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New Leads in Couple's Killing; President Obama's Emotional Trip to Africa; Amnesty for American Journalist; Grave Sites Disturbed; Minority Kids Kicked Out of Pool
Aired July 11, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a big break in a case that left a couple slain and 16 children orphan. CNN is live at the center of the investigation.
No swimming while black. That's what parents say their children overheard at a private swim club. Both sides speak to CNN, and we talk in depth.
Cemetery plot. Where are our babies' bodies? That's what some parents are asking about their loved ones over a grave robbing scandal.
And the Michael Jackson saga. His body, his family, his death. A prominent family friend fills us in right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We start tonight with breaking news. Florida police got a break tonight in tracking down the killer or killers of a Florida couple who were murdered in their home. It was a brutal home invasion. Well, tonight they have located a red dodge van they believed was used in the killings of a well-known couple in the town of Beulah. Byrd and Melanie Billings left behind 16 children, 12 of them adopted and many with special needs. Police say finding the van quickly, well, it led two people to two persons of interest along with interviewing a third person tonight is also sought.
CNN's David Mattingly standing by at the center of the investigation tonight.
David, finding that red van did help and what about talking to those two people? Are you hearing if they heard any information or getting any information from them?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, what we can tell you is that the sheriff here says that his investigators were running into all kinds of dead ends as they were trying to solve this murder, and that changed about 10:00 this morning when they got a call, a tip came in from the public. Someone saying, I think I've seen that van you've been looking for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It is a critical piece of evidence, and investigators are combing through it to see what they can find. They believe this is the same van recorded by a home security camera the night someone broke into the home of Byrd and Melanie Billings and shot them dead.
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Once we had located the van, developed an address for the van had been registered to, interviews with associated neighbors and friends and family, then led us to two persons of interest. As you know, we are looking for a total of three.
MATTINGLY: Three young, white men, also recorded on the family's security system as they broke into the Billings' home. Investigators won't say if anything was taken from the house, or what kind of weapon was used. But the men who did this worked so quickly that authorities believe they had some kind of experience.
MORGAN: We were surprised with the rapidity of the crime. And that's, you know, about the most I can say about it.
MATTINGLY: Investigators will not discuss motive. Byrd and Melanie Billings were known for their kindness. They had adopted a dozen children over the years, many with special needs. Eight of the children were at home at the time of the murders. None was harmed. But why were the Billings' targeted? Was it robbery or was it something else?
The sheriff identified this man as one of the persons of interest. He said his appearance matches one the men seen by security cameras. At the time he was seen by our camera, he had not been named as a suspect and no arrests had been made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And that has not changed at this hour. They are questioning two persons of interest and still on the lookout for a third person of interest that they believe is still in this area.
Don?
LEMON: So, David, that van just came in tonight and again also coming into the police station you said there's one person of interest? Is that correct? Is there a person of interest that the media witnessed coming in tonight to the sheriff's department?
MATTINGLY: They have two persons of interest that are connected to the van that they brought in. That's how all of this happened together. They have a third person of interest that they are looking for. That they are looking for three young, white men that they saw on the surveillance, on this security video taken inside the family's home. That's who they're looking for. They have two that they are questioning, and a third that they are still looking for. And, again, they think that person is still in this area.
LEMON: Yes. I was just wondering, David, when the video came in of the van, I also saw one person holding their face. I didn't see two so I was just trying to get some clarification on that.
David Mattingly following this story. Every single detail. We appreciate it, David. Let's talk now about the president of the United States. President Barack Obama, he wrapped up a seven-day international tour in Africa tonight. Crowds of people clamored just to get a glimpse of America's first African-American president in Ghana. Now in a speech to the parliament, well, the president praised the sub-Saharan nation as a beacon of democracy, but he also had some stern words for other African nations who are wrecked by corruption.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves. Or if police -- if police can be bought off by drug traffickers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the president and the first family also toured the Cape Coast Castle, which the British used as an African slave dungeon.
While at the Cape Coast Castle, President Barack Obama spoke exclusively to CNN's Anderson Cooper at this slave fortress.
Now as you have heard just moments ago, this is where slaves where held before, I should say citizens were held before being sold into the slave trade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think what happened here still has resonance in America? That the slave experience still is something that should be talked and should be remembered and should be present in everyday life?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the holocaust. I think it's one of those things you don't forget about. I think it's important that the way we think about it and the way it's taught is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer, and that's the end of the story.
