#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Angel Reese Double Standard, MLK’s Mason Temple Speech 55th Anniversary, IL Chicago Mayoral Election

Episode Date: April 4, 2023

4.3.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Angel Reese Double Standard, MLK’s Mason Temple Speech 55th Anniversary, IL Chicago Mayoral Election New York City is preparing for Trump's arraignment and the mayor as a stern warning for anyone coming to the city to start trouble. The Louisiana State University women's Basketball team won the NCAA Title on Saturday with Most Outstanding player Angel Reese leading the way. Still, instead of congratulations, she has received thousands of social media posts blasting her behavior as classless. We will break down the acceptability politics black athletes are expected to play and how the double standards persist in all sports. Tomorrow marks the 55th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" speech at Riverside Church condemning the Vietnam War. We will commemorate his legacy and speak to the author of Martin Luther King's Biblical Epic, Keith Miller, about his historic speech just one year before his assassination. Chicago has a Mayoral runoff election tomorrow. We will speak with Cook County Commissioner and Mayoral Candidate Brandon Johnson III about how he plans on changing Chicago for the better if he wins.Download 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers

at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Today is Monday, April 3rd, 2023. Coming up on Roland Martin, filter streaming live on the Black Star Network. We got that black yak ready. Donald Trump is going to be arraigned tomorrow. They are making precautions, security precautions.

Yeah, we can't wait to see him fingerprinted and for that mug shot to drop. All right, y'all. Louisiana State University, they won the Women's National Championship. But why is all the talk today not about the great game yesterday beating Iowa, but this whole issue about taunting and trash talking? Now, when the white girl, Caitlyn, did it, it was all good. When the sister does it, now folk got an attitude. We'll break that thing down right here on the show with our guest. Also, of course, folks,

tomorrow marks the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But it was his speech at Mason Temple on today that I argue is his greatest ever. We'll talk to the author of a book about that very issue. All right, folks. Also, Chicago. Big election tomorrow.

Mayor. Who will win? Brandon Johnson, Paul Vallis. Paul Vallis has refused to come on this show. We've been trying for two weeks. Brandon Johnson makes his third appearance. That tells you all you need to know about who wants to talk to Black-owned media.

All right, we'll talk to him on the show as well. Lot of stuff to break down, folks. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's rolling with Uncle Roro, yo. Yeah, yeah. It's rolling, Martin. Yeah.

Yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martin. Now. I know he's rolling, Martel. Martel. Oh, New York City is preparing for Donald Trump to surrender tomorrow to face charges after being indicted by a grand jury.

Security precautions are being taking place as they are laying, putting out barricades, things along those lines. Trump flew from Florida today with a bunch of his aides to turn himself in. Secret Service had to make all the necessary arrangements for this. No former president has ever been indicted.

We've never seen a mugshot and fingerprinting of a former president. But when you were the thug in chief, this is exactly what happens. The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, makes perfectly clear they are prepared to handle whatever comes down with Donald Trump and any of his crazy MAGA nut cases. While there may be some rabble rouses thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple. Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger. We are the safest large city in America because we respect the rule of law in New York City. And although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, She stated she's coming to town.

While you're in town, be on your best behavior. As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind. And if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are. I just love that he name-checked crazy-ass Marjorie Taylor Greene. Ah, that was so great, folks. Again, Republicans are whining, complaining,

oh, my God, this is so unfair. This is political. If you do wrong, it's going to catch up with you. My panel joining us right now, I'm a Congo Dabinga, a professorial lecturer at the School of International Service, American University. Dr. Julian Malveaux, of course,

Dean, College of Ethnic Studies, California State University at LA. So glad to have both of y'all here. So, I must say, I must say, I don't mind anything. I don't mind everything that's going to go down tomorrow, Julian. Thug-in-chief deserves everything that he gets.

He made this possible. It's his actions. They can't be trying to blame everybody else. He needs to be held accountable for being a thug. Absolutely. I think it's hilarious that he's shilly-shallying. He's doing what he's been doing his whole life, avoiding the law. People have been talking about how, you know, his lawyers are going to have all these motions

and they're going to contest. But the bottom line is he's being held to his game. Now, I love Eric Adams for a number of reasons, but as you said, calling Marjorie Taylor green out is letting that woman know before she comes to New York City to show you're behind, and you too will be wearing an orange jumpsuit. And I would like nothing more than to see her

with her fake Barbie doll looking self, to see her with some handcuffs on her. I just can't wait. The worst thing, though, Roland, or not worst, but one of the most challenging is that this may be the weakest case against the orange man, although he ain't that orange anymore. But this may be the weakest case.

I think the better cases might be Georgia and certainly New York. So I'm hoping, however, that they... Alan Bragg would have brought this if he couldn't win it. So I'm hoping that he prevails. But, Amakongo, here's the deal. We don't know if this case is weak or strong. CNN reporting,

he's going to get hit with 34 charges. We don't know what those charges entail. It's under sealed indictment. And so people are making assumptions as to this is only related to Stormy Daniels. We don't know that. Absolutely. And ever since the indictment was brought up,

all of these pundits throughout the weekend and into today are talking about this is a travesty, a miscarriage of justice, and nobody knows what's in the documents, which we will see tomorrow. The fact of the matter is, when you're talking about over 30 counts, and remember, when Brad came in,

this was something that he wasn't even really going to touch. But clearly, more information has been put out, and we see that this brother is very, very serious. And when it comes to Trump and his acolytes, they're sitting there flying up on the plane, rolling, they're using this as a campaign fundraiser. I mean, if you want to talk about a guy who has

no respect and looks at an opportunity to politicize every moment for the first time in his life, some responsibility is going to come his way. And though people may think this is the lightest, we don't know what's coming. What we are seeing is that it doesn't matter. The Trump group, is they're going to politicize everything? I think the amount that they've raised up to is about $7 million right now. So it's a continual grip. And he's been raising money since he announced two weeks ago or a week and a half ago, falsely, that he was going to be indicted last Tuesday. And so I'm just happy to see that we are going to see the start of some form of accountability for this man.

We don't know where the trial is going to go. We don't know what's going to happen. But like Dr. Malvo said, it's just the beginning. And this is going to be a very interesting campaign season for for Mr. Trump. But I'm just frustrated at the fact that he is profiting off of this, but this is what he does. The only thing Eric Adams was missing, Mayor Adams, I just needed him to say, Roland, don't start now, it won't be none. And just call it a day. But really, at the end of the day, we need to do our job, especially after these counts come out, these 30-plus counts, hold these guys who we have on our shows and these guys on CNN and all these other networks, they got to hold them accountable.

No more pontificating. Read the charges and let the Lindsey Grahams of the world run themselves around in circles embarrassing themselves trying to defend the indefensible. D, y'all hold tight one second. I got to go to break. We come back. We're going to talk about all the drama from yesterday dealing with the aftermath of LSU winning the national championship.

All these folks are in their feelings because a sister was trash talking and she was sitting here doing this and pointing to the.. All she was saying is we're going to get a ring about the size of my alpha ring. That's what she was saying. So we're gonna talk about that thing next, y'all. Again, folks, wait till we show you how some of these white folks on social media have been just really, really, really

tripping and in their feelings. Yeah, we're gonna break that thing down next. Also, today is April 3rd. And 55 years ago today, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave that momentous speech. And I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna tell you, I'm April 3rd, and 55 years ago today, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

gave that momentous speech at Mason Temple. Too many black people, too many people, but too many black people have only heard the bottom portion of that speech. They have not heard the full 43-minute and 16-second speech. That was an economic speech. That was a black empowerment speech. We're going to break that thing down right here on Rolling Martin Unfiltered.

You don't want to miss that. Don't forget, download our app, Apple Phone, Android Phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Also, watch us on Amazon News. If you go to Amazon Fire, click Amazon News and you can check out our 24 hour, seven day a week streaming channel right there. You can also say Alexa, play news from Black Star Network. You can check out the audio as well.

And of course, please join our Bring the Funk fan club. We have to raise about $100,000 every single month, y'all, to do what we do. We're still fighting a good fight when it comes to advertising dollars but that's what's going on. We have to raise about $100,000 every single month, y'all, to do what we do. We're still fighting a good fight when it comes to advertising dollars, but that's what's going on. Send your check and money orders to PO Box 571-96, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196.

Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal or Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartin Unfiltered.com. And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Brownie of America is Making White harder in Black, Brown, and Native communities. Not many people talk about it because they clearly don't know our lives. But with President Biden's landmark infrastructure and climate plans, our issues are finally seen.

Removing lead pipes means we know our water is safe. Cutting carbon pollution helps our kids breathe easier. 1.5 million new jobs means stable work in communities. The impact we need right now. A lot of these corporations or people that are running stuff push black

people if they're doing a certain thing. What that does is it creates a butterfly effect of any young kid who wants to leave any situation they're in, and the only people they see are people that are doing this. So I gotta be a gangster, I gotta shoot, I gotta sell, I gotta do this in order to do it. And it just becomes a cycle.

But when someone comes around and is making other, oh, we don't, you know, they don't wanna push it or put money into it. So that's definitely something I'm trying to fix too, is just show there's other avenues. You don't gotta be a rapper, you don't gotta be a ballplayer. You can be a country singer, you can be an opera singer, you can be a damn whatever, you know? Showing the different avenues can be an opera singer, you can be a damn whatever, you know?

