. >> a lot of harlem renaissance literature that's kind of thinking about this. one of my favorite novels is called black no more by george skyler who was an author and actually really kind of critical about the idea of like he was critical of the idea of there being distinct black culture, but sort of in this novel sort of begins in this mixed-race jazz setting and one of the characters -- she's like, no. and they're like, oh, they are here bowknot going to go all the way. it was a science fiction novel because it's about the procedure where you -- all the black people turn white. but also, there's a novel in heaven which has like this glossary and all of these, but has all of these jazz terms that you're supposed to -- i don't know if you're supposed to reference them as you're reading the novel but it's like, honky is a white person. but it's all in that setting and it's very inflict bid jeff and really thinking about the sort of cross racial of that. but that is just to say that i'm not a jazz expert but there's so much interesting stuff there that i think re

and i will always remember the afternoon bob and i spent in harlem a few years ago talking about history in the writing process. there is a greater appreciation for his book. now his archive is at the new york historical society i can't wait to visit. who knows bob maybe you could give me a tour of the exhibit. in all seriousness i want to thank you for all you have done to help us expand our understanding of the past, the present leading to our ability to envision the possibility of the future. i wish you a wonderful celebration in many more years of continued good work. >> thank you bill. >> thank you louise. this is such a thrilling day for me. to have people that i so much admire talk this morning about what is called my archive. bob douglas, bill, lisa, jane, i said what i wanted to about each of you. i could use up the entire time a lot of the syllogistic from the bottom of my heart you given me a day i will never forget and thank you. to have people i so much admire here to talk about me makes the stay that is accurate. today is thrilling because it's an announcement that my paper

go to harlem and you plant trees and when we showed up in harlem no one was interested in plantingtrees . everyone showed up except for the boss who was nowhere to be found but no one was planting trees. they were telling investment war stories and the thing we went to harlem to do but then of course the boss shows up an hour late, the guy at the top of the food chain which by the way goldman sachs ward tailored shirts they don't wear rolexes, they wear these cheap black rubber wrist strap digital watches as a show of humility but anyway he shows up not only with that watch but gucci boots and says we're taking pictures get out of here. that's what we did. we went to a bar nearby and started drinking and i asked one of the associates. i said we wanted to call it a social day we should have called it that rather than calling it service day and his response with me. he said have you ever ever heard of the golden rule ? i said you treat others like you want to be treated and he said no . the golden rule is this. he who has the gold makes the rules. and that stuck with me, i called it the g

go to harlem and you plant trees and when we showed up in harlem no one was interested in plantingtrees . everyone showed up except for the boss who was nowhere to be found but no one was planting trees. they were telling investment war stories and the thing we went to harlem to do but then of course the boss shows up an hour late, the guy at the top of the food chain which by the way goldman sachs ward tailored shirts they don't wear rolexes, they wear these cheap black rubber wrist strap digital watches as a show of humility but anyway he shows up not only with that watch but gucci boots and says we're taking pictures get out of here. that's what we did. we went to a bar nearby and started drinking and i asked one of the associates. i said we wanted to call it a social day we should have called it that rather than calling it service day and his response with me. he said have you ever ever heard of the golden rule ? i said you treat others like you want to be treated and he said no . the golden rule is this. he who has the gold makes the rules. and that stuck with me, i called it the g

i live in harlem to 125th street is a very magical station. if you've ever been to the hundred and 20 for three to has most beautiful mosaics on the wall. i encourage you to see it. 125th street and it was considered dangerous to go when i was growing up. but i've been to 124 throughout my life. for me it's a place of james baldwin and duke ellington, all of the really great new yorkers and great americans. i feel really lucky to live there. can ask for one anecdote? [laughter] whatever you want. [laughter] >> you don't make your family and parents a very special relationship to the subway that did not make it into the book her to have the audio file were making a tiny between the lines of podcast you can listen to on the podcast that subway book review. please tell everyone what your families relationship to the subway is? i'm crazy about it. >> of course there like 14 things i can talk about. yes my parents had a really little jewelry store on broadway when i was growing up. it's smaller than this table. [laughter] my primary memory of my cu

one of his heroes was mark antonio, a member of congress from east harlem who was a member of the american labor party. i consider myself lucky to come from that kind of family not only loving but gives you a good sense of mission and purpose. >> that rebellion is that one of the reasons why you were so anti-establishment or anti-entrenched interests? >> how i got into politics, i never thought i'd run for public office. i was a student at public college. i had a wonderful professor david truman, i took a government course. and the assignment was you have to write a paper an your congressional leader. i want to know everything. i want to know its boundaries, who lives in that district, the socioeconomics of that district. i want to know everything about the congress person in that district and i want you to interview the congressman that represents you. and so i began to work on the paper. and my congressman was charles buckley. i figured i'd go to his district office and ask for the opportunity to interview him. lo and behold there's no district office. so i call his office in washington

because thehe 250 pages she knocked out, i can use for the next book which would be the history of harlem. so she did me a service in one sense. i think she's gone on to bigger and better things, and, i mean i don't know about bigger, but she's gone on, i think she's with "bon appetit" now, oh, my goodness, conde nast, she's in highgh cotton, ridin' high. deservingly so. a very fine woman. i started off with the idea of having four black women here with me, and four black women responsible for me. and i'm'm looking out in the crd and i see so, so many african american presence here, and that's important, because we need you as we push hard into a whole arena of publishing in this country. it's a struggle that we have waged going w all the way back zora neale hurston. zora, i mean, she was just indefatigable in her struggle. we can talk about all of her books and it would exhaust theb time we have together here. but certainly with looking at how they jammed and stopped that book for all those many years, and now to have it available. in one way it connects with amistad, it connects with am

. >> i live in harlem, so 125th is a magical station. if you have ever been to 125th street, it has the most beautiful mosaics on the wall, so i encourage you to see it. 125th street, it has quite a lot, so i remember when i was growing up, it was considered dangerous to go, but i have been to 125th throughout my life, and for me, it's really a place of james baldwin and all of the really great new yorkers and great americans. so i feel really lucky to live there. >> yeah. >> can i ask min for one more anecdote? >> whatever you want. >> well, you told me your family and your parents have a very special relationship to the subway, and it didn't make it into the book, but i have the audio file, and we're making a tiny between the lines podcast which you can listen to on instagram at subway book review, but please tell everyone what your family's relationship with the subway is because i'm crazy about it. >> of course, i'm thinking of 14 things i can talk about. but one -- oh, yes. my parents had a really shitty little jewelry store on 30th