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First of All with Victor Blackwell

Black Female Leaders Sign Letter In Support Of Biden; Refugee Community Demands Answers After Death Of Teen; Unique Opera Honors Black Lives Lost To Police Violence; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Considers Transgender Ban; The Navy Exonerates 256 Black Sailors Unjustly Punished Over 1944 WW II Port Explosion; Sheila Jackson Lee, Outspoken Texas Congresswoman, Dies At 74. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 20, 2024 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'll speak to one of those leaders who signed the letter. Also Martin Luther King III is here. Of course he knows the personal loss of political violence. We're going to talk with him about the push for unity after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and those mass deportation now signs that the RNC.

Also perspective from a refugee community in New York reeling after police shot and killed a teenager who came to this country to get away from violence. And calls for change through Opera honor Eric Garner and other black people killed by police are being remembered 10 years after his death, with help from his mother.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: There are a lot going on. Of course, we'll be watching. Have a good show.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you. Let's do it now.

Well, first of all, I'm just glad to be back in Atlanta after getting caught up in the travel mess we all just went through. Maybe the only thing as complicated to navigate is the 2024 race. Inauguration Day is six months away from today, guys. And Democrats do not want to see former President Donald Trump back on that stage and yet they are struggling to decide who has the best chance to keep that from happening.

Among the new batch of names publicly asking President Biden to step aside Congress Congressman Marc Veasey of Texas, not the biggest name, but he is the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus to do it. President Biden still seems to have the support of what Democrats know is the base of their party most black women.

This week, more than 1,000 Black women leaders and organizers signed and released a letter demanding no change to the ticket. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, actress Vivica Fox, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun sign that letter. This line from the letter sums up. "The message the suggestion that any candidate who won their primaries should simply step aside because victory appears difficult at the moment is disrespectful to the voters unjust and undemocratic." Melanie Campbell signed that letter. She is the chair of the Power of

the Ballot Action Fund and convener of the black women's roundtable to critical civics groups, and she is with me now. Thank you for being with me. I want to start with the broad question here. Why are you committed to keeping Biden at the top of the ticket when the polls in the swing state suggest it's harder to win? And the money from the big donors is drying up?

MELANIE CAMPBELL, CHAIR, POWER OF THE BALLOT ACTION FUND: Well, first of all, thank you for having me on this morning, that number has risen to over 5,000 of black women. And another 1,500 we go allies. So men are even signing that letter. And the bottom line is that the voters 14 million voters voted for the Biden-Harris ticket. The other is hold on are a snapshot in time.

We remember 2016 when they said Hillary Clinton was 16 points up and she didn't make it to the White House. So the idea that you change the minds of the voters with a few and respectfully, but the congress people who are still up stating that they want them this change. Talk to the people. I've been in Florida -- I'm in Florida now in Georgia and in Nevada, and many other places. Over the last two weeks, I was there the day in Georgia and Macon, Georgia The day after the debate that has been the kind of the spark of all of this, and black women of 150 black woman in the room. And they didn't want to see President Biden stepped down. They had a concern and he had a bad debate. But then he spoke in North Carolina, and he has spoken, I was in in many places. And I'm telling you, the voters aren't saying that.

They're wondering why the leaders or some of the leaders of the Democratic Party are pushing their candidate to step out. I was not there with.

BLACKWELL: I'll say two things here. That the polls also show that the majority of Democrats want the needs of the voters, not the elected leaders want a different candidate. Black voters are most likely to want the President to stay at the top of the ticket. But also you say that he had a bad debate. You could confine this to one night. Are you confident that the President you see as the president you'll want in 2029 when he's 86 years old?

CAMPBELL: First of all, ages, nothing better number. One, I think there's a little a lot of ageism going on. I think President Biden would be able to do what he's been doing for the last four years. He has a partner in that, and that is Vice President Kamala Harris. And the last I checked if some reason for any president of the United States, there's a reason for vice president. If for some reason something down the road happens because it doesn't have to be age, it could be anything that can happen to any president.

[08:05:10]

BLACKWELL: Sure.

CAMPBELL: Then there's a vice president. So if for some reason, and this is also what I hear on the ground, if for some reason that he could not make it, or he decides he doesn't feel he can make it through this election, there is a vice president. Anything less than that for black women would be a deal breaker. When it comes to the kind of support I think that whoever that candidate would be that wasn't me Kamala Harris would not have a good, good outcome for black people.

BLACKWELL: So you would accept the vice president as a replacement.

CAMPBELL: I think that's what the role of the Vice President is. We stand strong. I personally stand strong with the Biden-Harris ticket this there. But also, if the president decides to do something different then we deal with that when that time comes.

BLACKWELL: All right. Melanie Campbell, thank you so much for speaking with us. And as you said that number of signatories to the letter has certainly grown. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez has a warning for people who say that elevating VP Harris to the top of the ticket would be simple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. ALEXZANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, (D) NEW YORK: A huge amount of the donor class and a huge amount of these elites. And a huge amount of these folks in these rooms that I see that are pushing for President Biden to not be the nominee also are not interested in seeing the Vice President being the nominee.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right here with us is Nii-Quartelai Quartey, host of A More Perfect Union on KBLA radio. He's also the author of a new book out next week, Kamala, The Motherland And Me. Nii-Quartelai, good to see you again. I want your reaction, first of what you heard there from Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez.

NII-QUARTELAI QUARTEY, HOST, "A MORE PERFECT UNION" ON KBLA TALK 1580: You know Victor, good morning. I've been hearing a lot of the same thing from sources out there and I think that's why there are so many organizing efforts of foot. You just reference the letter of being circulated by black women. Well, I've learned that there's a letter that's being circulated right now among black men, the collective pack, and Cairo's and the Democracy Project, and a number of black male leaders from across the country are also saying the same thing that if not Biden, we have a vice president for a reason and to skip over Vice President Harris, would be a grave mistake for the Democratic leadership.

BLACKWELL: I mentioned at the top of the show that there is now the first member of the Congressional Black Caucus who was calling for the president to step aside. What do you think the significance of Congressman Marc Veasey now joining this number, more than 30, who are calling for the President to vacate the top of the ticket is?

QUARTEY: Well, I don't think it's good. The Congressional Black Caucus has been a strong supporter of President Biden and Vice President Harris. I think it is a signal of crack or cracking in the Democratic coalition. As you know, the CDC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have been sort of a firewall for President Biden as he's been fighting for his political life. But this is not good.

And you know, how much of this do folks who want to see me President Biden has served his country with distinction for nearly 50 years? And at some point, you know, folks have got to make a decision. And folks have got to come together on the Democratic side, if they're going to have a chance in November.

BLACKWELL: You know, your book coming out, is about your covering. And I expect it expands beyond this. The Vice President's trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia last year, it wasn't covered adequately, at a time, even by us. Tell us about what you learned during that trip about the vice president that we did not see.

QUARTEY: One -- well, there were a number of things I learned about the Vice President and I felt so moved by what I saw. I didn't expect to write a book, but I came back and look through my notes and I thought that it was fitting that I had a duty to write this book about this historic first making a historic trip to the motherland.

I saw a competent, cutting edge leader capable of meeting the moment and I saw her in a light that we rarely see in our American news coverage of her and I thought it would be a shame if the American people and future generations didn't know this story. And so I really look forward to taking people on this incredible journey, this dream assignment that really gives people an opportunity to get to know the vice president differently.

I mean, you know, who's the last vice president that took a trip to the Motherland like this? This is, as I understand the longest time that she's spent on foreign soil. Don't you want to know that?

[08:10:27]

BLACKWELL: Yes, I do. And books out on Tuesday. You know, there has been this narrative, since her trips to the Northern Triangle countries, some rough interviews, also some staff turnover in her office that use the word competent that but that she wasn't up to the job. In your interactions with her, conversations with her, explain more, if you saw a different side of her than we often see.

QUARTEY: Well, I definitely saw a leader that is focused, that's determined, that's prepared. A leader that is able to seamlessly connect a wide range of issues, whether we're talking about reorganizing the debt of some of our African partners. Whether we're talking about resetting the relationship, you might remember that the former president referred to these African countries as S whole countries. Well, they didn't appreciate that very much. And this vice president and president had been doing everything they can to mend that relationship, whether we're talking about how African countries are fighting against climate change, and using AI power technology to do it.

I mean, there were so many examples of innovation that she decided to use her bully pulpit and shine a light on including the need for digital inclusion. I didn't know before this trip that two thirds of folks who have access to the internet on the continent of Africa are men and that women and Victor by 2050, one in four people on the planet will reside in Africa, and so we can't afford to look away from other Africa.

BLACKWELL: The book is Kamala, The Motherland and Me, Nii-Quartelai Quartey, congratulations on the new book. Thanks for being with me.

QUARTEY: Thank you, sir.

BLACKWELL: All right. After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, a week ago today, it's only been a week where there are now calls for unity. But a week later, it almost seems naive to suggest in this political climate that that could happen. Someone who knows the personal loss of political violence is here to talk about what we need to do now.

But first, young people in a refugee community in New York they want answers after a teenager who escaped violence overseas was shot and killed by police there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:17:26]

BLACKWELL: There is a refugee community in Utica, New York that is hurting and angry. They want answers about the fatal police shooting of a 13 year old boy. For weeks, hundreds of people have marched in honor of Nyah Mway. He like many of the people in these marches was a member of the Karen, that's a refugee ethnic group from Myanmar.

Nyah was tackled to the ground and shot after he ran from police who were in the area investigating to armed robberies. Police say he fit the description of the suspect and he was carrying a replica gun which later turned out to be a pellet gun. Police say it had the same markings the signatures detachable magazine serial numbers as a Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun. Utica police said that no one could reasonably tell the difference between the two much less in high stress situations where the item is being displayed. That's shooting rocked Utica, a city of roughly 65,040 200 of them are from Myanmar according to the Center, a nonprofit helping to resettle refugees.

Joining me now is Kay Klo. She is the executive director of the Midtown Utica Community Center. And Julia Kuan is an attorney for Nyah Mway's family. Our firm also represented the family of Tamir Rice for people who are sitting home and hearing some similarities between these two tragedies.

Kay, let me start with you. You are one of the people organizing these marches calling for answers. What are the answers that you are demanding that you're not getting from local police?

KAY KLO, EXECUTIVE DIRECT, MIDTOWN UTICA COMMUNITY CENTER: Well, so Nyah Mway and his family, he came from a clan family and the clan are ethnic minorities from Myanmar and many of whom that due to war and ethnic cleansing from abusive and corrupt Burmese state authorities. A number of us including my family, and Nyah Mways ended up in Utica, New York in the past 30 years, where we start safety and then live free from discrimination. However, as Nyah Mway's killing reflect, that's not the reality that we found. And based on what we know, this should not have happened.

Nyah Mway should still be here with us today. The community is shocked and concerned about the tragedy. So we have united to provide the family and community members with the support and resources they need to be okay again. This includes providing mental health, financial and mental health resources, and youth programming. And we're also -- yes.

BLACKWELL: Go ahead. Go ahead. Finish Kay.

[08:20:10]

KLO: And we are also angry because our parents and grandparents had to flee war and ethnic cleansing in the hands of abusive and corrupt Burmese state authorities. This retraumatization has revealed that safety is not guaranteed. And it has increased distrust between police and the refugee community. We demand accountability so that this never happens again to another kid in our community.

BLACKWELL: Julia, let me ask you. What do you say to the people who are watching and to the Utica police who say, how can anyone at night in the dark in this situation tell the difference between what we just showed and a real Glock 17 Gen 5?

JULIA KUAN, ATTORNEY FOR NYAH MWAY'S FAMILY: Well, I think that that question actually, is not the right question to ask. If you look at the bystander video that was taken, and also the body cam videos of the officers, Nyah Mway was not a threat at the time, that officer whose knee walked up to him and shot him in the chest. At the point where he was shot, he was already on the ground pinned, and one officer was punching him several times when his partner walked over and fired while he was on the ground.

And at that point, there was no BB gun in his hand. If you look closely at the videos, you can see that the BB gun was recovered, not anywhere near where Nyah was. And so at that point, that he was shot, it was absolutely unnecessary, and he was not a threat and there was no justification whatsoever.

BLACKWELL: Julia, I mentioned at the top that your firm represented the family of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old in Cleveland 10 years ago, this year who was killed who had I believe it was an airsoft gun, and an officer thought it was a real gun and shot and killed him. That ended without charges on the state level or the federal level. What are the differences here that would suggest that this would be a different outcome than what we watched with Tamir Rice's case 10 years ago?

KUAN: Right. Well, there are some similarities. Obviously, they're both children who the police, you know, shot and killed and apologize later. You know, unfortunately, they should have not escalated the situation, just like in Tamir's case. But I think in this situation, this is even in some ways, more

egregious, because Nyah Mway was already on the ground. The other officer already had him and the BB gun was not in his hand. And the officer came over and shot him point blank, essentially, almost execution style. And this was absolutely not justified and the family is really asking for some sort of accountability.

We're hopeful that the attorney general's office here in New York will conduct an objective and thorough investigation and come to the right result and bring charges.

BLACKWELL: All right, Julia Kuan, Kay Klo, thank you both for being with me and send, obviously our condolences to Nyah Mway's family.

KUAN: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Well, despite the shocking political violence we saw one week ago today, we're still not hearing the messages of unity that so many politicians promised. Martin Luther King III is here next. His family of course knows the personal loss of political violence. He'll talk about where we go from here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:28:53]

BLACKWELL: It feels like it was weeks ago because every day feels like a week now. But it's really only been seven days since Donald Trump was nearly assassinated.

Now in the first hours and first few days after a lot of politicians called for lowering the temperature. Republicans promised the message of unity at their convention but between the signs that call for mass deportation and the former president's own words, once his nomination speech went off the script, not much has changed rhetorically since this hour last Saturday.

Joining us now is global human rights activist Martin Luther King III. He's co-founder and chairman of the Drum Major Institute. Thank you for being with us this morning.

MARTIN LUTHER KING III: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Obviously your family and you personally know the loss, the personal loss of political violence. I wonder from your perspective, what is this moment we live in now?

KING III: So first of all, thank you. I would like to say that for first and foremost that we are a nation that is hopefully constantly learning. And it's very clear that civility has temporarily been lost in the political space for a number of years now. Although we all should be greatly disappointed in what happened last week, the fact that a man was killed that there was an attempt on the former president's life.

But we didn't shouldn't be surprised. I'm not surprised at all, because of the diminishing of the civility. And real question is, how do we recreate civility? And then how do we not repeat the mistakes of the past? The people that do not remember the history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past? And then how do we learn to become better to do better? And you can only do that by setting a tone that it has not been set yet?

BLACKWELL: Is it naive to suggest and I used that word earlier. And as I was saying, and I was thinking, well, that's pessimistic. To suggest that in this moment, it is naive to lower the temperature that we are four months out from the national election. And the candidates we have and the way in which politics is conducted that that can happen now.

KING: I would hope, that it's not na ve. I think we have to continue to set a tone by stating, and it is really what we see social from socialization standpoint, whether it's social media, whether it's mainstream media, we're constantly reinforced with negative images and violence.

And until we decide, you know, we just hadn't learned the lesson that my father and others have promoted. And that is, you know, we, as a society must learn nonviolence, or we could face nonexistence. That's literally where we are right now.

BLACKWELL: I mentioned at the top, you're a global human rights advocate. We saw the signs for mass deportation. Now at the Republican National Convention, I want to play a portion of the nominee's acceptance speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And you know who's being hurt the most by millions of people pouring into our country, the black population and the Hispanic population, El Salvador burgers are down by 70 percent. Why are they down? Now, he would have you convinced that because he's trained murderers to be wonderful people. No, they're down because they're sending their murderers to the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: What's your reaction to what you hear there?

KING: I do think we always have to be true to what we believe. I also believe that anytime we use negative to get to positive, it'll never happen. You know, when you think about the fears that are stoked of division, hatred, and you say unity in the same sentence. Well, you got to stop stoking hatred. And I'm not suggesting that that's what is often always done. But that is done on all sides from time to time.

This expression enough is enough. And we shall not take it anymore is actually true. But taking it any more means holding everyone accountable for the language for what not just they say but what they do. So deed and they have to go together. It's not one or the other.

BLACKWELL: I know that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was a friend of yours, she passed away overnight. What are you feeling thinking this morning?

KING: Well, I'm thinking about a great loss for our nation. She was a champion for women's rights, a champion for the African American community, a champion for justice, a champion for those will unheard of. So I'm very sad and my condolences are certainly to her family and to the constituents who she represented, not just in Houston, but throughout our nation, a great loss.

BLACKWELL: In prep for this conversation, saw that you endorse political candidates, mayoral congressional candidates as well. Have you endorsed in in the 2024 presidential race?

KING: Not in a traditional sense. My support has been with the President, current president, but I have not endorsed. And I think the Democratic Party has got to decide the President first what is going to happen? Unity is the only way that the party can be successful and obviously that is not what's happening right this moment.

[08:35:05]

BLACKWELL: Do you think the president should stay at the top of the ticket?

KING: I think the President has to make that decision.

BLACKWELL: Why have you endorsed it?

KING: I usually don't endorse upfront. I don't remember endorsing President Obama until later.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KING: And oftentimes, I often believe that we're I can be of most service if I can be helpful, just endorsing, just to say what you want to Xience (ph). I want to make sure that what I do and how I use my platform is constructive.

BLACKWELL: All right, Martin Luther King III, thank you for coming in.

KING: Thank you for that opportunity.

BLACKWELL: All right, new report says the nation's oldest historically black fraternity is considering a ban on transgender members. I'll speak to the leader of a Black LGBTQ rights group condemning the proposal. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:35]

BLACKWELL: Alpha Phi Alpha is the oldest historically black fraternity. Dr. King was a member. Justice Thurgood Marshall. According to the LGBTQ advocacy group, GLAAD, it's considering a ban on transgender members. They say Alpha Phi Alpha would become the second of the Divine Nine to adopt such a band and glad notes that the proposal still has to be ratified by the general body and chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha.

And we reached out to the fraternity to invite them on or for statement about their transgender member policy. We have not heard back. One of the groups now calling out Alpha Phi Alpha is the National Black Justice Coalition. It's a civil rights organization which advocates for Black LGBTQ people, their CEO and Executive Director, Dr. David Johns joins us now. Good to have you back on.

Let me start here, you have said that if this becomes policy, this is a betrayal of their own legacy. Explain that.

DR. DAVID JOHNS, CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL BLACK JUSTICE COALITION: Yes, and I want to be clear before answering that. First, let me say thank you for inviting me and the audience to have this conversation. That in addition to representing a legacy civil rights organization that understands that as long as there have been people, I remixed that acknowledging that all people originated in Africa as long as it had been black people, even before the terms lesbian and gay existed. We occupy beautifully diverse ways of big.

Also, I'm a student of history. And I know what Fannie Lou Hamer taught us, which is that none of us are free, unless and until all of us at free, also approached this conversation as a member of a Black Greek-letter organization. I'm a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity Incorporated the greatest fraternity known to man, and both Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha were founded and historically white institutions to support those of us who know the sting of stigma and the damage that discrimination can have.

And to privilege, the assumption that a doctor makes by citing gender at birth, over the identity of one who was making a determination, while also seeking membership of an organization reeks of white supremacy. And it is counterintuitive to why organizations were founded.

BLACKWELL: So, it's interesting that you mentioned that Alpha and the Kappas -- Kappa Alpha Psi were founded predominantly white institutions, because I went to Howard, where five of the nine were founded. And I wonder for black trans people who are at PWIs, predominately white institutions, and are looking for community and are looking for kinship and are told that you cannot if this becomes policy, join this group because of who you are.

What that message is to that black trans person? Even if the people who are member these organizations, they are friendly, they believe in the principles, they are similar.

JOHNS: Yes, Victor, let's keep it 100 and acknowledge that there are actively right now trans members have all of the Divine Nine institutions.

BLACKWELL: Hoping with trans. Yes.

JOHNS: That is also true for openly trans, publicly trans. And that is also true for white fraternities and sororities. This problem is not new, the creation of these policies, stands at a long line of a white -- right wing evangelical acre exclusionary policies, banning access to books, to marriage, to communities, to colleges, to bathrooms, to sports. This is not new.

And so I want us to be critical and acknowledging that we should be asking more questions about why this is happening, in particular, why this is happening now.

As you mentioned, Alpha, Alpha was the first Black Greek-letter organization is not the first to entertain a policy like this. Phi Beta Sigma, instituted a policy like this in 2017. And the context was very different. And so to be specific, and answer your question, what I know is that there are lots of questions why this policy was enacted now, why it has become a priority for this organization, how it will be enforced, again, acknowledging that there are trans members of the organization now.

And in particular, what this will do is weaponize people who are interested in outing people who are trans. The only way that this policy can be enforced is if somebody says, when somebody expresses interest in one of our organizations that this person was not assigned male at birth or female at birth in the case of our sister organization.

[08:45:04]

And so what I want us to be thoughtful about is that all of these organizations like so many other institutions in the black community represent venerated spaces and take up venerated spaces, they provide windows and mirrors into what's possible, especially when you have access to a supportive community.

And my hope is that institutional leaders whether appointed are elected or otherwise hammerheart when I asked them to appreciate two things, one, this is not consistent with where the black community is.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

JOHNS: We collected data and BJC was with five partner organizations you can find it at MJC.org. BlackDuck (ph). We collect the data that shows that the plurality of black people want the black community to do more to support black LGBTQIA plus a senator (ph) loving people.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

JOHNS: This was 73 percent of Gen Z. And if we're not thoughtful about the institutional legacy of these organizations, that we should be in position to lead them.

BLACKWELL: Dr. David Johns, thank you for that and for the conversation. I want to say we reached out to eight other historically black fraternities and sororities. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority got back to us, they said in part that they consider for membership individuals who consistently live and self-identify as women regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth. The others have not responded. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:44]

BLACKWELL: It took 80 years but more than 250 black U.S. sailors have been exonerated after they were court martialed for refusing to work in dangerous conditions. The sailors expressed safety concerns after the 1944 explosion at Port Chicago, and that explosion at a Naval Weapons Station near San Francisco killed 320 sailors and civilians.

Surviving black sailors had to pick up the human remains and clear the blast site while white officers were granted leave to recuperate. 50 sailors who refuse to return without safety and training were tried as a group on charges of conspiracy to commit mutiny and they were convicted and sent to prison.

And a statement, President Joe Biden said the decision to exonerate the sailors is writing historic wrongs.

10 years ago this week, Eric Garner was killed after being put in a chokehold by police. A decade later, his final words I can't breathe still resonate. The ritual of breath is the right to resist responds to Garner's death and the killings of other black people by police. It's an opera and we asked some of the creators behind the project, how it came together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIEGEL SMITH, DIRECTOR, "THE RIRTUAL OF BREATH IS THE RITE TO RESIST": I'm Niegel Smith, I'm the director of "The Ritual of Breath is the Rite to Resist."

ENRICO RILEY, PROFESSOR, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE: My name is Enrico Riley. I'm a professor at Dartmouth College in the Visual Artist.

NEEMA BICKERSTETH, SOPRANO: I'm Neema Bickersteth, and I'm soprano. On the project, I also embody Erica Garner, and I'm here in New York City.

You. You try to explain your fight.

SMITH: I think about this scale and this work. It is so large, there's this beautiful giant projection screen Enrico's paintings behind all of the action, there's dance, there's music, there's acting, there's a chorus of 90, you know, there's over 250 people engaged in this version of it.

BICKERSTETH: I had the fortune of hearing Eric Garner's mother, Gwen Carr speak. She spoke about truth, speaking our own truth. And she also talks about joy, remembering the joys that her son had, and that they had together.

You stumble, stumble over your words.

SMITH: It's an opera. And in many ways, it has to be an opera because it is a clarion call. It's an allergy, for Eric and for Erica. And it is also I think a magnificent call to action, joyous action for the community.

RILEY: It's not just entertainment, there's something else to it. I think those of us who've worked on it, I think we understand that.

SMITH: One thing I love about Enrico's work on this canvas is that it is filled with color. It really becomes a canvas for all the action of the work to happen against these beautiful moments of black folks and life and suspension in spirit.

BICKERSTETH: The ritual of breath begins with a question, what can we do and takes us through to the end, where we're offered each other community and to continue, continue to gather, breathing in, breathing out and keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: If you're interested in this project coming to your community, you can visit ritualofbreath.org for more information.

Congress is in mourning, remembering the historic trailblazing career of Sheila Jackson Lee, what she said in one of her final interviews that stood out to me today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:59:09]

BLACKWELL: You know there are just a few members of Congress who you can say really left a mark with their service. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee was one of them and overnight we learned that she died.

She represented Texas for more than 30 years. She worked to reauthorize the Violence Against Women's Act and established Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Congresswoman Jackson Lee announced that she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June and one of her final interviews was with CNN on Juneteenth and when asked by my colleague, Dana Bash about her health, she quickly turned the conversation back to what was most important to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): I'm grateful for the urn. And I look forward to educating people more about this very -- it is devastating disease, but at this point in time I want Juneteenth to be part of America's history over and over again.

[09:00:05]

And so that when little children begin to study their --