Showing the different avenues, and that is possible, and it's hard for people to realize it's possible until someone does it. Hey, I'm Antonique Smith. Hey, I'm Arnaz J. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin, unfiltered. I mean, could it be any other way? Really, it's Roland Martin. Thank you. All right, folks.

Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Huge numbers over the weekend dealing with the NCAA Women's Final Four. Major, major numbers in terms of the ratings. Lots of interest. Yesterday's final, of course, took place between LSU and Iowa. LSU thrashed Iowa in the finals. It was lots of conversation as folks were talking about it.

But it's what took place after the game. After the game, Angel Reese, during the game, the closing minutes, Angel Reese, who plays for LSU, she did a little taunting, a little trash talking. Guys, if we can go ahead and show that, please. To Kaitlyn Clark, the star of Iowa, saying we can go ahead and show that, please. To Caitlin Clark, the star of Iowa, saying we're getting the ring. And she also

did this other particular motion. It comes from John Cena, who was the wrestler. I don't know what the hell it's all about. Now, here's the whole deal. His was quite interesting. So, boy, when she did that, people lost their minds on social media, especially a lot of white people.

Okay. Here is Keith Olbermann. All right. So if y'all go ahead and pull it up. He calls her an idiot. Really? Okay. All right, then.

Then, of course, he had to issue an apology and explain saying he wasn't quite familiar with what Caitlin Clark did. Well, that was interesting. Then, of course, I don't know what this is, y'all. What is this? Okay, what the hell is this? I don't know what that is. Take that off, please. We've had other

tweets. Danny Connell posted, I mean, all different people. David Port Portnow, of course, you know, the fool who runs Barstool. He also had a lot to say as well. A lot of people with a whole lot to say with regards to what took place. And so what's crazy, his was crazy. His was crazy.

Just come to me, y'all. His was crazy with all of these. Just come to me, y'all. His was crazy with all of these tweets you see in these people. Is that, again, they're all just sitting here in their feelings. And it's sort of like, okay, you can't handle trash talk. You can't handle what people do? It happens all the time. Now, here's what's also crazy about this here. So ESPN, just 48 hours ago, ESPN actually did a segment on Kaitlyn Clark trash talking.

They talked about and they had her players and other people and it was just like hilarious that they're sitting here just talking about this. So you praised her

for trash talking, but then people want to have an issue when it happens from the other side. Hmm. Okay. How much sense does that make? It doesn't make many sense at all. In fact, Kaitlyn Clark, during one of the games,

trash talked a player, tell her to shut up. It's a Louisville player because they were down 15 points. Huh. Yeah. Yes. This is Clark doing the same gesture. Roll it back, y'all. See, same way.

Now, I love the explanation. Oh, well, she was doing that to her teammates. But that was a Louisville player who was walking across the court right there. Now, after the game, Reese had some comments. Here we go. So many people are talking about women's basketball. Isn't that a good thing? I'm happy.

I mean, all year I was critiqued about who I was. Nobody, I don't, the narrative, I don't fit the narrative. I don't fit in the box that y'all want me to be in. I'm too hood, I'm too ghetto. Y'all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y'all don't say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that's going to speak up on what they believe in.

It's unapologetically you. And that's what I did it for tonight. This was for the more, it was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me. Twitter is going to go into rage every time. And I mean, I'm happy. I feel like I've helped grow women's basketball this year. I'm super happy and excited.

So I'm looking forward to celebrating in the next season. All right then, joining us right now to... I know a lot of cops, and 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.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st

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The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. To talk about this

and how all of a sudden we should be focusing on women's sports instead it's all about issue of race. Kelsey Nicole Nelson, of course, sports journalist. Kelsey, glad to have you here. So you're seeing all this play out, and all of these people, all of these different people who are just blasting Reese, saying how she's an effing idiot and classless.

They people talk trash in sports all the time. You are exactly right, Roland. First of all, thank you so much for having me. But you know what? What people are just seeing is what it is to be a black woman in America and the double standards that always exist for us today. And I'll tell you, like you said, trash talk has been part of sports for as long as all of us can remember. Maybe some people are just now getting hip now. But, oh, by the way, the women's game has always done it, too. Maybe because you all weren't watching, maybe you all haven't seen it to that level. But I'll tell you what Angel Reese did even more than trash talking.

She made us have a conversation that America needs to have. Because so often, Roland, I'm being told we live in a post-racial society. I'm being told that racism doesn't exist. Well, this is point blank period why it does. This is why my senior thesis at the University of Maryland was on this exact subject of female athletes and how they're looked at through a racial and sexualized lens. And I think that's everything that Angel Reese was pointing to. Angel Reese pointed out, too, she's been doing this since she grew up on the streets of Baltimore.

She loves it. This is part of who she is. She's unapologetically herself on the basketball court. That's why she's setting records. She's had double-double records. She's had rebound records. She's a great basketball player. We praise Kaitlyn Clark for doing it, as you mentioned, when she just did this in a game against Louisville. But all of a sudden, all these harsh words are being used against a sophomore in college, mind you, Roland, who was just celebrating the game, celebrating the win, and having fun while doing it. But they're saying that she can't doing it, in oh so many words, because she's a Black woman. And honestly, we're just sick of it. So I think what Angel Reese is doing, though, again, is making us have this conversation. That's why so many Black women are continuing to place a crown upon Angel

Reese's head as she has done herself, the Bayou Barbie herself, because she should be able to be herself, as should every woman in college basketball. And I think no one's taking anything away from Kaitlyn Clark. But Roland, folks are saying, keep that same energy that you all are having for Angel Reese, for Kaitlyn Clark, for any other woman athlete or male athlete that does this in a sport, because we're not having this conversation about the men's game at all. It's all about the females and the way that black women are always being told to be placed in a box, to be good, to not be themselves. And honestly, I think black women are sick and tired of that. And I think Angel Reese is sharing this, changing this narrative. It's why we're so excited about

this Gen Z generation. They're not going to be put in the same threshold that those before them have been placed into. So Angel Reese is going to continually be herself, continually place that crown upon her head. And I think so many black women are supporting her for it and waiting for the rest of the country, Roland, to get with the program. Well, it's a perfect example. This is a tweet from Sherilyn Ifill. Go to my iPad, where she goes, a whole segment celebrating Clark's trash talk. Wow. Because, this is what it said two days ago, ESPN produced a segment called,

Caitlyn Clark, Queen of Clapbacks. The focus, her clapping, you're down 15 points, shut up. And of course, you can't see me hand wave. Her trash talk was embraced and celebrated. It was stigmatized and pathologized when it came to Reese. I don't, that's kind of real clear, Kelsey. I mean, it's not like they can say, well, you know,

Caitlyn's was different from Reese's. I'm sorry. Trash talk is trash talk. It's all in the same box. Roller, me and you can both do this. And if me or you do it, exactly, it's trash talk. And I think what's being pointed out to, as you said, box rolling me and you can both do this and if me or you do it exactly it's trash talk and i think what's being pointed out to as you said espn produced this whole segment and caitlyn clark's

own teammates were talking about how her trash talk it motivates them they talked about how she does it in the huddle how she does it on the court how that's part of her game how that helps to make her the player that she is and everybody was laughing in the segment having fun and she's actually being celebrated for that. But in the same breath, we look at the championship game that just happened yesterday. And Angel Reese is being demonized. I mean, we had a grown man called her sugar, honey, iced tea, Roland. I mean, this is a grown man over a media publication called a young black woman.

As he would never do that to Caitlin Clark. And again, this shows the double standard that exists in sports. And this is what head coach of South Carolina women's basketball team, Dawn Staley, had just talked about how her players, she said, they're not bar fighters. They're not monkeys. These are athletes. These are athletes. And they should be praised as athletes for the hustle that they bring, for the high basketball IQ that they bring. That's something that's not talked about enough when it comes to black players, especially black women basketball players. So we're saying the language and narrative needs to change because you can't praise Kaitlyn Clark for one thing and in

the same breath criticize Angel Reese for it. Angel Reese has loved the game of basketball for so long. This is who she has been. This is why she's such a great player. She's having fun with it. She pointed to the ring finger. She wanted to get that ring. Remember why Angel Reese even went to LSU. She transferred from the University of Maryland and her goal was to get a championship. She bought into the program that head coach Kim Mulkey had preached to these players. She wanted to be part of that and they were able to do that. And if you've watched Angel Reese in the games leading up to this championship, she had even painted, she had even posted a Sharpie of a ring on her finger. This is part of her personality. This is why she's gained

so much traction on social media. This is why she has the NIL deals that she has. She is a personality in sports. I think women's basketball is better for it. But again, folks, we have to stop this villainization that we're doing. And again, I preface everything I'm saying as someone who's been a black athlete in sports, as a black woman that works in sports media, and honestly, just as a black woman in this country and as a black person in this country, what Angel Reese is facing is no different than athletes before her have faced. It's a different level, but Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and so many other black athletes, Simone Biles, I mean, they get criticized, Roland, in a way that our white athletes just do not.

And again, people are just saying, we should be celebrating LSU today. I mean, they're having fun right now in Baton Rouge. They painted the city purple and gold, but we're still having this conversation because of the mean, hurtful, harmful things that people have said about a young basketball star that's just a sophomore,

and we're gonna continue to watch her, but she's changing the game. And I think, again, folks just need to realize Angel Reese is good for basketball, and she needs to be accepted as herself, unapologetically. All right, got to go to break. We come back, I'm going to show some more of the tweets. We'll also have what Don Saley had to say as well. We'll chat with our panel and talk with sports journalist Kevin Blackstone as well.

