Original subtitles

This programme contains very strong language

and discriminatory language which some may find offensive from

the start and contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting

CAR HORN

Hello.

I was just...I was just asking if anyone has any water or food

because I'm out of it and I'm walking

and I just don't have any food or water,

so I was just going to ask.

My Black Lives Matter shirt?

I'm walking 1,500 miles from here to Washington.

For who?

So I'm here at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

in Jackson, Mississippi,

and I'm about to take my first step.

And we are starting the walk in three, two...

My name is Rob Bliss.

I walked across America for Black Lives Matter,

and this is my story.

I'm a film-maker who's done some pretty

crazy stunts involving thousands of people,

and some of them turned into viral videos.

- NEWS REPORT: - Public event organiser Rob Bliss is at it again.

I created the world's longest water slide

and broke world records for the biggest pillow fight...

- NEWS REPORT: - Some guy on Facebook decided to start a pillow fight...

..zombie walk...

Highly successful - 2,000 minimum, easily.

..and longest single-take lip dub.

Rob Bliss, he is the director and creator of that.

- Rob, nice to see you this morning. - Until recently,

my work was always just for entertainment.

It wasn't that political,

but in the summer of 2020, that all changed.

In the midst of a global pandemic,

America was forced to look at another deadly epidemic...

..the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement.

I can't breathe! Argh...

Black Lives Matter began almost ten years ago

as a response to racial injustice.

By 2020, after the public murder of

George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer,

it had become one of the largest social movements in history.

- BBC NEWS: - His killing by police sparked protests

for racial justice around the world.

I felt compelled to do something.

What would happen if I held

a Black Lives Matter sign in Harrison, Arkansas,

AKA America's most racist town?

When I released the video, it went viral immediately.

It was getting millions and millions of views overnight.

Of course, I get a message from some guy saying,

"Hey, dumbass, why don't you walk through Oakland with

"a White Lives Matter sign and see what happens?" But the thing is,

Instagram only shows you a preview of that message.

So all I saw on my phone was...

And I was like, "That's it - I should walk.

"I should carry this sign through the South."

And that's where this all started.

My route will take me from Mississippi to Washington, DC,

a journey of 1,500 miles and ending just before the 2020 election.

That means walking 25 miles a day for 60 days straight.

And I'll have a small crew with me, who will be filming my journey.

Why are you out here walking all these miles?

I made a video and it was so upsetting,

what I saw, that I felt, you know what?

I need to do something. I need to move,

walk and encourage other people to come with me.

This is a nation that is more polarised than it

has been for generations.

I hate everything to do with Black Lives Matter,

- what is ultimately a big lie. - No matter what they tell you,

it has very little to do with black lives.

This fear of being called a racist.

Everybody needs to get over that now because all of us are racists.

Am I putting myself at risk by wearing

a Black Lives Matter shirt in the Deep South, where,

until as recently as the 1960s,

blacks and whites were completely segregated?

I figure I can either stand by and do nothing,

or at least provoke a conversation and maybe persuade

the people I meet to join me in support of Black Lives Matter.

Now all I have to do is find people to walk with me.

Should be no problem.

Do you want to walk with me for Black Lives Matter?

- I'm sorry, what? - Do you want to walk with me for

Black Lives Matter for like ten feet?

Hell, no, I'm not walking with Black Lives Matter!

That's a bunch of bullshit!

That ain't black - I love black,

- my daughter's black. - I'm just being friendly.

I'm walking 1,500 miles.

Like I'm just walking through here,

just want to say hey.

You want to come walk with me?

- No, I'm having a yard sale. - Do you want to, even for

like a couple minutes, walk with me?

- You can even bike with me. - Nah, I don't really support it.

OK. All right, I'll see you.

DOGS BARK

Howdy!

Can I play ring toss with you?

I'm new here. I'm passing through. Just walking down the road.

Oh, yeah?

- Black lives don't matter, bro. - You don't think so?

- No. Hell, no. - What are your thoughts?

Uh, I think white lives matter. Do they celebrate White People Day?

Do they celebrate Goddamn...? No, they celebrate nigger day,

nigger day, nigger day - everything's about black.

When I started this trip, I knew I would encounter racism.

Even so, it's pretty shocking to hear the N word.

They say it so quickly, so easily, that it catches you off guard.

It's hard to believe there

are still people who hold such extreme views.

The Deep South has a long history of racism,

dating back over 400 years,

when slave plantations drove the southern economy.

- Can we interview you and say hey? - No.

OK. Sounds good. I'll see you.

Steering some Southerners away from that way of thinking won't be easy.

How are you doing, sir?

I walked here from Jackson, Mississippi.

The Black Lives Matter in Jackson. Do you want to walk with me?

- Even for like ten seconds? - No. - No? - I don't even care about

- the shirts. - You don't like it? - No. - Why? I'm curious.

What do you think they should do differently?

Black people?

Who brought them here, though?

- Wasn't me? - It wasn't you? - Nope.

It was my ancestors.

So isn't it our responsibility?

No. It's...

We've got to take care of ourselves!

I got black friends who would do anything for me, OK?

But you just said you would send them back to Africa.

- Nah, I love them. - You would send them to Africa!

- You just said it! - I know I said it.

What do you think they would think about you saying that?

- What do you think? - They probably wouldn't like it.

- Why do you have to touch your gun as you talk to me? - I'm not.

But why are you...? Why are you almost holding it like...?

Cos you're making me mad.

- And so when you get mad, you reach for your gun? - No.

I mean, are you going to shoot me if I say something you don't like?

- Nah. - OK, then.

I just got sticks. That's it.

I mean, I get along with all my friends around here.

Black, Indian, whatever.

I don't have a problem with that.

But when once they start throwing that stuff in my face

and telling me about all this, I don't like it.

What do you think of Black Lives Matter?

- Well, they matter in certain ways. - In certain ways?

In what ways do they not matter?

Well, first thing they don't matter,

they don't want to work.

They sit on their butts and do nothing.

I shouldn't ask if you're voting for Trump,

that would be a stupid question.

- Really? - OK, let me ask you a question.

- Yeah. - If you had kids,

the white girl grows up and marries a black man. Would you like it?

- Why would I care? - Er...

That's racist right there. Show me

where in the Bible it says it's OK to marry a black person.

- Why would that be a problem? - That's my belief.

Hey, Rob, it's Mom.

I've really been worried about you the last few days.

I'm following your location on my phone.

Please don't get shot. Call me when you can. Love you.

I grew up in Michigan with my mom and my brother.

By the time I was about 14, my dad wasn't in my life any more

and my mom started working for a company overseas,

so I was spending almost all my time alone.

And I think that time is

where I gained my independence and started going my own way.

I don't know if I've ever felt this deeply tired before.

I don't know how I could

even do this for another 50-plus days.

It honestly seems absurd.

I'm just trying to make it through tomorrow.

Right now, I'm averaging 13 miles a day.

That's a long way from hitting the 25 miles I need.

As I'm walking through the south,

I'm finding that no-one wants to walk with me.

And, honestly, it makes me want to quit.

It's sapping my mental strength to keep going.

- Shirley. And what's your name? - My name is Regina.

Regina. OK, so...

Something like day 14

and we are out here walking with

the first people that are walking with me,

and I am amazed that we even got anyone.

Honestly, it felt like no-one was going to be joining us

and we had these two awesome people that came out to join us,

so it's actually a really happy day.

Bye, I'll see you. Thank you.

The very first people to walk with me in Alabama.

You know, it took about 100 miles

but we got our first people.

So we're going to try and get 25 miles today.

It's really important.

And we're going to...

..we're going to beat that high score. And, honestly,

having these people here was very motivating. It's cool.

I have flea bites all over me.

I have blisters all over my feet.

But I realise that I'm just walking.

Like, there are so many people who

have done infinitely more than this.

Let's go. Here we go.

DOG PANTS

Here we go. 25, baby, let's go.

Let's go.

This guy was with me the past three miles.

It's crazy.

He's so good.

This is what it feels like to walk 25 miles.

It took me 11 hours.

I'm really, really tired.

Really tired.

HORN BLARES

Christ.

They don't give us any inches on here.

I'm walking on the shoulder.

I am on this side...

..with the audacity to walk in America.

The audacity.

It's just such an inconvenience for someone

in an SUV speeding by at 60mph.

How dare I?

The state of Georgia was the cradle

for the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

It was here that Dr Martin Luther King

waged his nonviolent war against segregation.

I wonder how much King's message

of justice and equality still resonates here today.

How are you, man?

What?! That's crazy, man!

You should come back any time

because I'm going to be here all day.

No, I'm going to be here, man. All day. Tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm going to be here in 35.

I just want you to know how much

I appreciate what you're doing,

and it's so moving.

Chances are good in this area

you might get some negative responses,

but I want you to know that there are some of us

that think the world of what you're doing.

Hey, man. Keep going, man. Keep going, man.

Thank you very much again. All right.

Does anyone want to walk with me for Black Lives Matter for,

- like, just to the street? - No, we don't.

- Just the light? - No. - Nobody?

- Bye. See ya. - One person? - Go away.

We tried. We really tried.

Oh, wait. Look at these people.

You want to go just to the light?

- Yeah. Why not? - Word. OK. Look at that.

Heck, yeah.

- Heck, yeah. - High five the cameraman. Yes!

- Hello. - I'm going to talk to you, I'm going to turn around, OK?

OK.

- How is it out here? - It seems like some people

are very supportive and very not supportive.

We think that maybe there would be a little bit more of an advantage

because you are a white person with a Black Lives Matter shirt.

It's more of like, "Hey, we need to talk.

"We need to have a conversation. I'm a white person saying,

"black lives matter. I'm trying to be

"an ally for the community that's marginalised."

People have so much hate, you know?

They push this rhetoric of, "Well, I'm a Christian,"

but how can you be a Christian

when you're... When you want to go and shoot someone?

You're trying to lay judgment with your gun

and you say everything's up to God.

ENGINE REVS

Oh, boy.

This is...interesting.

OK.

Uh, is this someone that's going to do something horrible to me?

Don't touch me.

- You just ran into me. - Don't touch me!

- Oh, God. - Don't touch me. - Um...

- Yeah... - You can leave, if you don't feel safe. - Yeah.

What are y'all doing? Stirring trouble?

Walking up, uh... We're walking for Black Lives Matter.

Walking for Black Lives Matter. What about white peoples matter?

What about blue peoples matter?

- That's a job. - It's still people.

It's American people. American.

You don't think black people are American people?

I think black people are American. I have no problem with black people.

I have a problem with the organisation

that want to bring down people like you because you're white.

I don't think they want to bring me down.

That's because you're ignorant.

- They're using you. - You think so?

Yeah, I think so.

My black friends think so.

- You must be a Democrat. - For sure.

- Of course I am. - What, do you need to see

- my firearm? - It's pretty scary, man.

- I mean... - Why? - I'm unarmed,

- you're armed. - Listen, I am minority.

- Brother... - I'm Jewish.

OK, then you should know better.

- Huh? - You should know better.

My people have been prosecuted way more

than any other people in the world.

Then, like, you understand why they're so upset and why they

feel like their lives don't matter.

Killed a five-year-old kid, point-blank range.

Black Lives Matter does not advocate shooting kids

in the head. You can't think that.

They advocate shooting police.

They don't advocate shooting cops in the head either,

- you know that. You know that. - No. - You know that.

- No. We'll have to disagree. - When you say "all lives matter",

that's the equivalent of going to a breast cancer rally and say,

"Other diseases matter, too."

Like, it's true, but you would never do that,

because that's fucked up!

You wouldn't ever go to a rally like that and try and, like,

lower what they're dealing with.

Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes total sense.

That's why you don't say "all lives matter", man. You shouldn't...

- That shouldn't be. - No. Think about that. - No, that shouldn't be.

Really think about that.

So just walk with me through this idea.

That was my friend.

That was my friend with her

babies and three-year-old in the car.

You're an absolute worm. There's no reason for this.

I hope you'll hear what he has to say.

My friend had her babies in the car is afraid to be in my area,

my neighbourhood! How dare you!

I don't even know what you're talking about.

I'm an American, she's an American and this is not right.

It's not fair.

My open carry should not scare her.

Open carry is legal.

In a country flooded with hundreds of millions of guns,

things can escalate pretty quickly.

What the fuck just happened, bro?

You know, that just shows you how divided Georgia is right now.

There's really two sides to Georgia, and you just saw it.

I felt like I was I was almost there...

I was like, I almost got him.

He...He almost came along with me.

It hurts. It's really sad.

I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to say. We're really behind.

We have to walk, so I think we just walk.

..Black Lives Matter, which is

a Marxist-anarchist organisation, which has

as its mission to overthrow the United States.

This is a country in the midst of an ideological war.

And when you say Black Lives Matter, that's inherently racist.

That's anti-American and it's racist.

Black lives matter, comma, as well. So when we say all lives,

are we talking about white lives?

And if so, then let's just say that. It's coded language.

Some say the United States is closer

to civil breakdown than it has been in generations.

If you are not for tyranny,

if you are not for oppressing others,

Republican voters won't vote for you.

The Democrat Party, they are now the party of socialism.

They want to rip our borders wide open,

they want to kill babies

up until birth and maybe even afterwards,

and they want to take away our guns.

THUNDERCLAP

The whole thing needs busting.

My toes are falling apart.

It's so fucking gross.

Not doing too hot, I'm going to be honest with you.

Blisters are getting real bad.

We really have to go the distance.

And we're starting to feel that distance now. It's scary

cos it starts going back to reality -

you know, can I really do this? Is this real?

Can we actually go 1,500 miles in two months?

Hi, Rob, it's Mom again. I haven't seen your location move in, like,

several minutes, and I'm going to wait five more and,

if that doesn't move, honey, I'm calling 911.

Today is less lonely.

Local politician Ahmad Hall has come to walk with me.

This is like the first proper meal I've had

in about a month. You know, we get a lot of comments like,

you know, "What about white lives?"

Like, "Don't white lives matter too?"

You know, saying Black Lives Matter is racist.

The people who are not supportive of that,

or who don't understand it, um,

don't really get the fullness of what's going on.

My Aunt Vicky, she would sit us down, us boys, she said,

"OK, this is how it is in America.

"White man...

"..white woman...

"..black woman...

"..black man."

That's why we call it the totem pole.

And she said, "You're going to have to work even harder than someone

"who doesn't like you may have to work.

"You're going to make mistakes,

"but you make sure that you make

"the least amount of mistakes that you can,

"because it's going to make it that much harder for you to live."

It's really the pressure and weight of society when it comes to that.

It's almost Jim Crow segregation, in your head.

Ahmad is an admirer of

the late civil rights activist and US congressman John Lewis,

who was beaten by police during the infamous march

in Selma, Alabama known as Bloody Sunday.

There's still a lot of miles left.

Do you have any advice for me as I go these next 1,100 miles?

I hope I don't get too emotional

when I say these type things because they're, um...

- VOICE BREAKS: - ..very dear to me. And, um...

..I believe that we have, um, as John Lewis would say -

I had the opportunity

to meet him several times and it was such an honour...

..get in good trouble.

Get in necessary trouble. Do the things

- that most people don't have the courage to do. - OK. - And, um...

..don't rest until you obtain what your heart is seeking.

So get in good trouble, necessary trouble

and don't forget that we who believe

in freedom cannot rest until it comes.

- OK, I will. Thank you. - You're welcome. - Thank you.

Slavery was abolished nationwide when the 13th Amendment to

the Constitution was passed in 1865,

after the South lost the American Civil War.

Today, many Southerners are still proud

of their Confederate heritage

and argue the Civil War was not fought over slavery,

but was instead about states' rights and the economy.

So there's this store here

we saw, it says "white history year" and a bunch of Confederate stuff.

So we're going to go ask him, "Hey, man,

"what's with the sign?" Let's go find out.

Howdy.

Are you the store owner? I'm just passing through.

- I'm walking 1,500 miles. - Wow!

I'm walking in support of Black Lives Matter.

I mean, it's interesting.

I was hoping to just ask you about it, or...

I guess what you want to do is go look at the Klan robe.

That's what everybody else does. They got tunnel vision,

don't take into consideration the rest of the history. They go

look at that and then go ahead and blow it out of proportion.

Yeah.

Do you think, like... There's, like, racist memorabilia and you're like,

"I'll pay for that." Does that not enable it,

give it value?

You are in a way approving of that, to have that?

I'm approving of...not black or white, I'm approving green.

Do you think there's

differences between white people and black people?

Well, their culture is...different.

And whenever something like this happens in Atlanta,

they revert back to the jungle thing.

It's like I'm the closest to Africa as you can be.

That's just so wrong, man. That's just not true.

That's not fair.

It's a really deeply wrong thing that, you know,

black people are inherently criminals and all of that.

It's so obvious, if you listen, that they are not on your side.

And when the hammer comes down,

what they're trying to do is start a race war,

having tried to for 40 years,

then they can declare martial law and take all the weapons.

And you are going to be out because you're a honky.

Do you think the Civil War was about race?

- No. - What do you think it was about? - Economics.

The Civil War wasn't about slavery.

It was about people being able to independently govern themselves.

Do you think eight-year-old

and 11-year-old boys were dying for slaves on poor farms?

No. They were dying for what they believed in.

The Civil War is a part of Southern history.

It's a part of our blood. It has nothing to do with race.

You know that slavery was still legal in the North?

Having to come back after the 13th Amendment was passed for two years.

So it wasn't about slavery.

When I have my son, who I will name Jefferson Davis...

SHE LAUGHS

..just because of people like you.

The Black Lives Matter movement is working

to remove Confederate statues across the South.

I won't be toppling any monuments myself,

but I can protest in my own way.

I discovered this quote from the vice president of

the Confederacy, written at the start of the Civil War.

He said, quote...

Hanging this quote around

the neck of a revered Confederate general

in a southern state is a risky move, but let's do it anyway.

Well, I'll be honest,

this is probably the most scared I've been on this trip.

Uh, it's one thing to hold a sign,

it's another thing to throw a ratchet strap around

a Confederate statue

and sit next to it with a Black Lives Matter shirt on.

It's a little more aggressive.

Um, I have a pit in my stomach,

I'll be honest with you. Um...

..like, I could die today...

..technically,

uh...or get hurt.

So I'm just going to try and not be confrontational

while doing something extremely confrontational.

But we got to do it.

I feel sick.

Let's go.

Fuck!

Fuck me!

Fuck me!

Come on!

There we go, baby!

What's that about?

Oh, this? This old thing? Come say hey.

Come and talk to me.

I don't know if he's going to come check it out.

What's up, dude? Come say hi.

- Did you put this up here? - I'm... This is...

I have permission to have this up here.

- This is private property. - Yeah, so you need to take that down.

- I know, but I have... - Take it down or you're going to go to jail.

Which one are you going to do?

I don't have...I don't have an ability to take it down.

- OK. Who put this up here? Did you put it up here? - I'm just...

I'm just here eating my Flamin' Hot Cheetos, man.

- Was that just here when we got here or what? - I apologise,

I'm just sitting here eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

No, I just want to figure out how that got here.

Sir, I'm just sitting here eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

You got your ID on you?

- Yes. - Driver's licence...?

So where are you from?

A bunch of places. Um, mostly Michigan.

Michigan? So this guy with you?

- Yeah. - So you support Black Lives Matter?

- I do. - OK, cool. What does Black Lives...?

What does that matter, what does that mean to you?

- What does that mean to me? - Yeah. Explain.

There's everything from, um, obviously people have issues with,

you know, policing issues. That's obviously a large part of it.

There's everything from that to prison reform.

Um, I think it's a larger discussion about, um,

everything from institutional racism

to issues of generational wealth.

Um...

I think it's one of those things that it stands for many,

- many, many things. - Why do you feel so passionate about it?

Um, I have seen a lot of ugliness

and it made me want to...participate

in a conversation about it.

Do you have any black friends or anything like that?

I do, yeah. Yeah, they're very supportive.

Could you go ahead and kind of step down?

Yes, sir. I will get out of your way for you, sir.

If this is private property, it doesn't...

Well, at this point, it's a moot point.

In America, black people are three times more likely

to be killed by cops than white people.

I can't help but wonder

if the cops would have put me in jail, or worse,

had I been a different race.

- I'm good, man. - Those sticks there, I like them...

- You like the sticks? - Yes, sir.

Do you like them?

OK. Can I have my sticks back?

But you asked me over here.

Or I'm down to beat that motherfucker

out of your motherfucking hand.

- All right, I'll, uh... - You better fucking leave, motherfucker.

Get the fuck off my property!

- All right, dude, I'm leaving. - Take them motherfuckers and leave.

Dude, I'm leaving. Whoa, buddy.

Get on, motherfucker.

I'm going, dude. You asked me.

You better run...

Dude, you asked me. You asked me to come see you.

Oh, there's no trespassing sign right there.

You invited us, man.

All right, let's run.

Yeah, let's run.

Yeah, let's just run.

Yeah. That dude just said he's going to get his gun!

Some guy chased me across his lawn after inviting me onto it

and saying he was going to "get his gun".

I have no words.

We're just going to try and make it and not get shot.

Goddamn.

I think this is the coldest that I've ever been in my life.

HE SHIVERS VIOLENTLY

Even though I just want to sleep, I have to give myself a haircut.

OK.

Well, this is a travesty.

I slept for ten hours, but it doesn't really matter.

I still feel the same.

Why are you doing it?

I couldn't even tell you right now, like...

I'm doing it because I'm doing it, like...

Because I said I would.

OK, we should go.

OK.

# Alone on this lonely road

# Alone with no place to go... #

So yesterday I almost cancelled the project

and even bought a flight home.

I told my friends and family that I had to give up

and I had to come home.

# Just keep on

# Keep on... #

I always just wanted to be great.

So it comes through in a lot of the stuff I choose to do

with my time, I guess.

I feel like I'm supposed to do something.

I've always felt that way

and I want to be great.

How's it going?

I want to push myself beyond what I think I can do,

because eventually I die.

So I guess I have to do something while I'm here.

# Alone on this lonely road

# Ooo, ooo, ooo... #

That's it.

# Ooo, ooo, ooo. #

I honestly just couldn't take it any more.

I was just like, that's it. Like, I'm tired of hurting

and I want to be done with the day.

So we're just going to sprint it out,

we're just going to get it, you know?

There's always more, you know?

There's always more that you can dig.

INSECTS CHIRP

Even if you do put on sunscreen, which I did,

if you're walking around, you can look like this.

It got me looking like a Cheeto.

- NEWS READER: - Breonna Taylor's boyfriend was a lawful gun owner

who was using his weapon in service of the thing

that people who celebrate gun rights, and the NRA,

say is the sacrosanct reason that we need guns -

to protect your home from invaders.

That is precisely what this man thought he was doing

in the night when people barged in his home.

And Breonna Taylor is dead and there is no recourse for it.

I'm entering Louisville, Kentucky,

just months after police shot and killed Breonna Taylor

in her own apartment.

- CHANTING: - Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

- NEWS REPORTS: - Protests continued for a third straight night,

and the citywide curfew is extending through the weekend.

Authorities vowing to make arrests

if outbreaks of destruction continue.

Now those protests in Louisville happened last night

after the grand jury decided that no police officers

would face charges in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Louisville police shot and killed 26-year-old

Breonna Taylor in her apartment

during what her family calls a botched drug raid.

Well, the decision in the Breonna Taylor case sparking

a new wave of protests, with demonstrators lashing out

against what they call a racist criminal justice system.

- Hey, how are you? - How you doing? - My name is Rob, by the way.

But, yeah, so we're just doing this walk,

obviously, for Black Lives Matter.

We got, like, probably 700 miles to go. Like, do you have any advice,

you know, as we make our way to Washington?

Uh, yeah. Get a cab or a bus or something, man, OK.

- He is crazy! - This man...

He's a joker, man. He's crazy!

They doing it for a cause, Larry.

You are something else!

He said, "Get a cab or a bus or something"!

You ever been downtown Louisville?

I'm just getting into town now. I came from like south-west of here.

No, you get downtown Louisville,

it's a cross between Beirut and Afghanistan.

- Yeah, he ain't lying. - It's insane.

- Ever since that Breonna Taylor stuff. - Really?

- Yeah, it's been insane. - Yeah, it's insane.

You know, we can't be greedy. We want this, we want black lives this.

You can't turn the whole world black.

There's too many people, too many colours out there.

You just can't turn the whole world black.

We want a black president, we want a black guy in Mexico.

Are you out of your mind? No Latino ain't going for that.

All colours ain't dumb and all whites ain't racist.

You can't take that out on every white person because every

- white person don't have that hate in their blood. - That's right.

The protests is one thing, but what good does it do me?

When you start tearing stuff up,

it's not making things no better, it's making things worse.

- Worse, yeah. - I get what you're saying.

Because as far as the law, I mean,

it is what it is, you know what I'm saying?

I mean, I get the cause, don't get me wrong

but at the same time, you don't have to go around hurting people,

- you know? - You ain't taking a chance, you taking a risk.

It's empty. This town is pretty scary.

There's just no-one here right now.

It's really weird.

My name's Rob, by the way.

Hey, Rob. Rob, come on over here.

I'm trying to, I'm walking 1,500 miles

in two months to Washington, DC.

I've heard about you.

I was wondering if you were going to come to Louisville.

- Of course. - Are you hungry?

- Are y'all ready to eat? - We'll get some food. I think we will.

# Oh, freedom over me

# Before I be your slave

# I'd be buried in my grave

# Go home to my Lord

# And be free. #

Oh, what's up, brother? Nice to meet you. I heard about you.

Anybody who wants to march for this young man right here,

he has walked 800 miles to get here.

He just wants people to walk behind him around this block.

Thank you. It means a lot to me.

- CHANTING: - What do we want? - Justice!

- When do we want it? - Now!

- What do we want? - Justice!

- When do we want it? - Now!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Like, I love this walking.

I don't know what it's going to do, but what happens when you get to DC?

I'm hoping that this walk like gets you to understand that there is

some bigger and more important work that's going to hit you.

I don't know what that is for a white man.

I just know all of y'all in fucking power, y'all fucking shit up.

That's what I DO know.

- CHANTING: - Bow, bow for Breonna.

People do not understand what white supremacy is.

It is this nation.

And this nation does not give a fuck about blacks, indigenous,

anybody of any colour for whatever.

And we're really not doing a great job of understanding like

what fascism is.

And we hear this conversation about oligarchs and stuff

and we don't know how it runs the nation.

CROWD SHOUTS

One Robbie to another, I'll be thinking about you.

CHANTING DROWNS SPEECH

I have no words.

I've never seen anything like that this whole trip.

Every aspect of our lives

is tied to having less than,

it is tied to being enslaved -

and I think some of us have just forgotten that.

Before I continue on my walk, I meet with Jecorey Arthur,

who's running to become the youngest-ever councilman

representing District 4 in Louisville.

Jecorey worked hard to pass Breonna's Law,

a Louisville law which bans no-knock police warrants

like the one used during the shooting of Breonna Taylor.

For most of my life, I've been apolitical.

I didn't realise the importance of being politically engaged.

I slowly had to realise over time

politics was the only way.

Where do people fit in this political puzzle of race

in the United States of America that was founded on the back of race?

And there's just so much confusion about what that means.

What do you think are the big things that are needed for change?

I'll keep it short, sweet and simple with a Malcolm X quote,

who I share a birthday with.

He was asked about progress and he said,

"We haven't seen progress because, if you stick a knife

"nine inches in my back, pull it out six, that's not progress.

"Even if you take the knife all the way out, that's not progress.

"It's only once we begin to heal the wound

"do we see any sort of progress."

And in many cases, he went on to say,

"We haven't healed the wound, we haven't taken the knife out,

"we don't even acknowledge that the knife is there."

So in my role,

what I've already done and what I will continue to do,

is to acknowledge that pain, is to show people

the reality of the city that we live in.

And if we don't face the fact that Louisville

was largely built and started

by a slave population,

we can't address the issues that the descendants

of those same slaves face on a day-to-day basis.

It's October 5th.

As I enter America's Rust Belt,

the leaves are beginning to change colour.

Ohio used to be a swing state,

but in 2016, when Trump won the presidency,

it jolted to the right by huge margins,

voting over 10% more Republican than the national average.

Do you want to walk with me for a little bit?

I'm walking for Black Lives Matter.

OK.

Sounds good. I'll see you.

Why do you think people are racist in the first place?

Why? Basically...

Yup.

Yup.

You're out here barefoot. Look at that.

Well, I figured you guys are doing something important

and I wanted to hear y'all's exact perspective.

Something has to be done, as far as the ways the police

are handling these situations.

And I'm not that smart of a man,

so I don't know what exactly what to do,

but I do know that something has to change.

Now, honestly, I just think we all need to sit down

around a big old table, have some fried chicken and talk it out.

One, two...

HE GASPS

Things are going backward again.

My body is in such pain that I'm just laughing on the inside

at the absurdity of it all.

BIRDSONG

This girl taught me this calf stretch like 12 years ago.

And I liked her a lot

and it didn't work out.

And so now every time I do this calf stretch, I think of her.

And now I do it every day.

Hey, sir, do you want to walk with me for Black Lives Matter?

Pardon me?

Do you want to walk with me for Black Lives Matter?

Absolutely not.

- OK, I'll see you. - I don't support hate groups of any kind.

OK.

As I move through the north,

I expect to see fewer and fewer Trump supporters,

but as Election Day draws closer politics is never far away.

- Good. - Why are you in my house taking pictures?

You had my wife scared to death, dude.

She had an AR-15 pointed at you when you walked in my driveway.

- Really? - An AR-15. Yeah.

- And about to let the German Shepherd out on you. - Wow.

Now we're going to start walking again.

Had an AR-15 pointed at me

because I was two steps off the road

so that I wouldn't get hit by a semi truck.

So, I'm not surprised, but it's really upsetting

because it's like I've been threatened so many times

on this trip already that it's like, you know what, like...

..like either pull the trigger or fuck off.

Seriously.

Like either come at me with your gun, your bat,

like, whatever it is - like, do it.

I don't care. Like...

Someone's going to do it. So maybe it's you, like go do it.

Whatever.

So either like, pull it or fuck off.

Take your pick. Like...

..I just don't care any more.

You know?

As I get closer to the end of the walk,

I feel broken and hopeless.

And, honestly, I forget why I'm walking.

We have our dear friend Rob with us.

He has been walking across the country

for social justice, for Black Lives Matter.

But then I sat down with BLM activist Kiara Yakita.

I love your perspective about, you know,

the walk itself because you have a very interesting perspective.

What's your take on it?

I super appreciate what you're doing and it's hard work.

At the end of the day, it is hard work.

You're sacrificing your safety and your body,

and you're putting yourself into places

that Black Lives Matter cannot safely go.

If I went to that same town and stood next to you,

I probably would have got killed that day.

You're going to have to step out of yourself to finish this.

It's something bigger that you're chasing.

So just stay true to the purpose

and focus on the people who can't walk.

You know what I mean?

You're walking because Breonna Taylor can never walk again.

You're walking because George Floyd can never walk again.

All these miles that you're accumulating

are miles that they can no longer walk

because they were executed by the police.

Walk with their spirit and for their spirit,

and I think that will keep you going.

Hello.

- Is the owner in by chance? - That'd be me. - What's your name?

- My name is Vicky. - Vicky? I'm Rob.

It's nice to meet you.

I've never seen a diner this decked out with Trump gear.

Like I've seen Trump stores, but I've not seen a Trump diner.

Do you think it intimidates minorities to have Trump stuff up?

I am for Trump

and a lot of minorities in this town are for Trump.

I'm against Black Lives Matter

and my dad's part black.

I'm against it because these people are criminals out there.

You know, this Black Lives Matter stuff, all they're doing

is destroying people's stuff and then they want to burn it down.

These people are crazy -

they don't even know what they're doing out there.

They don't even know why they're doing it.

So you think it's black people's fault

that they are targeted by the police?

Yeah, it is.

There's white people that are, died by the cops, too.

There's Hispanics die by the cops.

There's Chinese - they're all of them.

It's not just black lives.

I don't understand why you have a shirt that says

just Black Lives Matter.

Why not All Lives Matter?

A lot of people DON'T think black lives matter.

They really don't think they matter.

These are the things I hear every day getting yelled at me.

And how does that make you feel? You're part black.

- That doesn't bother me. - It doesn't bother you?

Everybody has their own opinion. It doesn't bother me.

It doesn't bother you that some people are like,

"Fuck black people?" You're part black.

It doesn't bother me.

Why do you think you're a Trump supporter?

Because I am for his platform.

I am for God, and in all his stuff he stands for God.

- You're on the same side as white supremacists. - Yes, I am.

I'm from a black family.

All my family, all my brothers, we all stand for Trump.

Don't put all black people in one category.

I'm proud to say President Donald Trump.

He'll be in another four years, it doesn't matter.

He's going to have another four years.

He will be there.

My name's Rob, by the way.

- Linda. - Linda. - Yeah.

- I'm glad... - You know, I love you, too.

- I love you, too. - I do, I love you. - I love you, too.

And I hope that you're safe all the way across.

That conversation really caught me off guard.

I guess Trump support is growing amongst people of colour,

which surprises me.

Hi, Rob, it's me, Mom.

You are so close now, honey, I know you can do this.

I know your body feels tired, but please, please be careful.

You're nearly there. I love you.

I think the walk

and the exhaustion that comes with it is definitely

making me more emotional than I otherwise would be.

It just feels like whatever guards I had up,

whatever boundaries, layers, it's all just...

..being removed and it makes me

feel everything in a heightened way.

It's the four seasons,

it's falling leaves, it's grey skies.

It makes me miss home and my family, a lot.

So when I was a kid, growing up in the Midwest...

VOICE BREAKS: ..you would always have these leaf piles.

Like in October, you know, all the leaves would fall on the ground.

It's been many years since I've heard the sound of the leaves

when you brush past them and the smell of them -

they make this really great sound.

It's like this swishing sound, it's like "chooh".

Just that sound.

And I remember just spending a lot of time with my mom

and, erm...

..it just reminds me of my mother, who I miss a lot.

Swish, swish.

HORN TOOTS

Yeah! Love it!

I love you, too. Thank you.

CAR HORNS TOOT

It sounds really dumb

but, like, those honks, they really meant a lot.

It's really silly. It's like just like,

"Hello, I notice you."

It feels really good.

It's so silly. It's just like, "Hi". It's just like a nice, "Hi".

But I haven't had that in so many miles

so it's really nice. It's just so sweet.

It's just sweet to like acknowledge someone.

It's really good. I needed that.

HORN BLARES

I didn't need that!

That's what it's all about. I don't know.

Howdy. Did you decal this yourself?

Yes, I did.

Do you know what year this car is and all that?

'77?

Is this sittable? Is this...? Can you sit on this?

- You can sit on it. It's as solid as can be. - Oh, great, man.

Can you tell me about, like, how the public has responded?

Like, you know, stuff like that.

I mostly don't get negative.

Sometimes people flick me off,

but most of the time people want to come up to me

and talk to me and applaud me.

You know, I'm just doing it for a purpose.

I believe this, this, this election, we could easily lose our country.

I don't think we could lose our country from Biden.

I mean, I think that, if Biden would happen to step down

and Harris would take over,

that's where I think we could lose our country.

What motivated you to really want to deck it out?

Like what was the moment...?

Oh, we love him.

We love him. He's a good guy.

They don't realise their side is racist.

What do you think liberals don't understand

about conservatives and people who support Trump?

Like what's being missed?

What do you...?

What do you think they don't understand?

You know, at one time I was on the Democratic side.

If you go back 30 years ago, when I was a kid,

my whole family was Democrats.

They were hard working, mill working, coal miners.

They were hard-working Democrats.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you. We all love you.

Thank you.

That was the worst, actually.

I voted back in '08 for Obama.

I know that's a shocker, but I did.

Yeah, how do you go from Obama to Trump? Like, what about...?

Because I'm not red or... I'm a patriot.

I'm not red or blue.

But I voted for Obama because...

I saw some black chick go by here....

Yeah, well, that's her right.

I heard this on the news - you have a right to be dumb.

If you want to be dumb in this country, you got a right to be dumb.

I agree 100%.

You know, I'm not going to judge you by being dumb.

- You know? - They can't help it. - Nope.

What do you think a lot of black people have to struggle with today

in the United States?

Like, I still think that

the white people have a better chance at the beginning.

But I do feel bad for people that try and try and push themselves

and they really don't get too much of a chance.

Will you walk with me to the end of the block?

Just a real quick one, two-minute walk?

- Yeah. - You'll walk with me for Black Lives Matter? - Sure.

We'll start here and we'll walk this way.

- All right, sir. - I appreciate it.

Mr Miller, you're walking with me for Black Lives Matter.

- Sure. - I wasn't really expecting that.

Hey, we all got to get along, don't we?

- Yes. - I don't care what your point of view is.

You know, I mean, I respect it, you know,

and I know you respect me, and that's all that matters.

- Yeah. - Hey, get the point across. - Yeah. - Get the point across.

- All right. - Hey, I'm trying to get mine across too.

- You guys have a good weekend. - OK. All right, Finley, I'll see you.

# Come on, everyone Let's get together... #

Am I crazy or did I just have a breakthrough?

This swing voter was the first Trump supporter to walk with me.

Hello.

Washington, DC.

Yes, ma'am. OK. All right. Thank you.

Bye.

As I move further east on the final leg of my journey,

I was inspired to reach out to activists I know

to help me wrangle as many supporters as possible

to join me for my final day.

So anyone can come join us,

likely hundreds of people will.

So we're really excited about Washington, DC that afternoon.

What are you guys doing exactly?

I'm walking 1,500 miles in two months.

Oh, wow. That's so cool.

Support the cause, for sure. Keep doing it.

Thank you, man.

Each person who walks with me, right or left, red or blue,

motivates me to keep going.

- Good luck. - All right, thank you.

Do you want to walk with me for Black Lives Matter?

- Yeah, I seen that. - Awesome. You want to...? Here, come on down.

This is the Trump store for sure.

Do y'all just want to like, even for like 30 seconds,

- walk with me down the road? - Sure. - Just 30 seconds. - Sure.

Let's do it!

What do y'all think of Black Lives Matter? What's your take?

We all need to get along.

No offence to whites, because I'm white myself,

but black folk will help you quicker than a white person.

- Mm. - Little bit of love. - Yeah.

You know, they're always there for you...they are.

- You guys walking for a cause here? - Yeah.

You're suffering with blisters and everything like that.

You offer up to God.

So that's kind of the idea of pilgrimage.

# A little bit of love is all you need. #

Feeling pretty good right now. I don't know.

This is going to be over.

There's no way! There's no way.

And yet - way.

Pretty crazy.

Hello?

Y'all's here for the walk?

I'm from a whole other world, you know what I mean?

Like where I came from to get here.

97% of the United States is rural.

So to be here, it's just like, wow.

- Yeah. - It's just crazy.

The day I get to Washington, I'm feeling amazing

and I feel like dancing.

It's honestly euphoric. I felt like Superman.

Like, honestly, I could do anything if I set my mind to it.

I walked from Jackson, Mississippi, from the Civil Rights Museum,

and today we're going to end it at Black Lives Matter Plaza.

I'm thankful for these people.

This is like...

It means a lot.

Thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I had a lot of anxiety about how many people would come out

to walk with me. I thought it'd be so sad if, you know,

the last five miles no-one came out.

So I was elated to see all these people coming out to walk with me.

Oh, my God.

Even my mom made it out.

Mom, what are you doing here?

I love you.

I wouldn't miss it.

I literally can't believe this.

This is my mom.

She came here from Michigan to walk with me.

All the way from Michigan - I can't believe this.

OK, we're just about to get started.

It's a five-mile walk down to Black Lives Matter Plaza.

We're just going to get started.

We're just going to warm these legs up.

My calves are very sore but we're going to walk anyway.

Look at this!

HORNS TOOT

If anyone we see, any of these cars, come join us.

Come walk with us.

HORNS TOOT

- CHANTING: - Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

CAR HORNS TOOT

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

We believe that this struggle that we're facing in America today

is a spiritual struggle.

And only until black lives begin to matter to every American

will we rise to the true meaning of our creed. Amen.

- CROWD: - Amen!

I want to thank every one of you for coming out here

from the bottom of my heart.

I can't tell you how many lonely miles I walked.

So I just want to thank you.

You have no idea how much this means to me.

Every one of your faces is going to be etched into my mind

for the rest of my life.

This is the America that I know and I believe in.

So thank you for being here, seriously.

I'm so happy to be here.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you, Rob!

Thank you, Rob!

- Were you worried that I was going to die? - Yes! Of course I was worried!

I'm really glad it didn't have to happen.

So now you don't have to worry so much, OK?

I'm glad that you came, it meant a lot to me.

I thought about you a lot on the trip.

- Thank you, Mom, for being here. I love you. - I love you, too.

- You're welcome. - OK.

SIRENS WAIL

The murder of George Floyd shook the world

and it felt like a reckoning for America

to take a deep look at itself.

I set out hoping to discover the truth about a divided nation.

I encountered voices that stunned me -

some with their hostility, others with their hope.

What I've learned is that progress isn't a straight line.

The fight for racial equality is far from over,

and the divisions I witnessed show how much work remains.

But what gives me hope are the moments of humanity

and connection I made along the way.

Change is slow, but every conversation,

every step forward matters.

# Love

# Love

# Love. #