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CNN Live Event/Special
The Color of COVID, Coronavirus's Wrath on America's Minority Communities; New York's Highest Death Rate Among Hispanics; Coronavirus Spreading in Jails and Prisons. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired April 18, 2020 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:21]
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Welcome to a very special evening on CNN. I'm Don Lemon in New York.
VAN JONES, CNN HOST: And I'm Van Jones in Los Angeles. Tonight we're here to confront the color of COVID. Now, you know, the virus doesn't discriminate but over the next hour you're going to see how this disease is just tearing through America's minority group in significantly higher rates, and why this battle is so much tougher for many folks in our families and our neighborhoods and our communities.
LEMON: As of tonight the nation has lost more than 38,000 people to coronavirus. And there are now more than 734,000 cases in the United States. Every victim and their families need our support but these are the numbers we'd ask that you think about during this program tonight as you watch this.
Look at this. In the states where data could be collected and that covers just over half of them, African-Americans are dying at two and a half times the rate of Asian-Americans, three times higher than Latinos, and 3.6 times higher than whites. And in Michigan blacks make up nearly half of the death toll but they're only 14 percent of the population. That is a huge difference. And at least eight other states in the Midwest, the south and east, the death rate, exceeds the population rate for blacks by more than 27 percentage points. Tragic and unchartered territory.
For Hispanic Americans, the death rate is unusually high in the nation's coronavirus epicenter, New York City. Latinos are dying here more than any other race. They and African-Americans are the only groups dying at a higher rate than their populations.
And this doesn't help. Minorities make up half of the nation's 30 million uninsured, and here's one big reason why. Native Americans, blacks and Hispanics all face a substantially higher percentage of those in poverty.
JONES: Now, look, those are tough numbers but there's also some hope here. And we're going to tell this story tonight with some help from some of the biggest names in America we're getting to be a part of this fight tonight. We're going to bring you messages of hope, sent from love from viewers tonight. You're going to be hearing from Sean Combs, Lin-Manuel Miranda, America Ferrera, Magic John and many, many more over the next hour.
In fact, our own W. Kamau Bell who launched a private -- gets some of the most critically needed basics to underserved communities, he's going to be here tonight. Also, basketball Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley, on whether America's athletes can help all of us team up in this critical time. Plus a special musical tribute from the Marsalis Brothers, as they celebrate the lives lost to this virus, including their own father tragically, Ellis.
LEMON: Yes. It is a big hour and it's going to be informative. But I want to start tonight with the voices that really matter the most, and that's our health care professionals like Dr. Regina Benjamin.
JONES: Yes.
LEMON: Dr. Benjamin spent her career on the front lines of medicine, from caring for the poor in the rural south to advising President Barack Obama and the nation as our surgeon general here in the United States.
Dr. Benjamin, we are so happy to have you. We're honored and we thank you in advance for joining us. So listen, let's talk about all those numbers you heard us reel off the statistics. We just ticked through them at the top of the show. Why are people of color so vulnerable to this disease?
DR. REGINA BENJAMIN, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, you know, we first started to talk about this disease, we said the elderly and the people with chronic and underlying conditions were at higher risk. Most of us thought about people with cancer, elderly people, people on oxygen tanks, but what they didn't think about was people with high blood pressure, diabetes, prediabetes, cardiovascular disease, people with (INAUDIBLE).
Those weren't the thoughts. But what we've learned is that it seems very common that when this particular population would be affected much more rapidly. And so that's what happened. And we started seeing illnesses. What we did not expect was that these were the people who would be coming in much sicker, much faster, and they would deteriorate faster and they would die more frequently and more often.
And the American Heart Association also noticed that people with underlying cardiovascular disease was also having poor health outcomes, particularly those with cardiac arrhythmias, like irregular heartbeats. And so the American Heart Association put in $2.5 million for a rapid research fund to start to address that, to see why and how if we can prevent people with underlying cardiovascular disease from having poor outcomes.
JONES: I'm so curious to know. This is not playing the race card, am I correct?
[22:05:02]
In other words, this is the data card. The data shows that the hot spots are in communities of color, black communities, brown communities. You've worked for government. Shouldn't we be rushing your masks and tests and ventilators to those communities? Is it playing the race card to say that we should be focusing on these places where the numbers are so bad?
BENJAMIN: You know, I'm a physician. I treat everybody and I just think we should go where we're needed wherever that is. Whatever community it is. It happens to be our communities right now and we need to certainly be there.
