#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Bannon Indicted; HU Alumni support Students; Black & Missing Twist; Social & Emotional Learning

Episode Date: November 13, 2021

11.12.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: As the protests continue at Howard University, the students are getting some support from the alumni who will hold a rally tomorrow. We'll have the details.The defense attorney for one of the white men who hunted and murdered Ahmaud Arbery apologizes for his objections to having "black preachers" in the courtroom. Legal Analyst Candace Kelley will tell us what else happened during today's testimony.A strange twist in one of our Black and missing profiles. The teenager is found, but her mother is now in police custody. We'll explain.Three African-American women who work for a Washington State Sheriff's Department file a discrimination lawsuit alleging retaliation against minority employees.A look at how the pandemic has affected probably the most essential healthcare provider. Nurses.The youngest of the Divine Nine is kicking off its journey to Centennial year celebrations. The Grand Basileus if Sigma Gamma Rho will tell us what they have planned.And our Education Matters segment a look at "Social and Emotional Learning."#RolandMartinUnfiltered partners:Nissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPAmazon | Get 2-hour grocery delivery, set up you Amazon Day deliveries, watch Amazon Originals with Prime Video and save up to 80% on meds with Amazon Prime 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ArwxEh+ Don’t miss Epic Daily Deals that rival Black Friday blockbuster sales 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iP9zkv👀 Manage your calendar, follow along with recipes, catch up on news and more with Alexa smart displays + Stream music, order a pizza, control your smart home and more with Alexa smart speakers 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ked4liBuick | It's ALL about you! The 2022 Envision has more than enough style, power and technology to make every day an occasion. 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iJ6ouPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.

Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. today is friday november 12 2021 coming up on on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live from Los Angeles. Attorney Ben Crump has filed more than 100 lawsuits regarding the tragic case out of Astroworld Festival involving Travis Scott and Live Nation. Also, the ninth person has died. We'll talk with him right here about those lawsuits. Also on today's show, Howard University alumni,

they're going to be protesting tomorrow on the yard, aligning with the students who have now entered their 30-day protest. We'll talk with one of those Howard University alumni leaders about tomorrow's gathering. Also on today's show, former White House Senior Advisor Steve Bannon has been indicted by a federal grand jury for contempt of Congress. We'll tell you exactly what that means. Also, what about former biologist chief of staff Mark Meadows? He might want to cooperate with Congress as a result of today's indictment. Also, on today's show, we'll talk about three African-American women who work for Washington State Sheriff's Department.

They filed a discrimination lawsuit against them. Also, a strange twist in one of our black and missing cases. We'll tell you about that as well. It's a jam-packed show. Lots to uncover. Lots to unpack, including the latest in the Ahmaud Arbery case trial update, where the three white men who were on trial. Remember yesterday, one of their white attorneys said he didn't want black pastors coming into the courtroom. He's now apologizing. Really? We'll talk with legal analyst Candace Kelly. It is time to bring the funk

on Roland Martin Unfiltered from Los Angeles got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling, best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks, he's rolling. Yeah, yeah, it's Uncle Roro, y'all. Yeah, yeah, it's Uncle Roro, yo. Yeah, yeah, it's Rollin' Marten. Yeah, yeah, rollin' with Rollin' now.

Yeah, yeah, he's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's Rollin' Marten now. Folks, sad news. A ninth person has died who attended the Astro World Festival concert last week featuring Travis Scott and others. Texas A&M University student Bardi Shahani becomes the ninth person to pass away. She showed no brain activity, and her family, as a result, take her off of life support. There have been a number of lawsuits that have been filed as a result. Today, Attorney Ben Crump announced more than 100 of those lawsuits. He joined us right now on Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Ben, I was glad to have you back on the show. This is certainly tragic. Nine folks have died. And so tell us about these lawsuits, the number of people who you are representing, and who are you filing lawsuits against? Is it against Travis Scott, Live Nation, Harris County, NRG, where the venue was taking place? What are those details? Roland Martin, thank you for having me. We are filing lawsuits against any and everybody who had responsibility, who had the authority to stop the concert at the moment when they first started having people passing out and fainting.

There were 911 calls that started as early as 9-0-4, but yet they let the concert continue on for another 40 to 45 minutes. And in that time, there were several people who suffered catastrophic injuries, like our client, 9-year-old Isara Blunt, who is on life support in an induced coma, fighting for his life. And so, Roland Martin, we filed a lawsuit today with over 100 of our plaintiffs that we represent, because when you go to a concert, it should be safe. It should not be the scene of a deadly disaster. One of the things that I saw previous comments where the police chief of Houston stated that they didn't have jurisdiction.

I'm born and raised in Houston. That particular facility, NRG Park, that's where the stadium is where the Houston Texans play. That's also the grounds where the Houston Astro Dome is. That's Harris County domain. But to listen to the police chief say they didn't have authority to stop the concert, I'll be honest with you, Ben, I'm sitting here going, man, if I'm seeing that unfold, just who I am, I'm going to walk on that damn stage and say, bro, folks are dying. Shut it down. And so what do you make of that to hear the Houston police chief? Well, they had hundreds of officers who were on the scene say they somehow didn't have the authority to stop the concert.

Yet, Roland, and you are a Houstonian and you know Houston well. It is clear that they could have stopped this concert. They had the authority. In fact, we understand now through our investigation that the you have the authority to make sure that the safety of the citizens who you take an oath to protect and serve are at first safe. So if you see where you get all these 9-1-1 calls and people are feigning and passing out, then you have a duty to act. But I want to say the greatest culprit in all of this, Roland, is Live Nation, in my estimation. They are the multibillion-dollar corporation who does 80 percent of the music festivals and concerts in the entire world. They should have had safety protocols in place.

They should have had crowd control personnel in place. They should have had medical protocols in place. They should have had crowd control personnel in place. They should have had medical personnel in place. They knew they sold 50,000 tickets. So a lot of this with the large foreseeability. And is it foreseeable that you can have a situation at a music festival where there are no seats that people can rush to stage. It's not only foreseeable, it's something that has happened before. So we are suing not just to get justice for those who were injured, but we're also trying to make sure that this is prevented where never again will people go to a music festival with their family and end up what's supposed to be a good memory is the worst nightmare of your life. On that particular point there, the Houston Chronicle has done reporting

showing that Live Nation, U.S. and international, they've had other incidents at other concerts across the globe, safety violations where people have also died as well. Earlier that day, that morning, folks stormed the gates and bussed through. You would have thought after that happened, that would have been an immediate assessment on the ground of security protocols. Here's that video right there where they couldn't stop folks from bum-rushing in. That happened several hours earlier before that tragic incident that night. Yeah, exactly. Roland, they were put on notice so many times.

Okay. And I will say, and I will just say, go ahead, go ahead. The fact that you can't, we got to make a change here, just can't be business as usual because people lost their children. I mean, high school students, Israel is only nine years old. You had school students. Israel is only nine years old. You had college students. They were young people who went there thinking that it was going to be safe. When you watch the press conference today, you hear those people describing truly what was a disaster, not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster that was all controlled by Live Nation. And so we have to make sure that they have accountability because they think they can just sweep this under the rug

and that these people in Houston lives aren't that important. Well, we're sending the message to Live Nation. That's why we're asking everybody who had video and of any kind who attended the festival, please contact us at astroworldclaimshelp.com so we can get all the evidence so we can get the answers. Furthermore, if you were there, we want to get your testimonies. And so we're asking everybody to please contact us and tell us what they saw. And if you were injured, obviously you deserve to make sure that there's somebody held accountable, whether it's physical or mental, because Roland, a lot

of people, mental health is free. A lot of people, life was changed by witnessing their friends get crushed and killed. All right, then. Attorney Ben Crump, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. And this story certainly has not ended. It will be going on for quite some time. Thank you very much.

Roland, we need you to come to Brunswick, Georgia next week with the Black Pastors. Send me a text message. Let me know when they're going to be there. I know we have to be in New York later next week for some interviews, but hit me up and let me know when and we'll try to see if we can work that out. All right, Roland. Black America, we count on you, brother. All right. I appreciate it.

Thanks a bunch. I want to bring my panel, Michael Inhotep, host of African History Network show, killer of the failed communications strategist, also a project, Muhammad radio and TV host. I'm going to start with you, Michael. Again, what happened here, absolutely tragic. Nine people have died, folks still in the hospital. And you heard Ben say they, there were issues. They had issues earlier in the day.

They had issues. They had issues in 2019. How do you have all of those security personnel that Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston said there were more than enough officials there, HPPD police officers, private security as well, plus the county? How in the world does this happen? I mean, Roland, you know, just looking at people just rushing through. Michael, you're muted. Oh, can you hear me?

Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Got to unmute before you talk. Can you hear me? I'm not muted. We can't hear Michael. Let me go to Faraji. Faraji, please share your thoughts again on what happened here. I mean, I think what happened is just a great tragedy.

But I'm trying to understand a couple of things, Brother Roller. One is, after the initial bum rush of metal detectives and all of those things, why wasn't the concert canceled altogether? Because you saw the rowdiness of the crowd. And if you saw the crowd acting that way, you saw people getting hurt from the very beginning. I mean, I've read reports from the chief saying that he talked to Travis Scott himself saying that, look, we look like this is going to be a problem. There's been other reports and there were multiple signs throughout the day saying that this thing might get out of control. Why not stop it? And I know

it's a big moneymaker for Travis Scott, for Live Nation, for a lot of people. But the reality is this was like something that could really have been prevented. And that's the sad part about this whole situation, Brother Rowland. The fact is, is that nine people died at, like Brother Ben Crump said, at a memorable experience, and it all could have been prevented. And that's the hard pill to swallow right now, especially when you're the victim's family. Michael, what's hard here also, again, I can't remember the last concert that I attended where you didn't have seats or whatever. And Ben is absolutely right.

I mean, bottom line, 50,000 people, if they actually make a rush forward, I mean, I give you the only time that I've probably been in that situation. I was in Ireland a number of years ago, more than 20 years ago. And it was New Year's Eve. We were in Trafalgar Square. Actually, it wasn't Ireland. It was Ireland and London. We were in Trafalgar Square in London for New Year's Eve. And it probably was about 10,000 or more people. And folks were... So we were in the square, and then we were leaving, folks were pushing and pushing and

pushing. And I'm talking about... I mean, it got real uncomfortable. And so there were not that many black people who were there. And then all of a sudden, I yell, hey! Stop the goddamn pushing! And all of a sudden,

all the folks that were around us sort of froze. And it was like the Red Sea. And it was four of us. I was like, all right, let's go. And folks just stopped. But again, in this situation, loud music, you can't hear. Folks were yelling. You literally could not hear. And so you have to plan for that. You just can't have a situation where thousands are rushing

towards the stage. And apparently what happened was they were at other stages and when Travis Scott tweeted what time he was coming on stage they all rushed to that stage and just and that's where the mayhem started well you know you had 50,000 tickets sold as attorney Benjamin Crump just said and then if you looked at the video that you were showing while you were interviewing him and you see people rushing through the security gates, right there you have, I mean, that's not supposed to happen. So I don't know if they had to go through metal detectors or as opposed to or what, but I mean, this is just mayhem. This is a recipe for disaster.

And Live Nation, they do like, what, 80% of the concerts in the country. And the other thing is that coming out of things opening up after the coronavirus pandemic, right? Come on, man. You're going to have this place packed, all right? Because so many things were shut down during COVID-19. You're going to have this packed. So you have to be ready for this. I mean, this is, I mean, there's huge,

there are going to be huge lawsuits behind this. Kelly? No, I agree with both panelists here. It is unfortunate that all, you know, we have nine victims for an event that is supposed to be festive. It is a music festival. But for me, my concern is those who really think that Travis Scott is at fault. In public opinion, you can argue that he is, but Texas is a modified comparative negligence state,

meaning that if the defendant is found to be more than 50 percent liable for the entire situation, then he is found liable for the damages incurred by way of this incident. I don't know, just based off of what I've seen and read off based off of this festival, that Travis Scott would necessarily be more than 50 percent at fault. However, Live Nation, who has the duty of care here regarding security, regarding just crowd control, all of these things, and they have a history of not doing this effectively. So the fact that Live Nation has a history of concerts going haywire, the fact that Live Nation was responsible for security, so far as I know, Live Nation is responsible for security. Live Nation is responsible for the flow of traffic into that festival. They should be the ones at the forefront of this saying,

hey, you're right, we're sorry, how much money do you want? Because at this point, the nine lives, you're never going to get back. But the only damages and the only solution, so to speak, that you can get as a plaintiff in this case is monetary damages. So I hope that Live Nation understands this and does not litigate to the point where they're really, really the bad guy as opposed to, you know, accepting fault and moving forward. 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. 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 iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. Arapahoe, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. All right, then, folks, let's now go to our second story. Tomorrow on Howard University's campus, the university alumni are going to be holding a rally in support of the students who have been occupying the Blackburn Center. They have been complaining about housing conditions and other issues on the campus. They've been complaining they're not getting

satisfactory answers from the Howard University leadership, including President Wayne Frederick. They've been asking for a campus-wide town hall and other issues. Joining us right now is April Silver. She's the founder of Akela WorkSongs, graduate of Howard University. April, glad to have you here.

And so, how many alumni are you expecting and why did y'all decide to have this event on the Howard University campus standing with these students? Well, thank you for having me. I'm on the campus right now. I just got here from Brooklyn. I'm outside. So we expect a great number of people to show up tomorrow, and we are billing this as Howard Unity Day, because there's been a lot of things going on, like you've mentioned. There are a number of issues that the students are holding up. Today is day 30, as your audience might know. The students went into the Blackburn Center October 12th. So our job as alum, as graduates, as faculty, because we will have faculty on campus tomorrow, is to wrap our arms figuratively around the students.

I've been involved with providing just moral support, comfort, counsel. And one thing that we say since day one, let me be clear on that, and one of the things that I've said from the very beginning, as so many of us have said, we're not here to give instructions. This is your protest. Part of the reason, though, why people listen, the students, because myself and a number of other people, including the mayor of Newark, who will be here tomorrow, were the architects and leaders of the 1989 protest 32 years ago. And that's when we occupied the administration building and the university and the board of trustees during that time in 1989 sent the militia in to forcibly remove us during a peaceful protest.

And our objective was to get Lee Atwater off the board of trustees. The reason I bring that up on a regular basis is to tell the whole truth about Howard University. It is the university that we love and we adore, and I'm a proud graduate. It is also the university that had in their mind that it was okay to bring someone like Lee Atwater to the highest level decision-making entity on campus. So we are supporting the students because they have long vision and they have short vision as well, meaning they want the mold and the infestation, they want that gone. They want to be heard as students. But what the media doesn't cover a lot is that they are equally concerned about having their voices removed from the board of trustees. In June, the board of trustees at Howard University decided that it would get rid of what are known as affiliate trustee positions. And that's where students, faculty, and alumni had voting power on the board. That doesn't exist any longer. We're

not talking about students being on a committee. We're talking about shared governance and having voting power and the opportunity to be heard on the full board. So that's gone. So I want your audience to know that while they are concerned about their material, they have material concerns and housing insecurity is an important thing, but these students have longer visions besides just their immediate needs, and that's why what we call shared governance is on the table for them as well. But also it's important to note

that they just want to be at a place where their president would have a meeting with them, and that has not happened with the full body of those who are protesting. So we support that. April, have you and the alumni, April, have you and the alumni, have y'all communicated with the administration, with the president? A lot of alumni have. The board chair is an alum. Dr. Morris is an alum. I have not, to answer your question more specifically,

I have not communicated with anybody in the administration. The student's legal counsel, Donald Temple, who is a graduate from Howard University as well, and who helped us, helped save our lives in 1989 when the president then, President Cheek, called the militia on us. He was our legal counsel in 1989. He was the legal counsel for the students in 2018, and he's the legal counsel now. So he is in communication and doing negotiations right now, of which I can't, of course, elaborate with officials. And to be fair and to be clear, there was a State of the University address last Friday, I believe it was, a week ago. So the president has come out in a broad way to talk about the state of affairs. And he kind of danced around you know the protest but it's not to the

satisfaction of the students in terms of the student leadership that are in the building and that's important for people to understand that distinction so i'm only communicating what the students have said but i want the community at large your audience to know that alumni have stepped up, they have pent up energy, they are hurt, they are embarrassed to see what we call baby bison going through this because so many of them remember this story as their own story when they were students here. So the alumni are ready to do something

than just send an email to the board or to make a donation. There is a need to connect face to face. And I'm wearing my mask as an affirmation that we want you to come on the yard, on the main campus, but we want to practice safety protocols as well. So that's an affirmation. But the alumni have given tens and thousands of dollars just to this particular cause. They have come and slept on the ground. The students' parents are in the building, you know, during visiting hours because it's structured in that way. So I just want to shout out to the alum, to the faculty who have courageously stood out, not whispering, but boldly coming to meetings and

sleeping outside with the students in what is called Tent City. The support has been phenomenal. Your show has been phenomenal. Your audience might know Elizabeth Warren came out and expressed, Senator Elizabeth Warren came out and expressed her solidarity with the students. Countless of people have done so, and they are inspired by that. At the same time, they can't figure out why the world is outraged, but they can't get a meeting with the president of the university. So that smells like and it feels like a disregard. It feels inhumane. This is a 30-day protest where these young people, 18 and 19 years old, most of them are women, are sleeping in tents to make a statement. So I just wanted to affirm that for sure. All right then. Well, we certainly appreciate you coming on to the show

and we'll keep covering this story. We've actually been on the campus talking with students, but also talk with administrators as well. And one of the things that I said to publicly on social media and here that if they desire, if they need sort of a third party to moderate that town hall, we certainly be willing to do so. Live stream it as well to be able to take questions from the students, but also administration. And so that offer still stands. And so we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. We appreciate you. Thank you. Thanks a lot. I want to quickly go to my panel here and I'll start with you, Kelly. And that is, again, this has been going on 30 days and the result of the students is clear. But the result of the administration is clear. Reverend Jesse Jackson, senior, tried to mediate.

This did not get any headway. That sent a whole lot considering he was able to get hostages out of Kosovo, out of Cuba, out of Iraq and other places. And so, again, neither side is giving in. And so what do you think happens here? I mean, have you met a Howard student of any class, graduated or otherwise? They're stubborn. But for good reason this time, right? Because it's not just the Howard students who are complaining to administration.

And I want that to be clear. It's also faculty and adjunct professors as well who have a gripe with administration. This is not something that is like students just who feel like they're entitled to certain things or what have you, and they just want what they want when they want it. It's not one of those cases. This is a case in which students and others, but right now we're talking about the students. This is the case in which students have paid to go to one of the most infamous black colleges in the world.

And, you know, they are paying for the name. They are paying for the prestige. They are paying for the education within the prestige and the name, and they are not getting their money's worth. You do not get prestige. Prestige does not come with rats. Prestige does not come with mold. Prestige does not come with unlivable conditions.

