#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Biden Changes Home Valuation Bias, Debt Ceiling Passes, 7th-grader Called Gangster for Braids

Episode Date: June 3, 2023

6.2.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Biden Changes Home Valuation Bias, May Jobs Report, & 7th-grader Called Gangster for Braids Vice President Kamala HarriFunknounced that the Biden administration is changing the rule on home valuation to combat racial bias. We will speak with a real estate expert to discuss what this means for Black homeowners. A Louisiana principal is under fire for questioning a Black 7th-grade student if his decision to braid his hair meant he was "being a gangster." We will speak with the boy's mother about how she plans to hold the school accountable and ensure this doesn't happen to any other student. The Senate has passed the debt ceiling, and we will examine what programs could be cut and how it will impact your family. The job report is out, and Black unemployment is up. We will speak with Dr. Cecilia Rouse, Professor of Economics at Princeton University, about whether this is a sign of a more significant issue. In our education matters segment, we will speak with the CEO of Confident Calculators Camp about how she is helping students learn math skills to succeed. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.

Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Today is Friday, June 2nd, 2023. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network, live from Atlanta. Vice President Kamala Harris details

how the Biden administration is combating housing bias. We will talk to the nation's top black real estate organization about this huge problem with discrimination in housing. Also, we now have a new debt. First of all, the debt ceiling has been signed into law. President Biden will be speaking in about an hour. We'll tell you exactly what is happening with that. Also, a new jobs report came out today showing a robust economy. All this talk about a recession is not the case, but black unemployment did go up.

We'll talk to the economists to explain why that happened. Also, on today's show, Education Matters segment, we'll talk with the CEO of an organization that helps students improve their math skills. It is time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time.

And it's Roland. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks, he's knowing putting it down from sports to news to politics with entertainment just for kicks he's rolling it's uncle ro-royal it's rolling martin rolling with rolling now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best, you know he's rolling, Martel. Martel. Republicans love to say that there's no systemic racism in America, yet we continue to see

systemic racism in the housing industry. The Biden administration is trying to tackle that. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday held a call with various news media outlets talking about these new rules. She announced that financial institutions must ensure that their appraisal algorithms are not biased and do not produce lower valuations for homes owned by people of color. The administration is also releasing guidance to make it easier for consumers to appeal what they suspect to be biased valuations. Harris noted that only about 5% of home appraisers are people

of color and share the administration hopes to grow through training opportunities for groups underrepresented in the industry. The move is part of an effort to ensure fair algorithms and increase transparency for home valuations. Harris described home ownership as one of the ways for American families to build wealth. Joining us right now is Antoine Thompson, former executive director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. So actually, we'll pull him up later. We'll pull up my panel right now. Michael Imhotep hosts the African History Network show out of Detroit.

Matt Manning, civil rights attorney out of Corpus Christi. Dr. Avis Jones DeWeaver, political analyst out of National Harbor, Maryland. Matt, I want to start with you. When I did this show with Patrick Bette David, this claims he's independent, but he's hardcore conservative, out of Florida. And systemic bias came up. I talked about, you know, these home appraisals. And he's like, oh, no, I don't believe that. Well, his team was very slow in pulling the came up. I talked about, you know, these home appraisals. And he's like, oh, no, I don't believe that. Well, his team was very slow in pulling the data up.

So I said, fine, I'll do it. So I pulled up the New York Times report where the Biden administration detailed, using census data, the racism in home appraisals. I mean, they literally looked at the data and said, okay, what are the appraisals in this census tract compared to this one? And then he tried to say, well, I don't believe it. I'm like, oh, so I give you the proof and now you don't believe it. Well, this right here is the kind of proof we're talking about. African-Americans are being negatively impacted when we talk about these algorithms. And what happens is these folks are praising the homes of black folks and others at a much lower value. And then what happens is you're trying to resell your home and you can't.

If you do, you're selling at a lower price. And so, therefore, you're not you're not maximizing your profit. That continues to be racism in the housing industry. Yeah, it absolutely does. And you have to be just completely, you know, blind or have amnesia to not realize that every few years a story comes out and they're largely anecdotal, but a story comes out about a family who got a bad appraisal, black family usually gets a bad appraisal and then they hide their race and then the appraisal is considerably higher, right? So from just an easy demonstrable standpoint, you see that this happens because we see stories about it continuously.

And we know that it happens. And I'm glad that the Biden administration is addressing this. What I am concerned about, and I'm hoping that your guest will clarify for me, is how they intend to cure the algorithm process. Because what concerns me is if the information that goes in is inherently flawed, then it will come out with flawed results. And presumably they have some control for that. But that would be my concern. If you're looking at communities that have been historically undervalued, then putting that data in is presumably going to skew the data.

But outside of that curative question, I'm glad to hear this because, as we know, home ownership is by far the primary vehicle for not only generational wealth, but for people of all colors to build wealth. So the idea that we are systemically being discriminated against in the values of our homes purely because of race and purely because of, you know, discrimination is a horrible thing and literally takes money out of people's pockets. So I'm glad that the administration sees this as a priority and is addressing it. You know, and what's interesting here, again, Michael, Republicans want to deny this reality. You can have numerous stories where black homeowners say, oh, white appraiser came in and valued the home at this. And then we took all the black pictures down. We stripped it of all this blackness.

And we had some white friends welcome. Then all of a sudden, it's valued $100,000, $200,000, $300,000 higher. Hello? Yeah, Roland, I've dealt with people like that. I've been on panels with black conservatives as well, more like grifters, because we've always had black conservatives, but most of the time they made sense historically. We had Craig DeLuce here on this show, and Recy Colbert and I dealt with him from Project 21. So these black conservatives parrot talking points from white conservatives. They cannot

admit systemic racism exists, because if they admit that systemic racism exists, then they will be tasked to provide policies to address systemic racism. They don't have policies to address systemic racism, because it's not in the black conservatives' advantage. It's not in their best interest to address it, because the people who are paying them benefit from systemic racism. Racism is systemic by nature. Racism is a system of advantage and privilege distributed based upon race. So they'll say that they believe that racism exists, but they don't believe systemic racism exists. That's a lie. 97% of home appraisers are white. Black conservatives don't want to address that because then they'll be forced to do

something about it. So, the Biden-Harris administration—actually, President Joe Biden, back June 1, 2021, 100th anniversary of the commemoration of the Tulsa race massacre, when he was down in Tulsa, he announced initiatives of the Biden-Harris administration to address systemic racism when it comes to home values, things of this nature. OK, so this is a continuation of this. This is definitely needed.

And all those simple Simonasses out there who talk about the—Vice President Kamala Harris isn't doing anything, the Biden-Harris administration isn't doing anything, compare this to what Republicans are doing, because they don't want to even acknowledge that this problem exists. Do we have Antoine Thompson there? All right. So we have some technical issues there, you know, you know, on this front. And again, we talk about the wealth gap. We talk about the lack of wealth. This right here, Matt, is a perfect example. When our homes are selling for less 20, 30, 50, 100 by which discrimination is occurring, right? It puts a dollar value on that. We are $100,000 less up essentially than we would be if we sold our house, if the appraisal were appropriate. And that's particularly true as we talk in the national zeitgeist about, you know, people in

the younger generations on being unable to buy homes. So the idea that families are investing in homes and want the latitude to move once they sell a home and are getting disadvantaged purely because of how they look, and that's taking away from their ability to buy a new home and or to invest, to your point, is especially problematic. And I think it's good in framing the discrimination issue because it's not purely a question of what is the mental anguish worth or what is the emotional toll of this worth. It's literally we are down $200,000 where we should be up $200,000 because of the appraisal. And I think that's helpful for framing the issue and also for people seeing the gravity of the issue, understanding how important