I think the way it has to be thought about, the reason it's relevant, is because whether it's what's happening in Darfur, or what's happening in the Congo, or what's happening in too many places around the world. You know, the capacity for cruelty still exists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You can see Anderson's exclusive conversation with President Barack Obama on Monday night, "AC360." "AC360," 10:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. You can also see more of Anderson's interview with the president tomorrow on "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING," 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
And in our next half hour, we'll talk to Discovery Channel producer Reggie Allen about his new documentary, it's called "Ten Days in Africa." Allen will take us in-depth into the heart of Africa. He made the journey to dispel myths about the continent and find out firsthand what it is really like. That's coming up in our next half hour. You don't want to miss it. It's a very interesting documentary.
The U.S. is now seeking amnesty for two American journalists. They have been in prison in North Korea accused of entering the country illegally. The Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, asked that Laura Ling and Euna Lee be released on humanitarian grounds. Clinton made the announcement at a State Department briefing yesterday. A plea for amnesty implies forgiveness for some events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident. And I think everyone is very sorry that it happened. What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system, and be allowed to return home to their families as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ling and Lee are both serving 12-year sentences in a prison that requires hard labor.
Protesters marched in the nation's capitol to protest the results of the presidential election in Iran today. They walked from Capitol Hill to the White House. A rally and concert also taking place. The march and the rally coincide with the tenth anniversary of the student-led uprising in Iran. But, of course, they take on new significance in the wake of the hotly disputed presidential election in Iran.
Imagine this. You bury a loved one only to have their body ripped from the grave. Hundreds of people are going through that right now in Illinois. We have the latest on this heartbreaking case.
Plus, an apology and an explanation for kicking a group of minority children out of a private club swimming pool. But many in the community are not buying it.
And you might want to close your eyes to this one. Swimmers in Florida -- bare it all to set a record. Not all pretty, either. We're going to show it to you.
Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com. We'll get your comments on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Thousands of anxious family members showed up at the Burr Oak Cemetery outside Chicago today only to find that the gates were closed. Four former cemetery workers are accused of digging up bodies so they could resell the plot. The cemetery has been closed to the public so that investigators can determine how many graves have been disturbed. Among those buried at the historically black cemetery, Emmett Till. A martyr of the civil rights era. His grave has not been disturbed, but his original casket replaced by a newer one four years ago was found rusting in a shack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Emmett Tills legend redefined emotions and I called in great fundamental ways. And so to see his casket in this state of desecration and neglect is very painful. But, of course, robbers of this level have no conscience. To them it's about the money, and not about history. Not about culture. Just about the money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Erin Mendez of our Chicago affiliate WGN is covering this heartbreaking story for us tonight, and she joins us live.
Erin, thank you so much for joining us. Got a chance to speak with any family members? And if so, what are they saying to you?
ERIN MENDEZ, WGN REPORTER: We did. And this is just a horrific story, Don. You know, hundreds showed up to get, so many people show that they actually had to show them from remote lots only to get to the front gates of Burr Oak Cemetery and literally be turned away.
They could leave their loved ones information, but all they could really do is wait at this point. The magnitude of this investigation is really extensive, and there was some pretty disturbing revelations today.
The Cook County sheriff said they were focusing on one area that was referred to as baby land, where they had buried numerous children and babies over the years. That area seems to be almost non-existent. They had over 10 mothers call over the last couple of days saying they went out to the cemetery, couldn't find any of those headstones. So that's just one more layer, one more element to this really horrific story out here.
LEMON: Hey, Erin, do we know how many bodies we're talking about now? We said it's massive. I heard you say massive and extensive. How many are we talking? Do they even know?
MENDEZ: Early estimates, 300 to 400 bodies.
LEMON: Boy.
MENDEZ: That they believe or either double stacked, dug up and dumped. You know, as you mentioned before, we have four people sitting in jail tonight that each could be facing up to 30 years. And the sheriff said we don't even know what we're dealing with. We're trying to get our arms around this. But short of literally digging up this entire cemetery. We got over 100,000 people buried here. We don't know how long this investigation will go on.
