- TONIGHT ON "LOVE AND RESPECT," A CONVERSATION WITH OSCAR-NOMINATED ACTRESS AND PRODUCER, AUNJANUE ELLIS.

- MRS. HAMER IS AND WAS A PROPHETIC VOICE.

WHEN I SAY PROPHECY, I DON'T JUST MEAN LIKE HOW SHE MOVED ABOUT IN THE WORLD TELLING FOLKS ABOUT THEMSELVES IN THE MOMENT, THAT SHE SPOKE TO THE MOMENT THAT WE ARE LIVING IN NOW.

- "KING RICHARD" STAR AUNJANUE ELLIS COMING UP RIGHT NOW.

- [ANNOUNCER] "LOVE & RESPECT" WITH KILLER MIKE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY... - REGINA APPROACHES THE ALL-ELECTRIC CADILLAC LYRIQ.

IT'S A SUNNY DAY.

- NAH, A STORMY DAY.

- CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS.

- MM-MM, BRASS BAND, NEW ORLEANS.

♪♪ - SHE DRIVES HANDS-FREE ALONG THE COAST.

- MAKE IT PALM SPRINGS.

CADILLAC IS GOING ELECTRIC.

IF YOU WANNA BE BOLD, YOU HAVE TO GO OFF SCRIPT.

- EXPERIENCE THE ALL-ELECTRIC CADILLAC LYRIQ.

♪♪ - GOOD EVENING, AUNJANUE ELLIS.

IT IS A PLEASURE, PLEASURE, PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

- I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.

- AS AM I.

YOU ARE MORE THAN JUST AN ACTRESS, YOU'RE A PHENOMENAL ACTRESS.

YOU ARE NOW WIDELY KNOWN FOR YOUR ROLE IN "KING RICHARD" AS VENUS AND SERENA'S MOM.

YOU'RE KNOWN FROM "LOVECRAFT COUNTRY" NOMINATED FOR AN EMMY.

YOU'VE BEEN NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR.

YOU'VE BEEN NOMINATED FOR TWO EMMYS.

THIS IS HOW THEY SEE US IN "LOVECRAFT COUNTRY".

BUT WHAT I WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS A FILM NOT YET MADE, AND IT'S ABOUT A HERO OF MINE, A BLACK WOMAN HERO, A BLACK SOUTHERN HERO, A WORKER CLASS HERO, AND AN AMAZING LEADER, AND A WOMAN NAMED FANNIE LOU HAMER WHO MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH, BUT IF YOU'RE FROM THE DEEP SOUTH, YOU'VE HEARD THIS WOMAN'S NAME EVOKED IN TERMS OF CIVIL RIGHTS, IN TERMS OF FAIRNESS AND EQUITY.

SHE WAS A MISSISSIPPIAN.

WHAT IS THE DREAM MOVIE ABOUT IN TERMS OF HER AND WHY FANNIE LOU?

- I'M TICKLED A LITTLE BIT JUST TO BE TALKING TO YOU.

IT'S INTERESTING TO ME TO...

I SAW YOU ON STAGE AND NOW I'M LOOKING AT YOU.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

- I FEEL THE SAME WAY WATCHING YOU ON SCREEN AND NOW TALKING TO YOU.

- YEAH, SO I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING ME.

YEAH, SO I LOVE WHAT YOU SAID THAT SHE WAS A WORKER.

- YES.

- AND THAT SETS HER APART BECAUSE SHE HAS A PARTICULAR KIND OF UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT'S LIKE.

IT'S A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE...

IT'S A DIFFERENT JOB TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK FOR PEOPLE AND KNOW THEIR EXPERIENCE.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?

- ABSOLUTELY.

- BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE LEADERS OF THE FREEDOM RIGHTS MOVEMENT OR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THEY WEREN'T NECESSARILY IN THE COTTON FIELDS.

- YES, THEY WERE NOT.

- DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

THEY WERE NOT (LAUGHING).

THEY WERE NOT.

BUT THEY WERE SPEAKING FOR PEOPLE WHO THEY DIDN'T SHARE...

THEY SHARED, I GUESS, CERTAIN...

THE MOTIVE, WHICH WOULD BE FOR AS YOU SAY, FAIRNESS AND EQUITY.

