#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Biden Drops Out & Endorses Harris, Black Men for Harris, How Does Harris Get On The Ballot?

Episode Date: July 23, 2024

7.22.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Biden Drops Out & Endorses Harris, Black Men for Harris, How Does Harris Get On The Ballot?  President Joe Biden's decision to not seek re-election and his endo...rsement of Vice President Kamala Harris paves the way for her to become the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major party ticket.   We are talking to political strategists and members of the Congressional Black Caucus about this historic turn of events.   Over 44-thousand black women met virtually Sunday night to support Harris.  After the show, I'm inviting all black men to join me in supporting Harris.  I'll tell you how to join the Black Men for Harris call.  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.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.
Starting point is 00:00:48 We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Starting point is 00:01:05 Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.
Starting point is 00:01:29 Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Voters, that'll be more energized. But yeah, for sure, the VP pick is going to be important. All right, Marcus, Tamia, Congressman Jackson, it's really appreciated. Thanks a bunch. When we come back, a few moments ago, folks, Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first comments from the office,
Starting point is 00:01:50 the Kemp Presidential Office in Wilmington, Delaware. We'll show you exactly what she had to say when we come back on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You will not. White people are losing their damn minds. It's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance.
Starting point is 00:02:19 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.
Starting point is 00:02:57 The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white people. Good job, good pay, good life. Would you be willing to walk away from it to achieve real wealth? Well, that's exactly what this woman did. And boy, did it pay off. Once you make the decision that this is the direction that you're going to go in, I do believe that there's power in having a decided heart. Hear her story on the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, on
Starting point is 00:03:46 Blackstar Network. Hey, yo, what's up? It's Mr. Dalvin right here. What's up? This is KC. Sitting here representing the J-O-D-E-C-I. That's Jodeci. Right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. We'll be right back. Doug Imhoff a little bit earlier, about 30 minutes ago. And so we want to bring you those thoughts. Here it is. Wow.
Starting point is 00:04:31 Julie, thank you so much. I've known Julie a long, long time, going back to her days working in Kamala's Senate office. And we've put a lot of time together out on the road on the last campaign, and I can't think of anyone better to be leading this campaign. So thank you so much. You're the best. I was just very emotional listening to President Biden just then.
Starting point is 00:04:58 I was emotional before I heard that because of who he is and what he represents, the dignity, the empathy. He's had my back personally, some of my toughest moments as second gentleman. One, leaving the career that I loved. It was always the president who came up to me and said, look, I know, kid, you're a great lawyer. I know this must have been tough. But what better way to leave that than to support your wife, who you love so much, and your country that you love so much?
Starting point is 00:05:32 And it's hard to believe it was about four years ago, the first time I came to Wilmington, is when she got the call from President, then-candidate Biden, to be on the ticket. And we came here the next day. We went to their home. And he said with Dr. Biden, welcome to the family. You're now Bidens. And they made us cookies. And they called our kids.
Starting point is 00:06:03 And they called my parents. This was day one four years ago. And now look where we are now. To have been able to serve as second gentleman with him as our president, Dr. Biden as our first lady. I'm good. But now, now I get to support my wife, Kamala Harris, running for president of the United States. Let me tell you something. We are going to win this election. We're on the right side of every single issue. And we have this team right here and thousands of others all around the country.
Starting point is 00:06:50 How do I know? Because I've been traveling all around the country and I've met them. We have an amazing team. You have done an amazing job. And you're going to continue to do that so we can elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States of America I need freedom too I break today's I'm on my tail Won't let my freedom rot in hell Hey
Starting point is 00:07:29 I'ma keep running cause the world don't quit on themselves I hate Delaware! I'm so well aware. Trump was up! Trump was up! Trump was up! Trump was up! Trump was up! Trump was up! Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:07:58 Can we just give it up again for my husband? It is so good to hear our president's voice. Joe, I know you're still on the call, and we've been talking every day. You probably, you guys heard it from Doug's voice. We love Joe and Jill. We really do. They truly are like family to us. And we do everybody here, though. It's mutual.