homeownership is to the building of wealth. And I just get a kick out of these people, Michael, who act as if, oh, we're just making these things up and it's really no big deal. But the reality is the one area where most Americans have been able to generate wealth, it is through home ownership. And when you look at African-Americans, we've never hit 50 percent of home ownership in this country. And so even when we do own homes, we still are having to deal with Jim Crow. Well, absolutely, Roland. And once again, this goes back to my premise. It's not in Republicans' interest to admit that this problem exists, because then they will have to deal with a history of laws and policies that now distributed wealth and power and resources into the hands of Europeans. Right now, you know, the Brookings Institute in

the past few years came out with their study that shows that African-Americans' homes are valued at $48,000 less than comparable white homes. That accumulates to $156 billion in less value that our homes have. This negatively impacts generational wealth. When you look at the GI Bill, 1944, signed into law by President Roosevelt, the GI Bill is one of those bills in the 20th century that drastically now distributed wealth upon resources because white veterans were able to get low-interest loans to buy homes, go to college, and start businesses, whereas African Americans were disproportionately discriminated when they took advantage of taking advantage of the benefits that, one, we earned by serving in the military, serving in World War II, and two,

our taxpayer dollars were paying for. But when you try to address things like this, then you have somebody like a Senator Tim Scott who says that America is not a racist country. And when he made that statement, everybody needs to look at what his next statement was. His next statement was, and I'm paraphrasing, it's wrong to have race-based policies or policies that address that discrimination. He's talking about reparations. He's talking about dealing with things like critical race theory, et cetera. Okay, so this is the playbook of Republicans. So we have to understand this and make sure that we vote them out of power and keep them out of power. All right, folks, hold tight one second.

I've got to go to a break. We'll be back. Roland Martin, unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn minds there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting.

I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson atory university calls white rage as a backlash this is the rise of the proud boys and the boogaloo boys america there's going to be more of this there's all the proud boys guys this country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people the fear that they're taking our jobs they're taking our resources they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women.

This is white people. Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punch. I'm real revolutionary right back. something like cnn you can't be black on media and be scared it's time to be smart bring your eyeballs home you dig farquhar executive producer a proud family bruce smith creator and executive producer of the proud family louder and prouder you're watching Roland Martin. 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. 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, 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. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 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've 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, folks, welcome back.

Joining us right now is Antoine Thompson, former head of the top black real estate group, National Association of Real Estate Brokers. Antoine, so, you know, your thoughts on this announcement by Vice President Kamala Harris, what the Biden administration is doing when it comes to combating housing discrimination in the algorithms? First, thank you for having me. Yes, it's desperately needed. I think it's the biases with the algorithms has been a big issue for many

years. But I want us to understand that it's one of many things that needs to happen to deal with the biases in the appraisal industry. You know, the... Just share with... Should we share, folks, with what y'all have seen, what you had to contend with when we talk about how homes are valued and how black people and other people of color are negatively impacted by lower valuations.

Yeah, it's really heartbreaking. I've been in real estate 12 years. I also used to run the Black Real Estate Group. And I can tell you that firsthand of people, I had a guy in Buffalo where I'm from, but I live in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. And he had to, he had an appraisal when they thought it was a black person owning it. It came in at $100,000, $150,000 lower. And it was a real estate investment, right? And everything around him was doubling in value in terms of multi-unit dwellings, apartment building. He had a white guy. I told him I have a white guy go and be there for the next appraisal. He did it. He the value doubled and he was happy. I tried to get him

to file a complaint, but he was afraid to do that. He didn't want all the press and heat on him for that. And that often happens. There are more black people that experience this. We know that something is not right. We hear about the stories. We know about houses that are built on one side of town, go right across the same one street, and the same house is worth more. Same thing in Prince George's County. We live in Prince George's County, Maryland, compared to Montgomery County, Maryland. Same home, same builder. There's almost $200,000 difference in value. And that robs families of wealth.

That's lessening the opportunity of people to be able to invest in their retirement, to invest in small businesses, and to, as one great media mogul said, you know, no home, no loan, because you need a loan, you need a home for collateral. That's your number one way for collateral for your business. So it's really important, and I think that the algorithms, that's been an issue not only for appraisals, but it's also been a big problem for mortgage lending, because believe it or not, they use algorithms when they're doing credit underwriting as well, not just for the appraisal process. Questions for our guests. Batu first. Yeah. So, Antoine, thank you for explaining that. The question that I have

is how do they go about curing the algorithm process? So in terms of the data, what is your understanding on how they will make sure that the data that's going in provides good data coming out? Because my concern is if the data is skewed in terms of, you know, depressed values artificially, right, then theoretically, if values artificially, right, then theoretically, if it goes into the algorithm, then you're just going to get bad results. What's your understanding of how you intend to fix that? So, you know, part of the challenge that you have is, and you're right on, if garbage going in is garbage going out, we're going to have to really have a redo of the data that they're currently using, the models that they're using. And Vice President is absolutely correct.

The industry, it's only gotten more difficult for African-Americans to be successful in the appraisal industry. But because of the escalating prices of mortgage rate, a lot of black and white people are fleeing the industry over the last year. So even with the things they're trying to do, I would say two things that we need to look at. Number one is we not only we need good data going in, but the current data that they're using, not just the algorithms, the ones that are writing the programs. You don't have, you probably don't have a lot of blacks that are writing the programs for these companies, for the main companies that are doing the writing the systems, that's really important, making sure that there's an equity lens in that.

And then also the ones who are on the front, when we talk about reporting, those appraisers, they look at the data that they have in front of them, and then they make a judgment, right? They make a judgment, and oftentimes that judgment is, like of them, and then they make a judgment, right? They make a judgment. And oftentimes, that judgment is like really, really subjective. And that's a big part of the problem that no one wants to talk about. The same is true when you go on to the mortgage process. Everyone tries to say, oh, well, the mortgage process is not biased. Well, there's underwriting criteria that's used. And then first, the computer does its due diligence on credit scoring, which that whole model of algorithms is bad. Then once you go to the underwriting, that is very subjective. And then on top of that, you have the appraiser, which is also very, very biased.

So just dealing with Google Rhythms alone will not fix the problem. But that is a bold step in the right direction. Michael. Hey, Antoine. When we hear stories dealing with African-Americans who had white people sitting as the homeowners and their home value shoots up $100,000, $150,000. In stories that I read dealing with this, we see that about 97% of home appraisers are white, okay? One, can you explain briefly why this is? And two, what can be done to diversify the home appraisers, getting more African Americans into the business of being

home appraisers? Yeah. You know, the industry, it breaks my heart. It makes me so angry when you, I could tell you probably at least 50 stories of people that this has happened to. I can never tell you my own story of when I bought my last house I live in when a black mortgage loan officer, and I was running a black real estate group and been in real estate at that point 10 years, told me they wanted my rental record. And I've sold like almost 100 houses at that point, 10 years, told me they wanted my rental record. And I've sold like almost 100 houses at that point. And they wanted my rental record. I told them, you know, kick rock. And I went with another lender. And my job had a relationship with these folks. They wanted my rental history from my mortgage. So on the flip side, in terms of appraisal process, what we need to do to fix it, one, we've got to start our kids younger. We've got to market. We have to market this to people, helping them understand. We have more people to start,

more appraisal companies. We need to get scholarships for people to do that. We've got to treat it as a big priority. We're lacking Black appraisers. We're lacking in Black underwriters as well. So we're losing on both sides. Even the whole model system of how you get paid to be an appraiser, to be a mortgage loan officer. Both of those put our Black communities at a significant disadvantage. And so it's hard to keep people in the appraisal industry. The way they get paid, the current values of most Black properties around the country, it makes it very challenging to get Black people in the industry because it's a, you know, if you don't work, you don't eat business, right? And it requires a lot of schooling. It only added more and more and more requirements on in many of the markets to be an

appraiser. So it's very discouraging for blacks who go into the industry. Okay. Thank you. All right. Antoine, we truly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Folks, going to a break. When we come back, we'll talk about this case out of Louisiana

as well. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, We'll talk about this case out of Louisiana as well. We've got our eyes on it. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team

that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st. And episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine 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-away, you've 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 talking about the debt ceiling. So all of that on Rolling Martin Unfiltered. You're watching on YouTube. Hit that like button, y'all. We should be every single time you log on, hit the like button. It impacts, speaking of algorithms, the algorithm and you help our show out as well. Also download our Blackstar Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV,

Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Your donations are critically important for us to keep our doors open. Send check-in money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM unfiltered, PayPal, R. Martin unfiltered, Venmo is RM unfiltered, Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get your copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at bookstores nationwide. Download your copy on Audible. We'll be right back.

That was a pivotal, pivotal time. I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You got to stay on stage. And I was like, yeah, well, I'm like, I don't know. You know, y'all don't think I'm there. I'm good. And he was absolutely right.

What show was the other time? This was one-on-one. Got it. During that time. So you're doing one-on-one. Got it. During that time. So you're doing one-on-one, going great. Yeah. You're making money. You're like...

I'm like, I don't need to leave. I don't need to leave from Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday. I just didn't want to do that. I was just like, I'm going to stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like, I don't have to do that. And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. You know, sometimes me and Chappelle

or me and this one or that one, we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to Jersey. And I kind of just, I got complacent. I was like, I got this money, I'm good. I don't need to go, I don't need to go chase that because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making, but what I was missing was that training.

Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money, you know, it was that, that's what I needed. Coming up next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick. We're breaking it down.

The stereotype of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of honor. Like you even hear black woman, like aspiring to be this ride or die chick, aspiring to be this strong black woman. At their own expense. Next on The Frequency,

right here on the Black Star Network. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. you get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff.

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Go to P.O. Box 57196. Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. The Cash App is $RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at Rolandsmartin.com. Hi, I am Tommy Davidson.

I play Oscar on Proud Family, Louder and Prouder. I don't play Sammy, but I could. Or I don't play Obama, but I could. I don't do Stallone, but I could do all that. And I am here with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. All right, folks, we've talked about these hair issues in this country when black people are being targeted. Well, a Louisiana principal is literally trying to defend. Check this out. She told this young young man if his decision to braid his hair meant he was trying to, quote, be a gangster.

According to Ashley Thorne, Dr. Angela Messman, the principal of Calvary Baptist Church, excuse me, Calvary Baptist, a private school in Slidell, asked her son, Daylon, about his hairstyle. Ashley and her husband, Damon, met with Messman the next day to discuss the incident. During the meeting, Messman told the parents she had some concerns. Quote, I've never had a student wear their braids like that. I've had teachers personally come to me and ask about his hair and what I thought about it. I've seen children grow up in this school and I've seen them change. So I was just checking to see where we are.

I just wanted to see his heart. Our culture is changing. Little boys used to have regular little haircuts. I'm seeing a lot of young people listening to a lot of rappers pushing for drugs and doing things opposite of Christ. Oh, so in a second, we're going to talk to Ashley Thorne about this. My goodness. What the hell, Matt? what I find particularly insidious about this is that she was trying to almost encapsulate these respectability politics from a standpoint of like, I really care about this child. I'm worried about you rather than my discrimination and prejudice is on display. And it's Louisiana.

I mean, there are a lot of black people in Louisiana. Braids are very common hairstyle. So to think that that is somehow tantamount to being a gangster and to have the audacity to ask this kid that and put him in a position where he has to advocate for himself for his hairstyle and his culture is just disgusting to me. And it's especially disgusting that it comes from the same kind of thing that we see white people do, just like the sheriff in my county. He's always talking about a referral or going back to Mayberry, right? And this erstwhile time lost in society where everybody was living in Pleasantville, that one, never existed, and two, dog whistles, not black people. And that's what happened in this instance. And it's just disgusting. And I hope that this family considers a Title VI lawsuit if this school is receiving federal funding, because there's entirely too much information about this for you to continue making comments like this, particularly to a young child.

Kelly Mathia-Jones is right now, communication strategist. Kelly, I'm tripping on. I was just concerned. I had concern about him. Where are we going with this? Yeah, it's unfortunately not news to me that white people don't understand black hair. Three, four, five. I'm sorry? Oh, I was hearing... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. 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 Be 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. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more.

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Kelly, keep going. Keep going. Yeah, it's unfortunate that, like Matt said, this was kind of wrapped in this very much Karen concern in that backhanded compliments, passive aggressiveness and the like. school. It is deeply rooted in Eurocentricity, specifically Eurocentric Christianity, as if Jesus's hair wasn't like wool and probably was braided too. You know, people don't really think about that. And I don't understand how, when you have biblical stories about how Samson's strength came from his hair and how you have, you know, almost tenets of how to not cut your hair. For that to be ignored for the sake of Eurocentricity

is incredibly hypocritical, but it's also very on brand for American Christianity. It's all, to me, this is called nutcase land, Michael. Roland, there's so many things wrong with this story. Okay. First of all, she says that she sees rappers pushing drug dealing and all type of negative things like this, but she doesn't call out the white corporations that pay the rappers to push drug dealing. She doesn't talk about that.

She talks about his his his his braids, his actions. They're not Christlike, as Kelly was saying. When we talk about Yeshua is more likely that his hair was in locks or in braids than it was straight or blonde. And then, you know, she talks about how concerned she is, and she's seen children change and things of this nature. Well, maybe if you have more black history in this school, maybe if you have more history dealing with the contributions that African Americans made to society, maybe they wouldn't have those problems of them changing for the negative, et cetera.

So, you know, these are these microaggressions, dog slash dog whistles, that we have to deal with on a daily basis, man. So hopefully these parents are able to come to some type of reconciliation. And there also needs to be some cultural bias training instituted at that school as well. Ashley and Damon Thorne join us right now. Glad to have both of them here. Ashley, I'll start with you. I'm just I mean, first of all, describe the reaction of the two of you sitting there listening to this white woman say these things like like your child just lost his mind and is going off the deep end because he got braids.

Right. Of course, in the beginning, we you know, I was angry, you know, hearing that come from my son because he was confused. He didn't understand why he was being questioned in the first place about braids. So, of course, sitting in that office with her and hearing the things that were irrelevant to what we were there about, it got to the point where it was more funny. I couldn't be angry because she was so ignorant to the fact that she didn't think she said anything wrong. I'm struck by this whole deal. Like he's going through some kind of crisis. I just want to make sure, is everything okay?

Is he losing it? Like, what the hell? It's crazy. So my son, he's into anime. You know, he knows nothing about gangster or anything like that. So when she asked him that, he was like, he didn't know what he was talking about. So when he comes to us, now we have to explain to him, you know, why, like, you know, oh, there's nothing wrong with your hair, son.

There's nothing wrong with you. You didn't do anything wrong. I just have to explain to you this, how people, you know, people view certain things and this nature when they're closed-minded, you know, they're not even open to anything. During our recording, we recorded the interview, and, I mean, it's crazy when I was trying to let her know how long braid's been around since before Christ and how it was used as an art form. And she just started talking about rappers instantly.

And I was like, what are you talking about, ma'am? We're talking about rage. It was a bunch of irrelevant situations that she brought up that had absolutely nothing to do with our son. We even asked her several times like, okay, but what does

this have to do with Daylon? And she's like, oh, Daylon is so sweet. He's so respectful, which we were like, okay, but what does that have to do with Daylon? And she's like, oh, Daylon is so sweet. He's so respectful, which we were like, exactly. You didn't see a change in his behavior. You didn't see a change in his attitude. You only saw his hair change. And we're asking her, so why would you question if that's not a problem? Oh no, the braids are fine. So we were confused. She couldn't give us a straight answer. And at that point, I guess, like she told us, shrugging and saying, oh, all I can do is apologize. And of course, that's not enough. That's not enough. So first of all, the decision

for him to change his hairstyle, was it yours? Or did he say, you know what, I want some braids? He had been asking. Yeah, he'd been asking to change his hairstyle. He had worn his hair just kind of like mine for a long time. So he just wanted to change it. So we actually— And he saw other kids at the school with braids also.

