- TONIGHT ON "LOVE & RESPECT", AS WE CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. KING JR., A CONVERSATION WITH DR. KING'S YOUNGEST CHILD, BERNICE KING.

- IT'S A LEGACY OF HOW DO WE NOT LOSE OURSELVES, BUT HOW DO WE CREATE COEXISTENCE IN A WORLD OF SUCH GREAT DIFFERENCES?

AND HOW DO WE DO IT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE DIGNITY AT THE END OF THE DAY?

- BERNICE KING, COMING UP RIGHT NOW.

(UPBEAT MUSIC) - MY GUEST TONIGHT IS THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF CORETTA SCOTT KING AND REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., WHOM WE CELEBRATE THIS WEEK.

SHE HONORS HIS LIFE AND LEGACY AS THE CEO OF THE KING CENTER HERE IN ATLANTA.

ALSO CO-AUTHORED "IT STARTS WITH ME", DR. BERNICE KING.

- THANK YOU, I'M GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU.

- I'M GLAD, YOU ARE A LEGEND.

SO LET ME SAY, IF EVERYBODY WHO SAYS I APPEAR NERVOUS TODAY.

- A FELLOW DOUG.

- YEAH, ASTRO.

- ASTRO, FELLOW ASTRO, SHOULD I SAY.

- SHOUTOUT TO DR. BUTTS AND DR. HILL.

THEY PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH YOU UNDERSTOOD WITHOUT STRUGGLE THERE IS NO PROGRESS.

- EXACTLY.

- SO FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, WE'RE FROM ATLANTA, WHICH IS KNOWN AS A BLACK CITY.

IT'S A CITY IN WHICH YOUR FATHER WAS EDUCATED AT A SCHOOL CALLED BOOKER T WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH EDUCATED MOST OF THE BLACK EDUCATORS I ENCOUNTERED AT COLLIER HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY AND LATER FREDERICK DOUGLAS.

THERE'S AN OVER HUNDRED YEAR, EVEN BEFORE YOUR FATHER IN THE '50S, ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS PUSHING MOVEMENT, WHETHER IT WAS JOHN WESLEY DOBBS OR BOOKER T WASHINGTON HERE IN THE EARLY 1900S.

YOU AND I STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE US.

AND THAT CAN BE VERY SCARY.

IT CAN BE VERY POLARIZING EVEN WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITY.

AND YOU'VE MANAGED TO DO AN AMAZING JOB.

I'VE WATCHED YOU FOR OVER 25 YEARS OF MY LIFE, NEXT TO YOUR MOTHER.

AND THEN LATER THERE, EVEN WHILE SHE WAS ALIVE, BUT ALONE PUSHING THE LINE ON DEPOLARIZING, MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T BECOME SEPARATE COMMUNITIES HERE AND NATIONALLY.

WHY?

WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU IN A WAY THAT IT SINCERELY SEEMS TO MATTER?

WHY DON'T YOU GO OFF AND HIDE?

(LAUGHS) - YOU KNOW, I TRIED THAT WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER, IT DIDN'T WORK 'CAUSE IT KEPT LOOKING FOR ME, EVERY TIME I TURNED UP PEOPLE EITHER CALLING ON ME.

- [MIKE] YEAH.

- YOU KNOW, EXPECTING SOMETHING FROM ME.

AND I THINK IT'S JUST IN OUR BLOODLINE, OUR LEGACY.

WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, IT WAS MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER, A.D. WILLIAMS, WHO FOUGHT FOR THAT SCHOOL TO EXIST.

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT.

THEY THINK MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

APPEARED, BUT HE CAME FROM A LINEAGE OF ACTIVISTS OUT OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY, FROM MY, THAT GRANDFATHER.

THAT GREAT-GRANDFATHER WAS MY FATHER'S MATERNAL GRANDFATHER.

- YES.

- AND THEN OF COURSE HIS FATHER, DADDY KING, YOU KNOW, FOUGHT FOR THE EQUALIZATION OF TEACHERS' SALARIES.

YOU KNOW, THE INTEGRATION OF ELEVATORS.

HE WAS A PART OF THE CITIZENS TRUST BANK, THE FOUNDING BOARD.

SO IT WAS AROUND ME.

- YES.

- AND I COULDN'T ESCAPE IT.

- YES.

- SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, MOTHER INSTILLED IN ME, BUT ONE THING THAT'S A BEAUTY IS SHE NEVER FORCED US.

SHE ALWAYS SAID IN OUR HOME, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE DADDY AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ME, BUT WHATEVER YOU DO BE YOUR BEST SELF.

BUT SHE INSTILLED SO MUCH IN US AND SHE RAISED US WITH THE KING CENTER.

- YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN CREDIT FOR GREAT ORATORICAL SEALS.

I MEAN, LITERALLY GRAND.

YOU ARE ONE OF THE SPEAKERS THAT I WATCH TO SAY, WELL, WHAT DID YOU DO?

IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU, SENATOR NINA TURNER, ARE JUST AMAZING SPOKESPEOPLE AND SPOKESWOMEN IN PARTICULAR.

SO YOU KIND OF GET IT SET UP, WELL, SHE'S DR. KING'S DAUGHTER, SHE'S SUPPOSED TOO.

BUT YOU HAVE A GRACE AND A DIGNITY THAT DOES NOT JUST COME FROM YOUR FATHER, THAT I SAW YOUR MOTHER.

I KNEW HER.

I SAW HER WALK IN WITH A ROOM WITH DIGNITY.

I SAW HER IN BETTY SHABAZZ SITTING TOGETHER.

AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP LATER.

BUT COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT GRACE THAT YOU HAVE, THE ORATORICAL SKILLS THAT YOU'VE CHOSEN TO USE FOR THE GREATER GOOD, AND THE BALANCE THAT YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER, AND EVEN TO HER FATHER, I'D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT, BECAUSE AS I HEAR IT, HE WAS A PEACE LOVING MAN.

- YEAH, WELL SEE, I HAD TO GO ON A JOURNEY AND I FIGHT WITH IT EVERY DAY, TO DEAL WITH MY ANGER.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, DEEP SEEDED ANGER, AT SOME POINTS IN MY LIFE TO THE POINT OF RAGE.

AND I'VE SEEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THAT AND WHAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY DO.

AND I RECOGNIZE IT.

I HAD TO GET THAT IN CONTROL.

AND WATCHING HOW MY MOTHER DEALT WITH ADVERSARIAL SITUATIONS.

YOU KNOW, SHE USED TO ALWAYS TELL ME, "I'M NOT GOING TO DIGNIFY EVERYTHING."

AND THAT'S WHY WHEN PEOPLE SAY THINGS, YOU KNOW, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I DON'T, BECAUSE IF I DIGNIFY IT, I ELEVATE THEIR PLATFORM.

SO YOU HAVE TO WEIGH, IS IT SOMETHING SO HEAVY THAT I NEED TO ADDRESS IT TRUTHFULLY AND HIT IT AND MOVE?

OR IS IT SOMETHING YOU JUST IGNORE IT AND LET IT, YOU KNOW, GO ON ITS WAY?

SO IT'S BEEN A DISCIPLINE OVER TIME TO LEARN HOW TO MANAGE EMOTIONS SO THEY DON'T GET OUT OF CONTROL BECAUSE EMOTIONS CAN RUN ME VERY QUICKLY.

BUT I REMEMBER, I HAVE TO TELL THE STORY FROM MY MOM, 'CAUSE THIS IS WHERE IT REALLY, YOU'RE RIGHT, THIS IS WHERE IT CAME FROM.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY MY FATHER, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF EXPERIENCING THAT.

- YOU WE ROBBED OF THAT BY AN ASSASSINATION.

- YES, EXACTLY.

I WAS ONLY FIVE.

BUT I WAS RIDING DOWN 166 HERE IN ATLANTA, AND I WAS SO ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING.

AND I WAS TALKING TO MY MOM ABOUT IT AND I WAS GETTING READY TO MAKE THIS DECISION.

AND SHE JUST STOPPED ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONVERSATION AND SHE SAID, "BABY, NEVER MAKE A DECISION IN YOUR ANGER."

AND IT JUST, IT ARRESTED MY ATTENTION AND IT'S BEEN WITH ME SINCE THEN, BECAUSE I WAS GETTING READY TO MAKE A DECISION.

HAD I MADE THAT DECISION, I WOULD HAVE LATER REGRETTED IT.

YOU KNOW, AND SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO TELL ME, YOU KNOW, GET THROUGH THAT, 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA BE, THE BIBLE SAYS IT, BE ANGRY, BUT SIN NOT.

AND SO GET THROUGH THE ANGER AND GET TO ANOTHER SPACE, 'CAUSE YOU HAVE THAT CAPACITY, AND THEN MAKE IT.

IT MAY STILL COME OUT AT THE SAME PLACE.

- YEAH.

- BUT AT LEAST IT WOULD BE MORE THOUGHT OUT.

AND MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE A PLAN TO GO WITH IT.

'CAUSE MOST TIMES WHEN WE ACT LIKE THAT, OUT OF EMOTION, WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN.

IT'S JUST EMOTIONAL.

AIN'T NO INTELLECT IN IT ANYWHERE.

- MY FATHER SAID, HE WARNED ME.

HE SAW I HAD HIS TEMPERAMENT AND MY MOTHER'S TEMPERAMENT VERY EARLY.

AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, "SON, DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANGER 'CAUSE ANGER LEADS TO MADNESS AND MADNESS LEADS TO VIOLENCE."

- OH, YEAH.

- AND IF YOUR MOTHER, SO YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR MOTHER INVOKING THAT SPIRIT AND YOU ACTUALLY QUOTING, YOU KNOW, "BE ANGRY, BUT SIN NOT", I'M KEEP THAT ONE THE REST OF MY DAYS.

BUT HER FATHER, IN MANY WAYS, WAS THE LIVING, THRIVING EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF MAN SHE WOULD- - EVENTUALLY MARRY.

- ABSOLUTELY.

THAT'S AMAZING.

- IT CAME FROM THERE.

- SO FATHERS NOW, TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE, GO DAD!

SO CORETTA SCOTT KING, WHO I KNEW AND SAW THE DIGNITY AND GRACE, I'VE SEEN IT IN HER DAUGHTER.

WHAT WAS HER FATHER LIKE?

AND ONE EXAMPLE I READ, WHICH CAPTIVATED ME WAS, HIS HOME WAS BURNED DOWN.

I'M SURE NO DOUBTLY BY POOR WHITE FOLKS, RIGHT.

- RIGHT.

- BURNED DOWN AND HE CHOSE TO HAVE HIS FAMILY PRAY.

WHAT WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER'S NAME AND WHERE WERE THEY IN ALABAMA?

- OBIE SCOTT AND IT WAS ACTUALLY CALLED HEIBERGER, BUT THEY CLAIM IT AS MARION, ALABAMA, WHICH IS PERRY COUNTY.

INCIDENTALLY, PERRY COUNTY IS THE COUNTY WHERE MY FATHER'S WIFE, CORETTA SCOTT KING, ANDREW YOUNG'S WIFE, JEAN CHARLES YOUNG, AND RALPH DAVID ABERNATHY'S WIFE, JUANITA ABERNATHY, GREW UP.

THEY WERE BORN AND GREW UP IN PERRY COUNTY.

- THEY GREW SOME GREAT WOMEN.

- YEAH, SO IT'S ABOUT AN HOUR FROM SELMA, AN HOUR AND A FEW MINUTES, AND IN BETWEEN BIRMINGHAM AND MONTGOMERY, ABOUT A HOUR AND HALF HOUR, HOUR AND 45 MINUTES.

BUT MY GRANDFATHER, VERY SPECIAL MAN.

I MEAN SHORT, NO TALLER THAN ABOUT 5'6, 5,'7, BUT HAD A LOT OF STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND FAITH AND DIGNITY BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT.

HE WAS AN ENTREPRENEUR, YOU KNOW IN THAT TIME.

YOU KNOW, HE HAD HIS OWN TRUCK AND HE WAS HAULING LUMBER.

THE ONLY BLACK IN HIS TOWN DOING THAT, A LOT OF JEALOUS WHITE FOLKS.

AND YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE '20S AND THE TEENS OF 1900, BLACK PEOPLE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIVING THAT WAY.

BUT HE HAD A VISION AND A DETERMINATION.

AND HE DIDN'T LET ANYTHING STOP HIM.

SO WHEN THAT HAPPENED, HE DIDN'T WANT THAT TO CONTROL BECAUSE HE HAD A VISION ABOUT WHERE HE WAS GOING.

- YEAH.

- SO WHEN HE TOLD THEM, "COME TOGETHER AND PRAY," YOU KNOW, HE WAS BASICALLY SAYING, "WE'RE GONNA PRAY 'CAUSE WE GONNA MAKE IT THROUGH THIS 'CAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S A GOD OF THE UNIVERSE AND HE'S GONNA GIVE ME THE STRENGTH."

- YEAH.

- "TO KEEP LEADING MY FAMILY AND I DON'T WANT THEM TO BE BITTER."

- YEAH.

- "BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STILL YOUNG."

- YEAH.

SO, WE'RE GONNA SAY, "WE NOT GONNA HATE ANYBODY BY THIS."

AND SO, THAT WAS THE FIRST INCIDENT.

BUT THE OTHER THING IS, MY GRANDFATHER USED TO GET STOPPED ALL THE TIME ON THE ROAD BY WHITE MEN AND THEY WOULD JUST PUT A GUN STRAIGHT TO HIS FACE.

AND HE TOLD MY MOTHER, "ALWAYS LOOK A WHITE MAN IN THE EYES," BECAUSE HE DID THAT EVERY TIME AND IT WAS INTIMIDATING.

- YEAH.

- AND MY GRANDFATHER DEALT WITH THAT DAY-AFTER-DAY AND IT CAUSED MY MOTHER TO GROW UP AND LEARN TO LIVE IN FEAR FOR THE ONES THAT SHE LOVES.

SO BY THE TIME THE MOVEMENT CAME, SHE HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED THIS OVER AND OVER WITH HER HUSBAND.

AND SHE WAS PREPARED AND SHE TOOK THOSE LESSONS WITH HER, YOU KNOW, ABOUT LOOKING IN THE EYES AND NOT COWERING LIKE THAT.

AND MY GRANDFATHER LIVED TO BE 99.

- THAT'S AMAZING.

- 'CAUSE HE COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF HERE AT ANY POINT.

- SO, OBIE SCOTT.

- OBIE SCOTT.

SO, HE HAD A TRUCK.

- YES.

- THEN HE OPENED HIS OWN LUMBER MILL.

- YEAH.

