CBS Sunday Morning

CBS Sunday morning podcast is sponsored by Edward Joe college tours with your oldest daughter updating the kitchen to the appropriate decade retiring on the coast.

Life is full of moments that matter and Edward Joe's helps you make the most of them. That's why every Edward Jones financial advisor works with you to build personalized strategies for now and down the road so when your next moment arrives bigger small, you're ready for it.

Life is for living. Let's partner for all of it. Learn more@edwardjones.com. Today's Sunday morning podcast is sponsored by tracks tracks. We know there's a place for what in your backyard. We recommend the fire pit.

When it comes down to choosing the right material for your next that no further than the superior beauty and durability of the number one maven outdoor living tracks delivers the look of Ward without all of the work of the worry and it's made from 95% recycled materials which makes it the right choice for your backyard.

100% of the time. Make sure your next deck is built with tracks tracks.com quarters calling and this is marked by bitter partisanship.

One American family is leading the way toward encouraging the best from people in public life. They do it through an award honoring the memory in the words of a former president Martha Tyson or will report our cover story named for John F. Kennedy's famous book for 30 years Caroline Kennedy has been presenting the profile encourage award to public figures willing to risk their careers to do with they think is right.

When you give the awards feel well. It's like Manning Aihara. We've been given the privilege of revealing this year's winter ahead this Sunday morning our son a profile game of thrones.

Actress Emelia Clark, Tracy Smith does the honors. Her characters spent seven seasons on an epic conquering spree. Does Emelia Clark entertain herself. Have you ever watched any television show as intensely as report friends expected from game of thrones royalty clock ahead on Sunday morning. That takes a closer look this morning at the era of reconstruction that followed the Civil War.

That's been widely misunderstood for roughly a century and 1/2. Ask people when the first African-American was elected to Congress and they might guess the 1960s and they would never guess was Hiram Revels from Mississippi. He takes office in February 1870, the first time in this country, or really anywhere that an interracial democracy was created later on Sunday morning Revels was born for you a pioneering black congressman of reconstruction costs of the Los Angeles Clippers same fellow who used to be the boss at Microsoft will talk with Rita braver where you want to go today after more than three decades, helping lead Microsoft Steve Ballmer retired as one of the richest man in the world.

The magazines say this guy has $41 billion. I cannot. I can't incentive to what is mean you'll find out what it means later on Sunday morning. The couple has questions for actor Sam Rockwell, Steve Hartman tells us about an act of childhood kindness and more coming up when our Sunday morning podcast continues for 30 years now. The profile encourage award is been leading the way, honoring people, taking the high road with Martha Tyson or were about to find out this year's winner in our Sunday morning cover story John F. Kennedy in front of PT 109, the famous World War II snapshot that doesn't tell the story of how JFK.

The war hero save the life of a fellow crew member, American folklore, the good man always when the greatest man comes up in 1956 as a young Sen. Kennedy published profiles encourage about some of his own heroes, eight US senators who did what they thought was right, not what was going to go against the wishes of his constituents what he considered the best interest of the country, even if it destroyed their political careers in 1989. Our family was thinking about how to memorialize and then we decided to do it by honoring the quality that he thought was most essential in public life which discourage recognizing since then every year. The profile encourage award has been given for an act or a lifetime of political courage party not an issue. Caroline Hannity makes the presentation, now joined by her son Jack Schlossberg, civic involvement is your inherited legacy in so many ways to think that I inherited a legacy of public services based on the fact that my related public servants would be to misunderstand what they stood for.

So I think everyone heard legacy of public services based on the men and women with her before the meter country what it is today. We wanted something that would be both symbolic and beautiful silver and heavy and made to look like a ships lantern.

