[ cheers and applause ] i grew up coming to this place so many times. And, this, tonight, is special. I thought about, when i was coming in backstage, ive been on this stage with Godfather Of Soul, james brown, who was like a father to me, and michael jackson, the list goes on. But, tonight, you will have Something Special at the apollo, because you will have two icons that are going to talk about their work, and talk about what they do in this country that is so needed at this time today could not be a better night at the apollo. This is not just a great show, tonight, this is history. So [ cheers and applause ] so, it is my honor and my pleasure that, i cant bring you tonight the Godfather Of Soul [ laughter ] but i bring you the godmother of woke [ cheers and applause ] Rachel Maddow. [ cheers and applause ] i got you on that one. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] wow, how are you doing . We love you, rachel. [ cheers and applause ] i am so nervous [ laugh
Please silence your cell phones if you would. In terms of books which i know you all want to make sure you get the books you are going to be hearing about this morning outside the Capitol Building on mississippi st. There are number of sellers who will have looks and adjacent to the industry as the signing tent. In the back page of your brochure you will see this fantastic schedule. Authors will not necessarily be on immediately after the panel so just check the other name and the time in the brochure. We are delighted to have cspan broadcasting live this morning so welcome to jackson. The panel will also be shown on october so if you want to review it again. Thank you for the state legislature for the use of this facility today and i want to thank the authors and the moderators for being here with us this morning. The first panel is sponsored by the university of southern mississippi friends of the University Library so we are grateful for their support and now i will introduce jesmyn
Reporter i just recently was promoted to full professor. Congratulations. [applause]. So my colleagues might be watching this morning. James baldwin, i have a very Good Relationship with him when i first encountered his name i encountered it as my dad working in the village together. Then then i met him when i was 14. I remember coming behind him and tracing collars as an adult in graduate school his words blonde with audrey and it literally saved my life. I was one of only two africanamericans in the program to my knowledge on the first africanamerican to graduate in poetry and the msa program. So it was very isolated. My friends were the ladies who cleaned the building and we would talk about those sort of things. I would remember that i was young them. Them. I was in my 20s feeling a real rage. His rage really help me it was sustained and it was intellectual. It was not messy rage it was purposeful rage. That was a real lesson that i learned from him. I remember when he begins and i
As a 17yearold, i couldnt understand. Reading this anthology i finally understood what it meant to be in a community with folks writing for and in some ways putting our community on our back and going where we are going. But i think it is much more daring in this American Literary enterprise to write to your folks. Its hard to say that in this room that is mostly white life of a young black folks out there im talking to you when i say this, it is imperative. You cant love somebody if you dont communicate to them. We will tell you to communicate over. It is a necessity to understand you come from a people who made a living two and four the deep south. [applause] i think we are out of time. This has been a great panel. [applause] [inaudible conversations] senator lamar alexander, if somebody asked you for a recommendation for a book aboutn tennessee or tennessee history, what would you recommend . Ale alex stewart. He was a barrel maker. He lived in Hancock County which is one of our rem
You will see the fantastic schedule. Authors will not necessarily be on immediately after the Panel Suggests check the author name and time on the brochure. We are delighted to have cspan broadcasting live this morning so welcome to jackson. The panel will also be shown at october so if you want to review it again. Thank you for the state legislature for the use of the facilities today and also the authors and moderators for being with us this morning. The first panel was sponsored by the university of mississippi friends of the university library. Now i will introduce the Panel Moderator this morning from mississippi who received her ba from Stanford University and from the university of michigan. She served as the resident in mississippi and was the author of the novel where the line we goboth won the National Book awd for fiction. Shes also the editor of this new book just out this month. We are at work as the associate professor writing at Tulane University she lives in mississippi