Starting point is 00:08:28 I knew you were still there. You're not going anywhere, Joe. I'm watching you, kid. I'm watching you, kid. I love you. I love you, Joe. So, Joe, I'm going to recognize some of the electeds who are here, and then I'm going to get back to you. Hold on a second. So let me do, please, acknowledge some extraordinary national leaders who are also dear friends, both to the President and to me.
Starting point is 00:09:00 Governor John Carney, where are you? There you are. And his wife, they are here. Senator Tom Carper, my former colleague. And his wife is here. Chris Coons, my dear friend. Attorney General Kathy Jennings. The mayor is here.
Starting point is 00:09:19 Prasicki, where are you? He's there. And the next United States senator from the great state of Delaware is here. And I know everyone here has seen these elected leaders in this very campaign office on a regular basis. And I know Joe is so thankful to them for their lifelong friendship, but I want to thank them also, because you guys have really been carrying some heavy water from the first days of our campaign. So thank you all.
Starting point is 00:09:54 This truly is a Delaware family. Thank you. I want to thank Jen O'Malley Dillon. Where is she, Jen? I'm going to talk about her in a minute. Julie Chavez Rodriguez. Sheila Nix. And the entire team that is here.
Starting point is 00:10:18 I want to thank all of you and those who are joining from offices across our nation. So Doug and I wanted to stop by today to thank everybody and to express just what we know to be true. You all have been working so hard. The people in this office have been working so hard. And you have given so much of yourselves, long days and nights, what you are sacrificing in terms of the time you could be spending with other friends and other family.
Starting point is 00:10:50 And you're giving yourselves to our country because you love our country and you love Joe and you love me, and we know that. And so today, just right after Joe made his announcement, it was important for me to continue with his role of leadership in this office, of like him, who has said for many, many, many months, and I say it today, thank you all so very much for what you are doing and what you will continue to do. So let's applaud the team. And I know it's been a roller coaster, and we're all filled with so many mixed emotions about this.
Starting point is 00:11:31 I just have to say, I love Joe Biden. I love Joe Biden, and I know we all do, and we have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden. And I have full faith that this team is the team will be the reason we win in November. You all who are here. And as Julie always says, and I will quote the great Julie, we are one team, one fight. One team, one fight. And she's been an extraordinary campaign manager. She's going to continue in this role and see us to victory in November.
Starting point is 00:12:07 And we are all here because we love our country, right? And we believe in our foundational principles. We believe in freedom and opportunity and justice, not for some, but for all. And so we have 106 days until Election Day, and in that time we have some hard work to do. And as JOD always reminds us, we can do hard things. JOD has been such an incredible leader of this team, and that is why I have just asked her to run my campaign and she has accepted. And so over the next 106 days, we are going to take our case to the American people and we are going to win.
Starting point is 00:13:00 We are going to win. We are going to win. And so now I'm getting back to you, Joe. I will tell you all, it has been one of the greatest honors of my life, truly, to serve as vice president to our president, Joe Biden. Joe's legacy of accomplishment, just over a lifetime, but just over the last three and a half years, is unmatched in modern history. In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office. Think about it. And I know everyone here in the campaign, we have, we know. But if we don't know, we got a problem. But I'm going to repeat some for those who might be guests at the moment.
Starting point is 00:13:49 Joe got the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Remember those days? He has created more than 15 million new jobs. He brought together Republicans and Democrats and passed historic legislation. And I'm going to tell you, I'm a firsthand witness to all this work. I would sit with Joe in the Oval Office while he would bring members of both sides of the aisle and talk and listen and help them see what they may have in common and how we can actually work towards solutions. And because of their confidence in Joe, these accomplishments occurred.
Starting point is 00:14:30 Joe has stood up for democracy at home, and he has stood up for democracy abroad, and he has always stood up for what he believes is right. And many of you may know I first came to know Joe through his son, Beau. Beau and I worked together as state attorneys general. And back then, Beau would often tell me stories about his dad. And he would talk about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is. And he would talk about the qualities of his father. And the qualities that Beau revered the most are the same qualities that I see every day in our president.
