♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "LONG TIME COMING: RECKONING
WITH RACE IN AMERICA," MICHAEL ERIC DYSON.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO SAY BASICALLY
AMERICA IS ON A DEMOGRAPHIC TRAJECTORY TO CHANGE OUR
ATTITUDES ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, RACE BEING ONE OF THEM, THAT
BASICALLY, THE NEXT GENERATION WILL REPLACE THE PRESENT
GENERATION THAT WILL NOT ACCEPT THE CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE
MADE?
>> YEAH, THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THAT IS THAT WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE TIKI TORCH BEARERS, THEY WERE YOUNG, WELL COIFFED, HAD
NICE HAIR DOS, BUT THEY WERE PROMOTING NEOFASCISM AND
NEO-NAZIISM.
IN OTHER WORDS, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE YOUNGER DOESN'T MEAN
YOU'RE MORE ENLIGHTENED.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A REAL INTENTION TO CHANGE THE WORLD AS
WE SEE IT.
A PEW REPORT STUDY SAID THAT EXCEPT FOR INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE,
MILLENNIALS THINK THE SAME THING ABOUT RACE AS THE BOOMERS DID.
SO STOP WITH THE "OKAY BOOMER," STUFF, BECAUSE YOU THINK THE
SAME THINGS THAT THEY DID.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, BESIDES INTERRACIAL
RELATIONSHIPS, THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH ON THE SAME PAGE.
THAT MEANS WE'VE GOT REAL WORK TO DO, AND JUST BEING YOUNG
AIN'T ENOUGH.
>> Stephen: THE BOOK ENDS WITH A PLEA FOR HOPE.
HOW DO YOU STAY HOPEFUL?
WHAT GIVES YOU HOPE RIGHT NOW?
WELL, YOU KNOW, LOOK, BESIDES WATCHING YOUR SHOW AND SEEING
YOU DIRECTLY THE MOST EDIFYING VENOM AGAINST THE MOST VICIOUS
PRESIDENCY WE'VINE SEEN, I DIG INTO MY FAITH.
AND I SAY, LOOK, HOWARD THURMAN, ONE OF THE GREAT MISTACS IN MY
TRADITION, SAID YOU CAN'T REDUCE YOUR DREAMS TO THE EVENT YOU'RE
CONFRONTING RIGHT NOW.
THE THING YOU'RE CONFRONTING RIGHT NOW MAY LOOK LIKE A HUGE
OBSTACLE.
BUT OUR SLAVE FORPARENTS ENVUGZED THE WORLD.
YOU CAN BE A PRISONER OF EVENT OR A PRISONER OF HOPE.
I CHOOSE TO BE A PRISONER OF HOPE.
NO MATTER HOW DARK IT GETS, IT CAN BE BRIGHTER.
NO MATTER HOW HORRIBLE THINGS LOOK, THEY CAN BE MADE BETTER.
AND NO MATTER HOW WE HAVE GIVEN IN TO THE WORST ANGELS OF OUR
SOULS, WE CAN APPEAL TO THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE.
>> Stephen: WELL, CAN THE TIME IS AVAILABLE NOW.
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
MICHAEL, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.