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I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT. EVERY YEAR, MILLIONS OF AMERICANS USE INTERCITY BUSSES LIKE GREYHOUND. I DEPEND ON THE BUS. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AT 9 A.M. AND HE CHANGED HIS SCHEDULE TO 650. TONIGHT WE HEAD TO A BUS STOP IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, WHERE RIDERS SOMETIMES WAIT HOURS. A COMMUNITY PLEADS FOR HELP AND A BUS COMPANY TRIES TO BALANCE PROVIDING A SERVICE AND NOT PRICING OUT THOSE WHO NEED IT THE MOST. PLUS, OUR FACTORIES, OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER SHOW IS OVER. IT’S BEEN CANCELED. WE CANNOT POSSIBLY GO BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS. WHAT HISTORY TELLS US ABOUT AN AMERICA THAT’S RELIANT ON MANUFACTURING AND. WE VISIT THE HISTORIC RODEO HONORING AND CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF BLACK COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. GREYHOUND BUSSES SERVE AROUND 12 MILLION RIDERS A YEAR. IT’S A CRUCIAL SERVICE, OFTEN PROVIDING A MORE AFFORDABLE MEANS OF TRAVEL TO AREAS WITHOUT MANY OPTIONS. ACCORDING TO FLIX, THE COMPANY THAT BOUGHT GREYHOUND IN 2021, THE U.S. HAS MORE RURAL INTERCITY BUS STOPS THAN URBAN ONES. BUT WHEN FLIX BOUGHT GREYHOUND, MOST OF THE PHYSICAL BUS STATIONS WEREN’T PART OF THE DEAL. GREYHOUND’S PRIOR OWNER INSTEAD SOLD THEM OFF SEPARATELY. WELL, NOW MANY OF THE STOPS ARE CURBSIDE LOCATIONS, AND THAT, COMPOUNDED WITH BUS DELAYS, IS CAUSING ISSUES. WE FOUND DOZENS OF LOCAL NEWS STORIES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS REPORTING RIDERS FEELING KICKED TO THE CURB TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK. OUR CORRESPONDENT DINA DEMETRIUS WAITED WITH RIDERS AT A STOP IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. GREYHOUND BUS RIDERS NEW TO KNOXVILLE ARE OFTEN STUNNED TO BE DROPPED OFF HERE. A PARKING LOT WITH NO SIGN. HERSCHEL BROWN IS HEADED TO ATLANTA. I GOT FIVE HOURS. NO PLACE TO CHARGE MY PHONE WITH JUST A CITY BUS STOP. WHERE KNOXVILLE RESIDENTS ALSO WAIT. BILLY EVERETT WAS JUST RELEASED FROM REHAB WITH A TICKET TO NASHVILLE ON THE 6:50 P.M. BUS, BUT THERE’S NO STATION TO PROVIDE SHELTER. AND IT’S RAINING OUTSIDE. THERE’S ONLY LIMITED SPOTS TO SIT UP UNDER THERE. YOU KNOW, AN UNCLE DROPPED OFF 20 YEAR OLD TYLER ARMS, WHO’S MAKING HIS WAY HOME TO KANSAS CITY WITH CASH FOR A TICKET. BUT THERE’S NO TICKET COUNTER. I’M STRANDED HERE. I HAVE NO WAY HOME. TYLER’S MOTHER EVENTUALLY GOT HIM AN ONLINE TICKET. HE, TOO, IS SCHEDULED FOR NASHVILLE ON THE 6:50 P.M. GREYHOUND. I HAVE FOUGHT WITH THE GREYHOUND BUS BUSINESS, WHO IS, IN ESSENCE, RUNNING A BUSINESS FROM A BUS STOP FOR PUBLIC RIDERS. CYNTHIA FINCH AND KIRA WYATT LEAD NONPROFITS ASSISTING PEOPLE IN NEED AROUND THE CORNER. FROM THAT STOP. FINCH IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE AREA’S BURLINGTON BUSINESS DISTRICT ASSOCIATION. WE’VE BEEN BUYING BUS TICKETS FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT GET TO THIS STOP HERE, NOT KNOWING THAT THIS IS NOT THE BUS STATION. SO THEY’RE REALLY FRUSTRATED, SAD. I’VE HAD PEOPLE TO CRY ON US. WOULD YOU