This is around social determinants of health. And this is why we see -- we know that these particular conditions occur more and frequently in our communities and so we should be there. We should be there prepared. The social determinants that we've talked about, we have had health disparities around.
When I was surgeon general, we released a national prevention strategy which was trying to eliminate health disparities altogether. And we're still trying to do that but the research shows us and we know certain things cause these health disparities, and things like we know that our financial health is directly related to our physical health. We know that our education is just as important to our health.
Your death rate is two and a half times that of a person who doesn't have a high school diploma as it is for a person who has 13 years or more.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: Let me ask you a question.
BENJAMIN: We know that your zip code is a better predictor of your health outcome than your genetic code. So we know it's not genetic. It's those social determinants of health. Go ahead.
LEMON: Yes.
JONES: I'm curious, though, I think that's really, really important. So the system has got to do better, the government has got to do better. But I'm also curious, aren't there things that we could be doing better? I mean, I can't control what comes out of the mouth of the president. I can control what I put in my own mouth. Look, I've got high blood pressure. I mean, are we going to have to get to a point in the black community where we decide, we're going to own our own health, that we're going to take more responsibility for what we eat and what we do? Because, look, help is not on the way. These viruses are out there jumping on us. What can we be doing as individuals to get ourselves out of harm's way?
BENJAMIN: You're exactly right. You can't blame the victims. And many of these things are not our fault but we can do things every day to help ourselves and we can't wait on someone like the government or somebody else to take care of us. So there are things we can certainly be doing. They're very simple, they sound simple, but they can save your life. Things like washing your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. When we ask you to socially distance, socially distance. You're
protecting yourself and your family members and those around us, and particularly those who can't stay at home.
LEMON: Yes.
BENJAMIN: We're protecting them. We also -- if you smoke, stop. Don't smoke, don't vape. If you're -- know your numbers, know your blood pressure, know what your blood sugars are.
LEMON: And Doctor --
BENJAMIN: If you know you have high blood pressure, get somebody to check it to make sure you don't have it.
LEMON: Before we run out of time, I want to get this in because you said don't blame the victim and those are exactly right. But I want to get this in because we need to talk about it. You said don't blame the victim. We also need to talk about -- we need to have conversations and this has to do with health, too, around urban planning, around racism, around food deserts, around red lining.
All of that has to -- we should take all of that into account when it comes to health and why people of color are dealing with this as well. Yes, we need to talk about what we put in our mouths, but also we need to talk about the underlying issues as to why African-Americans are in this predicament.
BENJAMIN: I think you're exactly right. We really have to do that. And as we move through this epidemic, pandemic, we basically hopefully will come out on the other side in a much better place that we can have some better public policies to address these issues. But in the meantime, we have to make sure we save our lives by doing these things every day until we can get through this.
But you're absolutely right, we have to address this as a society because it impacts all of us. And it's not just people -- African- Americans and Hispanics and populations, it's affects my people in my community, in the rural areas. We have the same sort of problems with diabetes and high blood pressure. We smoke too much. Those obesity. All those things that lead to cardiovascular disease is in the rural communities. And you're going to see the same thing in (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: It's poor people. Yes, it's poor people.
Dr. Benjamin, thank you so much. We really appreciate your time and your wisdom tonight and everything that you're doing to heal our community. Thank you.
JONES: Thank you. Absolutely.
BENJAMIN: Thank you.
LEMON: And concern is growing in the nation's Latino community. Up next, how the hard work done by Hispanic Americans could be putting them at greater risk for the virus. And W. Kamau Bell is going to join us live. He needs your help to get
some of the most urgently needed supplies to the places where they can be hardest to find, in communities of color. That's coming up. Van?
[22:10:06]
JONES: And Don, we're also lucky tonight to have some very special greetings for everyone in this crisis. These again are messages of hope. Let's start with Snoop Dog and America Ferrera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: What up, dog? This is big Snoop Dogg. And I want to send some words of encouragement to all of my people out there. Yo, I want to you have some fun, I want you to make the most of your time at home, spend some time with your loved ones, get in tune with yourself, go to Instagram, watch some funny stuff, check out some good movies.
You know, keep your spirit up. Drink a lot of water. You can work out at the house, too, on the solo tip. You can do some body lifting, you can do some pushups. You can do a lot of things to keep your mind moving. But I want you to do the most important thing, stay positive and stay in the house because this thing will be over soon, and it takes all of us in order for this thing to work.
I'm big Snoop Dogg, and I'm telling you this because I'm at the house. I'm on the inside. Check me out on Instagram having a good time, partying, laughing, and making the most of it. Because God don't put nothing on us that we can't handle.
Love is love. To all my peoples out there, I love you more today than I did yesterday. Peace be onto you.
AMERICA FERRERA, ACTRESS: Hi. I'm America Ferrera. And I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the amazing people showing up every day to provide critical services during this crisis. Some of those people are our nation's farm workers. They're putting their lives and health on the line by planting, picking and packing the food we all need to get through this COVID-19 crisis.
And yet farm workers are reporting that they do not have enough food to feed their own families. Even though the federal government has deemed them essential workers, they are being denied essential benefits. These frontline workers need our help. You can support them by making a donation to the Farm Workers Pandemic Relief Fund, providing farm workers with food, diapers, formula and other basic necessities. One hundred percent of your donations will be used to support the farm workers who feed us. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:15:48]
LEMON: Back with our CNN special, THE COLOR OF COVID. I'm Don Lemon along with Van Jones.
And as we look at every minority group, we see areas of vulnerability. In New Mexico, around 75 percent of new coronavirus cases on Monday and Tuesday came from the Navajo Nation counties. They say they now have over a thousand cases across the Navajo Nation with more than 40 deaths.
And Van, one expert is bracing for an explosion of new cases warning this could explode into a wildfire.
JONES: Yes, look, I mean, Native Americans are definitely in harm's way and now the Asian-Americans have their own problems, different risk. At the moment, the death rate is not above average for Asians so far, thank goodness, but the FBI is saying that there is a big, big increase in hate crimes against Asians. You've seen all these disgusting stories of them being targeted and attacked. And in the Chinatown sections, places like New York and San Francisco, they've been fighting just to save their businesses. A big economic problem there.
LEMON: And Van, when you look at Hispanic Americans, you can see that they are suffering the most in New York City, making up more than a third of deaths as of now while being just under a third of the population.
CNN's Nick Valencia is here to look at the toll on Hispanics across this country.
Nick, what are you finding?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, Don. There's certainly a lot of socioeconomic factors at play. A lot of inequalities, a lot of disparities. You mentioned New York just how heavy hit Latinos are there in the city, the epicenter where 34 percent of the death rate is made up by Latinos. And that's not even counting undocumented immigrants who may be afraid, maybe showing symptoms or sick, and maybe afraid of going to the doctor.
And also, as you're about to see in this piece, it may be also the jobs that Latinos have that put them more at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA (voice-over): Anthony Acevedo says he honestly can't remember the last time he got sick, but two weeks ago he tweeted that he felt an itch in his throat, more severe symptoms followed.
ANTHONY ACEVEDO, TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: Yes, so I got the results that I was positive with the COVID-19. Body aches. I had a whole lot of body aches. And recently I developed a lot of night sweats.
VALENCIA: His condition hasn't improved. Acevedo thought he was turning the corner, only to be diagnosed with pneumonia. The 35-year- old works in hospice care, making home visits to
terminally ill patients. He knew he was at higher risk of contracting the virus and said he had been taking precautions. But in his line of work, that doesn't always guarantee your safety.
ACEVEDO: Latinos are mainly, you know, the CNAs and the janitors. When you go into these facilities, that's where you see us. You see us as the janitors cleaning everybody's room and you see us as the ones changing all the diapers, you know, giving them showers, you know, feeding them face-to-face.
VALENCIA: Dr. Genoveva Ollervides O'Neill, who serves the Latino community in Vancouver, Washington, says Latinos are often found in these essential but lower-level hospital jobs. She says such employees may not have health insurance or the option to stay home if they get sick.
DR. GENOVEVA OLLERVIDES O'NEILL, FACULTY PHYSICIAN, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: This leads not only to worsening health for those people, but also spreading of this pandemic and prolonging the illness and the effects that this is going to have.
VALENCIA: According to the Pew Research Center, concern about the virus is even more pronounced among Latino than the wider American public. About two thirds say the outbreak is a major threat to the health of Americans, compared to about half of the general public.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: There are clear inequalities, clear disparities in how this disease is affecting the people of our city.
VALENCIA: In the epicenter of the outbreak, New York City, the mayor says Latinos are dying at rates higher than any other group, making up 34 percent of deaths. Other locations have been slow to release a breakdown of deaths by race or ethnicity, so no national trends are clear yet. Meantime, Dr. O'Neill and other medical professionals say underlying health conditions and economic disparities, which disproportionately affect communities of color, play a role.
O'NEILL: Oftentimes you'll find us living in multigenerational households with grandparents, along with newborns, and just creating a situation where it's very hard to contain the spread of disease.
[22:20:05]
DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Do it for your big mama. Do it for your papa.
VALENCIA: This past week, the U.S. surgeon general addressed how communities of color are getting hit hard by the virus and urged blacks and Latinos to protect themselves. But he was criticized for the language he used while doing it. Dr. Jerome Adams said he was only using words he would with his own family.
Latinos used to getting together many times a week with family and friends are now finding themselves having to change their normal routines. Like these coffee happy hours at Ventanitas (PH) in south Florida.
Acevedo sees the risk for himself and others. It means not pushing to go back to work before he's ready.
ACEVEDO: To me, that's the worst fear is to hurt people, to put other people in danger. So just to know that I have it so I can, you know, stay home and try to take care of this properly without infecting other people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: And there's another thing going on in our communities right now, Van and Don, that I want to talk about. It's mental health issues. You know, this coronavirus has been called the great equalizer. Clearly from that report, you know, there's a lot of disparities and inequalities that are at play. But it really is the mental health struggles that a lot of people are going through that I see as the equalizer, especially in the Latino community.
You know, this is something that's difficult for me to talk about. But something that, you know, I want to share for the first time publicly is earlier this year in January I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression and post-traumatic stress. And, you know, I may never know what's caused my own mental health issues but what I can say is that even for somebody like me, you know, who is clinically diagnosed with a condition, this is -- you know, this time, this period, this pandemic has been extremely difficult.
And I was having such a good, you know, four months leading up to this. And I know there's a lot of people that may need to hear this, they're feeling alone right now, we may all be going through this together as a community, Don and Van, but there is a lot of people right now that really feel alone and I think we need to share with our brothers and sisters out there that they shouldn't feel alone because we're going through it with them -- Don and Van.
LEMON: Well, I think it's very brave of you to share that. And many times --
VALENCIA: Thank you, brother.
LEMON: You know, people will say that, you know, you don't -- maybe you can sort of pray your way out of a situation like this or you don't need it or maybe you can meditate.
VALENCIA: Or you're weak.
LEMON: You can do whatever. That you're weak. But I think it's very brave and it's important information that you shared, Nick. So we really appreciate it you sharing it. Best of luck to you.
VALENCIA: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Thank you.
VALENCIA: Thank you, sir. LEMON: Thank you, brother. Appreciate it.
And if you want to read more about some of the issues that we're discussing tonight, there is a fascinating new column. It's on CNN.com. It's by Katherine Powell. She writes in detail about how this pandemic is highlighting so many inequalities with race. Again that's at CNN.com.
America's inmates are facing this deadly virus with no way out. Up next, inside the jail that's become a flash point in this crisis, hundreds of inmates and guards infected.
And ahead, Charles Barkley is with us. It's been more than a month since the NBA season was just really wiped out. How are professional athletes using their time to help their communities?
JONES: Yes, thanks, Don. As we go to break, we got more love, more hope from more celebrities. Comedian George Lopez and his TV wife, Constance Marie, right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LOPEZ, COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: We'd like to send a huge (foreign language) to the Latino community which is our community.
CONSTANCE MARIE, ACTRESS: And a special thank you to all our essential workers in our communities because you guys who are on the front lines, you are pushing through, and you guys are heroes. We know you're working long hours away from your family to basically help everyone.
LOPEZ: Thank you for staying home as well. And thank you for the people that have always supported by foundation, the George Lopez Foundation, raises awareness of kidney disease and it also helps kids who have kidney disease. This is a very difficult problem right now when a lot of their immune systems are compromised so we have to keep practicing self-quarantining.
MARIE: Yes. And social distancing, stay six feet away from everyone.
LOPEZ: Everyone, including -- I mean, yourself?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:27:40]
LEMON: Welcome back to this CNN special, THE COLOR OF COVID.
Across the nation, nearly 500 federal prison inmates have now tested positive for coronavirus, along with more than 300 staffers.
JONES: And in Chicago, the Cook County jail alone has seen more than 300 people behind bars infected since the outbreak started. Plus nearly 200 correctional officers. So in Ohio, I've learned that there's more than 1300 people behind bars that have been tested positive at the Marion Correctional Facility. I want you to think about that. More than 1,300 cases in a single prison.
Now Omar Jimenez is here to show us about the Cook County jail and how they're scrambling to save the people who are still inside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside America's jails and prisons, there's a high risk for the coronavirus to spread and nowhere for it to go.