LEMON: Talk to us about the four people in jail and the investigation. Are they any closer to finding out why from these people or what happened? Are they offering up any explanations?
MENDEZ: We know that we've got $300,000 in undisclosed funds. Money that was not accounted for. And they're saying the ringleader was the cemetery manager at the time. This woman by the name of Carolyn Townes. She's in jail along with three groundskeepers. And they were told, under her helm, that they should be digging up and moving these bodies.
And it sounds like, again, these are early allegations, but it sounds like what they were doing is reselling the same plot over and over again. Either stacking the bodies or moving them and selling it as new.
LEMON: All right.
MENDEZ: So it's pretty disturbing stuff, Don.
LEMON: Erin Mendez of our Chicago affiliate WGM, we appreciate you joining us on a Saturday night.
MENDEZ: Absolutely.
LEMON: Another very interesting story to tell you about tonight. The head of a Pennsylvania swim club says dozens of minority kids were kicked out because of safety concerns. Not racism. But a lot of people simply are not buying that claim. Our Susan Candiotti has the very latest.
Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, today visitors to the swim club were greeted by a small group of protesters as this key question remains -- will an explanation and an apology from the swim club's director be enough to quell this controversy?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: On Saturday, a homemade sign at the entrance read, "Understaffed," not racism. The Valley Club denies racial remarks allegedly made by some club members. We're behind its decision to cancel the swim contract with a largely minority day-care center.
JOHN DUESLER, PRESIDENT, THE VALLEY CLUB: It's really unfortunate. We apologize deeply. We regret deeply that this had to happen.
ALETHEA WRIGHT, DIRECTOR, CREATIVE STEPS, INC.: I accept anyone's apology, but when you tell the truth. I want him to tell the truth.
CANDIOTTI: Here's what happened.
A day-care center catering to mainly minority, black and Hispanic kids, paid $1950 for the kids to use the pool once a week for an hour and a half. But after one visit, their check was returned and summer swim trips cancelled. DUESLER: We severely underestimated the number of children and our capacity to handle these groups. We are not prepared for it, and that's the only reason. It was a safety issue. And that's the only reason that the children, we thought it was not safe for them to be here.
CANDIOTTI: The day-care center calls that a lie. The club flatly denies it discriminates and says two other day-care centers were also canceled after one visit.
WRIGHT: I mean, you have hurt children, they heard racial comments, and they don't understand -- are they too black in their skin to swim? This could impact them for a lifetime.
CANDIOTTI: Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission now is investigating two formal complaints filed by parents of the day-care center.
STEPHEN GLASSMAN, CHAIRMAN, PA, HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION: We always hope we will be able to settle these cases so that parties can move on with their lives and everyone feels that they can walk away feeling whole and that there could be a learning process.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: But for now there doesn't appear to be a learning curve or compromise in sight.
Don?
LEMON: All right. Susan Candiotti, thank you very much for that story.
What is happening in Pennsylvania and Chicago is generating a ton of conversation around this country. Later this hour we're digging deeper into the issues and the bigger questions about race in America.
Also, the turnout was massive. Some of the biggest names in sports come out to say good-bye to football great Steve McNair.
Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Don.
LEMON: I thought you were just going to go.
JERAS: I can't just go.
LEMON: How are you doing? What's going on with the weather, Jacqui?
JERAS: Oh, a lot of stuff actually. We've got some great video, Don, that you don't want to miss. The shuttle was delayed due to lightning. We've got pictures to prove it.
Also, it's so hot, the inmates are getting cold treats. Find out where coming up in your forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is a no go for the space shuttle "Endeavour." Today's launch was scrubbed after a stormy night at the Florida's -- at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. You can see bolt after bolt of lightning hitting right near the launch pad.
It's amazing video to see.
Technicians are -- they are doing some checking for damage. But so far they haven't found any. That's good. This is the third time, though, that "Endeavour's" lift-off has been delayed. NASA will try again tomorrow.
Better weather then, Jacqui Jeras, or, you know --
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Oh, yes! Unfortunately, the drumstick doesn't love everyone, if you know what I mean.
JERAS: In fact, I know very well what you mean by that.
LEMON: Don't you think the drumstick, the ice cream sandwich, pops, everything.
JERAS: Yes. Whatever it takes to cool down. You know, they say in Tent city, it was actually closer to 138 inside. Very hot.
