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PROFESSOR.
NOW THE SHIRLEY SHERROD STORY IS
COVERING THE MEDIA.
WILLY BROWN IS THE FORMER MAYOR
OF SAN FRANCISCO.
E. STEVENS COLLINS IS A RADIO
TALK SHOW HOST.
MAYOR BROWN I WANT TO START WITH
YOU.
I'M NOT SAYING THIS BECAUSE I
THINK YOU'RE OF ANOTHER
GENERATION, BUT YOU ARE OF
ANOTHER GENERATION.
HOW MUCH OF THIS WITH PRESIDENT
OBAMA AND HIS AVOIDANCE OF THE
RACE ISSUE IS GENERATIONAL.
>> I DON'T THINK IN HIS CASE
IT'S GENERATIONAL.
I THINK HE UNDERSTANDS VERY
CHEERILY, BARACK OBAMA IS THE
PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED
STATES.
HIS HANDLERS AND HIS CALCULATORS
AND THOSE WHO HAVE PROPELLED HIM
AND ASSISTED IN GET LGING HIM
THAT POSITION WALKED THERE AWE
WHOLE SERIES OF POTENTIAL
BARRIERS AND PROBLEM.
THEY HAVE DEALT WITH THOSE
EFFECTIVELY.
RACE BEING ONE OF THEM.
HE'S BEEN MAGNIFICENT ON HIS
UTTERANCES WHEN CONFRONTED.
IN TERMS OF BEING A CRUSADER,
IMAGE SETTER AND A LEADER,
THAT'S NOT PART OF THE ROLE HE
HAS CHOSEN TO TAKE.
IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO
WITH GENERATION.
IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH
POITICS
AND POLITICAL SUCCESS.
>> HAVE WE IN THE MEDIA COVERED
THE ISSUE OF RACE SO FAR IN THE
OBAMA PRESIDENCY?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS IS A
UNIQUE SITUATION.
BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES
OF DIFFERENT FALSE STARTS OB THE
STORY.
INITIALLY THERE WAS A REPORT BY
A PERSON WHO HAD A PARTICULAR
AGENDA IN POSTING IT.
THEN THERE'S THE OVERREACTION BY
THE NAACP AND THE USDA CHIEF,
AGRICULTURAL SECRETARY, RATHER.
THEN THERE'S THE CORRECTION.
IN ALL OF THIS, MISS SHERROD'S
REPUTATION AND NAME HAS BEEN
DAMAGED.
SO I THINK THE MEDIA HAS DONE
WHAT THEY USUALLY DO.
THEY JUMPED TO A STORY THAT
INVOLVED RACE.■ç
IN DOING SO THEY ADDED TO
HURTING HER NAME AND REPUTATION.
VERY CONVICTLY THE NAACP
REACTED.
QUICKLY THE SECRETARY REACTED.
THEN THIS MORNING SHE'S ON
TELEVISION SHE'S BEEN VERY VOCAL
AND ACCESSIBLE AS HAS BEEN THE
FARMER WHO WAS THE PERSON WHO
SHE HELPED.
YOU HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT
PIECES.
THEY LOOK GREAT ON TELEVISION.
IT MAKES GREAT TV.
RIGHT NOW PEOPLE WANT TO SEE
WHAT'S GOING ON.
OVER ALL IN THIS QUICK 24-HOUR
NEWS CYCLE, THE MEDIA IS DOING
WHAT IT DOES.
>> I WANT TO PLAY A PORTION OF
THEN CAN DAD OBAMA'S RACE SPEECH
THAT HE GAVE DURING THE FALLOUT
OF THE REVEREND WRIGHT ISSUE.
>> THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW.
IT'S A RACIAL STALEMATE WE'VE
BEEN STUCK IN FOR FOUR YEARS.
CONTRARY TO MY CRITICS, I'VE
NEVER BEEN SO NAIVE TO BELIEVE
WE CAN GET BEYOND OUR RACIAL
DIVISIONS WITH A SINGLE ELECTION
CYCLE, OR WITH A SINGLE
CANDIDATE.
PARTICULARLY A CANDIDACY AS
IMPERFECT AS MY OWN.
>> IN REREADING THE PRESIDENT'S
RACE SPEECH FROM PHILADELPHIA IN
2008 IT'S FUNNY, IT GOES TO WHAT
YOU JUST SAID PREVIOUSLY.
HE NEVER SET OUT TO BE A
CRUSADER WHEN IT CAME TO CIVIL
RIGHTS.
IN THIS SPEECH, THAT'S AN
EXAMPLE OF HIM SAYING, WE SHOULD
HAVE A CONVERSATION, BUT THIS IS
NOT WHAT MY CANDIDACY IS ABOUT.
>> THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID.
BUT I THINK WE ARE ALL, THE NEWS
MEDIA AND EVERYONE ELSE IS
MISSING SOMETHING.