And if the students are such that they are gung-ho about making sure that Howard lives up to its name, I don't understand why administration does not see it that way and acquiesces to the students in agreeing with them and saying, you're right, we are better than this. That's all the students want to hear, really. The administration, Howard University, is better than what they are portraying right now, and they need to step the game up as opposed to just trying to stuff things under the rug like culturally they do, and just move forward to make sure that the students have the best Howard experience they can possibly can because what you're seeing right now students intense this is not it uh this is again it is extremely intense uh neither side is backing down faraji uh your thoughts i mean what has to happen here to come to a resolution well i think that i think the next step now that you know since students have protested and stood in front of the offices and the buildings, I think the next step right now is just talking

about withholding some money. You know, if black students say, you know what, I'm not going to pay tuition. We're not paying for this. Kelly talked about that, which I think is a great point. The fact is that if you're going to pay this money to go to school, you don't deserve to live among rats and mold. So if the students start to do an economic boycott, then I think they start to really start to push this whole, to push the needle forward on this. But, you know, is anyone else not blown away by the fact that, like you just said, Brother Roland, I remember hearing it on this show, that if Reverend

Jesse Jackson, an icon of civil rights and human rights of our time, right, he can do all of these great things, but he can't even get a callback from the president of a black educational institution. Like, that is absolutely crazy. So we got to ask the question. No, he did not. He's actually almost like he did get a call back. First of all, Reverend met directly with President Wayne Fredrickson. They've been on Zoom calls as well. So that's actually happened. So they actually met face to face, but they have not been able to resolve this issue. And that's the thing. It's like, what is really at the root of Howard's stance? I'm speaking of the administration's stance at this point.

What is at the root of it? But I say that the students need to talk about breaking the pockets. And that's unfortunate because it's one of our HBCUs. But you've got to get the attention. In a situation like this, you've got the press on your side. You're bringing down big names, big folks, Jesse Jackson, April Silver, and other folks. Now you've got the momentum.

The students need to look at an economic boycott. Back up. Michael. You know, Roland, it's good that you have the alumni who are part of the 1989 protests who are coming out backing the students. Also I think famous alumni, the students as well as famous alumni need to take economic action, withholding donations, putting economic pressure on Howard University. And so there was a protest in 1989, but there was

also a protest in 1968 on the campus of Howard University. And those students were protesting. One of the things they wanted was a black studies program at Howard University as well, at HBCU. They were protesting because they wanted a black studies program. So there's a history of student protests at Howard. And hopefully, you know, they are successful. You know, I remember when I started at Wayne State University in the fall of 1989, there was a protest a few months before that. Students took over the financial aid office because they wanted the Africana Studies program.

So this is, there's a history of African-American students engaged in protests, even at HBCUs, because we know a lot of these HBCUs, you know, have tied to white corporate interests. And Lee Atwater was on the board of trustees of Howard University. And in 1989, the students wanted him off the board of trustees as well. So they need to continue to fight. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. We're going to talk about the governor of North Carolina finally granting a pardon to a black man who was convicted 28 years ago for a crime he did not commit.

We'll talk about that. We'll also talk about up next, legal analyst Kenneth Kelly. We'll talk about what happened today in Brunswick, Georgia, where a white attorney yesterday said some foul stuff about black pastors. Now he's trying to backtrack, but he's now unleashed a firestorm because the pastors plan on coming in full force to Brunswick next week. That's next. Roland Martin, unfiltered, broadcasting live from L.A. on the Black Star Network.

Back in a moment. ¡Vamos! I'm sorry. Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become bear hug Betty. Settle in kids. You'll be there a while. Where are you going? 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. 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. 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 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers.

But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else. But never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

and the Ad Council. That's Kim Whitley. Yo, what's up? This your boy Ice Cube. 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. Well, yesterday, the white attorney for the three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery said in court,

keep these black pastors from sitting in the courtroom. This was yesterday. Watch this. My understanding while I was cross-examining Investigator Lowry yesterday is that the right Reverend Al Sharpton managed to find his way into the back of the courtroom. I'm guessing he was somehow there at the invitation of the victim's family in this case. And I have nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton. somehow there at the invitation of the victim's family in this case.

And I have nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton. My concern is that it's one thing for the family to be present. It's another thing to ask for the lawyers to be present. But if we're going to start a precedent starting yesterday, we're going to bring high-profile members of the African-American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury. I believe that's intimidating, and it's an attempt to pressure, could be consciously or unconsciously, an attempt to pressure or influence the jury. To my knowledge, Reverend Al Sharpton has no church in Glynn County, never has, hasn't been here since Elaine Brown ran for mayor, to my knowledge.

But we have all kinds of people we have school board members we have county commissioners we have all kinds of pastors in this town over 100 and the idea that we're going to be serially bringing these people in to sit with the victim's family one after another obviously there's only so many pastors they can have and if their pastor's al sharpton right now, that's fine. But then that's it. We don't want any more black pastors coming in here or other. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim's family, trying to influence a jury in this case.

And I'm not saying the state is even aware that Mr. Sharpton was in the courtroom. I certainly wasn't aware of it until last night. But I think the court can understand. We don't want any black passers in the courtroom. This was that same attorney today. Your Honor, I've been asked to address some comments the other day. The court hasn't asked me to do that. I've not asked anybody to do that, quite honestly. I think not asked me to do that. I have not asked anybody to do

that, quite honestly. I think whatever you have been asked to do has not been asked by the court. Very well. I will let the court know that if my statements yesterday were overly broad, I will follow up

with a more specific motion on Monday putting that and those concerns in the proper context. And my apologies to anyone who might have inadvertently been offended. Well, joining us right now is legal analyst Candace Kelly. Candace, oh, it's amazing how the backtrack starts. Probably because of this, Candace. Go to my iPad, folks.

You heard Ben Crum asking me to come to Brunswick, Georgia, next week. Here's why. Pastor Jamal Bryant, Reverend Al Sharpton, and others are calling on pastors from all across the country to convene in Brunswick, Georgia, on the courthouse steps next Thursday at 11 a.m. as a show of force. Ben Crump earlier posted that they wanted 100 pastors. I got a feeling it's going to be a hell of a lot more. And so this attorney, this white attorney, he opened up a can of worms. And if he thought, you know, one pastor, Reverend Sharpton, Reverend Jackson, Reverend Barber,

sitting in the courtroom was somehow going to impact this here. He just asked for a whole lot more to show up. Listen, as soon as he began talking, you know that they were starting those carpooling plans and sessions and renting buses as soon as he said it. We knew that this was going to happen and very well it should. Because, listen, when the Constitution says we the people, Roland, we the people. We are the ones who are supposed to be checking the courts and holding public accountability, which is why we are allowed in any courtroom, unless you're dealing with a juvenile or someone that's been raped. You can go to ticket court. You can go to court tomorrow. You can go to the Supreme Court. You can go to this court. There are reserved seats for reporters,

the public, and people who want to sit with the family. That's where Reverend Al Sharpton was. He was an invited guest. He had every right to do so. I don't know what type of motion he's going to be filing on Monday, but he gets the answer that he wants. You are allowed to go to court. You, I, anybody else. I mean, in this case, as far as, you know, room allows, but court is public for accountability in order to make sure that the justice system actually works, which is in question here.

Let's not even go there quite yet, right? Okay, Karen, this is absolutely racist. I mean, because here's the piece. Yesterday we had Barbara Arnwine on, and she said there have been white pastors, there have been rabbis and others who have been praying with the family. He specifically said, we do not want black pastors in the courtroom. He was so comfortable, and he was so forthright and so bold, he didn't even realize that what he

was saying was racist, which gives you an idea about how he acts inside the courtroom and outside of the courtroom when he doesn't have a whole audience listening. Didn't even realize, didn't think twice, still thinks he has a point in order to file that motion on Monday. So you are correct. This is just racist behavior. We've seen this kind of all along in terms of this man and what he has said. Now he is offering an apology. Apology is not going to go that far. And if he wants to really make an apology, he should be out there 11 o'clock next week, Thursday, and address all of those preachers. And the thing here is you're right. Okay. What kind of motion are we talking about? First of all, it's public. The judge even said, he said, if everybody's abiding

by the rules and no one is causing commotion, I can't tell somebody they can't come into the courtroom. And for him to say, oh no, judge, keep these high profile black preachers out of the courtroom because they might impact the jury. But this is the same attorney, though, who complained saying there were not enough bubba's on this jury. He is openly saying we need to appeal to the racist Confederate flag flying white folks in Brunswick in this trial. The bubba's, the Joe Sixpacks, he actually wanted to say that this was a protected class. He was going to go for that. You cannot say that a Joe Sixpack is the same as someone who is African-American or someone who's pregnant or has a disability.

Those are protected classes on a federal level. There's no way that he would have been able to say that. He's saying things that don't even make sense. He's saying things that I don't even think he actually believes. But listen, Roland, this is all about strategy. He has been complaining about what's going on very peacefully outside of the protest for over a week. We talked about people who were outside peacefully protesting, and he said that this was a distraction. What he is trying to do is distract the court. He is trying to make sure that, you know, because he doesn't have the facts on his side or the law on his side, he's pounding his fist in other areas and making sure that there are distractions otherwise.

Because every time that he talks to the attorney, the jurors have to leave. There was one day where the jurors had to leave over six times. Well, that's a lot. Think about, listen, this is a narrative. You are watching a story as a jury. Imagine watching a story just regularly on Netflix and you have six interruptions. The story doesn't flow well. Those interruptions don't bode well. But that is what he's doing. It is all a part of a strategy in order to interrupt, interrupt, interrupt so that the jury loses its continuum in hearing the narrative that these prosecutors are winning in terms of who's going to be a winner or a loser. The prosecutor is winning in this case in terms of making sure that

justice is gotten for Ahmaud Arbery's family. Last question for you. Can someone file a complaint with the bar for his behavior? This sort of this this this very specific comment here is that that is that sort of the kind of complaint that can be filed with the Georgia Bar Association? Well, it can be filed. I mean, listen, there were even people who were on his team that put their heads in their hands. Like, what is this man doing? It can be filed. It interrupted the court. It interrupted the process. And it actually didn't make sense. It was racist on its face. There are people and there are attorneys who are looking at this who sit in important positions and they are questioning whether or not this man should actually keep his license. I'm surprised that he wasn't fined by the court in some way, that there wasn't some type of contempt of court, because this just didn't make sense.