BUT IT'S ANOTHER THING TO HAVE THAT, BE THAT SPOKESPERSON, SPOKESWOMAN WHEN YOU HAVE CALLOUSES ON YOUR HANDS.

- YES.

SO FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT KNOW, WE'RE BOTH FROM THE DEEP SOUTH.

SO I'M FROM ATLANTA.

- DEEP, DEEP.

- PEOPLE THINK THAT'S PRETTY COSMOPOLITAN.

YOU'RE AN ACTRESS, PEOPLE IDENTIFY ACTING WITH NEW YORK OR LOS ANGELES.

YOU WERE BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO, BUT MOVED, DID THE REVERSE MIGRATION, MOVED TO MISSISSIPPI.

WE WOULD GET SENT TO TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA IN THE SUMMERS.

SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK MAYBE AS HARD AS MY GRANDPARENTS DID WHEN THEY WERE SHARECROPPERS.

BUT YOUR GREAT GRANDMOTHER, WHEN YOU GOT ON HER FARM, YOU DID STUFF, YOU CUT DOWN SUGAR CANE.

THE OLDER KIDS, IF THERE WAS SOME COTTON TO BE PICKED, YOU PICKED IT, IF THERE WAS SOME CORN TO BE SHUCKED, YOU SHUCKED IT, YOU FED THE CHICKENS, THE LITTLE KIDS FED THE CHICKENS IN THE MORNINGS.

YOU AVOIDED THE HOGS 'CAUSE THEY MIGHT KILL YOU.

SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH FARM LIFE.

AND YOU SPENT TIME LIKE FANNIE LOU HAMER ON A FARM, RIGHT?

- YEAH.

I DID.

MY FAMILY WASN'T...

THEY WEREN'T SHARECROPPERS, BUT THEY WERE FARMERS.

THEY HAD THEIR OWN FARM.

MY GRANDFATHER INHERITED, OR MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER SOLD THE FARMLAND TO MY GRANDFATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER JUST CONTINUED WITH FARMING.

AND YEAH, SO THEY WEREN'T SHARECROPPERS.

IT'S INTERESTING TO ME TO HAVE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ASSUME THAT IF YOU WERE ON A FARM IN MISSISSIPPI THAT YOU WERE A SHARECROPPER.

- YEAH.

- BUT MY FAMILY THEY WEREN'T SHARECROPPERS.

- YOU HAVE BEEN QUOTED TO SAY THAT YOUR TOWN, THAT WHERE YOU GUYS WERE, AND YOU WERE IN MAGNOLIA, MISSISSIPPI, CORRECT?

- YEAH, BETWEEN MAGNOLIA AND MCCOMB, MISSISSIPPI.

- OKAY.

- YEAH.

- YOU SAID THAT, "WE HAVE A TOWN OF FANNIE LOU HAMERS."

COULD YOU EXPOUND ON THAT?

BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT WE HAVE ONE LEADER THERE'S BEEN ONE EXCEPTIONAL BLACK PERSON, BUT WHEN YOU SAY A TOWN OF FANNIE LOU HAMERS THAT'S A TOWN OF PEOPLE WHO TAKE NO MESS, THAT'S A TOWN OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DETERMINED TO BE INDEPENDENT, THAT'S A TOWN OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND UPLIFTING THEIR COMMUNITY.

TALK ABOUT THAT, THE TOWN OF FANNIE LOU HAMERS.

- YEAH, WELL, I THINK THERE WAS A TIME IN THE EARLY 60S FOR A WHILE THAT MY TOWN OF MCCOMB WAS CALLED THE BOMBING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD- - WHY HOW?

- BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY BOMBINGS.

IT WAS JUST COMMONPLACE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

THESE BOMBINGS OF PEOPLE WERE EITHER GETTING BOMBED OR THEIR HOUSES, THEIR HOMES, OR THEIR CHURCHES WERE GETTING BURNED DOWN.

IT WAS JUST COMMONPLACE.

AND SO THERE'S A RECORD OF ALL OF THESE OFFENSES.

AND SO I LOOKED, I'VE STUDIED THESE, LOOKED OVER THEM.

SO ALL OF THIS STUFF IS DOCUMENTED, AND THESE ARE PEOPLE I KNOW.

PEOPLE THAT... MY GRANDFATHER'S CHURCH WAS BOMBED.

- WOW.