LEMON: OK, Jacqui, thank you very much.
Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is being remembered as a legend in his home state of Mississippi. Thousands of mourners gathered for his funeral today in Hattiesburg. Current and former NFL quarterbacks including Brett Favre, Vince Young and Doug Williams also attended the service. Nashville police say McNair was shot and killed by his mistress on July 4th. They are calling it a murder-suicide.
There are some new details about the Michael Jackson death investigation. We're talking to a prominent family friend and weeding out the rumors for you. What's real and what is true.
Also, President Barack Obama's trip to Ghana has special significance for African-Americans. We'll talk to a young documentarian who made the same journey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Ok. Are we going to 22? Or are we on the right page here, guys? OK.
At 36, Ben Jealous is not the NAACP's youngest president ever. He's also leading the nation's oldest civil rights organization at a pivotal point in its history. And with the NAACP marking its centennial, some questions -- well, its -- whether or not it is still relevant, especially since the nation has elected its first African- American president.
I put that question to the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN, NATION OF ISLAM: The NAACP, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Al Sharpton, the Urban League, the Nation of Islam, all of us will continue to be relevant if the focus is on injustice, correcting it and on developing black people towards self-responsibility, independence, stopping the violence in our community, the self-hatred that exists among us and getting our people to pool our resources to create economic stability for our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I also got the chance recently to spend the afternoon with Ben Jealous at his home talking about issues a little bit closer to his heart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice over): At work, Ben Jealous is the boss, but at home he's Lia Epperson's husband and daddy to 3-year-old Morgan.
(on camera): Who's that?
MORGAN, DAUGHTER OF BEN JEALOUS: Daddy.
LEMON: That's who?
MORGAN: Daddy.
BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: That's right.
LEMON: The president of the NAACP says fatherhood is his most important job. Even with the pressure e of heading a 100-year-old civil rights organization struggling to stay relevant and afloat, Jealous' day begins and ends with family.
JEALOUS: I take care of my own business first and foremost. Ultimately, what we're all called on to do is to be -- is that -- is to make sure that our own lives are in order.
LEMON: And if more black men follow his lead, Jealous says it would help with two of the biggest challenges facing the black community -- absentee fathers and the stunning number of black men behind bars. Our president now addressing these issues is also a big help.
(on camera): It seems something very interesting is going on.
JEALOUS: Well, it's great. I mean, the fact that Obama is in the White House really affirms our strategy. You know, our strategy for 100 years has been to dream bold dreams, to break them down into achievable steps and to practice discipline pursuing that not just for years but for decades.
LEMON (voice over): And like the president, in a Father's Day column for "Essence" magazine, Jealous spells it out in hard numbers -- 60 percent of the people in prison are people of color. One in three black men born today can expect to go to prison. And on any given day, one in every eight black men in their 20s is in prison or jail.
So for the sake of his daughter, which is the title of his column, Jealous challenges black men to step up.
JEALOUS: If my daughter Morgan decides she wants to marry a black man, and trends that we've known through our lifetimes continue, it may be very hard. And I'm, by no means, saying that it must be from her own community, but she needs to have that option. She deserves to have that option.
LEMON (on camera): You're right. Look at that big smile on your face. Why is that?
JEALOUS: Because I'm in love with my daughter and I'm in love with my wife. I mean, it's -- you know, that for me, it's the foundation of everything.
LEMON: Do you sit down with your daughter in mind and say, I'm going to write this for my baby, or...
JEALOUS: Really, that piece was an expression of why I took this job first of all. When you're raising a child, you have to think about this minute and you also have to think 20 years ahead, because that's the world that they're going to inherit.
LEMON (voice over): Two dads and two moms, hoping to break a dangerous cycle for their own children and children across America from the top down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. That was my conversation with the Jealous family just a couple of weeks ago. So, that is a good time to talk about this. Is the NAACP still relevant?
It's also a good time to talk about race, with the president overseas visiting where he was.
We're going to talk to a filmmaker who has something very personal to share about that and also a panel. We're going to have a real holds barred discussion, nothing is off limits, about race. How far have we come since Ghana?
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. One more good-bye for Michael Jackson, this time in his boyhood hometown of Gary, Indiana. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PERFORMERS DANCING TO JACKSON'S "BEAT IT.")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know, thousands of people gathered last night in the city's minor league ballpark for a celebration, featuring the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Michael's father Joe Jackson.
Jackson and his family left Gary -- he was 11 years old when they did that, but he never forgot the place where he and his brothers got their start in local talent contests, really at a school. And, boy, did they go on from there.
I have a quick update now on the Michael Jackson death investigation to tell you about.
I spoke with LAPD police sources tonight. And they tell me that this investigation remains as death investigation, it's not a criminal investigation. The findings of Jackson's toxicology reports, or as they say, those tox reports, could change all of that. Those findings in fact will determine whether the investigation -- or where the investigation goes next. But we don't know when those results will be finished or released.
We also have to wait a little longer to find out who gets custody of Michael Jackson's three children. A court hearing scheduled for Monday has been pushed back to July 20th at the request of Jackson's mother, Mrs. Katherine Jackson, and his ex-wife Ms. Debbie Rowe.
Now Katherine Jackson has temporary guardianship of the children. It is not clear if Debbie Rowe is going to challenge her for custody. Rowe is the biological mother of Jackson's two children.
You should have all that information because it's been reported so much over the past week.
So let's talk now to someone who knows the Jackson family very well and talk about the investigation, and really how the family's doing, especially those children. I'm joined now from New York by the Reverend Al Sharpton. As you know, he's a very close friend of the family.
And thank you very much, sir. Can you talk to us? There have been so many rumors over the past week, and you and I talked about this in Los Angeles -- that people don't know what's true and what's not true.
Do you know anything about the investigation now? Do we know -- have you heard from the family whether or not it's moved from a death investigation to a homicide investigation?
REV. AL SHARPTON, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: No, I have no idea from the family. I know the family's position has been from the beginning that they want the truth, and that they will respond once all the facts have been laid out. There's just so much back and forward. And I think from my discussions with the family members, I don't know of the discussions with the attorneys or with each other, but from my discussions it has been one -- all the way through every discussion, is that the truth come out and that's all they want.
LEMON: Yes, that the truth come out. Real quickly, we have been - everyone is wondering, where is Michael Jackson going to be buried? Do you have an update on that for us?
SHARPTON: No, I really don't. I think that has not been discussed, and I don't think when the family's prepared to discuss that, they will discuss it.
LEMON: OK. What about Paris? Everyone is -- were you there, and, you know, I -- your quote was the quote of the day. I'm going to get to that. Hang on. Your quote was the quote of the day. When the children -- and I hear that sound bite from Paris Jackson, every time I hear it, it breaks my heart. How are the children doing?
SHARPTON: You know, in my observation, when I visited the compound and watched the children playing with their cousins and -- comfortable there with Mrs. Jackson, I think that they are very, very clear that their father's gone. But I think that they have the comfort of a home and a family that they grew up around. This is the environment they know.
LEMON: OK. Reverend Sharpton, thank you. I wanted to get that out of the way before I brought the next person in. And we're going to talk -- you and I have talked about this, all of us have.
I want to bring in David Zurawik of "The Baltimore Sun."
So, thank you David for joining us. We've talked about the media coverage and how this has been so personal to so many people in. Now, in the conversation that I had with you and reliable sources, somehow that conversation morphed into race. I don't know how it became a race issue, because I said that, you know, criticism of the coverage was elitist. You agreed with me, but you weren't quoted and you weren't called a racist in all of the coverage.
DAVID ZURAWIK, POP CULTURE CRITIC, "BALTIMORE SUN" (via telephone): Yes, well, you know, first of all, Don, I don't think -- I think it was a good thing that we had a discussion of race within the context of the Michael Jackson story. I said one of the most interesting things as a cultural critic and as a pop culture critic at the "Sun" was the discussion about race that was going hand in glove with this story.
And I think on the show I cited a conversation -- an interview Katie Couric did with Spike Lee, where Spike Lee commented about Jamie Foxx's comments on the BET show. And there was -- there was a lot of stuff happening in that discussion. And I think if people were paying attention, they were smarter about race after the 13 days of coverage of Michael Jackson than they were before. And that's a good thing, I think. Yes.
LEMON: Is this a good place, David?