But on the other hand, you also don't want judges kind of getting involved in the process, because this is a judge that runs a very, very tight and clean court, so to speak, and he just doesn't want to be a part of the fray. I'm surprised he wasn't admonished or chastised, but he just doesn't want to be a part of the fray. I'm surprised he wasn't admonished or chastised, but he just didn't want to go there. But I have a feeling that somebody is watching out there in the Bar Association in Georgia, and they're wondering, what can we do about this man? Because this isn't justice. This is just biased behavior. This is strategy. The jury can't do their job.

All right, then, Candace Kelly joining us from South Orange, New Jersey. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. All right, Roman. Good to see you. Likewise. Thanks a lot. Folks, got to go to break. We come back. We'll talk black and missing for today, but also a twist on a previous story we told you about right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to support what we do, folks. In fact, we have reached 20,000 downloads on our platform, and so we want you guys to continue to support what we do. So please be sure to download the app. Go to all platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Samsung, Xbox, you name it. We're on all the platforms.

So our goal is to get 50,000 downloads by December 31st, 2021. So please share that with your friends. So download the Black Star Network app. You can also support us by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support this show. Cash App is DallasSideRMUnfiltered. PayPal is RMartinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered.

And, of course, Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be back in a moment. We'll be right back. Are the stars out tonight? Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay. I only have eyes for you.

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The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you. All of you. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her but really who has time for that she ordered herself a ladder with prime one day delivery and she was out of there now her hairdressing empire is killing it. And the prince? Well, who cares? Crime changes everything. Hello, I'm Bishop T.V.J. Hi, how's it doing? It's your favorite funny girl, Amanda Seale.

Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What's up, Lana Well? And you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Frank Gilmore, 15 years old, was last seen on August 30th, 2021 in Clarksville, Tennessee. He's 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. If you have any information on Frank Gilmore Jr.'s whereabouts, please call the Clarksville Police Department at 931-648-0656. 931-648-0656. Some good news about one of the folks we told you about in our Black and Missing segment, 14-year-old Jashea Moore, who disappeared on October 14th from an East Orange, New Jersey

deli. She has been found. But there's a twist. According to police, she chose to run away from her home, and her mother, Jamie Moore, has been arrested on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Jashea and her three-year-old brother are in the custody of Child Protective Services. The East Orange team was located safely yesterday by police in New York City. All right, folks, time is running out for Julius Jones, who is on death row in Oklahoma. And five Republican Oklahoma lawmakers are urging Republican Governor Kevin Stitt to grant Jones clemency. Representatives Gary Mize and Preston Stinson, John Talley, Logan Phillips, and Kevin McDougal all believe there are just too many doubts about Jones' guilt to allow the execution to move forward.

But prosecutors, including Oklahoma County D.A. David Prater, say the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Now, on two occasions, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has voted twice to recommend commuting Jones' sentence to life in prison. In fact, a little bit earlier today, somebody actually, actually it was yesterday, somebody sent a tweet, Kelly, to Matt Schlapp, who is, of course, leader of CPAC, you know, the Donald Trump Loving Group, Conservative Political Action Committee. And if I can find this, he actually replied to the tweet stating that he believes that the governor is indeed listening. This is what he said.

This is what Matt said. Somebody sent him this tweet, and he wrote, Jill, it is our view that Julius' prosecution was based on faulty evidence and a very unprofessional defense. We believe government fails at many things, including when it comes to prosecutions. We also believe Governor Stitt is a solid public official, and we are confident he is listening. Now, I sent a tweet to him saying, hey, Matt Matt have you specifically reached out to Governor Stitt to ask him

to announce his decision ASAP? Confident he's listening doesn't mean you have weighed in with him and his team. I see that he responded by saying unsure he said, first of all he said, Roland unsure why you can't see what we are trying to do? Put away the political weapons and I will keep in confidence my communications into Oklahoma during this decision process. The governor and his staff, the governor, his staff, and me and CPAC team get along quite well. We partner closely. He still hasn't answered my question. But this is one of those examples where Republicans should be doing more.

Okay, they run around talking about being pro-life. Here you have, they're out here defending Kyle Rittenhouse. They're out here defending folks on January 6th. And I appreciate these five Republican lawmakers, but the Republican legislature in Oklahoma, excuse me, the legislature in Oklahoma, overwhelmingly Republican. And so where are the other Republicans?

Where are national Republicans? Where are these Republicans in Congress? Where are the two Republican Oklahoma Oklahoma United States senators on this? Where's the Oklahoma congressional delegation, all Republicans? Where are they on this? And the answer to that is we don't know because they don't necessarily say anything. And my thing is, if the Republican Party as a whole weren't so rooted in white supremacy and trying so hard to uphold Trumpism, then you would probably have Republicans brave enough to come forward and be like, hey, this is wrong. get rid of their cowardice, we're still going to have the situation of Republicans behind the scenes shaking their heads at situations in which shouldn't be happening, but not brave enough to do anything about it because they want their seat more than they want someone else to live. You know, Michael, again, the reason I sent that, because if you read the initial statement from Matt Schlapp,

it didn't say that they have been actively engaged in communicating with the governor. That's why I challenged him. So he sort of revealed that. But to sort of say, hey, you know, sort of this general statement, oh, I'm going to keep my things private. No, Matt, you're loud and proud about Donald Trump and other things, so why don't you be loud? He was loud and proud talking about how the election was stolen. Be loud

on this one. Make as much noise that Julius Jones should not be put to death as you make fighting the election of 2020. Probably because it's not in Matt Schlapp's best interest to do that. That's probably why.

You know, and I'm not a fan of Matt Schlapp at all. You know, I see him from time to time on MSNBC, and he's probably one of my least favorite Republicans. But you asked a good question. Where are the rest of the Republicans on this issue, okay, especially when they, there's going to be a big outreach, and it's starting now from the Republican Party to reach out to African Americans for the 2022 midterm election, okay. There are welcome centers that are being set up in African American communities.

Paris Denard was just interviewed maybe two or three weeks ago about this. So you can't ask for the African-American vote. You don't have a platform to run on, number one. You don't have programs that you're going to run on that are beneficial to us. What are you going to do, ban critical race theory? You can't ask for the African-American vote, but then you don't have Republicans standing up to save the life of this African-American man. So this is more games that they're playing.

But it's good that these five Republicans spoke up, but the rest of them, these are more games that they're playing with us. But lastly, this is an example of why having the correct governor is important. This is elections have consequences. Governors can give a stay of execution. Governors can step in and stop this. Okay, so this is another example of why it's so important

to elect the correct governor also. Well, again, first of all, Oklahoma's an extremely red state. I totally get your point there. But for Roger, the point I'm making here with folks like CPAC and Matt Schlapp is they were real loud about the 2020 election. And here's the deal. Why don't you be as loud as about this one? This is a black man on death row.

And if you believe in life or death, if you believe in justice, if you believe in the rule of law, then be just as loud on this one. And so and here's the deal. He goes, put your political weapons away. No. First of all, this your death ain't political. This is a black man who's on death row. And so, yeah, there are typically more black people who have been on death row for crimes that they did not commit. And so, Matt, this ain't a political thing. This is a black thing. I mean, and it's also a life or death thing. But I think that maybe our expectations might be too high. This is the same Republican Party that is still in denial about what happened on January 6th.

This is the same Republican Party that when those 13 lawmakers decided to vote for the infrastructure bill, they called for those 13 lawmakers and the constituents in these districts of these lawmakers to threaten them and to call them out and call them traitors. I mean, this is the same Republican Party that, yes, ideally they are about preserving life on paper, but this is the same Republican Party that have just shredded up what we call decent human decency. This is the same party that shredded up the idea of common sense and has now gotten so deeply divided and so deep into partisan politics that I know I don't have any confidence. You know, Matt Schlapp talking about confidence is listed. No, there's no confidence in the party because you don't have

a track record to earn the confidence of the American people. Damn sure don't have a track record to earn the confidence of black folks in these types of situations. I really hope and pray that Julius Jones is not executed, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the Republican Party of the United States in 2021 that is highly influenced by former President Donald Trump to save a black man's life? No, no. We might as well wait for hell to freeze over and for pigs to fly. That will happen much sooner than for this party to do that. I mean, at this point, we have to put the pressure on the party and all of the backdoor dealing saying, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to work this our way. That is the wrong answer when you're talking about a life or death situation.

This is not the Republican Party that has the conscience to care about one black man. This is the Republican Party, like Kelly said, that's all about making sure they keep their foot on the gas and their butts in the seats of power. And if they've got to do that at the expense of the death of a black man, they'll do it. All right, folks, hold tight one second. I've got to pay some bills right here. We'll be back on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Let me also thank Amazon, Buick, as well as Nissan for being partners with us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered. We emphasize the importance of being black-owned media, black-owned media matters,

and for advertising agencies and brands to respect the black consumer. And so we appreciate those who do spend money with us. We'll be back in just a moment. 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 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 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. 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 skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree.

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Like, really loves. Hi, how's it doing? It's your favorite funny girl, Amanda Seals. Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What up, Lana Well, and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Last month, Steve Bannon, who was the senior advisor to President Donald Trump,

refused to appear before Congress. Investigating what took place on January 6th. This is what Congressman Benny Thompson, co-chair of the committee, said on October 19th, 2021. Mr. Bannon stands alone in his complete defiance of our subpoena. That's not acceptable. No one in this country, no matter how wealthy or how powerful, is above the law. Our goal is simple. We want Mr. Bannon to answer our questions. We want him to turn over whatever records he possess that are relevant to the select committee's investigation. Well, guess what? Today, a federal grand jury indicted Steve Bannon on contempt of Congress.

