>>> WE’RE LIVING IN A POLITICAL ERA THAT HAS MANY PEOPLE FEELING
DESPAIR.
DESPAIR. RAISING QUESTIONS THAT ARE
DEEPER THAN POLITICS, LIKE, IS
OUR SOCIETY GOING BACKWARDS?
IF CIVIL SOCIETY IS BROKEN, ARE
WE BETTER OFF JUST FOCUSING ON
OUR OWN HAPPINESS OR THE BIG
ONE, WHAT’S THE POINT OF LIFE?
MANY TURN TO THE ARTS FOR
INSIGHTS FROM THE HAND"THE HANDM
TALE" TO "BLACK MIRROR," ALICE
WALKER IS WEIGHING IN ON HER
ART.
ART. SHE SAYS, YOU CANNOT REGRET
MISFORTUNE, BECAUSE IT CAN LEAD
US SOMEONE BETTER.
WALKER JOINS ME ON "THE BEAT"
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. VIEWERS MAY RECOGNIZE HER NAME
FROM OVER 35 BOOKS OF FICTION
AND POETRY, OR HER PULITZER
PRIZE FROM THE NOVEL "THE COLOR
PURPLE," THAT FEATURES THE FILM
DEBUTS OF TWO BLACK WOMEN,
WHOOPI GOLDBERG AND OPRAH
WINFREY IN A TALE THAT CONFRONTS
THE RAVAGES OF SLAVERY AND
ABUSE.
ABUSE. >> ALL MY LIFE I HAD TO FIGHT.
I HAD TO FIGHT MY DADDY, I HAD
TO FIGHT MY UNCLES.
I HAD TO FIGHT MY BROTHERS.
GIRL CHILD AIN’T SAFE IN A
FAMILY OF MEN, BUT I AIN’T NEVER
THOUGHT I HAD TO FIGHT IN MY OWN
HOUSE.
HOUSE. >> WALKER IS NOW CONFRONTING THE
TRUMP ERA HEAD-ON.
SHE WRITES, AMERICANS DISTRAUGHT
AT TRUMPISM SHOULD CHANNEL ANGER
INTO A WIDER AWAKENING AND HER
NEW BOOK OF POETRY GRAPPLES WITH
RACE, POLICE BRUTALITY, AND THE
IMMIGRATION CRISIS.
IMMIGRATION CRISIS. ALICE WALKER, AN HONOR TO HAVE
YOU HERE.
YOU HERE. >> I’M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING WITH YOUR
POEMS AND DO YOU THINK OF THEM
AS A MESSAGE ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND
POLITICS?
POLITICS? >> I THINK OF THEM AS A WAY TO
TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT ATTENDING
TO THEIR OWN HURT AND THEIR OWN
WOUNDS INSTEAD OF JUST SCREAMING
AT THE PERSON WHO HURT YOU
BECAUSE THERE’S A WAY IN WHICH
IF WE DON’T HEAL OURSELVES, WE
CAN NEVER HEAL THE WORLD, AND
THAT’S THE LOCUST, THE CENTRAL
POINT OF THIS BOOK.
>> THAT SEEMS TO BE A
DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOW DO YOU
HAVE CATHARSIS OR PROGRESS
VERSUS THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE OR
WHAT CAN BE GETTING EVEN BECAUSE
WE’RE ALSO HAVING A CONVERSATION
HERE ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE GET AWAY
WITH RIGHT NOW IN AMERICA.
>> YES, AND ALSO PART OF WHAT
HAPPENS IF YOU TRY TO GET AWAY
WITH SOMETHING THAT’S TERRIBLE
IS THAT YOU CANNOT -- THIS POEM
ABOUT THE POLICE, WHAT I’M
SAYING IS THAT THE WHITE COPS
WHO KILL OUR CHILDREN, THEY CAN
ONLY EXPECT TO BE HEALED BY
SITTING WITH THE MOTHERS OF THE
CHILDREN THEY HAVE KILLED, AND
COULD BE A BEGINNING OF THEIR
HEALING AND HEALING OUR SOCIETY.
>> THAT POEM IN THE NEW BOOK
HERE TO THE POLICE, I KNOW WE
HAVE IT RIGHT THERE IF YOU WOULD
READ IT TO US.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. THIS IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO OWN
THE POLICE.
THE POLICE. THIS IS NOT DIRECTLY TO THE
POLICE BECAUSE THEY ARE PEOPLE
WHO ACTUALLY OWN THEM.
OFTEN THEY ARE NOT AWARE THAT
THEY’RE OWNED BY SOMETHING MORE
THAN THEMSELVES.
THAN THEMSELVES. THOUGH USUALLY DEVOID OF
FEELING, THEY ARE EXPERIENCING
ASCENSION THEY ALMOST ENJOY.
THEY GET TO WITNESS BY TWISTED
ENCHANTMENT, DOZENS OF STRONG
BLACK MOTHERS WEEPING.
THEY PLANNED AND NURTURED YOUR
HATRED AND FEAR, SPEAKING OF THE
POLICE, AND FOCUSED THE KILL
SHOT.
SHOT. >> WHO DO YOU HOPE READS THAT?
>> WELL, I HOPE WHOEVER’S
INTERESTED IN FREEING THEIR OWN
HEART AND SPIRIT.