SAY YOU’VE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON BUS TICKETS FOR RIDERS? OH YES, OH YES, OVER THE TWO YEARS. FLIX, THE COMPANY THAT OWNS GREYHOUND, HAS NOW DONATED FUNDS TO HELP COVER SOME OF THOSE TICKETS. BUT RIDERS HAVE WANDERED OVER TO THESE NONPROFITS, ANXIOUS FOR ALL KINDS OF HELP. BUS TICKETS, MEALS, WATER RIDES, TEMPORARY SHELTER. WE’VE SEEN HOMELESS PEOPLE FINALLY GETTING READY TO GO HOME, AND THEIR BUSSES BROKE DOWN AND THEY DON’T HAVE ANY CLOTHES FOR NEARBY BUSINESSES. THE LACK OF A BUS STATION HAS COME AT A COST FOR THEM TOO. AT PETRIE’S FLOWERS, WE FOUND PEOPLE SLEEPING IN OUR VANS. YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY HAD A LADY. SHE WAS AROUND 90 YEARS OLD, IN A WHEELCHAIR. IT WAS 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE. WE ACTUALLY TOOK UP MONEY FROM ALL OF US TO GET HER INTO A MOTEL. SO THIS CHURCH ACROSS THE STREET HAS BECOME A SORT OF MAKESHIFT STATION. FLIX PROVIDED A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO OUR QUESTIONS, SAYING BUS DELAYS ARE RARE. AND WHILE HERSCHEL’S ATLANTA BUS CAME ON TIME, THE NASHVILLE RIDERS FOUND OUT IT’S DELAYED UNTIL 9 A.M. THAT’S ALMOST 12 HOURS. IT’S TEN HOURS. IT’S SUPPOSED TO RAIN TONIGHT. YOU’RE OUT HERE WITH YOUR BAGS. I MEAN, I DON’T HAVE MONEY TO GO SPEND ON A HOTEL. IT’S BEEN HORRENDOUS THE WAY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TREATED HERE. KNOXVILLE COUNCILWOMAN GWEN MCKENZIE REPRESENTS THIS DISTRICT. HOW IMPORTANT IS HAVING GREYHOUND COME THROUGH KNOXVILLE? IT’S VITALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE FOR MOST PEOPLE, THIS IS THE MOST AFFORDABLE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET HOME OR TO GET TO SEE RELATIVES. AND THIS IS A THIS IS A STOPPING POINT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THEY SEEM TO THEY TEND TO GET STUCK HERE. STUCK AND WEARY. THESE NASHVILLE BOUND RIDERS SPEND THIS NIGHT UP AGAINST THE WALL. GREYHOUND ONCE HAD A LARGE STATION IN DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE BEFORE FLIX BOUGHT THE BUS LINE. CITY LEADERS ARE PUSHING THE COMPANY TO FIND A BUILDING AGAIN. DAVID BRACE IS THE MAYOR’S CHIEF OF STAFF. SO WE’VE BEEN MEETING, TRYING TO REALLY ASSIST GREYHOUND WITH FINDING A LOCATION THAT ZONED PROPERLY TO DO THIS WORK. AGAIN, ULTIMATELY, THAT’S NOT ON THE CITY. IT’S REALLY ON GREYHOUND TO MAKE THAT DECISION. FLIX RESPONSE TO OUR QUESTIONS READS, IN PART, THAT IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO BUY OR MAINTAIN LARGE FACILITIES IN DOWNTOWN AREAS WITHOUT SIGNIFICANTLY RAISING PRICES, ADDING THAT LIKE AIRPORTS, INTERCITY BUS STATIONS SHOULD BE PUBLICLY FUNDED. THE CITY HAS GIVEN FLIX UNTIL THE END OF 2025 TO ESTABLISH BASIC SERVICES IN A BUILDING. WE’RE NOT SURE HOW IT’S GOING TO END UP, BUT AT LEAST THERE THEY INVESTED IN COMING BACK HERE TO HAVE THOSE FACE TO FACE CONVERSATIONS. AND WE’RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE TO STAY ON THEM ABOUT THAT. SOMETIMES I RIDE THE GREYHOUND 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK. DOROTHEIA CANNON HAD TO GET TO NASHVILLE TO HELP A SICK AUNT. SHE CAME BACK TO THE STOP AFTER YESTERDAY’S BUS WAS