- AND HE WAS ARRESTED FOR BOMBING HIS OWN CHURCH.

THE POLICE OFFICERS IN THAT TOWN WHO WERE PROBABLY RESPONSIBLE OR PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOMBING IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEY CAME AND ARRESTED MY GRANDFATHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, HE HAD HIS PAJAMAS ON.

THEY TOOK HIM TO JACKSON.

AND SOMEONE I THINK ASSOCIATED WITH BOBBY KENNEDY MADE THE RIGHT PHONE CALL AND HE WAS ABLE TO GO HOME.

SO THAT HAPPENED TO MY GRANDDADDY.

AND THEN IN ANOTHER INSTANCE, THEY KIDNAPPED HIM AGAIN.

THIS IS SOMETHING I FOUND OUT RECENTLY.

THEY KIDNAPPED HIM AGAIN AND TOOK HIM OUT IN THE WOODS SOMEWHERE.

AND HE JUST, FROM THE STORY THAT MY UNCLE TELLS IS THAT HE JUST STARTED PRAYING.

AND THESE SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN MEN WERE SO ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES THAT THEY JUST LET HIM GO.

SO THAT'S IN MY FAMILY.

NOW, I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT MRS. GADEN.

I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAT I KNEW WHOSE HOMES WERE BOMBED, WHO WERE SHOT AT, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.

SO THEIR EXPERIENCE REFLECTED MRS. HAMER'S EXPERIENCE.

THIS WAS A WHOLE TOWN OF PEOPLE.

AND SO WHEN I CAME ALONG AND WAS FINDING OUT ABOUT THESE THINGS, THEY DIDN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT.

NOBODY REALLY TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT I'M READING ABOUT THIS STUFF THAT NOBODY'S SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT.

THE OTHER THING I WANTED, THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS, MIKE.

THERE'S THIS PERCEPTION ABOUT PEOPLE FROM MISSISSIPPI BEING PASSIVE, AND THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE LIE.

- YEAH, FANNIE LOU HAMER WAS NOT PASSIVE.

- AND THAT WAS WHEN... NO, SHE WAS NOT PASSIVE, AND NEITHER WERE THE PEOPLE FROM MY TOWN.

THEY WERE NOT PASSIVE AT ALL.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY WERE GETTING BOMBED SO MUCH BECAUSE THEY WERE RESISTANT AND THEY ENGAGED IN DEFENSIVE VIOLENCE.

- ABSOLUTELY.

- THERE'S A STORY, AND THIS HAPPENED IN 1964 AROUND THE TIME THAT MY GRANDDADDY'S CHURCH WAS BOMBED, THAT IT WAS A STRAIGHT SHOOTOUT BETWEEN POLICE OFFICERS IN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND THE MEN IN MY TOWN.

SO WHEN I SAY THAT I COME FROM A TOWN OF FANNIE LOU HAMERS, I COME FROM A WHOLE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO SHARED HER EXPERIENCE.

- CAN YOU TALK ABOUT AS YOU WERE RESEARCHING WHAT NEW STUFF YOU FOUND OUT OR WHAT WE COULD ALL LEARN FROM YOUR RESEARCH?

- YEAH, SO I GOT WITH THIS WONDERFUL DIRECTOR, HER NAME IS CHRISTINE SWANSON.

SHE APPLIED FOR THIS GRANT.

CHROMATIC BLACK GAVE HER THE MONEY, SHE CAME TO CHICAGO.

WE SHOT IT OVER A FEW HOURS ONE SUNDAY, ONE RAINY SUNDAY.

AND WE'VE RELEASED IT INTO THE WORLD.

MY IDEA WAS, LISTEN, IF I CAN'T MAKE A FULL MOVIE ABOUT MRS. HAMER, WHICH IS WHAT SHE DESERVES AND NEEDS TO HAPPEN, BECAUSE IF THEY WANNA KEEP HER OUT OF THE CLASSROOMS THEN I GOTTA CREATE SPACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT HER, AND THAT'S MY INTENTION.

SO WE DID THESE 10 MINUTES.

IT ACTED AS YOU SAID AS A PROOF OF CONCEPT, AND WHAT IT SHOWED WAS HOW MRS. HAMER WAS SO EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE WHAT SHE WAS DOING WAS SHE WAS AT 1964 AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, SHE WAS REMAKING THIS COUNTRY IN HER OWN IMAGE.

- YES.

- IN HER OWN IMAGE.

SHE SAID, "THIS IS WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE, BUT I'M GONNA MAKE YOU, I'M GONNA HOLD YOUR TOE TO THE LINE AND MAKE YOU PROVE IT NOT JUST TO ME, BUT TO THE WORLD."

AND THE SHAME THAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THAT, SOMEONE LIKE LYNDON JOHNSON WHO WAS THE PRESIDENT AT THE TIME WAS SO INTIMIDATED BY THAT KIND OF INTEGRITY THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF MRS. HAMER'S SPEECH, HE CALLED A PRESS CONFERENCE.

SO NETWORKS LITERALLY HAD THE CAMERAS IN FRONT OF HER FACE, RIGHT?

AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, THEY HAD TO BE LIKE, "OKAY, WE HAVE TO STOP THIS NOW BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE."

SO THEY HAD TO SWITCH ALL OF THEIR PROGRAMMING AND IT ALL WENT TO HIM, RIGHT?

- YES.

- BUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS, LATER THAT NIGHT, THE NETWORKS DECIDED TO AIR IT ANYWAY.

- YES.

- AND SO THE WORLD GOT TO HEAR WHAT MRS. HAMER HAD TO SAY.

WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT, MICHAEL, IS THAT DR. KING SPOKE.

- YES.

- AARON HENRY SPOKE.

CHARLES KING WHO'S FROM TUGALOO, WHO WAS A CHAPLAIN AT TUGALOO, HE SPOKE.

HE DIDN'T INTERRUPT NONE OF THEM.

- YEAH.

- HE LET THEM TALK.

BUT WHEN MRS. HAMER WANTED TO SPEAK, HE COULD NOT LET ANYBODY HEAR WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.

THAT'S HOW INTIMIDATED HE WAS BY HER TRUTH.

BY THE TRUTH OF WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.

I ENCOURAGE YOU- - ALSO JUST ONE MORE THING.

JUST ONE MORE THING.

- UH-HUH.

- IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID, IT'S ABOUT THIS IDEA OF BEING A WORKER ORGANIZER.

- ABSOLUTELY.

- RIGHT?

- BECAUSE DR. KING AS INCREDIBLE AS HE IS, HE WAS SPEAKING FOR FOLKS WHO WORKED IN THE COTTON FIELDS.

- YES.

- [AUNJANUE] MRS. HAMER WORKED IN THE COTTON FIELDS.

- ABSOLUTELY.

- SO THERE WAS A TRUTH TO WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY THAT DR. KING COULDN'T MATCH.

- MY NAME IS MRS. FANNIE LOU HAMER, AND I LIVE AT 626 EAST LAFAYETTE STREET, RULEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, SUNFLOWER COUNTY, THE HOME OF SENATOR JAMES O. EASTLAND AND SENATOR STENNIS, WHERE I HAVE LIVED AND WORKED AS A SHARECROPPER AND TIME KEEPER FOR 18 YEARS.

(GENTLE MUSIC) IN AUGUST OF 1962, I WENT TO TRY TO REGISTER TO VOTE.

WHEN I CAME BACK HOME, I WAS MET BY THE PLANTATION OWNER.

HE SAID TO ME THAT IF I DIDN'T GO DOWN THERE AND WITHDRAW MY REGISTRATION, I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE.

HE SAID THAT, "WE'RE NOT READY FOR THAT IN MISSISSIPPI."

I TOLD HIM THAT I DID NOT REGISTER FOR HIM, I REGISTERED FOR MYSELF.

I LEFT THAT SAME NIGHT.

- WHAT ABOUT FANNIE LOU'S STORY DO YOU WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE?

SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF 20 KIDS AND MORE.

COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER?

'CAUSE AT THE END OF THIS INTERVIEW I WANT PEOPLE RUNNING TO YOUTUBE TO FIND HER.

- MRS. HAMER WAS A 20TH CHILD.

HER FAMILY WAS LIKE MY FAMILY, WERE ON THE... WELL, MY FAMILY OWNED OUR LAND, BUT THEIR FAMILY WAS ABOUT TO- - WOW.

- START HAVING FULL OWNERSHIP.

THEY GOT HORSES AND EVERYTHING.

- YES.

