#RolandMartinUnfiltered - AL fines Montgomery for removing Confederate street; Golfer Lee Elder dies; ending racial wealth gap

Episode Date: November 30, 2021

11.29.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Ala. fines Montgomery for removing Confederate street; Golfer Lee Elder dies; ending racial wealth gapIn October, Alabama's capital city removed the Confederate president's name from an avenue and renamed it after civil rights icon Fred D. Gray. Now the state attorney general says the city must pay a $25-thousand fine or face a lawsuit for violating a state law protecting Confederate monuments and other longstanding memorials. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed will join us to talk about this craziness.Two trials we have our eye on:A Chicago judge begins questioning prospective jurors for former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett's trial today.  And Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, is preparing for tomorrow's start of the manslaughter trial of a former Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man while yelling "Taser" during a traffic-stop-turned-arrest earlier this year.A black man in New York who spent 39 years in jail for a rape he did not commit is now a free man after discovering serious flaws with his prosecution.A star high school baseball player in New York transfers schools after a school assistant athletic director said the student got his speed - get this - from running from police.Some sad news to report, designer Virgil Abloh, Flordia lawmaker Carrie Meek & the man who broke the color barrier in golf, Lee Elder, have died. We'll have a special tribute to Lee tonight. #RolandMartinUnfiltered partners:Verizon | Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, now available in 50+ cities, is the fastest 5G in the world.* That means that downloads that used to take minutes now take seconds. 👉🏾https://bit.ly/30j6z9INissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPAmazon | Get 2-hour grocery delivery, set up you Amazon Day deliveries, watch Amazon Originals with Prime Video and save up to 80% on meds with Amazon Prime 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ArwxEh+ Don’t miss Epic Daily Deals that rival Black Friday blockbuster sales 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iP9zkv👀 Manage your calendar, follow along with recipes, catch up on news and more with Alexa smart displays + Stream music, order a pizza, control your smart home and more with Alexa smart speakers 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ked4liBuick | It's ALL about you! The 2022 Envision has more than enough style, power and technology to make every day an occasion. 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iJ6ouPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The state of Alabama, they're fining the city of Montgomery $25,000 for renaming a street after civil rights icon Fred Gray. Why? Because the law says you can't change any Confederate monuments. We'll talk with the mayor of Montgomery, Stephen Reed, about this very issue. Two trials we have our eye on. Chicago judge begins questioning prospective jurors for former Empire actor Jussie Smollett's trial today in Chicago. And in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota,

they're preparing for tomorrow's start. The manslaughter trial of a former Minnesota police officer fatally shot a black man while yelling taser during a traffic stop arrest earlier this year. A black man in New York who spent 39 years in jail for rape he did not commit is now a free man after discovering serious flaws with his prosecution. A star high school football baseball player in the state

transfers schools after a school assistant and lead director said the student got his speed not from running track but from running from the police. And some sad news to report. Designer Virgil Abloh, Florida lawmaker Kerry Meek, the man who broke the color barrier in golf at the Masters, We have some sad news to report. Designer Virgil Abloh, Florida lawmaker Carey Meek, the man who broke the color barrier in golf at the Masters, Lee Eldred, all passed away this weekend.

Folks, it's time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin-Unbiltraite for Black Star Network. Let's go. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks.

He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's rolling, Martin. Yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's Roland Martin. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rolling with Roland now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best.

You know he's Roland Martin now. Martin. The Alabama Attorney General's Office says the city of Montgomery owes the state $25,000 for changing the name of a street that held the name of a Confederate president. In a letter to the city, the Alabama Attorney General's Office said the city violated a 2017 state law protecting Confederate monuments and other longstanding memorials. Last month, Montgomery City leaders renamed Jeff Davis Avenue for longtime civil rights attorney Fred Gray, who represented Rosa Parks, Reverend Arthur Martin Luther King Jr., and others. Now, of course, there was a major ceremony that took place in the renaming of this. It was a pretty big deal in Montgomery. But your Republican lawmakers, they have been staunch defenders of racist Confederates in that state. Joining us right now is Mayor Steven Reid.

Mayor, glad to have you back on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Same thing happened in Montgomery where they fined the city there when Mayor Randall Woodfin took down a major Confederate statue. What's quite interesting, Republicans love talking about local control, yet they don't want local control when it comes to what you do in your city when it comes to Confederate monuments. Absolutely, Roland. Thanks so much for having me. You're exactly right. The hypocrisy, once again, is being shown, I think, by the actions taken by the state in this case. Republicans like to speak about home rule. They like to speak about the power of local government.

And they like to speak about why they don't like federal government overreach, but yet at the same time, you see them doing that from state legislatures all around this country when it comes to cities, in particular cities that are majority-minority cities. And this is one of those instances where we knew it was the right thing to do to take down the name of Jeff Davis Avenue and rename it after Attorney Fred D. Gray. And we're proud to do that. And, you know, no case or no fine is going to stop us moving forward because there are also other things that we have to reevaluate, whether it be the names of other streets, parts, or other entities that are named after after Confederate soldiers and leaders

that just don't fit where we are right now as a city and should have never been honored in that way in the first place. Well, again, this was a move by Republicans in that state. They have been staunch defenders of the Confederacy. I mean, Alabama still has a Jeff Davis holiday. And so what's interesting is that they want to tell these majority black cities what they can and cannot do. Yeah, absolutely right. And I think, you know, what we're trying to do as mayors is, you know, push our vision for New Montgomery or, in Mayor Woodfin's case, New Birmingham forward. And really we want to turn the page on the past.

And this is part of it. Look, I'm the first one to say that symbols, you know, matter, but systems matter more. And so this is part of what I've been trying to do in the two years that I've been elected as mayor here in this city. We've worked on the systems. We continue to work to improve those and dismantle those that have been oppressive to many residents in this community. But we also know that we've got to change the perception, the perception of those that are living in this community, those that visit this community. And when you're in a place that the Equal Justice Initiative calls home and you have the Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum, it's incumbent upon us as city leaders to make sure that we are forward-facing

in terms of how we want the city of Montgomery to be viewed, and how we want to project ourselves both internally to our residents, as well as externally to investors, tourists, and other community partners, that we are really moving forward, and we are really building toward a better future. Well, and the point there is a critical one, because again, these Republicans in your state, they want to stay in the past,

where you're talking about moving it forward. And why shouldn't the residents of the city decide who they're going to honor, as opposed to white Republicans in Alabama trying to honor these old racist white relics who lost? You know, listen, I think it's one of those cases where this was a reactionary measure that was taken after, you know, cities like New Orleans and others around the South in particular started taking down statues and started changing names in a reflection point of where we were as a nation. And you saw this overreaching law come out and say not only did it apply to statues, but it applies to other monuments as well, applies potentially to schools, does it apply to streets? And those are things that we're questioning from our standpoint is, you know, where does it stop and where does home rule begin? And that's what we can't quite figure out because the rules keep changing without legislatures really making laws like this on the fly, based on emotion and not really based on the true concept of law as it should be applied to municipalities or to states themselves when it comes to issues such as this.

So is it a one-time fine or is it a recurring fine? It is a one-time fine, but the concern here is, as I mentioned, we've got two high schools, one named after Robert E. Lee, one named after Jefferson Davis, where I graduated high school from, that are right now being reviewed by members of the community to have those names changed. So the question is, are they going to be fined as well? We also put together a street renaming committee made up of our longtime state archivists here, Dr. Ed Bridges and many others, Dr. Howard Robinson, archivist at Alabama State University, to really look at the names of streets, parks, and other entities. And they've come up with suggestions that are at least more than 10

that also should be renamed. So the concern that we have is if we're fine on this case, can we pay it? Yes. We've had donors from in the city, in the state, and out of state offer to pay the fine at no expense of taxpayer dollars or no expense of the taxpayer itself. However, the question is, if we're really going about correcting the record, as I like to call it, and we move forward, and I plan to do so, with changing the names of other streets and parks and other facilities, then those fines do start to pick up. Those fines do start to add up. And the question becomes, you know, are we better off challenging what the state has done? You know, Dr. King once said law and order exists for the

purpose of establishing justice. And when they fail to do so, they become dangerously structured dams that prevent the social progress. And that's really what we have to think about from our end here at the city is, you know, where do you start and where do you stop where this is concerned? Can we pay the $25,000? Yes. But I think the bigger issue is, do we need to make a statement as it relates to legislative ovaries coming from conservative state legislatures and what they are doing in particular as it relates to cities and urban communities, not only here in Alabama, but throughout the state and throughout this nation. But again, you've renamed it. They're going to fine you. They can't force you to return it back to Jeff Davis Avenue, correct?

That is correct. Okay. All right, fine. Give them the damn money. All right, fine. What else to take down? Okay. Mayor Stephen Reed, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Always good joining you, bro. What else to take down? Okay. Mayor Steven Reid, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Always good joining you, Roland. Thanks so much. Keep up the great work. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, folks, I bring my panel, Dr. Julianne Malveaux. She's the Dean of College of Ethnic Studies, California State University, Los Angeles.

Dr. Omokongo Dabinga, Professorial Lecturer, School of International Service, American University. Maurice Davis, Civil Rights Attorney. Glad to have all three of you here. Here's the deal, Julian. All right, y'all want the money? All right, here it is. Fine.

Take them racist-ass symbols down. Hey, you know, GoFundMe. This is easy to deal with. You know, I know all kind of people all over the place would say, just get rid of this, you know what, mess. I applaud the mayor, and I applaud their street renaming commission as well as what they're doing with the schools.

