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Her-Story

Aired March 01, 2006 - 13:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, quick, name three famous American women. Betsy Ross, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt maybe might come to mind. But what about Alice Hamilton, Frances Perkins or Virginia Durr? My next guest says those women, and many others, should be celebrated. Her new book, "Lighting the Way," it does that.
Author Karenna Gore Schiff joins me now with a look at these nine women who have changed modern history. The book, "Lighting The Way."

Thanks so much. Good to see you in person.

KARENNA GORE SCHIFF, AUTHOR, "LIGHTING THE WAY": Thank you. It's great to be here.

WHITFIELD: So what was the impetus for this book?

GORE SCHIFF: Well, I had a couple reasons for writing this book. One was that ever since I was a little girl I yearned for more female faces in the history books. And I remember looking at the chart of the presidents on the wall and flipping through pages of generals and judges, and thinking, there must have been more women doing things of political consequence than made it in there, and I wanted to discover them.

And then another reason was that. I found -- I grew up around politics. I've always been interested in politics, but I found myself a bit disappointed after the 2000 election, and I wanted to reconnect to what I'd always loved about politics, and this book was a way to do that.

WHITFIELD: So while these women that you've selected weren't necessarily politically involved directly, like you said, there was political consequence; things that they did that certainly did get the attention of politics, and changed policy, rewrite policy, all of those things. Those were the common denominators when you selected these women?

GORE SCHIFF: Absolutely. They were all behind the major political movements of the 20th century, civil rights, equal rights, public health, environmental protection.

And so although Frances Perkins is not very well-known today, she drafted the Social Security Act, among other key New Deal legislation. And although we haven't heard Septima Poinsette Clark's name a lot, she was really a driving force behind the civil rights movement, building it from the ground up, inspiring people like Rosa Parks actually, who went to one of her workshops just months before her brave protest.

WHITFIELD: And let's talk specifically about some of the other ladies. Ida B. Wells, another one who also helped, you know, I guess reveal, you know, an ugly side that some people did not necessarily, or people were in denial about. She helped bring some public attention to lynching.

GORE SCHIFF: Absolutely. And in her day, it was even some leading citizens who were completely tolerant of this practice, routine extralegal torture and murder of blacks throughout the south. She was so brave in exposing it, and her own life was threatened. Her newspaper, "The Free Speech," was burned down, and yet she persevered, and she really changed the country.

WHITFIELD: Mother Jones, another fighting against child labor.

GORE SCHIFF: Yes. She was a really colorful political character. She didn't become famous until her 60s, and actually was thrown into jail in her 80s, and really what her main cause was exposing child labor and working to end it at a time when it wasn't unusual for eight and 10-year-olds to begin a lifetime of working in mills, and factories and mines.

WHITFIELD: Another name that we should all know but has been unfamiliar perhaps until you wrote this book, Helen Rodriguez Trias, a physician, but that was a springboard of what she did.

GORE SCHIFF: Yes. She was a remarkable woman, a physician who grew up between Puerto Rico and New York, and her main cause, in addition to promoting infant care, and she started the first neonatal clinic on the island of Puerto Rico. Her main cause was ending coerced sterilization, which was a terrible policy imposed on some women who would be sterilized without their consent, or sometimes even their knowledge. And so she worked to empower those women. And also was an early voice about AIDS, warning that it should be on the public health agenda.

WHITFIELD: So when doing the research about these women, when making the selection about these nine women, did it start to make you feel like, OK, I'm coming full circle while the whole politics thing. While you alluded to feeling very cynical about politics, especially after an election your dad was involved in. Did this kind of make you feel a little bit better about politics, and that perhaps good things can result and you can feel some satisfaction?

GORE SCHIFF: Absolutely. For a couple different reasons this book made me feel much better and makes me feel really hopeful now. You can see how even if you disagree with the decisions of some of those in power at the moment, there are ways to be a public servant, to do things every day that can create a groundswell and change things.

WHITFIELD: So then what about you? You are of a family who has long tentacles in politics, whether it be your dad, your mom being involved, too, and your grandfather. So what about you? Are you feeling the itch? Does this make you feel better about maybe I want to jump into the ring?

GORE SCHIFF: Well...

WHITFIELD: Any ring.

GORE SCHIFF: Yes, I mean, I feel like I'm in a three-ring circus right now, just getting my 4-year-old daughter to sleep through the night. But I don't know that I'll be a candidate myself. I really want to lead a political life. I want to advocate for issues that I care about, be behind candidates that I believe in, but I just don't know if that'll be -- if I'll be the one running for office. It's not something I would rule out, but it's not something I have a plan for right now.

WHITFIELD: And what about for your dad? I mean, you have been very involved in his campaign. You were very much out in the forefront, helping to galvanize the younger voters to get involved. And lately we've seen your dad a little more publicly, and be very opinionated about lots of goings on. So is there an opportunity that we might be seeing your dad get involved one more time, or jumping back into a race of such grand proportions again?

GORE SCHIFF: Well, I really don't think that he will run for office again. It's wonderful that he has so much support and is loved by so many Americans, and that's been great to hear lately.

He's really focused on the environment. This is his passion right now. And he's been speaking out about how we should solve the global environmental crisis and really try to curb our polluting ways and save the earth basically, so that seems like a big project in and of itself.

WHITFIELD: And while I talk about and have you talk about how politics had been so much about your life and upbringing, your book really has become a family affair, too, with your mom taking some beautiful pictures of you, and a lot of family photos in this book and how special that must be for you.

GORE SCHIFF: It has been great. It's been really fun to see -- I saw my sisters and my brother in L.A. when I wept there, and I am going to see my parents in Nashville this weekend, and it's just been a really happy time for us, because I think we've all sort of turned a corner. We're trying to find other ways to explore public service and really continue to work on issue that we've all cared about.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Karenna Gore Schiff, the book is "Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America." Thanks so much and good to see you.

GORE SCHIFF: Thank you. It was a pleasure.

WHITFIELD: And good luck to you on your new venture.

GORE SCHIFF: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Well, straight ahead, this was his moment, his once in a lifetime, and J-Mac made the most of it, sinking three-pointer after three-pointer after three-pointer, and on and on and on. Now the hero of Asenna (ph) High School has some new friends. And guess what, they're in Hollywood. That's who you want calling.

LIVE FROM has your J-Mac update coming up.

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WHITFIELD: Well, is a former member of the Taliban trying to find a new haven, in New Haven? Connecticut, that is, home of Yale University. A man who once worked for the Taliban is a student there. CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Yale, nearly everyone agrees they had no idea a fellow student was once the Taliban spokesman, not even Douglas Woodwell (ph), who taught Rahmatullah Hashemi in his class, "Terrorism, Past, Present, and Future." Woodwell did a double take after reading "The New York Times."

DOUGLAS WOODWELL, YALE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: I was surprised, to say the least. Certainly, I recognized a lot of things they said about it. I said, "Oh, that was him."

SNOW: Woodwell new recalls Hashemi's trip to the U.S. in March 2001 and a testy exchange featured in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have imprisoned the women. It's a horror, let me tell you.

RAHMATULLAH HASHEMI, FORMER TALIBAN SPOKESMAN: I'm really sorry for your husband. He must have a very difficult time with you.

The "Times" quotes Hashemi regretting having said that, and other statements. It also quotes him as saying, "I some ways, I'm the luckiest person in the world. I could have ended up at Guantanamo Bay. Instead, I ended up at Yale."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are a number of people that have been swept up and gone to Guantanamo or other U.S. detention facilities who weren't as close as he was to the center power of Taliban. So certainly, he is a very lucky man.

SNOW: CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen says Hashemi did not set Taliban policy. The State Department says he's here on a legal visa with all appropriate background checks. Student reaction is mixed.

ANDREW OLSON, YALE STUDENT: My initial reaction was that this seems like a really bad mistake. And the thing is, I think it actually -- in a timely way, it can be compared to this deal with the ports. RACHEL HOMER, YALE STUDENT: And I think it's important that the university is going through this debate as to where we're going to draw the line.

SNOW: And at a Jewish center where Hashemi eats dinner, his presence may be bridging gaps.

AMY AALAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SLIFKA CENTER: You have to start somewhere. You have to start with a dialogue. You have to start at a table. You have to have a meal together.

SNOW (on camera): Hashemi, through a representative, would not talk with us at this time and Yale said it had no official comment. It says because Hashemi is applying for full-time status, it does not comment on applicants. Currently Hashemi is in a non-degree program and is planning to file for regular classes.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The debate over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed has arrived on campus. About 200 Muslim demonstrators gathered at the University of California Irvine last night.

They protested a panel discussion in which the offending cartoons were unveiled. No violence was reported but inside heckler confronted a panelist who called Islam a, quote, "evil religion." As you probably know, the cartoons recently sparked violent protests around the globe.

And from hometown hero to Hollywood now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON MCELWAIN, GREECE ATHENA SENIOR: It's more than I ever expected. This is a dream come true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we're still saying wow around here as well. J- Mac's life after the big game just keeps getting better. The LIVE FROM follow up, straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Well, it is certainly the crowded hour for young Jason McElwain, known to his pals as J-Mac. You might remember his astonishing six three-pointers in the final game of the season.

Those fantastic four minutes made the autistic more popular than ever at his Greece Athena High School. And now Hollywood is calling.

Evan Dawson of our affiliate WHAM has the follow-up that makes us say, gee, that's swell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN DAWSON, WHAM REPORTER (voice-over): It all sounds like a Hollywood creation. Jason McElwain was always the biggest supporter, the manager, the scout, the friend. When he finally suited up, he just wanted to make one shot.

And it happened, and then it happened again, and again, and again, and again. And just like a perfectly scripted movie, Jason's teammates carried him off the court.

DAVID MCELWAIN, JASON MCELWAIN'S FATHER: I was stunned to be honest with you. I was stunned. The kids were going crazy.

DAWSON: In the past several days, more than half a dozen movie studios have called Jason's parents, offering to buy the rights to his story. Jason's teammates are already talking about which actor should play the hero.

RICKEY WALLACE, GREECE ATHENA SENIOR: Leonardo DiCaprio.

DAWSON (on camera): That would be a good one?

WALLACE: Yes, that would be a good one.

DAWSON: Anybody else?

WALLACE: Frankie Muniz would be good too, I think.

DAWSON (voice-over): But the McElwain family is not in a rush to make a movie deal. They have hired an attorney to help them with the offers, and they wonder what might change to make a better script.

D. MCELWAIN: I mean, obviously we'd be concerned. You know, we don't want -- you know, we love our son and we want him to be, you know, portrayed in a good light.

DAWSON: Jason is excited about the possibility.

J. MCELWAIN: It's more than I ever expected. This is a dream come true basically.

DAWSON: For now, those four magical minutes have become one moment frozen in time, but even Jason's parents admit it might be hard to deny Hollywood this unlikely story.

D. MCELWAIN: Then they stormed the court and then put them on their shoulders. No one's going to believe that it actually happened if they see it in a movie studio.

DAWSON (on camera): No?

D. MCELWAIN: No, no, no. They're going to think it's corny, probably.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Well, it's cute. I would see that movie. Well, something old, something new, and something borrowed, and something yellow, if you count the arches. Trisha and Tyree Henderson tied the knot and dipped their fries together at this Fairborn, Ohio McDonald's on Monday. The couple walked down the white aisle under the golden arches. It's the spot where they met three years ago and where they still work today. The happy couple says they couldn't imagine a more romantic spot for their wedding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRISHA HENDERSON, BRIDE: I thought it was the romantic thing to do because of the fact we met here, and just because this is like my second home away from home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That is love.

Well, no word on where the couple plans to honeymoon. We hope it's not a restaurant though.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, imagine, a home without windows, a kitchen or a bathroom. Well, some Hurricane Katrina survivors don't even have to imagine. It's been the reality for them for months. A closer look coming up on LIVE FROM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, just maybe you've heard about the new James Bond? If you have, it probably wasn't too flattering. His real name is Daniel Craig, and CNN's Jeanne Moos has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When your name is Bond ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bond. James bond.

MOOS: ... you've got a lot to live up to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember, I know all about you, 007. Sex for dinner, death for breakfast.

MOOS: What happens if you're lunch? The new James Bond is being eaten alive by the press.

KATRINA SZISH, EDITOR, US WEEKLY: People are calling him the blond Bond-shell. He's just a blond shell of the Bond.

MOOS: "Bond's Bad Luck" was the headline in "Us Weekly." It started the minute he was introduced, arriving by boat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Bond wearing a life jacket? Give me a break.

MOOS: That other James Bond steered his own boat, dodging bullets, and actor Daniel Craig is perhaps a little too honest.

DANIEL CRAIG, ACTOR, "CASINO ROYALE": Well, I like to think the Royal Marines for bringing me in like that, and scaring the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of me.

MOOS: Now filming of "Casino Royale" has started and in his first fight scene, Craig's two front teeth reportedly got knocked out.

SZISH: His dentist had to be flown in from London.

MOOS: Then the new Bond got shafted by the stick shift of that classic Aston Martin.

(on camera): You know, he got in the Aston Martin and he couldn't drive a stick shift.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's just not right.

MOOS (voice-over): The "Chicago Sun-Times" asked, "isn't this just required guy knowledge, passed on with how to open a bottle of wine or how to operate a gas grill?"

(on camera): Do you think a guy should already know how to drive a stick?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I would. Should know how to drive everything.

MOOS (voice-over): And to think Pierce Brosnan managed to drive upside down. Maybe Craig needs that gizmo that lets Bond drive from the back seat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's ugly to begin as Bond. He's not handsome. I mean, if you lined ...

MOOS (on camera): I think he's handsome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... up all the other James Bonds with him, would he be your first or second choice?

MOOS (voice-over): Could it get any pettier?

SZISH: Well, we also are hearing that he's shaved his chest.

MOOS: Contrast that with furry Sean Connery. One British tabloid called Craig "ow, ow seven," saying he got a nasty bout of prickly heat after getting sunburned while filming in the Bahamas. None of this, by the way, has been confirmed by Craig's press reps.

And then there's the anti-Craig Web site, craignotbond. SZISH: Ouch.

MOOS: It calls for a boycott of the new Bond movie. It morphs Craig's face into one of the three stooge, into Neanderthal man and compares his looks to the riddler.

Past Bonds have come to the rescue, saying what a fine actor Craig is. People are still sticking that gear shift to him, 007 may have a license to kill, it's his license to drive that's killing him.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ouch. And just one more thing, maybe "Casino Royale" will prove them all wrong. The experts seem to think so. Sean Connery called Craig a terrific choice. Roger Moore said he's a helluva a good actor. And Pierce Brosnan predicts he will have the last laugh. All fine gentlemen, all though acts to follow. We'll find out for sure.

Well, stand by. The second hour of LIVE FROM begins right now.

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