You're watching Roller Martin Unfiltered right here on the Blackstar Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You are not soiled. You will not be black. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. As an angry pro-Trump mob storms the U.S. Capitol, we've seen show. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance.

We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources,

they're taking our women. This is white fear. Coming up on the next Black Table, a conversation with Professor Howard W. French on his new book, Born in Blackness, covering 600 years of global African history and helping us understand how the world we know today is a gift from black people. There could have been no West without Africa and Africa. That's on the next Black Table with me, Greg Carr, only on the Black Star Network.

Hi, I'm Vivian Green. Hi, I'm Wendell Pierce, actor and author of The Wind in the Reeds. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. All right, go to my iPad. Here is a tweet that was sent out by David Axelrod, who was a senior advisor to President Obama. He goes, this was kind of unfortunate. If you're a champion, best to act like one. I have a feeling Caitlyn Clark, 22, will have rings, maybe many, in her future. He was complaining about that. Now, of course, when Axelrod got ripped by a lot of people for that, saying, oh, she's done the same thing,

then he then sent out this tweet. I didn't see Caitlyn Clark do this on Friday, but, yeah, same goals for her. That's literally what he tweeted. Hmm, okay, boy, ain't that something right there. Don't y'all see in terms of how these cats roll? All of these different people were saying stuff and doing stuff and you know just

weighing in and just calling her an idiot saying what's classless Kevin Blackstone he joins us right now long time journalist professor at the University of Maryland here's the other thing Kevin I'm going to go ahead and say this here I think there are a lot of people also

they don't let's just be clear there are a lot of people. Also, they don't, let's just be clear, there are a lot of people who don't like to see women in sports do the same thing that men do because there are sexes who go, oh, that's not what women do. I'm sorry, I watch NBA. During the game, Stephen Curry is like, I'll put somebody to sleep. You've got players who talk about the slash gesture. Other players point to the ring as well.

We see it all the time. But, oh, my God, women do it. It's like, oh, the world is now ending. Yeah, quite the reaction, right? I mean, there's so many parts to this. There's the misogynoir that you're hitting at there. There's the comparison to what men do. There's just the social media reaction. But USA Today, just a few days ago, when Caitlin Clark did the Cena thing in front of Hayley Van Leeth with Louisville, actually wrote a piece praising her for her demonstrative action. Underscoring that with the fact that she's the player of the year. So this is all over the place. It's stunning that this is happening now.

And the interesting thing to me about it is that these are a lot of people that don't even watch the game. Right. You know, I've been watching women's basketball on television since the late 1980s when ESPN, just trying to fill the station with content, used to show West Coast women's college basketball. And one of the stars was Penny Toler for Long Beach State. And Penny Toler happens to be one of the greatest, probably the greatest women's basketball player from Washington, D.C. And she took them to a couple of Final Fours. And she was just an electrifying player.

And so the women's game has been great for, you know, for a long time. People talking about what Kaitlyn Clark did in this Final Four. Well, I remember Cheryl Swoops going for 31 and 11 in the semifinal game in 93. And then dropping what is still a record 47 in the final game. I remember about a year or two after that, Charlotte Smith hit a three-pointer with seven-tenths of a second left on the clock for North Carolina in one of the most beautifully orchestrated plays to win a game that you'll ever see in any basketball game. So the game has been great for a long time.

Women have played it with a fervor that men have played it with for a long time. And what happened last night, it was nothing. And even Kaitlin Clark said afterwards, we're just balling. I mean, this is something that happens. And you know what? Next year, I can't wait until LSU and Iowa meet up again. Someone ought to sign them to a deal right now in like Madison Square Garden, right, in one of these kickoff, tip-off tournaments because this is a great rivalry.

And that's really what we should be talking about. Danny Canale of ESPN put out this tweet right here. What a classless move by Angel Reese, doing way too much to taunt Clark. My man Booger McFarlane, who works for ESPN, fired right back. Was it classless when Kate Clayton Clark did it? G-T-F-O-H with that. I love Booger's response there. Kelsey, the thing here, and again, some people took exception.

Some sisters took exception to me because earlier today when Angel Reed said that LSU women's basketball put women's basketball on the map, I was like, nah, sister, sorry. I'm like, no, Angel, you're wrong as hell. Louisiana Tech, USC, South Carolina, Connecticut. I used to play pickup ball with Nancy Lieberman in Dallas. Oh, right. Tennessee.

And so the reality, and South Carolina this year. And I said, then I even said, by the way, my Texas A&M Aggies women's, they won a championship before LSU did. So the reality is women's basketball has been on the map. It's different if you talk about elevated. But the reality is people were hyped about South Carolina being undefeated until they lost to Iowa this year. So I was like, Angel, that's why I'm like, you're wrong on that one.

They were like, well, you know, let the sister live. I'm like, no. I'm like, have some history like when Shaquille O'Neal asked Lenny Wilkins had he ever played basketball at this level, and Lenny said, yes, Shaq, I have, not realizing Lenny Wilkins was in the Hall of Fame as a player and later as a coach. But I digress. The thing here is that so the issue of how we look at how women should do things is one thing. But there is no denying Kevin and Kelsey.

Race is a part of this. And we heard, I saw social media posts from people who were talking about racist comments that they heard in the stadium from fans, how people were talking about the players. And then Don Staley, after they lost to Iowa on Friday, addressed the media about comments. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher.

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. Associated with her South Carolina team about their style of play that has negative connotations. Here's what she had to say. The truth about our team, okay?

It's a good question, okay? We're not bar fighters. We're not thugs. We're not monkeys. We're not thugs. We're not monkeys. We're not street fighters. This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball, on the court and off the court. And I do think that that's sometimes brought into the game,

and it hurts. And I do think that some of us, and I'm going to say it because I said I was going to say it, whether we lost or whether we won, some of the people in the media, when you're gathering in public, you're saying things about our team, and you're being heard, and it's being brought back to me. And these are the people that write nationally for our sport. So you can not like our team. You can not like me.

But when you say things that you probably should be saying in your home, on the phone or texting, out in public and you're being heard and you are a national writer for our sport,

it just confirms what we already know. So watch what you say when you're in public and you're talking about my team in particular. Just watch what you say about our team because it's wrong. You got young lives who are really, if you really knew them, if you really knew them, like you really want to know other players that represent this game, you would think differently. So don't judge us by the color of our skin.

Okay? Judge us by how we approach the game. And you may not like how we play the game, may not like it. That's the way we play. That's the way I coach. Not changing. We found success in it. And maybe some days, like today, we end up on the losing side of the stick.

But guess what? We live to see another day. We live to see another day. We live to see the comeback next year and try to do this again. Because I'm not changing. I'm not changing. But I hear you. I hear you.

I hear you. Because I do have friends in the media, whether you believe it or not. I do have some friends in the media. So for those of you who you at whatever event you were at that was nearby this arena yesterday, you were heard, you were overheard talking about our team. So...

Kelsey, she's right, and we know historically. I got an interview coming up real soon with the woman who wrote the book about black ballplayers in the NBA and the language that sports writers who are largely white have used that sports talk show hosts who are largely white use how they describe black athletes compared to white athletes. Exactly right. And honestly, this is a perfect tie into what Angel Reese was talking about, the attention that she was trying to show, how black women are judged, how they're perceived as athletes. It's always about the physical aspect for black women athletes, the physicality. It's never about the high basketball IQ. Kaitlyn Clark has been praised for a high basketball IQ and rightfully so. Kaitlyn Clark is a hell of a ball player, but that takes nothing away from the great play that we've seen all year from South Carolina. As you said, he was undefeated the entire season until losing to Iowa. And I think what Dawn

Staley was doing was she was putting the media on notice. She was letting them know she's going to go to bat for her team. And I think that's so important because if you listen to that press conference, these players see Coach Staley as a mother, as an auntie. And that's so important, especially for a black woman to have someone that they can rely on. They're judged and perceived through a different lens. You know, Aaliyah Boston touched on that. You know, she didn't even want people seeing her cry in the press conference, Aaliyah Boston, who plays for South Carolina, because she didn't want that to be another meme of her crying and unrightfully getting exposed all over social media. And I think Dawn Staley also saying, you know, if you're saying things, and I have to shout out my colleague, Andre Jones, who asked

that question. He's based in Houston because we got such an illicit, real, authentic response from Coach Staley. And she's highlighting things that so many Black athletes for so long have had to go through, the double standard that exists. And not just between male and female, but between Black female athletes and white female athletes. And I'm so glad that she highlighted that. I can't tell you all in this eye of relief that so many Black women have finally now had a chance to take by saying, hey, we feel seen. We feel heard. Finally, this is mainstream conversation. We're tired of being told to be grateful,

to be humble. And you talked about it. The word that we use, the same wording that you use for Kaitlyn Clark should be the same wording that you use for the South Carolina players when they make a great play to the basket or when they shoot a great shot from behind the arc. And unfortunately, it's just not that way. And race has always played a factor in sport. I think just yesterday, though, at this game, it's been seen at a higher level. I mean, there's a reason why, you know, we're being, we're, we're hearing now the great white hope, you know, something that was used previously when we talk about Larry Bird now, all of a sudden being used for Caitlin Clark. So don't tell me that wording does not matter. You talked about in that arena, even, you know, when Angel Reese and LSU were playing,

how Natasha Cloud, a WNBA player, Roland, had even talked about how racial language was being used in that arena. A sold-out arena, mind you. And she was sitting there, and it was uncomfortable for so many people in that arena hearing what was being talked about. So I say all that to say, Don, these comments were so important. I think her players had to hear it. I think black athletes needed to hear that. Just to know that they had somebody supporting them in this conversation. Kevin, look, you have been in newsrooms for a long time,

and let's just be honest. We have seen white reporters use this language, and we have had to check them in real time on the language they use to describe black athletes. Well, yeah, that's true. You know, I would say about Dawn's comments about the media, I mean, that's kind of an anonymous shot there. You know, I don't know who she's accusing,

but we can certainly talk about the history of sports journalism and journalism in general and how there have been different descriptors for athletes of color when compared to white athletes. And we actually saw that come to fore with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. And this is something that's been going on for a long time. I've written about it more times than I care to remember. You know, you can go back to a jockey by the name of Abe Hawkins, who was arguably the first superstar black athlete back around the Civil War. And he got charged with cheating during racing. And that was something that was very prevalent in horse racing at the time, but he suffered the consequences of it.