I'm going to bring the Reverend back in. As we were going through all of this and I was sitting there with Soledad O'Brien, who's going to do "BLACK IN AMERICA 2", and I said, boy, oh, boy, isn't this the perfect place to launch a conversation and a really open conversation, Reverend, about race rant about those issues? Because there were things that Michael Jackson did that people weren't even aware that he was doing at the time -- changing hearts and minds, but not being preachy about it.
Go ahead, Reverend, and then I'll let David get back here.
SHARPTON: I think that's true. I think that Michael Jackson made tremendous strides in increasing racial comfort levels that he never got credit for and in part because he never did it for credit. He never did it in a preachy way. He was not an activist like me. That was not his goal, but he was a strong, proud man of who he was.
So he would open barriers and he would walk through doors that weren't already open and excel, and I think that that was the whole point of the movement. Not that everybody had to become civil rights activists, but that everyone could take advantage of it and be prepared to rise to the occasion. And Michael did that, and by rising to the occasion, he kept those doors open and he kept those barriers out.
LEMON: Hey, Reverend, you're very critical of the media and the coverage at first. So, are you feeling better about it now that the memorial's been had? Or do you still feel the same way?
SHARPTON: Well, I think that the media has been somewhat better, but I think a lot of that is because the memorial was live and the people that watched it around the world, unprecedented numbers, was able to see for themselves what this family was about, what Michael was about, and the level of respect he had from people, from a Stevie Wonder level, across the board. So it was hard for the media to continue to demonize him once they'd seen this kind of people come forward and document what Michael really was about.
LEMON: David, we had the discussion about whether it was too much media coverage. And if you look at the numbers, some of the -- as the Reverend said, most unprecedented numbers of people tuning in and people reaching out. Your final thoughts on this and especially, again, I believe this is a great jumping off point to have really frank discussion about race because there was a racial and cultural divide there and a few studies showed that, David.
ZURAWIK: I think that's absolutely true, Don. And I'll tell you one thing. I think, just as I said, if members of the audience were paying attention, they were smarter about race after the 13 or 14 days than they were before.
I think also the mainstream media in some ways got a little bit of an education, if not an education, at least a reminder, that there are still cultural divides in this country. And I really think that when, after the first day or two, people understood that this was a massive story with global implication, and implications about how we see ourselves as a nation, culturally and racially, and I -- I really think there was an education there.
And I think people got it after about three or four days. I think that as the Reverend Sharpton said, people got smart. Some folks didn't get it until after the memorial service.
But when they saw the dignity and the majesty and the power of that memorial service, I think people, even who came into that television experience maybe not thinking much of Michael Jackson, walked away impressed and better educated about what he'd accomplished.
LEMON: All right. David Zurawik from "The Baltimore Sun" -- Zurawik, I should say, from "The Baltimore Sun" and Reverend Al Sharpton, thank you both so much. Thank you.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
ZURAWIK: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: All right.
So, social networking sites have a lot to say about what's happening in Philadelphia with this Jackson story, also everything, the pool thing. All of it. We're going to be taking your comments and we're going to be talking about that on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So, we're going to continue our decision here. Some disturbing stories related to race making the news right no, and we've been telling you about them tonight, having a discussion about it.
A group of minority kids turned away from a Pennsylvania swim club pool. And in Illinois, former employees accused of desecrating a historically black cemetery.
James Andrews is a social media consultant. He joins us now via web cam.
Thank you, sir. We also heard about the Michael Jackson story. And you can view the comments. You could see and read the comments online. And it's very interesting in this current, you know, social networking instant feedback culture. Any little thing that you do can be perceived wrong and then, boom. There you go.
So go on. You have the floor now.
JAMES ANDREWS, SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT: Yes. Actually, what I wanted to say, Don, tonight is that, what was interesting about analyzing the social media space is it sort of provides a storyboard platform. It filled in all the blanks of the Michael Jackson story. Gave individuals a pass along the Michael Jackson story and really talk about it in a real community sort of environment.
Now what I found browsing in my own Facebook stream is that blacks and whites talked amongst each other in the Facebook stream about the media coverage, about the mourning, about all the issues that are around the Michael Jackson story.
I was able to look at it in a stream, and see African-Americans and non-African-Americans talking amongst each other about some of the issues.
LEMON: Hey, James...
ANDREWS: And if you try to see this throughout this social media sphere...