Starting point is 00:15:13 His honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big, big heart, and his deep love of our country. And I don't need to tell you all you know Joe's background, right? I mean, he grew up in a middle-class family in Scranton, and he has never forgotten where he comes from. And so, again, I am a firsthand witness from being with him in the Oval Office to the Situation Room and seeing him on the global stage with world leaders. President Joe Biden fights for the American people, and we are deeply, deeply grateful
Starting point is 00:15:53 for his service to our nation. Joe, are you watching? Do you hear this clapping? Can you see it? I'm watching. I'm watching. I know it. Thank you, Joe. We love you, Joe.
Starting point is 00:16:24 You're the best, Joe. And let us be very clear, Joe is not done. Far from it. He knows there is still more work to do, and our nation will continue to praise his bold and visionary leadership as president. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. Thank you. And it is my great honor to have Joe's endorsement in this race. You sure do.
Starting point is 00:17:14 And it is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win. So in the days and weeks ahead, I, together with you, will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election. You know, as many of you know, before I was elected as vice president, before I was elected as United States senator, I was the elected attorney general, as I've mentioned, of California. And before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds.
Starting point is 00:17:59 Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald 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.
Starting point is 00:18:51 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.
Starting point is 00:19:16 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. I'm Clayton English.
Starting point is 00:19:46 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
Starting point is 00:19:56 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.
Starting point is 00:20:10 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 Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch What we're doing now isn't working
Starting point is 00:20:27 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
Starting point is 00:20:41 And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself
Starting point is 00:21:08 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. A record against his.
Starting point is 00:21:32 As a young prosecutor when I was in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in California, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges and put it out of business. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college, Trump University, that University that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed. As district attorney to go after polluters, I created one of the first environmental justice units in our nation. Donald Trump stood in Mar-a-Lago and told big oil lobbyists he would do their bidding for a $1 billion campaign contribution. During the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families, holding those banks accountable
Starting point is 00:22:48 for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud. But make no mistake, all of that being said, this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. There is more to this campaign than that. Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country, two different visions for the future of our country two different visions for the future of our country. One focused on the future. The other focused on the past. Donald Trump wants to take our country backward to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights. But we believe in a brighter future
Starting point is 00:23:48 that makes room for all Americans. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. That's right. We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every person can buy a home, start a family, and build wealth, and where every person has affordable health care, where every worker is paid fairly, and where every senior can retire with dignity. All of this is to say building up the middle class will
Starting point is 00:24:48 be a defining goal of my presidency. Because we here know when our middle class is strong, America is strong. And we know that's not the future Donald Trump is fighting for. He and his extreme Project 2025 will weaken the middle class and bring us backward. Please do note that. Back to the failed, trickle-down policies that gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and made working families pay the cost. Back to policies that put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block. Back to policies that treat health care as only a privilege for the wealthy instead of what we all know it should be, which is a right for every American. America has tried these economic policies before. They do not lead to prosperity.
Starting point is 00:25:59 They lead to inequity and economic injustice. And we are not going back. We are not going back. You're not taking us back. Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom. Yeah. Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom. Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom from our founders to our framers, to the abolitionists and the suffragettes, to the freedom riders and farm workers. And now I say, team, the baton is in our hands.
Starting point is 00:26:49 We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote. We who are committed to fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence and that's why we will work to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. We, who will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing if Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state, but we are not going to let that happen. It is this team here that is going to help in this November
Starting point is 00:27:44 to elect a majority of members of the United States, I will sign it into law. We the people. Indeed, we the people. Indeed, we the people. So ultimately, to all the friends here, I say, in this election, we know. We each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law? Yes!
Starting point is 00:28:41 Or a country of chaos, fear, and hate. You all are here because you as leaders know we each, including our neighbors and our friends and our family, we each as Americans have the power to answer that question. That's the beauty of it, the power of the people. We each have the ability to answer that question. That's the beauty of it, the power of the people. We each have the ability to answer that question. So in the next 106 days, we have work to do. We have doors to knock on. We have people to talk to. We have phone calls to make. And we have an election to win. So are you ready to get to work? Do we believe in freedom?
