>> STEPHEN: WELCOME BACK.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, -- ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY GUEST TONIGHT CURRENTLY
SERVES AS A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW
JERSEY.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW, SENATOR CORY BOOKER.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
GOOD SEEING YOU AGAIN!
IT'S LOVELY TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW, AND I HOPE THIS DOES NOT
DENIGRATE THE POSITION OF A SENATOR.
YOU ARE A RAY OF SUNSHINE.
>> I HAVE TO SAY THIS ABOUT YOU, BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO RUN THINGS,
IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THEM, THE PEOPLE THAT WORK AROUND -- YOUR
FOLKS ARE JUST SO NICE.
THEY'RE REALLY REALLY KIND.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
I'M SO LUCKY TO WORK WITH THEM.
SO LOVELY PEOPLE.
>> IT'S SO NICE YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP PEOPLE OFFERED ME HAIR.
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS VERY, VERY KIND.
>> Stephen: THINK ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU EVER RUN FOR
PRESIDENT.
>> I WILL, I WILL.
>> Stephen: I HAVE SOME FANS OUT THERE.
YESTERDAY WAS JUNETEENTH.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OF COURSE, THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY FELL ON SUNDAY,
SO IT'S BEING CELEBRATED TODAY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: NOW, TWO YEARS AGO, YOU INTRODUCED JUNETEENTH
LEGISLATION THAT PASSED A YEAR LATER.
HOW DOES IT FEEL, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU FOR THIS TO BE A
FEDERAL HOLIDAY NOW AND TO BE CELEBRATING THE SECOND YEAR OF
IT?
>> WE WERE FOUNDED AND CONCEIVED IN THE IDEALS OF LIBERTY AND
FREEDOM.
WE WEREN'T FREE AT THAT POINT.
WOMEN DIDN'T HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS, AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE FRACTIONS
OF HUMAN BEINGS, AND THIS IS A CELEBRATION OF OUR COUNTRY'S
CONTINUED WORK, SACRIFICE, STRUGGLE, DEATH AND WAR TO
EVENTUALLY GET YET ANOTHER MAJOR STEP TOWARDS OUR HIGHEST IDEALS.
SO IT'S A TIME OF, FOR ME, A REAL CELEBRATION.
>> Stephen: AND ITNITIS THAT IT COMES RIGHT BEFORE THE FOURTH
OF JULY.
>> IT'S NICE THEY'RE PAIRED SO CLOSE TOGETHER.
>> Stephen: IT'S A REMINDER LIBERTY HAS TO BE FOR FOR ONE.
>> AND ALSO A REMINDER THAT IN THIS COUNTRY EVERY GENERATION
HAS TO WORK AND SACRIFICE TO SECURE THE MESSINGS OF LIBERTY
BECAUSE FREEDOM IS NOT EVER WON, IT HAS TO BE REWON BY EVERY
GENERATION.
>> Stephen: NOW, THERE HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROVERSS
ONLY YEAR TWO -- THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF JUNETEENTH.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: PRODUCTS BEING SOLD THAT ARE JUNETEENTH
COLORED.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: OR THAT, YOU KNOW, JUNETEENTH MATTRESS SALES OR
WHATEVER IT IS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: SORT OF THE PRESIDENT'S DAY, MARTIN LUTHER
KING DAY OF JUNETEENTH.
ARE YOU FOR OR AGAINST THE COMMERCIALISM?
>> I THINK THE MATERIALISM, COMMERCIALISM, THOSE STREAMS IN
OUR SOCIETY OFTEN DETRACT FROM THE NOBILITY AND PRINCIPLES AND
IDEALS, BUT ALSO FOR US CONFRONTING THE FULLNESS OF OUR
HISTORY.
I'VE GOTTEN FRUSTRATED ON MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, WE'VE CREATED A
SANTIFICATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, WHEN HE WAS UNPOPULAR WHEN
HE DIED.
HE PUSHED THIS COUNTRY TO EXPAND ITS MORALIZATION.
THE IDEA THIS HOLIDAY IS DESCENDING INTO CONSUMERISM, WE
CAN'T RETE THAT HAPPEN.
COMPANIES WILL WANT TO PAD THEIR BOTTOM LINES, BUT WE HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO NOT CHEAPEN THE HOLIDAY.
MOST IMPORTANTLY TO BE AND LIVE THE YIELTDZ WE'RE CELEBRATING.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I THINK THAT'S
EXACTLY RIGHT.
I THINK IT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT THE -- THE DAY, WHAT THE CELEBRATION
IS.
BUT THE COMMERCIALIZATION MEANS IT'S A REAL AMERICAN HOLIDAY.
