Editor says inclusion could increase community contacts; 13 editors go on record about diversity in their newsrooms; do Latinos dance in costume to the polls?; Jesse Jackson defends rights groups on net neutrality; don't know much about . . . geography; NFL's Kansas City Chiefs reach out to tribes; after 49 years, S. African's remains to return home; Lester Holt jams with the Roots on "The Tonight Show" (8/11/14)Editor Says Inclusion Could Increase Community Contacts
![Lester Holt, in foreground, performs with the Roots on the Aug. 6 edition of "Th](http://mije.org//sites/default/files/resize/imagecache/full_column/u678/L_Holt-536x357.jpg "Lester Holt, in foreground, performs with the Roots on Wednesday's edition of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." (Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)")
Lester Holt Jams With the Roots on "The Tonight Show"
"I can't tell you how many times I've walked down the 6th floor hallway of 30 Rock and heard The Roots rehearsing behind closed doors just outside 'The Tonight Show' studio, wishing I could muster the nerve to walk in, hang out and watch,"Lester Holt, weekend NBC News anchor, wrote Thursday for the network. "Or maybe (dare I dream) even jam with them.
"Well, Wednesday night was that night and a whole lot more. It began last week with an email saying: 'The Roots would love to have you sit-in with them during a taping of 'The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.' My reply was an emphatic YES!
"As many of our viewers know, my other passion aside from news is music. I’ve played the bass, both guitar and upright, since I was a kid, and from time to time I have been able to combine my passions. Most recently I was invited to perform a few impromptu songs on stage at The Newport Jazz Festival while I was doing a story on its 60th anniversary for 'Nightly News.'
"Performing with The Roots, however, was something entirely different. . . ."