He was drummed out of racing for quite some time and obviously lost a lot of his potential earnings doing the same thing that white athletes, white jockeys were doing. Jack Johnson famously was criticized by his boxing style because it was a defensive boxing style. And white writers at the time said that he was a coward and that he was yellow. But at the same time, Jim Corbett adopted the same fighting style, and he became known as Gentleman Jim and was lauded for his boxing style. So these comparisons have a long time, have grown for a long time in journalism. As far as the tears that Aaliyah Boston shed, that's fertile ground in journalism. As far as the tears that Aaliyah Boston shed, that's fertile ground in journalism. In sports journalism, one of the things we want to be able to capture is the emotion of the moment.

And Aaliyah Boston is not the first athlete, black, white, male, female to shed tears in a tough moment. And that's something that we as sports writers, that's one thing that we want to bring to the public. And so I don't have a problem with that at all. And I don't think that she's in danger of becoming a meme. It's just, it's something that happens in sports. If you cover sports, you're going to see tears. You're going to see anger. Just yesterday, Alex Ovechkin

went on a violent tear on the ice. And then, you know, admitted afterwards that it's a very difficult season because it's only the first, one of the first seasons that he's played as a capital where they may not make the playoffs. And the anger got the best of him and it was captured. And the writer for The Post wrote about it all. I think it was I think it was maybe in Roman Stubbs. I can't remember now, but really captured the moment. So, you know, that's something we have to do. We don't have to protect. If we're going to treat women equitably as athletes, then we need to write about them and capture them in every moment that we do of men athletes. And that's what equitable writing is all about, equitably reporting.

Hold tight one second. I've got to go to a break. I'm going to put my panel in as well for a final discussion on this topic. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling.

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PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at Rolandsmartin.com. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, re-entry anxiety. A lot of us are having trouble transitioning in this post-pandemic society and don't even realize it. We are literally stuck between two worlds in purgatory. How to get out of purgatory and regain your footing and balance. What emotions they're feeling

and being able to label them because as soon as you label an emotion, it's easier to self-regulate. It's easier to manage that emotion. The next A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. Hello, everyone. It's Kiara Sheard. Hey, I'm Taj. I'm Coco. And I'm Lili. And we're SWB. What's up, y'all? It's Ryan Destiny.

And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. I want to bring in my panel here. I'm a Congo, Julian. Also, Nola Haynes joins us right now, along with Kevin Blackstone and Kevin. And want to bring in my panel here. I'm a Congo. Julianne also. Nola Haynes joins us right now along with Kevin Blackstone and Kelsey Nelson. Let me just go straight through all of you.

Just Nola, your thoughts on all of this brouhaha with Reese and Clark and all of this. Well, first of all, it feels good to be back on the show. It's been a minute. And what an interesting time to be on the show as a fellow Bayou baddie myself. You know, I was definitely paying close attention to what was happening because it was's LSU. So, you know, and, you know, I've been looking at all the analysis. I've seen the ugly tweets. I've seen the responses. And one of the things that stick out for me is it's always very interesting that everyone else can perform blackness, but black people, when someone else performs it, it gets exoticized, you know,

like that word that was used, swag. It's very interesting. For instance, you know, when black women, when we have full lips, when we have nails, when we have big butts, you know, when we're doing the Tony Ayo, and let's be, that's from Tony Ayo. Yes, you know, John Cena swiped it from him. So let's give Tony Ayo his flowers for you can't see me. When someone else does it, it gets more of the shine and it gets exoticized in a way. But if a black person is not performing blackness, but is just being black, then somehow it gets raised to a level of a threat. Because at the end of the day, that's what people are getting at without saying it. You know, it was okay for one person to do it because she wasn't being aggressive. She wasn't being threatening. But this young black girl does it, then all of a

sudden, then she's perceived as a threat, right? And then she's picked apart. Every piece of her is absolutely picked apart and analyzed. And, you know, another thing that I see it through the lens of, we think about blackness being exoticized by others. And then I think about we can't win for losing because either we're the uppity Negro or we're too hood or we're too ghetto. So it's nothing that we can really do where we can be our full selves without always being criticized.

So I applaud the young woman for being authentically herself. Omokongo. I think one of the things that has been very interesting is for people who are trying to say that there's nothing racial about this, is I was talking to these people online about their coded language. And when I'm speaking and working with organizations on this DEI work, it's the same thing. When people are saying, well, I'm not racist, but you're using terms like thug and hood and hood rat and the like. And then when it comes to the Caitlin Clarks of the world, the Tom Brady's of the world,

the Nicole Yolkis of the world, it's good for the game, passionate. And people have to understand that this is all part of the conversations we're having today about everything with woke and the language that people are using to actually refer to Black people. So when you look at what Angel Reese is doing, Coach Staley did predict it. We have to put people on blast. And I'm very glad that you played or showed the parts about Keith Olbermann and David Axelrod, because it reminds me of Dr. King when he talked about how sometimes these white liberals can be a bigger problem than the actual racists we are fighting. Because without any research, these experts in their fields, in politics and journalism and the like, were quick to show that.

And when they got called out, they had to back it up or backtrack it. And so I feel like all of us, the Coach Dailies of the world and all of us who know who these people are, who are making these comments, they need to be outed because this is a great learning experience for all of them if they choose to actually learn from it. Julianne? You know, I'm not

surprised at David Axelrod. I've always thought something of some kind of way about him. But it was funny that he didn't do a spot of research. I mean, Omokongo was absolutely right. He didn't know that this little white girl had made the same gestures,

had put her hand to her finger, had done all this, I can't see you. He didn't care. He just wanted to dump on a young black woman. And what hits me the hardest, Roland, is that she is a young black woman. She's a young'un. She's a sophomore in college.

She doesn't deserve this. She deserves to be celebrated. She deserves to wear her crown, to be lifted up. You know, but it's not just in sports. We're talking about sports because of what just happened. But whether we're talking about Vice President Harris, whether we're talking about Maxine Waters, or whether we're talking about this young woman, Angel Reese, Black women are demonized, we're diminished, and we're held to a different standard. And I would have had some respect for this Caitlyn woman if she had the decency to stand up for Angel Reese. See, people always talk about Black and white women and we're supposed to be sisters.

Not really. The sisterhood is frazzled when white girls get elevated and black girls get denigrated. But if Caitlyn was a decent human being and a sportswoman, she'd say she didn't do anything wrong. This is how it rolls. This is how I roll. I did this yesterday. So thumbs down on Caitlyn, thumbs up on Angel, and thumbs up on all of those who understand the way that black women are constantly marginalized, held to a different standard, and all too often it goes unchecked.

I was interesting, because here's the deal, as I think about it, Whitlock, I remember when the rioters, when they tried to pit Larry Bird against Isaiah Thomas for different comments. Bird wouldn't take the bait. So I understand Julian's point. I don't think Kaitlin Clark has to do that.

I think bottom line is people should be getting called out who are rightfully getting called out. Bird talked more trash than anybody in the NBA, but even he understood, again, the games that were being played with folks in media and in the public space. Final comments, Kevin, then Kelsey.

Yeah, I'll just say I'm going to leave Kaitlyn Clark out of this because she sat down at a press conference and she didn't make a big deal out of it. I saw her after earlier this year, Marilyn played at Iowa and Kaitlyn Clark dropped 42 on Marilyn. And in the return game, and I went to this one specifically to see her because she's a fantastic player, they bottled her up. And in the fourth quarter, after Marilyn was running away with the game, one of the Maryland players kind of brushed her shoulder. And you can see she was kind of letting him know, we got you.

And then the handshake line, Caitlin Clark was nodding her head as she was shaking everybody's hand, kind of saying, I'm going to see you all again. And she sure did, and they won. So I'm going to leave Caitlin out of. And she sure did, and they won. So I'm going to leave Kaitlyn out of this. She's a baller, and for her, I think this is just, she would rather this just be left to the court, as would, you know, I think Angel Reese.