- AND THAT GOT BURNED DOWN.

- YEAH.

- BUT HE KEPT GOING AND THEN HE ENDED UP BUILDING THEIR HOME, THEIR NEW HOME AND OPENING, WHAT TODAY WOULD BE A GAS STORE CONVENIENCE STATION.

- THAT'S AMAZING.

SO MUCH LIKE THE LEGACY OF PEOPLE WE KNOW, YOUR FATHER'S LEGACY STANDS ON THE REGULAR WORKING-CLASS LEGACY OF PEOPLE LIKE OBIE SCOTT, WHOSE DAUGHTER MARRIED YOUR FATHER.

- YES.

- AND I'M SURE IT BROUGHT SOME BALANCE TO SOME RAGE HE MUST'VE FELT BECAUSE GROWING UP A MIDDLE-CLASS BLACK LADY IN ATLANTA, YOU'RE NOT USED TO SOME OF THE STUFF YOU EXPERIENCE IN ALABAMA AND THAT'S SPEAKING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AS A WORKING CLASS KID.

YOU KNOW, TUSKEGEE WAS A FAR DIFFERENT PLACE, YOU JUST LIKE, "IT'S JUST US NOW HERE."

- YEAH.

- YOUR FATHER'S LEGACY HAS BEEN DEFINED BY MANY PEOPLE AND MOSTLY FOR WHAT THEIR USES ARE AT THE TIME.

YOU'VE BEEN A WALKING LIVING EXAMPLE TO ME OF MARTIN AND CORETTA HIS LEGACY IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE IT?

TO ME, IT'S A MUCH TRUER WAY TO WHAT YOUR FATHER WANTED BECAUSE YOU DON'T JUST STOP AT RACIAL HARMONY.

YOU DON'T STOP AT JUST VOTING RIGHTS.

YOU PUSH THE LINE ON MAKING HUMAN BEINGS BE MORE IN TOUCH WITH HUMAN BEINGS WITH ANOTHER AND WHAT JUSTICE REALLY IS.

SO HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR FATHER'S LEGACY FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE?

- WELL, I THINK MY FATHER WAS TRYING TO LEAVE BEHIND A LEGACY OF UNDERSTANDING.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE A HUMAN FAMILY WITH ALL OF OUR FRAILTIES, WITH ALL OF OUR DIFFERENCES, WITH ALL OF OUR, YOU KNOW, INJUSTICES, SHORT-COMINGS, EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF.

BUT HE ALWAYS FELT THAT THERE WAS A SPARK OF THE DIVINE IN EVERY HUMAN BEING, EVEN THE ONES WHO ACTED IN EVIL WAYS.

HE NEVER WAS NAIVE THOUGH.

- YEAH.

- HE KNEW THAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD NEVER TRANSFORM.

- YEAH.

- YOU KNOW?

BUT HE DIDN'T WANT THOSE PEOPLE TO CAUSE HIM TO BECOME SOMETHING OTHER THAN HIS BEST SELF.

- YEAH.

- AND SO THAT'S WHY HE, YOU KNOW, FORMULATED THIS PHILOSOPHY OF NON-VIOLENCE BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE, "HOW DO WE GET THERE AND NOT DAMAGE AND DESTROY PEOPLE?"

AND I THINK IT REALLY CAME OUT OF, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I CAME UP WITH RECENTLY.

MY FATHER HAD A WHITE FRIEND WHEN HE WAS THREE, FOUR, FIVE YEARS OF AGE.

TWO OF THEM, THEIR PARENTS OWNED A STORE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE HOME ON AUBURN AVENUE AND HE PLAYED WITH THEM EVERY DAY.

YOU KNOW, KIDS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT YOU'RE WHITE, WHAT PROBLEMS YOU'RE DEALING WITH.

ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD.

THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST WANT TO CONNECT HAVE FUN AND DO WHATEVER THEY DO.

AND ONE DAY WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO GO TO PRIMARY SCHOOL AND THEY WERE GOING AS WELL, THE PARENTS SUDDENLY SAID, "THEY CAN'T PLAY WITH YOU ANYMORE."

SO HE WAS CONFUSED LIKE, "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?"

SO HE WENT HOME AND THAT'S WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER LAID IT ALL OUT, SLAVERY, SEGREGATION, JIM CROWS, AND EVERYTHING, AND SAID, "BUT YOU'RE AS GOOD AS ANYONE."

AND FROM THAT POINT, I THINK HE WAS INSPIRED TO REUNITE WITH HIS FRIEND, NOT LITERALLY, BUT SYMBOLICALLY.

HE WAS ON A PURSUIT TO RECONNECT BECAUSE SOMETHING HAD BEEN TORN AWAY FROM HIM.

AND SO IT'S A LEGACY OF HOW DO WE NOT LOSE OURSELVES, BUT HOW DO WE CREATE COEXISTENCE IN A WORLD OF SUCH GREAT DIFFERENCES.

AND HOW DO WE DO IT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE DIGNITY AT THE END OF THE DAY.