So he was just like, hey, can I wear my hair a different way? And I did it. My wife actually braided his hair for him. I did it. And, you know, he was excited about it and then went to school the very next day and then this happened. So, you know. And really what this is, I mean, we've seen these things before. We've seen, I'll tell you, I remember when I was, the Dallas Mavericks had a media day.

And I remember we were sitting at the tables, other journalists, and this white male journalist started talking about how Allen Iverson was a thug. And I was like, what the hell are you talking about? And he was talking about his hair. I said, well, Cherokee Parks, Cherokee Parks, who played for the Mavericks, his ass wore a mullet. I said, well, what the hell wrong with his head?

And I jammed him up and I told him. I said, see, I said, first of all, and so I thought pressing his ass. And so he realized that, oh, I stepped in it. And I said, let me tell you something. I said, this is what y'all white boys do. I said, y'all white boys get together and y'all make these statements and y'all write these stories that you discussed it on sports talk radio.

I said that all of a sudden that then becomes the narrative all around the country. And what you're seeing is, in this principal's mind, the moment she sees Braids, she's thinking, oh, my God, that's a thug. That's a gangster. Instantly. Instantly. Yes. And I asked her.

I said, is that protocol to ask every student that comes in with Braids? Is that protocol to ask them that? And she's like, oh, no. So I'm like, okay, well, again, why did you ask my son? You know, my son, he had the first thing, like I said, initially it was anger. Of course, when he came home that day, we talked to him about it.

And I just kind of wanted to see how he felt. And he was confused. And I asked him, you know, well, what did your friend say? Because of course he's pulled aside by the principal. Of course, they're going to wonder, oh, what happened? Why she pull you to a side? Well, he told them and I said, well, what did they say? And of course, one of his fellow students said that was racist. And I said, well, how did you feel? He said, I agreed. And I said, you have every right to feel that way. And I asked him, was he offended? And he said, yes.

And I told him he has every right to feel that way also. So have y'all taken this thing higher to the school board, to board trustees? What's next for you? So actually, someone suggested we seek some type of legal counsel because on the recording, she, I mean, we never even brought up race now one time, and she did. She started talking about black people and rappers

and all this other stuff, and we was like, ma'am, what are you talking about? We're talking about my son. Right. And he got raised. She brought up sagging pants. She started bringing up sagging pants. Just all these stereotypes.

My son doesn't sag at all. If you see him, he actually wears his pants a little too high. That's his belly button. You know? So it's so funny for her to start bringing up this stuff. Right. And I was just like, you know, and I told her. I did.

I told her. I said, ma'am, you know, I wish you would open up your mind a little more. Apparently, you know, you lack some kind of cultural training or something because, you know, this is nothing for you to be feeling however you feel about

it. This is nothing for you to be feeling that way. My son has braids. That's it. Right. You know? That's it. And it's funny because, you know, how many, you know, kids that have shot up these schools, how many of them have braids? You know?

Right. Like, are you offended by the other hairstyles or the, as she called it, the regular cuts when she made this? She's like, yeah, I'm used to kids with the normal regular haircuts and again, that doesn't describe

our son. So we're seeking legal counsel. We have yet to find somebody. We're looking. For legal counsel, which is why we haven't released the recording because we want to make sure we do this correctly.

It's a private school, so of course there are steps, but this particular board that they have, it seems that they stand with her. Yeah, they don't really want to talk about it. So we're trying to... I don't want to let this be swept under the rug, because she's comfortable

with doing this. She's done it before. Same kind of situation. And I guess she gives them this, well, I apologize, you know, and that's supposed to be it. I don't think we should sweep this under the rug. She's done it too many times. She doesn't need to be in any authority over children. There should always be consequences for everyone's actions, especially those in high authority like that. You're the principal of the school, so you have to lead by example. And I don't want to just bring about awareness. I want to actually do something to actually create some type of change,

whether it's, you know, her losing her job. She needs to understand that there's consequences for her actions. You're not allowed to go around asking kids, a 12-year-old, if their hairstyle, I don't know, insinuating it's something gangster or something negative about it, and then goes on to say, oh, well, how you wear your hair and your clothes reflects God. Making it seem like his hair does something wrong with what he's doing how you wear your hair and your clothes reflects God. Making it seem like his hair does something wrong

with what he's doing and he's done nothing wrong. Alright, folks. Look, keep us abreast of what happens and good luck in your battle. Thank you so much. Alright. Gotta go to break. We'll be back. A roll about unfiltered on the Black Star Network.

Pull up a chair. Take your seat. The Black Tape. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how big a role does fear play in your life,

your relationship to it? I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about

what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. 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, 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-away, you've 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. And how to deal with it can be the difference between living a healthy life, a balanced life, or a miserable one. Whenever the power of fear comes along, you need to put yourself in that holding pattern and breathe, examine. Find out if there's something that your survival instinct requires you to either fight or take flight. Facing your fears and making them work for you instead of against you. That's all next on A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network.

I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, and my new show, Get Wealthy, focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you, but you absolutely need to know. So watch Get Wealthy on the Black Star Network. Hello, we're the Critter Fixers. I'm Dr. Bernard Hodges. And I'm Dr. Terrence Ferguson. And you're tuning into... Roland Martin Unfiltered. Lanny Bush has been missing from Minneapolis since April 30th. The 16-year-old is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about his landing or Lonnie Bush is urged to call the Hennepin County Minnesota Sheriff's Office at 952-258-5321, 952-258-5231. A Colorado judge says prosecutors in the case of Elijah McClain murder trial must provide more information about two men's charges

before a trial can begin. A Denver judge agreed with defense attorneys for officers Randy Rodima and Jason Rosenblatt, arguing that they could not mount a proper defense due to a lack of information from prosecutors. McClain was stopped by police officers Rodima, Rosenblatt, and Nathan Woodyard in a Denver suburb in 2019 after a 911 caller reported a man who seemed, quote, sketchy. When paramedic Jeremy Cooper and Lieutenant Peter Suchenik arrived, officers forcibly restrained him

using a chokehold as paramedics ejected him with ketamine. Rodima and Rosenblatt are scheduled to go on trial on July 10th. Two paramedics, Jeremy Cooper and Lieutenant Peter, are currently expected to go on trial in August, while a third police officer, Nathan Woodyard, is set to be tried in September. A Missouri judge agrees to keep court documents sealed in the Ralph Yarl case because of threats against Andrew Lester, the white man who has been charged with shooting the black teen. Lester's lawyers asked Clay County Judge Louis Angles to seal court records because Lester has had to relocate three times since last month's shooting.

The judge expressed concern that not sealing the documents could also lead to witness intimidation, which could influence the case outcome. Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action in the case. Lester remains out of custody after posting a $20,000 bond. Preliminary hearing is scheduled for August. And the New York murder case for the death of Jordan Neely is now before a grand jury. Prosecutors are presenting evidence in the case of former Marine Daniel Penny, who was

charged with second-degree manslaughter. Penny was charged last month in the death of George Neely, who died after being put in a chokehold by Penny on New York City subway train. Penny's lawyers say the veteran is prepared to testify before the grand jury, but no decision has been made. The maximum penalty for second-degree murder manslaughter is 15 years in prison. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office about

the debt ceiling agreement. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn lives there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance we have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash.

This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women.

This is white fear. Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punch! I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All the momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN.

You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Franklin. It is always a pleasure to be in the house. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay right here. All right, folks. Momentarily, President Joe Biden is going to be speaking from the Oval Office about the debt ceiling agreement that he has signed into law. The House, of course, passed it. The Senate passed it this week as well. It allows for the United States to continue to borrow, making sure you're not going to see the economy tank. Also, it's been a good day for the Biden administration because the new job numbers came out showing more and more jobs being added at a higher rate than people actually expected. This, of course, is critical because, again, all these doomsayers,

they'd be, oh, my God, recession, recession, recession, but it's not happening. And so 339,000 jobs were created in the month of May. Now, black unemployment did increase. And so we originally had Dr. Cecilia Rouse, who was a former head of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, booked on the show. But because we're supposed to talk to her right now, because Biden is going to be talking momentarily. So control is going to let me know when he goes up.

And so, that's why we—so, we'll probably be talking to her on Monday. So, here's President Joe Biden from the Oval Office. This is over. The Democrats and Republicans can no longer work together. But I refuse to believe that, because America can never give in to that way of thinking. Look, the only way American democracy can function is through compromise and consensus. And that's what I work to do as your president, you know, to forge bipartisan agreement where it's possible and where it's needed.

I've signed more than 350 bipartisan laws thus far, in two and a half years, including the historic law that rebuilding America so that we can rank number one in the world in infrastructure instead of where we're ranked now number 13 in the world. Another historic law, rebuilding our manufacturing base so that we'll lead the world once again in making semiconductor chips so much more and so many more and so many more sophisticated ones. And now, a bipartisan budget agreement. This is vital because it's essential to the progress we've

made over the last few years is keeping full faith and credit of the United States of America and passing a budget that continues to grow our economy and reflects our values as a nation. That's why I'm speaking to you tonight, to report on the crisis averted and what we're doing to protect America's future. Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher. If we had failed to reach an agreement on the budget, there were extreme voices threatening to take America for the first time in our 247-year history into default on our national debt. Nothing, nothing would have been more irresponsible. Nothing would have been more catastrophic. Our economy would have been thrown into recession. Retirement accounts for millions of Americans would have been decimated. Eight million Americans would have lost their jobs.

The fault would have been, have destroyed our nation's credit rating, which would have made everything from mortgages to car loans to funding for the government much more expensive. And it would have taken years to climb out of that hole. And America's standing as the most trusted, reliable financial partner in the world would have been shattered

So it was critical to reach an agreement and it's very good news for the American people No one got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed We averted an economic crisis an economic collapse We're cutting spending and bringing the deficits down at the same time. We're protecting important priorities from Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to veterans to our transformational investments in infrastructure and clean energy.

I want to commend Senator Speaker McCarthy. You know, he and I, we and our teams, we were able to get along, get things done. We were straightforward with one another, completely honest with one another, respectful with one another. Both sides operated in good faith. Both sides kept their word. And I also want to commend other congressional leaders, House Minority Leader Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Senate Minority Leader McConnell. They acted responsibly and put the good of the country ahead of politics.

The final vote in both chambers was overwhelming, far more bipartisan than anyone thought was possible. So, I want to thank the members of Congress who voted to pass this agreement, which I'm going to sign tomorrow and become the law. So here's what the deal does. First, it cuts spending. And over the next 10 years, the deficit will be cut by more than $1 trillion. And that will be on top of the record $1.7 trillion. $1.7 trillion. I already cut the deficit in my first two years in office. And it's clear we're all on a much more fiscally responsible course than the one I inherited when I took office four years ago. When I came to office, the deficit had increased every year the previous four years. And nearly $8 trillion was added to the national debt in the last administration.

And now we're turning things around. And that's good for America. You know, my dad used to have an expression. I WAS A SENIOR IN THE UNITED STATES. I WAS A SENIOR IN THE UNITED STATES. I HAD A NATIONAL DEBT IN THE LAST ADMINISTRATION. AND NOW WE'RE TURNING THINGS AROUND. AND THAT'S GOOD FOR AMERICA. YOU KNOW, MY DAD USED TO HAVE AN EXPRESSION.

HE SAID, JOEY, DON'T TELL ME WHAT YOU VALUE. SHOW ME YOUR BUDGET. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU VALUE. THAT'S AT THE HEART OF THIS DEBATE. WHAT DO WE VALUE? PROTECTING SENIORS.

YOU MAY REMEMBER DURING MY STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, THERE WAS A SPIRIT EXCHANGE You may remember during my State of the Union address, there was a spirit exchange between me and a few Republicans spontaneously occurring on the floor of the House of Representatives. I was pointing out that for years some of them were putting forward proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare. And some of them that night took exception, and they said very loudly that that wasn't true. So I asked them on the floor that night, I said, ask them a simple question. Will you agree not to cut Social Security, not to cut Medicare? Would they agree

to protect these essential programs that are a lifeline for millions of Americans, programs that these Americans have been paying into every single paycheck they've earned since they started working and that provides so much peace of mind. With the bright lights and cameras on, those few Republicans who were protesting, they agreed. They said they wouldn't cut it. That's how we protected Social Security and Medicare from the beginning and from a being cut period. Health care was another priority for me, a top priority. I made it clear from the outset I would not agree to any cuts in Medicaid, another essential

lifeline for millions of Americans, including children in poverty, the elderly in nursing homes and Americans living with disabilities. The original house Republican proposal would have cut healthcare for up to 21 million Americans

on Medicaid. I said no. And Medicare is protected. And so are Medicare. And so are cut health care for up to 21 million Americans on Medicaid. I said no. Medicare is protected and so are millions of people most in need. Look I've long believed that the only one truly sacred obligation that the government has is to prepare those we send in the harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't come home. That's why my last budget provided VA hospitals with

additional funding for more doctors, nurses and equipment to accommodate the needs of veterans and more appointments. The House Republican plan would have met 30 fewer million VA health care visits for our veterans. We didn't let that happen. In addition, this bill fully funds the Bipartisan PACT Act, the most significant law in decades for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and for their families. It expands access to those veterans and their families to healthcare and to disability benefits. Look, we're investing in America and our people and in our future.

We've created over 13 million new jobs, nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs. Where is it written that America can't lead the world again in manufacturing? Unemployment is at 3.7%. More Americans are working today than ever in the history of this country. And inflation has dropped 10 straight months in a row. In this debate, I refuse to put what was responsible for all this economic progress on the chopping block. This bipartisan agreement protects the law

that will help us build the best infrastructure in the world. It fully protects the Chips and Science Act, which is going to bring key parts of our supply chain to America so we don't have to rely on others, like semiconductors, those tiny computer chips smaller than the tip of your finger that affect nearly everything we rely on, from cell phones to building automobiles to the most sophisticated weapon systems and so much more. We protected another law that I passed and signed last year that finally beat big pharma, which I've been trying to do for over 30 years. It finally gives Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices,

just like the VA has been able to do for veterans. This law has already dramatically cut the cost of insulin for seniors from as much as $400 a month to just $35 a month for insulin. Negotiating lower drug prices not only saves seniors a lot of money, it saves the country a lot of money. $160 billion that's not having to be paid out because drug prices are more rational. We pay the highest drug prices of any industrial nation in the world.

It's just the beginning. You know, we also protected the most significant breakthrough ever, ever, in dealing with the existential threat of climate change. Today, a new wind and solar power is cheaper than fossil fuel. Since I've been in office, clean energy and advanced manufacturing have brought in $470 billion in private investments. It's going to create thousands of jobs, good-paying jobs, all across this country

and help the environment at the same time. Remember, at the beginning of this debate, some of my Republican colleagues were determined to gut the clean energy investments. I said, no, we kept them all. And there's so much more to do. We're going to do even more to reduce the deficit. We need to control spending if We're going to do even more to reduce the deficit. We need to control spending if we're going to do that. But we also have to raise revenue and go after tax cheats and make sure everybody's paying their fair share. No one, I promise, no one making less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes. But like most of you at home, I know the federal

tax system isn't fair. That's why I kept my commitment again that no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes. That's why last year I secured more funding to go more IRS funding to go after wealthy tax cheats. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and it is nonpartisan, says that this bill will bring in $150 billion, and other outside experts expect that it would save as much as $400 billion because it's forcing people to pay their fair share. Republicans may not like it, but I'm going to make sure the wealthy pay their fair share.

