>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
MY NEXT GUEST IS A COMEDIAN, WRITER AND TELEVISION HOST.
HIS NEW CNN SERIES IS "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA."
PLEASE WELCOME W. KAMAU BELL!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) ♪ WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS ♪
♪ WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS ♪ ♪ WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS ♪
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: W. KAMAU BELL OR
JUST KAMAU.
>> WE KNOW EACH OTHER SO KAMAU IS FINE.
>> Stephen: WE MET RIGHT OVER THERE.
WHY THE W.?
IS THERE ANOTHER KAMAU BELL OUT THERE THAT YOU WANT TO SEPARATE
YOURSELF FROM?
>> YOU HAVE TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE PACK.
I MEET THEM ALL THE TIME.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT.
CONGRATULATIONS ON "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA."
WHAT'S THAT TITLE MEAN?
(APPLAUSE) >> THANK YOU THREE PEOPLE.
I APPRECIATE THAT.
I TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY AS A COMEDIAN.
I LIVE IN THE BAY AREA.
I KNOW THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE OUT THERE IN
THE WORLD AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TRY TO SIT DOWN AND
HAVE AS MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE AND LEARN FROM THEM AND
BE FUNN FUNNY AT THE SAME TIME.
I'M GOING FOR A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.
OBAMA GOT ONE.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S KEEPING YOU BACK?
>> I'M TWO WEEKS INTO MY SHOW.
I THINK IT'S ON THE WAY.
>> Stephen: ONE THING IS A BLACK GUY GOES WHERE HE
SHOULDN'T.
WHERE IS THAT.
>> BASICALLY IF YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE AS A BLACK PERSON YOU'RE
IN DANGEROUS TERRITORY.
I GO FURTHER.
I WILL GO TO TOWNS TO DO COMEDY AND AS SOON AS I WALK IN THEY
GO, YOU MUST BE THE COMEDIAN, JUST BECAUSE I DON'T LOOK LIKE
ASHOULD BE THERE.
THEY'RE, LIKE, YOU SHOULD BE FUNNY OR YOU'RE IN THE WRONG
PLACE.
>> Stephen: YOU WENT TO ONE PLACE SPECIFICALLY THAT SEEMED
LIKE THE WRONG PLACE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YOU MET MEMBERS OF THE CLAN.
>> THE K.K.K., NOT A SCOTTISH CLAN.
>> Stephen: KLAN WITH A K.
YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU SPOKE TO SOME OF THE LEADERS ABOUT
WHETHER THEY WERE HATEFUL RACIST OR VIOLENT.
WE HAVE A CLIP.
>> THE KLAN TO ME IS A TOOL TO REACH PEOPLE.
I FEEL IT GETS THE BIGGEST BANG FOR THE BUCK AND THAT'S WHY I
JOINED THE KLAN.
>> OKAY.
BUT MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS THAT BLACK PEOPLE CANNOT
MAINTAIN LAW AND ORDER ON THEIR OWN.
>> REALLY?
THAT'S MY PERSONAL BELIEF.
AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
WHITE PEOPLE HAVE AN INNER DRIVE FOR DISCIPLINE AND LAW AND
ORDER.
>> ALL WHITE PEOPLE?
NO, NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE.
(LAUGHTER) >> Stephen: WELL...
UH...
GREAT RESTRAINT SHOWN BY YOU IN THAT INTERVIEW.
IS THAT TOUGH TO SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO THAT?
>> IT WAS TOUGH TO TRY TO SIT THERE AND EAT.
WE WERE EATING LUNCH.
I COULDN'T TAKE IN THE HATRED AND EAT A BUGGER AT THE SAME
TIME.
IT WAS TOO MUCH MULTI-TASKING.
>> Stephen: I FOUND THERE ARE REALLY DELICIOUS RACIST BARBECUE
IN THE WORLD, THOUGH.
>> THERE IS, YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU GO TO A CROSS BURNING.
>> YES, I WENT TO THE FIRST SHOOTING, MET THE CREW THE NIGHT
BEFORE THE HOTEL AND THE FIRST SHOOTING, WE WENT TO A CROSS
BURNING.