Starting point is 00:29:33 Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we willing to fight for it? And when we fight, God bless you all. And God bless the United States of America and Joe Biden. Folks, that was moments ago. Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at the campaign offices there in Wilmington, Delaware. Of course, that was a strong opening speech from the vice president, and she made it clear exactly how she is going to be hitting Donald Trump hard on his various convictions.
Starting point is 00:30:20 We're going to go to a break. We come back. We'll chat with our panel. Also, we'll talk about the polling data as well right right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. We're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word. We wish
Starting point is 00:30:47 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
Starting point is 00:31:04 them to cover our stuff so please support us in what we do folks we want to hit 2 000 people 50 this month waits 100 000 we're behind 100 000 so we want to hit that y'all money makes this possible check some money orders go to peel box 57196 washington dc 20037-0196 the cash app is dollar sign, RM unfiltered. PayPal is our Martin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zell is rolling at Roland S. Martin dot com. Hello, I'm Marissa Mitchell, a news anchor at Fox 5 DC. Hey, what's up?
Starting point is 00:31:39 It's Tammy Roman and you are watching Roland Martin unfiltered. All right, folks, welcome back. Again, my panel is here. I'm a Congo Dabinga, as well as Julianne Malveaux, as well as, of course, State Rep there as well. Let's get right to it. Julianne, huge, huge shift in momentum. I just saw a tweet.
Starting point is 00:32:03 30,000 people have volunteered for the campaign the last 24 hours. This is amazing. It's fantastic. It's a whole paradigm shift in what we were dealing with before we were dealing with this. I knew we, I mean, we were,
Starting point is 00:32:16 those of us who are Democrats and who love Joe Biden, but just didn't see the energy. And of course the flubs. Now we've got Kamala, when she's masterful, I don't even—we've got her. She's doing her thing. She's bringing everybody on. She's doing everything.
Starting point is 00:32:31 She's checking all the boxes and doing everything right. So I'm so glad that we have this segment. The flip side, of course, is the uglies. Some Republican man's called her DEI candidate. That's nonsense. But you know what? She's equal to this nonsense. And brickbats are going to be thrown at her because she's a woman, because she's a woman of color. People are going to say things. But basically, last night, I wasn't on the Women with Black Women call because I was on an airplane. But 44,000 women are her surrogates,
Starting point is 00:33:04 so that we need to shut nonsense down when we hear it. And, you know, Win With Black Women was started when Kamala was a candidate for VP. Yeah, it actually started before that. It started in April of 2020, just as the VP race was heating up. She made an appearance on that call in August of 2020. Right, but don't take it, though, when her name was in the mix. And we all came back strong.
Starting point is 00:33:35 People were doing things like writing op-eds, talking about why you couldn't count her out. And the power of we sisters is what I think propelled Brother Biden to put her on the ticket. And since then, this group has been meeting and supporting women candidates from all over the country. But last evening, as I said, I wasn't there, but people called me and a few called and said, where are you on the airplane? People are prepared and dug in. And that's why they were able to raise in the course of a couple of hours, like one point five million dollars, you know, to also look at the national momentum of the monies that were raised by move on or act.
Starting point is 00:34:19 No, Act Blue raised. I forgot the number, but it was a lot of money, $50 billion, I think. No, no, no, no. Act Blue has already surpassed $80 million. Wow. Okay. Well, the enthusiasm is there. That's the point. So we have to keep it moving, Roland.
Starting point is 00:34:38 We really have to keep it moving. We're going to hear a lot of crap from the people who talk crap. But we also are going to be able to get, I think, younger people are excited now. They were not excited about a race between two old white men, with all due respect to Brother Biden. One with good sense, one without. But they weren't excited about that. Gotcha. They're looking at their generation and they're thinking, what about us?
Starting point is 00:35:01 Now there's the answer. Yeah, on the Congo bottom line is this here. Energy, energy, energy. And again, look, I don't know what the hell President Obama was doing with his letter, but the last thing they needed was an open convention. This is about getting behind the vice president and using the time between now and the convention
Starting point is 00:35:19 to cement her leadership. Yeah, two things on that. One, I feel like President Obama made a mistake. You know, I feel like he's always had that mindset of, you know, I got to come in, be the closer, and so on and so forth. And people say past presidents don't really get involved at this particular moment.