AND THEN THEIR...

THEY'RE NOT PLANTATIONS, THEY'RE LABOR CAMPS.

THE LABOR CAMP OWNER, THEY POISONED THEIR HORSES.

- WOW.

- SO THEY CANNON SHOT THEM, CANNON SHOT THEM BACK INTO SLAVERY.

AND AS A RESULT, MRS. HAMER HAD TO START PICKING COTTON AT A YOUNG AGE.

SHE WAS ENTICED INTO PICKING COTTON BY SOMEONE, BY THIS OWNER GIVING HER CANDY, ENTICING HER WITH CANDY.

AND HE SAID TO HER, "IF YOU PICK THIS AMOUNT OF COTTON, I'LL GIVE YOU THIS CANDY."

SO SHE STARTED HER COTTON PICKING CAREER WHEN SHE WAS SIX YEARS OLD.

- AS A CHILD.

- AS A CHILD, AS A BABY.

- WOW.

- AS A BABY.

WHAT'S SO REMARKABLE ABOUT MRS. HAMER.

WE CAN TALK ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS.

WE CAN TALK ABOUT FREEDOM RIGHTS.

AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CIVIL RIGHTS AND FREEDOM RIGHTS.

- YEAH.

- THERE'S A DIFFERENCE, THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN THE MOVEMENT.

- DEFINE IT FOR US.

GIVE PEOPLE THE DIFFERENCE.

- YEAH, THE DIFFERENCE IS CIVIL RIGHTS IS WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO... YOU'RE LOBBYING FOR LAWS THAT YOU HOPE WILL MAKE... THAT THE INTENTION IS THAT WILL GIVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION, THAT WOULD GIVE ACCESS, GREATER ACCESS TO VOTING.

THAT KIND OF THING.

FREEDOM RIGHTS IS A MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO BEING A HUMAN BEING IN THIS WORLD.

AND MRS. HAMER, SHE CAME FROM THE POSITION OF "YOU CAN GIVE ME ALL THE RIGHTS IN THE WORLD, BUT UNLESS YOU SEE ME AS A HUMAN BEING, WE WILL PERENNIALLY BE HAVING THESE BATTLES WITH VOTING," JUST LIKE WE ARE NOW.

- SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW BLACK PEOPLE COULD VOTE AT THE TIME SHE WAS PUSHING OR LEARNING ACTIVISM.

HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN THAT IN PLACES, I'VE WATCHED STOKLEY CARMICHAEL'S OLD FILM WALKING AROUND IN COUNTIES IN ALABAMA WHERE BLACK PEOPLE WERE THE MAJORITY, BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THEY HAD THE RIGHT TO VOTE?

SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW, AND WHEN SHE FOUND OUT SHE BECAME A WARRIOR AND HERE WE ARE FIGHTING 60, 70 YEARS LATER FOR THE SAME RIGHTS.

COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER IF YOU GOT IT IN YOU?

- OH, I GOT IT IN ME.

- OKAY.

- I GOT IT IN ME.

THE REALITY IS BECAUSE MRS. HAMER WAS A WORKER, RIGHT?

SO, THEY TIRED.

- YEAH (LAUGHING).

- (LAUGHING) YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

THEY TIRED.

THEY WORK ALL DAY FROM CAN TO CAN'T, RIGHT?

CAN TO CAN'T, RIGHT?

- YEP, YEP, YEP.

- SO THEY COME IN, A LOT OF 'EM DON'T HAVE TVS, CAN BARELY LISTEN TO THE RADIO.

SO THERE'S THAT INFORMATION IS NOT COMING IN.

SHE HAD A SIXTH GRADE EDUCATION.

BUT LISTEN, LET ME TALK ABOUT ME.

I'M WELL EDUCATED.

I NEVER HEARD ABOUT MRS. HAMER IN A FORMAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.

- NOT TUGALOO?

- NEVER.

- NOT IN BROWN?

NOT IN... - NO, NOWHERE.

NOWHERE, NOWHERE, NOWHERE.

AND I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE 'CAUSE I'M A SEEKER OF THAT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE, RIGHT?

- YES.

- SO IF I DON'T KNOW IT AND I HAD TO HEAR ABOUT IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, JUST IMAGINE.

SO SHE DID NOT KNOW.