There is no way that a black child should go to a school that's named after any Jefferson Davis. It's just untenable. So this has been slow coming, but the energy of the Black Lives Matter movement, the energy that has been generated after the murder of George Floyd, all that energy is showing up now in terms of ways that we change things. And so I'm just excited for Brother Mayer for, in some cases, leading this charge. And as he said, the Equal Justice Initiative is there.

It's where we've been documenting lynchings, 5,000 of them. So how dare they think that the people who lynched deserve monuments? Um, so the question, Maurice, you heard the mayor there, they should be challenging these laws. Can they? Do you have a case?

Because again, state, the law they passed, it said that no changes can be made to Confederate monuments unless approved by the state. Absolutely. I think it's a violation of equal protection. There's definitely a case. They need to take it to the courts, challenge it under

federal law, and get those laws overturned. For now, we'll raise the money, we'll pay, and if they want to fine, they want to issue a fine for renaming those schools, renaming those streets, then we'll pay the fines until the laws overturn. That's the way we have to handle it. It's exciting to see everyone. It's exciting to see all the young people getting involved, all of the activism and the response over the past two years to all the injustice that we've incurred. And if they want to have these racist laws in place,

we're going to challenge them. And they will be overturned once they get to the courts. I'll tell you, Omicongo, these Republican racists sure love their Confederate monuments. Man, I'm telling you. For the so-called Party of Lincoln. Right, right, right. You know, I've never seen any other country in the world so intent on building monuments to losers and traitors.

But this is what these guys are intent on doing. And we got to make sure that whenever the next MLK Day comes around, we shout every single one of them down who wants to throw out a Dr. King quote on their Twitter page or their Facebook page. And even when they're talking about all of this fake critical race theory debate, which is really an assault on critical thinking, they want to throw out Dr. King. Well, what about, you know, who said about content of character because they can never get the quotations right. Right. But what about the people like attorney who defended him, right? Who are out there fighting for him. You got to honor him as much as you got to honor any of these other people out there. Because what we saw in the civil rights movement,

it was activists, artists, lawyers, everybody coming together. And we're seeing it again happen right now. And I was so happy to hear that people had volunteered to pay those fines because they're trying to hit us from all of these different directions. But the fact of the matter is when we come together like this, they can't stop it. Well, it's just so amazing.

Again, as I said here, the party of Lincoln, loving, defending their Confederate signs. All right, folks, we've got to go to break. When we come back, we're going to talk about several different issues. First and foremost, two major trials beginning. One in Chicago, one in Minnesota. Also, a recap of the Bayou Classic this weekend. Southern University and Grambling State will show you some of the festivities there as well.

In addition, a black man who served prison time, rape he did not commit, now he's been fully exonerated. And a woman wrote a book and it's a movie being done about her story. Now one of the actresses is dropping out of it as a result of that exoneration. We'll tell you all about that on Roller Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. GONG Norske Kulturskapet Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon.

So now, she's free to become Bear Hug Betty. Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, are you? Hey, I'm Amber Stephens-West. Yo, what up, y'all? This is Jay Ellis, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. We'll be right back. He stands approximately 5'2", weighs about 120 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Kiesia was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. If you have any information regarding Kiesia Renee Hampton, please call the Oakland Police Department at 510-238-3641, 510-238-3641.

Today in Chicago, jury selection has started in the trial of actor Jesse Smollett. Smollett faces six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime. In January 2019, the Fox series Empire Star told Chicago Police he had been assaulted by men using racial and homophobic slurs. But the investigation alleges that the actor orchestrated the

whole incident as a publicity stunt. Smollett has denied that and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Okay, now what's interesting about this is that the actor orchestrated the whole incident as a publicity stunt. Someone has denied that and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Now, what's interesting about this is that the prosecutor's office of Kim Fox, they decided not to pursue the charges, but the police upset Mayor Rami Mangal. They all upset.

They blasted her office for doing so, and then they chose to have a special prosecutor investigate, which led to these charges. So the question here on Macongo, waste of money? It's amazing how the city of Chicago is spending a lot of time, energy, and resources going after Justice Ouellette on this case. Oh, most definitely. Most definitely. This is revenge 101.

And they can't stand the fact that, you know, they felt like they were, you know, played on different levels. But look, at the end of the day, there are so many other things that need to be worried about in that city right now. And so what are they really trying to do right here, right? Because I feel like what they're trying to do is they're trying to make an example out of him. They're trying to crush him for everything that he has. I appreciate the fact that, you know, that the family is standing strong with him because, look, whether he he lied or not and so on and so forth, really,

at the end of the day, there's so much going on in that city right now. But they are working hard to make an example out of him. and it's really just unnecessary right now. Maurice, is this a case that should be going to trial? Well, we have a couple of, we have a few non-serious, minor misdemeanors that Mr. Smollett is charged with. Understand the city wants their revenge. They expended a lot of resources investigating what they consider to be his false claims, but it's not as serious as investigating what they consider to be his false claims.

But it's not as serious as they're making out to be. It seems like Kim Fox, she offered him a version of a diversion program that she has where he would pay a fine, agree to forfeit the $10,000 that he had posted, and the charge would be dismissed. That's something that I get my clients in all the time. We do that here in Detroit. Prosecutors offer a diversion program where the case is dismissed at the end. There's no probation. There's nothing. Essentially, stay out of trouble for a certain period of time, and the case goes away. It doesn't seem like the officials like that. So they want to come after Mr. Smollett, and it's not that serious. The

city of Chicago has a lot more serious things they should be worried about other than prosecuting and taking this case to jury. What do you make of this trial, Julianne? First of all, I think that the Owe Congo had it exactly right when he said Revenge 101. Rahm Emanuel,

who cannot stand black people, who's been clear that he cannot stand black people, went on a vent about this. Kim Fox, as the brother said earlier, she did what was reasonable to do. Diversion, fine. This is in the weeds. It's not a big thing. But it's going to be a big thing because they're going through all the expense of a jury trial. They're impaneling jurors. They're taking up people's time and blah. And furthermore, although I remember, Roland, when this first happened and we were on the program, and, you know, I think you had one of the little conservatives running around saying this was all a farce.

And, of course, the others of us said this could have happened. And it's still, while it might not have happened the way that Smollett laid it down, these brothers do not have clean hands. So if he is being prosecuted and you want to do a full prosecution, prosecute them too. And unless you're willing to do that, I think the sort of diversion thing was the right thing to do. It wasn't a perfect situation. It's still not a perfect situation.

This should not be going to trial. They should not be spending a week earlier to... You know, this is hundreds of thousands of dollars of people's time, effort, energy. Give me a break. All right, folks. Let's talk about a real trial.

The jury selection is set to begin tomorrow for the former white Minneapolis police officer, Kim Potter, who shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April. Potter faces first and second degree manslaughter charges for the shooting. Of course, the prosecutors will not have to prove Potter intended to kill Wright, but that she acted recklessly and her mishandling of the firearm led to his death. Maurice, this, of course, got lots of attention. And this, of course,

a case that follows the George Floyd case last year where Derek Chauvin was found guilty. You had the body cam video here as well. You have cops who say, look, this should not be prosecuted because it was a mistake. Yeah, but a mistake leads to a man being killed.

And I'm not so sure it was a mistake. Explain. A taser. What did you say, Roland? Explain. A taser weighs a lot less than a firearm. It's approximately four times the weight of a taser. You pull it from a different part of your body.

Any trained officer knows when they're pulling their firearm. She's been on the force for years. She pulled out this firearm. She's holding it. She's yelling, taser, taser, taser. And then she fires the firearm. She knew exactly what she's doing, and I think they should have charged her with intentional homicide.

I think the charge, as charged, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter, I think it's going to be easily provable, and I don't see any way that she can walk away without being convicted of this. Julianne?

Oliver Grant, Oscar Grant, was killed by Mr. Miserly, a police officer. The same thing. He said he thought he went for his taser, but he killed him with his gun. There are strict protocols

around tasers and guns. One is on one side of your body, one is on the other side of your body. As the brother said earlier, they weigh a different amount. This is not a mistake. This is stupidity combined with malice. And that's what this woman needs to be convicted of. She said it herself when she said,

I'm going to jail. Well, you know what, girlfriend? I hope you prophesied correctly because she understood how wrong she was. And I don't know what that was about. Was she attempting to intimidate him with a gun? What was she doing? But it was wrong.

And we have to stop these constant massacres of Black people by these ignorant, malicious white police officers who think they can do whatever they want to. of Black people by these ignorant, malicious, white police officers who think they can do whatever they want to. I'm a Congo. Man, I'm nervous about this one, to be quite honest, because as this story became more well-known to us, I've heard stories about officers who have intentionally shouted out

Taser when they were going for their gun because they knew that they were being recorded. And so part of me wonders if that's intentional. I'm wondering about her getting on the stand and crying in those tears. You know, they worked for Rittenhouse. They didn't work for the McMichaels. We understand that. But, you know, white female tears, I mean, that can be a whole thing. And she definitely has demonstrated a certain level of remorse that we never saw from somebody like a Derek Chauvin. And so those types of things just I know we got Keith Ellis in there and Minnesota and everything. But those types of things may be weary about where this case is going to go, even though the facts seem to be very clear about what happened.

And, yes, you make mistakes and you've got to pay for your errors. And she should have to pay as well. Again, it is an interesting case that we'll be watching. Again, it begins tomorrow in Minneapolis. All right, folks, this story is quite interesting. He spent 39 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Now the man accused of raping Lovely Bones, author of Alice Seabold, has been exonerated. A New York judge cleared Anthony Bratwater of raping Seabold when she was a student at Syracuse University. Here's what happened

during and after Bratwater's hearing. You know, selling these proceedings by saying, I'm sorry, that doesn't cut it. This should never have happened. And I will say to Mr. Broadwater that I assure him that it will never happen again. That we will never let junk science into a courtroom in this county. I think as Mr. Fitzpatrick has pointed out, Mr. Broadwater cannot get those 16 years back. But based upon my review of the motions and the representations of counsel, this court grants the defendant's motion. They take his conviction and the indictment is hereby dismissed.