He is going to turn himself in on Monday. This is the statement that was released by the Department of Justice. He was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress. This, of course, is important because you have had these Republicans who have shown, yes, contempt for Congress. Now, of course, they yelled, kicked and screamed when Democrats did these things. So Bannon 67, this is what the press release says, is charged with one contempt count for involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Quote, since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts in the law, and pursues equal justice under the law. Senator General Merrick Garland, today's charters reflect the department's steadfast commitment to these principles. Here's the whole deal here, Kelly. Steve Bannon, of course, got a pardon from Donald Trump for being involved in that illegal fundraising scheme. He was able to get out of jail free card. This is what this to me, when he turns himself in, this is what should happen.

No bail granted. Throw his behind in jail. Democrats are going to have to show these Republicans that if you want to continue to defy the American people, if you want to defy Congress, then you're going to suffer. Remember, Donald Trump refused to turn over his tax records to Congress and fought this thing all the way to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court simply disagreed with that. And then what happened? He still is filing lawsuits at some point.

And this is what people also elected these Democrats to hold these Republicans accountable. Finally, Merrick Garland has done that, at least with Steve Bannon. And I'm just waiting for the rest of those who have been subpoenaed to go through the same process if they do not comply. This is the perfect moment, albeit a little late, for the Democrats to show the muscle that they have. We elected them to have this muscle, and they have not been flexing it in the time that they have been in their respective offices. And for the life of me, I can't necessarily understand why. Maybe it's because the Republican Party is so strict and linear that they feel like they have to be the nice party or the open party, what have you. But even big parties such as the Democratic Party needs rules.

They need to, you know, enforce the rules. That's what they were elected to do. And right now, you know, my pessimism is coming out a little bit, feeling like it's a little too little too late. But, you know, no time like the present. Right. So, you know, just go as hard as you can and make sure that everybody who was responsible for the atrocity that is January 6th is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, which Congress has the power to do. Faraji, the arrogance of Republicans yelling rule of law, rule of law is clear. And again, for the actions here, you have former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who has refused. Congress here today, hey, Meadows, you might want to see what we just did to Steve Bannon.

You don't want to play that game. And here's the deal. For every single one that refuses, throw their ass in jail. I mean, it's very simple. And I think that it's even more telling, Brother Rowling, what role President Trump had to do or had to play in this whole situation of dealing with these subpoenas. I mean, the New York Times came out with a piece saying Trump tells former aides to defy subpoenas from the January 6th panel. I mean, if this is not evidence enough that this man, and I'm speaking of Trump here,

that he is doing everything he can to not be connected or to be found guilty in what happened on January 6th. I don't know what it is. But he's telling his people, don't listen to the federal government. Don't listen to Congress. Don't listen to the House of Representatives. Hell, don't listen to the United States Justice Department. Just defy the subpoenas. And so all of this is, and I don't know, and this is the, and I think this is really the bigger part of this whole conversation, is that here we are in 2021. We've been talking about President Trump running for president again.

We've been talking about the fact that you're going to have Republicans possibly back in power in 2022. But you're finding out, not just with the Steve Bannon subpoena, but then over the past couple of days, there were other Trump senior high-level Trump advisors, Kelly Conaway and other folks, that have been found guilty of doing illegal campaigning while in office. I mean, what else does this group of criminals have to do to show people, like, you know what? We are criminals. We went to the White House. We did what we thought would do in our best interest. And then at the end of the day, no one is going to punish us about it. There aren't going to be any real consequences for our actions.

What else has to be done at this point? I don't know. But I'm glad Steve Bannon is getting indicted and getting charged. But he needs the more time to grow 30 days or whatever. The reason you have to, what you do, Michael, is again, you indict them, you convict them, and you put them in jail. Absolutely. Absolutely.

I hope Stephen Miller gets arrested. Stephen Miller was just on Fox News talking to Laura Ingraham, said he's going to ignore the subpoena. Now, keep in mind, I thought the Republican Party was supposed to be the party of law and order. I thought this was supposed to be the party of law and order. But now all of a sudden, but, you know, they did back the blue until the coup. This is what they did.

Okay, keep in mind, they backed the blue until the coup. This is what they did. Okay? Keep in mind, they backed the blue until the coup. So, personally, Roland, I hope all of them defy the subpoena and all of them get indicted, all of them get arrested. Okay? I really hope so. To send a clear message that this is not going to be tolerated. These are people who helped engineer an insurrection. Okay? The full weight of the Department of Justice needs to come down on their behinds, and they need

to film it. This is must-see TV. I'm serious. This is must-see TV. They need to film this and send a clear message. This is what's going to happen to you. Because I remember when Republicans went after Eric Holder. Okay? And subpoenaed

Eric Holder, Attorney General. Ipoena Eric Holder, Attorney General. I remember all this. And, you know, this is just a bunch of hypocrisy from a lot of Republicans that helped engineer this insurrection. But I hope the full weight of the Department of Justice falls on them. Absolutely.

And, folks, here's the deal. Look, you got to understand, this dude has a hugely popular podcast. Before the announcement of his indictment came out, this is what he said. Go to my iPad. He said, suck on this. Steve Bannon tells the audience, we're taking over all the elections. Go to my iPad.

This is what he actually said, okay? This is what he said. Y'all need to understand what's going on here. There's a clearly defined strategy these guys have. This is what he said in here. He said, we're not complaining about it anymore. Remember, there are no whining and no tears in the war room. We're taking action. And that action is we're taking over school boards. We're taking over the Republican Party through the precinct committee strategy. We're taking over all the elections. These people are thugs, folks. They

want to put Trump back in. And how you deal with thugs, you treat them like gangsters, just like lawyers. And the prosecutors use RICO strategy. You put them in jail. That's what you do. And so that's what needs to happen there. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. Pandemic, the COVID has caused a major problem when it comes to health care. Doctors have been most impacted, but also nurses. We now are experiencing a massive nurse shortage in the United States. We'll talk about that next. Also on the show, we got Education Matters. We'll deal with that issue as well. Plus, we'll also race a Republican in New York caught on tape making a racist comment

about a fellow lawmaker who's a Democrat. Always seems to be the Republican with the racist comment. You're watching Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Thank you. Are the stars of the night. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay.

I only have eyes for you. 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 man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

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. 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-up way, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth.

Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron

Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron Vindelbron ДИНАМИЧНАЯ МУЗЫКА Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her.

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

What's up, y'all? I'm Will Packer. Hello, I'm Bishop T.D. James. What up, Lana Well? And you are watching Rolling Martin Unfiltered. COVID has a tremendous impact, folks, on the medical industry. We've seen doctors who have been quitting, doctors who have been dying due to COVID-19, nurses, same thing, frustrated with what's going on, many of them in tears with the massive amount of death they have been seeing.

In September, the Nurse Grid published a survey of 10,000 nurses to get a sense of really what's going on. 92% say they have experienced a shortage of nurses. 56% say they experienced a lack of beds. 77% of nurses acknowledge high levels of burnout and mental health issues. Four out of 10 say they were doing their best with a shortage of medical supplies, and one in five nurses say they were working in facilities where patients were housed in temporary areas of a hospital like tents and field hospitals. Joining us right now is nurse practitioner Wendy Garvin Mayo. Wendy, glad to have you on the show. First of all, you're there in Hartford, Connecticut. And people, I've got to understand, nurses are the backbone of the industry.

You don't have a doctor who is the one who is taking care of patients. Most of the time, it's really the nurses. And so what is this industry doing? Because, look, if you're losing these experienced nurses today, this problem is not going to be a six-month problem. This is going to be a five- to ten-year problem if you're not filling in, folks, with the next wave of nurses. Yes, so it's only going to get worse. The American Nurses Association predicts that half a million nurses will be retiring by the end of the year. And that's in addition to nurses who are leaving the profession because of stress in the workload

and the work conditions. And nursing schools are not pumping out enough nurses because we don't have enough faculty. So that's also going to contribute to the nursing shortage. So we are definitely in crisis mode when it comes to the nursing shortage. So we are definitely in crisis mode when it comes to the nursing shortage. So health care facilities really need to take action to support and retain the nurses they have and also put in structures that will support the new nurses that will be launching into the workforce in December and then again in June of next year. And so what else can be done? Is it financial incentives? Is it incentives when it comes to encouraging more people to actually major in nursing? What should be happening here? So we need to first recruit more nurses into higher education because we don't have enough faculty to actually teach nurses.

So I think that that's one start. The second start is we do need to start recruiting individuals who are interested in nursing to go into the profession. But secondly, we also have to build in support once they're launched into the work force to keep them there, because you can have nurses coming into the profession, but if they're going into an area that is full of burned-out nurses and staff, that's not very supportive. So that's going to make them leave. So we need wellness programs to be implemented that's going to really help support nurses' mental and physical health and

their overall well-being. So, you know, I think, you know, people need to really look to Washington, D.C., really get involved in policy so we can start mandating that nurses have the resources that they need in order to sustain themselves so they can provide care to patients. Questions from our panel. First up, Faraji. Well, I appreciate you, sis, for coming on and talking about this issue. And as I've been talking to our watchers on YouTube and whatnot, you know, a lot of people are saying that nurses aren't getting the pay that they deserve and that this may potentially change that dynamic. Do you foresee that change in that dynamic, considering that a lot of people have been leaving their jobs and professions that they've been in for a very long time? If there is a mass strike, if there is a shortage of nurses, how do you foresee the industry responding

to that? Should we expect even more money? Should we expect better work conditions? What do you foresee as being the response to that? Yes. So I don't think it's money, to be honest, because what we do as nurses, you can't really pay us enough. And right now, they are trying to fill the gap with travel nurses who make three or four times more than a nurse who's hired by a health care institution. So it's not money. It's really work conditions. Nurses really just want to feel valued, respected, appreciated, and understood. They're there.

They're stressed. They're burned out. But they still show up to work. They still show up to serve. But they need, they, meaning health care institutions, need to bring nurses to the table and make sure that they're being heard, they're understood. They have the solutions. We just need them to be listened to and have those solutions implemented to really improve the work conditions that nurses are currently working in. Okay.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, sis. Kelly. Hi. I'm reading a document regarding this issue, and it's saying that 58% of nurses say they will remain in patient care through the end of 2021. Four in 10 are planning to leave at the end of 2021. I want, like, Outside of the rationale that has already been discussed, how much of this do you think is directly related to the COVID pandemic, aside from the, I don't want to say normal pressures, but the expected pressures of the job? Yeah, so in nursing, we've been dealing with stress,

burnout, and the nursing shortage. So these are not new phenomenons. So what happens is because we've been dealing with these issues, when the pandemic hit last year, we didn't have the capacity or reserve to deal with it. So it just really amplified everything. It amplified the shortage because people are leaving the profession, and it amplified stress and burnout. So now these issues are magnified to a point where we're having nurses exiting the profession, which is not good for health care, right? It's not good for our citizens. Who's going to really be there to take care of our citizens, right? And then if we have the shortage persist, you're going to have nurses who are stressed and burnt out, which can lead to decreased quality care and even death.

Right. Because it's just not good all around. So you are correct. These are not new problems, but COVID has definitely amplified these issues in the profession of nursing. Michael. Hello, Sister Wendy. Thanks for coming on the show today and giving us this information. I wanted to know, could you explain to people how long does it take to go through the program to become a nurse? How long does it take? And for someone who's in college right now and thinking about becoming a nurse, what subjects should they be focused on in school? What classes should they be taking to make sure they can successfully get through the nursing program to become a nurse?

Yeah, so that's a great question. So there are many levels to becoming a nurse because you can be an LPN, which is a licensed practical nurse. That takes, I believe, a year. You can be an associate degree nurse where you get a registered nursing certificate in two years, or you can become a registered nurse at a four-year degree school. So someone that's thinking about going into nursing, the first thing I would definitely suggest is you get a mentor who is a nurse who can really guide you through that. To answer your question about what classes to take, that would be your sciences, so your biology, your chemistry, because nursing is heavy in sciences. So those are the classes that I would definitely suggest that someone takes if they are interested in nursing.

But more importantly, align yourself with a nurse or a nursing organization so they can mentor you through that process. Okay, thank you. All right, then. Well, look, we certainly appreciate it, the work that nurses do. It is a problem, and hopefully we're going to see leaders take steps to ensure that we're replenishing nurses, that they play a vital role in our health care.

Wendy Garvin-Mayle, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, folks, we come back. More on Roland Martin Unfiltered, including Republican in New York. Always got to know when the microphone is on. You might not want to say the stuff that you're thinking, but racist comments were overheard.

We'll talk about that next also. Sigma Gamma Rho celebrating 100 years. Remember the Divine Nine will talk with their supreme bachelors on the show, right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black of tonight. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay.

I only have eyes for you. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on.

What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. But you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. You should pick something stronger that's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too.

Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you. All of you. Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Merrier.

Food is her love language. And she really loves her grandson. Like, really loves. Hi, I'm Gavin Houston. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy Jacob Lattimore. And you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! 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 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, 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 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. 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 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. All right, folks, the Westchester, New York,

Republican leader caught on camera using a racial slur against a Democratic council member who is American Indian. Check this out. Your task is great. We are going to hold true to what we stand for. God bless America. That was Tom Papasello. And in case you missed it, he said, Vishnu's gone, gone, that MF, that effing sand nigger, gone.

Papasello resigned and plans to publicly apologize to Patel and local political parties. The Westchester County Board of Legislators condemned his actions. See? legislators condemned his actions. See, you saw he was whispering real low there, Michael, but the microphone still was able to catch him. Yeah, you know, it's a lot of people, a lot of these white supremacists getting busted by hot mics. And, you know, to be quite honest, you know, and then you have, because, see, so many of them are openly brazen with it.

I mean, this is connected to Kevin Gow, defense attorney for William Bryan in the McMichael Bryan trial, openly in court saying we don't want any more black pastors. He was just very comfortable saying this. OK, so, you know, Donald Trump has made a lot of these people think they can just get away with saying anything. I hope they keep saying it because they're going to see that there are consequences of repercussions. You can't beat Trump. Yeah. And, in fact, check this out, Kelly. Two Kentucky Sheriff's officers are leaving the police force after their membership in the KKK was made public.

Captain Mike Loren and Deputy Gary Fisher were members of a cop faction of the KKK called Confederates Officers Patriotic Squad in 1985. Loren, well, he's retiring and Fisher is resigning amid the findings. A Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said both men are remorseful for their actions. Yeah, right. The Louisville Urban League said these men cannot be trusted to protect and serve if they were ever affiliated with a racist group. I'm sorry. Really? Really? They were remorseful? How are you going to be remorseful for something that you paid for? I'm sure that the KKK has to do is like every other organization. Like, I don't, you know, I mean,

I'm not trying to be, you know, quick and witty about it, but that's just a very odd sentiment to have. And it's odd because it's false. Yeah, that just doesn't make sense to me. Although the irony is not lost on me that they were KKK members and sheriffs when sheriffs were basically like the legalized version of the KKK for many years. And that's

low-key probably how they got into the sheriff's department in the first place. Yeah, no, they're not remorseful at all. You pay to go into the KKK. They're fees. They're dues. They're things that you've got to do. And you did them.

I don't get it. I don't get it. And I don't get this here, Faraji. A black teen in Woodsboro, Texas, claims he was shot with a stun gun by a group of classmates who were dressed up as KKK members for Halloween. The black teen's attorney, Matthew Manning, said neither his client nor his assailants can be revealed because they are minors. Manning says the alert perpetrators were allowed to play in a football game even after school officials were notified of the incident. The school district responded, saying they, quote, cannot discipline students for this type of conduct when it occurs off campus. Manning believes the school district can do more to bring justice to his clients. He's going to join us on Monday's show.

I'm confused, Faraji. First of all, who the hell lets their kids dress up as members of the KKK? Let's start there, Brother Roland. Let's start there. I mean, now, Michael and Kelly, y'all both said, like, you know, it's brazen. Michael, you said it's brazen, Brother. You said, you know, it's thezen. Michael, you said it's brazen, brother. You said, like, you know, it's the Trump thing. But here's my concern.

Like, we can point out these things. We see these things happen. We hear people saying things. But what is the real consequences for their actions, especially when it comes from public officials or high-profile individuals? Like, what is the real consequence beyond just the momentary embarrassment or just beyond a fake apology? What is going to be the real consequences of their actions? And I think that is going to be the determinant factor

of whether we're going to continue to see this, because we might just be creating a situation where we... I mean, you can't cancel all of these people. You can't just say, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, they said this and therefore, these folks are still going to get jobs. The police officers that enrolled in the KKK, they'll find another job. You know, yes, they'll apologize today and then in 30 days, we're going to forget about their story. And then they'll find another place to, quote unquote, protect and serve. So what are the real consequences? It's not just the exposure of the madness, but there has to be some real consequences for it. I don't know what it is. I'm just putting it out there. I'm not sure

what we can do about all of this, because we're seeing a lot more white folks that are more courageous, more emboldened by the idea that they can say whatever they want to say. And it's cool. And it's like it feeds into this larger echo chamber that we see in this country. This country is really in trouble. It's really in trouble. And so what are going to be the consequences? That's my big question when we look at what's happening right now. Indeed. All right, folks, hold tight one second. We come back. What is social and emotional learning? We'll talk about that in our Educations Matter segment. We'll also hear from the leader of Sigma Gamma Rho as they prepare to celebrate their 100th anniversary. You're watching Roland

Martin on Filchers, broadcasting live from Los Angeles right here on the Black Star Network. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021.

Oh, you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself.

Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision, an SUV built around you. All of you. Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become Bear Hug Betty.

Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, where you going? I'm Chrisette Michelle. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. It is called Social and Emotional Learning. It is changing how students are learning through self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills. Tumani, D.C. is transforming the climate of culture in schools as well as community-based organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

Joining us right now is Portia Richardson, the founder and executive director of Tumani DC. And so Portia, glad to have you here. So what is this? What exactly is social and emotional learning? Thank you so much for having me. Social and emotional learning is the process for which students gain the knowledge and the skills that they need to thrive in and out of the classroom. So it's all of those interpersonal skills, the character development skills, self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and understanding coping skills, how to set goals and develop action plans. Also social awareness, understanding the importance of empathy and some of the social justice and issues that we see in our society, as well as how to build and manage healthy relationships. So how is that integrated into the classroom?

Yes. So I am Portia Richardson. I am a social and emotional learning curriculum developer. And the way that we work with schools is through our curriculum. So when we teach them how to utilize the curriculum in their classroom by integrating it into projects and lesson plans. So really being intentional about selecting the right text so that students can explore different characters and analyze their social and emotional development. So it's being intentional about integrating it in the lesson, but also explicit social and emotional learning is creating space in the school day and in the lesson so that you can actually teach those social and emotional learning skills through curricula like

the Tumani way. Let's go to my panel. First up, Kelly, your question for Portia. Hi, Portia. Thanks for joining us. I guess my biggest question right now for you is, are there any studies on the impact that this kind of teaching has specifically on black children, considering how we are as a society, not black people, but as a society, black children are more prone to being deemed more adult than children of other races. Like black girls are sexualized a lot earlier. Black boys are deemed as a threat a lot earlier, if at all. So are there any studies on just specifically Black children coming across this kind of teaching and the impact it has on them? Absolutely, Kelly, and thank you so much for that question. That's an amazing question.