Hopefully the symbolism of the lantern will also help us all go forward. Following our courageous leader. What is it say that's a quote from the book in whatever arena of life, one may meet the challenge of courage. Whatever may be the sacrifice he faces if he follows his conscience. Each man thinking that man or woman beside himself course will follow elected Mayor of New Orleans in 2010 five years after Hurricane Katrina, Mitch Landrieu inherited a city still ravaged by the storm. I would tell the people in New Orleans look if we had a come back. You have to sacrifice this is going to hurt on his watch. The city was rebuilt new spindles, new schools, a new airport, a massive new flood protection system, but it was something much riskier, politically, that one Landrieu last year's profile encourage award something suggested to him by his friends since childhood, trumpeter and New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis monument style Marsalis was talking about the Confederate statues regarded as an affront by African-Americans who represent more than 60% of the city's population when he said that to me. Really, it was like it hit in the head with a bat waited then shows his moment there is a difference you see between remembrance of history and the reverence of after white supremacist Dylan roof killed nine African-Americans in a Charleston South Carolina church taking advantage of the national outrage. Landrieu announced that in New Orleans the Confederate monuments would be removed. Blowback was immediate. Anybody who showed up to say they wanted to help started receiving awful telephone calls, death threats, the first contractor that showed up at his car firebombed. Did you have threats and constantly it was a very intense but finally by May 2017. After more than two years of legal wrangling. All four of the monuments had come down was really just a well thought was the right thing and I just didn't want to walk away from it because I want to be able to live with myself.

In his introduction to profiles encourage JFK wrote compromise need not mean cowardice, surprising concept in today's climate of political divisiveness along with bipartisanship.

John McCain was given the award in conjunction with Russ Feingold for the bipartisan work that they did on campaign-finance reform in 1999. The profile encourage award was given jointly to the two senators Feingold, a Democrat, and McCain, a Republican, together push to regulate special-interest money in politics to a war so dedicated to this part of their lives tickling my husband is the essence of who he was. Cindy McCain's John McCain's widow did he get criticized was Cindy McCain remembers it was Ted Kennedy who told her husband he had won the award. John and Ted were on polar opposites. Politically, they fought the floor swearwords any complete knockdown drag and when it was over, Ted walked over to John put his arm around him said fine the day of the ceremony was the McCain son Jimmy's birthday so the Kennedys arranged for them all to arrive in style in a Coast Guard cutter generally subscribing to our kids.

Is this is kind of a beacon of light so it was precious. He was very precious.

Yes, this was I believe a special award to John never the profile encourage award has been called the Nobel Prize for public figures. The famous and not so famous have been picked in 1997 Alabama circuit Judge Charles Price was honored for making the very unpopular call that his fellow Judge Roy Moore was violating the Constitution by displaying the 10 Commandments and his court room and in 2000, a kid from South Bend, Indiana named Pete booted Judge won the profile encourage high school essay contest.

He wrote about Bernie Sanders. Now it looks like he's running against him for president.

Look at this photograph of another teenager standing next to her idol, Sen. John F. Kennedy, my father was in their Baltimore and it was a big dinner black tie dinner which Sen. Kennedy was going to speak my mother and she said if you want to go in my place to the dinner, please do. Yes, that's House Speaker Nancy Losey very sweet picture of a ticket leading to the inspiration that Pres. Kenny was to my generation and those that followed. And yes, Nancy Pelosi is this year's winner of the profile encourage award in a statement Caroline Kennedy calls her the most important woman in American political history. She is the first woman to a speaker. She's the first woman to be elected speaker and nonconsecutive terms in over 60 years so the cards that that takes really I think makes her an example and inspiration for generations of Americans, men and women coming from Caroline that Norma's complement. However, I going with it. Our shoulders for other people to stand on many women's shelters have paved the way for us. And now, it paved the way for others.

So it's about the future thin skin. She is not, and with attacks coming out her even from within her own party. There's a lesson there yet to take a punch and throw a punch at him in the arena and I know that when you're in the arena. This is what you should expect that if you don't have the courage don't get in the arena I America I now page from our morning almanac April 7, 1897, 122 years ago today. The day Walter Winchell was born in New York City tabloid columnist turned broadcaster by the 1950s Winchell was a regular on TV with his delivery that telegraphs sound in a trademark that Walter Winchell makes breaking news there Roy city, Texas between San Antonio and St. Louis. Several just happen. We may have more on it later… Read everything Jack Dragnet made a very big denial of Jack O'Brien school when would not next married Dorothy Canavan alleged communist sympathizers were a favorite Winchell target copy committee has some and 20 private, employee is on at least 10 of them when you are starting in 1959 Wenzel served as narrator for the television untouched to watch them optionally known as the untouchable Walter Winchell died in 1972 at the age of 74, but as we well know gossip shows. He helped pioneer live on the listen I got a lack of experience problem in the polls and that you will experience guys around you jump on board member but let's go.

It's Sunday morning on CBS and here again is Jane Pauley, Sam Rockwell played an affable George W. Bush opposite Christian Bale's Dick Cheney last year's Oscar-nominated vice is about to step out in a very different role, but not before answering questions from our Tony to copal Sam Rockwell's long-acting career like a toy chest is full of cowboys trying to wind down this is already pitching outlaws spaceman and monsters and every goal you've ever been in and out of the Florida action. It would be weird. It's a weird pile of stuff is what wigs and no birds there.

Rockwell. None of it is child's play, going to therapy. I have an acting coach of dialect coach or his coach. I don't do it along. Why so open about the work not to be too pretentious about it but there is a lot that goes into it. You just show up. In fact he's been disappearing into characters for so completely well guarded youth specter everything was once about as unknown as a celebrated actor can be. Most of you probably know me as that guy from that movie. Maybe not the main guy with the other guy but last year Rockwell took home his first off don't know your friends from someplace for his role as a racist cop in the movie three billboards outside every Missouri I caressed you right now Thornton printed out your bucket. That's against the bed it's environment laws.

I want you to be my VP this year. She was nominated again for his betrayal of Pres. George W. Bush and vice leader.

I am get that thing you know what I can drop into it and sometimes I but yet it's hard on your mouth W little gets in there and now at 50 is reminding audiences that he's always had presenters. The tricks yes yes this sea wall yellow hat trick.

While that's fine in a new FX series Rockwell please Bob Fawcett like a dancer and choreographer turned director Ray what was it that I guess the charisma is cool guy thing about him in this kind of he was a genius and yet he was also really messed up big Sandy.

I guess I am attracted to Kurt you know that Rockwell is also sort of thought itself. I just messed around and I watched risky business split what you know. I fancied myself a young Kevin Bacon probably Sam Rockwell grew up. The only child of divorced parents, shuttled between San Francisco where his father was a labor organizer in New York where his mom was a struggling actor Selena exposed to that age where backstage with with with people and it's a vaudeville existence is well. It's good and bad. I think it makes you wiser and it also makes you will strange when you go back to the normal middle-class life working-class life with at school with kids were having for a normal existence. You relate them a little differently. His first role was a 10-year-old Humphrey Bogart in a Casablanca sketch with his mother. I was thrilling. It was thrilling. I got the bug like right away any dreams be what you want to be like any other young actor you want this to go through a phase that only Robert Dinero now interrupting our phrase would be Chris Walker and Regina Hackman.

But as he grew into being, Sam Rockwell. Other actors started note world governments problems. George Clooney was reportedly through a golf club in a wall to get them into confessions of a dangerous mind that's true that's true. Brad Pitt showed up unannounced at Rockwell's house to recruit him for another thing, I am downstairs.

Brad Pitt that is true that the secret may be that he is always anchored his roles in research, basic character in a small town cop and three billboards.

What you call unity was actually hired a small town cop to read the script and spend some time with them. I wanted to get it right and it was helpful.

You know, just little details like their haircut is the way their demeanor and how they handle themselves. After more than 70 films and television shows.

Sam Rockwell, savoring the wife.

He's built, including at home with longtime girlfriend after sleeping in the love department were elected and in the work department. I am so these days having law means pouring everything into his storing turn as Bob Fawcett is also considering new possibilities that occur you as it occurs to me that same way your name checking these different great actors and directors coming up today like I was in several that that would full-time would make my my heart soar like a hawk boss who retired from Microsoft with stag worth billions. Rita braver has the answer.

The magazines say this guy has $41 billion.

I cannot think most people can't. I can't in the sense yet what is mean my life I could buy the LA clip 63 ranks as one of the wealthiest people in the world did just what in 2014 Baltimore billion dollars for this franchise always loved basketball teams.

Most yet to win a championship.

When most people think LA basketball Clippers is not that comes to mom lives in LA Margaret a lot of excitement want to talk this card for my bomber is used to swimming against the stream.

He grew up in Detroit in a middle-class family is dad a Swiss immigrant who never finished high school, Ballmer talk all risk in 1980 and went out of business school to help an old friend from Harvard undergrad's fledgling software company Microsoft the friend of course was Bill Gates in the back of your mind that Microsoft was going to be this tech success. No, not really.

I wanted to have some responsibility which I did all that was great.

I wanted to work in a business that seem to be rapidly changing a little bit of ADD. If you will, in my personality and I wanted to work for somebody who I believed was really smart. And those smartest guy I had met Steve Ballmer became Microsoft's 30th employee put in charge of sales and business development where you want to go today Microsoft software can really help you get there while Gates and cofounder Paul Allen worked on creating software bomber struck a shrewd deal that ultimately gave him almost 8% of the company and at least in the early years, there was plenty of sparring among the big three gates, Allen and Ballmer shouted, as well as some cold shoulder but make no mistake about.

It's none of the three of us was above Lobos job number number.

Remember we are 24, 25, 26 years old. It was a heady time. The dawn of the personal computer era as Microsoft evolutionary time thousand eight named Ballmer to replace him as CEO and Ballmer's high-spirited company meetings are still legendary about CEO Obama helped make Microsoft when the bleeders and selling software systems to large corporations, but he acknowledges he was late in steering Microsoft into the search and smartphone markets.

Ballmer retired in 2014 leaving in his home. This new after Microsoft is not so easy, Ballmer will hundred rounds of golf crazy is that I was good… But I was in them after your sort of okay read and that's when I really took back control my time that is a luxury time is a prime commodity for Ballmer for years has been keeping spreadsheets to track how we spend every minute from 9 to 5.

It's a budget of my time. It shows the number of hours you want to spend 366 hours in the year on the Clippers but it was his wife of 29 years. Connie Ballmer thought he should start any spare time on more than basketball. She'd been directing the couples philanthropy they are ranked among the top Americans in charitable giving contributions, aimed primarily at helping kids in need get a better chance in life. Steve sad he was being a little controversy. He said philanthropy. Why do we need to do philanthropy. Why don't we let the government just give away the money and take care of these people been doing it all really. And of course I challenge that got him thinking handling of what the government spends money on and find out when he couldn't find out immediately. USA fax was born access to information is to understand what's driving the direction of our country. That's right, USA facts, a free nonpartisan website that's trying to provide one-stop access to all government data any number that the government collects your trying to put it at our fingertips exactly finances finances where all the money comes from how much we have seen with the population. Looks like that were serving demographics family population launched just two years ago and headquartered outside Seattle near Ballmer's home is poured about $30 million into USA facts. So far, in 1980. We spent just under $3000 per person on health as a society today were spending just under $10,000 per person. Inflation-adjusted we are spending over three times as much to see how the proportion of people in each state have changed over the years, Ballmer hired a team of young computer hotshots to help mind the information that there must and he hired Hoppe McDonald to lead the effort to get data from every federal, state and local agency. So do you just say call up the IRS and say okay can you tell us how much you brought in last year in taxes and where it came from Iraq and that they don't like but USA facts analyzed those CDs to create graphics showing how earnings have changed over the years. They also chart how much different income groups pay income tax is here, obviously in the top 1% of the top 1% like people at that level are paying enough taxes, nonpartisan write about me but me personally, do I feel like I have obligation to give back to society.

I'd say yes society is to decide on policy of the policy is. Let's tax the more affluent people more okay I'm good with it. Ballmer says USA facts can help Americans determine what policies they favor on controversial topics like immigration, how many undocumented immigrants as the government think we have in the country in 2005 that was to half-million today.

That's 12. Some people will say that to increase. Some people say smaller than I might've thought to respond when politicians assert they had better facts and the ones the government provides you think any politician is using numbers that are accurate. Call about. As for Steve Ballmer.

He has a personal interest in the number one big things you still really really really .2 like to do but haven't done this be progress of everything you hold that numberless heartland shows us how good things happen when kids follow the crowd.

How do kids behave when no grown-ups are around South Brunswick, New Jersey says you never really know because you're not watching that time she had always just assumed her son was good night.

Until recently, when 13-year-old Gavin babes got caught on tape showing his true character of Almighty God, Gavin, and some middle school friends who just arrived to the skate park.

The park was empty except for little Carter Brunel was here with his mother celebrating his birthday.

Carter is autistic big groups of older kids can make a nervous Kristi was fully prepared to get them out of there. She just wasn't prepared for what happened next really just shocked me.

It was unlike any experience I think I've ever had in middle school kids sometimes operate like they're in a pack that's pretty much what happened here.

