE AT THIS POINT
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. I
STORY. I IMAGINE ISABEL AND ANTONY
ARRIVING ON THE SHORES IN 1619
NOT KNOWING THE LANGUAGE.
NOT KNOWING THE COUNTRY.
NOT RECOGNIZING PEOPLE.
THEY STARTED OUT WITH STHREE 350
ON THE
ON THE
ON THE SAN JUAN BATTISTA.
BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED, THERE
WAS 20 AND ODD.
A LOT OF LOSSES ALONG THE WAY.
AND YET THEY CONTINUED TO ENDURE
AND PERSEVERE.
AND PERSEVERE. AND THEY HAD A CHILD.
THAT TALKS ABOUT THE HUMANNESS
OF WHO THEY WERE AND HOW THEY
CONTINUED TO THRIVE AND PRESS
ON.
ON.
ON. THOSE
ON. THOSE ARE AWESOME STORIES ABOUT
THE RESILIENCY AND STRENGTH AND
INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES OF
AFRICAN AMERICANS.
AFRICAN AMERICANS. >> WHY IS THIS ESPECIALLY
RELEVANT TODAY IN THE TIME WE
LIVE IN?
LIVE IN?
LIVE IN? >> IT'S ABOUT EMPOWERMENT.
THE CLIMATE THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT
NOW, WE ARE GOING BACKWARDS SO
QUICKLY AND WE'RE IN A PLACE
WHERE OUR VOICE, OUR STORIES,
OUR HISTORY IS BEING MINIMIZED.
WE WERE ALREADY STRIPPED OF YOUR
LANGUAGE, YOUR CULTURE, YOUR
LAND, YOUR GUIDE.
AND NOW HERE WE ARE IN A PLACE
WHERE WE HAVE A CLIP LIKE WE SAW
HERE WHERE FOR WHATEVER REASON,
STRENGTH HAS BEEN FOUND IN THIS
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. PRIDE HAS BEEN TAKEN IN THIS
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. AND SOMEONE IS COMING ALONG
SAYING HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HAVE
PRIDE IN YOUR CULTURE WHEN WE
ALREADY TOLD YOU YOU COULDN'T.
NOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE
STORY, EMPOWER OURSELVES,
EMPOWER OUR CHILDREN SO AS WE
MOVE FORWARD, WE KNOW IT'S NOT
JUST A STORY OF ROOTS, OF
BEADING, OF BRANDING.
IT IS STRENGTH.
THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
>> I CAN STOP IT THERE.
WE'LL START WITH YOU IN OUR NEXT
SEGMENT.
SEGMENT.
SEGMENT. WHEN WE COME BACK, FINAL
THOUGHTS ON BUILDING A BRIDGE
FROM 1619 TO 2019 AND BEYOND.
WHERE DOES THE CONVERSATION ON
SLAVERY AND ITS IMPACT ON
AMERICA GO FROM HERE?