THE UNDERWHELMED PART OF HIS LEGACY IS THE ECONOMIC PIECE.

- YES, YEAH.

- I MEAN, IT FRUSTRATES ME THAT MOST TIMES WHEN YOU READ CHILDREN'S BOOKS, YOU KNOW, OR WHEN YOU SEE DOCUMENTARIES, THEY STOP AT '65.

THE VOTING RIGHTS.

THEN THEY SKIPPED TO HIS ASSASSINATION.

THEY DON'T DEAL WITH THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN, BUT EVEN BEFORE THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN, THEY DON'T DEAL WITH OPERATION BREADBASKET.

- WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FATHER'S SYMBOLIC AND WANTING TO REUNITE, SOMEBODY AT HOME IS GOING TO SAY, "OH, YOU JUST WANT TO REUNITE WHITE FOLKS," BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

- NO.

- YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN, IT RECOGNIZED EVERYONE'S HUMANITY AT THE SAME TIME.

IT RECOGNIZED THAT, ESSENTIALLY, YOU HAVE GOVERNMENT AND OTHER FACTORS THAT CAN USE AND MANIPULATE AND THEN THAT UNIFICATION, MUCH LIKE THE RAINBOW COALITION STARTED BY FRED HAMPTON, IT SOUGHT ALL OUT IN ORDER TO PUSH FORWARD.

- RIGHT.

- AND LATER TAKEN UP BY JESSE JACKSON OF SORTS.

SO COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN AND OPERATION BREADBASKET?

- I'M GONNA START WITH OPERATION BREADBASKET BECAUSE THAT WAS BASED OFF OF THE RESPECT.

YOU KNOW, DIGNITY WAS A CORE OF MY FATHER'S WORK, YOU KNOW?

TREATING US WITH DIGNITY AND THAT'S NOT JUST IN WORDS, THAT'S IN ACTIONS.

THAT'S IN OPPORTUNITIES.

THAT'S IN ACCESS.

AND SO THEY STARTED OPERATION BREADBASKET AS THE ECONOMIC ARM OF THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE TO CONFRONT BUSINESSES, CORPORATIONS AT THAT TIME ABOUT HIRING MORE BLACK PEOPLE.

- YEAH.

- PROMOTING MORE BLACK PEOPLE, AND PAYING BLACK PEOPLE ON PAR WITH WHITE PEOPLE.

AND THEY SAID, "IF YOU RESPECT MY DOLLAR, YOU HAVE TO RESPECT ME.

OTHERWISE, WE'RE GONNA DO ECONOMIC WITHDRAWAL."

- YEAH.

- AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY DID IN SEVERAL STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND IT'S AN UNDER-TOLD STORY.

- YEAH.

- AND SO ATLANTA, AS AN EXAMPLE, THEY ADDED $25 MILLION BACK THEN TO THE ECONOMY OF IT, OF BLACK ATLANTA.

- YEAH.

- NOW, TODAY THAT'S PROBABLY SOMEWHERE IN THE 250, $300 MILLION.

THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

- YEAH.

- THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE NOTED AT THE TIME WHEN IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT.

WE DIDN'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, ENTERTAINERS THAT YOU'RE LOVING IT.

THE NUMBER OF THEM, WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE, THEN, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE OTHER PROFESSIONS THAT PAID VERY WELL, THAT PAY VERY WELL.

AND SO THAT WAS OPERATION BREADBASKET.

WHAT THEY DID IS THEY CALLED ON THE COMPANY TO SAY, "OKAY, WHAT'S YOUR STATS?"

- YEAH.

- IF THE STATS DIDN'T REFLECT THE COMMUNITY.

- YEAH.

- AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TODAY.

- YEAH.

- WHAT'D YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?

ALL OF THESE CORPORATIONS THAT ARE SET UP ACROSS AMERICA, DO THEY REFLECT THE RACIAL STATS OF WHERE THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS?

- YES.

- A LOT- - NOW, GEORGIA WOULD BE 35% PER SITE.

- A LOT OF THEM DON'T.

- YEAH.

- SO THEY WERE LIKE, "OKAY, THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN."

AND THEY MADE THESE DEMANDS.

- YEAH.

- AND IF THEY DID NOT MEET THE DEMANDS, THEY NEGOTIATED WITH THEM.

YOU KNOW, THEY PUT A TIMETABLE.

YOU CAN COMPROMISE ON TIMETABLES AS LONG AS IT'S NOT RIDICULOUS.

- YEAH.

- BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA COMPROMISE ON THE FACT THAT THIS HAS TO BE DONE.

- YEAH.

- AND SO THEY PUT A TIMETABLE AND IF THEY DIDN'T DO IT, ECONOMIC WITHDRAWAL AND THEY DID IT.

AND IT IMPACTED MANY COMPANIES AT THE TIME.

IN FACT, I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY NOT SAFE TO SAY THIS.

- GO FOR IT.

- ON APRIL 4TH, APRIL 3RD, WHEN DAD'S HAD HIS LAST WORDS, THEY WERE GETTING READY TO THE BOYCOTT COCA-COLA.

HE SAID IT.

HE SAID IT AND BEEN TO THE MOUNTAINTOP SPEECH.

- WOW.

- GO BACK AND LISTEN TO IT.

- THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE PITCHED VERSUS YOUR FATHER TO US AS CHILDREN.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN HE WAS ALIVE, BUT MALCOLM X, WHO FIRST CAME ON THE SCENE AS A PRODUCT OF THE MOST HONORABLE ELIJAH MUHAMMAD'S NATION OF ISLAM, NATION OF ISLAM AND GARVEY, BLACK STAR LINE, WHERE TWO OF THE MOST DRIVING ECONOMIC FORCES, NATIONALLY, AT SOME POINT.

THEY WERE THE TWO PEOPLE I KIND OF LOOKED TOWARD TO THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS I LOOKED AT.

SO BLACK PEOPLE DID CARE ABOUT MONEY BECAUSE ELIJAH MOHAMMAD WAS TAKING REFORMED PRISONERS, MUCH LIKE MALCOLM, TEACHING THEM A SENSE OF SELF, OF SELF WORTH, BUT PUTTING THEM IN BUSINESS BY SELLING BEAN PIES, PAPERS.

MALCOLM TOOK A HARDER LINE WHILE IN AND EVEN OUT THAT IT WAS INTERPRETED, TOLD US IT WAS A HARDER LINE, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, THESE MEN WERE MUCH MORE IN LINE THAN GIVEN CREDIT FOR.

- YEAH.

- WHAT MADE ME UNDERSTAND THAT THIS BALANCE WAS HERE EVEN BEFORE ANDY TOLD ME THAT HE HAD KNOWN BOTH, EVEN BEFORE I STARTED READING MYSELF AND LEARNING THAT THEIR PHILOSOPHIES WEREN'T RADICALLY APART IN TERMS OF ECONOMICS, WAS THE FACT THAT I SAW THEIR TWO WIVES TOGETHER.

I SAW CORETTA SCOTT KING, SAW BETTY SHABAZZ TOGETHER.

I SAW THEM TOGETHER, MOVING ON A UNIFIED FRONT ON THE BEHALF OF THE PROGRESSION OF BLACK, POOR, AND UNDERSERVED PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.

AS AN ORGANIZER, WITH MY OWN TWO EYES.

NOT A STORY I HEARD.

NOT SOMETHING I SAW ON CBS.

SAW YOU THERE.

WHAT WAS THEIR FRIENDSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP LIKE?

BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS TRY TO POLARIZE THE HUSBANDS, BUT HUSBAND'S NOTHING WITHOUT A WIFE.

- RIGHT.

- [MIKE] YOUR WIFE IS YOUR PARTNER, YOU KNOW.

WHAT WAS THEIR RELATIONSHIP LIKE?

- YEAH.

- AND HOW ARE WE, OR YOU, MISSING THEM BOTH IN TERMS OF BEING HERE NOW?

- OH MY GOD, THOSE WOMEN WERE WOMEN HAVE STRENGTH AND DIGNITY.

STRENGTH UNDER FIRE.

DIGNITY UNDER FIRE.

AND WISDOM.

THEY HAD SUCH A WISDOM ABOUT EVERYTHING.

AND, YOU KNOW, THEY DISCOVERED EACH OTHER.

OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF THE COMMONALITY OF LOSING THEIR HUSBANDS TO AN ASSASSIN.

AND THAT'S A CLUB THAT NOBODY WANTS TO JOIN, OF COURSE.

THEY WERE FORCED INTO THAT.

BUT IT WAS A REFUGE FOR BOTH OF THEM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU IN THAT SITUATION, WHERE DO YOU TURN?

- YEAH.

- WHO DO YOU TALK TO?

WHERE CAN YOU JUST KIND OF LET DOWN AND BE YOU?

- YEAH.

- AND THAT WAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MY MOM, BETTY SHABAZZ, AND MYRLIE EVERS.

AND WHEN, WHEN DR. SHABAZZ, DR. BETTY SHABAZZ, WAS IN THE HOSPITAL.

WOW, I REMEMBER GOING WITH MY MOTHER THERE, WHEN, YOU KNOW, SHE SUFFERED THOSE BURNS.

AND MY MOTHER ASKED ME TO PRAY IN THE ROOM.

I DID THAT.

BUT I SAW SOMETHING IN MY MOTHER THAT I'D NEVER SEEN.

IT WAS LIKE A HEAVY BURDEN.

- [MIKE] YEAH.

- BECAUSE SHE LOST A VERY GOOD FRIEND.

- [MIKE] YEAH.

- SHE DIDN'T HAVE A FRIEND WHO COULD KIND OF IDENTIFY WITH HER AND WANTED NOTHING FROM HER.

AND HER LIFE CHANGED AFTER THAT.

AND I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY SAYING TO HER, "MOM, YOU'RE GONNA LIVE A LONG TIME."