And why we exist as an organization. I was a classroom teacher for 10 years. And one of the reasons that I founded this organization and wrote the curriculum was because I taught in predominantly black schools and there was no resources in curricula out there that our students could relate to and that they could actually see themselves in the curriculum. So I'll take it a step further to say that it's important for social emotional learning curricula to be culturally responsive. And what I mean by that is empowering students to be proud of who they are, to explore their identity so that society don't label them and tell them who they are, right? So empowering them to know who they are, teaching them their history as well, and helping them to explore the social and emotional aspect

of their community. We also include training for teachers as well so that they understand the importance of being culturally responsive, understanding the backgrounds of students, taking a trauma-informed approach so that we will make assumptions about why our students may not submit assignments or why they may not be able to show up for school every day. Some of our students are facing many challenges in the community that may prevent them from being able to show up the way that we think that they should show up as teachers. So it's important for us to have a trauma-informed and culturally responsive approach so that we can liberate

black and brown students through the social and emotional work that we're doing. And it requires us to do some internal audits, not just in our schools, but within ourselves, because there is some implicit bias that's happening in the classroom amongst teachers that a lot of times we don't want to talk about that is impacting student success, such as low expectations for black and brown students, such as over-representation and misrepresentation of black and brown students in special education. I've seen a lot of that in my teaching career, as well as the school-to-prison pipeline. A student becoming frustrated and then a teacher triggering them, and now that student has gone off and they're upset, they're frustrated, and now not just the academic aspect of students, but what they face and the reality that they deal with in their community so that we know how to properly educate the students.

Thank you. Okay, Michael. Hello, Sister Portia. Thanks for coming on today. Part of your mission statement talks about cultivating the next generation of socially responsible and culturally competent youth and adults. Can you explain what you mean when you talk about culturally competent? And what are some of the ways that you foster the cultural competency? So we actually do a day in the life. We share the stories, amplify the voices of our students

and our parents and communities. We provide spaces for educators and community members to hear from students, to share how they want to be educated, some of the challenges that they face in their communities and in their homes.

We also provide space where we do parent workshops and we allow the parents to share how they wish for their students to be educated. We often leave parents out of the equation. So we provide space for parents to share what's happening in their communities and in their homes and how they want their students to be educated. But more importantly, we create real world opportunities for teachers to take a walk with us through the communities that they're teaching in, for them to take a walk with us in

the community centers, to the football games, to the recreation centers that's often able to have a special touch and reach our students in a special way so that they really understand the cultural relevance of the work that they're doing. And in our curriculum, we actually allow students to choose a social justice issue that they're passionate about. So we have homelessness, human trafficking, racism, police brutality. They can choose those issues and they study it alongside the social and emotional learning competency. And at the end of the curriculum or program, they have the opportunity to create a solution prototype.

Over the summer, we actually implemented a program where the students created their solution prototype and they had a chance to present it in front of the city council as well as other community constituents so that their voices are actually heard. So creating those spaces, it's bigger than just curriculum, but we also have to have intentional programming opportunities to

amplify the voices of our students, our parents, as well as our community. All right. Thank you. Faraji. Sister Portia, thank you so much for doing the work that you're doing. I have a question, and I'm just wondering, how do we make sure that your model, that this curriculum of being trauma-informed and socially and emotionally, culturally competent, how do we make sure that it doesn't get into a space where parents and teachers and community members start to pity Black students who may have been in, you know,

grew up in quote-unquote dysfunctional households or pity Black students that grew up in violent areas and that we still keep the standards of education at a high level instead of just trying to cater to their pain, but it's also pushing them to greater achievement? I mean, how do we walk that fine line? That's a great question. And that's something that we are really advocating for in the educational community by creating those spaces for students to share their knowledge and understanding of the content, for students to show up as leaders.

We give them leadership positions within our organization and within their schools. We empower the schools to do that. We have a youth leadership council so that individuals can see that, no, our students do not need to just have that pity story, but they are powerful. They are resilient.

They are bright. They come from amazing backgrounds. And so not just looking at culture from the perspective of the challenges that they face, but also looking at the amazing things about our culture, the language that we use in our communities, the way that we dress in our communities, some of the popular culture in our community that people often try to steal, right? So really showing the power of our communities as well as the positivity, bringing light to all of the great things that's happening in our communities and school is also important. Thank you. All right then. Well, look, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

If people want more information, where can they go online to find it? Yes, absolutely. Tumani, D.C. It's T-U-M-A-I-N-I-D-C dot org. Tumani means hope in Swahili. So I would love for you guys to connect with us. We're always looking for volunteers. We're always looking for just individuals who want to support our work and share our programming

with schools in your network organizations in your network so i'm excited to stay connected to you guys so definitely reach out to monnie dc.org all right we sure appreciate it portia thanks a lot thank you going to our last break. We come back. Sigma Gamma Rho is celebrating 100 years. We'll talk with their Supreme Bachelors next right here on Roller Barton Unfiltered. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Hi, I'm B.B. Winans. Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Carl Painting. Hey, everybody, this is Sherri Shepherd.

You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered, and while he's doing Unfiltered, I'm practicing the wobble. All right, folks, the youngest of the Divine Nine sororities will be celebrating their centennial celebration. Of course, Sigma Gamma Rho was founded by seven educators in Butler, Indiana. Joining us right now is their Supreme Grand Bachelors, Rashida S. Liberty. Glad to have you on the show. And so, welcome to the 100-Year Club. Of course, Alpha was there first, but we certainly want to have you on the show. And so welcome to the 100-Year Club.

Of course, Alpha was there first, but we certainly want to welcome you to the club. So what do y'all have planned for your centennial? So we are celebrating today. Of course, today is our Founders Day. We are celebrating 99 years, but we're building a path to centennial. So as we go July 2022, we have committed 1 million service hours and $2.2 million in philanthropic gifts. We will be planting a seed at St. Jude Children's Hospital as we build out a graduate school lounge. We have seven schools that we have been silently building, and we will reveal all seven of them at a conference. And so one of the things, of course, that people

don't realize, I mean, the kind of service that the Divine Nine is involved in, and it's not just fun and games, it's not just strolling or stepping, it's not just partying, it really is doing the work for the Black community. Yes, we are. We are sewing for the community in a mighty, mighty way. And that's what we're about as the Divine Nine. We are a powerful group of five million women and men of color. We actually get things done. And that's what we're about. We're voices for change. So I'm very happy to be on rolling unfiltered today because we just had a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and really made some strategic demands as the divine nine on things that we wanted to see happen in our communities. Well, look, that certainly is important. I'm going to go to my panel for questions talking about your upcoming centennial. Michael, I'll start with you.

I'll go ahead and let the Sigma do something this time, Michael. Go ahead. My husband is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma, so I have to give that shout out. My husband is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma chapter in Houston, Texas. Actually, the spring Texas chapter. Everybody couldn't be alphas, but go ahead, Texas. Actually, the spring Texas chapter. Well, you know, everybody couldn't be alphas, but go ahead, Michael. All right, Grandpa,

congratulations on 99 years. And next year, I know it's going to be a huge celebration. I've been, I just saw your message, Watch the Yard just posted your message talking about the 99 years so far. And I've been seeing all this across my timeline today. Can you talk about just a few of the initiatives of Sigma Gamma Rho that people may not know about that? That's that's going on right now. A few of your initiatives, maybe maybe for this year maybe for next year yes so we have five

essential programs and as i stated we are committed to those 1 million service hours we uh that 2.2 million dollars that we're committing um financially we are sewing 10 huge scholarships as a part of that we We are building, like I stated, the seven schools. We are also, because we have an initiative around swimming and Swim 1922, it's very unique for Sigma Gamma Rho. We understand that our communities do not have access to pools and waterways to be successful in the water, and we tend to die at a faster rate. So we are building pools and rehabilitating pools, and we'll have naming rights across the country in our community to leave sustainable impact as we go into our centennial. Oh, that's fantastic. Thank you. Kelly.

Hi. First and foremost, congratulations on this remarkable milestone. I want to make clear I am not part of Divine Nine, so my questions are very surface level. But I will ask... Well, that's why I didn't mention it. If you were a member, I would have given a shout-out. If you were a member, I would have given a shout-out. If you were a member, I would have given a shout-out. You ain't got to say you're not a member.

If you were, I would have shouted it out. So ask your question. I like to, I would have shouted it out. So ask your question. I like to make it clear, make it plain. You ain't got to say. Ask your question. Anyway, I will say this. Some of my closest friends are members of your sorority, and the work that they have done in their respective communities

and in their respective communities and in their respective circles are just magnificent. So I guess my question to you is, why should a prospective student on a college campus looking up and researching sororities, why should they choose SGO to join? Well, first and foremost, I do want to say, although you're not part of a Divine Nine organization, we always invite powerful women who want to grow and so to come to Sigma Gamma Row. Sigma Gamma Row is not an organization that necessarily lays on your foundation. We lay on trailblazing. And why I joined Sigmama Rho is just for that reason. We didn't celebrate the past as much. We respected the past, but our mission is always to build for the future. And so

trailblazing organizations at Sigma Gamma Rho are always looking for collegiate members, but we also have a huge alumni membership. And I am proud to say as of right now, like right now, literally, we are inducting our largest fall class nationally into the sisterhood today. So we have definitely opened those doors for people to become members who want to be trailblazers. We have partnerships with Google, Goldman Sachs, the U.S. Army, the OWN Network. Those partnerships are meant to grow us as we sow into our communities. I tell my sowers we got to apply our oxygen mask first so that we can help others. And so if we're growing, we can sow better into our communities. Love it.