LEMON: Hey, James...
ANDREWS: You start to see...
LEMON: James, this is very interesting. Because of the social media and everyone can get on, and really when you're online, unless you tell people who you are, does this put everyone on equal footing in a way where you can talk about race and it doesn't -- you don't have to castigate people or you don't get harsh criticisms because nobody knows who -- I shouldn't say harsh criticism and you do, because nobody knows who's black, who's white, who's whomever on these social networking sites?
ANDREWS: Actually, in some instances, yes, that's true. Facebook, maybe not so much, because there's a profile picture. But in Twitter, absolutely. You have these comments that go out. You don't know whether they're coming from African-American or not African-American.
And you know what? What I saw was, you know, really honest dialogue with some white folks who were very honest about what they felt about the media coverage and from African-Americans who were mourning and wanted to show that, hey, this is serious, this is Michael Jackson, this should be taken on the same plane as an elder.
So, I saw a very healthy discussion for two nights. Social media brings up an opportunity to sort of hide behind a profile time.
LEMON: Very good and it's very smart for folks who realize that.
James Andrews is a social media consultant. Thank you very much. A good point to talk. Always a good time to talk, if we do it openly and honestly. Thank you very much.
ANDREWS: Thanks, Don. Appreciate it.
LEMON: All right.
President Barack Obama's trip to Ghana, it has special significance for African-Americans. We'll talk to a young documentarian who made the same journey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Some emotional moments for President Obama as he visited Africa for the first time since taking office. He and the First Family toured the Cape Coast Castle, which the British used as a slave dungeon. The president, whose father was from Kenya, said it was good for his daughters to see that history can take very cool turns. And he compared the fortress to a recent visit to a German concentration camp.
Director Regi Allen has wanted to visit Africa since he was a child. His only knowledge of it came from history books and Saturday matinees. But Allen finally made the trip for his new documentary, "10 Days in Africa."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of funny, I really don't know where I'm going. Yes, I feel sometimes I'm not sure of where I have come from either. It's a funny feeling being between two places, these two continents, these two worlds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Regi Allen joins us now live from Washington to tell us about his journey to Africa and the resulting film. That's funny, I said went to Africa and called it the journey to Africa. It is -- it really is life culture, don't you think?
REGI ALLEN, DIRECTOR, "10 DAYS IN AFRICA": Yes, it really is, Don. It's really interesting, when I was a kid the only thing I knew about Africa was sort of "Roots" and "Tarzan" movies.
And what I found in my trip to Africa was that the Africans had only seen us through the -- through the lens of media, sort of the Huxtables and music videos and so on. So, there was a cultural distortion there. And it's like once you can get past that, there is an amazing connection that can be made.
LEMON: When you see the president there -- and we saw the president's speech in Cairo and, you know, what that -- what that did for the folks in that part of the world, and now you see him in Africa. Not only for Africans being seen on the world stage like that, but what do you think it means for African-Americans to watch that and witness that? Does it help or -- does it help the discussion? Does it help race in this country? About how we feel about each other?
ALLEN: Well, I think that we're all inherently, specifically African-Americans, connected to Africa and to see the first African president, African-American president, return to Africa is just really impactful on both sides of the water.
I think that when he went to Ghana, he was basically sending a message to not only Africa but to the world that, you know, we can, you can, do anything. So, yes, definitely.
LEMON: And, you know, this - I just want to get your take on this. Obviously, I'm sitting here. You're sitting there. The president is in the White House. What do you think about the journey from Ghana when you look at the castle until now as African-Americans? Talk to me about...
ALLEN: The castle. Well, let me -- he went to Cape Coast, the slave castle in Cape Coast, and they're really -- they're really -- I'll tell you about a personal sort of experience that I had. We went -- we came to this door, which was called the door of no return. And through this door, the slaves went through -- walked on a plank to the slave ships to be taken away, never to return, ergo the door of no return.
But as our guide took us through there, she said, well, this is called the door of no return, but I'm mistaken. How can it be called the door of no return when here you are?
And right there and then, I had a sort of visceral, physical, emotional breakdown and I kind of right there and then made a connection with Africa. It must be something in the DNA, something that I remember, the collective memory that was passed on through -- through, you know, the generations. But I right then and there had a connection to Africa. It was pretty amazing.