Thank you, Judge. That concludes the hearing. Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you, Judge. I couldn't help but cry the relief that a district attorney of that magnitude would side with me. Concerning this case, it's so profound. I did everything I could do to always show people that, hey, I'm never that type of guy. I never could be that type of guy.

A lot of doors have been slammed in my face for jobs. She wanted children. I wouldn't bring children to the world because of this. And now we're past the age we can't have children. Ruined his life. His life has been ruined over this, you know. Not just incarceration, but wrongfully being labeled a sex offender.

These are things that he will never get back. So, she wrote this book, and it was being made into a movie that, um... is actually in the works on Netflix. But here's what's interesting here. It was actually the movie, Julian, that led to all of this. The folks who were working on the script,

they discovered there were discrepancies between what she writes in the book and the actual case. One of the writers then hires a private eye to check the stuff out. Well, all of a sudden, first of all, the man had been jailed for 16 years. But all of a sudden, all of a sudden,

they find out that something was awry. They then reach out to him to pass it on. He then actually hires an attorney. That is what actually led to this exoneration. Now, again, the man here, first of all, Bruntwater, he went to prison.

He was released from prison in 1998, okay, when he was 38 years old. But this has been over his head for all of these years and he finally gets exoneration. But it was the movie, the Netflix movie that actually led to this. And as a result of the exoneration,

the actor Victoria Pedretti, she's dropped out of the movie. A previous executive producer also dropped out of the movie. She was supposed producer also dropped out of the movie. She was supposed to play Alice Seybold. She says, can't do it now because of this. And she's absolutely right.

Who wants to play a lying piece of you know what who caused a man 16 years of his life? When he was crying, I want to cry too. He has lost so much. And you know, white women clutching their pearls and putting their fingers on Black men, it's got to stop. I didn't read her book, and I wouldn't read it

if somebody sent it to me. I think that this is just disgraceful. But I... And a widely noted author. I mean, perhaps she was mistaken, but she's held by this story, turned it into a book, turned it into a revenue source, turned her fake rape with her false accusation of this black man into a revenue source.

Netflix needs to trash this movie. She, her royalties need to go to this brother. This is more egregious than anything I could possibly imagine. So, what happened here was that she identified him in court, even though identifying someone else earlier. That right there, Omokongo. And again, as they began to look into this,

they said, look, there's just way more problems with this. She really could not identify who committed the rape. But it got pinned on him at the time, a 22-year-old Marine. Man, just like Dr. Malveaux said, I wanted to cry, too, watching that. I'm just thinking about the failures of the court system, that it would take somebody working on a movie to see some discrepancies that this court couldn't find. And why couldn't they find it? Because this was another throwaway brother who nobody cared about despite his military experience.

People always want to go down, when they get these particular suspects, oh, they got a record, oh, they served time, or they dropped out of school, whatever. This man was in the military, you know, a veteran, 16 years of his life, and having to live that life. I know people who've had to go through the whole thing about coming out of prison for crimes they committed. I don't know anybody who's been on the sex offender registry, but to be on that in addition to already being an ex-convict, it is ridiculous. And somebody needs to come off some serious paper because this brother has lost the opportunity.

I'm thinking about my own kids right now. He's lost the opportunity to do that, right? He's lost the opportunity to raise a family, do things for the community, further serve his country because he was in the Marines. And, yes, Netflix needs to scrap this. But, again, it shows how our judicial system just threw another brother away. And I'm hoping that he's going to get some form of justice for this

because there's so much of his life he just can't get back. What is interesting here is that the producer, the producer, Timothy Mucciante, this is what he said. The script was very good, but it didn't track the book as closely

as I would have preferred, and that just made me wonder, why is that? Why do we have to gloss over these facets of the book? I was actually fired from the film because I was not cooperating with everyone. Some of the reports indicate that I left the film based on this, but they fired me as executive producer and frankly, I was a bit relieved. There was so much angst about these issues.

Now, the actor who was supposed to play Broadwater called and made it clear, as you see right here, he did not want the part anymore. And so you got that as well. So you've all of these examples, all these examples here where people had issues with this movie again, and it was Mucciante who hired a PI to look into this. And that is what got the ball rolling to free this man from prison. That, to me, is absolutely surprising. It is shocking. And it just...

It's just stunning, again, Maurice, that whenever these cases come up, 9.9 out of 10 times, it's a brother who's the one who's having to serve time in prison for something he didn't commit. Exactly. It's sad how easily our system convicts black men.

We have a white woman, a white woman cries, says something happened to me, and we're automatically considered guilty. But the important thing that the country has been doing is we've been getting progressive But the important thing that the country has been doing is we've been getting progressive prosecutors elected from all over the country. They're starting to review some of these old cases.

They're trying to correct some of the mistakes. And it's so unfortunate that so many individuals have lost years of their lives as a result of wrongful convictions, such as in this situation. We had recently Kevin Strickland, who was recently released after serving years after being accused of murder.

We had Malcolm X murderers. Their convictions were recently overturned by progressive prosecutors. That's what we need. I'd like to see the shift that this country is making in correcting some of these wrongs and these injustices that our people have been insuring for years.

Well, actually, I got an idea. How about if Netflix does a movie on him? There you go. There you go. Just saying. As Omicongo has said earlier, we don't know what happens to these brothers when they are falsely accused,

when they are then released, when, like Mr. Strickland, as Maurice has mentioned, you get out, you don't have any money. Mr. Strickland, 60-some years old, he's not going to get Social Security because he hasn't paid into it. The state of Missouri has denied him any recompense because there's no DNA evidence.

Well, there would be no DNA evidence because he wasn't there. How could there be DNA because he wasn't there. How could there be DNA when he wasn't there? If the state of Missouri paid him the $36,000 per year that they say they pay people, he'd get $1.5 million. Well, thank you, GoFundMe

for the people who raised the money, but that ain't the bottom line. The bottom line is they keep crushing black men, and we need to know how people survive. That's a Netflix movie. All right, folks. Hold tight one second.

We'll come back. We'll tell you about an athlete in New York State who left his high school when a white official told him, oh, you got your speed by running away from the cops. Wow. And we remember the great golfer Lee Elder who passed away this morning. In addition, Congresswoman Kerri Meek, a lawmaker out of Florida.

She also passed away. In addition to a prominent young, young designer taken too early as a result of cancer. Plus our recap of the Grambling Southern Action this weekend at the Bayou Classic. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Are the stars out tonight?

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Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry.

I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really out tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision, an SUV built around you. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her. But really, who has time for that?

Let's go. She ordered herself a ladder with prime one-day delivery, and she was out of there. I want some hood girls looking back at it, and a good girl in my text break. Now, her hairdressing empire is killing it. And the prince, well, who cares? Prime changed everything. Never left, but I'm back at it, and I'm feeling myself.

Hi, everybody. This is Jonathan Nelson. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin, unfiltered. Hi, everybody. This is Jonathan Nelson. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. All right, folks. Quite an interesting story here. Star athlete Tony Humphries is transferring

from Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, New York, after the assistant athletic director, Bernard Mahoney, made a racist remark to him. Now, Humphrey is a baseball player, signed up to run track. Now, he's a major athlete, already deciding where he's going to go to a major Division I-A

school. Now, Mahoney asked Humphrey why he wanted to run track. Well, Humphrey said he wanted to gain speed for baseball. What did Mahoney say to him? Oh, he gained his speed by running from the police. Humphrey was pissed off, so he came home, told his parents, and they're like, you're transferred to the public school.

Humphrey said he's experienced racist incidents before and reported to school officials, but nothing was ever addressed. Humphrey announced his transfer on his Twitter account, quote, I'll be continuing my high school career at home, pumped to return to Walter Pannis and will bring a championship back to Cortland. Mahoney has since resigned. Students staged a walkout as well in support of Humphrey.

Hmm, you got your speed by running from the cops. How about that, Omokongo? Wow. Wow, man. First of all, he should be fired. He shouldn't have an opportunity to resign. And I work in schools, public, private, and charter all across this country, and this happens on a regular.

I really respect this young brother for exercising his agency. We're seeing guys younger and younger exercising their agency and their choice to understand their value, to let them know I don't have to put up with this. There are a lot of other kids who don't have that same level of platform or fame to be able to make a move like that. And they're kind of stuck in those situations. But I'm hoping that this will further call that out because it's happening more often than we know. And kudos to those students also. But look, man, this happens all of the time. And this is not, I'm sure this is not the first instance because the brother said that there have been many instances of this happening. And I really believe that these guys

really got to get on point in terms of understanding that these kids are waking up. They've been inspired by people like Colin Kaepernick and just so many other people out there. And they have a platform as well. I'm sure that this brother has more followers than the guy who resigned. So they're going to be drawing more attention to this. And these schools better get on point right now

because there's going to be a lot of cameras showing up on these doors as these stories start to come out even more. Julianne. You know, first of all, I've got to give kudos to my alma mater, Boston College, for he has chosen to go there, and I'm excited about that. And I hope that BC acts right, and usually they do, but not always.

These PWIs don't always know how to act around our people. But secondly, I think that that Maloney, Mahoney, whatever his name was, should never be allowed to work with young people again in his whole entire lifetime. I mean, this is not the first time he's made these kind of comments. Clearly he's done it before, and clearly he's gotten away with it. This young brother has actually said there have been comments before. He reported them. He took it to the top. They didn't do anything. So his parents probably said, look, enough is enough. Our child does not need to be denigrated by an idiot who doesn't have enough sense to applaud his commitment to his athletic career. So, you know, again, as Alma Congo says, our young people are saying over and over again, we ain't putting up with this.