I'm also proposed closing over a dozen special interest tax loopholes for big oil, crypto traders, hedge fund billionaires, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Republicans defended every single one of these special interest loopholes. Every single one. But I'm going to be coming back. And with your help, I'm going to win. Right now, catch this. Right now, the average billionaire in America pays just 8% in federal taxes. 8%. Teachers and firefighters pay more than that. That's why I proposed a minimum tax for billionaires.

Republicans are against it, but I'm going to keep fighting for it. No billionaire should pay less in federal taxes than a teacher or a firefighter. Look, let me close with this. I know bipartisanship is hard, and unity is hard, but we can never stop trying.

Because in moments like this one, the ones we just faced, where the American economy and the world economy is at risk of collapsing, there's no other way. No matter how tough our politics gets, we need to see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Treat each other with dignity and respect, to join forces as Americans to stop shouting, lower the temperature, and work together to pursue progress, secure prosperity, and keep the promise of America for everybody. As I've said in my inaugural address, without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. And we can never become that country. I can honestly say, I can honestly say to you tonight that I've never been more optimistic

about America's future. We just need to remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there's nothing, nothing we can't do when we do it together. Thank you all for listening, taking the time tonight to listen to me. May God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you. All right, folks, that was President Joe Biden. 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 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 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 ban is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Talk about the debt ceiling, but also what's happening with the economy. We're going to go to a break. On the flip side, we're going to talk to our panel about what he had to say. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. YouTube, hit that button, that like button. Also, folks, download the Black Star Network. YouTube, hit that button, that like button. Also, folks, download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV,

Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Also, your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do. Folks, listen, I'm in Atlanta right now. I was covering the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, their organizing conference. Next week, we're going to be in Jackson, Mississippi, for the 60th anniversary commemoration of the assassination of Medgar Evers. We're going to be covering the events at the Medgar and Murley Evers Institute at Jackson State. So we're going to be there. So, look, the only way we can do what we do is with your support. So please support us as

best that you can. See your check and money orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, or Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Bounty of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Those proceeds I put right back into the show, folks. And so you can, of course, get the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Books A Million. You can also download your copy on Audible. We'll be right back. That was a pivotal, pivotal time.

I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You got to stay on stage. And I was like, yeah, well, I'm like, you know, y'all don't think I'm there. I'm good. And he was absolutely right. What show did you have at that? This was one-on-one.

Got it. During that time. So you're doing one-on-one, going great. You're making money. You're like... I'm like, I don't need to leave. I don't need to leave from, you know, Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday.

I, you know, I just, I didn't want to do that. You know, it was just like, I'm gonna stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like,, I'm going to stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like, I don't have to do that. And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. You know, sometimes me and Chappelle or me and this one or that one,

we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to Jersey. And I kinda just, I got complacent.

I was like, I got this money, I'm good. I don't need to go, I don't need to go chase that because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making, but what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money. You know, it was that, that's what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money.

You know, it was that, that's what I needed. Coming up next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick. We're breaking it down. The stereotype of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of honor.

Like you even hear black women, like aspiring to be this ride or die chick, aspiring to be this strong black woman. At their own expense. Next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network. Hey, what's up? It's Tammy Roman. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Sheppard Talk Show.

It's me, Sherri Sheppard, and you know what you're watching, Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, fellas, welcome back to Rolling Markdown and Filch, another Black Star Network. Let's go right to my panel. We've got Kelly, Matt, Michael. Michael, I'll start with you. Look, Biden purposely has not been taking a victory lap until after the Senate act. It's very rare for presidents to give Oval Office addresses. This here clearly was his attempt to reframe this discussion and to tout how he's been able to actually get things done in a bipartisan way. You can look at the poll numbers. That's one thing, but he's racking up actual successes. He's racking up a whole lot of successes. This is

a continuation of the first two years of the Biden-Harris administration. And this deal, this debt ceiling bill could have been much worse when you look at what Republicans actually wanted. So he was able to masterfully negotiate this bill. Now, McCarthy had to dance for the MAGA Republicans in the House of Representatives, but McCarthy already said defaulting on the debt is off the table, okay? McCarthy wasn't going to let that happen. So there are some things in here that some of the progressives, like some of the progressives in the House voted against it. The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, you have the restarting of student loan payments.

You have some people who will not be able to get SNAP funding, things like this. But overall, it's going to be about 78,000 more people per month who will qualify for SNAP benefits. So when we look at what Republicans were trying to do, just keep in mind that the difference between Kevin McCarthy being Speaker of the House and Hakeem Jeffries being the Speaker of the House was about 7,000 votes in a handful of districts that went for Republicans. Okay, so 2024, Democrats have to take back control of the House of Representatives and increase their lead and increase their margin in the Senate. But Kelly, here's the deal, though. Biden, look, played this thing smart. He knew the Republicans

were not going to go for it. And so all he did was look at his Democratic numbers and say, I can bank those numbers. I need to pick up a handful of Republicans. Boom. I got me a deal in the House. And that's what happened. That's exactly what happened. And I think it's, you know, imperative for people to understand that bipartisan does not mean that all Republicans join the Democrats for this deal. Like you said, you only need a handful of Republicans in order to push something through and in order for it to be considered bipartisan at all. And that's what Biden knows, and that's what Biden banks on, and that's what he did. So I applaud him for understanding actual politics.

And, you know, he's an expert at it, and he used that expertise in order to get this deal done. Now, a lot of people are saying, you know, I see the comments, you know, how you mentioned how he has successes under his belt. And people are saying, well, how do you have successes but your approval rating is so low? Approval rating does not mean that you don't have any successes under his belt. And people are saying, well, how do you have successes, but your approval rating is so low? Approval rating does not mean that you don't have any successes under your belt. Approval rating means that you don't know what those successes are, as far as I'm concerned. And that goes back to the Biden administration's comms team and outreach not doing as great of a job as they could, expressing exactly what Biden does for this country. So I think that with the proper outreach strategy, on top of good policy and good law going out, not only will Biden's approval ratings go up, but Americans will actually understand what's

going on and actually be pleased and not be relying on polls to decide who's approving and who's not. But here's the deal, though. I mean, the reality, Matt, what this White House has to do, they've got to learn to thump their chest like Trump did. He took credit for crap he didn't even do. He was taking credit for bills that Obama signed. And so if for some reason Democrats don't like doing that,

they think that looks like, oh, that's just a little too much. No, your job is to thump your chest, pound your chest, and it's like, yeah, we did it. I think about that scene from Jungle Fever when Wesley Snipes playing Flipper was leaving. He was like, see that? That's mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine. Sure, all of his architecture work. Sometimes, dog, you got to tell folks, yo, that's my shit. I did that. Roland, my brother, thank you for giving me this question. Because when I heard Biden speaking, I heard, my name is Joseph R. Biden, and I'm running to be your president again in 2024.

Let me tell you all the ways that I'm dope. Let me tell you all the ways the Republicans are messed up. Let me tell you about the Cheeto in chief who left office with all these problems and how I'm fixing them. I thought this was real fireside chatty. It felt like FDR, probably back in the 30s, where he's sitting and he starts talking about the debt ceiling. But then it goes into all these other issues where he wants to make it exceedingly clear to the American people that he's working on their behalf. And look, the reality of it is you're talking politicians and encapsulating things the way that they need to in order to garner support. But to your point, I think that this White House, as we've talked about

many times on the show, needs to be better about this. And I think this was actually done in a very effective way. I think the pros that he chose was very unifying. I think the kind of tenor of what he talked about was coming together, especially on something like a debt ceiling, one where a lot of people don't fully understand what that means in practice. But just the idea that, hey, I reached across the aisle, I called the people on the other side and make things work to your benefit. I think he was effective in that respect. And I think what we're seeing is that he's already starting to counter the Santas and the Republicans and all the stuff that we know is going to be on the far extreme. He's already shooting for that middle and middle America in particular to tell

them, hey, I'm still your president, I'm still working for you. And I'm going to make sure there's a chicken in every pot in America. Look, this is campaign time. And again, all of these people have been yelling and screaming, Michael, the economy is falling apart. We're having a recession. And look, I remember September. They were yelling recession. I remember Jamie Dimon, Jeff Bezos, all these people. Amazon started laying people off. Facebook started laying people off. All these tech companies, they all were talking

about that all of these companies were pulling their advertising. We have felt that impact as well. All these folks pulling their money left and right, saying we have to prepare for the recession. We're now in June. No recession. We're now in June. No recession.