I think they both see this as part of the game, and now it's just blown up into something else because of, not so much, I think, because of the media, but because of social media. I mean, that's what media, but because of social media. I mean, that's what lit this thing on fire. I'm glad that it did it to the extent of making the comparison and reminding people that this was something that Caitlin Clark had done previously. And there are a number of women in the game right now um who who play the game and talk the game um i'm thinking

of haley van leef at uh at louisville is another one um but i think this is good for the game but it but it did become racialized uh quite quickly in this final four when you contrasted the iowa team to the south carolina team, white women to black women, different styles of play, and so on. And it's really, really, it really was unfortunate. And it marred the game because women are playing the game at such a high level right now and coaches are coaching it at such a high level right now. It's never been more enjoyable. Final comment, Kelsey, closes out. Yeah, I'll just follow up on that. At the end of the day, these women were playing for this. They wanted a championship ring. That's what these young ladies wanted. And if you watch

the post-game press conference after, these young women, they just wanted a day off from school after winning the championship. I think we have to remember the youthfulness in college basketball. These are young women who are trying to achieve their dreams, their scholarships, student athletes, and all that to say, while they're playing for a championship, little did they know that they were exposing the two Americas in which we live. Many of us know what the two Americas is because we live this each and every day. And I think I'll disclose it by saying this. I think black women do deserve better. I'm so glad we're having this conversation. I think Angel Reese has forced us to recognize how black female athletes are treated. And I hope because of this, that they are treated better. I know it's not going to happen that quickly or that easily, but these athletes, they put their blood, sweat, tears on the line

for their universities, schools, and colleges. They want to play the game that they love at the highest level. And they are, it's taken away from, we just watched the most watched game in women's college basketball history. That's a win for women's basketball in itself. But I think all in all, I think these athletes have shown as journalists, as people, that we all must do better by society. It's just treat people with compassion, humility, and just remember it is sports at the end of the day. but I'm just thankful that Angel Reese is proud to be herself that she represents Baltimore in such a way and shows that black women come in all sizes shapes colors and that we don't have to be grateful we don't have to be humble we could be unapologetically ourselves and I think what she's showing young black girls is

going to stand until the ages of times to show that there truly is a place for you you don't have to be what other people want you to be, that you can be yourself and you can be celebrated for it, not just tolerated for it. First of all, hold that ring up again. Roland, I saw you showing off your ring before, so I'm going to bring my own.

Girl, did they play for that little ring? They playing for that? They playing for one this size. That's what they playing for. I'm like, I know you ain't pulling that little bit of ring up. All right, Kelsey, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Kevin, thanks a bunch as well.

Thanks a lot. All right, folks, when we come back, we're going to talk several different things. One, some breaking news. A white man armed with a lot of guns and bullets arrested on the campus of North Carolina A&T. I'll give you those details when we come back. We'll also talk about today being the 55th anniversary of Dr. King's final speech, public speech at Mason Temple in Memphis. That and more.

Of course, we'll be joined by Brandon Johnson, who's running for the mayor of Chicago. Election is tomorrow. We'll also talk about the Wisconsin election is tomorrow as well. Two huge races happening in the Midwest. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. I'm Deborah Owens, America's wealth coach, and my new show, Get Wealthy, focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you, but you absolutely need to know. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back.

In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means

to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter. Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper.

The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skill through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersilling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. So watch Get Wealthy on the Black Star Network.

We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives, and we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life

is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, a balanced life with Dr. Jackie.

Hey, I'm Cupid, the maker of the Cupid Shuffle, We're Dr. Jackie. Thank you. All right, folks, some breaking news. A white man has been arrested after bringing more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and guns onto the campus of North Carolina A&T. This is according to an outlet there in North Carolina. Greensboro police arrested a man that they said brought several guns and ammunition onto the campus. It happened on March 26th. The police said the suspect, 27-year-old Brandon Bentley, was violent, making threats to law enforcement and chasing unarmed security guards on the campus. Let me show you a photo of him.

They have released his mugshot as well. This is, give me one second, folks. We're going to have it for you in a second. Again, we've been looking at this story and following this story. Now, remember, we had a spate of bomb threats that were called into HBCUs last year and that was taking place as well and so now we have this happening on North Carolina A&T's campus. This is again the targeting of HBCUs. How many times I warned people about what was going to be happening in terms of our campuses.

And, you know, people were making assumptions in terms of everything is fine. But I kept telling folks white fear is real. And folks had to be perfectly clear what has been going on. And so, again, this here is a I'm trying to pull this up. This here is a photo of the man right here. This is the man that police arrested, again, with several guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition on the campus of North Carolina A&T. We'll give you more details as we find, as it becomes available.

Folks, today, or tonight, really probably in about an hour or so, is the anniversary of Dr. King, his final public speech. It took place at Mason Temple in Memphis. And in that particular speech, he talked about a number of things. Now, here's the problem for most people. And y'all cue up the mountaintop portion. Most people only know about this speech in reference to the final

two to two and a half minutes where Dr. King talked about going to the mountaintop. This is what most people only know about that speech. Play it. Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now.

Because I've been to the mountaintop. I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain and i've looked over and i've seen the promised land i may not get there with you but i want you to know tonight

that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. Now, obviously very powerful, but the total speech was 43 minutes and 16 seconds.

And in that speech, he talked about a number of things. He laid out a vision for black America. He talked about operating and moving as the black collective. In that speech, he talked about building up black institutions, investing in black insurance companies, putting monies in black banks. He talked about holding companies accountable that refuse to do business with African Americans. Keith Miller wrote about this speech in his book,

Martin Luther King's Biblical Epic, his great final speech. He joins us right now. Keith, glad to have you. So many people, and it drives me crazy, Keith, how many people I talk to, when I play some of these excerpts, they go, who is that?

I'm like, the same MLK everybody keeps praising, but nobody wants to talk about because he's only been defined in a very narrow way. And that mountaintop speech is only, that bottom part is only played even by black audiences when that entire speech, as you wrote, is absolutely epic. Thank you for having me, Roland. I'm glad you mentioned that. You're right that that's the problem with people's understanding of the speech. They try to look at the last minute, the last two minutes, the part that you played.

But to me, it's pretty obvious if you want to understand any speech, you have to look at the whole speech. You have to look at how does this part fit into the rest of the speech. So if Dr. King only wanted to speak for two minutes, he wouldn't have spoken for 43 minutes, as you pointed out. So it's very important to look at the whole speech, regardless of what you think of it, at least try to grapple with it. And we talk about that whole speech. I mean, he literally lays out a blueprint for black America to move forward. And when people talk about being prophetic, him seeing and knowing that he's not going to live long, if you listen to the whole speech, you'll understand that he said, Black America, hear your marching orders.

Now take this thing forward. Right. He's speaking specifically to the situation in Memphis where the sanitation workers are on strike. But you're right. He talks about he talks about economic sustainment and he talks about boycotting the white, the white, white owned businesses that are are turning their backs on African-Americans, including Coca-Cola. It's interesting that he specifically names and indicts Coca-Cola, and Coca-Cola had given him a big reception in Atlanta after he won the Nobel Peace Prize. They had a big banquet for him because Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola, but he didn't care because he knew that Coca-Cola has turned his back on black Americans. So he's naming the white companies that are not treating people right.

And he is, as you're saying, he is saying, put your money in the black bank. There's a black bank in Memphis. Put your money in that bank and take your money out of the white banks. And, you know, again, I've listened to this. I've read this on so many occasions and what he outlines. I mean, he's going point by point by point. And even at one point, he's challenging black America on not operating as in silos or as individuals. He's talking about operating as a collective and what happens when we can move as a collective mass.

And he says, individually, we are poor, but as a collective, we represent one of the largest economies in the world. Only if we operate as a collective can we make changes. Yes, it's really interesting that he says that because that seems to overlap quite a bit of what Malcolm X said and what the Nation of Islam said, which is you have to establish your own businesses and we have to support ourselves. We have to build ourselves up. We can't just depend on integrating with the white people. So it's really interesting that he's saying that. Yes, and you can look at that as a kind of instructions or, you know, prophecy for the future or a plan for the future, as well as a comment on Memphis. Indeed, Keith, first of all, a fascinating book.

And I really hope people would take the time to not just read your book, but also would take the time to listen to the speech and study it. Because, again, it is so much more than just that final ending. No matter how brilliant that was, it really is a great summation, not just of his life, but really of the task ahead for African-Americans. The book is Martin Luther King's biblical epic, his final great speech. Now, show the cover again, folks. Come on. Thank you. Martin Luther King's biblical epic, his final great speech, Keith D. Miller. Keith, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much, Roland. All right, folks, go into a break. We'll come back. We'll talk more about this.

We'll play some of that sermon, and we'll also talk with the pastor out of Memphis as well. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered, the Black Star Network. We feel the hidden impacts of climate change that land harder in black, brown and native communities. Not many people talk about it because they clearly don't know our lives. But with President Biden's landmark infrastructure and climate plans, our issues are finally seen. Removing lead pipes means we know our water is safe. Cutting carbon pollution helps our kids breathe easier. 1.5 million new jobs means stable work in communities. The impact we need right now. A lot of these corporations or people that are

running stuff push black people if they're doing a certain thing. What that does is it creates a butterfly effect of any young kid who, you know, wants to leave any situation they're in. And the only people they see are people that are doing this. So I got to be a gangster. I got to shoot. I got to sell. I got to do this in order to do it. And it just becomes a cycle, but when someone comes around and is making other, oh, we don't, you know, they don't wanna push it, they put money into it, so.

That's definitely something I'm trying to fix too, is just show there's other avenues. You don't gotta be a rapper, you don't gotta be a ballplayer. You can be a country singer, you can be an opera singer, you can be a damn whatever, you know? Showing the different avenues, and that is possible, and it's hard for people to realize it's possible until someone does it. MUSIC

Hey, I'm Antonique Smith. Hello, everyone. It's Kiera Sheard. Hey, I'm Taj. I'm Coco. And I'm Lele. And we're SWB. What's up, y'all? It's Kiera Sheard. Hey, I'm Taj. I'm Coco. And I'm Lele. And we're SWB.

What's up, y'all? It's Rhyan Destiny, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thank you. All right, folks, here is, again, most folk ain't heard this part of King's speech. But I want you to listen to what he says, where he specifically is talking about direct action against companies that don't spend money with black people. And I want to commend the preachers under the leadership of these noble men. James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years. He's been to jail for struggling. He's been kicked out of Vanderbilt University for this struggling, but he's still going on fighting for the rights of his people.

Reverend Ralph Jackson, Billy Kyle, I could just go right on down the list. It's time will not permit, but I want to thank all of them. And I want you to thank them. Because so often preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. Go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy sealed test milk. Tell them not to buy what is other bread, Wonder Bread. And what is other bread come to Jesse? Tell him not to buy heart's bread.

As Jesse Jackson has said up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain. Now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they have been firing their hiring policies, and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on town, downtown, and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right. and not only that we've got to strengthen black institutions I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit

your money in tri-state banks. We want a bank-in movement in Memphis. Go by the Savings and Loan Association. I'm not asking you something that we don't do ourselves in SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the Savings and Loan Association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We are telling you to follow what we are doing. Put your money there.

You have six or seven black insurance companies here in the city of Memphis. Take out your insurance now. We want to have an insurance in. Now, these are some practical things that we can do. We begin the process of building a great economic base. And at the same time... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time,

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From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th.

Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-stud on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. We are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here. Now let me say as I move to my conclusion. As you... ...in... ...new Olivet Baptist Worship Center there in Memphis. He joins us right now.

Pastor Waylon, here's why, what drives me crazy. Every year, every year, when we have the commemoration, folk don't deal with the money. But if you listen to that sermon, he was talking about the money. Show me the money. Show me the money. That's what he was saying.

And Roland, look, man, that's one of the reasons I love you, man. You done quit preaching and gone to meddling. You and I have been friends a long time, quit preaching and gone to meddling. You and I have been friends a long time, so we see eye to eye on this point. But if you listen to that audio

and watch the video, that's nothing but preachers surrounding him, Roland. Those are preachers, black preachers behind him. When you hear people in the background shouting and saying, go ahead, Doc, say it, Doc. That's preachers, black preachers behind him. When you hear people in the background shouting and saying, go ahead, doc, say it, doc. That's preachers, man. There were hundreds of preachers in Mason Temple that night. And Dr. King specifically charged us. He charged the black preacher, to lead economic boycotts of white institutions. You heard him say it.

He was talking to preachers, man. At that time, the black pastor specifically, the black pastor in the black community, especially in Memphis, were the leaders of every black movement, not just civil rights, but education, economics. every area of black life was led by the black church. And that's who he was talking to. Well, I'm just I think also what has to happen is we have got to say to all these folk, hey, we ain't having the same commemoration. John Hope Bryant and I talked about that with Selma. I'm not going back to Selma unless we're having a money conversation.

Because, folks, go to Selma. It's the same thing. And Selma looked the same today as it did in 1965. And I'm just going, no. We need to be saying to these CEOs and others, no, y'all come to Selma for an economic

summit. If we ain't forcing a money conversation, others, no, y'all come to Selma for an economic summit. If we ain't forcing a money conversation, well, hell, all we're doing is doing performative civil rights reflections. Well, I'm going to put it this way, Roland. I hope that this is acceptable to your viewers. We're engaging in philosophical masturbation. We are engaging in feel-good, ethereal ejaculations every year around this time to make us feel good. And I'll go even further, Roland, with all due respect to all the so-called liberal white folk who love to try to put people on a guilt trip around this time of year. Well, let's take the holiday. Let's take the King holiday and use it as a day on. No, I'm taking the day off. I'm going to use it without due respect. I'm using it as a day off.

But on that day, and especially on this coming April 4th, I told our church yesterday that instead of doing sweeping up the streets and raking up leaves and cleaning up somebody else's community, we're going to spend our money at black restaurants this Wednesday, this April 4th. Or, okay,

folks want a real day on? Yeah, let's target specific companies that are not spending money target Specific companies that are not Spending money with black people That are not spending contracts With black people that are not spending Money when it comes to black owned media Damn this public service bullshit

That was not what King was talking about I have read enough of his speeches Enough of his sermons No he was saying Target individuals with nonviolence. He was saying direct action. That's what he was saying. Dr. King was not talking about some service project. Not at all. And he was not just talking to the general black populace, Roland. He was talking to the black preacher, the black pastor specifically, because he knew

that the black pastor was the one who had the respect of the black community and who had the money in the black community. He knew that if the preachers led it, it would be successful. But you know who his number one enemies were? And I know you know, it's just rhetorical. Dr. King's number one enemies were the black preachers, man. Yeah. And more and more as he got attention on the world stage, as he got more and more attention, he got more and more detractors among black clergy. Julianne, you're an economist. I'm serious. I'm tired of having these civil rights look backs and folk want to sit here and replay speeches. They want to quote King. And I said it. I said to Selma, don't y'all let no politician, Republican or Democrat, Democrat come to Selma for an annual field trip if they ain't bringing back some money.

Roland, you're absolutely right. I mean, people have a very bad habit of cherry-picking King. They like to go to a speech and find the part they like, just like if I have a dream speech. They like to talk about the content of the character. They don't like to talk about cash to check, but King said cash to check. There is a serious economic underpinning in everything that Dr. King said. And you can see it not only through his words, but also through his actions. But for those, I'm not going to go as far as you guessed

it, but he's right on. I'm just not going to go that far today. You know, I can. But the point is that there's a lot of useless yammering around Dr. King, a lot of lifting up. And as you said, a lot of folks who want to embrace him, but not embrace the entire king. Dr. King wrote a letter to Coretta in like maybe 1955. And in that letter, he said, I guess you could say, I'm paraphrasing a little bit, I guess you could say that I'm a socialist. Now, he never said that to us. He said it to Coretta as he, their correspondences. He also said to Harry Belafonte,

too. Okay. But their correspondences, they used their correspondences to bad ideas at each other. Very rich correspondences. But he definitely did say that. And when you look at economic models, while he talked about capitalism, his issues of capitalism were very, very stark. I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, peace and freedom for their spirits. Or what kind of society do you live in that has 40 million poor people? You have to ask what kind of society is it? Who owns the oil? Who owns the iron ore?

If the world is two-thirds water, why would we pay water bills? All those are economic statements that Dr. King made. But there are too many people who want to cherry-pick him and make him into this saintly kumbaya we shall overcome. That was not the Dr. King that I've read, that I've studied. That's not the Dr. King that I've read, that I've studied. That's not the Dr. King that we know. Pastor Whalum, so tomorrow, I know they're going to have the usual stuff. Is anybody talking about the money tomorrow? No. Memphis, I'm telling you, man, Memphis still owes Dr. King for the blood that he shed on the balcony outside room 306 at the Lorraine Motel.

But every program that is sponsored by the city, that is sponsored by my friends at the Civil Rights Museum, they're all very, very whitewashed. They're very, very sterile. And they're not going to talk in specific terms about economics specifically. But Roland, listen, when Black folk pool their resources, as Dr. King was saying, when we pool our resources and support each other, we are implicitly boycotting white businesses. Black folk can't seem to get with that, Roland. I'm a Congo. One of the things that was very interesting that I learned in the last segment with the author was when you were talking about how what Arthur was talking about how Coca-Cola had just finished honoring King when he called them out. And that speaks to the bravery that many of us don't have today as relates to not wanting to rock the boat because we don't want to lose our jobs. You see what's happening with all of this CRT fake activism

and a lot of teachers and different professors that are caving in because they don't want to lose their job. He called truth to power. And the fact of the matter is, when you talk about the economic message, one of the things that I really regret, you know, until my parents started to school me on this stuff, I was learning that romanticized image of Dr. King,

that I have a dream, the content of the character. And I fear that a lot of kids have been growing up learning that. And even now that's going to be taken away as it relates to these history books being removed from schools. So we need shows like this. We need the Black Star Network to really play. I'm going to be making my students watch the entire speech now that you bring it up, because everybody needs to know that he was a Black nationalist, that he believed in bring... building a Black nation. He traveled the world and saw Black nations be birthed in Ghana and other places.

And he wanted that so desperately for his own people here. He talked about it in the beginning of that speech, about traveling all around the world, ancient Egypt and all these places. But he's like, bring me here so we can continue to struggle and build this black nation. And we can't let people whitewash that.

The thing here, Nola, is very simple. There should be a proper deconstruction of the speech. Whenever I give speeches around his birthday, I tell him, and I tell him, I don't give a damn whether he bites me back or not. I tell him, stop playing the same crap.

I said, don't play the I have a dream portion if you're not going to play the stuff he said earlier. Because that part don't mean nothing. That ain't nothing but the hoop. The I have a dream part ain't nothing but the hoop of a sermon. A sermon ain't a sermon without the scripture. So how you going to skip the scripture but go right to the hoop? And that's what we do. Black people, I ain't talking about white people.

I'm talking about all these black organizations and I've been invited. I got all kind of damn awards and plats from MLK speeches and birthdays. We do the same thing. We are not operating with depth when it comes to MLK. We're letting white folks set the agenda for us as to

what we should be talking about. I definitely feel your frustration. I spent a great deal of time with Dr. King and his speeches at the Divinity School. And, you know, I'm going to say something that also, you know, debunks these myths a little bit further.

And I got to buy it. And I got to I got to do it real quick because I got to get Brandon Johnson on because he is a hard out. But go ahead. I just want to say this. A lot of people, a lot of people think that Dr. King was murdered because of his civil rights work. He was murdered for his economic message. Yep. And not only that, you know, he was also bringing along poor white people to also join in the in the economic message. Yep. And not only that, you know, he was also bringing along poor white people to also join in the economic message. So this is something

that's very important. I wish we had more time to talk about it because I have this whole analysis from post-George Floyd to black people on luxury items and all these different things,

but people really need to get into the complexity of Dr. King. It's a lot more than I have a dream. Well, we ain't just talking about it. We continue that. Pastor

Whalum, also know, I've already said to John Hope Bryant, we are going to convene an economic summit April 4th, 2024. In Memphis. It's got to be in Memphis. No, no, no. In Memphis. We owe him, man. Memphis owes him.

And we're going to call for the top CEOs in Memphis, in the South,'s in Rome. And we're going to call for the top CEOs in Memphis in the South, others around the country, and we're going to have a money conversation about Memphis. And we're going to do the exact same thing in Selma, because I am not going to any more of these damn events

if we ain't discussing money. There you go again. You done quit preaching and gone to Midland, and I love it. Well, that's how we're going to do it. So I'm going to let you know. You're going to and gone to meddling. And I love it. Well, that's how we gonna do it. So I'm gonna let you know, you gonna be on the planning committee, all right? Peace.

All right, sir, appreciate it. Gotta go to a quick break. When we come back, Brandon Johnson, running for mayor of Chicago, he joins us next on Roller Mark Unfiltered. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn lives

there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory university calls white rage as a backlash this is the rise of the proud boys and the boogaloo boys america there's going to be more of this there's all the proud boys this country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors

and its attitudes because of the fear of white people the fear that they're taking our jobs they're taking our resources they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women, this is white fear. Coming up on the next Black Table, a conversation with Professor Howard W. French on his new book, Born in Blackness, covering 600 years of global African history and helping us understand how the world we know today

is a gift from Black people. There could have been no West without Africa and Africa. That's on the next Black Table with me, Greg Carr, only on the Black Star Network. Hello, I'm Bishop T.D. James. Hi, how's it doing? It's your favorite funny girl, Amanda Seales. Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What's up, Lana Well?

And you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, two huge elections in the Midwest tomorrow. First, Supreme Court race in Wisconsin. If Democrats win that race, they will take control of the state Supreme Court for the next 10 years. That is a huge, huge race. We're also watching the mayoral race in Chicago. It pits Paul Vallis versus Brandon Johnson to succeed

Lori Lightfoot as mayor of Chicago. Now, for everybody to know, look, we reached out to Paul Vallis' campaign for the last two weeks. They have not accepted our invitation to come on the show, and so that's on them, just letting y'all know exactly what's going on there, and so

I guess Valls is not talking to black Valls is not talking to black media, black-owned media, and so, but Brandon Johnson is. This is his third appearance on our show. Brandon, glad to have you back. You've got, you're going down to our show. Brandon, glad to have you back. You've got you're going down to the wire. Polls open tomorrow morning in Chicago.

What is your closing argument? Yeah, thank you, Roland. And thank you again for the opportunity to speak to to our people. You know, look, better, stronger, safer Chicago is just moments away. You know, this multicultural, intergenerational movement has captured the imagination of people all over the city and, quite frankly, all over the country. As you know, MLK3 has been here. Congressman Clybourne has been here.

Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren. I mean, we have captured the imagination of the people all over the city of Chicago because we are moving a message that's very much uniting people, fighting for good schools, making sure that we have reliable transportation, making sure that we can actually afford to live in this city. That's how we actually build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, is by investing in people.

And I've made a commitment to double the amount of young people that we hire, not just for summer jobs, but for year round positions. And people are very much excited about that. And it's why we're looking forward to taking the people to the fifth floor. And when you talk about obviously public safety is an issue folks have been talking about. But one of the things that you have done is expand the concept of public safety, making it more than just give cops more money, but really creating neighborhoods that keep people safe. And it's not just about law enforcement. No, that's exactly right. Look, you know, public safety is on the minds of everyone in the city of Chicago, right? It's a serious problem. I'm right here on the west side of

Chicago in North Lawndale. You know, my wife and I, we're raising our family in Austin. And these are dynamic communities, but they have been disinvested in over the course of a generation. And as a result of that, of course, it's made our communities less safe. And so that's why we are committed to making sure that we are investing in people, that we're doing what works. And that's good paying jobs, mental health care, all that is important. Real quick, questions from our panel. Nola, you first. Your question for Brandon Johnson. Thank you so much, and I definitely wish you luck tomorrow.

As a person who loves Chicago, I have a question about, I know that you're expanding the definition of public safety. How does economic empowerment factor into that expanded definition? Because if people have opportunities, if they have hope, if they have jobs, if they can feed their families, they're not doing other things to do those basic human necessities. So how are you incorporating an economic message? Thank you. No, that's absolutely right. I'm the only person in this race that has actually released a budget plan, a budget plan that eliminates the structural

deficit that we've had to endure for a generation now, making up to $1 billion of new investments and doing it without raising property taxes. And what I've said repeatedly is that in order to create an economic environment that works for people, you have to invest in people. And one of those things is making sure that our small businesses are thriving. And so I've committed to a 50-30 plan, which means 50 percent of all goods and services have to be for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. But we have to target 30 percent for black-owned businesses. And that includes our legacy vendors. These are these large corporations that receive contracts after

contracts. They also have to hit those targets. And then, of course, good-paying jobs so that there are actual customers that can patronize the businesses, but also creating good-paying jobs. You know, many of the people who imbibe the entrepreneur spirit are individuals that have had good-paying jobs that have allowed them to save a little bit to jumpstart their business. And so by creating a real economic vision for the city of Chicago, these are the type of investments that will ultimately secure a better, stronger, safer Chicago. We've captured the imagination of people all over the city. It's a very exciting time for the city of Chicago, particularly because it's going to

happen on April 4th, the day that we, you know, commemorate the life and legacy, of course, of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who actually was right here in North Lawndale where I'm sitting today, where he was fighting for the very things and demands that we have put forth now. Omokongo? First of all, Mr. Johnson, I want to wish you luck in this campaign. From one educator to another, could you talk about your plan as it relates to schools? They're under attack, people from everything from safety to curriculum to everybody. People just tend to neglect how important schools are to our community. What are your plans as it relates to making education and schools such a, the prime, the prime attention that it's it's been lacking well thank you for that and you know look you're actually going to have a mayor in me who actually believes in public education my children attend the chicago public schools i'm a product of the

public education system here in illinois and you know look we have an opportunity to have one billion more dollars in our public schools by embracing a funding formula that I helped organize to change. And what we have seen is that because we have not embraced this new funding formula, the Chicago public schools is literally leaving one billion dollars on the table. So we're going to capture those dollars. We have an elected representative school board coming to the city of Chicago, which mayoral control has been an absolute failure. The bottom line is this. We need a well-rounded, rich curriculum, and that includes the arts, making sure that there's access to music. You know, one of the things that we have seen in Chicago is that arts and music have been cut from the curriculum, the trades. We're going to implement these as early as fifth and sixth grade. We're seeing opportunities break out all over the city of Chicago when we implement and institute the

trades in our work. And then, of course, child care for all. We are committed under my administration, not just for child care for all, but community college being free for Chicago public schools. Ultimately, the last thing that I'll say is we have to close the gap between graduation and education opportunities. And that's what my investments will do. And that's how we're going to have a better, stronger, safer Chicago. Julianne. Brenda, you know I'm very excited about your candidacy. I've taken the liberty of calling you by your first name because we know each other. But I'm so excited. The stark contrast between Vallis and the police union and yourself and the Seachers union literally lets people decide, what are your priorities?

But there are many black elders who really are frightened about the concept of defund the police, even though you have not embraced that. Talk to them about what your commitment to public safety is. And you don't mean eliminate the police. What do you mean? No, thank you for that. And Dr. Malveaux, I've admired your career from the moment I started organizing 11, 12 years ago. And thank you for your leadership to education and particularly the education of our people from the very beginning all the way up through college. You know, but the bottom line is this.

Look, we need to have smart policing in the city of Chicago, and that's what we have not had. The policies that we have implemented over the course of a generation has left us less safe. You know, here's the bottom line, that when I talk about prevention, we have to do that, right? And investing in young people and making sure that we double the amount of young people.