Before, folks put up with it, we swallowed it, we said, okay, well, it just was that one time. No, this is systemic. It is a systemic way of treating young black men and women, especially when they're athletes, but also when they're scholars, it has to stop. You know, this is... The thing to hear, Maurice, is that, like,

the brothers just trying to play baseball, but, you know, look, it is... You know, look, you got these old white folks, and that's how they think, and so imagine what they say about other athletes. Exactly. It's completely outrageous. And as Omokongo stated,

it happens all the time to African Americans in different situations. As a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, I talk to an individual who may be charged with their first offense every day. I hear the comments that are made from police officers and people in the community about a person who has a lack of criminal history.

They may make a traffic stop, pull this person over, run their background and say, oh wow, you're 25 years old and have no criminal record? Or you're 40 years old, you have no felonies? Historically, African Americans were portrayed as criminals. And this faculty member was completely out of line perpetuating that stereotype. You know, all Black people have some contact with the law, have some type of criminal history. He was racist. He was completely out of line.

His comment was uncalled for, and I'm glad he's no longer employed. All right, folks. It's a nearby state in New Jersey where Rutgers University has inaugurated its first black president, Jonathan Holloway, earlier this month. He is the 21st president in the school's 250-year history.

He's been in office for 18 months, but his inauguration was postponed due to the pandemic. Before Rutgers, he held leadership positions at some of the nation's most prestigious universities like Northwestern University and Yale. And so, we certainly congratulate him on his inauguration. Alright, folks, we come back.

We're going to talk Bayou Classic, our wrap-up, if you will. Also, we'll talk to We're gonna talk Bayou Classic, our wrap if you will. Also, we'll talk to Rodney Brooks about fixing the racial wealth gap in America. And we'll pay tribute to some of our elders, now ancestors, including golfer Lee Elder, Congresswoman Carrie Meek, as well as one of the world's top fashion designers, Virgil Abloh.

That is all next on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to download our app. Our goal is to get 20,000, excuse me, 50,000 downloads by the end of December. So please download it on your Apple, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox, Amazon, Fire Stick as well.

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What's up? I'm Lance Gross, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. In the United States, there were more than 400,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted. Of those children, 23% were black, 44% white, and 22% Hispanic. In 2020, more than 50% of adoptions that involved a public agency were for white children. 17% were black and 20% were Hispanic. November, of course, is Adoption Awareness Month. Joining us right now is Jasmine Sanders, who joins us from Los Angeles.

Jasmine, glad to have you on the show. Thank you. So let's talk about this issue. Why is adoption so near and dear to you? First of all, thank you so much for having me on the show. I appreciate it. I follow you on social media. You've been on our show several times. It's my first chance being on your show, and what a wonderful opportunity to talk about adoption. First of all, I'm adopted, and for many years, it was a subject that I did not feel comfortable speaking about. I didn't

talk about it, A, because I was ashamed, and B, because there were so many misconceptions about adoption, about children who were adopted. And I said, once I got a big enough platform, I would use every opportunity that I had to try my best to dispel those notions and convince people that children who are in need of families,

there's no need to be afraid of them, that we need love like anybody else. And so every opportunity that I get, even outside of November, I talk about adoption and I try to spread as much information, true information, as I can. And when we look at these numbers, I mean, there's so many African-American children who go without. And so what about the outreach? What about that effect? Because we look at the numbers, an increasing number of Americans are deciding not to have children. Right.

And the other thing is there are so many people who are deciding not to have children. There are a lot of women who wait. You know, it's no secret that, you know, as a woman, it's very difficult in this country, especially as a black woman. We spend the majority of our lives working and climbing that ladder of success. And by the time you look up, you're in your 40s. You know, sometimes you're late 40s, maybe even 50s before you take a breath, which is required, right? Because you have to give it all of your time that is your baby. And by the time you look up and you're ready to

have kids, it's either too late, too difficult, or financially, you know, maybe you're not in a position to do so. And for whatever reason, a lot of people don't think about adoption because either the stereotype that's out there, or it's just kind of like the last resort. But then the thing that really upsets me the most is we become highly critical when we see other people outside of our race adopting these Black children. And I have a problem with that. It's one thing that, you know, we say it takes a village to raise a kid, but you can't get mad when other villages are raising our children if we don't want to. Questions from our panel. Let me start with you, Maurice.

Maurice? Oh, yes. Sorry. Sorry. Rolling. Question for Jasmine. Yeah, Jasmine. So how long have you been in this business? I've been in, you mean in radio? Yes. Probably 30 plus years.

Okay. And how did you first get involved with adoption? Well, I, as soon as I got into radio, because I found out very early on that I was adopted. I found out when I was about maybe 11 or 12. My parents did not, my, I call them my forever family. They did not tell me I was adopted. I found out I was adopted.

And as soon as I got into a position, as soon as I graduated college, I got a job in radio. And I immediately started working with the local foster care agency there in Nashville. And every city that I've worked in, every community that I've been in, I've tried my best to do some sort of event or get involved locally, working with agencies that deal with foster kids or even people who are actually trying to adopt kids or even people who've been adopted and are trying to find their biological families. Yeah, I think that's great. Yeah, my mom, she... she actually had foster children in our home

when we were growing up. We had approximately about ten or so foster children. She'd take them in when they were having problems with their family. I think it's... Oh, wow! Kudos to your mom. That's awesome. That's awesome. So you understand that, you know, they're just children. They need love too. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Question from Omicongo.

First of all, Ms. Sanders, thank you for all of the incredible work that you've been doing over these years. I have a little bit of a concern about older kids in the foster system. You know, we hear all of these terrible stories and they're like, the question I have for you is for those of us who may not be adopting, but have a passion for these older kids who are in the system, are there ways that we can network with support, become mentors? Are there programs out there that allow people to have that type of engagement with them? There absolutely are. All you have to do is Google. It's readily available at your fingertips.

And the thing is, if you really just take a moment and consider how awful it must be to know that either your mother left you, or you were removed from the home of the only family you've ever known, you've been placed in a system where they care very little about you. There's no one there to care for you, to listen to any problems that you may have. Everything that you own is in a trash bag.

So by all accounts, everything around you says that you mean nothing. You are nothing. Society is not paying any attention to you. One time out of the year, you have 30 days that is dedicated to hopefully, whether it's the media, TV, some kind of campaign that's bigger than, because this is also Pet Adoption Awareness Month. So you are also in competition with dogs and cats. So that's what you're up against. So can you imagine what you're dealing with as a young person? Maybe you're 12, 14, 15 years old.

What kind of adult do you think you would be? So my thing is when you're thinking about these young kids who are in these organizations, give of your time. Sometimes all they need is just to hear someone cares about them, that someone is concerned about their well-being, that you care about their heart is broken. You care that they don't feel as if they are worthy of someone listening to what a terrible day they had. We already know how it is as adults in this world. It's hard. It's hard out here.

And so we have family. We have friends. We have Facebook, Instagram. We have all of these things at our fingertips. Imagine having nothing. Julianne. Yeah, thank you. First of all, Jasmine, thank you for sharing your story

and for putting a face onto the adoption issue, which I think is really important. But secondly, I want to raise a question. You talked about transracial adoption. You didn't call it that. You said we get mad when other people adopt our kids. But my experience in the foster care system has been that there's enormous racism. That first of all, some children are taken from their homes when they don't need to be.

When you have an artificial rule that says you have to have one bedroom per child. I would just spend Thanksgiving at the house I grew up in. I'd look around there and say, how did my brother raise five kids in this itty bitty house and, you know, one bathroom? And we figured it out. But the second thing is when Black folks who have limited resources want to go to adopt, they also often have challenges. And I have at least two sister friends who've tried to adopt. They got to that age. As you said, you get to be about 50.

You didn't have the kid. Now you want one. But if you don't have the money or the partner or this, you can't get one. So while I agree with you, any port in a storm for a child is important, but what can we do with the foster care system to eradicate some of the racism there that makes it more difficult for Black folks

to adopt our own? I agree 1,000%. But I think, first of all, what we have to do is acknowledge that there is a problem. I think the biggest issue that I have is 30 days is not enough. 30 days is all that we allocate towards a system that we already know is completely broken.

Not only the system itself, but the infrastructure in itself that doesn't really even support the system that's there. When you consider the archaic way that it is set up, and you're absolutely right. When you go to adopt, all you want to do is give the kid love. And they make it almost impossible, insurmountable, the types of hoops you have to jump through.

But my thing is, why are we not speaking out enough about this? Instead, the majority of the time, you would not imagine the number of battles that I have to fight with people just in a conversation about kids who are in the system. And I'm like, why are we fighting amongst ourselves, talking about these children, perpetuating the stereotypes about these children who really need love? So I think, first of all, it's acknowledging the problem and really sounding the alarm on a much larger scale. It has to be more than just a few of us

who are fighting this battle. But if you think about it, in the midst of, you know, the economic issue that we're up against, the social injustice in this country, there are so many other battles that we're fighting that, unfortunately, foster care falls so far down that it's nowhere near on even anybody's radar. When I go and talk to people, it's the last thing people want to talk about. Even during foster care awareness month, I get really emotional about it because I'm just grateful, Roland, that you would even give me this platform. It's hard to even get people to even give a moment's time to talk about this. And I know when December rolls in, all we'll be talking about is Christmas trees and Christmas gifts and 2022. And there will still be children waiting to be adopted, going into another year of wanting someone to love them, wanting a family, and still

fighting these stereotypes and this broken system that's in place. So you're right. You know, how do we get people who are in position to really care to talk about this so we can take it to a higher level so that we can change the infrastructure that is so incredibly broken? I wish I had the answer to that, but I don't. All right. Jasmine Sanders, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. And again, hopefully more people will look at the idea of adopting, especially the many African-American children who are looking for a home. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it.

