Anna Deavere Smith discusses and demonstrates her unique character portrayals from her works "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992."

Discussing the book "Leadership, love and aggression. As the twig is bent: the psychological factors in the making of four black leaders - Frederick Douglas, W.E.B. Du Bois, Richard Wright and Martin Luther King Jr." with the anthropologist-author Allison Davis.

What started out as a 5-piece article on health care became Laurie Abraham's book, "Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America". Through her stories, Abraham points out the many hardships and catch-22 scenarios of some poor families. One woman, after caring for her mother all day, Julie, wanted to work part time in the evenings. However, she soon learned that she'd be making too much money and she'd no longer be eligible for Medicaid for herself and her children.

Dennis Brutus discusses and reads his poetry. He discusses life in South Africa. Dennis Brutus reads poems from his books of poetry "Sirens, Knuckles and Boots", "A Simple Lust", and "Letters to Martha and Other Poems from a South African Prison". Includes music in the beginning. Includes a clip of Albert Lutuli speaking.

Discussing the book "A man's life" with the author Roger Wilkins.

Interviewing novelist and fighter for civil rights for all, James Baldwin and discussion on the book "Nobody Knows My Name more notes of a native son". They discuss the book and Mr. Baldwin's political beliefs and his work towards change in the civil rights movement.

According to Paul Chevigny’s book, “Police Power: Police Abuses in New York," disobeying the police is what precipitated violence. Chevigny explained some of the police felt if they had to deal with the undesirables, whether they were criminals or not, anything goes on the street to get these guys and anything goes in court to make a conviction stick.

Discussing the book "The courting of Marcus DuPree" with the author Willie Morris.

Discussing the book "Race Hoss: Big Emma's Boy" with the author Albert Race Sample. Includes Sample reading a section of the book.Content Warning: This conversation has the presence of outdated, biased, or offensive language. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Public housing is a major topic covered in Ouida and Paula Lindsey's book, "Breaking the Bonds of Racism." Ouida Lindsey tearfully explains that white people can't always understand Black people's troubles.Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion.