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Memorial Day; Anniversary of Racial Violence; What It`s Like to Take A Spacewalk. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired May 28, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. Welcoming our viewers around the world to the last broadcast of our Spring season. Fridays are awesome.
Many Americans have a three-day weekend coming up. Since 1971, the Memorial Day Holiday has been observed on the last Monday in May. It`s come to
symbolize the unofficial beginning of summer. A time of cookouts and family reunions, a time when Americans can wear white shoes again according to an
old-fashioned fashion rule. But the true meaning of the holiday is in remembrance, Memorial Day is a tribute to all Americans who died serving in
their nation`s conflicts. It started during the Civil War when mourners used flowers to decorate the graves of those who`d been killed in battle.
That gave rise to the holiday known as Decoration Day. It was marked in states that fought for the Union and the Confederacy. After World War I,
which ended in 1918, the holiday`s name was changed to Memorial Day and it became a time to remember servicemen and women who`d been lost in every
war. Flags are placed in their honor. Parades and church services, public events are held. The president traditionally lays a wreath at the Tomb of
the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. That can take place on Veterans Day as well. But while that holiday recognizes everyone who served
in the Armed Forces, Memorial Day focuses on those who gave their lives in service.
The respects paid at Arlington are mirrored in cemeteries and communities all across America. This year Memorial Day coincides with another historic
date. One of America`s worst outbreaks of racial violence occurred on May 31st, 1921. It`s known as the Tulsa Race Massacre or the Tulsa Race Riot.
Historians believe it started with an accusation against a black man. A confrontation between black and white mobs. The fatal shooting of a white
protestor and then widespread destruction of an African American neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. There`s a lot of mystery around it. No one
knows who actually fired the first shot. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, estimates of the number killed range from 30 to 300, mostly
African Americans. Here`s CNN Contributor Chris James.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS JAMES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey Carl. I`ve come to Tulsa, Oklahoma. A city that`s been reckoning with their own painful history of racial
violence. Right here on the ground where I`m standing, once stood the neighborhood known as "Black Wall Street". One hundred years ago, this was
a thriving and prosperous black community called the Greenwood District with movie theaters, stores, doctors, schools and even a pilot who owned
his own plane. Keep in mind during this time, it was illegal for black people and white people to freely shop and live in the same places. They
weren`t even allowed to use the same water fountains. Tensions between residents reached a tipping point after an incident inside an elevator.
When an unconfirmed rumor began to spread that a 19-year-old black man tried to hurt a 17-year-old white girl. On May 31st, 1921, a group of black
and white men confronted each other outside the Tulsa Courthouse. After the firing of gunshots, pure and utter mayhem ensued. A mob of angry white
residents began to loot and burn black businesses throughout the Greenwood District. In the span of 24 hours, 35 square blocks were burned and over
1,200 houses were destroyed. It`s unclear how many people were killed but some historians have the number as high as 300 with thousands left
homeless.
This Monday will mark the 100-year anniversary of what`s now known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. It`s one of the worst incidents of racial violence in
U.S. history and for decades it was one of the least talked about in news reports and public-school textbooks. But now the city of Tulsa has decided
to face its dark past to ensure a brighter future for all. And on Monday`s special edition of CNN 10, I`ll introduce you to the teachers and students
leading the way. Back to you Carl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. In what year was the first spacewalk completed? 1957, 1965, 1969 or 1972. In March of 1965, a Soviet cosmonaut took the
first spacewalk. An American astronaut followed three months later.
The anniversary of that is next week on June 3rd. It will mark 56 years since astronaut Ed White took a walk in space. It was one thing to get
outside the Gemini IV capsule in orbit. It was another to actually get work done according to NASA. So astronauts on subsequent missions began training
underwater so they`d have an idea about what it`d be like in space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Separate (inaudible) at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) hatch came open, immediately inside the airlock itself it was bathed in this beautiful color of blue. I mean, there
was light reflecting off the -- the ocean below. And I saw -- saw planet Earth and just my feet just dangling there and I thought to myself, you
know, this is absolutely beautiful. I can`t believe that I`m here. And I said, OK, we`ve got work to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Then at this point (inaudible), we`ll just have you go toward your space between the modules. And then you have that fuse
tether in place, before you (inaudible) handrail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Process associated with actually going out the door begins months beforehand. Understanding though, the -- the choreography of
what`s going to take place over an eight-hour period. What are the technical challenges for that particular activity?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am. You can --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are your own self-contained vessel. You have your own oxygen system, your own power supply, your own communication system.
You have obviously all the tools that you brought with you. You have the ability to reject the heat that you`re building up as you`re working inside
the spacesuit. So, you have to kind of manage all that as your own little independent spacecraft out there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you`re going to put right (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And because we can rely heavily on our training, that allows us to not be overwhelmed with the things that you just can`t emulate
here on the ground. At the end of our first spacewalk, I stopped on the truss just for a second and it was my time. Then I looked down below and I
could -- I was -- I knew exactly where I was. I was over the Indian Ocean because I could see the -- the lights along the -- the coastline. It`s just
such an -- an incredible feeling to -- to just be able to see that, to take that in and, kind of, be able to be in that moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Quick, name the world`s largest carnivorous marsupial. If you said Tasmanian devil, you`re pretty smart. Usually, you`ll find these things on
the Australian island of Tasmania. Conservations say they used to be on the mainland but died out because of disease and competition from dingoes.
Anyway, efforts to reintroduce them to the continent are making progress. A wildlife sanctuary says seven Tasmanian devil babies were just born in the
Australian wild. Of course, this isn`t good news for foxes or feral cats.
They don`t want "Taz" back on the "Manian" land. Especially if they`re carrying "pouches" full of babies that may not play well with the "kits".
But those species that don`t mind another "pupping" back in could find themselves "calving" a great time. It`s always a "joey" when you`re
"kitten" around and having "fawn". And if it continues, it could lead to "Tazmania". On that note, it has been a "joey" to bring you the news
throughout a crazy academic year. We are so grateful. It is such a blessing to have the best audience in news and we hope you have nothing but good
news throughout the summer. Shout out goes out to Flagstaff High School. Thank you for watching from Flagstaff, Arizona. I`m Carl Azuz. We will look
forward to seeing all ya`ll again when we return in August but until then. That`s all folks for our Spring broadcasting season of CNN.
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