Starting point is 00:35:36 But once the Clintons broke with that, all rules were off. Boom. Right? And so he should have been the first to do that. Now, I don't know if Michelle Obama can't endorse people because of her when we all vote. Yes. No, no, no, no, no. She can endorse anybody in her personal capacity, just like any president of a 501 C-3.
Starting point is 00:35:54 They can still endorse in their personal capacity, not as the organization. Got it. Got it. And so I think what President Obama needs to do, he needs to come in right now, because once all of the potential other candidates, you know, fell in line, he should he should have come out. And so I feel like if he doesn't come out sooner than later, sensing the tide, I feel like it can hurt his legacy as it relates to with with black people. But at the at worst, but at best, they're probably just going to make him look irrelevant right now of all the momentum that's being gained. And so I'm very interested to see how he handles the next 24 hours or so. And as it relates to this unity and coming out full force and the fire that's been going on, I was on that call. And, you know, it was amazing. And now you have your event coming up at 8. What I have to say, Roland, is we all have to make this clear, as we've been doing in the last 24 hours.
Starting point is 00:36:50 Black women followed by Black men are together on this. Because you know all the articles that are going to come out, the stories, Black men, are they going to support Harris? Are they going to bring up this prosecutor, this and all of that? They're going to think everything possible to try to throw at us. We need to continue to stay as unified as possible. I don't know any Black male who's planning on voting in this election who is saying, I'm not voting for her. All of us want to see it. And we got to keep this unity going and follow everything you have on your shirt right now, because that is how we are going to get her over the hill and into this office. Derek? You know, the sad part is that narrative has already started.
Starting point is 00:37:36 Even in our beloved fraternity, Roland, I had to check through. 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.
Starting point is 00:38:04 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,
Starting point is 00:38:22 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
Starting point is 00:38:38 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.
Starting point is 00:38:52 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
Starting point is 00:39:13 quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working
Starting point is 00:39:28 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
Starting point is 00:39:43 week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the
Starting point is 00:40:23 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Three of our alpha brothers who said they could not vote for her. And one of them in particular didn't even know that she went to Howard University. Didn't even know she was an AKA. And so the sad part is, and this goes back. That sounds like an uninformed dumbass alpha. It is. And I checked him.
Starting point is 00:40:50 I'm saying it on your show, Roland, I checked that brother. Because right now, to Dr. Omokomo's point, we cannot allow for this narrative to divide us. You know, on one side, they're saying, well, black girl magic here, but the black men are absent. And I informed them. You know, on one side, they're saying, well, black girl magic here,
Starting point is 00:41:06 but the black men are absent. And I informed them. I said, are you aware that Roland Martin, Michael Blake, Bakari Sellers, Quentin James, and Khalid Thompson are having a forum for black men tonight? And so I sent them the darn text. Here's the point. Malcolm X said it back in 1964 that the most disrespected person in America is a black woman. And no, we're not in the same condition as Shirley Chisholm, a movie I just watched. My queen and I just watched this movie rolling. But the things that Shirley Chisholm had to deal with, Kamala Harris is going to have to deal with too. She's going to deal with racism. She's had to deal with, Kamala Harris is going to have to deal with too. She's going to deal with racism.
Starting point is 00:41:47 She's going to deal with sexism. Some folks using religion already. And so we got to reject that, push it back, and check it. And last but not least, Roland, I would say this. You mentioned energy. Man, that energy is electric. I was on that call last night too. My wife is a Delta. And one of the things that I discovered about these sisters and the brothers that were on that call, the energy is real. He did. It's already too late. Yes, he still needs to come out, but it's already too late.
Starting point is 00:42:26 Now is not the time for us to be divided. We got 106 days. Vice President Kamala Harris is the right choice. She's the most qualified choice. She's the best choice to save this democracy and everything that we believe in it. When we start talking about polling data, it's critically important here. I want to bring in Christopher Toler. He, of course, is the director of the Black Voter Project, co-founder of Black Insights Research. Joining me from Sacramento, California.