Right. So you have people like Jamie Dimon. You have people like Jeff Bezos. But then you have the coup plotters over at Fox TV. Then you have the people like Representative Byron Donalds, who the Congressional Black Caucus didn't even want, Republican from Florida, who you've had here on the show. You kicked this behind when he was here on the show, Roland. So you have those who are betting against America because they want the economy to fall out of these Republicans. What some of these MAGA Republicans wanted to do was to actually default on the debt, tank the economy, and then blame Biden for tanking the economy so that Republicans can win back the White House in 2024. It's not going to work.

You're part of this—you are coup plotters, sympathizers, or you were part of the coup. And we have to keep asking the question, why do these people want the economy to fail? Why don't they want the economy to grow? Why don't they want the economy to grow? Why don't they want jobs to be created? So once again, this is an example of how elections have consequences, and we need to vote these people out of power and make sure they stay out of power.

But the thing here, Kelly, that we have to recognize, again, they were all yelling the recession. I saw this clip earlier, Maria Bartiromo, who was just sick to her stomach. Also that part. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time.

Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

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

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug 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 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. Okay, as Joe Concha, who's a commentator on Fox News, so-called fake media analyst, that's what he is. And they were just like, well, you know, we're just so surprised by this. You know, they just keep the estimates, keep saying this, but then the reality comes out. But here's the deal. And then they try to cite the inflation. The reason inflation is still high, because these companies are jacking up prices

because they is pure theft, is greed greed that's why inflation is still high well not only that but i think that the reason why republicans are kind of spinning their wheels here is because they don't have a narrative if nothing is failing right their whole machine is rooted in fear and propaganda and when you do not have a story that has a modicum of truth to that fear and propaganda, they don't have anything to build their lies upon except their own lies. And right now they don't have a new lie to tout. And that's the issue here. The fact of the matter is, whether there's a recession or not, right now we don't have one. So they don't have anything to build that fear off of.

We got the jobs report today. Jobs are going great. They can't use those numbers to push propaganda and fear because that's, you know, a check in the Democrats' column. So they're spinning their wheels because they don't have a process. They don't have a strategy outside of propaganda, pushing fear, and making MAGA supporters feel better about the crappy lives that they're living. All right, folks. Hold on one second. I've got to go to a break.

When we come back uh more on roller button unfiltered the black star network yo you two folks hit that button let me see first of all are we at a thousand likes by now man look i told y'all i shouldn't have to be sitting here big and y'all to hit the doggone like button okay uh this thing is not that hard this is what we do uh so let's see here where we at um where we at uh let's see here where we at where we at let's see here y'all it's not 146 when I come back from this break we should be over a thousand okay y'all comment like crazy but you hit like button hit the damn like button okay hit the subscribe button as well on YouTube let's get to

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So please support us in what you do. And so you can give less. Somebody gave us $2.50. Trust me, I appreciate that. You can give more. Since somebody gave us $2.50, trust me, I appreciate that. You can give more. That'd be great as well. So check in money orders, PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, Donaldson, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, or Martin Unfiltered.

Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. You're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting.

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what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, rates $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. I'm Faraji Muhammad, live from LA. And this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation.

You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together, so let's talk about it

and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's The Culture, weekdays at 3, only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. All right, folks. Education Matters. Time for that segment. And math is one of those areas that I couldn't stay in math

when I was in school. But thank goodness you have this virtual summer camp that can actually help folks who are in need. Now, math is a critical area. We're seeing lower scores in this country. And so there's an effort to try to get those boosted. My next guest is the author of Building Brighter Kids from Kindergarten to College, founder and CEO of Building Brighter Kids, Veta Green Johnson. She created Confident Calculators Camp to help students learn the eight math skills that middle schools need to succeed in math and beyond. She joins us from Papano Beach of Florida.

All right, Vida, so you're like the super-duper math expert, and you can get kids excited about math? Really? How? Absolutely, absolutely. I am the master of middlers, so I get them excited about math. I get them excited about themselves. I get them excited about themselves. I teach them the importance of math. I show them how math plays a role in everything.

Numbers are everywhere. That's just what I do. Magic and math. That's who I am. Okay. Okay. But how? Because again, I mean, look, we know English. Yeah, like how? All right, let's talk about this. So basically, most students are missing quite a bit of learning from math. They miss a lot from year to year. So what I do, I have created Confident Calculators, which is a summer virtual math camp for students to help fill in those gaps. Because I believe that summer is the best time to learn. So we cover all of the basics that middle schoolers need in order to excel in math and to prepare them for Algebra 1.

All right. So we know COVID the last couple of years has really made things hard for kids in class. And so what type of acceleration needs to happen? Because, again, we're seeing the net result of what happened when, frankly, kids were not going to school, were not learning. Right. So really the key is to get back to the basics. So there are only four things you can do in math, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. When we are strong in those areas, we're able to build a strong foundation that will

allow us to catapult these kids into acceleration. What's happening is we kind of glossed over and kind of pushed under the rug the COVID situation. We put these kids back into the classroom and we just went on with the usual teaching and learning of math and reading and all the skills. But we have to get back to the basics, especially for our math students, because math is pivotal. So that whole pandemic, those two years, two and a half years actually, have set children back so far. But we just, and we can't just move ahead. We have to stop. We have to incorporate parents, math at home, numbers around us, after school programs. And we have to fill in the gaps in the summer because children lose two and a half months of learning in the summer. So couple that with the COVID loss, they are farther and farther behind.

So we've got to get back to the basics. All right. Let's, questions from our panel. Let's see. Out of Michael, Matt, and Kelly, who probably was the worst at math? Matt. Well, you know, I didn't learn counting chickens and horses and goats out in the country. Here's my question, Vita.

My 13-year-old may indeed be in your program. So how does the program actually work in the summer? How involved is it in terms of daily, you know, meetings? And what does it look like kind of on the ground? Okay. Well, it is my belief that during the summer, a child should spend at least one hour a day in math or covering their math skills. So I work with them an hour a day, Monday through Thursday, and I give them the basic skills covering those eight subjects. So the eight subjects are integers, exponents, solving equations, inequalities, building on the geometry skills, the substitution, the properties of math. Those things that they need in order to build those skills each and every day. So with me by their side, in their face, virtual every day. I give them assessments. I give them

a pre-assessment on each topic to find out where they are. And then I teach toward those missing gaps. And then I bring in my expertise as a math teacher for more than 20 years to fill in the gaps along the way for the things I believe that they should know before they step into the next grade level or beyond. So it's a Zoom call. It's virtual. I communicate with them via email. I communicate with them via Voxer. That's a voice walkie-talkie so they can ask me questions as they're doing the assignments that I give them.