All right, folks, we come back. We'll talk about the racial wealth gap, how we can close it also. Thank you. We will talk about the fun we had this weekend covering the Bayou Classic in New Orleans, the 48th annual Bayou Classic. We partnered with Coca-Cola on that. So, we look forward to sharing that with you as well. Plus, we will pay tribute to three folks who are now

ancestors, including golfer Lee Elder. Folks, you're watching Roller Mark Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. -♪ Are the stars out tonight? Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some

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Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. Folks, you've often heard us talk about the racial wealth gap. Of course, it has long plagued this nation. But what can you do to combat it? His new book is called Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap, Racism and Discrimination. Rodney Brooks provides financial literacy and security for black Americans with the knowledge to build generational wealth. He joins us now from his home of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Rodney, glad to have you on the show. And by the way, Rodney is, along with me, folks, a fellow inductee into the 2021 National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame. And so that virtual ceremony is going to be held on this Saturday. And so, Rodney, congrats on that. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for having me today. All right. So, okay, so we hear a lot about the racial wealth gap. And obviously others say the only way you can fix it is with reparations. Well, that requires a hell of a whole lot, so if you're waiting on that, you might be waiting for a very long

time. So the question is, what are you saying that can be done right now? Yes. Well, one of the things I really stress is financial literacy. We don't know, and we don't know enough. We don't talk to our children about money.

We don't talk to our children about finances. And so, you know, the big part is just talking to your children, talking to that next generation about financial planning. And, you know, a big part of that is getting some financial help where you need it, which may involve getting a financial planner, you know, and we know they're not, you know, a whole lot of Black financial, certified financial planners, but there are some. And I think, you know, there's the Association of African American Advisors that can be a source.

But, you know, if you need help, you know, with your finances, and we know black people don't invest in stocks. Black people aren't saving for retirement. So we know black Americans need some help. So get it where you need it. You know, I try to make this thing as simple as possible and for us to think differently when it comes to money, Rodney. And I remember I was speaking in,

there was a housing complex in Bryan, Texas. And I remember this woman, she was saying, look, I don't have no money. She says, I have no extra money. She kept going on and on. And then that was a, she had a soft drink. And I said, got a question, how much did that cost? And she's like, what do you mean?

I said, what you're drinking, how much did that cost? And she said, well, what do you mean? I said, well, how much did it cost? I said, did you pay for it? She says, yes. Then she told me. I said, so, I said, did you have the drink, the soft drink? Could you drink water?

Now, I said, that was a buck 70. I said, so, I just asked her, how many soft drinks do you buy a week? I said, how many bags of chips do you buy a week? And she looked at me and she said, so you're telling me that if I didn't buy the soft drink, I could save that? I said, yeah. I said, let's just talk about it.

I said, if you didn't buy a soft drink and a bag of chips a week, that's $3.54, right? I said, in a month, that's $16. I said, in a year? I said, walk through it. She looked at me like I was crazy, and she said, is that simple? I said, yeah, actually it is. And I think part of the problem here is that we make this complicated when it's not complicated. But if somebody doesn't explain it to you in that way, then you really don't understand what it all means. Well, that's a really good point. It's simple, but you have to make some

choices. And one of the things that concerns me is that when Black people are offered a 401k, many are not signing up for it. And, you know, that's what they call free money when your employer matches, you know, up to a 4%. Well, you know, because the person who's, how they may be thinking, I can't afford to sign up for that 401k because I need all of that money to pay my bills. Mm-hmm.

That's sort of how that so I get that thinking but what you're saying is yes, you then have to adjust your bills to accommodate the 401k because you're going to need and want that savings. Yes, and okay, and

you know, you can't wait you can't wait until you're 50, 60 years old to say, uh-oh I didn't save anything for retirement. You know, you can't wait until you're 50, 60 years old to say, uh-oh, I didn't save anything for retirement. You know, financial planners always say it's never too late, but it is. You know, you're stuck in that cycle. If you wait until you're 60 and say, oh, okay, then you're stuck getting Social Security. And that's why I have, you know, I stress compound interest. You know, people saving money, and then that money is growing with interest, earning interest. And, you know, once you look at the numbers on that, it gives you a whole new perspective on saving.

And once you start going into this as well, I mean, when you start looking at decision making, do you buy a car? Do you lease a car? How long do you do it? Do you pay it off? Things along those lines. I remember when I got my Navigator, this was probably 2008, my financial advisor, you know, she said, oh, she says, don't buy it in cash. I said, yes, I will. And because I didn't want to have to sit, I wasn't going to sit there and pay the interest on it. Well, the same Navigator, I've had 13 years. So I paid $49,000 for the vehicle.

I haven't had a car in 13 years. Now, yes, there's been maintenance things along those lines, but I made that decision because my deal was, I was not I said, I'm not about to pay this interest on the damn car, but I got the money right now. Well, you know, actually,

I'm glad you brought up cars, because that's one of my pet peeves. And it's the way when you go to buy a car, the car dealers will talk to you about the payment, not how much the car costs, okay, and not how much the interest is. You know, I've had experiences where I said, I don't care what the payment is. I want to know what the interest is and what the price is. And the car salesman said, why? It's like, but, you know, it's to their event because people going in there looking for a low payment and they take advantage of that. And at one point in the book, I look at what it costs to buy a car paying 2% interest versus 11% or 12% interest.

And that amount is enormous, Roland. It's really scary when you look at those kind of numbers. Yeah, because we factor in the credit report, and your interest rate is based upon that particular credit report. You know what, I do really love that you're stuck on stupid people out here. You know, I got somebody who's in our chat talking about,

oh, that comment was dumb. You said you can move your way to wealth by a buck 70 at a time. Well, actually, you can. Because the whole point to the idiots out there, Bob Sanders, who's running his mouth on YouTube, the point of this is to get somebody in the habit of making different choices with how they spend money.

And so if somebody right now is not saving anything, they literally have no saving. We even got to investing. It's getting somebody started on the path of rethinking their spending habits. And so then when you do that, then you start thinking about, well, how much time am I eating out versus making my food? How much time am I spending on designer items versus I'm buying this? And so that's really what it is.

To your point, we often don't have folks having a conversation. Van Jones told me this here. You know, his former wife is white. And Van said, when he said, with my wife's, daddy calls her. The conversations they have about money are totally different than the conversations I have with my parents. He said, my parents are calling, and it's about so-and-so need $300 for this or $400 for this. He said, whereas their conversations are about annuities and trust and things along those lines. He said, it's a totally different conversation.

And so that's what I'm trying to get for the fools out there who are the old. You shouldn't be thinking that small. If you can get somebody who's saving zero, start saving a dollar a week at the end of the month. They have a lot further than work at the beginning of the month. And as it as it. And as it grows, they'll be more confident. But just as importantly, they are teaching their children to save

as well. And so you're having an impact because, you know, we talk about generational wealth and Black people don't talk about money. It's almost like it's a taboo subject. And it's so important because, you know, just the conversation you just had about what the difference is between, you know, the white family and the black family.

We need to talk about money. We need to tell our children. We need to stop being scared to tell our children how much money we earn. We need to learn about financial literacy so we can teach. We should learn alongside our kids about saving and investing.

Now, you were the deputy managing editor of the USA Today money section. How did you learn? Did you have a family teaching that that or did you acquire that knowledge as an adult? I acquired that knowledge as an adult and I tried to pass it on to my children. You know, and I can't blame my parents. They didn't, you know, it's not something that they knew, but it's something that I knew. So I knew I had to pass it on to my children. So, you know, I started by gifting them stock, Roland,

and, you know, first thing they did was sell it. But at least they knew about stock. So, and I still, you know, I still talk, you know, talk to each one of them about 401 s. So that's, we have those financial conversations. I have three children, and I talk to all of them about 401ks. So we have those financial conversations. I have three children and I talk to all of them about the first thing they do when they get a new job is I say, did you sign up for the 401k? And that's the kind of conversations we as black families need to have.

Absolutely. I'm going to go to my panelist, Julianne Malveaux, who's an economist. She's been shaking her head frequently. Julianne, go right ahead. Your question or comment for Rodney Brooks. Well, first of all, Rodney, thank you for the book. I think it's really important. And congratulations. Thank you. in my head at some point I was laughing because the lack of knowledge in our community is massive. But it's not, we can't blame anybody from the past. We have to look at it from a contemporary standpoint in terms, like you said, why don't you take the 401k? If someone's going to match you, that's serious free money. If you put 1%, 2%, 5%, it's really free money. And there's so many other things to say. But I want to talk to you

about another issue, because Roland opened the conversation by saying, don't wait for reparations. Now, I am a member of NARC, the National African American Reparations Commission, and those who know me know I'm very passionate about the issue of reparations. I ain't waiting for them, but I'm going to fight for them.

No, I'm talking about the people who are waiting. I ain't waiting for them, but I'm going to fight for them. No, I'm talking about the people who are waiting. Ain't nobody waiting. Yes, they are. Yes, they are. Julian, yes, they are. There are people who right now are not even thinking about saving or investing because they're waiting on reparations. And what I'm saying is, if you're going to do it, do both.

But stop waiting. Just like there are a lot of black people who grew up, man, I can't wait till my ship come in. Do you even live near water? Your ship ain't coming. I'm sick. You know what I'm talking about. It's a whole bunch. You know all the phrases. There are a lot of people in our

community who are waiting on other things to happen. Man, if I hit that lottery, you're not. So stop spending $100 a month on them lottery tickets. The issue is both and. We both have to struggle for economic justice and we have to be financially responsible. And that's the kind of conversation

we need to have about both and. Friday, take a minute to talk a bit more about the credit score. Because I think a lot of people don't understand when you don't pay your bills, those chickens will come home to roost, to use a metaphor, Roland. But if you don't, you know, what's the difference between having a 750 and a 650 credit score? Well, you know, a lot of people don't understand what goes into a credit score. And so, you know, so the difference between getting that 2% interest, you know, when you buy a car and 10, you know, 8 or 10 percent is the difference between that 720 and that, you know, 600 credit score. And, you know, in my book, I have the chart.

But, you know, it has, you know, it includes history. But 35 percent is your payment history. 30 percent is based on your outstanding debt. And 15% is the length of your credit history. And then if you get new credit cards, if you even apply for new credit cards, that does count. My wife and I were looking at getting rid of a couple of credit cards, and we didn't do it. We just stopped using them because even getting rid of credit cards

can lower your credit score. There are just so many things that people don't understand about credit scores. Well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you for me, look, I went through a bankruptcy 2004 and then 2008, and my whole deal was, you know what? I started breaking down, what are you actually using credit for? I mean, seriously, I mean,

it really came down to just two things, a car or a house. That's really what it came down to. And so for me, then when I realized, they were like, well, Roland, you keep paying stuff off Herschel Credit Score. I was like, you know what? Well, damn the credit score.

I said, I'm just going to focus on being debt free and so damn the credit score. Because look, it just got to the point where it's a game. I did a whole one hour show when I was on TV One on credit. And it is a game that is being played that we're getting screwed with, and it's the people who are getting furniture on credit who are living that. That's who they're targeting when it comes to the credit deal.

And I just got to the point right away where I was like, you know what, damn it, y'all, give me whatever number you want to, but I ain't trying to buy another house or another car. If I do, I'm going to pay it in cash because I'm trying to live a debt-free existence, and I didn't want to get trapped in that whole world of, well, look, this car, don't pay it all off. Damn that.

Look, I ain't trying to pay it off. Pay it off. I ain't trying to even look at it. Well, you know, one thing I think a lot of people don't realize is that part of your credit score depends on how much of your available credit you're using. So when you max out your credit card, you're basically damaging your credit score. Well, look, I got you on that one. All right. I want to congo your question for Rodney. First of all, thank you for what you're sharing with us tonight,

and congrats to you both on the induction into the NAVJ Hall of Fame. I think that's awesome. Thank you. Yes, my question is for – I live in Southeast D.C., and for those of you who are watching and don't know, it's one of the underserved communities here in Washington, D.C., like many across the country. With many of us who live in these communities doing, you know, working and really just concentrating on maybe working full time and not being around our kids so much because we're so

caught up in just the daily grime, do you think it's time that we start getting these financial literacy programs in our schools so that the kids can start young during the day learning about that. And quite honestly, I've seen situations where they've learned stuff that they've brought home to their parents to teach them. Oh, yes, I think that's critical. So, you know, more and more states are actually mandating financial literacy in high school. But, you know, one good example is the Ariel Academy in Chicago, and I know Roland knows about it, where they start teaching kids in kindergarten. And by the third grade, they're basically Rogers, is that the parents get involved. And while the kids are learning and they end up earning money on stock portfolio, their parents are learning also. And I think that's a really key part of this, is helping their parents learn as the children learned. And that encourages us to learn even more about financial literacy.

I think it should be mandatory in every public school. Maurice? First off, I want to thank you for addressing this topic and congratulations on your book. I think it's very important for our community to educate ourselves about financial literacy. I wanted to address Black-owned businesses. How do you think we go about getting funding and visibility of our Black-owned businesses and in turn get each other to consistently support our Black-owned businesses, and in turn get each other to consistently support our Black-owned businesses that are within our communities?

You know, I did do a chapter on Black-owned businesses and why they fail at such a high rate. And, you know, one person put it, you know, one of the experts I talked to put it in a way I really hadn't thought about it, is we go for low-hanging fruit. So when it comes to businesses, instead of going for something that's different from everybody else out there, we're going for what everybody else is doing. We're also undercapitalized, and most of the time we don't have a business plan. All of those things lead to a really high failure rate.

And, you know, I've talked to Roland before about businesses and the importance of growing beyond the one-person business. But, you know, I think, you know, think about not just thinking about it, but writing down a written business plan is imperative. And, you know, looking at your market and looking at who you're going to be selling to. And we don't do that enough. And I think that's why we fail. All right, folks. The book is called Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap, Racism and Discrimination.

Put us here. But this is how we can save future generations. Rodney A. Brooks, folks, get a copy of it. And please employ what he lays out in it. Rodney, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Okay, thank you. All right, folks.

Got to go to a break. We come back. Again, we lost some major figures this weekend. We'll share those with you when we come back. Plus, we'll do our recap of the Bayou Classic this weekend right here on Roland Martin. I'm Fulton on the Black Star Network. Are the stars out tonight?

Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay. I only have eyes for you. Nå er det en av de fleste som har kastet seg på en av de fleste. I'm going to go get some food. Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Marrier. Food is her love language. And she really loves her grandson. Like, really loves. Y'all know who Roland Martin is. He got the ascot on.

He do the news. It's fancy news. Keep it rolling. Right here. Rolling. Rolling Martin. Right now. You are watching Rolling Martin. Unfiltered.

I mean, could it be any other way? Really. It's Rolling Martin. So sad news in the world of fashion. Virgil Abloh, the leading designer who successfully fused street wear and high fashion, has passed away. His death was announced Sunday by Abloh's off-white label in the luxury group Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Abloh battled a rare aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma.

Since his diagnosis in 2019, he had undergone numerous challenging treatments, but chose to keep it private. He was the Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton's menswear. Again, he's dead at the age of 41. The pioneering black congresswoman from Florida, Carrie Meek, has passed away at the age of 95. She became the first black woman to serve

in the Florida Senate since the 1800s, when she was elected in 1978. She started her congressional career in 1992 and at the age of 66, her son, Congressman Kendrick Meek, who replaced his mother, said she treated everyone she came across with respect no matter what job they held. To the Speaker of the House, you go out of your way to speak to the people that clean your office. And I think about that, which is interesting because members of Congress feel that that person that's cleaning the office can't do anything for them. But she said that person that cleans the office or clean the bathrooms would probably do more for you than the speaker would. And which is true.

She knew all the names of the janitorial staff. She knew the people in the cafeteria. She knew the Capitol Police officers. She knew the people that worked in the garage, in the Raven building, the Cannon building, by name. You know, not, hey, he works, or she knew them. And she would talk to them, and they would, you know, do things like, you know, Ms. Meek, you know, the weather's changing, or this is happening, or that's happening. And that was her friend, those were her friends here in this institution. Julianne, your thoughts about the passing of Congresswoman Carrie Meek and Virgil Abloh?

It was so good to see Kendrick talking about his mom. She really was one of the most dynamic, outstanding, and as he said, caring person. She spoke to everybody. She knew everybody. She was my soror. I can't say she was my friend because we didn't have it like that. But she was a beloved acquaintance that I really cared a lot about. She will be missed. She really put her footprint on the Congress. And she cared about everybody, but especially about the little people. She never hesitated to remind us that she was a descendant of

enslaved people, the descendant of sharecroppers. And that's a sensibility that I like to see many of our African-American elected officials embrace. JOHN YANG, Former U.S. Secretary of State for the United States, First of all, Representative Meek, it's a demonstration of the class that we're missing from so many of our Congress folks today and representatives. And it's sad to see her passing. And it reminds me of a story or saying that I believe Joe Madison said, be careful, be nice to everybody on your way up because you might see them on your way down. And Representative Meek just took care of everybody. And that's just really important. And as it relates to Brother Virgil,

we also have to be mindful of the fact that this happened over the last few days, but today is Chadwick Boseman's birthday, who we also lost to his form of cancer at a very young age. And so to see, and Chadwick and I are born in the same year, and so to see such young talent, Chadwick and I are born in the same year. And so to see such young talent, such pioneering young brothers just be taken from us so unexpectedly, it hurts, man. And to see all the tributes to Virgil out there, you know, it's great to see that he was

appreciated and loved. But, you know, it really just hurts, man, because they say the good die young, but, you know, Karen Meek was an elder, and she was great as well. So we just pay respect to all of them. Maurice? I think you're on mute, Maurice. Representative Meek, she was an icon. She fought for our rights, and it's really sad to hear about her passing. That's why I always say it's important to give individuals their flowers while they're on the earth and can receive them. And I know she received her flowers, and her family is in my prayers.

Now, Virgil, he broke barriers. It's important for little black boys and girls to see someone who looks like them in an important position like this. He was the first African-American to design for Louis Vuitton. He was young, but in his 41 years, he made a tremendous impact on the world. He changed the fashion industry. I know many people who are, who were inspired by his work. And as my brother just stated, it did remind me of Chadwick Boseman's passing. They were both put on this earth. They made their impact, and they were called home early. They both did what they needed to do and made that tremendous impact on the world.

All right, folks. We certainly appreciate all three of you joining us on the panel today. Thank you so very much, Julian. I'm a Congo ML Reese. Got to go to break. We come back. We'll pay tribute to Lee Elder, the first African-American to play in the Masters. Legendary golfer who passed away at the age of 87. That is next on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.

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really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you, all of you. Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Bear Hug Betty.

Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, where you going? Folks, Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches. I'm real revolutionary right now. Black media. Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hi, I'm Eric Nolan. I'm Shantae Moore. Hi, my name is Latoya Luckett, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 The golf world suffered a major loss with the death of Lee Elder. Folks, he, of course, was a tremendous force in the game of golf.