All right. Next question is for Raji. He's not in a frat. No need to say it for Raji, unlike Kelly, who took all that time. Raji, go ahead. Madam Grand Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us. And we thank and love the Divine Nine. I want to know, ma'am, Sister Rashida, you got to give me something.

You got to give us something. You talked about having a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris about strategic demands. Can you give us a little sneak peek about what those demands were? Because there's a lot of, I think a lot of people were expecting, and I saw a piece either in USA Today or New York Times, but there were a lot of people that was expecting some level of progressive, bold change coming from the vice president's office, and they're saying we're still not seeing enough. So what kind of demands did Sigma Gamma Rho put on the vice president? The number one demand that Sigma Gamma Rho is standing behind, outside of voting rights, so I want to be fair to say the divine nine is standing for all of these principles, but the one

that Sigma Gamma Rho is the most passionate about, has joined forces with the NAACP on, is the student loan debt crisis. Because we are about education, we know that that is generational wealth that is being threatened in our communities, and we want something done about it. We're not talking about people who are being forgiven on their debt because they qualify for stimulus payments. We're talking about middle America that has a debt to equity ratio that is threatened, meaning that they can't buy homes. They're paying more for student loans than any other bill in their home. They can pay it. But the question is, should they be paying it with the astronomical interest rates tied to it? So we want that $50,000 debt relief on all student loan debt for middle America.

And I'm not talking about the middle America that's $400,000 plus. I'm talking about the real middle America. So that's what our position was with Vice President Kamala Harris, is that we need to focus and go up a little bit from just those who qualify for stimulus and look at middle America that is hurting with the student loan debt crisis. Amen. Great demand. Thank you so much.

All right, then. Well, look, certainly congratulations on celebrating 100 years, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again. Keep doing the work. All right. We'll keep doing the work. Greater service, greater progress. Thank you so much, Roman.

I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right. We'll keep doing the work. Greater service, greater progress. Thank you so much, Roman. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, folks, Vice President Kamala Harris has actually been in France all week, meeting with one of the U.S.'s most important allies. And so it's amazing. I had some fool on YouTube just say, oh, Vice President Harris came out of hiding. No, she's not hiding. She's actually been doing the work. If you pay any attention, you do so. This is her speaking. It's something she posted a couple of hours ago on her Twitter account of her in France. Check this out. When we acknowledge what is happening in our world, what is actually happening in our world, and then ask ourselves why. We open ourselves up to the possibility that the future can be different, that the future can be better.

And in that way, this question is a key to any progress, and it is critical to our shared future. So I challenge all of us here today, government leaders, business leaders, community leaders, let's continue to ask why. And then let's take action. When we acknowledge what is happening in our world, what is actually happening in our world, and then ask ourselves why, we open ourselves up to the possibility that the future can be different, that the future

can be better. And in that way, this question is a key to any progress, and it is critical to our shared future. So I challenge all of us here today, government leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Again, folks, and so she'll be doing the work there in France. And so we wanted to be sure to at least play you a little sum of that, because we're not getting the attention that it deserves.

All right, folks, we're almost done. Let me get so this is always the busiest birthday weekend in my family. We've got the trifecta. Today is my nephew Chris's 14th birthday. This is a photo I shot Chris when he was four years old. We were all heading out to Houston, Texas playoff game. And so I shot my little man this photo. This is Chris today turning forth this photo from two weeks ago. So my man is growing up. My little man in this photo. This is Chris today. This is a photo from two weeks ago. So my man is growing up. My little man is getting big.

And so shout out to Chris today on his 14th birthday. Tomorrow is actually the 54th birthday of his dad, my brother, Reginald Martin. His birthday is tomorrow. Of course, that's him on the right. They're not hard to figure that out. People think we're twins. We're not twins. We're one year and one day apart.

So his 54th birthday is Saturday. My 53rd birthday is on Sunday, November 14th. And so we're all back to back to back. And so I just want to give that shout out there. Folks, if y'all want to, here's the deal. I don't need birthday gifts. What I want y'all to do is support Roland Martin Unfiltered and the Black Star Network. Two ways you can do that.

One way is free. That's download the Black Star Network app. That, of course, is on all available platforms. Show the graphic, please. We want you all to get this thing in because, again, we are building something here. We have been, of course, laying out the different downloads. So we're on all other platforms, folks, all the platforms you can go to. You can go to Apple phone, Android phone.

You can go to, of course, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku TV as well. You can go to Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV as well. As I said, we want to thank all of you for helping us hit this milestone, 20,000 downloads. We launched, of course, on September 4th. And so we hit that. And our goal, of course, is get, yep, you see the graphic we put together right there. So go to my iPad. The graphic we put together, of course, we want to have 50,000 downloads by December 31st.

So please share with all of your friends, all of your friends, our app to download. We want to hit 50,000. So we're at 20,000. It's November 12th. Hey, we got 45 plus days. Let's get, let's double that. Let's get to 50,000 downloads.

And also, again, don't need any birthday gifts. What I want you to do is support us, please, by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support the show in terms of our ability to be able to travel, to cover things. We're here in Los Angeles shooting episodes of Rolling with Roland. That's where we are right now. We're going to be launching that new show on the Black Star Network app. You heard Attorney Ben Crump ask us to come to Brunswick, Georgia, to stay with those black pastors in there. So that's what we're doing right now. And so I'm literally, while we be going through

the show, I've been sitting here checking out flights and things along those lines. We might very well, so we're trying to work it out right now. We have to be in New York to do some other interviews on Friday. So I'm trying to work through it right now to be able to go down to Brunswick, Georgia on Wednesday, broadcast from the courthouse on Wednesday, broadcast again from Brunswick, Georgia on Thursday. They will make our way to New York on Friday to do those interviews. Then I have to fly back here to the West Coast to give a speech in Inland Empire, California on Saturday. And so do understand, the resources that you give to this show allows us to be able to travel, allows us to be able to hire crews, allows us to be able to hire African-American videographers and producers and audio technicians to be able to bring you these kinds of stories, which is important.

Let me thank the people who've actually given to our show as we have been live. Alex Thomas, thank you so very much. Let me also thank here. Miguel Vasquez, thank you so very much. Let's see here. I got some other people in here. Just give me a second. And so let's see here.

Hold on. How many people gave? here. Just give me a second. And so let's see here. Hold on. How many people gave? Okay. Miguel, thanks a lot. Let me thank, let's see here. Actually, Miguel, you gave several times. I certainly appreciate that. Alex Thomas, again, thank you so very much. Ronnie Jones, thank you so very much. Let me also, I'm scrolling through here again, look at all the people who have supported us as we have been live. Sarah James, thank you so very much as well. And so let me see who we got here. And I said this as well, folks, and that is this here.

If you want to support, our goal is for our members. You see the members, the list is scrolling right now. What we're asking for every year, a total of 20,000 of our fans, if they give on average 50 bucks each, then that's a million dollars, which allows for us to be able to do what we do, to supplement it with the advertising that we get. Again, we are completely independent. We are, there's no corporations.

We don't have any billionaires, millionaires supporting us. We don't have any of that. And so we want you to support us. We do this with the money that we ever generate on our YouTube channel, also on our Facebook page. Plus your giving is critically important. And so and so but there's no there's no minimum. And so we didn't put a subscription. I'm not charging you a subscription fee for the Black Star Network. People kept telling me, Roland, you need to charge $4.99 a month. And I said, no, because some of our folks

who want the content can't afford to pay $4.99 or $7.99 a month because they're paying for all kinds of other different things. And so the Black Star Network, y'all, is free. You don't have to pay for cable to get it. You don't have to pay for it to actually get it. But your support, yes, that $50, that $25, that $30, that $10, that $5, that $1, all matters. We have people who have given us as low as a dollar.

Some have given us as high as $5,000 and $10,000. And we appreciate every single person who has gifted us. And so, please, you can support us via keep the list rolling. But I'm just going to give the signs. Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. App is dollar sign RM unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. I'm going to repeat those again. And guys, actually, let's do this

here. On Friday, when we do this here, let's create the crawl. Actually, go ahead and put the crawl up. Y'all can actually do that, which allows us to have the crawl of how to give. That way I'm talking, we can show the charter members, and we can show that. So, again, it's Cash App, RM Unfiltered. It's PayPal, RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. And, again, and Zelle. Guys, you need to add Zelle to the bottom here.

Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. If you want to use a credit card, you can simply go to using Square, go to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com, going to Square. And so that's what we got going. We want to thank all of you. We want to thank Kelly. We want to thank Faraj. We want to thank Michael for being on our panel, all of our panelists this week. We want to thank our L.A. crew here, Henry, Anthony, Antoine.

We've got our crew in D.C. I want to thank all of them. We've been crazy busy, y'all, over the past two months traveling on the road, and it actually continues. We're going to be on the road again over the next two or three weeks. We are building something amazing. Our production crew was meeting with these shows we're developing, meeting with all these show hosts this week.

These things are happening. And so we just want to let you know exactly what's going on. So we certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much. Folks, I have to travel tomorrow. Fisk University, I'll see you guys tomorrow. It's your homecoming. I'm on a 6.30 a.m. flight out of Los Angeles.

I'll be touching down in Nashville. And so I'll see you. I'll be giving my lecture tomorrow. So I'll be a little tired, but I'll be ready to go. So Fisk, I'll see you. I'll be giving my lecture tomorrow. So I'll be a little tired, but I'll be ready to go. So Fisk, I'll see you tomorrow. Then I'm back in D.C. to celebrate my birthday on Sunday. Folks, thanks a bunch. Y'all take care. Have a good one. 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 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. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. 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 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 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves.

We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.