RESCHEDULED, BUT THEN SOMEBODY SAID THEY SAID 1039 SO I DON’T KNOW. HOURS LATER, DOROTHEIA USED OUR VAN TO RECHARGE HER PHONE. GREYHOUND CUSTOMER SERVICE TELLS HER THE BUS IS COMING AT 130. IT’S 4:00. IT’S PAST 130. DO YOU NOT HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE? Y’ALL DON’T HAVE A WAY TO TRACK THIS BUS. CONTACT THE DRIVER. NOTHING TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON. WEDNESDAY EVENING, THAT NASHVILLE BOUND GREYHOUND FINALLY ARRIVES. 24 HOURS LATE FOR A THREE HOUR RIDE IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. I’M DINA DEMETRIUS, FOR MATTER OF FACT, OTHER INTERCITY BUS SERVICES ALSO USE OUTDOOR STOPS WITHOUT TRADITIONAL STATIONS. GREYHOUND AND FLIXBUS, BOTH OWNED BY FLIX, THOUGH, ARE THE LARGEST COAST TO COAST NETWORK, REACHING MORE THAN 1600 LOCATIONS. FLIX IS CALLING FOR FEDERAL SUPPORT TO HELP CITIES AND STATES DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN SHARED USE TERMINALS. YOU CAN READ THEIR FULL RESPONSE ON OUR WEBSITE. NEXT, ON MATTER OF FACT, PRICES WILL RISE AND THAT’S THE SAME AS WAGE CUT FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN. EXAMINING AMERICA’S ECONOMIC FUTURE AND BLACK COWBOY CULTURE. PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE HOW MANY BLACK COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS THERE ARE. WE MEET THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPETING IN RODEOS FOR GENERATIONS. PLUS, SHE RAN THE WORLD’S LARGEST LIBRARY. MY FAVORITE BOOK IS ACTUALLY A CHILDREN’S BOOK. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I SAW MYSELF IN A BOOK. A LOOK BACK AT SOLEDAD’S INTERVIEW WITH CARLA HAYDEN. YOU’RE WATCHING. MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWSMAGAZINE. WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP STOOD IN THE ROSE GARDEN LAST MONTH AND ANNOUNCED HIS TARIFFS ON FOREIGN COUNTRIES, HE SAID JOBS AND FACTORIES WILL COME ROARING BACK INTO OUR COUNTRY. CAN AMERICA PIVOT BACK TO A MORE MANUFACTURING BASED ECONOMY? ARE THERE WORKERS TO DO THOSE JOBS? MARTIN EICHENBAUM IS A FORMER STEELWORKER TURNED ECONOMIST. HE’S THE CHARLES MOSKOS PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. PLEASURE TO BE HERE. TALK TO ME ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MANUFACTURING IN AMERICA. LIKE RIGHT THIS MOMENT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS ARE IN MANUFACTURING RIGHT NOW? 8% OF THE LABOR FORCE ARE EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. THE HISTORY IS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT GIVES US A CLUE ABOUT WHAT’S FEASIBLE, WHAT’S POSSIBLE GOING FORWARD. AFTER THE WAR. ROUGHLY SPEAKING, 35% OF THE US LABOR FORCE WAS ENGAGED IN MANUFACTURING AFTER WORLD WAR TWO. IN THE LATE 1940S, YES. SO YOU HAVE 35% DOWN TO 8%. THAT DECLINE HAS BEEN MIRRORED IN EVERY MAJOR COUNTRY, DEVELOPED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. IT HAPPENED IN SOUTH KOREA. IT HAPPENED. IT IS HAPPENING IN CHINA. SO ALL OF THE RELATIVELY RICH COUNTRIES AND THOSE THAT ARE BECOMING RICH, THEIR POPULATION IS EMPLOYED LESS AND LESS IN MANUFACTURING. AND WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE WE’RE JUST MORE PRODUCTIVE EVERYWHERE AT DOING IT. SO IF YOU ASK HOW MANY PEOPLE DID IT TAKE TO PRODUCE A CAR IN 1947 FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, LET’S SAY FIVE, BECAUSE OF ROBOTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, MAYBE TWO. OKAY, WELL, THAT MEANS THOSE PEOPLE HAVE TO GO ELSEWHERE. AND IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY, THEY GO WHERE THEY’RE NEEDED. WHAT INDUSTRIES DO THEY WORK IN NOW? WELL, THAT’S THE MAGIC OF CAPITALISM. WORKERS DID FIND OTHER TYPES OF JOBS WHICH ARE ACTUALLY HIGHER PAID ON AVERAGE, HIGHER EDUCATION, HEALTH. MOVIES, FINANCIAL SERVICES WORKERS HAVE FLOWED INTO THESE INDUSTRIES. THE ISSUE IS, DO YOU WANT TO STOP THAT FLOW? AND KEEP PEOPLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP PEOPLE STUCK IN MANUFACTURING? OR DO YOU WANT TO LET PEOPLE GRAVITATE TO WHERE THE THINGS THEY DO BEST? TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING A STEELWORKER. WHEN I WAS JUST STARTING COLLEGE, I WENT TO MY DAD. IT WAS A TOUGH IMMIGRANT GUY. SO I SAID, DAD, YOU KNOW, I REALLY I NEED A CAR. SO HE CALLED UP A FRIEND THAT HE HAPPENED TO KNOW AND GOT ME A JOB IN A STEEL MILL. IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE WONDERFUL PEOPLE DOING A REALLY TOUGH JOB. SO WHEN PEOPLE SAY MANUFACTURING IS GREAT, IT WAS HARD WORK. THESE WERE REALLY HARD WORKERS. THEY TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR WORK, BUT IT WAS NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. BUT SOME OF THE NOSTALGIA IS AROUND THIS IDEA OF A PERSON WHO IS WORKING IN MANUFACTURING COULD HAVE A CAR, COULD HAVE A HOME, COULD RAISE A FAMILY, HAVING NOT GONE OFF TO COLLEGE AND HAVE A GOOD LIFE IN AMERICA BACK IN THE DAY. SO IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE CAR THAT THAT PERSON DROVE, IT WAS NOT LIKE OUR CARS. TODAY, THERE IS AN ISSUE OF THE CAR OR THE HOUSE, WHICH IS TINY. RIGHT. THE AVERAGE SIZE OF A HOUSE HAS GOTTEN MUCH BIGGER. BUT AGAIN, WHETHER WE HAVE THE NOSTALGIA OR NOT, WE CAN’T GO BACK THERE UNLESS WE BREAK ALL THE ROBOTS, RIGHT? I DON’T THINK ANYBODY THINKS WE’D BE BETTER OFF IF WE JUST BREAK ALL THE MACHINES. COULD THE MATH WORK OUT EVEN OUR MINIMUM WAGE IN THIS COUNTRY IS MUCH HIGHER THAN OTHER COUNTRIES. COULD YOU PRODUCE A BMW OR AN APPLE PHONE THAT DOESN’T COST $190,000 FOR A BMW, OR $3,000 FOR AN APPLE PHONE? COSTS WOULD HAVE TO RISE WHEN YOU DO ALL THE DETAILS, SO PRICES WILL RISE. AND TO THE EXTENT THAT PRICES RISE ON ALL THESE GOODS, THAT REPRESENTS A WAGE CUT FOR ALL AMERICANS. MARTIN EICHENBAUM IS THE CHARLES MOSKOS PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMING UP INSIDE THE RODEO. THAT’S PART ENTERTAINMENT, EDUCATION AND CULTURAL HERITAGE. PLUS, PEOPLE ARE GOING INTO PUBLIC LIBRARIES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTH. THE EFFORT TO MODERNIZE THE LIBRARY TO MEET AMERICANS NEEDS. HISTORIANS ESTIMATE THAT IN THE LATE 1800S, THERE WERE ABOUT 35,000 COWBOYS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT’S BELIEVED THAT A QUARTER OF THEM WERE BLACK. BILL PICKETT, BORN AROUND 1870, WAS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS BLACK COWBOYS. HE INVENTED A TECHNIQUE FOR BRINGING A YOUNG STEER TO THE GROUND CALLED BULLDOGGING. NOW, MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, HIS NAME LIVES ON THROUGH THE BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO. OUR PRODUCER, TARA CLEARY, TAKES US THERE. MY NAME IS DARRELL ELLIOTT. I’M A STEER WRESTLER FROM BEAUMONT, TEXAS. I WORK FOR THE RAILROAD, SO THAT’S MY FULL TIME JOB. BUT RODEO IS MY FULL TIME LIFE. IN THIS RODEO LIFE THAT WE DO, EVERYBODY’S FAMILY WITH BILL PICKETT. THE BIG INFLUENCE FOR ME WAS THEM OPENING UP DOORS FOR A LOT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN COWBOYS. TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. MY DECEASED HUSBAND WENT TO A RODEO BACK IN 1977, AND HE DIDN’T SEE ANYONE THAT LOOKED LIKE HIM. SO HE CAME BACK AND DID A LOT OF RESEARCH. AND WHAT HE FOUND IS THAT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF BLACK COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, BUT THEY WERE NOT GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM OR COMPETE. SO HE SAID, I’M GOING TO CREATE AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN RODEO ASSOCIATION. AND SO HERE WE ARE, 40 YEARS LATER, STILL GOING VERY STRONG. DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE RODEO. THE COMPETITION HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. WE HAVE CREATED MORE RODEO EVENTS FOR WOMEN. ALL RIGHT, COME ON, GIRL, POWER IS DEFINITELY A THING FOR SURE. THE LESSONS THAT IT TEACHES STRENGTH. WOMEN CAN STILL BE FEMININE AND STILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS. MY NAME IS DENESHA HENDERSON AND I COMPETE IN THE LADIES BARREL RACING. THE LADIES STEER UNDECORATING AND THE LADIES BREAKAWAY. MY NAME IS DENISE TYAS. I COMPETE IN THE LADIES BARREL RACING AND THE LADIES STEER UNDECORATING. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN RODEO. IT’S THAT CULTURE. IT BRINGS A DIFFERENT LITTLE SWAG TO IT BECAUSE WE ARE. AFRICAN AMERICAN. RODEO CIRCUIT. WE COULD NOT GET AMERICA TO SPONSOR US. AND WHEN I SAY AMERICA, I’M TALKING ABOUT CORPORATE AMERICA. AS WE GREW, OUR AUDIENCES, THEN CORPORATE AMERICA SAY, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, LOOK AT THIS. THERE ARE TONS OF PEOPLE GOING TO THIS RODEO. WE MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT IT. DO WE HAVE THE LEVEL OF SPONSORSHIP THAT THE OTHER ASSOCIATIONS HAVE? NO. THANK YOU. I ALWAYS SAY IT’S GOOD, CLEAN FUN. YEAH. YOU MAY BE PLAYING IN THE DIRT, BUT IT’S GOOD, CLEAN FUN. RIGHT HERE. TYAS AHEAD ON. MATTER OF FACT, MARKING THE CAREER OF THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN AND FIRST WOMAN TO LEAD THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. AND WHY THIS BASEBALL DIAMOND IN THE DESERT TELLS A STORY OF PERSECUTION AND PERSEVERANCE. TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATCARLA HAYDEN IS A F SEVERAL FIRSTS. IN 2016, SHE BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO SERVE AS THE HEAD OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, AND SHE’S THE FIRST WOMAN TO HOLD THE JOB AS WELL. PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRED HAYDEN ON MAY 8TH. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW HER AT THE LIBRARY IN D.C. IN 2019. HERE SHE IS TALKING ABOUT HER HISTORIC APPOINTMENT. LIBRARIANSHIP IS A PROFESSION THAT IS A FEMINIZED PROFESSION. 85% OF THE WORKFORCE IS FEMALE. HOWEVER, THE TOP MANAGEMENT IN MOST LIBRARIES DOESN’T REFLECT THAT FACT. SO AS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS SINCE 1802, THAT’S SOMETHING. AND THE FIRST PERSON OF COLOR. I DESCENDED FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE FORBIDDEN BY LAW TO READ IN THIS COUNTRY, AND TO BE A PERSON OF COLOR AT THE HELM OF THIS SYMBOL OF KNOWLEDGE AND READING AND LEARNING AND LITERACY IS PERSONALLY VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR ME. HAYDEN’S MISSION WAS TO BRING THE LIBRARY TO PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. WE ARE GOING TO REALLY MAKE A PUSH TO MAKE OUR COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE ONLINE. WE’VE DIGITIZED THE PAPERS OF ROSA PARKS, THE PAPERS OF AND DIARY OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT, AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN RECENT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY, HAYDEN SAID. THEY’VE SEEN A SUBSTANTIAL UPTICK IN VISITS TO THE LIBRARY’S WEBSITE, WITH MILLIONS COMING TO SEARCH ITS COLLECTIONS, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, THE EFFORT TO LITERALLY UNCOVER PART OF HISTORY AT A WORLD WAR TWO INTERNMENT CAMP FOR JAPANESE FINALLY, A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT THAT TELLS THE COMPLICATED HISTORY OF OUR NATION. THERE’S A BASEBALL FIELD AT THE MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE IN CALIFORNIA’S MOJAVE DESERT. IT’S BEEN THERE FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS. IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING JAPAN’S 1941 ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ISSUED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT LED TO THE INTERNMENT OF PEOPLE OF JAPANESE DESCENT IN AMERICA. AS MANY AS 120,000 PEOPLE WERE IMPRISONED AT TEN CAMPS ACROSS THE AMERICAN WEST. THOSE ORDERED TO MANZANAR OFTEN PASSED TIME BY PLAYING BASEBALL ON A MAKESHIFT FIELD. ONCE THEY LEFT, THE FIELD BECAME BURIED UNDER TUMBELWEEDS AND OTHER BRUSH. IN NOVEMBER OF 2023, VOLUNTEERS FOR THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNCOVERED THE FIELD AND BEGAN WORKING TO RESTORE IT. THEN, IN OCTOBER 2024, IT WAS TIME TO PLAY BALL. FOUR TEAMS FROM JAPANESE-AMERICAN BASEBALL LEAGUES IN CALIFORNIA PLAYED ON THE RESTORED FIELD. DAN KWONG, A FORMER BASEBALL PLAYER AND LEAD VOLUNTEER ON THE PROJECT, JOINED THEM. HIS LATE MOTHER WAS A TEENAGER WHEN HER FAMILY WAS ORDERED TO REPORT TO MANZANAR. WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN MANZANAR, THEY IMMEDIATELY SET ABOUT CREATING COMMUNITY AND TRYING TO REPLICATE PARTS OF THEIR LIVES FROM PRE-WAR. THEY BUILT GARDENS, THEY MADE MUSIC, THEY CREATED ART. THEY DID SPORTS, THEY PLAYED BASEBALL. A GRAND OPENING WILL HAPPEN SOMETIME IN OCTOBER. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK. TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ANYTIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.