Gavin led the way the others followed. The only surprise was the Gavin didn't start trouble.

He started a friendship with them and making them feel special and followed suit and started the kindness in the world and I wanted Carter to have a good birthday. It was such a great such a kind deed.

Even the local Police Department responded to you guys a pizza party next week over at school. But here's the best since their first meeting Gavin in the middle schoolers have continued to go out of their way to play with Carter around his rad does for them. This was a moment of parenting utopia with the only thing better than seeing your type is knowing that your kid is treating others kindly, even when you're not watching now so cool I was just so proud of her race is about to return for its final season with actress Amelia Clark, front and center.

Tracy Smith explains how Clark is a survivor in more ways than one. In our Sunday profile. Should we begin must define kill every one of this syllogism attend the city spend any time with Amelia Clark and see that she's not like the character she plays on TV any license of humor you sound in the presence of house Hungarian white at nine right queen of the fast man, Danny, the nearest Hungarian LEC. She is so very many names, commands, and Air Force of dragons walk through fire and is a serious contender to the game of thrones didn't communicate to discuss Joseph and my resume. No game of thrones begins its final season next week on HBO is the biggest TV show on earth famous for peeling off its lead characters so far has survived one of the most powerful characters in the show. Audiences would be surprised if this is the credible writing the incredible storytelling the site and in that way that life can be shocking and frightening and confusing. The show doesn't shy away from the Sega storytelling. It embraces dots uncertainty and not kind if and I think that's part of the addiction that people can get with this shy way. You just don't know what's can happen next.

Anything can happen. They proved time and time again without giving anything away. When you read that final scripts what happens to the narrowness.

What was your reaction it's it's it's it's it's almost impossible without giving something I really, really not III have so much to say so I can bring.

I think Shane's and be trained and defined in a series known for its strong female leads Amelia Clark character is perhaps the most dramatic she's a gal who has grown into a power that's no one could have ever seen coming from the tenant frightens sold piece of property that she was in the beginning of shy Amelia Clark's own beginnings were much more pleasant.

She was born in London and got her first taste of acting just five years old.

We did this play. I forgot all my lines and just standing there and just smiling and felt so these so uncomfortable on the stage even not knowing your mind know what whatever it was, I just felt really really really comfortable that more so than any group of like three goes and not his state with me forever. I went like put me in a room with a thousand people and I'm Zen child Joe Pittman with six. Unlike she went to drama school and landed a total of just two TV roles including this daytime soap opera's asked to audition for game of thrones Simon I was like I'm just gonna have to now this gangsta rap before I went into my addition gangsta rap because just trying like myself up a little bit and that empowers you yeah so I got in and you like swaggering down the street like no one was around to singing along to my music like I see the same come for the part she got required more than swagger.

Her first scenes got in the beginning when you were most vulnerable. Where your your your soul to your husband yet he rapes you yeah there's nudity. Yeah, that you need to see her vulnerability spot for you as a young actress coming into that was it tough. Yes, in the fast season. There were number 11 sounds like I'm crying later for a second. I'll be right back. I define that first season that Amelia Mark faced an even tougher challenge offscreen. You shot this first season of game of thrones and February 2011 suddenly got the worst headache you'd ever yeah so basically I was in the gym them.

The most excruciating pain like in elastic bands just went like snap in your head in my head like this amount of precious suddenly and then very very very quickly.

I realize I couldn't stand I couldn't walk and I managed to somehow cool my way to the ladies name and be violent male credit. With this excruciating pain and utilizing brain-damaged sheets suffered what's known as a hemorrhagic stroke bleeding on the brain, but incredibly, Amelia caught it in time to not only get it fixed but returned to game of thrones for season two is like giving me the job supervision, I'm fine and was pretty much went back to work. Yes, and in six weeks. After that I was back at work, but she was shooting me there was another swollen blood vessel working in Clark's head, and two years after the first one burst. She was back in the hospital with another brain bleed. This one almost killed her second one is that my brain actually dies. If a part of your brain doesn't get blood to it for a minute. It will just no longer what it's like. You should check it so I had stopped and he didn't know what what it once say they do actually what I mean. I really think it could be to be a concentration and it could be her peripheral vision. I was at my taste in men right yet these enticements that was always kind of funny things and then for a very long time I thought is my ability to act really really really ready to that was a deep kind away from the fast one as well is like what if something has sent in my brain. My contract anymore and my reason for living, for the recovery process. This trying to get through having someone literally open up your skull trying to go past that you discovered was really yeah say that say that yes, I mean the fast and it was difficult with the second one I was a 500 much harder to stay optimistic much audit to fight in the same same dressing I had before because it just it was just like to get through.

You just say that was very much a good day today thing and I definitely went through a period of being down all day you weren't made to sit on a chair. Alice was in the conqueror storm on that she says playing a strong woman on TV helped her to be no onset play and you walk through fire and that became the thing that just saved me from considering my and also gave her perspective on her own fame grounded me in a way that nothing else advocate uniting it just it it become by my notes to myself am not obsessed culture I die I'm really I don't II don't I like walking on the street like a normal class and I miss interacting with humans. Can you walk in the person pretty much tackles yeah will try again thank you very much. What do with the renowned that you've gotten from game of thrones, and from this character we do now that I'm really really really lucky because when you type cost as a strong and pallid female and then you know you get those wells and she's using that renown to start a charity for brain injury survivors called saying you I really waiting, waiting, my heart, soul and back into transforming often For brain injury recovery and also to simply bringing awareness to the invisible disease that is brain injury. You're in the clear brain wise completely in the care at 32 Amelia Clark is optimistic about the future possible points. There's been so much life that I've lived in the 10 years that I've been working on the site so you say goodbye to say much more than just saying goodbye to my 20s.

Bye-bye now I feel feels it feels amazing is as exciting as it does sound as I can't wait for the next the next thing Kate) now rock with a closer look at. In our history, both maligned and misunderstood.

Called the original great escape on May 13, 1862, just over a year into the Civil War and enslaved man named Robert smalls who labored on a Confederate steamer in South Carolina's Charleston harbor set into motion a daring plan saw that the Confederate crew had left, and he knew that oftentimes they left for the evening not to come back until the next day as his great-great-grandson of Michael Boulware more explains for smalls and six other slaves and their families.

The stakes couldn't have been high if got caught they would be not just kill probably tortured in a particular way readers in public manner, disguising himself in the top hat and long overcoat of a Confederate captain smalls piloted the ship past Fort Sumter towards the Union blockade and freedom really blow people's minds because your interest was beyond what people thought enslaved person could do. Not every great story has to become a movie plot along there so many twists and turns in the story that would be just amazing. And how about this for a second act after returning home to Beaufort, South Carolina.

Robert smalls was elected to the US House of Representatives.

One of more than a dozen African-Americans to serve in Congress during the period known as reconstruction when the formerly rebel states were reabsorbed into the union at 4 million newly freed African-Americans were made citizens time of unparalleled Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates has produced a new documentary about reconstruction airing this month on PBS changes with irrational, Gates says reconstruction is one of the most misunderstood chapters in American history. Black men could vote and they were about to elect Congressman to represent throughout the cell you going mass people on the street who the first black person was elected to the U.S. Congress gases 1960s and 1970s, and they would never guess was Hiram Revels from Mississippi Hiram Rhodes Revels was born free, and served as a chaplain to black regiments during the Civil War. On February 25, 1870 he was sworn in as a senator from Mississippi, an office once held by Jefferson Davis, who left the Senate to become president of the Confederacy is a big national moment. Oh it's a historic moment and it's memorialized in the famous Currier and Ives with the graph that shows the first center and members of the House of Representatives, who were African-American. The faint printing house created this lithograph featuring the African-American members of Congress, all of them southerners.

All of the Republicans. In 1872, Harvard University's Houghton Library houses one of the few known copies when Frederick Douglass sold the portrait of Hiram Revels. He said at last, the black man is represented something other than a monkey's are some of these men seven years before slaves that's right. Absolutely there only two of these men were free. The first time in this country, or really anywhere that an interracial democracy was created.

Columbia University historian Eric Boehner estimates that about 2000 African-Americans held some kind of public office during the construction. We tend to think of slaves as ignorant or sophisticated, but you know they had been living in American society for their whole lives and their parents attitude must be slave trade from Africa had ended long before these people were Americans and they wanted the same rights the same opportunities as free white people. How gutsy was it for these guys not just to try to be elected to get seated and actually demand equality Lawrence Otis Graham wrote a book about Mississippi Sen. Blanche K Bruce was born a slave in Virginia before becoming a successful plantation owner in Mississippi. Bruce and his wife Josephine were one of the wealthiest African-American couples in America lived in this townhouse in an integrated Washington DC neighborhood was in over there.