Starting point is 00:42:54 Christopher, always glad to have you here. So let's talk about this here. What are you seeing? It's very early. It's very early. What data are you seeing out there that's giving us a sense of how Vice President
Starting point is 00:43:05 Kamala Harris is performing against Donald Trump? The most recent data, as you mentioned, is very early. And I haven't seen any real good data that focuses in on Black voters. But there does seem to be a consensus among the polls from the last day or two that Harris is performing better than Biden against Trump. Yet, even though she's performing a couple of points better, she's still behind Trump. And in almost every single poll, she's behind at least a couple of points, two, three, four points, even though that's better than Biden would have polled or was polling prior to dropping out or in the last couple of days. She's polling ahead of Biden the most among Black voters and young voters, but it's still not enough to make up any differences in the total electorate.
Starting point is 00:43:49 And so to really understand kind of where she needs to make up ground, we're going to have to look at how these polls shape out after sort of the enthusiasm boost drops off and how she fares against Trump once the election, or I'm sorry, the campaign really starts to get going. And she not only has to put the message out herself, but react to the messages coming at her. And so again, it's really, really early, but the polls suggest that there's great enthusiasm, especially among the Black community and young voters around her. But overall, it's not enough yet to catch her up or to make up the difference that Biden was lacking before he dropped out. Not only that, first of all, this announcement from Biden comes on Sunday. The Republican National Convention ended on Thursday, typically of a post-convention bounce.
Starting point is 00:44:33 And so these things are merging sort of at the very same time. So it's really going to be about 10 days before we get a real sense of what it looks like, correct? That's correct, absolutely. And it's probably going to be longer because we really need to see how the Harris campaign reacts to some of these messages that we've already seen out there that are going to be highlighted and thrown at her. We already know Black voters are going to support her, especially those that are already engaged. But in order to turn this campaign, turn the corner on this campaign and win battleground states that Biden was fighting for, states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, states she absolutely
Starting point is 00:45:10 needs to win to take the White House, she's going to not just have to get out those engaged voters, but she's going to have to get out low-propensity voters, especially low-propensity Black voters. I saw online the other day you were saying we need to get Black turnout up to 70 percent. Well, that means she's going to have to find a way to appeal to those people that weren't interested in politics with Biden and probably aren't going to be too much interested even with her at the top of the ticket. She's going to have to make arguments that go beyond, well, I'm black. I'm going to be another black president because that ship kind of sailed with Obama. And a lot of research out there suggests that empowerment and enthusiasm drops off after the first breaks through that ceiling. And so she's going to have to make other
Starting point is 00:45:49 arguments. Going back to Black Voter Project data, prior to the debates, when Biden was actually at his height, Harris trailed Biden in favorability amongst almost every demographic of Black voters, meaning young voters, old voters, men, women, college educated. She wasn't quite up to where Biden was in some points trailing by 10 points in favorability prior to the debates. And if you put that in larger context, right, she's behind. She was behind 30 to 40 points where people were rating Barack Obama in the same poll. And so to get those numbers, she's going to have to work hard. Her campaign is going to have to be very targeted and strategic going forward. Well, one of the things here is,
Starting point is 00:46:30 again, she wasn't in the lead position. And that's, I mean, that's a reality. Now she is. She now gets to establish that particular tone. But one of the things that, what are you seeing in terms of women? The Dobbs decision, I think, is also a game changer. Donald Trump got 52% of the white female vote in 2016. I think it was 53% in 2020. One of the things that I'm also concerned about is holding the white coalition that Biden had. White seniors, white college graduates,
Starting point is 00:47:02 white independents, white college graduates, white white white independents as well as well as the other group I'm missing. But again, holding that because, again, Democrats have got to get at a bare minimum 40 percent of those white numbers. Hillary was at 38 percent. That's not a recipe for success. Yeah, she's there. And I think she has an opportunity, especially, as you said, with college educated, younger voters, college educated women to not only hold those differences, but actually make up ground. Polls as of this morning suggested that she had a larger gap than Biden did, or she made up a lot of the gap when it came to independence. And so a lot more independents as of the last couple of days are turning support towards her versus Biden. They're either saying they're going to vote for her versus not voting at all or switching from