Not only was he the first African-American to play in the Masters, he also broke the color barrier in the Ryder Cup making the 1979 American Squadron going 1-3-0 in the United States' 17-11 win over Europe. He won four times on the PGA Tour. In addition to that, he was a source of pride for many golfers and someone who they reached out to for advice and counsel. This year, he joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter at the Masters for the first time.

Health issues prevented Elder from hitting a ceremonial first tee shot, but he was recognized for his accomplishments. Lee Elder is the first black man to compete in the Masters, and in doing so, blazed a trail that will inspire the game of golf and future generations of players. We are delighted today to have with us a number of black golf professionals who are proud members of the PGA of America. They undoubtedly were inspired by Lee Elder and his message that the game of golf belongs to everyone. Today, Lee Elder will inspire us and make history once more, not with a drive, but with his presence, strength, and character. Lee, it is my privilege to say you have Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. And this was the tribute video posted by the PGA Tour on their social media accounts. Yes, in the middle. Lee Holden to stand on that first lead is a wonderful recognition, but let me tell you what actually transpired. Jaime Diaz approached me and said, look, why don't you phone Augusta and see if they would consider this? The chairman of Augusta thought it was a very good idea, and I thanked Augusta National for doing the right thing. And I'm so pleased for Lee just to be on the first tee

and create, create some new history for Augusta. Lee was the first black player to play at Augusta. It was really nice of Augusta to turn around and honor him and have him be part of what we're doing. I think it sends a huge message that times are changing for black culture, African Americans, just minorities in general. That was a huge statement from Augusta, having Lee with Jack and Gary, who are obviously the two biggest legends of the game. Turtle May Niles, Jeff Champ, family, friend, and father,

a professional golfer, Cameron Champ, who you saw in that video there, Rene Powell, the LPGA, PGA head golf professional at Clearview Golf Club from Canton, Ohio, as well as a journalist and fellow golfer, Roy Johnson. Glad to have all three of you here. Renee, you get honors to share your thoughts about Lee Elder. Well, you know, I have known Lee for a long time. We first met when I was actually a teenager. Played a practice round with him in a golf tournament in Miami.

We had the same year won the UGA National and then actually went on the tours the same year back in 1967. He on the PGA Tour and me on the LPGA Tour. He, over the years, has just been a great friend, and I was so stunned to hear of his loss last night because I just talked to him about, well, within the last week, he called me and said that, you know, hey, I've got something I'm really excited about, something that a project the two of us can do together this year at the time of the U.S. Open.

So he was looking forward to that. I was looking forward to talking to him after Thanksgiving, and things happened. But he was there. You know, his his attitude was always the same. He he was a gracious person. And I know I was so happy to be able to to be sitting on the first tee in Augusta this year when he had the honor of being one of the starters. It was something he looked forward to for a long time, and, you know, it's really sad when you lose a good friend. Jeff Champ, I had the honor of leading the Q&A between your son Cameron Champ and Lee Elder last year, March of last year, at the MAC Invitational. Lee couldn't attend in person due to COVID, also because of health reasons.

We knew he had been battling some serious issues. But you often talk with him, and he often shared insights with your son, Cameron, who's now on the PGA Tour. Yes, you know what? I got to meet Lee, and, well, I got to meet him at the Masters, actually, who's now on the PGA Tour. Yes, you know what? You know, I got to meet Lee and, well, I got to meet him at the Masters, actually. But in 2020, you know, we invited Lee to come out to the Mac Champ Invitational to be the guest speaker

and COVID happened and, you know, in 2021, he was actually the guest speaker because you were the emcee there. But just to meet somebody like that, you know, our family never had the opportunity to meet Charlie Siffer, Pete Brown, Calvin Pete, Ted Rhodes. And my dad passed, and I said, we have to find a way to meet Lee. And it's amazing how I just did some homework on some more homework on Lee. And Lee actually went to Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles where a bunch of champs went at Martha Luther King in Vermont. So just, he's a great man. I got to spend this summertime with him. It was at his birthday back in July. And God bless him. And

I just want to say thank you so much for paving the way to give my dad a chance to play this game. And now my son's playing this great, this amazing game. Lee was, of course, a native of Dallas, Texas. That was a great time with the Q&A. And I've been actually.. I literally got back yesterday from New Orleans and I was actually looking for that video. So, Jeff, you all might have to send it to me again because I want to re-air it.

And it was a great conversation, him regaling us with stories of being on the PGA Tour. Roy Johnson, you're a fellow golfer. You spent many years at Sports Illustrated. And, of course, talking to many athletes. And Lee Elder certainly was a groundbreaker. Roland, on days like this, it is easy to think about the unique and sort of twisted, complicated history that African-Americans have had with the sport of golf. Of course, every sport refused to allow us to play for a certain period of time.

With golf, it was a little different. Certainly, they had a Caucasian-only clause on the PGA Tour up until 1961. But at the same time, they allowed us to caddy. They only allowed us to carry bags. So it was different than baseball and football, where we really weren't on the field at all. We were, it was a tease. Golf teased us by allowing us on the field, but not allowing us to play. Of course, there's the United Golf Association, the UGA, which was a ground for the development of a lot of black golfers, including Lee Elder and others.

And they were able to utilize and hone their games just as blacks were in the Negro Leagues and other leagues. And so it's important for us to recognize that in this particular sport, not only were we excluded, but we were treated in a way that was really second class. And so to honor someone who was groundbreaking, who was a pioneer, who endured things similar to Jackie Robinson, similar to Hank Aaron, the hate mail, when he won his first tournament and qualified for the Masters. The leader of that tournament had to run onto the green

and put his arms around him and lead him off and take him in protective care to the clubhouse for the interviews because there had been so many death threats. There were death threats in Augusta at the Masters where he had to rent two separate homes and move back and forth between them in order to try to elude folks who might see him want to do him harm. So I think it's important to recognize not just what they accomplished in being the first, but what they had to endure to get there, to be there, to just swing the club, something you and I and other

golfers may take for granted these days. It was a great honor. I never was able to meet him, but I did meet Charlie Sifford and, of course, Tiger Woods. And at one point, you may remember this, Roland, I was the golf editor of Sports Illustrated. So think of that, you know, to come from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to someday be the golf editor of Sports Illustrated at a time when golf was still having a very complicated relationship with African-Americans. I started covering sports in 1978, just four years after Lee Elder stepped to the tee at the Masters and played those two rounds before not qualifying for the final weekend, but being cheered all along the way. So, you know, as a sports writer, I honor him and give him his due for the role he played even in my journey and the journey that we all should acknowledge as we step up to the tee, as we do

our jobs, as we are able to the tee, as we do our jobs, as we are able to go about our lives, certainly still with challenges, but knowing that those who came before us endured a lot more. You know, I first met Lee, Rene, it was an NAACP golf tournament at the New Orleans Image Awards years ago in Los Angeles. But in 2015, my buddy Wendell Haskins, he has his original tee golf classic. And he actually paired Lee with Amari Avery, a young sister who is a tremendous golfer who is headed to play golf at USC. And again, we're sorting out our video.

But I found this on YouTube, and actually someone was shooting video, and I'm actually in their video while me shooting. This was Lee, of course, teeing off on the first tee with Amari. And I actually, and it's driving me crazy because we had some video that was stolen out of a bag. And I still have some video, but I actually played that round with Amari and Lee. And it was great to be in the cart with him, his wife, us talking golf over 18 holes.

You know very well what Roy was just talking about, how difficult it was for black folks beginning on the PGA and the LPGA tour, what that life was like, what it was really about. Well, you're absolutely right. And it was not easy at all. You know, it was back in 1967. So while he had a challenging time on the PGA Tour, I also had a challenging time on the LPGA Tour. The big difference was, though, that the LPGA never had a Caucasian-only clause that they had to break down.

But, you know, just being out there and at least, you know, during the... I know in the 70s, there were a few more guys... I think we're... Renee, hold tight one second because we're losing your signal. One second, Renee. we're losing your signal. We're going to get your signal straight because it's breaking up there.

So, y'all let me know when we have Renee fully back. Jeff, I want to go to you. How important was it to have a lead elder share words of encouragement with Cameron and other black golfers and for them to be able to talk to him and know him in his history. You know, it was it was so powerful, you know, just to just to see all the brown and black kids, you know, in a room together and to hear what Lee went through. And, you know, Lee's a character and all the perseverance and everything that he went through is, you know, it's always going to help these young golfers. And one of the things, you know, including Cameron, you know, we were

always the only blacks at a golf tournament. And so to hear it from Lee and then to hear it also from us and telling these kids, you know, and to have that many kids at one golf tournament, 108 brown and black kids, it was just amazing, you know. And, you know, Lee told me he was coming back again this year. He's coming back. And

so, you know, God bless him. And, you know, again, I want to give my condolence to Sharon and the entire family. Do we have Renee's signal fixed? All right, Renee, go ahead. You hear me? Yes, we can. Go ahead. OK, what I what I was saying is that, you know, we all had challenges back in those days. And certainly Lee met those challenges and to be able to watch him come through it all,

to be able to watch him at Augusta this year was absolutely wonderful. Roy, when we think about Charlie Silford, I got a chance to meet him when he was celebrated here with the Medal of Freedom here in DC. And you think about Teddy Rhodes. When you think about James Black, you think about all those cats. I remember talking to James and meeting Calvin Pete

and them talking about what it was like to be on tour. And they had to travel their pots and pans and cooking for each other because they couldn't go into restaurants. Feces being placed in golf holes. So they reached down and grabbed their ball, having to deal with that. And just all of the indignities just to be able to play a game. And so I love when people talk about the greats of golf or the greats in any sport. And I always say, frankly, anything up until the mid-70s should have an asterisk next to it because the black athlete did not have the same opportunity. And so when you hear these greats, the reality,

we talk about who won X number of majors and X number of tournaments. Well, if black folks had the freedom to be fully free, Americans that play in the NCAA and play college football and basketball and golf and these sports, you may very well be talking about

a Charlie Siffer or Teddy Rhodes or Pete Brown or a Lee Elder with multiple major winners and far more wins if they do not have to deal with the reality of being black playing. Well, there's no question, Roland, that every sport should have an asterisk to it for anything that transpired before the 1960s because of what you just absolutely said, because it was not a level playing field. It wasn't even a field that we were allowed to participate. When I think about what the athletes that you mentioned in golf endured,

I think about cooperation, camaraderie, and endurance. I mean, the camaraderie and cooperation they had to have with each other to lift each other, because they were all going through these unbelievable circumstances that too many have forgotten about. And I'm glad today that we have the opportunity to remind people that it wasn't just about playing the game. It was about enduring and surviving, even more so than maybe some of the people in team sports. And again, this is, and Jeff could speak to this, this is an individual sport where at the end of the day, the beginning of the day, it's just you on that tee. You don't have a team. You don't have teammates.

You don't have coaches. It's you and that tee and that golf course. And so the fact that they had to endure that, that they still went on to perform at the highest level. Most of them, by the time they got to the PGA and got their card, were past their prime. So we didn't even see them really in their prime for the most part. But that's because they were excluded until 1961. So the fact that they were able to support each other and still endure and prosper at the highest level of the game is something that should be remembered and not forgotten. As we teach our histories, we teach all of our histories,

everyone, every golfer on the tour should know the history of that sport, the good, the bad, and the ugly, so they can appreciate it every time they step up to the team. Well, one of the things that, Rene and Jeff, is that one of the things that we can definitely say, anytime you saw Lee, even when he was battling his health issues, when he had the oxygen tank attached to him, you saw him at the Masters,

we had to take a break at the Matt Invitational Q&A. Lee always had a smile on his face, and it was about joy. It was about joy, Renee, and he loved the game. He loved teeing it up, and I was joking with him big time. We're going to restream that tomorrow. I really want you all to see the Q&A. When we first restreamed it, we had some audio issues,

and so we're going to try to get that out to you, but that was the one thing. He always had a huge smile on his face, Renee. He did. He loved golf, huge smile on his face, Renee. He did. He loved golf. And golf just made him happy. And it made him happy when he was able to do things with other people and for other people.

I mean, he lived his life to play the game. He lived his life to be around others and to get them to enjoy the game of golf. I never saw Lee angry, ever. Well, I tell you, Jeff, I was just thinking about, we were playing the Jeffrey Osborne Golf Tournament, and Lee and his wife came out of the hotel, and Lee was like, he said, yeah, we're going to the airport. We got our time, and we were talking.

And I was like, Lee, you might want to double-check your flight reservation. And then he didn't realize the distance we were from the Foxwood Casino to the airport. And he was like, wait a minute. He said, we're going to miss this flight. I'm like, Lee, why don't you take my car and get to the damn airport? You're going to miss that flight. And he just cracked up laughing.

And that's just the kind of guy he was. Roland, if I could just weigh in on that, because that's one of the things I thought about today. Every video, every piece of video that I saw on Lee Elder, he was filled with joy. And knowing what he endured, and yet seemingly able to release the bitterness that it's easy to retain, to forget about and put a shield up, separating him from all he endured and not embracing that. Correct me if I'm wrong, Rene.

You said that he was filled with joy and enjoyed the game of golf. But, man, every time we saw him and every story you hear about him, he didn't hold on to what happened to him. And some athletes do. It pains some, it breaks some, and some it even kills. But it seems that he was somehow able to separate himself and his heart from that which he saw,

that which he experienced, the negatives that he endured. And, man, that's a real gift. It is. And Lee didn't have any. I mean, he always saw the bright side of things and wanted others to also see that and feel that. Well, look, we certainly appreciate everyone sharing their stories. Jeff, thanks a bunch as well.

Give my best to Cameron as he competes on the PGA Tour, continuing the tradition of black excellence on the PGA Tour. And we look forward to sharing that Q&A. Y'all are going to really enjoy it. Lee had us cracking up, telling us stories, especially one of the good stories, Renee, about how they used to go hustle golfers in certain cities for money. And they got to one place.

And let's just say one guy was not happy that he got hustled by Lee and his friends and they had to book it out of town or they were going to get shot by a homeboy. Y'all, it was – because Lee told me the story when we were playing. I was like, Lee, you got to retell that story to all the young golfers who were here who don't have to hustle like he and Lee Trevino did. But it was a great story. I look forward to sharing it with our folks. Roy Johnson, Rene Powell, Jeff Champ, I certainly appreciate

you. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Okay, thanks, Roland. Thank you. All right, folks, I'm going to go to a quick break. We come back a little more of the sights and sounds of the Bayou Classic this weekend, the 40th annual Bayou Classic between Southern University and Grambling State. That's next on

Roland Martin and the Trth annual Bayou Classic between Southern University and Grambling State. That's next on Roller Martin and the Filter. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Субтитры создавал DimaTorzok ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА folks black star network is a real uh revolutionary right now support this Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. Stay Black. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You can't be black on media and B-Scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? I need to try it first. Yes, yes, yes, no, yes, yes, yes, yes, no, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, folks, you see me rocking the selling shirt. They gave me the gear. The president said, make sure he gets this. And so I'm wearing their hoodie on the show today. It was a thrilling weekend as Grambling beat selling last second field goal to capture the 48th annual Bayou Classic.

Cameras were there, partnering with Coca-Cola. Of course, we were there at the Coach's Luncheon. We were there, of course, for the show before the Battle of the Bands and the Steps show. Then, of course, the parade on Saturday. Then, of course, we had on Saturday, we were broadcasting live from Champion Square. Then, of course, we also live streamed the halftime show, the full halftime show. So here's just some of the stuff that we shot Saturday night as well, including that moment from the field when Grambling kicked that field goal

and the crowd went crazy. Y'all take a look. Hey, folks. I'm Roland Martin with the Black Star Network. Welcome to the 48th annual Bayou Classic Halftime Show. Presented by Coca-Cola. Featuring the Southern University Human Jukebox. And the Gremlin Tigers Marching Band.

Let's bring the funk! Mike Chet Walton ¶¶ Oh, my God. ¶¶ ¶¶ ¶¶ ¶¶. Let's go, baby. Let's see it. Give it back. Storbritannia! Come on, man. ¶¶ Oh, my God. 2A 3.30 3F 5.30 3F 5.30 3F 5.30 3F 5.30 FANS ROAR ¶¶ LSp4 2.70 I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you.

I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you.

I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you.

I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to lie to you. so god be the glory Oh, my God... What's going on, bro? All right. All right, Frank, good to meet you. What's up? What's up, man?

Nobody but me, what up? Ain't nobody but me, what up? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man?

What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? What's up, man? This is the same old life. This is the same old life. How about that? We play this game again. Go ahead. Quite an emotional moment there for a lot of the Grambling

players. When you see the people who are crying, look, those are seniors. Same thing happened on the southern sideline. And so, last game for many of those folks. Last time they ever played football. Last time they ever played football. Last time they ever played football. Same thing happened on the southern sideline. And so, last game for many of those folks. Last time they ever played football.

Last time they ever cheered. Last time they ever played in the band. Last time they ever be a dancer or a drum or, you know, carrying the flags. And so, a great weekend on both sides. And we certainly appreciate Coca-Cola for partnering with us to bring you the 40th annual Bayou Classic. Next month, we will be in Atlanta for the celebration of And we certainly appreciate Coca-Cola for partnering with us to bring you the 40th annual Bayou Classic.

Next month, we will be in Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl pitting the winner of the SWAC conference as well as the MEAC conference. Looking forward to that. We'll be there December 14th through the 19th bringing you all the festivities from the Celebration Bowl sponsored by Coca-Cola. And so, we're looking forward to that.

So, thank you so very much. All right, folks, that's it for us. We will see you guys tomorrow right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Don't forget to download the Black Star Network app. That's how we were able to do everything. If you missed a lot of our coverage, just simply go to the app. You can see all of the events that we actually stream. Download to your Apple iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Android TV,

Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, and Smart TV. And of course, support our Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars can support what we do. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, RM Martin Unfiltered, Venmo's RM Unfiltered, Zillow's Roland at RolandSMartin.com. All right, folks, that's it.

I will see you tomorrow right here. Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Yo, shout out to my niece, Lizzy. Happy birthday. Oh, hold up. Brother, I was in the airport. He watches the show. He's like, you're not going to forget?

Like, bro, chill out. I'm not going to forget. And so he wanted me to give him a shout out. He is a, serves in the U.S. Marine Corps. And so, I know I put it in our group name. So let me go ahead and pull that up so I wouldn't forget. Let's see here. If y'all see the name, y'all let me know.

I posted it on yesterday. And so, we were flying back. He was asking me did I enjoy the game. And I told him I certainly So we were flying back. He was asking me did I enjoy the game. And I told him I certainly enjoyed the game very much so. And so he's like, man, can I get a shout out? Can I get a shout out? Was it Sergeant Lewis with..

Let's see here. Did I put it in here? I know I remember it. I know, y'all. I typed it in. Calm down. All right. Hold on.

Hold on. Where did I put it? I put it over here somewhere. All right, Sergeant Lewis, U.S. Marine Corps. I told you I would give you a shout-out. All right? You got your shout-out. All right?

Told you I was going to do it. All right, y'all. That that's it i'll see y'all right here rolling martin unfiltered i know a lot of cops they They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. of Health and Human Services a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.