But I make it fun. So I incorporate music, dance, food, because everybody loves food, and we can connect math to food. We will cover those things to make math connected, not just feeding them numbers. So a 13-year-old generally has an attention span of about 15 to 20 minutes. So we'll transition between activities. They'll be able to work together. They'll have group work. They'll have asynchronous and synchronous work. And so the basically virtual Zoom conversations, communication with parents as well. So we're incorporating the whole village in helping these children to

bridge the gap between where they are and where they need to be. All right, Kelly. Sure. So I see on your website that you actually teach children from K to 12, if I understand correctly, or even beyond grade 12, even college students. My question to you is, while that is incredible, which age group or which grade cluster do you think, based off of what happened with COVID, needs the most help in this area? And can you give us a success story within that age range to basically, you know, sell your product? All right. Well, building brighter kids from kindergarten to college is the parent arm. Confident calculators, the focus is on the middle school child. So I bridge the fifth grader into

middle school and I reach forward to bridge the eighth grader into high school. So my target audience for Confident Calculators Camp is the middle school child. So the focus is to make sure that they have the skills that they need before they go into the beyond, before they step into the Algebra 1 class. So my best success story, actually, I just got a text message from one of my parents who has a child who has never scored higher than a D in math. And she just sent me a message saying that he received a B in math this quarter. And that she said in capital letters, unprecedented. So I've worked with that child since March, February. And so we closed closed out the quarter with a B in math, and he received an 88 on his final exam, which covered the whole year.

So I must say that middle school children, that's my jam. So while I do Building Brighter Kids from Kindergarten to College, my target audience is the middle school child. I love them, and most people don't. Understood. Michael. All right, Vita. Hey, you know, this is something fantastic and my mother was a math teacher in elementary school for decades. So this, you know, really hits home with me. Oftentimes you may have parents who want to help children with math, but those parents may not have been good in math when they were children.

And there may be apprehension about helping the child and letting the child know that they don't know how to do certain math problems or deal with geometry. So how do you, when you have a child that's in your summer camp, is there anything to help incorporate the parents to try to, like, reinforce at home what the child is learning during the summer camp? Absolutely. Parents will receive an email at the end of the lesson or the session each week. I call it pieces of the pie, P-I, for 3.14. They get the pieces of the pie strategies. I give them resources.

I connect them with online and other resources that they can use, that they can use at home. There are apps on the phone that they can use. There are activities that they can do at home. It's not just the, ooh, scary math. Numbers and math are everywhere. So I give them strategies to help them help their children succeed. All right. Thank you.

All right. Where can people get more information on the virtual camp? They can go to buildingbrighterkids.com. They can also, don't forget, I forgot this, get your free copy of Raising a Confident Calculator. It's an e-book where I give you strategies, tools, and tips on raising your own confident calculator. Everything is found at buildingbrighterkids.com, and you can follow me across all social media at Bill Bright Kids. I think that's it. All right. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Bill. Thank you. Have a great one.'s it. Dr. Greg Carr here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in.

Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how big a role does fear play in your life? Your relationship to it and how to deal with it can be the difference between living a healthy life, a balanced life, or a miserable one. Whenever the power of fear comes along, you need to put yourself in that holding pattern and breathe, examine. Find out if there's something that your survival instinct requires you to either fight or take flight. Facing your fears and making them work for you instead of against you.

That's all next on a balanced life on black star network. I'm Deborah Owens, America's wealth coach and my new show get wealthy focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you, but you absolutely need to know. So watch get wealthy on the Black Star Network. Hello, I'm Paula J. Parker. Trudy Proud on The Proud Family.

Louder and Prouder on Disney+. And you're watching Roland Mars Unfiltered. We continue Education Matters, folks. Dozens of Mississippi schools remain under desegregation order from the Department of Justice. On Thursday, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Christian Clark spoke to a small group in Holmes County Circuit Court Complex in Lexington, Mississippi, about the Justice Department examining the state school districts to ensure black students have equal access to educational programs. Clark told the small group in our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown v. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi, and in each of those cases, we are working to ensure that

these districts comply with desegregation orders from courts. Mississippi, folks, has the highest percentage of black residents of any state in the U.S. and has been home to legal fights over desegregation. In 2017, a Mississippi Delta school district agreed to merge two high schools after nearly 50 years of litigation in which the community sought to maintain historically black and white schools. Clark also stopped at Jackson State University for her two-day southern civil rights tour. See, this is one of those things, Michael, that people don't understand, that they think that, oh, 2023, we're long past that. The fact that you still are dealing with holding people accountable for Jim Crow era segregation and we're in 2023.

Absolutely, Roland. And this is what a lot of black conservatives don't want to address because the white conservatives won't let them do it, because then you have to admit that systemic racism exists. And then the next step would be, OK, so what are you going to do about it? They're not going to do anything about it, so they pretend like it doesn't exist. And it's important for us to understand, really, what Brown v. Board of Education was about. It wasn't about white African-American children being able to sit next to white children in the school so they can learn better. The real fight was we wanted equal funding for our schools, just like white children, white students have for their schools. The goal was not to send our children and have them bust into hostile territories and hostile schools and deal with teachers that didn't like them.

We wanted equal funding. So here this fight still continues. and this is really understanding racism, but it deals with the goal, it deals with the purpose of the Department of Justice when it was created in 1870 during Reconstruction, and it was primarily created to enforce the new rights that African Americans were given. Matt, this also explains to people again why it's important who wins the White House, but that's who controls the Department of Justice. That's correct. And it also explains to people.

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Well, that, you know, a lot of times we only get the tip of the iceberg in terms of litigation and its impact. But what's important about Brown that people may not know is that it was actually litigated in two parts, essentially. And the Supreme Court gave the edict to these states to desegregate with, quote, all deliberate speed. And what we're seeing is, like, more than 60 years later, that speed has not been deliberate or there at all. I mean, the fact that in 2017 you've got a Mississippi school district that

is still actively fighting desegregating, following, you know, a litany of cases and decisions from years ago, ordering them to do so, shows you that there's one, still a problem, and two, a problem that needs to be addressed head on. So that's good that Kristen Clark and the Department of Justice are taking that on head on. And in fact, my understanding is this is a part of a Deep South tour that she's doing. So hopefully her team will continue to identify those issues that are persisting and continue going at them with all deliberate speed, because clearly these independent school districts have not done so. And we still have an issue many, many years later, well after the Supreme Court has laid down

the law pretty clearly in this respect. Let's keep going to the east, to Florida, where in Miami, a federal judge has sentenced the first person who was charged in connection with the assassination of a Haitian president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021. Haitian Chilean businessman, Rodolf Jarre, got life in prison for his role in helping Colombian mercenaries carry out the assassination. Jb's the first person to be convicted and sentenced in what the U.S. prosecutors described as a broad plot by conspirators in Haiti and Florida to reap lucrative contracts under a new administration once Moise was out of the way. Jarb had previously been a U.S. government informant.

He was convicted of drug trafficking a decade ago. In March, he pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and to providing material support resulting in death. Ten other defendants are awaiting trial in the United States. And this is, again, this is one of those reasons, Kelly, why Haiti continues to be destabilized because of situations like this. Absolutely. And I'm sure Michael has the entire history in his head regarding how Haiti got to be where it is. But it really is unfortunate when you have these external powers that be come into Haiti and destabilize for, you know, a litany

of purposes. But the fact of the matter is, you know, things like this happen there because of external forces. So I'm glad that justice in this respect has been served. But Haiti, as well as the world, has a long way to go as far as stabilizing this country. Well, and again, justice should be served. So hopefully we will see more prison sentences for those involved with the assassination. That is it for us. Kelly, Matt, Michael, I certainly appreciate y'all joining us on today's show. Thank you so very much. Folks, I will see y'all on Monday. I'm back in the nation's capital, back in our studio. Be there on Monday.

But again, we're going to be in Jackson, Mississippi at the end of next week for the for the Medgar and Murley Everest Institute for the 60th annual commemoration of the assassination of Medgar Everest. So we will be there. But again, we want you to support us in what we do. Please download our app. Again, a lot of times we have issues on YouTube and Facebook. Well, guess what?

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Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Brownie of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at bookstores nationwide, including getting it from Barnes & Noble, Target, Books A Million. Download your copy on Audible. Folks, I'll see y'all. Have a great, great weekend. See you next week.

Holla! Să ne urmăm. Thank you. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use the same method for the other side. I'm going to use ahead and close this. I'm Martin. Thank you. Thank you. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

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