In Chicago's Cook County Jail, that potential was realized in just a matter of weeks, growing from only a few confirmed coronavirus cases in late March to a number in the hundreds, infecting both detainees and employees and killing three detainees.
It meant employing new strategies, including reducing the jail's overall population by releasing people awaiting trial and those serving time for nonviolent offenses.
KIMBERLY FOXX, COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY: We've been able to reduce the jail population in the course of four weeks by almost 25 percent.
JIMENEZ (on camera): So this has already had a pretty big impact?
FOXX: We want to make sure that we're creating conditions whereby people who don't need to be there aren't there and the people who are there have optimal conditions for their health and safety.
JIMENEZ: One of the jail's main tactics was literally creating a quarantine boot camp just beyond this entrance here. It's where those that are infected or suspected to be are taken and it's where they stay, separate from the jail's general population.
(Voice-over): Hundreds of beds laid out in an attempt to slow the spread and stop an already bad situation from getting worse.
TOM DART, SHERIFF, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: Now for the people who are not infected, how do we make sure that we keep maintaining that? And boy, that's tricky.
JIMENEZ: In a statement to CNN, the Cook County Sheriff's Office says hundreds of gallons of bleach and disinfectant is distributed throughout the jail weekly as well as masks and other protective gear. But the types of issues at Cook County's jail aren't exactly unique. It's why the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general is now launching a review on its federal prisons, where, throughout this pandemic, over a dozen inmates have died and hundreds more have gotten sick.
[22:30:00]
MICHAEL CARVAJAL, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS: We're battling a threat here that is unseen. That's not normal for anyone, and certainly isn't normal for us.
JIMENEZ: Back in Chicago, the specific populations affected are emblematic of a reality that already existed. Over 70 percent of the jail's population is black and black Chicagoans account for more than 60 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the city, despite only making up about 30 percent of the population.
And while many at the Cook County Jail have recovered, the elevated risk for spread is as high as ever. Continuing stories shared by prisons and jails across the United States.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN JONES, CNN HOST: Yes. Thanks, Omar, for that great reporting.
Now we got W. Kamau Bell. He's the host of CNN's "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA." He's been keeping an eye on how this virus is impacting both the prison population and communities of color across the country. He's joining us live.
Listen, yo, I've been working with the Reform Alliance trying to get masks in, trying to get people out. You've got your own effort. Why should people care about what's happening to people behind bars with everything else that's going on?
W. KAMAU BELL, CNN HOST, UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA WITH W. KAMAU BELL: You know, because that's one of our most vulnerable populations. And I don't need to tell you that, Van. I know we're having conversation for people out there. But, you know, you talked about this in "13th," Ava DuVernay's great film, that prisoners are living in inhumane conditions even before there's a COVID-19 outbreak and so now the COVID-19 outbreak just makes it even worse.
JONES: Yes.
LEMON: So we've been watching, Kamau, I don't know if you've seen the videos, and that's how much of this came to light. The videos that are going around social media of people who clearly have coronavirus symptoms and they're in the same cells, and really in close confinement with people who clearly have these symptoms. And that's how a lot of this came to light.
What would you like to see to combat this COVID-19 among the prison population? What could be done? What do you think should happen?
BELL: Well, I mean, Van's already doing this work. There's a lot of people in prison for basically no reason. If you find out why they're in prison, it's not a reason that you think somebody should be held in prison. So that's the first thing, is actually look at people's cases and get people out of prison who doesn't belong there. And the second thing is about completely redoing the prison industrial complex. Because I think a lot of these with COVID-19 is just revealing the structures in America that are inherently biased and racist, and going we need to redo this all over if we want this to be just. And prison is set up in an unjust way in this country.
JONES: One of the things I think is important, too, is that, you know, as you said, there are people in for minor offenses, they're old people, they're sick people, they're people in for probation violations, they can't pay bail. They could come out very easily. So thank you so much.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Up next, Sir Charles Barkley is here live. Where do sports fans look for inspiration? Where do they look with the games gone for who knows how long? Van Jones?
JONES: Thanks, Don. Now I got another message of hope from the Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, SINGER AND COMPOSER: As COVID-19 continues to devastate the world's health and economy, a new conversation is taking place. In our country, black and brown communities are getting hit the hardest. Luckily, organizations like the Hispanic Federation are here today just as they have been every day for the last 30 years to help.