That is what's going to keep our community safer. We are going to train and promote 200 more detectives because we have to solve crime in the city of Chicago. I'm the only person who put forth a plan to implement the consent decree, also enforcing the red flag laws, which we're not enforcing the laws that are on the books. We have guns flowing through the streets of Chicago. People have access to guns that shouldn't have them. And so my public safety plan is comprehensive. And the bottom line is this, too. You know, I'm raising my family in Austin, and we love the west side of Chicago, but Austin is one of the most violent neighborhoods in the entire city. And no one has more of an incentive in this race than someone, you know, who has to negotiate with their children when they go outside and play, when they ride their bikes.

You know, this is something that is front and center and top of mind for me. And so what I want for my family, which is safety, I want that for every single family in the city of Chicago. And every time my mother-in-law visits the city and she's responsible to help, you know, you know, keep our family dynamics moving along. You know, I don't want to have to worry about her either. And so I understand the fear and trepidation that people have. And we have to make sure that we do what works. And what has not worked has been the policies that my opponent has embraced. What's going to work is what safe American cities do all over this country, and that is investing in people. All right. Again, we did this when we were in Chicago. Got 30 seconds. Make the case for somebody out there who says voting is a waste of my time.

Hey, listen, you know, we have an opportunity to transform the way we do politics, not just here in the city of Chicago, but all over the country. When I announced my candidacy, I was polling at 2.3 percent. And we were talking about mental health services, education, good paying jobs, environmental justice. No one thought that my candidacy would even get to this point. The reason why I need you to get out and vote today is because we have literally captured the hopes and the dreams of the people of Chicago. And our promises get to be as big as the city of Chicago. And listen, a generation ago made this moment possible. And I don't think it's a coincidence that we get to make history on the very day of which one of the greatest humanitarians ever walked the planet Earth. And when he came to the West Side of Chicago, he was clear about one thing.

If we can do it in Chicago, we can do it anywhere in the world. So let's do it in Chicago, we can do it anywhere in the world. So let's do it in Chicago. Let's take the values of everyday people to the fifth floor and know when you vote for Brandon Johnson, I'm taking everybody to the fifth floor, Roman. So I'm looking forward to you coming back to Chicago when we declare our victory and let's continue to organize to make sure that we're not just

electing our values, but we are governing on our values. Punch 5. Go to BrandonForChicago.com. Punch 5. All right. Brandon Johnson, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Hey, thank you very much. And again, to all the people who are watching the Black Star Network, let me say it. Since March 17th, we have extended numerous invitations to the Valis campaign to come on this show. When I was broadcasting live from Chicago, we offered for him to appear in person with

us at the book signing that I had there with WVON. They declined. We have emailed them every single day. They have not accepted a single invitation to come on this show to talk about why Paul Vallis is running. Now, I personally think that's stupid from the Valus campaign because maybe they don't realize that I'm also the co-founder of the initiative School Choice is the Black Choice, and he's a charter school supporter. So that was pretty dumb of the Valus campaign. But I'm just simply letting everybody know, especially those people in Chicago, to know we did reach out numerous emails to the Val's campaign. They did not find time not only to come on this show live,

but to even do a pre-tape. So for those of y'all who are making your votes, making your determination as to who you want to vote for, I dare say you vote for the person who makes time for black-owned media. Because if you are a candidate and you don't make time for black-owned media while you're running, you damn sure not going to make any time for black on media if you actually win. So y'all take that for what it's worth. I'll be right back on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.

When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine... I know a lot of cops, and 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.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things.

Stories matter and it brings 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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, 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. People-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it. And you spread the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. covering us. Invest in Black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people $50 this month. Wait until $100,000.

We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington D.C. 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Unfiltered.

Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, re-entry anxiety. A lot of us are having trouble transitioning in this post-pandemic society and don't even realize it. We are literally stuck between two worlds in purgatory. How to get out of purgatory and regain your footing and balance. What emotions they're feeling and being able to label them because as soon as you label an emotion, it's easier to self-regulate. It's easier to manage that emotion.

The next A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. Natural Hair Solutions, folks. It is an amazing organic two-step curl uh defining system now here's a video and you can judge for yourself uh people line up to see this product in action at hair shows all across the country and of course when they take a seat to try it they don't believe it is still their hair. Now, you can buy the product at CurlPrep.com. That's C-U-R-L-P-R-E-P.com. And it works on any hair type. Folks, it's just two steps, sweet butter and sweet defining gel, both at CurlPrep.com. And of course, parents, they also will love the system because they can comb the product through the child's hair with their fingers. Seasoned Saints, of course, also loving their products.

And the line has products that are great for twists, braids, locks, weaves, even those wigs and extensions. It's all at CurlPrep.com. You won't believe it's your hair. Go to CurlPrep.com and we appreciate them being a partner with us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. All right, folks, our black and missing, Janika Stanley has been missing from her Baton Rouge, Louisiana home since January 30th.

The 16-year-old is 5 feet 1 inches tall, weighs 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Janika Stanley should call the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office at 225-389-5000. 225-389-5000. All right. Come back to our panel here. Don't have much time left. Nola, you wanted to make a point with regards to April 4th. Go ahead. Yes. So thinking about the importance of tomorrow and thinking about Dr. King, it's it's very interesting because, you know,

I thought a great deal about the moment that George Floyd, after George Floyd was murdered, what happened, how everyone rallied around black folks. Everybody wants to throw money at black folks. There were tons of DEIA programs started since that has been stopped and or no longer funded. And it always seems to be these ebbs and flows in these moments where people seem to really care about black folks, right? And the thing about it is, is that they're also inside that moment, you get black folks who also want to buy everything black and black this and black that, and then that moment disappears. And then you go back to buying your luxury products, you know, because they may have one or two or more diverse models or whatever the case is.

But at the end of the day, for true economic independence and resilience, especially in this kind of Trumpian era where things are definitely changing, like I've even wondered, you know, with the situation yesterday with the LSU game, would that have been a different outcome if we weren't living in Trump's America right now? Would that have been a different moment? No, no, it would have been the same moment because the reality is white that have been a different outcome if we weren't living in Trump's America right now? Would that have been a different moment? No, it would have been the same moment because the reality is white folks have been tripping before Trump and they're tripping after Trump. No, no, no.

It's not that part. It's not that part. I wonder if the reaction would have been as strong. Yes. That's what I'm thinking about. Yeah, because the white fear has been in place since Obama got elected and even before that. But, yeah, it's just been increasing. Right.

But I'm not talking about the white part. What I'm saying is in a Trump world, I feel like we have been more protective of our own blackness, which is a really good thing. And I'm very curious if it would have been the same sort of response from the entire black community across the diaspora. Yep. Okay. That's cool that you think that. But these are some of the things that I'm thinking about. And I'm also thinking about how this plays out economically, you know, that there's always this brush of interest and fervor, and then it disappears. How do we continue that? You know, how do we, how do we say, you know, one week you're not

buying Gucci, but then two weeks later, you're going back to buying Gucci because there is a new black model. So it's something about having to shift that there needs to be a shift in the mindset, you know, and because we're so celebrity obsessed, unfortunately, a lot of that does come from the celebrity obsessed culture. So it's layered. And I think Dr. King was one of those people who understood the vast layers of blackness even before integration was what it is today. So I really urge people to really get into the complexity about Dr. King. You know, it was said earlier that he spoke truth to power in so much. Even after LBJ signed civil rights acts, multiple civil rights acts, he still said no. I am not advocating for you in the Vietnam War. So that is definitely speaking truth to

power. And I just feel like, you know, Roland, you are really one of those people that are out there doing it all the time. And God bless you for it. But how many Roland Martins are there? How many Roland Martins out there exist? Right? Well, so here's the deal.

And this is the key. First of all, you're right. What is required is therefore to be a, I've been saying there has to be a reprogramming of black America. I don't expend any energy on how many more Rolands are there.

Because if I do what I do, then I'm planting the seed to create that. And so what has to happen is we've got to be challenging the existing systems not to keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. And so by us highlighting it and raising the issue and then saying, let's stop having these MLK civil rights events if we're not discussing money, if we're not forcing CEOs to come to the table, then it's going to continue. And so what's required is for a new generation to say, we're going to be thinking differently about it. And so that's the challenge. Again, what we have to do is be in a constant state of reminding people MLK was more than three speeches.

And so that is what is required. And I've seen examples of when we do that. People also do change. And so those things are indeed happening. We're going to talk more about this tomorrow, obviously, on April 4th. We'll be talking about Trump's arraignment, but let me be real clear. Tomorrow's show ain't gonna be all Donald Trump. I'm gonna lead that

crap to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. We got some other black stuff we gonna be dealing with tomorrow, so I'm just letting y'all know ahead of time. Nola, Julian, I'm a Congo. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Folks, don't forget to support us in what we do. Join our Bring the Funk fan club.

Your dollars make it possible for us to do this every single day. Checks and money orders, PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Folks, I'll see you tomorrow holla folks black star network is here

a real uh revolutionary right now support this man black media he makes sure that our stories are told thank you for being the voice of black america rolling 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 dig?

Pull up a chair, take your seat. The Black Tape with me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world

is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me my new show get wealthy focuses on the things that

your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you but you absolutely need to know so watch get wealthy on the Blackstar Network. I know a lot of cops. 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. 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings 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. 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. This is an iHeart Podcast.