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Tavis: Senator Mary Landrieu is serving her second term in the U.S. Senate from the state of Louisiana. In 1979, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Louisiana State Legislature. She'd go on from there to serve as state treasurer. Earlier today, along with Virginia Republican George Allen, she cosponsored a resolution acknowledging the Senate's failure to combat lynching during much of the past two centuries. She joins us tonight in Washington, following a day devoted to family members of lynching in America. Senator Landrieu, nice to have you on the program.

Sen. Mary Landrieu: Thank you, Tavis. It really has been a very unusual and moving, but hopeful day here in the Capitol.

Tavis: Tell me--Before we get into the particulars of why today happened, tell me what in fact happened today?

Landrieu: Well, the resolution will be debated and passed tonight, but from early morning, we have been hosting about 200 descendants of lynching victims here in the Capitol for press conferences, lunches, meetings with their senators. The Crawford family from South Carolina; Ida B. Wells' relatives are here, one of her great grandsons, which has been extraordinary to see this man in his testimony today on behalf of such a great journalist. We have Cameron-- James Cameron with us--91 years old, we think the oldest survivor of a lynching. The noose was put around his neck, and in his own account as a young man in Indiana, was removed, he thinks, by God's grace, and has lived to tell his story. So it's been quite a day. But George Allen and I will lead The Senate tonight in a debate to apologize to these families, to the victims of lynching, and really to the country for the Senate's failure to act. The House acted. Seven presidents asked us to step forward and stop this march of death, this parade of death that was occurring in our nation, and the Senate failed to do so. So it's belated, but it--Most certainly the circumstances and the facts of this history warrant a sincere apology tonight.

Tavis: That's a lot of the 'what' and a little bit of the 'why.' Let me explore more of the 'why.' Tell me why now, given what you've just suggested that the House has passed resolutions in the past. The Senate has not. Seven presidents heretofore have asked Congress to do something about lynching back in the day. Tell me why now is a propitious time for this to happen.

Landrieu: Well, our actions were prompted by the recent publication of a book "Without Sanctuary" that's been making its rounds in terms of an exhibit. Right now, it's in Chicago. These are photographs of actual lynchings that occurred. We have seen these pictures before, but never in the number that is shown in this book, in the way that really tells the truth. You know, as I said all day, people, Tavis--People are entitled to their own opinions. They're not entitled to their own facts, and the fact of the matter is that many of these victims were innocent. Most of these lynchings were not done at night, not in the woods, not behind the levees, but in broad daylight. Sunday schools were let out to attend. Trains brought spectators to the scene. These were brutal public tortures, mostly of African Americans, but over 1,200 non-African Americans were lynched. This was a grim parade of death that went on week after week, month after month, decade after decade, and this United States Senate failed to basically heed the cry of people, victims in the communities that were terrorized. And so, it's quite something for the Senate to say we did make a mistake and because of our silence, thousands of innocent, law-abiding, land-owning registered voters, sometimes soldiers in uniforms were lynched in public squares. It's pretty, uh--It's pretty gruesome to think about.

Tavis: The exhibit "Without Sanctuary" you spoke of a moment ago, in the book, I saw the exhibit myself in Detroit when it was on location at the Charles H. Wright museum in Detroit, so I've seen this exhibit, so I know exactly what you speak of. Let me ask you this particular question. This is a rare occasion for this particular program. We're taping a conversation with you in advance of the vote, because late tonight, we know we--we knew we couldn't find you, so we got you now before the vote actually takes place, which allows me an interesting and unusual opportunity to ask you a question in advance of a vote. I'm hearing that there are some senators that might not vote for this resolution in part because some think that this might be the first step toward reparations. John Conyers, in the House, out of Detroit, Democrat for 10, 12 years now, has introduced legislation to just establish a commission. We're not talking about checks being passed out here. As you well know, he's asked for a dozen years, I think now, in every session of Congress, for legislation to authorize the establishing of a blue-ribbon commission to just look into the notion of reparations, and he can't get that bill out of committee. That said, I'm hearing, at least, there's some senators who are afraid that to support your legislation, while it might be the right thing to do morally, it might be the wrong thing to do in terms of taking a step toward reparations for African Americans. What do you know about those conversations? Have you heard that? What do you expect the outcome of this vote to be when I read the papers tomorrow?

Landrieu: Well, I'm very hopeful that by the end of this three-hour debate, where we'll be joined with probably 12 to 18 senators that wanted to speak in support of this resolution, that all the senators will be on record. Right now, I can tell you we have over 75 cosponsors that have put their--affixed their signature to this document, and I hope by the end of this debate, Tavis, we'll have--you know, we'll have everyone, because it would be really quite a statement to have 100 of the senators saying we recognize that the Senate made a terrible error. Again, the House of Representatives having passed three tough pieces of legislation.

Tavis: Is that likely that you'll get all 100 members?