( LAUGHTER ) IF CORPORATIONS ARE MAKING
MONEY, IT'S GOING TO BE WITH US FOREVER.
( LAUGHTER ) >> YOU ADD TO THAT LARGE AMOUNTS
OF CONSUMING FOOD AND MAKES IT VERY AMERICAN.
>> Stephen: SURE.
I SAID TO THE BAND AND THE AUDIENCE AT THE TOP, HAPPY
JUNETEENTH.
I'M SO NEW TO THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION.
DO YOU SAY HAPPY JUNETEENTH?
BECAUSE YOU DON'T SAY HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: DO YOU SAY HAPPY JUNETEENTH BECAUSE MY ONLY
HESITANCY IS IT IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE ENDING OF
SOMETHING SO HORRIBLE.
>> BUT YOU REMEMBER, IT WAS A JUBILEE.
PEOPLE WERE CELEBRATING AT THE TIME.
IT WAS THIS INCREDIBLE MOMENT OF JOY, AND WE SHOULD REMEMBER
THAT, AND WHAT IT MEANT.
SO I DEFINITELY THINK, IF YOU'RE CELEBRATING THE FOURTH OF JULY,
DEAR GOD, LET'S CELEBRATE THIS AS WELL.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, GOOD,
FROM THE MAN WHO INTRODUCED THE BILL HIMSELF.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
YOU RECENTLY WROTE A TRIBUTE TO JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON FOR
THE TIME 100.
>> YES, THIS IS THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
>> Stephen: YES.
AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU -- WHAT IS THE MEANING OF KETANJI
BROWN JACKSON'S ELEVATION TO THE SUPREME COURT AND WHAT WAS IT
LIKE FOR YOU TO SEE THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN BECOME A JUSTICE?
>> I HAVE TO ADMIT, IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL TO ME.
I CONFESSED TO HER I'M SO FAR DOWN IN SENIORITY IT TAKES A
LONG TIME TO GET TO ME, AND I JUST KEPT LOOKING AT THIS PERSON
IN AWE AND SEEING IN HER, I HAVE TO SAY, MY FAMILY MEMBERS OR MY
ANCESTORS.
THIS IS STUNNING THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME.
WE'VE HAD ABOUT 118 SPCTD JUSTICES, ABOUT 108 OF THEM HAVE
BEEN WHITE MEN AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER WE'RE R WE ARE
PUTTING A BLACK WOMAN ON THE SUPREME COURT.
PART OF ME IS SORRY IT TOOK TO AS LONG AS, BUT PART OF ME WAS
JUST SO OVERWHELMED WITH JOY AND EMOTION AND GRATITUDE TO ALL
THAT HAD TO HAPPEN TO GET HER THERE.
AND IN MANY WAYS, I KNOW SHE IS A GLASS CEILING BREAKER, HISTORY
MAKER, AND THAT SHE WILL WIDEN THE PATHWAY FOR MORE PEOPLE TO
COME BECAUSE, STUNNINGLY, WE ARE A NATION THAT STILL -- I'M ONLY
THE FOURTH BLACK PERSON EVER PROPERLY ELECTED TO THE UNITED
STATES SENATE.
MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WE ARE STILL, IN SO MANY AREAS OF OUR
SOCIETY, EVEN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, I MEAN, IF YOU JUST LOOK
AT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN, FORGET BLACK WOMEN, WHO GET VENTURE
MONEY TO START BUSINESSES, IT'S ABOUT 1%.
SO THIS IS A MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY WHERE YOU HAVE THIS
MAGNIFICENT QUALIFIED PERSON, FORGET HER GENDER AND RACE, SHE
IS EXTRAORDINARY, BUT I JUST COULD NOT HELP BUT FEELING THE
SENSE OF HALLELUJAH, THE SENSE OF THANK GOD, THE SENSE OF WHAT
THIS REALLY MEANS FOR GENERATIONS YET UNBORN TO HAVE
THIS LIGHT HELPING TO CAST AWAY THE REMAINING DARKNESS THAT
SEEMS TO CLOUD THIS COUNTRY'S ABOUT TO SHOW ITS TRUTH, THAT WE
ARE A PROFOUNDLY BEAUTIFUL MULTI-CULTURAL DEMOCRACY WITH
TALENT EVERYWHERE, BUT IN SOME AREAS, STILL, WE SELECT TOO FEW.
>> Stephen: WE WILL TAKE A QUICK BREAK AND WHEN WE COME
BACK WE'LL ASK SENATOR BOOKER ABOUT THE PROPOSED GUN CONTROL
LEGISLATION COMING UP IN THE SENATE.
STICK AROUND.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )