AUTOPSY SHOULD BE READY IN 5 TO
6 WEEKS.
>> OUR NEXT GUESTS KEEPS BUSY,
POET, PRODUCER AND EDUCATOR,
KWAME ALEXANDER IS THE NUMBER
ONE NEW YORK TIMES BEST AUTHOR
OF 36 BOOKS AND COUNTLESS
LITERARY AWARDS.
HIS LATEST BOOK, AMERICAN STORY,
JUST AS SLAVERY THROUGH THE
VOICE OF A TEACHER STRUGGLING
TO HELP HER STUDENTS UNDERSTAND
ITS PLACE IN HISTORY.
WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU
HERE IN STUDIO, HOW ARE YOU,
KWAME?
>> I AM GOOD, IT'S GOOD TO BE
HERE.
TALK TO US ABOUT HOW YOU GO
ABOUT TACKLING A COMPLEX TACTIC
THAT KIDS CAN UNDERSTAND?
>> LIKE IT WAS IN FOURTH GRADE,
AND SHE CAME HOME ONE DAY
CRYING.
THE TEACHER HAD ASSIGNED THEM
TO PROMOTE ONE OF THE 13
COLONIES BY CREATING A
BILLBOARD.
SHE WAS IN A GROUP WITH TWO
OTHER KIDS, ONE BLACK, ONE
WHITE.
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY TO BLACK
EARLS, ONE OF YOU CAN BE MY
SAFE.
THERE WAS A BIG COLOR BALLOON
AND THE CLASS, THE KIDS CRIED,
AND THEY TOOK THEM OUT TO THE
HALLWAY AND HAD THEM APOLOGIZE
TO EACH OTHER.
MY DAUGHTER, I ASKED, WHY DID
SHE HAVE TO APOLOGIZE?
WE HAD A TEACHER PARENT MEETING,
AND BEFORE I COULD GET INTO
WHAT THE ISSUES WERE, THE
TEACHER STARTED CRYING, AND I
WAS REALLY JUDGMENTAL FOR A FEW
MOMENTS, AND THEN I SAID, YOU
KNOW WHAT, SEE SCARED, SHE'S
UNINFORMED, IS NOT KNOW HOW TO
TEACH THE TOPIC OF SLAVERY, SO
MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN
DO TO HELP HER OR OTHER
TEACHERS OR PARENTS WHO FIND
THIS TOPIC VERY DIFFICULT AND
CHALLENGING, RIGHTLY SO.
SO I WROTE THIS BOOK FROM THE
VANTAGE POINT AT THE TEACHER
WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH,
AND BY THE END OF THE BOOK,
HOPEFULLY, SHE WILL FIGURE IT
OUT.
>> I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS
GROWING UP IN SLAVERY, ALL THE
KIDS A MEDIATELY LOOKED AT ME,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, I
DON'T HAVE THE LANGUAGE OR
WORDS OR UNDERSTANDING, AND FOR
A LOT OF TEACHERS THESE DAYS,
ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH
PUSHBACK AND SCRUTINY IN REGARD
TO CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
IN PARTICULAR, IN FLORIDA,
WHAT'S A REACTION TO THE?
>> THE IDEA IS THAT WE ARE NOT
GOING TO TALK ABOUT THESE
DIFFICULT, CHALLENGING TOPICS
LIKE THE WORLD WAR IN THE
COUNTRY, CIVIL WAR, 9/11 OR
SLAVERY, BECAUSE WE WANT TO
HARP ON THEM, IF PEOPLE FEEL
GUILTY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEM
BECAUSE WE CAN UNDERSTAND THEM
AND ACKNOWLEDGE, SO WE CAN HELP
OUR KIDS BE A LOT BETTER THAN
WE WERE.
SO WE CAN HELP THEM IMAGINE A
BETTER WORLD SO THAT THEY DON'T
REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES
REMAIN.
I APPLAUD THE TEACHERS AND
LIBRARIANS WHO ARE PUSHING BACK,
WHO ARE RESISTING, AND I THINK
THAT IS NECESSARY.
>> ONE OF YOUR PASSIONS IS
GOING TO SCHOOLS AND ACTUALLY
READING BOOKS AND INTERACTING
WITH KIDS.
WHAT'S THE RESPONSE OFTEN?
>> THE KIDS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM,
IT'S THE ADULTS.
THE KIDS DON'T SEGREGATE THE
BOOKS.
THE KID SEE THEMSELVES, SEED
THEIR BOOK SAYS MARES, WHERE
THEY SEE THEMSELVES.
THEY SEE BOOKS AS WINDOWS,
WHERE THEY SEE EACH OTHER.
IT'S THE PARENTS AND ADULTS, WE
COMPLETE OUR BAGGAGE AND OUR
PREJUDICES, AND WE PUT THAT ON
THEM, BUT I THINK THE KIDS ARE
FINE, AND I'VE SEEN AROUND THE
COUNTRY, AROUND THE WORLD WHEN
I VISIT STUDENTS.
THEY SEE AMERICAN STORY, AND
THEIR FIRST RESPONSE IS, THAT
IS SO SAD THAT THAT HAPPENED,
AND I AM SORRY THAT HAPPENED.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THIS
WORLD A BETTER PLACE?
I THINK THE KIDS GET IT, AND
THAT'S WHAT IS IMPORTANT.
I THINK THE BOOK WILL HELP
IMAGINE A BETTER WORLD.
>> KIDS, WHEN YOU ARE GIVING
THIS KIND OF INFORMATION, IT'S
REMINDING THEM WERE INHERENTLY
THEY UNDERSTAND BECAUSE PEOPLE
WILL SAY THAT COULD STILL SEE
COLOR.
I ALWAYS DISAGREED WITH THE.
KIDS DO SEE COLOR, THEY JUST
DUMP VALUE ON IT.
IT'S ADULTS WHO QUITE OFTEN DO
THAT.
BUT SWITCHING GEARS FOR A
MOMENT, YOU'RE NOT WORKING ON
THE CROSSOVER, DISNEY+ WRITER
AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, TELL US
ABOUT THAT PROJECT.
>> THAT WAS MORE THAN A NOTION.
THERE'S NOTHING GLAMOROUS ABOUT
HOLLYWOOD, ITS REAL WORK.
I DECIDED I WANTED TO BE THE
SHOW RUNNER, BE IN THE ROOM
WITH THE RIOTERS, SO I TEAMED
UP WITH IMANI JOHNSON AND
KIMBERLY ALISON, AND WE CREATED
THIS AMAZING SHOWED THAT I LIKE
TO SAY IS A MATTER OF FACT
BLACK.
IT'S TRYING TO CHANGE THE
NARRATIVE AND WHAT OUR STORY
IS.
THERE IS A DANGER OF A SINGLE
NARRATIVE, SO THE IDEA IS THAT
BLACK PEOPLE, LIVE, HOPE, LAUGH,
DANCE, EAT, SLEEP, LIVE, DIE,
JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.
I THINK THIS SHOW IS ABOUT THE
IDEA OF RECAPTURE-ING AND
REMINDING ALL OF US HERE IN
AMERICA THAT BLACK PEOPLE ARE
HUMAN BEINGS.
IT SOUNDS SIMPLE, REAL
SIMPLISTIC AND OBVIOUS TO SAY
THAT, BUT WE FORGET THE.
I THINK OUR NARRATIVE HAS TO BE
WIDENED IN THAT REGARD.
>> YOU ALREADY DONE 36 BOOKS,
NOW YOU'VE TAKEN THIS FORAY
INTO TV, WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU?
>> WHAT'S NEXT, WOW?
MY MISSION, LINDSEY, AND YOU'VE
GOT A KID, YOU KNOW HOW
IMPORTANT BOOKS ARE AND HOW
IMPORTANT WORDS ARE,
TRANSFORMING THEIR LIVES AND
BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND
TRIGGERING THEIR VOICE.
I THINK MY MISSION IS TO CHANGE
THE WORLD ONE WORD AT A TIME,
WHETHER TO A TV SHOW, WHETHER
IT BE THROUGH A BOOK --
>> I WANT TO GO BACK TO
AMERICAN STORY WHERE WE STARTED
TO END HERE, BECAUSE THE
ILLUSTRATIONS IN HERE, WE GOT
TO TALK ABOUT THAT, AS SOON AS
I GOT THE BOOK AT HOME AND
SHARING IT WITH MY SON,
IMMEDIATELY, SO POWERFUL AND
PROFOUND, AND YOU ARE SAYING
THAT THESE ARE ACTUALLY REAL
SCULPTURES.
>> SHE'S A MULTI MEDIA ARTISTS.
SHE'S FROM RALEIGH, NORTH
CAROLINA, AND SHE DID SOMETHING
FANTASTIC WITH THE BOOK.
SHE TOOK MY STORY, AND SHE
ELEVATED IT.
SHE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL.
IT'S ONE THING TO WRITE A BOOK,
AND HOPEFULLY IT'S A GOOD BOOK.
IT'S ANOTHER THING TO FIND AN
ILLUSTRATOR WHO CONCRETE
ANOTHER STORY ON TOP OF THE
STORY.
SHE'S DONE THAT WOULD REALLY
AMAZING SCULPTURES, WITH MULTI
MEDIA ART, IT'S ENTERTAINING,
AND IT'S INFORMATIVE, AND A
SPECIAL, AND I THINK ULTIMATELY,
THE ARTWORK IS ENGAGING, MAKES
YOU WANT TO TURN THE PAGE AND
FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE
IN THIS BOOK.
>> KWAME ALEXANDER, WE THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU
ARE DOING AND FOR COMING ON THE
SHOW.