THIS WOMAN WAS AN INCREDIBLE
COMMUNITY-BASED ADVOCATE ON
BEHALF OF BLACK FARMERS AND
BLACK FARM FAMILIES.
SHE ADDED TO THE AGENDA ALL FARM
FAMILIES.
SHE'S BEEN IN A PAIN IN THE SIDE
OF THE DEPARTMENT OFAGRICULTURE
FOR YEARS.
SHE SUED THEM.
THINK■ç THINK IT'S WORTH AT LEA
PRESIDENT OBAMA CHECKING THE AL
CHURL DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHETHER
OR NOT THEY ARE RESPONDING TO
GET RID OF HER AS REQUESTED BY
THE BUREAUCRATS AND ADVOCATE BID
THE BUREAUCRATS, BECAUSE SHE'S
SUCH AN EFFECTIVE PERSON ON
BEHALF OF THE DOWN AND THE HAVE
NOT.
>> MAYOR BROWN IS RIGHT.
IF YOU CONSIDER, CHUCK T FACT
THAT HER FATHER WAS KILLED BY A
CAUCASIAN AND WAS NEVER
PROSECUTED.
IN THIS SPEECH SHE MADE BEFORE
IT WAS CONVENIENTLY EDITED, SHE
WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW SHE
RESURRECTED AND CHANGED HER
POSITION.
BEAUTIFUL STORY.
AWESOME INDIVIDUAL.
I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR HER
FOR WHAT SHE'S DONE AND WHAT
SHE'S ATTEMPTING TO DO IN MAKING
A DEPARTMENT IN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIVE WITHOUT
CONSIDERING RACE.
IN THAT CONTEXT SHE SHOULD BE
REMEMBERED AND VIEWED.
IT'S UNFORTUNATE IT TOOK ALL
THIS NEGATIVITY TO GET HER
THERE.
>> I'LL LET YOU RESPOND TO THAT.
I ALSO WANT YOU TO RESPOND TO
THIS QUESTION.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS EASIER TO
BE AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POLITICIAN OUT WEST THAN IT IS
FROM THE EAST COAST, THE CITIES
OR THE SOUTH?
LET ME START WITH THE SOUTH.
I AM FROM THE SOUTH.
I GRADUATED IN TEXAS.
I KNOW WHAT THIS WOMAN FACED ON
A DAILY BASIS, ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T
LOSE A FATHER TO A WHITE PERSON
WHO SHOT HIM AND WASN'T INDICTED
BY THE GRAND JURY.
I DIDN'T HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS
SHE HAD TRYING TO REGISTER THE
VOTE, BECAUSE I HAD MOVED TO
CALIFORNIA.
IT IS NOT ANY DIFFERENT IN
CALIFORNIA THAN IT IS ON THE
EAST COAST.
THE LEVEL OF RACISM IN THIS
COUNTRY SO CAREFULLY CONCEALED,
SO CAREFULLY HIDDEN AND SO MANY
PEOPLE UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE
IT'S A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY.
THERE'S ALWAYS THE ACCUSATION
THAT PEOPLE ARE PLAYING THE RACE
CARD.
ALL THIS SAYS IN ANY PLACE YOU
THAT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE BLACK,
YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME EACH AND
EVERY BARRIER WHILE YOU GET TO
THE ISSUES THAT NEED TO■ç BE
ADDRESSED.
IN MY OPINION, PRESIDENT OBAMA
SHOULD HAVE A BEER SUMMIT.
SHE REALLY MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
IF THEY WANTED TO REALLY RIGHT
THE SHIP, THEY WOULD PUT HER IN
CHARGE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
>> MR. COLLINS, QUICKLY AND I
HAVE TO WRAP THIS UP.
>> MAYOR BROWN HIT IT ON THE
HEAD.
THIS IS A LEARNING MOMENT FOR
THE PRESIDENT AND FOR ALL OF US.
HE SAID WE ARE STUCK IN A RACIAL
STALEMATE.
THIS OPENS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
SIGNIFICANT DIALOGUE AND
EXAMINED THE THINGS MR. SHERROD
SAYS OCCURS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.
THE FARMERS AND ALL OF US NEED
IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> FORMER SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR
AND FORMER SPEAKER OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OUT THERE,
WILLY BROWN AND E. STEVENS
COLLINS IN PHILADELPHIA.
THANK YOU FOR THE LIVELY
DISCUSSION.
>>> UP NEXT, MAYBE ANOTHER
MOMENT AS REPUBLICAN SENATE
CANDIDATE GIVES A BIZARRE REASON
WHY COLORADO VOTERS SHOULD VOTE
FOR HIM.
IT'S A GOOD ONE.
I WANT TO FIX UP OLD HOUSES.P,
I'M GOING TO WORK WITH KIDS.