Randall Kennedy

Oh, Abraham Lincoln's thoroughly pessimistic.

He believed.

He was anti-slavery.

But he did not believe that blacks and whites would be able to share the United States together.

And he was always very interested, therefore, in colonization.

Even during the Civil War, he was interested in, you know, maybe all black people...

Would all black people be interested in maybe going to Panama?

Would they be interested in going someplace else?

Because, you know, Lincoln was aware of how racist white people were, including himself.

And he did not think that black people and white people would be able to share the United States.

Now, there's a black nationalist tradition.

You mentioned Malcolm X. Well, before Malcolm X, you know, Marcus Garvey.

My father.

My father was a thoroughgoing pessimist.

His view was, A, the United States was born as a white man's country.

It's going to remain a white man's country.

And that's the way it is.

He was thoroughly pessimistic.

He certainly did, and he thought that the line... My father did not...

My father had passed away before Obama was elected.