SHE SAID, "I DON'T KNOW, ACCIDENTS AND OTHER THINGS CAN HAPPEN."

SO IT TOOK SOMETHING OUT OF HER.

THEY WERE TRULY SISTERS AND LOVED EACH OTHER SO UNCONDITIONALLY.

SO YEAH, WE'RE MISSING THOSE WOMEN WHO KNEW HOW TO FACE ADVERSITY, AND KNEW HOW TO FACE EVIL, AND STARE IT IN THE EYE AND STILL STAND STRONG.

THEY'RE ELEGANT.

- HAVING KNOWN, IN MY COMMUNITY, AND PARTICIPATING IN BOTH THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION AND THE RELIGION OF ISLAM WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, YOU LEARN THAT THERE'S A LOT OF COMMONALITY THERE.

JESUS IS MENTIONED A LOT IN THE QURAN TO PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT I'VE NOTICED ABOUT ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS IS THAT IN TERMS OF INSTITUTIONS, SOMETIMES THEY ADVOCATE FOR THE POLARIZATION.

AND YOUR FATHER ADVOCATED FOR A BELOVED COMMUNITY.

AND RELIGION, IN MY OPINION, GETS KIND OF LEFT AT THE DOOR, - YEAH.

- IN TERMS OF HAVING TO BE RIGHT MORE SO THAN HAVING TO BE PRINCIPLED.

YOUR FATHER WAS A PRINCIPLE MAN.

MALCOLM WAS A PRINCIPLE MAN.

YOUR MOTHER, DR. BETTY SHABAZZ, WAS PRINCIPLED PEOPLE.

WHAT IS THE BELOVED COMMUNITY TO YOU NOW?

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

WHO'S INVITED TO BE A PART OF IT?

YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE KEEP INVOKING IT?

HOW DO WE GROW IT AND SPREAD IT?

BECAUSE AGAIN, I TOLD YOU, I STARTED FOLLOWING YOU RELIGIOUSLY.

LIKE I GO FROM WAKING UP FEELING HOPELESS AND I GOT DIRECTLY TO YOUR I.G.

AND THAT'S WHERE I GET INSPIRATION FROM.

- DO YOU KNOW WHAT GIVES ME HOPE?

I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THIS TO YOU.

IF YOU READ THE BIBLE, THE WORD, REMEMBER, COMES UP A WHOLE LOT.

- OKAY.

- AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE GET AMNESIA IN THE WORLD.

IF YOU REMEMBER THAT THERE HAVE BEEN GENERATIONS BEFORE YOU, AND WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO ENDURE AND COME THROUGH AND ACCOMPLISH AND HAND TO US, IT GIVES ME HOPE.

- [MIKE] IT DOES.

- YEAH.

AND IT GIVES ME STRENGTH TO KNOW THAT I CAN DO WHAT I NEED TO DO IN MY GENERATION.

I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT ALL.

I'M GOING TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN.

BUT YEAH, THE BELOVED COMMUNITY, THE WAY I TALK ABOUT IT AS A JUST, HUMANE, EQUITABLE, AND PEACEFUL WORLD.

BUT THE REALITY IS, EVERYBODY IS WELCOME IN A BELOVED COMMUNITY.

I MEAN, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WELL, YOU KNOW... - EVEN AGNOSTIC PEOPLE AND ATHEISTS?

- EVERYBODY.

- OKAY.

OKAY.

- BECAUSE IT'S BASED OFF OF UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN FAMILY, THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE SISTERHOOD, THAT IS NOT DEFINED BY ANY LABEL, PERIOD.

IT'S JUST THAT WE ARE PART OF A HUMANITY.

AND WE HAVE TO CREATE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE JUST AND EQUITABLE, AND WE HAVE TO DO IT WITH A HEART OF COMPASSION AND CARE.

AND CONFLICT WILL BE THERE.

IT'S NOT THIS UTOPIA WHERE, HEY, WE DON'T HAVE CONFLICT AND TENSION.

BUT WE LEARN HOW TO WORK THROUGH THAT TENSION IN A WAY THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S REST, 'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT RECONCILIATION WITHOUT RESTORATION.

AND WHATEVER OTHER THINGS, REPARATION THAT HAS TO HAPPEN IN THE PROCESS.

BUT THAT WORD DIGNITY RUNS THROUGHOUT IT.

AND LOVE DRIVES EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW.

- IS FAITH ESSENTIAL?

NOT RELIGIOUS FAITH, BUT THE FAITH THAT WE AS HUMAN BEINGS ARE DIVINE BEINGS.

- YEAH.

FIRST, OF ALL, THAT WE CAN CREATE THIS KIND OF COMMUNITY.

- GOTCHA.

- I MEAN, THAT'S VERY ESSENTIAL, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE THINK IT'S A UTOPIA.

WHAT'S MISSING RIGHT NOW, WHICH PUZZLES ME.

WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SOLVE EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE FACED WITH IN THIS WORLD.

- WE DO.