FIRST DAY OF WORK, A CROSS BURNING.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF CALM WHEN THERE ARE
PEOPLE BURNING A CROSS, SUCH A SYMBOL OF HATE.
YOU TRY TO MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH THESE PEOPLE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU MAKE A CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE WHOSE
ENTIRE POLITICAL ETHOS IS TO DIVIDE THE RACES?
>> I DEFINITELY WENT THERE BECAUSE I KNEW WE WERE MAKING
THIS AS A TV SHOW.
I WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO HANG OUT WITH THE KLAN MYSELF.
>> YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT.
>> Stephen: I KNEW THE WHOLE TIME THERE IS A GREATER THING WE
WERE TRYING TO DO IF IT ENDS UP IN A JERRY SPRINGER CHAIR
EPISODE, IT WON'T DO WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
I LISTEN, PROCESS, TRY TO MAKE THEM LAUGH.
THEN WHEN THEY STARTED BURNING THE CROSS, I RELIED ON THE
WEIGHT OF BLACK PEOPLE'S HISTORY TO KEEP ME IN THE MOMENT.
I FELT LIKE I COULDN'T RUN OUT OF HERE AND SCREAM AND I HAD TO
WITNESS IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED A CROSS BURNING DIDN'T GET OUT
ALIVE AND I THOUGHT I GET TO LEAVE SO I ACCEPTED IT.
>> Stephen: I TAKE IT THERE IS A WEIGHT ON THE WAY WHITE PEOPLE
HAVE TREATED OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS NATION THAT THERE IS A LAND
MIND FOR UNWITTING RACIST BEHAVIOR OR STATEMENTS.
WHAT IS THE MOST RACIST THING YOU THINK PEOPLE DO WITHOUT
THINKING IT'S RACIST?
>> I THINK THE MOST RACIST THING PEOPLE DO WITHOUT THINKING IT'S
RACISM IS LIKE A SENTENCE LIKE THIS -- I'M NOT RAYSIST BUT...
I THINK THE MINUTE YOU TRY TO PRETEND, ESPECIALLY IN A WHITE
PERSON'S COUNTRY, YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY BENEFITING FROM RACISM
IN WHITE SUPREMACY, THE MINUTE YOU'RE ACCEPTING THAT, YOU'RE
LEANING INTO RACISM.
>> Stephen: WELL I'M NOT RACIST BUT LET ME JUST ASK
THIS -- (LAUGHTER)
IS THERE A PARTICULAR RACISM THAT BLACK PEOPLE ENGAGE IN THAT
YOU'RE AWARE OF?
>> WHEN YOU SAY RACISM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WAY SMARTER THAN ME LIKE
CORNELL WEST, THE GUY I TRY TO LOOK LIKE.
>> Stephen: GOT TO GET A BIGGER BEARD.
>> WORKING ON IT.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
ACADEMICS DON'T BELIEVE YOU CAN BE RACIST IF YOU'RE A BLACK
PERSON.
WE CAN BE PREJUDICE BUT RACIST IMPLIES POWER AND INSTITUTIONS
BEHIND IT.
I CAN BE PREJUDICE AND NOT LIKE WHITE PEOPLE BUT I CAN'T NOT
LIKE THEM AND NOT GIVE THEM THEIR VOTING RIGHTS.
SOUTH A VERY DIFFERENT THING.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YOU'RE LUCKY BECAUSE AS A WHITE PERSON IT'S
SUPER EASY FOR ME TO BE RACIST.
I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY.
>> WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, RACISM!
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LARRY WILLMORE AND THE WAY HE
ENDED HIS SPEECH WITH THE N WORD WITH THE PRESIDENT?
>> I LIKE LARRY WILLMORE.
HE WAS PLAYING TO THE PEOPLE AT HOME.
I DIDN'T APPRECIATE ALL THE CNN JOKES.
THAT'S MY NEW NETWORK.
HE SAID HE REMEMBERS WHEN CNN USED TO BE A NEWS NETWORK.
AND THAT WAS A SHOT AT ME.
I SAID I REMEMBER WHEN A SHOW LIKE THE DAILY SHOW WAS FUNNY.
(LAUGHTER) >> Stephen: "UNITED SHADES OF
AMERICA" AIRS ON CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH W. KAMAU BELL.