[Betty Nguyen, Co-host:] Now in the news. Corona, California, residents are being evacuated as water seeps through a crack in the dam on the Green River. There are about 840 houses in the immediate area, half of them mobile homes. Officials say there is no immediate danger to anyone. Touchdown. Earthlings are beginning to learn some of Titan's secrets. The Huygens probe is sending information from the surface of Titan, one of Saturn's moon, back to Earth. Radio telescopes have confirmed the probe made it safely to the moon's icy surface this morning. Now, Miles O'Brien will have a full report with the latest pictures. That will happen in about 12 minutes. Meantime, a huge warehouse is on fire in west Baltimore. Look at these pictures. A building covering four blocks used to store Styrofoam products. About 175 firefighters are fighting the flames, some shooting as high as 100 feet into the air. There are no reports of any injuries. And one step forward, two steps back. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is cutting ties with recently elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The move comes a day after Palestinian militants killed six Israeli civilians at a Gaza Strip crossing. Mr. Sharon says there will be no contact until action is taken against the militants.
[Fredricka Whitfield, Co-host:] America celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day this weekend through Monday. But events marking the holiday have been taking place all day today here in King's hometown of Atlanta. And, tonight, a special performance of "Speak Truth to Power," a play adapted from Kerry Kennedy's profile of human rights activists around the world. Among those appearing in tonight's performance, actress Alfre Woodard, and she's joining us now from Atlanta from the historic Ebenezer Church. Good to see you, Alfre.
[Alfre Woodard, Actress:] Hi, Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] All right. Well, tonight's performance really is something special, because not only is it commemorating Martin Luther King's birth, but it's also acknowledging the acceptance of his Nobel Peace Prize, isn't it? Kind of paint a picture for us of what's going to take place for those invited guests tonight.
[Woodard:] Well, I'm here with Woody Harrelson, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Herbert, a host of people of course, I'm forgetting them now and keep thinking as I go along. But but we're here reading the play, "Speak Truth to Power," that Ariel Dorfman wrote, composed out of the interviews that Kerry Kennedy did in her book, "Speak Truth to Power." What we're going to do tonight is we'll have a reading of those of those defenders' stories. And there will be images from the book projected up onto the wall. One of the things that's really important is they all talk about this sense of of courage. We think that people have to muster this courage or you need some sort of credentials to be able to dig that deep, but it's really the stories of ordinary people who could not stand by when injustice was being committed to other people, usually, and then they put themselves on the line. Most of them were imprisoned and tortured, but, yet, they kept telling the truth. They kept speaking truth to power. And so that's what we're here celebrating. We think of them as the Martin Luther Kings of our day. Certainly they are a generation that was affected by Dr. King's words. And it's just amazing that we are able to do this in historic Ebenezer Baptist Church tonight. So it's a very emotional, very important time for everybody. So we're we're excited to be able to do it.
[Whitfield:] And these defenders represent some 40 countries and six continents, don't they? And this has to really ring true to you in terms of your personal involvement in what is turning out to be a historic moment, bringing together all these stars this evening. And and this event taking place in a historic place like Ebenezer Church, where Martin Luther King co-pastored?
[Woodard:] You know, I think now, more than ever, we need globally, we need, all the way down to locally we need to stand up as individuals and speak truth to power. Whether that power is our is within our own households. Speaking truth. We're not talking about raising up arms against it. Because truth is a very powerful weapon. We've learned that through the ages and that was the bedrock of Dr. King's philosophy. But also speaking truth to our own government, making sure that we are looking out for other people around us who have been overwhelmed by by authority that does not honor their their human rights. Whether again, whether it's in our cities, whether it's in the fact that there are so many children in our country going to bed hungry. Whether it's the fact that so many people are being incarcerated. All these things. You don't even have to get global. But if we start to think locally, it is just such a reminder of how much power we have. Not only power to speak the truth, but the responsibility to do it and how much joy comes of it. I'll tell you something. I did this back in 2000 at the Kennedy Center when all of the defenders were there. And I expected to see these tortured, you know, people come through. I've never been around a much so joyous a gathering of people. They all have this sensibility. So I think one of the things in confronting injustice anywhere is to really be grounded in in caring about people and things outside of yourself. And there's so much joy that come from that and so much satisfaction and a clear purpose in life. And so it's always really regenerating to be around people who do that, to come into a place where, the birthplace, as we know it in modern America, is in this church. So I am learning and drawing a lot from the people around me right now.
[Whitfield:] And so I understand you're prepared to perhaps give us a little taste of one of the readings that you might be doing this evening of one of the defenders?
[Woodard:] You know what? I have this one, Fredricka. Let me read you a bit of this one.
[Whitfield:] OK.
[Woodard:] My name is Arana Husseini. I am a journalist. In the name of honor, a 16-year-old girl here in Jordan was killed by her family because she was raped by her brother. When I went to investigate the crime, I met with her two uncles. Why was it her fault that she has been raped? Why didn't the family punish the brother? They answered that she had seduced her brother. "She seduced her brother, we said to Arana Husseini." Those are the police. I asked him why would millions of men on the street with a girl choose to seduce her own brother? They only repeated that she had tarnished the family image by committing an immoral act. The only way to rectify the family's honor is have her killed. Blood cleanses honor. The average term served for honor killings is only 7 1months, but it's important to note that the people who commit these crimes are also victims. If you don't kill, you're responsible for your family's dishonor. If you do kill, you will be a hero. That's one instance, but there's also there's as many people as there are in the world, there are countless stories of injustice, inhumanity going on constantly. Some even in our own name, in the name of American citizens and with our tax dollars. So what we have to do as individuals is be very vigilant and really speak up. Because all you have to do is put yourself in that person's place. Because usually when something happens to you, you're so bowled over you don't know how to respond you. But that's one of the things and that's right along not only the doctrine of brotherhood that Dr. King preached, but it's also the gospel of the gospel of love and of Christianity and of Islam and of Judaism and of Hinduism. That is that is the doctrine that all of our philosophies, our spiritual philosophies teach us.
[Whitfield:] Alfre...
[Woodard:] We have to look out for each other.
[Whitfield:] Alfre Woodard giving us a little sample there of the powerful readings depicting these powerful figures, all of them, Nobel Peace Prize winners. All being portrayed this evening in this special "Speak Truth to Power" at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta this evening. And of course, through March, apparently, the photo exhibit will be on display, as well, at the Martin Luther King Exhibition Center. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Woodard:] Thank you, Fredricka. And for those who are not in Atlanta, you can always get "Speak Truth to Power," the book, from your bookstores.
[Whitfield:] And Kerry Kennedy is the author. Thanks so much, Alfre.
[Woodard:] You're welcome. Thanks.
[Whitfield:] All right Betty.
[Nguyen:] And we expect to see the first pictures from Titan, Saturn's moon, in just a few minutes. Miles is standing by to show us those pictures. Plus, there is new video from the day that tsunami hit. That's next.
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