Landrieu: I think so. I mean, I'm--I'll remain hopeful. I'm an optimist, and if we can't get, you know, 100, I think getting a very high number is important, but I'd like to see us all, and we will know that tonight. We've had some--some pushback, Tavis, along the lines of what you've talked about, and I've just tried to say, look, we've got to make our own individual decisions about reparations. In fact, I believe reparations have been going on, societal reparations for decades, as is appropriate. We've passed constitutional amendments, laws, invested in colleges, education, and it's appropriate, because this country is imperfect. It is a work in progress, and, boy, we made some terrible mistakes when we first started. Not only leaving out African Americans and the tragedies that occurred and the terrorism, really, in this regard, in lynching. But, you know, women were left out of the Constitution. We've made some blunders, but we continue to press on. We can't solve every problem right away, but we'll continue to pass legislation. Perhaps individual reparations in the future may be appropriate. There's a family here that brought to me, and they said, "Senator, we just want you to see the documentation, you know, from our farm, 427, you know, acres." This was the Crawford property. Here's the documents, and it was quite thick and well-documented, and perhaps they do have a case to bring forward. So I hope that we won't shut our hearts to justice and we will keep our eyes open and address it every step, everywhere we can. Now I wanted to say one more thing, Tavis, about this. One of the other things that prompted me besides seeing this book and the pictures--not the first time I had seen them, but the first time in a while that I had sat down and really contemplated the nature of these brutal killings. Again, these bodies were burned, tortured for hours in public. It's not just the victims that horrify you when you see these pictures. It's the faces of the onlookers that are as haunting to me as the victims themselves. There are children let out from Sunday school looking at these, you know, terrible murders taking place in their community. What it did to the spirit of that community, not just the African American community, but to the whole community is really horrible to think about. So we have a lot to learn in this country about what actually happened. Again, people are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own set of facts, and the more we get this out--I think we can see actions taken from Neshoba County, Mississippi, all the way to Boston, Massachusetts, and up through Seattle, Washington.

Tavis: As we sit here tonight, you well know that earlier this month, the body of Emmett Till, murdered--lynched--murdered viciously in Mississippi, was exhumed. As that case is reopened, we know that Klansmember Edgar Ray Killen-- jury selection in fact began today in his case in the killing of Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, so these cases still resonate many years later. Let me offer this as a quick exit question, if I might. With that said, if in fact this legislation, this resolution is passed by the Senate, that'd be a wonderful thing. I'm sure that many African Americans and others of conscience, including youself, will celebrate. That said, I wonder what African Americans specifically should make of the fact that no matter what happens with this resolution, there's still not been a single U.S. president, Bill Clinton included--George Bush just came back from Africa a few months ago. Not a single president--I was with Bill Clinton on his trip to Africa. But not a single U.S. president has apologized for slavery. It's one thing to say the Senate didn't do its job where lynchings were concerned, but no president has yet to step up and to say--to offer an apology for the institution of slavery. As an African American, what should I make of that?

Landrieu: Well, I think hopefully, Tavis, the time will come shortly. It's, in my opinion, overdue. You know, it's tough to apologize. People don't want to admit weakness, and they think that it makes you weaker when you apologize. I actually think it makes you stronger. My intention of being in public office is to work every day to make this country better. I acknowledge its failings, and it's what makes this country stronger, because we can acknowledge it, we can repair it, and we can move on. Americans are really in some ways an extraordinary group of people in that regard. I don't know why we are afraid to say that we're sorry. But this again, slavery was an economic system. No excuse for it. But you could say--You know, people say there were reasons. There's no excuse for it. But lynching, after slavery left us basically as the law or economic system of the land, was really an act of domestic terrorism, and I think it's very appropriate in the context of fighting terrorism right now around the world, that we would acknowledge that it went on for decades right here at home, so it is relevant, and today, it just happened. You know, maybe it was God's providence today. We could have been any day on the floor debating. The fact that that trial in Mississippi opened today, we had no way of knowing that. So it's appropriate, I think, that these actions are taking place--one in Mississippi, one in Washington, D.C., and I'm happy to be leading a part of it.

Tavis: Well, I'm happy you are leading it. I thank you for your courage and for your conviction and for your commitment where this issue is concerned, and I especially thank you for coming on the program in advance of the vote. Nice to have you on. Senator, all the best to you.

Landrieu: Thank you.

Tavis: Take care now.

Landrieu: Thank you. Bye-bye.

Tavis: My pleasure.

Landrieu: Tell Norman hi.

Tavis: I will tell Dr. Francis. She's mentioning Norman, Dr. Francis, our friend and the president of Xavier.

Landrieu: Our friend. He's extraordinary. He was one of my early mentors and one of my father's best friends.

Tavis: He's a wonderful man, the longest-serving college president in the country, the president of Xavier in Louisiana, Dr. Norman Francis. Nice to have you on, senator. All the best to you.

Landrieu: Thank you.

Tavis: Up next on this program, from the new comedy, "The Honeymooners," actor Cedric the Entertainer. Stay with us.