- OUR WILL IS IN THE WAY.

WE HAVE TO BUILD THE WILL TO DO IT, AND GET THE SELF-CENTEREDNESS OUT OF THE WAY AND BECOME A LITTLE MORE OTHERS-CENTERED.

YOU DON'T DENY A HEALTHY SENSE OF SELF.

- YEAH.

- BUT WE GET A LITTLE BIT MORE NARCISSISTIC IN OUR, YOU KNOW, SELF CARE.

AND SO, YEAH.

- SO I'VE NOTICED THAT IN PUBLIC OFFICE, RIGHT, THE PEOPLE WHO I SAW ON A LOCAL LEVEL WHEN I WERE YOUNGER WERE PEOPLE LIKE YOUR FATHER'S LATE COMRADES.

I MEAN, YOUR LATE FATHER'S COMRADES, ANDY YOUNG, HOSEA WILLIAMS.

HOSEA WAS ON CITY COUNCIL.

HE WAS READY TO BURN THE HOUSE DOWN ON ANY WEEKLY BASIS FOR HOW KIRKWOOD WAS BEING TREATED.

- YEAH, HE WAS.

THEY HAD PULLED HIM BACK A LOT OF TIMES.

- EXACTLY.

SO WE NEED MORE PEOPLE ON A LOCAL LEVEL THAT ARE THAT PASSIONATE.

YOU'RE ONE OF THE GREATEST ORATORS I'VE EVER HEARD.

I'M SURE YOU'VE GOTTEN A PHONE CALL AND THE QUESTION OFTEN ASKED, WHY HAVE YOU NEVER RAN FOR OFFICE?

- UH-UH.

- IS LEADING THE KING CENTER... YOU ANSWERED THAT SO QUICK, LIKE EVERYBODY DONE ASKED YOU.

BUT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN MAYOR.

YOU SHOULD BE SENATOR.

I KNOW YOU'VE GOTTEN THAT.

WHY IS LEADING THE KING CENTER AS, OR MORE, IMPORTANT?

DOES IT THWART NARCISSISM?

- YOU KNOW WHY?

BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO TAKE SIDES THAT WAY.

YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS WHAT'S BECOME OF OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM.

YOU'RE EITHER DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN.

AND IF YOU'RE INDEPENDENT, NOBODY PAYS A LOT OF ATTENTION TO YOU, YOU KNOW?

AND I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF PROBABLY MORE OF AN INDEPENDENT, BUT I DON'T EVEN LIKE THE LABEL.

YOU KNOW, SO THE CENTER GIVES ME A BROADER PLATFORM TO DELVE INTO SOME THINGS, TO CONNECT WITH FOLKS, THAT FOLKS WOULD SAY YOU BETTER NOT BECAUSE IF YOU DO THAT YOU'RE GOING TO ALIENATE THIS VERSUS THAT.

I CAN'T LIVE THAT WAY.

I HAVE TO LIVE ACCORDING TO TRUTH AND WHAT'S RIGHT AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND MY CONSCIENCE.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO LIVE WITH.

NOTHING ELSE I CAN LIVE WITH.

I CAN'T PLAY THE GAMES OF A POLITICIAN.

I JUST, I CAN'T DO IT.

- I COULD TALK TO YOU FOREVER, BUT I HAVE TO WRAP.

AND IN MY WRAPPING, THERE WAS AN AMAZING TWEET, AGAIN CAUSE I FOLLOW YOU.

I GAVE YOU THE CHOICES OF A FEW, BUT THIS IS THE ONE I WAS HOPING YOU PICKED.

AND YOU PICKED IT.

BECAUSE YOUR VOICE TO ME, INVOKES A CALL TO ACTION BY GOD HIMSELF AND HERSELF.

I NEED YOU TO PLEASE READ THIS TWEET FOR MY AUDIENCE SO THAT WE CAN HEAR IT AND IT'S ON RECORD FOREVER.

- KINDNESS MATTERS, BUT KINDNESS DOES NOT EQUAL JUSTICE.

UNITY MATTERS, BUT CALLS FOR UNITY ARE OFTEN ABOUT MAINTAINING AN UNJUST STATUS QUO.

CIVILITY MATTERS, BUT CIVILITY WITHOUT JUSTICE EQUALS FALSE PEACE.

WE NEED TRUE PEACE, WHICH INCLUDES JUSTICE.

LET'S UNITE FOR THAT.

- ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE.

THANK YOU FOR CARRYING THE LEGACY OF YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR FATHER.

THANK YOU FOR CALLING FOR UNIFICATION IN THE AGE OF POLARIZATION.

AND I APPRECIATE YOU FOR BEING A SHINING EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING TO ASPIRE TOWARD FOR ME.

- AND THANK YOU, YOU'RE AN INSPIRATION TOO.

- I APPRECIATE YOU.

THANK YOU.

YOU'VE BEEN ON "LOVE & RESPECT" AND HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE YOUR LAST TIME.

(UPBEAT MUSIC) (UPBEAT MUSIC)