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• Ms. Gray's official site
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• Ms. Gray visits with hurricane evacuees

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Tavis: Macy Gray is a talented singer and actress who won a Grammy for best new artist when she burst onto the music scene back in 1999. Her next CD will be out next year, and features collaborations with folk like Justin Timberlake and Natalie Cole. You can also catch her in the upcoming movie 'Domino,' which hits theaters in October. But it is philanthropy that has consumed Macy Gray's time and efforts of late.

After two visits to Houston's Astrodome, she and some of her friends have started a relief organization called 'One by One,' which is providing temporary housing for families left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. Macy Gray, always nice to see you, especially when you're doing good work.

Macy Gray: Thank you.

Tavis: Glad to have you here.

Gray: Me, too.

Tavis: Let me just start with the obvious question. What were you watching, what was happening in your world that made you say, "I have got to get on a plane and go to the Astrodome?' You just got up and went.

Gray: Yeah, I was up watching it really late last night, like, 4:00 in the morning, and I got on a plane at 5:30, like an hour later, and I flew out there to Houston. Got there the next morning, and - it was a lot of images. I'll never forget the first image I saw with them moving everyone, like, tens of thousands of people into the Superdome. You know, it just - looked biblical. It looked like Revelations, you know?

And I remember, you know, just that one image really affected me, and then - I just saw there was a lot of, like, you know, promotions to donate money, so I figured, you know, I should try to do something else. Like, if I wanted to really help, maybe I could go down there and see what people really needed, and just see for myself and see if there's any way that I can really help. 'Cause a lot of times, you know, it's not always about money, you know? Sometimes you need more than money. So, I went down there that morning. I stayed for almost two days, and then I went back the next weekend.

Tavis: So you're just watching television in your house, at 4:00 in the morning, being the nocturnal person that I know you to be.

Gray: Well, I was watching it, like, all night.

Tavis: Right. So you're up 'til like 4:00 in the morning watching it, and you just got up and went to the airport and caught a flight?

Gray: Yeah, I called the airline and there was a flight leaving at 5:30, and I grabbed a bag, and my mom took me, and I just went down there.

Tavis: When you went to the Astrodome, take me through - I, as our audience knows, spent three days in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Gray: Right.

Tavis: You went to the Astrodome where people were shipped, of course, outside of New Orleans.

Gray: Right, the first place.

Tavis: Take me to - back to the moment you walked into the Astrodome and started moving around. Take me back to that moment and what you saw and what those images were like when you got inside the building.

Gray: It was horrible. It - looked like Skid Row. It was, like, you know, like, thousands and thousands of homeless people, you know. And all they had was a cot, you know? And at that time, it was still brand-new to all of them and everybody else, so, you know, it was just people who were just really displaced, and I think a lot of people were in shock, you know?

All of a sudden, they're in a whole other city, and they got nowhere to go, you know, and nothing, and you know, I saw a lot of people who were delirious, like, people talking to themselves. And it just reminded me of, like, you know, like the streets. You know, like going - downtown, Skid Row, you see - it was like that, except it was all in one place.

Tavis: A lot more people, too.

Gray: Yeah.

Tavis: In one location.

Gray: A lot.

Tavis: I was talking to someone the other day, and I don't know that I have an answer to this question. Maybe you do. I don't know that in our lifetimes, in the time that we live, I can't think of anything that's even remotely comparable to what we've seen here. One, in terms of devastation, but secondly, in terms of rallying - people of color, in terms of rallying black folk. Do you have any - you mentioned a moment ago, and I'm fascinated by your comparative analysis, certainly your metaphor about the fact that it looked biblical to you.

Gray: Yeah.

Tavis: Can you think of anything that has ever happened in your lifetime, in our lifetimes, that's come anywhere near rallying, galvanizing people in the way that this has? Certainly people of color?

Gray: No. No, I think it definitely, means something that we haven't - we don't understand yet, you know? I think it's not gonna be one of those things that goes away, like some of the other disasters that have happened. I think you're gonna hear about this. You know, people are still gonna be dealing with this years and years from now, and, I think it's definitely a time where our government has shown that they're not competent, you know?

And I think that it's important at this time that we, as people, do something about it this time, you know? Instead of just complaining about it or being upset about it. I think, you know, like back when my mother and father were young, they had people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, you know? And everybody was upset, but they had a leader to say, "This is the plan," you know? "And if you trust me, then things will get better," you know what I mean? And so, um, I just think we need that. I think we need a plan and to really, really do something about it this time.

Tavis: That's a brilliant point, but I think you know as well as I do that one of the good things - actually, I think this cuts both ways, Macy. The good thing and the bad thing about black folk, and I raise the issue of black folk 'cause disproportionately these victims were black.

Gray: Exactly.

Tavis: The good thing and bad thing about black folk is that black folk have a high threshold for pain. We wouldn't be here, where we are today -- we wouldn't be around here as a race if we didn't have a high threshold for pain. That's a good thing and a bad thing. On the other hand, we also have really short memories. We are the most forgiving people, and our memories are really short.

I raise all that because I wonder whether or not, if you agree with that. If you agree with that, I wonder whether or not you think that we will remember this? That we will ultimately hold people accountable? That we will ultimately make somebody responsible, given that our memories, this pain is great, but our memories are so short.

Gray: Yeah, I mean, I hope so, you know? Because I think, you know, that our government gets away with so much, and I don't even know if it's about, you know, everything that people are making it about. I think it's just we have a government that doesn't, you know, completely give a damn, you know, about any of us. I mean, like, you know, if you use 9/11 as an example where they knew about that, and didn't really do anything, and the situation that it's put all of us in.

So, I just think that we have to make steps to you know - I think the President has a job to fill his administration with people who are talented and, people who care, you know? And I don't think he's done that. And I think that, first and foremost, that's what we have to fix. And then - and then there's also like this stigma about the people of New Orleans, that they're all black and poor, you know? And that's not really the case. A lot of those people that I talked to, you know, were well-to-do people before.

Tavis: Had houses and jobs.

Gray: Yeah, and they're all like, you know, all of a sudden, they have nothing, and I don't think, you know, you have a lot of smart people who've lost everything, and I don't think everybody's just gonna let that go, you know?

Tavis: Tell me more specifically about the work that you are doing. So you went down to the Astrodome, to pick up the story, you went down to the Astrodome. You and your friends decide to actually do something here beyond just sending a check. But tell me what you're doing.

Gray: It's actually just me and some friends of mine. It's kind of like an underground railroad, and we're going up to some of the shelters, and we're hand-picking families, and, you know, helping them get back on their feet, like, found housing, got their kids in school. Like I think three or four of our families have jobs already. And, so we have this thing where we're looking out for them until they get on their feet.

Tavis: And you guys are footing the bills for all of this.

Gray: Yeah. Yeah, so it's been really great, and it's called "One by One," 'cause we're trying to help the families one by one as much as we can. Because I think, like, Red Cross is doing a great job of making sure they have everything they need in the shelter. But they don't have homes yet, so I think that's the priority, is just to get all those people a place to live, so that's what we've been doing.

Tavis: Let me ask you a question that might sound selfish on its surface. I don't mean it to be a self-serving question, but let me ask you anyway. It's pretty clear to see what you are doing, is doing for these families one by one. It's pretty obvious to see what you're doing for them. What does Macy Gray get out of this? What does it make you feel like to be able to do this? What's it make your friends feel like to be a part of this? What's Macy Gray get out of this?

Gray: I would do it anyway if I wasn't, you know? But, just, I don't know. I haven't really thought about that yet. I just really, you know, related to all those people. I mean, those people look like my aunts, my uncles, my cousins, you know? And I just wanted to help them out. I mean, my heart went out to them, and the tragedy that they have gone through is, like you said, I don't think we're ever gonna see anything like - I mean, I don't think people understand what those people have been through.

Like I've heard, like, some of the most tragic stories I've ever heard in my life, and, I just wanted to see what I could do, and everybody's needs are really unique, you know? Like I was with one woman who just needed help filling out her FEMA papers, you know? You can't send money for that. Or I saw one lady who just needed a ride down to the Federal Building so she could get an ID, so she could get her - so she could qualify for her FEMA.

And so it's just stuff like that where they need people, you know? They need personal attention. It's not just, you know? So I haven't thought about what I'm getting out of it yet. I just really wanted to help.

Tavis: But it makes you feel better, though, that you are being able to do something, I take it?

Gray: Yeah, it's very gratifying. I'm actually having a good time doing it, yeah.

Tavis: Let me ask you in 10 seconds right quick. I assume, as an artist, that there may be something artistic for you and from you that will come out of this. Do you think so?

Gray: Maybe. There's a lot of, like, benefits and records going on, so maybe. I'm thinking about it.

Tavis: Well, I'm sure that somewhere down the road in Macy's music in some lyric somewhere, she will hearken back to the good she's been able to do here in this case. Macy, nice to see you, as always.

Gray: Thank you.

Tavis: We look forward to the record and the movie.

Gray: All right.

Tavis: All right. Up next on this program, actors Peter Falk and Paul Reiser. Stay with us.