We've partnered with the Hispanic Federation to create the non-profit emergency assistance fund to help over 150 Latinx community-based organizations all over the country and in Puerto Rico to ease the pain in Latinx communities. These neighborhood groups receiving assistance from the Hispanic Federation provide vital services in local Latinx communities such as housing, homelessness prevention, domestic violence education, immigrants' rights, substance abuse rehabilitation services, mental health services, after-school programs in the arts.
And now we help them with fund to provide telemedicine, food meals, financial help to undocumented workers and those who have lost their jobs, stipends for rent and transitioning education and arts programming online.
You can donate by visiting HispanicFederation.org. We need each other more now than ever before. Stay home if you can. Stay safe. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:38:02]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGIC JOHNSON, RETIRED NBA SUPERSTAR: Hi, this is Magic Johnson. As African-Americans, we need to know and this is so important that I get this across to blacks all across this country, that in Detroit we're dying. 70 percent of the people who are dying are black people, African-Americans. Chicago, the same number. The same number are dying in Chicago. Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, African-Americans are leading in death from the coronavirus.
So if there's anything I can tell you, we got to do what we're supposed to do, stay at home, social distancing. You can't have car parties, you can't have parties at all. You can't have gatherings at all. You must stay at home and practice social distancing. This is killing our community, this virus.
People were saying in the beginning, oh, blacks couldn't get it. That was so wrong. That was the wrong message. Stay at home, educate yourself on this virus. And also pray a lot that things will change dealing with this coronavirus in the black community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Magic Johnson helping us out tonight with a message of hope. We can certainly all use that, Van.
JONES: It's powerful.
LEMON: All of sports has been shaken -- yes, it is powerful. Shaken by the coronavirus, and just this week Denver Broncos linebacker Vaughn Miller tested positive. He was the MVP of Super Bowl L. He sent us this special message for tonight's show. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAUGHN MILLER, DENVER BRONCOS OUTSIDE LINEBACKER: This is Vaughn Miller of the Denver Broncos. As you may have heard, I've been diagnosed with COVID-19 and I want to join the show tonight to make sure that people understand that this virus is very real. It's not just affecting the elderly or those in nursing homes.
[22:40:02]
We have to do all that we can do as a nation and a community to slow this thing down and limit the spread. I'm in quarantine now but I'm looking ahead. I think it will be important to continue the some of the things that we have learned and to invest in programs that will keep us all protected. People in general and especially our frontline workers in (INAUDIBLE). I hope everyone will continue to do their part and I look forward to when we are all past this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was Vaughn Miller.
We're going to be right back with NBA superstar Charles Barkley next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, RAPPER: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sean "Diddy" Combs. And tonight, tonight has been a very, very, very informative night. And it's also been a night filled with mixed emotions. The facts are sobering, they're depressing, and they're tragic.
African-Americans helped to build this country and make this country great. We don't deserve to be in this position. We don't deserve to always be thought of last. And I want to say to my people, let's not wait on nobody to save us. Let's use this as a reset. Let's use this as a time to start loving ourselves, watching what we eat, taking responsibility, getting closer to God, figuring out how we're going to get together so we're never in this position again.
So I come to you with love and in love to say we have to start loving ourselves because nobody's going to come to save us. But the good news is that we're about to step into our destiny. We're about to come together, we're about to unite and we're about to understand our political power and our economic power.
Tonight has been very informative and I hope it's been scary to a lot of people because it's just not right and we have to do something to change it. But we will prevail with the glory of God. And I just want to tell you I love you all. Peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[22:46:15]
LEMON: So some athletes like Colin Kaepernick who really know a thing or two about trying to help people, he's donating $100,000 in coronavirus relief efforts to black and brown communities. OK. He says structural racism, as he puts it, it's leaving people of color more likely to die of COVID.
This is where we are more than a month after two Utah Jazz players tested positive, setting off a chain reaction felt around the sports world unlike any in our lifetime. So we couldn't wait for this interview. We're very excited about having -- Van and me are both excited about having Turner-NBA Sports analyst and legendary former NBA player Charles Barkley with us.
Charles, thank you so much. Charles, we talk about a lot of different issues, but sports is unifying. And we're talking about how this -- you know, this COVID-19 is affecting communities of color, but sports can, you know, reach across every demographic, but now from the pros on down, nothing is being played, people aren't getting together, we don't have that unity among races and demographics and ages and everyone.
Did you ever imagine we'd be at this point right now?
CHARLES BARKLEY, RETIRED NBA SUPERSTAR: I never thought in my lifetime we would be without sports. You know, I've been through 9/11, that's probably the worst thing I've been through in my life, but I never thought we could never play sports.
You know, Van and DL, I got to tell you something, it's going to be a long time before things are normal. Even when we get back to playing sports, we're not -- fans are not going to be allowed in the stadiums or the arenas. (INAUDIBLE) going to do a fantastic job looking out for the players and fans, but man, it's going to be a long time before fans are able to come to the games again.
JONES: Yes. You know my son. For kids, they love sports, it brings the country together. It also gives them something to shoot for. You got a lot of young people now feel like I'm missing my season, I don't know if I'm going to play again.
What would you say to young people who right now feel like they just have to sit home and play video games because they can't -- they can't play the sports that they love? What advice you have for the young people of America?
BARKLEY: Well, you know, Van, I would tell these young kids what I've been saying to you. Man, you know, a lot of people complain about college players not getting paid and things like that. This is a -- I tell those guys, man, get that free education because this thing is divided. You know, we talk about brown and black tonight because black people and Hispanics, we're the most vulnerable because of economic and systemic racism, but it really comes down to education and the type of job you have.
So I would tell everybody out there in the black community, man, you got to make sure you get your education. You know, because we can talk about it all we want to. This thing ain't working the same on everybody. It's really having a negative effect on the black community because of poverty and Hispanic community because of poverty and systematic racism. But if you're a young black kid and you get a chance to go to college for free, man, take advantage of that situation and make sure you get -- you go and use the system and the system don't get to use you.
LEMON: So, I want to talk to you more about that, I'm glad you mentioned that, Charles. Because you often talk about personal responsibility, but you've mentioned systemic racism at least twice in this conversation. And you know, I talked about it with Dr. Regina Benjamin earlier because, you know, we need to talk about urban planning. We need to be honest about food.
We need to talk about disparities in health care. We need to talk about how people got into the projects in neighborhoods, how they got set down in neighborhoods in rural communities and so on and so forth.
[22:50:05]
It's not just -- it is a problem eating bad foods or whatever, we need to take responsibility for that. But that's just not it. That's not the only factor.
BARKLEY: Well, listen, I hate using the words systematic racism because then you give people a crutch. We, we, as black people, we have to accept the fact. There is systematic racism, but that does not give you a reason to go out and be overweight, have diabetes. You know, we got to eat better.
LEMON: Right.
BARKLEY: We need better access to health care. We need better access to being able to work out and things like that. But unless we get better health care, which is part of the system, unless we learn to work out better and take better care of our bodies, we're always going to be at a disadvantage. We can't go back and worry about history. History is what it is, but we are what we are. And this is going to be a wake-up call for us as a black community.
Guys, we're not part of the system. But unfortunately, we're actually going to be in control of the system when this thing is over. Because the reason this thing y'all are having tonight is important.
Van, Don, who are the people who serve our food? Who are the people who work in the hotels? Who are the people who work in the supermarkets? They are black people and Latinos.
LEMON: Right.
BARKLEY: And when's the last -- and listen, I'm not bragging, it is what it is. I don't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel who didn't have a bunch of amazing black women and a lot of amazing Latino women working in those hotels. So that's why for America who really need to take care of these people.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Yes. Van, real quick. Also but -- it's also, it's just not that. It's also poor people because poor people have the same issues as people of color. Sorry. Go on, Van, sorry about that.
JONES: You talk about the need to work out and stuff like that. Some people can't go to the gym. That kind of stuff. You look pretty good. Are you able to work out? What is your regimen right now at home?
LEMON: Because I need to socially distance myself from my refrigerator but go on. What are you doing?
BARKLEY: You know, Van and DL, you know, guys, I had to make a conscious effort myself. I like to drink. I probably drink too much. So when this thing started, I made a conscious effort. I am only drinking on the weekend, I'm only drinking on Friday and Saturday. I'm working out twice a day. Because I know for me personally, if I eat as much as I want to, like I am like a fat person, and I drink every day like I have been a casual drinker for 30, 40 years, I could be as big as a house when this thing is over.
So this to me, this was a wake-up call to me. And -- first of all, every person has to look in the mirror. Like I could have a bunch of reasons why -- excuse me, if I had to look myself in the mirror and say, Charles, you cannot drink every day and you cannot eat anything that's not nailed down. That's not (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: That's me. That's me on the food part. But I have to be honest, and it's probably going to disappoint a lot of people. I'm a fake drinker like I carry the same drink. When I was drinking, I'd carry the same drink, when everybody thinks I drink more. I haven't had a drink since I think New Year's. I did the dry January and never went back. I just don't have the desire but everybody thought I drank more than I did because I would like carry the same drink around or just get sort of a refill. But I think that -- I think during this time --
BARKLEY: Hey, gentlemen.