I’M NOT INTERESTED IN WRITING
ACTUALLY POLITICAL THINGS
EXACTLY, BUT I WANT TO CHANGE
PEOPLE, THE WAY THEY INTERACT
WITH EACH OTHER AND THE WAY THEY
SEE REALITY AND THE WAY THEY SEE
OUR HISTORY.
OUR HISTORY. >> YOU HAVE A PULITZER PRIZE.
KENDRICK LAMAR IS A YOUNG
MUSICIAN, THE FIRST RAPPER TO
WIN A PULITZER PRICE EVER THIS
PAST YEAR.
PAST YEAR. I WANT TO PLAY YOU SOMETHING
FROM ONE OF HIS SONGS IN A VIDEO
THAT ECHOS YOUR WORK.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> ALL I LIFE I HAVE TO FEET.
ALLS MY LIFE, HARD TIMES LIKE
YEAH.
YEAH. >> HAVE YOU HEARD HIM QUOTE YOU
BEFORE?
BEFORE? >> NO.
>> NO. >> YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THAT?
>> NO.
>> NO. >> HE’S BIG, NOT ALICE WALKER
BEING, BUT HE’S BIG.
>> I’M HAPPY FOR HIM.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HIM
USING YOUR WORK?
>> HE’S UNDERSTANDING THAT’S THE
TRUTH OF IT FOR POOR PEOPLE AND
PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE’VE HAD TO FIGHT FOR IT ALL
OUR LIVES.
OUR LIVES. IT’S A GOOD THING WE CAN TALK TO
EACH OTHER ACROSS GENERATIONS.
>> PRIZES ARE A FUNNY THING.
I DON’T IMAGINE YOU FOCUS ON
THEM, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
CRITICIZE THE PULITZER FOR
HANDING THEM OUT TO MUSICIANS.
DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD GO TO
MUSICIANS?
MUSICIANS? >> I’M NOT CRAZY ABOUT PRIZES,
SO WHATEVER WANTS THEM SHOULD
HAVE THEM AND PEOPLE WHO CAN DO
WITHOUT THEM SHOULD DO WITHOUT
THEM.
THEM. >> WE TALK ABOUT "THE COLOR
PURPLE" TO THINK THERE’S TWO
TALENTED PEOPLE WHO HAPPENED TO
BE BLACK WOMEN, OPRAH AND
WHOOPI, THE FACT THAT THEY’VE
NEVER BEEN IN A FILM BEFORE
THAT, WAS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?
>> I WAS HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
THE REAL JOY COMES FROM DOING
THE WORK.
THE WORK. IT DOESN’T REALLY COME FROM THE
PRIES
PRIES PRIZE.
PRIZE. >> THAT’S INSPIRING ABOUT YOU.
IT IS OBVIOUS TO OBSERVE, BUT I
WILL OBSERVE IT THAT THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT YOU AND THE
PRESIDENT DO NOT HAVE IN COMMON.
HE TENDS TO BRAG A LOT BUT HE
CLAIMS TO BE SMART AND EDUCATED.
THIS IS THE ONLY QUOTING OF THE
PRESIDENT WE’LL DO, BUT I WANT
TO PLAY YOU A CLIP.
>> I WENT TO AN IVY LEAGUE
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. I’M VERY HIGHLY EDUCATED.
I KNOW WORDS.
I HAVE THE BEST WORDS.
>> WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU THAT
IT’S IMPORTANT TO HIM TO BE
PERCEIVED AS SO SMART?
>> IT TELLS ME THAT HE KNOWS HE
PROBABLY IS NOT AND HE HAS AN
INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX. THAT’S VERY SAD, BUT IT’S EVEN
SADDER THAT WE ELECTED HIM TO
LEAD.
LEAD. WE DEFINITELY NEED A VERY
DIFFERENT KIND OF LEADER, AND,
IN FACT, WE ACTUALLY NEED TO
LEAD OURSELVES, AND UNTIL WE DO,
WE PROBABLY WON’T GET VERY FAR.
>> DOES A FEELING OF INFERIORITY
OR A LACK OF SELF-AFFIRMATION,
DOES THAT MAKE PEOPLE MORE
DANGEROUS WHEN THEY COME INTO
CONTACT WITH POWER OR MONEY?
>> YES, BECAUSE THERE’S ALWAYS
ENVY, A NEED TO MEASURE UP, YOU
KNOW.
KNOW. I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE THAT BETWEEN
HIM AND BARACK OBAMA.
I THINK THE ENVY THERE WAS SO
BLATANT.
BLATANT. >> THAT DONALD TRUMP ENVIED
BARACK OBAMA EVEN THOUGH HE
STARTED WITH MORE THAN BARACK
OBAMA?
OBAMA? >> THAT’S PART OF THE PROBLEM,
THAT HE HAD EVERYTHING AND
BARACK IS A BLACK MAN WHO IS
SUPPOSED TO HAVE NOTHING.
AND WHAT HAPPENED, ALL THINGS
THAT THIS PRESIDENT ISN’T.
AND IT’S VERY HARD TO TAKE.
BUT THE ANSWER IS NOT TO MAKE US
ALL SUFFER, IT’S TO GO AND
IMPROVE YOURSELF.
IMPROVE YOURSELF. >> ALICE WALKER, FOR MY IT’S AN
HONOR TO HAVE YOU HERE, SO I
APPRECIATE YOU COMING BY.