SHE WAS WELL INTO HER 40S BEFORE SHE KNEW THAT SHE COULD VOTE.

SHE THOUGHT ONLY WHITE PEOPLE COULD VOTE.

SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS A MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION.

AND LISTEN, WE HAVE TO KNOW AND WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE, AND WE ARE WITNESSES TO THAT NOW THAT THERE IS AN INTENTIONALITY AROUND KEEPING THAT INFORMATION FROM A WOMAN LIKE FANNIE LOU HAMER.

- YOU SAID AT THE ESSENCE LUNCH, YOU WANTED TO WORK IN THE DARK TO FIGHT AGAINST ANNIHILATION BY THOSE WHO WOULD OBLITERATE ME AS A BLACK AMERICAN.

COULD YOU EXPOUND ON THAT?

'CAUSE THAT'S A VERY POWERFUL STATEMENT.

- WELL, THERE'S THIS THING, I STARTED THAT SPEECH THAT I DID ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THIS THEME THAT'S THIS FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE THAT'S CALLED DARK MATTER, THAT SCIENTISTS DON'T KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT, BUT THEY KNOW THAT IT'S THERE.

AND THE REASON WHY, THE STARS WOULDN'T DO WHAT THEY DO.

THE MOON WOULDN'T DO WHAT IT DOES IF THIS DARK MATTER WASN'T THERE.

YOU DON'T SEE IT, BUT THE FORCE OF IT IS PRESENT, 'CAUSE IF THE FORCE WASN'T THERE, NONE OF THIS STUFF WOULD WORK.

I HAVE A KINSHIP WITH THAT IDEA, RIGHT?

BECAUSE I HAD A LONG TIME WORKING WHEN NOBODY KNEW WHO I WAS, NOBODY KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, I WAS DOING THINGS THAT NOBODY SAW.

AND MIND YOU, DON'T GO LOOKING FOR NONE OF THAT STUFF, 'CAUSE A LOT OF IT AIN'T THAT GOOD?

AND I HAD ANOTHER KIND OF PRIORITY, WHICH IS WHY I WENT BACK AND LIVED IN MISSISSIPPI 'CAUSE I PUT MY FAMILY FIRST.

AND I HAD DECIDED A LONG TIME AGO THAT IF NOBODY SAW WHAT I WAS DOING, THAT'S COOL, AS LONG AS I WAS ABLE TO PAY MY BILLS AND PAY THE BILLS OF THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE.

SO THAT BEING THAT DARK, BEING IN THE DARK AND CELEBRATING THE DARK RATHER THAN THINKING OF THAT AS SOME SORT OF DERISIVE THING AND THINKING OF THE DARKNESS AS A PLACE OF CREATION, THAT'S WHAT CENTERS ME.

AND I KNOW THAT I LIVE IN A WORLD, AN ACTIVE WORLD THAT WOULD RATHER ME NOT BE HERE.

AND I HAVE TO, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT REPRESENTATION, I HAVE TO WRITE MYSELF INTO EXISTENCE.

- ABSOLUTELY.

- AND I SEE THAT AS MY PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THAT EVEN WHEN AIN'T NOBODY PAYING ATTENTION, EVEN WHEN IT'S DONE IN THE DARK.

- EVEN ON THE SIDELINES.

AND I SAY WE SHARE A LOT IN COMMON FOR YEARS.

IT TOOK ME 10 YEARS TO BECOME AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS.

I WAS LITERALLY SINGING AND DANCING FOR 10 YEARS, AND 10 YEARS AGO I DROPPED AN ALBUM CALLED "R.A.P MUSIC", AND "R.A.P MUSIC" CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY CAREER.

I FORMED A RAP GROUP WITH A GUY NAMED EL-P NAMED RUN THE JEWELS SHORTLY AFTER.

AND WE'RE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TOURING RAP GROUPS IN THE WORLD TODAY, WHICH GIVES ME PEDESTAL TO REPEAT AND MAGNIFY THINGS LIKE FANNIE LOU HAMER WOULD'VE DONE TO WRITE AND TALK ABOUT OUR TRUTHS BEYOND RAP MUSIC.

SO I REALLY SHARE A COMMONALITY IN THAT WITH YOU.

AND I ALSO SHARE PAY INEQUALITY 'CAUSE FOR A LONG TIME I DIDN'T GET PAID WHAT I DESERVED.

AND IT WAS SEEN THAT- - OH, SURE.

- IN SOME OF THE GREATEST ACTORS AND ACTRESSES THAT OFTEN LOOK LIKE US, AND ACTRESSES IN PARTICULAR.

AS A WOMAN ACTRESS THAT'S BEEN NOMINATED FOR SOME OF THE HIGHEST AWARDS POSSIBLE, THE PAY IS STILL NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE.

COULD YOU TALK... 'CAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING FANNIE LOU CARED ABOUT TOO.

HER COIN.

I THINK THEY STARTED A CREDIT UNION.

- YES (CHUCKLES).

- COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

- YEAH, I THINK ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL THINGS OF WHAT I KNOW ABOUT MRS. HAMER IS THAT HIS NAME WAS MARLOW, HE WAS THE GUY WHO OWNED THE LABOR CAMP WHERE SHE WAS A SHARECROPPER.

AND WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT SHE WENT TO TRY TO REGISTER, HE TOLD HER THAT EITHER SHE HAD TO GO BACK DOWN AND WITHDRAW HER REGISTRATION OR SHE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE PLANTATION.

AND MRS. HAMER SAID, "YEAH, BET.

WELL, I'M LEAVING 'CAUSE I REGISTERED FOR MYSELF.

I'M NOT GONNA STAY HERE ANOTHER DAY IF THAT'S WHAT THAT MEANS.

YOU DON'T GET TO DO THAT.

YOU DON'T GET TO CONTROL MY LIFE LIKE THAT ANYMORE."

AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, THAT SOUNDS LIKE HEROIC, RIGHT?

AND ROMANTIC.

BUT SHE WAS TAKING MONEY OUT OF HER CHILDREN'S, OUT OF THEIR POCKETS BY THAT DECISION.

I MEAN, THAT'S A RADICAL CHOICE.

A RADICAL WOMANIST CHOICE THAT SHE WAS MAKING AT THAT TIME THAT SHE WAS SAYING THAT, WHO I AM MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN EATING.

MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN MY CHILDREN EATING.

MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN MY HUSBAND EATING, AT LEAST NOW.

SO THIS OTHER PART, LIKE EATING AND STUFF, WE GOTTA FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT RIGHT NOW I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANOTHER DAY."

SO THAT'S AN ECONOMIC DECISION THAT MRS. HAMER MADE.

NOW, ME, HOW MANY EVER YEARS LATER STILL HAVING TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES, STILL HAVING TO SPEAK THAT NO MATTER THE CONSEQUENCES, AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH WORKING ON "KING RICHARD", I WASN'T PAID WHAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAID TO WORK ON "KING RICHARD".

AND I WENT TO WILL SMITH AND I TOLD HIM, I SAID, I WAITED UNTIL WE WERE DONE WITH THE FILM, AND I SAID TO HIM, I SAID, "I WAS NOT PAID WHAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAID."

AND HE OUT OF HIS OWN MONEY HE DOUBLED MY SALARY AND HE ALSO DOUBLED THE SALARY OF THE REST OF THE PRINCIPAL ACTORS.

NOW, LISTEN, I COULD HAVE NOT SAID SOMETHING.

I COULD HAVE BEEN LIKE, "OH, OKAY.

I GOTTA PLAY IT NICE BECAUSE IT'S WILL SMITH."

BUT I HAD TO DECIDE, "NO, I NEED TO MAKE THIS CHOICE FOR MY FAMILY."

I WANNA BUY MY SISTER A HOUSE.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?

- YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

- SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT I HAD TO SPEAK UP DESPITE THE CONSEQUENCES.

I MEAN, IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THESE THINGS ARE STILL HAPPENING, BUT THEY ARE.

ARE WE A TEAM?

- ARE WE A TEAM?

WE'RE FAMILY.

- SO WE'RE A TEAM.

- WE'RE A FAMILY, THE BEST KIND OF TEAM THERE IS.

- AND YOU DON'T THINK THAT THAT WAS A DECISION THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DISCUSSED WITH ME, DISCUSSED WITH VENUS?

- WHAT ARE YOU- - RICHARD, MY FAITH DICTATES THAT I STAND BY YOUR SIDE- - ALL RIGHT WELL JUST DO THAT.

- BUT DON'T MISTAKE MY SILENCE FOR AGREEMENT.

YOU DO THAT AGAIN AND I WON'T BE QUIET.

- YOU ALSO DISCOVER A TRUTH IN YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT ORACENE THAT SHE WAS THE GIRLS' DAY-TO-DAY COACH AND THAT "KING RICHARD'S" BEAUTIFUL IN IT'S EXPLORATION OF BLACK FATHERDOM WITH GIRLS, BUT OFTENTIMES WE INVOKE IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD.

AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT ORACENE NOW IS NOT LEFT OUT OF THE STORY BECAUSE SHE WAS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM YOU, MAKING SURE THOSE GIRLS WERE PHYSICALLY READY, MENTALLY READY AND PREPARED.

COULD YOU TALK ABOUT HER AND TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT YOU DISCOVERED IN DISCOVERY?

- YEAH, WELL, THAT'S WHAT I FELT A GREAT DEAL OF SHAME BECAUSE I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT, THAT SHE WAS THEIR COACH, AND THEN DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL I STARTED DOING MY RESEARCH FOR THE JOB.

AND WHEN I FOUND THAT INFORMATION, OF COURSE, I APPROACHED THIS LIKE I WANTED TO DO AS GOOD A JOB AS I COULD TO REPRESENT THIS, THIS WONDERFUL DOTING MOTHER IN MS. ORACENE PRICE.

BUT THEN WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT SHE WAS THEIR COACH, IT JUST HAD THIS WHOLE OTHER ANGLE TO IT, BECAUSE THEN IT BECAME THIS SORT OF WOMANIST CRY FOR ME THAT WE DON'T KNOW THIS ABOUT THIS WOMAN.

THAT'S NOT RIGHT.

WE NEED TO KNOW THIS ABOUT THIS WOMAN.

AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THERE'S THAT IS THAT PEOPLE AIN'T TRYING TO FIND OUT AND WE DISMISS HER BECAUSE SHE'S A BLACK WOMAN, BUT ALSO MS. ORACENE SHE WASN'T WHAT MR. RICHARD WAS.

MR. RICHARD WAS A SALESPERSON FOR THEIR FAMILY.

MS. ORACENE WASN'T INTERESTED IN THAT.

SO I JUST FELT THAT, YO, THIS IS MY SHOT AT PAYING THIS WOMAN BACK FOR GIVING US THESE GIRLS, LIKE FOR REAL WITH HER OWN BODY.

- YES.

- BUT ALSO IN ADDITION TO THAT SHE'S A TENNIS GENIUS, AND WE DON'T KNOW THAT.

- YOU ARE A GRAND SYMBOL OF THE BEST THE SOUTH CAN CREATE IN TERMS OF NOT ONLY WE'VE BEEN CREATING SMART GIRLS THAT GO OFF TO COLLEGE AND DO AMAZING AND COME BACK THE SHARPEST, SMARTEST WOMEN ON EARTH, BUT TO SOMEONE WHO COMES BACK TO TAKE CARE OF FAMILY AND THEN TO MAKE SURE BIGGER STORIES ARE TOLD, I'M LOOKING SO FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON SCREEN MORE, NOT LESS.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF YOUR WORK ON SCREEN, NOT LESS.

AND I'M HOPING AND HELPING HOWEVER I CAN TO GET THE FANNIE LOU HAMER STORY TOLD AS I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING IT IN THEATERS.

I APPRECIATE YOU FOR COMING ON MY SHOW.

I GREET YOU, AND I SAY FARE WELL WITH LOVE AND RESPECT.

- I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH.

- [ANNOUNCER] "LOVE & RESPECT" WITH KILLER MIKE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY... - REGINA APPROACHES THE ALL-ELECTRIC CADILLAC LYRIQ.

IT'S A SUNNY DAY.

- NAH, A STORMY DAY.

- CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS.

- MM-MM, BRASS BAND, NEW ORLEANS.

♪♪ - SHE DRIVES HANDS-FREE ALONG THE COAST.

- MAKE IT PALM SPRINGS.

CADILLAC IS GOING ELECTRIC.

IF YOU WANNA BE BOLD, YOU HAVE TO GO OFF SCRIPT.

- EXPERIENCE THE ALL-ELECTRIC CADILLAC LYRIQ.

♪♪ ♪♪