LEMON: Yes.
BARKLEY: Hey, Don. People thought I drank a lot because I did.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: But here's the thing --
BARKLEY: But I had to check myself.
LEMON: Yes.
JONES: I want to talk about that.
BARKLEY: The thing has been going on for over a month.
LEMON: That's where I'm going to. A lot of people are going to either have to check into -- they don't know if they're going to check into AA first, and I'm being honest, or Overeaters Anonymous, or deal with their mental health first because they are going stir crazy. Sorry, go on, Charles.
BARKLEY: Well, but that goes back to, you guys -- you said it earlier. At the end of the day it's all going to come down to personal responsibility. And I had to make my own choices.
JONES: Yes.
BARKLEY: Like I say, there is nothing to do. I am not going to sit around and play video games all day. I'm not going to sit at my house and drink alcohol every day. And I'm going to do something. I brought myself a bike. I have been riding a bike every day. Because like I say, this is -- every person is going to have to look in the mirror and say, do I drink too much? Am I eating too much?
JONES: Yes. Yes. I love what you're saying. I love what you're saying because I think it has been a little bit of a false choice in this conversation that's been building in the black community. Is it the system's fault or is it individual black people and our culture's fault?
LEMON: It's all of the above.
[22:55:01]
JONES: And it's all of the above. I think --
BARKLEY: So I -- first of all, I know Don -- Don, first of all, you've been (INAUDIBLE) and I know you got some blowback from the black community, and Van, you have been amazing in the whole political process. But any time we say something about black people we get blowback. And listen, I am very proud to be black, always have and always will. But there is personal responsibility. We can -- I can't get fat and obese and then say to myself it's because of systematic racism. I am very aware of systematic racism, but I can't get fat and obese and then say, yes, the system made me fat. It doesn't work like that.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: I think it's two things.
BARKLEY: I have to get some responsibility.
JONES: I'll tell you how I see it. I think it's two things. One is, it is true, in our communities, you know, they got the bad food, they got food you can never find in a white community, in our community there are liquor stores, all that type of stuff. And so that's the system part. But we have had black women in our community for years who have been telling us hey, drink the healthy food, put down the -- you know, wearing the head wraps, you know, we call them hoteps (PH) and push them off the one side.
It turns out that the hoteps (PH) in our community were correct, the ones telling us to eat to live and put down the sugary drinks. And so we don't have the resources in our community, but we can be resourceful and there have been people in our community begging us for years to take it seriously. So I think this virus is trying to teach us about wellness and about oneness. And it's been there, because I listen to it.
LEMON: OK. Listen, I agree with both of you. But listen, don't get me wrong. We have to agree there are some fat white people out there, too, who don't eat --
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Who don't eat properly, but I also think that we happen to be in a position where we can do that. There are some people who don't have the information that we have. There are some people who were set down in, quote-unquote, "ghettos" and they don't get the information and sadly they don't -- they don't have access to that. They live in food ghettos.
So I don't want to be hard on everyone and I don't want to blame people, but I'm here to educate people, so yes, I would like people to be able to lift themselves up and to do that. But not everybody is in a position to do that. Hopefully them watching us, they'll be able to do that. But again, don't get me wrong, I have seen a lot of fat people of all different ethnicities.
Charles, I love you, buddy. I got to -- Charles, I got a heart. I got to go. Quick. Quick.
BARKLEY: I love you, guys, man. Thanks for doing the show tonight.
LEMON: And say hello to your much better half for me, OK? And from my better half. We miss you. We need to hang out with you guys more. Thank you.
BARKLEY: Yes. Yes.
JONES: Right. We want to remind you, look, there are many ways that you can help the neighbors that need help right now including in communities of color. You can go to "Impact Your World" on the CNN site, that's CNN.com/impact.
LEMON: So, you know, throughout this hour we have been exploring why coronavirus is attacking the black and brown community at alarming rate. And while the statistics are staggering, this is about much more than just numbers. This is about mothers, this is about fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends who have been killed. It is about people who have died most likely alone without the reassuring touch or look from loved ones.
Well, tonight, we'd would like to take just some time to remember just a few of those lives that have been lost. Providing the music as we say good-bye are jazz legends Branford and Wynton Marsalis currently in quarantine themselves, playing " Twelve's It" by their father, Ellis Marsalis, who lost his own battle with COVID-19.
(MUSIC PERFORMANCE)
