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Tavis: Tomorrow night here on PBS, we will continue our celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision on this Brown case. Preceding our conversation with Oliver Brown's daughter Cheryl Brown-Henderson will be the premiere of 'Beyond Brown.' The documentary is the work of Emmy-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson. Here is a scene now from 'Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise.'

Woman: Brown is a historic decision, the likes of

which our country has not seen before and will never

see again. It was a blow struck for a peaceful change

of the oldest of American sins, and it was done through

the rule of law, but the problems are entirely and

totally different today, and the sooner we face that,

the better off we'll be.

Tavis: Stanley Nelson, nice to see you, man.

Stanley Nelson: Oh, good to see you.

Tavis: Before I get into our conversation specifically about Brown v. Board, this wonderful documentary you've done 'Beyond Brown,' big news yesterday regarding Emmett Till.

For those who don't know the Emmett Till story, he, of course, was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, a young black kid from Chicago visiting relatives down in Mississippi murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. This murder of Emmett Till really was the spark, quite frankly, to really start the Civil Rights movement as we now know it, and not long ago, Stanley Nelson did a wonderful documentary called 'The Murder of Emmett Till.'

For that, Stanley, you're being awarded the Peabody next Monday night. For those of us who do what you do, it doesn't get much better than the Peabody, so first of all, congratulations on the Peabody Award. But secondly, congratulations on yesterday: word coming out of the U.S. Justice Department that they after all these years are going to reopen the murder case of Emmett Till. Your thoughts?

Stanley: Well, it's just great. I mean, I'm just, you know, really happy that finally Emmett Till's murder will be investigated. I think that what we have to remember is that back then in 1955, you know, it wasn't investigated at all, so this is really the first investigation into the murder of Emmett Till.

Tavis: His mother, of course, did not live to see this investigation reopened. She died a year or so ago. I had her--the last interview she did was on my radio program on NPR--what a delight she was to talk to. Your thoughts, though, on why it took so long for this case to really get the kind of respect, the kind of equity from our Justice Department, in fairness, that it actually deserves?

Stanley: Well, I mean, I think that there's a number of reasons. I think that, you know, back then, Mississippi was, you know, what we know as Mississippi. You know, there was no justice back then, and I think the federal government, you know, for years has always stayed out of Southern politics. The federal government did not want to get involved. You know, why it's happening at this time, I think there's a number of different reasons. I think, you know, our film came out. Mamie Till--her biography came out very recently. There's been a number of other things that have come out. So, I think, you know, it's just a lot of things that have just kind of come together to make the case something that, you know, maybe we can finally find some kind of solution, or at least, some kind of closure to this case.

Tavis: So, you focus on the murder of Emmett Till, and it turns into a Peabody, and even better than that, I suspect, for you and for all of us, this case being reopened. But now you have done some pretty wonderful work here with regard to Brown v. Board 50 years later. Before I get specifically to Brown, what is it about these--these historic--these seminal moments in American history-- certainly black history--that draws you to really dissect these things a little further?

Stanley: I guess, you know, I'm just really interested in history. I mean, I think that, you know, it helps us understand, you know, where we've been and helps us understand where we're going. And I think that, you know, so many times, what we learn about history is it's just so superficial, and I think that I'm always interested to get behind the story, you know. You know, what actually happened, you know. And there's always something fascinating behind that. So it's just a real joy for me. And also, I think, that we have such a short memory as a nation that so many times these stories get forgotten. So, it's really important to bring them out again.

Tavis: Much has been written about Brown v. Board 50 years later. It's a different conversation from what we've actually accomplished 50 years after Brown v. Board. But so much has been written about Brown v. Board, many believe it is the most important Supreme Court decision of the 20th century. To your earlier point about how fascinated you are to learn different things beyond the surface, let me put you on the spot right quick and ask you what was it about Brown v. Board 50 years later that you learned that most surprised you in putting together this documentary for PBS?

Stanley: I think what I learned is how quickly we've gone backwards and how we've found ways to kind of resegregate ourselves in public schools as a nation. You know, that you go into public schools, and the individual classrooms in some ways are still as segregated as they were 50 years ago.

Tavis: What's your sense of how--I know you talked to Jack Greenberg and a number of other people involved in this particular case. Share more with me about what their thoughts are. There are only 2 of those lawyers who are still living, as I recall, 50 years after the case--2 of the lawyers that actually argued the case alongside Thurgood Marshall, I should say to clarify my point here. Share with me what their thoughts are 50 years later.

Stanley: I think their thoughts are a little bit different from man to man, but I think in general it's that, you know, this was an incredible landmark case, but that it wasn't the end-all and be-all and the cure-all. That what needed to happen or needs to happen are 1) that the federal government needs to implement Brown and really desegregate our schools and push for a change in our schools. And we as people, you know, as Americans, have to continue to fight and push so that we do have better schools and integrated schools.

Tavis: I'm gonna be asking this question of a lot of guests as we do a series of conversations about Brown reborn, but since you are the filmmaker of this wonderful piece 'Beyond Brown'...beyond Brown, what is the unfinished agenda of Brown v. Board of education?

Stanley: I think what we have to fight for is public schools that we can send our kids to and be happy sending our kids there. I think that, you know, we found in researching this film and shooting this film was that so many times the schools are terrible and so many times it breaks down on racial lines. Whether it's Hispanic, white, black, and Asian. You know, still there's a breakdown in our school system where it results in some kids getting a good education and some kids getting a terrible education.

Tavis: How much of this do you think has to do with parental involvement? There are a lot of people 50 years later who look at the problem and have to admit that there is still, as I mentioned a moment ago, an unfinished agenda. But the part of completing that agenda means that we have to have more conversations about parental involvement so we can talk about Brown v. Board 50 years later, we can talk about the decision of the second case, which really was a nod to the South saying, 'with all deliberate speed,' which really means take your time, just do something on it. But there's got to be, I think, for some people, a significant and a real conversation about parental involvement in the lives of these young people. You have thoughts about that?

Stanley: Sure. I think parental involvement is part of it. But I think, you know, if we look at the school system as kind of a sick patient, there's a number of different things that we have to do. Parental involvement is one of them, but, you know, parental involvement is not the only thing that we have to do. I think that we have to, as a nation, have a real commitment to good public school education for all of our kids, and then on top of that, we have to have parental involvement.

Tavis: 50 years later, tell me whether or not you think that America as a nation is really ready to deal with this crisis. My sense is that no problem lingers and lingers and lingers and lingers if folk are really sincere about solving the problem. No one's suggesting that this is an easy problem to solve, but tell me whether or not 50 years later America is really ready to deal with this issue.

Stanley: I don't think we really have tried to solve the problem. Not as a nation, not as a federal government, not as local state governments, not as individual people. I think that it was too easy for us to say, 'OK, Brown v. Board of Ed is passed. Now everything is OK,' and not say, 'OK, this is just one step in a battle that's gonna take time, and we have to continue to fight and continue to push.' I think we obviously have to continue to fight. And only through that are schools really going to change.

Tavis: Again, congratulations--I'm out of time--but congratulations again on the wonderful work you did, the Peabody that's come out of that, and the big news yesterday that this case was gonna be reopened. We look forward to your piece 'Beyond Brown' here on PBS tomorrow night. Thank you, Stanley.

Stanley: All right. Thank you so much.

Tavis: Nice to see you. That's our show for tonight. As always, you can catch me on the radio on NPR. I'll see you back here next time on PBS. Until then, thanks for watching tonight from Los Angeles, and as always, keep the faith.