N.C. State University professor and award-winning author Blair Kelley along with playwright and former NFL player Greg Ellis discuss the history of Juneteenth and put it in the context of recent events.
WE EXPECT 90s ALL OF NEXT WEEK. >> CELEBRATING THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER. THANK YOU. >>> FOR THE FIRST TIME EVERY NFL TEAM OBSERVED JUNETEENTH. WITH TWO SPECIAL GUESTS TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THIS MOVEMENT AND TO DATE IN PARTICULAR. GREG ELLIS IS A NATIVE AND WELL- KNOWN TO FOOTBALL FANS HERE AND AROUND THE COUNTRY. HE RETIRED FROM THE DALLAS COWBOYS. HE IS MAKE IT HIS MISSION TO MAKE JUNETEENTH AND NATIONAL HOLIDAY FOR STORYTELLING. WE WILL HEAR FROM GREG IN A MOMENT. I WANT TO BEGIN WITH THE FORGETS OF TODAY AND WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR SO DIFFERENT. DR. BLAIR KELLY IS AN NC STATE PROFESSOR AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR. MY THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR BEING HERE. DR. KELLY, FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT PAID ATTENTION TO THE STATE BEFORE. THEY ARE NOW. WHAT IS THE BASIC MESSAGE THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JUNETEENTH? >> SO JUNETEENTH IS THE COMMEMORATION THAT HE BEGAN IN TEXAS. GALVESTON, TEXAS, THIS WAS ONE OF THE LAST PLACES TO HERE FREEDOM. SO THE COMMUNITY THERE HAD TOGETHER AND CELEBRATED. IT WAS SUCH AN EXCITING MOMENT. A MOMENT THAT AFRICAN- AMERICANS, THAT SLAVES HAD WORKED FOR. THEY HAD FOR FOR FOR GENERATIONS. >> WE SORT OF BOIL THIS DOWN TO SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY, BUT THIS IS NOT EXACTLY LIKE A LIGHT SWITCH THAT WENT OFF THAT DAY AND SLAVERY JUST ONE AWAY. >> NO. IT WAS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE. IT IS STILL A CONSTANT STRUGGLE FOR ALL OF US TO REMEMBER AND MAINTAIN, TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CITIZENSHIP MEANS. WE ARE THANKFUL TO OUR FOREBEARS FOR WHAT THEY DID. TO MAKE FREEDOM POSSIBLE. AND FROM MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THEMSELVES, TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ALL AMERICANS TO HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT CITIZENSHIP SHOULD BE. WHAT IN RIGHT SHOULD BE. SO WE KNOW THAT WHEN FREEDOM CAME, THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS GOT MORE DELINEATED IN OUR CONSTITUTION. SO WE SHOULD THINK THAT GENERATION. FOR ALL OF THEIR ACTIVITY CALM OFF THEIR WORK. SO JUNETEENTH IS A WAY OF REMEMBERING THAT PAST, CELEBRATING THE PRESENT AND KEEPING OUR EYES ON PRESERVING OUR FREEDOMS IN THE PRESENT. >> I DON'T KNOW IF YOU AND GREG ARE THE AND THEN OF NBC NIGHTLY NEWS, HARRY SMITH HAD AN AMAZING ESSAY, HE SAID MOST OF US IN THE WHITE COMMUNITY OR MANY OF US, MAY HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT ML K DAY, JUNETEENTH IS A HOLIDAY FOR LACKS, WHICH ACTUALLY IS PROBABLY MORE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE NOT AFRICAN- AMERICANS, BECAUSE MAYBE WE JUST HAVE BEEN BLIND TOO LONG. HOW DO YOU RESPOND? >> WE JUST CANNOT TAKE FREEDOM FOR GRANTED. WE CANNOT FORGET OUR VALUES AS A COUNTRY. AFRICAN-AMERICANS PUSHED THIS COUNTRY TO THINK MORE CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT THAT SHOULD MEAN. AND THAT GENERATION DURING RECONSTRUCTION AND WHAT WE CALL THE SECOND RECONSTRUCTION, THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. SO MUCH MORE WAS LEARNED ABOUT HOW WE VALUE ONE ANOTHER. HOW WE SHOULD HOLD ONE ANOTHER. SO IT IS A WONDERFUL THING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT JUNETEENTH NOW. A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER MOMENT. ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT. AND I THINK A BIGGER, A DEEPER REFLECTION ON WHAT FREEDOM SHOULD LOOK LIKE. >> GREG ELLIS IS A FAMILIAR FAN TO FOOTBALL FANS. HE WENT ON TO PLAY IN THE PROS. HE IS OUT AND HE IS NOW A PLAY RATE PLAYWRIGHT. HE IS TRYING TO MAKE TODAY A FEDERAL HOLIDAY. GREG, YOU HAVE SAID THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT, SO HOW IS RECOGNIZING THE DAY PIVOTAL TO MOVE FORWARD? >> I THINK IN ORDER, WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW IS THAT PEOPLE ARE WANTING SOME ANSWERS. PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO KNOW HOW WE COULD BE IN 2020 AND STILL HAVE HATE CRIMES, ESPECIALLY THAT ARE RACIALLY CHARGED. SO MY BELIEF IS THAT IN ORDER TO ADEQUATELY CORRECT THESE ISSUES WE CAN QUICKLY GET IT DONE BY SIMPLY TAKING A LOOK BACK IN ARE PAST AND FINDING OUT THE ORIGINS OF THESE THINGS. AND THEN ONCE WE DO THAT WE WILL BE BETTER AND MORE WILLING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, IF YOU WOULD. >> IS IT HARDER TO TAKE A HIT AS A PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER THAT IT WAS TO WRITE THIS? >> ALL WOW, THIS IS VERY CHALLENGING. I GREW UP AND HAD A LOT OF RACIAL THINGS TO DEAL WITH. COMING UP IN THE SOUTH, OF COURSE. SO THIS WAS VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. I THINK THAT SLAVERY IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY UNIQUE TO LOOK AT HOW ONE CAN CONTROL ANOTHER PEOPLE FOR SO LONG. IT IS VERY INTRIGUING. AND TO UNDERSTAND WE ALL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ROLLOVER A GROUP OF PEOPLE FOR THAT LONG AND 155 YEARS LATER AND THINK THAT EVERYTHING IS EQUAL. SO WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO. >> GREG, JUNETEENTH THE PLAY IS SET TO STREAM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TOMORROW, JUNE 20. HOW CAN PEOPLE WATCH THE STORY? >> YOU CAN SIMPLY GO TO OUR WEBSITE IT IS JUNETEENTH THE PLAY.COM. YOU COULD GO THERE RIGHT NOW AND YOU COULD REGISTER. IT IS ONLY $10. YOU COULD REGISTER, YOU COULD GET YOUR PASSWORD. YOU WILL BE READY TO GO. YOU CAN SEE IT ON ROKU TV, ANYWHERE THAT YOU CAN SEARCH THE INTERNET. ALSO, FIRE STICK AND A COUPLE OF OTHER PLATFORMS AS WELL. IT IS PRETTY DIVERSIFIED, THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS. TO BE ABLE TO LIVE STREAM THE SHOW. >> SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY. AN NFL PRO TURNED PLAYWRIGHT, AND DR. BLAIR KELLY, THANK YOU VERY MID-SOUTH FOR TAKING YOUR