LEMON: Yes. You summed it up very well. How can it be called the door of no return when here you are?
ALLEN: Exactly.
LEMON: Thank you, Regi.
ALLEN: My pleasure. God bless you.
LEMON: Appreciate it.
This is one for the record books. Thousands of swimmers shed their clothes to set a world record for simultaneously skinny-dipping. You'll see the naked truth, and I don't know if we're going blur it. So look out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Right now, I want you to meet our CNN hero. Her name is Pamela Green-Jackson. Take a look.
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN HEROES."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I feel not that great carrying around this weight. But I wanted to be healthy and fit.
PAMELA GREEN-JACKSON, CNN HERO: Where did we go wrong as a country where P.E. in schools is no longer a priority or children's health is no longer a priority? Something had to be done and I just decided to be the one to do it.
My name is Pamela Green-Jackson and my organization is a physical fitness and nutrition educational program for elementary and middle school youth in my community.
My brother Bernard died at age 43 at the weight of 427 pounds. He didn't have to die. And so I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to make sure that another child didn't suffer like he did.
So what we've done is converted vacant classrooms and turned them into health clubs.
This is a free program. We have personal trainers, dietitians that work with them. We allow each individual child to set their own goals.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Miss Pamela is my hero because she's always helping me to do things that I never thought I could do.
GREEN-JACKSON: If we instill these habits in them early, then they will grow up and become healthier adults. That's really what this is all about, is saving the lives of children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A town that is thriving even after an automaker pulled out. Alina Cho has tonight's "Money & Main St."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In the heart of the south, the face of tiny West Point, Georgia, is literally changing. The old pizza hut is a Korean barbecue. The old KFC, Young's Garden. Jobs once scarce are finally returning.
MALCOLM MALONE, M&M CAR WASH: Looks like Christmas time. Just like Christmas.
CHO: Christmas in the middle of a recession? In West Point, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We jokingly call it Kia-ville.
CHO: Kia, the Korean car company, is about to open a sprawling manufacturing plant, thanks to $400 billion in tax breaks. Even in the midst of a recession, the company will hire 2,500 new workers. Add suppliers and new businesses, and the mayor says West Point, population 3,500, stands to gain 20,000 jobs over the next five years.
Divine intervention.
MAYOR DREW FERGUSON, WEST POINT, GEORGIA: The economic activity here is incredible. The trickle down effect in the local economy has been staggering. CHO: Remarkable for a city that was slowly becoming a ghost town. Textile mills that once defined West Point shut down in the 1990s, leaving many out of work, including 52-year-old Margaret McManus, laid off last year, now working again at one of Kia's suppliers.
(on camera): Did you ever think you'd be making car parts?
MARGARET MCMANUS, FORMER LAID-OFF WORKER: No, not at all.
CHO: Not in a million years?
MCMANUS: No.
CHO (voice over): New construction is everywhere. At Roger's Bar-B-Que, business is booming.
DEBBIE WILLIAMS, CO-OWNER, ROGER'S BAR-B-QUE: Well, let's say, if we can get them in here one time, we can get them back. And they come. They're coming back. They're enjoying it.
CHO: Malcolm Malone's car wash business is up 70 percent. And down the street at Irish Bread Pub, Ruthann Williams invested her life savings in the business. It's paying off.
RUTHANN WILLIAMS, OWNER, IRISH BREAD PUB: I came here because of Kia. I wanted to come down to this area because of Kia. We have jumped in with both feet and we have not looked back one time.
CHO: So how is this tiny, rural community adapting to the new Asian infusion?
(on camera): Does West Point feel like more of a melting pot now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we've got the culture coming in. You know, you don't have to travel to Atlanta anymore.
CHO (voice over): From mill town to manufacturing mecca, a bright spot in an otherwise gray economy.
Alina Cho, CNN, West Point, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hey, here's that video. It is the ultimate display of naked ambition. And we warn you, some of these might be disturbing. This is a public plunge in the buff. People across the country strip down to their birthday suits. Just take a well-timed swim there, aiming to make the Guinness Book of Records for the largest simultaneous skinny-dip. No word yet if they succeeded.
OK. There you go. Hope you blurred your eyes. We didn't let a little bit slip out. I hope not. I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. See you back here tomorrow night, 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Have a great evening.