This is someone who, despite all the odds against him succeeded anonymously, the year he seated in the Senate 1875 is the apex of black representation during reconstruction seven house members and one Sen. that's the high point though it isn't soaked but he doesn't get to enjoy that high point for a long with his colleagues when neither candidate in the 1876 presidential election secured enough votes in the electoral college to be declared winner. A deal was struck. Southern Democrats agreed to back Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes in exchange, the federal troops who had protected black voters wherewith drawn from the South black voting rights were gradually stripped away black representation in Congress faded reconstruction was over and the Jim Crow era of segregation began for most of the 20th century reconstruction was portrayed.

This is how the South Carolina state legislature was picketed in DW Griffith's 1915 the birth of a nation that movie which cast the Ku Klux Klan's heroes was a sensation with white audiences.

Pres. Woodrow Wilson even hosted a screening at the White House and most schools taught reconstruction as a misadventure at best. That's what I was sort of high school 1950s reconstruction was the worst. In American history was a travesty of democracy people misuse the right to vote were not capable of serving a public office that toilet with four young Henry Louis Gates. This was particularly painful in the few black kids in my class would put the textbook up over her face and slinked down in our chairs because it was also embarrassing, but over the last 25 years reconstruction in Psalms has been given a much fuller treatment.

Your ending 2017. The reconstruction urine national monument was established. Robert smalls's hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina, just down the road you could see the house he lived in as a free man in the church he attended alongside.

It is a bust of smalls, the only known statue in the South of any of the pioneering black congressman of reconstruction they would know different. They were all great geniuses and they were gravel like you sort of birth of a nation. The black congressman are worth studying, not only in their own right, but as symbols of very big effort in our history to make this an interracial democracy ministrations policy towards transgender members of the military is the subject of our commentary from Charlotte Clymer Press Secretary at the human rights campaign as a military veteran and proud transgender woman.

The trumpet ministrations attempted ban on transgender people. The military hits home for me it's personal for over three years. I carried caskets Arlington national Cemetery. I fold American flags for loved ones. I ceremoniously unloaded transfer cases. The remains of our fallen warriors and uniform being carried home from Iraq and Afghanistan to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware every casket and transfer case I carried was covered by an American flag.

Every single one and that is all I remember about any of them.

I never knew the race I debited a religion or education or birthplace, another political party, or who they voted for. I know what music they like to their guilty pleasure movie. What they did with their friends on the last Saturday night in her hometown before shipping out to war. Never know the names of their parents and spouses and children never know the intimate details of their personal lives on never know who they loved and how they saw themselves in the world.

All I know about those. I carried was that they died in selfless service and they wore the flag of this country to the grave. No one Dover Air Force Base Arlington national Cemetery asked those we buried were secretly transgender. It didn't matter, then, and it certainly doesn't matter now. The lies perpetuated about transfer people serving in the military have been thoroughly debunked and rejected by medical experts by budget analysts by military generals and admirals by the vast majority of the American people, and not least by history of American school been barred from service and proved bigots wrong Department of color that barred women that barred gay, lesbian and bisexual people. We have been at this intersection of fear, cynicism and outright ignorance. Many times we are always reminded that the only true threats to our country. Strength or hatred and absence of character and yet, even while all this takes place. There are thousands of openly transgender servicemembers trained professionals. Some of the best and brightest our military has to offer serving right now, many of them in combat zones despite the stress and anxiety from commander-in-chief was no faith in them. Commander-in-chief will himself never served a single day in uniform. They continue to meet the highest standards of excellence. Given all this, I had to ask my fellow Americans. Is this what we want our beloved country to stand for. I'm Jane Pauley. Thank you for listening and please join us again next Sunday morning with Gareth this week. Stephen Long live Mitch McConnell in one of Washington's biggest midterm monument list for me to Senate races you think Republicans have the best chance of taking a democratic seed with Nevada not Georgia. Georgia is right up there with New Hampshire's surprised New Hampshire people really just kind of don't like you have for more from this week's conversation followed the take-out with major Gareth on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts