civil rights leader angela davis was surrounded by the new generation of racial justice activists. at the port of oakland this morning union members stopped work to protest systemic racism. >> thank you for shutting down the port today on juneteenth. >> other speakers included the father of michael brown, the unarmed black teen who was shot and killed by police i, missour. >> justice is all we want. we are done dying. >> actor bay area native danny glover wasn't there physically but the 73-year-old called in to encourage the activists to keep on fighting. >> you are the next generation. >> reporter: a generation between a pandemic and a reckoning of racial injustice. organizers wiped down apart. michael thomas from san francisco who says he suffers from asthma listened from a safe distance. >> i'm considered high risk so i want to make sure i do stay safe, i'm well protected. >> reporter: the caravans made its way to the plaza where demonstrators in masks clustered together with little room to spread out. >> i am a little worried because i don't want anybody to get anything out her

and earlier we heard from probably one of the most prominent speakers, former black panther angela davis. everywhere you turn 15th street is covered in that black lives matter mural. so everywhere you go, not just that community, but businesses that have been boarded up, essentially black lives matter art murals everywhere you go. for now, we'll send it right back to you guys. >> all right. melissa, the soul of oakland is shining bright tonight. thank you. in the past 15 days since floyd died, millions of people are making changes in how they act and how they govern. today those calls to action were front and center in houston. the service was invite-only but streamed live worldwide. let's bring in nbc's jay gray who joins us in houston on this memorable evening. jay, we watched it on tv, but you were there. what stood out to you? >> reporter: yeah. raj, powerful, emotional here today. we had tears and laughter. we had prayers inside the church here. george floyd's family joining a grieving nation to say one final good-bye. tonight george floyd -- ♪ is finally home. >> time for us to c

civil rights icon angela davis, actor danny glover who wasn't there physically but called in to share his words of support. the crowds have been nothing but peaceful but it's a tricky balance. we're in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. you get the sense that people here have been missing that communal atmosphere. that communal environment and they have certainly been missing what's. people coming out in droves today. >> we can see so many people. aside from the social activism, what about the health issue? we know you're wearing a mask. what about people behind you? any precautions being taken? >> i've seen a lot of people wearing face masks. i spoke to a gentleman wearing asthma. he's trying to keep his distance. i've seen makeshift medical tents, if you will. people with essentially use anti-bacterial gel, they can wash hands, pick up water, but this gets back to the balance. people want to celebrate juneteenth and get their voice out. but at the same time, they're missing that communal environment that we're seeing here. it's a tough balance. people are trying to stay safe but