Starting point is 00:47:55 Trump altogether. So she has the potential to make up that ground and to even make gains as to where Biden stood with, as you mentioned, that 40 percent of white voters that she has to maintain in order to win the race. Questions for Christopher. Omokongo, you first. First of all, I'm really glad that you're doing this work because there's going to be so much, as relates to these other BS polls that are going to come out there. And so your work is just so needed right now. One of the questions that I have is, what are your thoughts about so many of these polls that said that one of the reasons they were concerned about Harris was because of the fundraising potential problems she might have with donors? And then we see what happened within the last 24 hours. These guys just completely don't know what they're talking about, or did they just miss something small? I honestly think that was strategic in a way to try and just
Starting point is 00:48:50 really see who was behind her and if she was going to be able to coalesce support for the nomination prior to the convention. The lead up to Biden stepping out, there was a whole lot of talk as to whether or not she was going to be the nominee or it was going to go to an open convention. And so I think a lot of the talk about fundraising and if she could bring in the money, if she was going to excite voters, was just trying to temper expectations and to see what happened. And even the donors that are holding out now, she gets the nomination, picks it up, becomes the nominee at the convention. They're going to then have to spend the money if they want to beat Trump, and it's going to go to her. So I honestly think it was just kind of something that was happening in that moment as a way to kind of to see, okay, what's going to happen? Can she pull this off? Thank you. Derek? Christopher, I appreciate your work in this space. My question is around the VP selection.
Starting point is 00:49:49 How much will that add to the poll response? Some people believe that the VP doesn't matter. I think that the VP selection does matter because when you think about Barack Obama, when he selected Joe Biden, he was able to get a segment or a coalition that really helped him solidify in 2008 and 2012. I think the same thing for President Biden by him selecting Vice President Kamala Harris. That also helped his race that was, you know, suffering until he got denied out of South Carolina. So how much in terms of this, all this VP talk about who Vice President Kamala Harris should select to be her running mate may add to the polling response? I think that it is going to matter, but it's going to matter more specific to a region or a state in which she selects a VP from rather than an overall
Starting point is 00:50:53 national picture. I think that right now it's really important that she holds the Midwest states, this sort of blue line of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and hopefully Wisconsin, and picking someone from one of those two states is going to be, or two or three states, is going to be really important to really identify sort of where she can get that bump. And unfortunately, in the times we live for the Democratic Party, having a woman of color at the top of the ticket is going to necessitate a strategic pick for the VP in order to try and hold on to as many working class whites, white independents, non-college educated whites that were
Starting point is 00:51:29 coming to Biden because of their union or working class background and are unsure now, right? Okay, is this the same party? Well, she can solidify that by selecting someone that just gives them more assurance that it's the same party that Biden directed, even though, you know, there's a black woman at the top of the ticket now. So I'm looking for her to pick someone from, you know, one of those battleground states that she needs to hold on to tight. And I really think Pennsylvania is the most important state in this race. If she's not able to hold on to Pennsylvania, she has to, you know, win a number of battleground states, two or three additional battleground states just to make that up. Yeah, you take Pennsylvania has 19 delegates. North Carolina has 16 delegates.
Starting point is 00:52:12 There has to be a combination there. So Pennsylvania is critical. Julianne. First of all, thank you for your work. I think it's really important right now to have these numbers. I'm looking at the many of the independents were aligned with the third party candidates and they're still out there. RFK Jr. just put out some statement or someone put out a statement. He was trying to troll Trump for a job that lets you know where he's coming from. But we still also have Marianne Williamson, who can disappear. I mean, she's not polling with much of anything. And Cornell, of course, and Professor Abdullah. Does the, in terms of your polling, I know you haven't polled this question,
Starting point is 00:52:51 but you're so brilliant on these issues, you can take a wild guess for me. But in terms of your polling, does the independent hold lessen because Kamala is at the top of the ticket, which many of them have all these comments about President Biden that are no longer relevant. So how important or does the third-party vote have diminished importance? You know, it's a really good question, and I don't think there's any data out there to suggest either way yet with Kamala at the top of the ticket. I do think, though, that the excitement she brings to the campaign and to the stage now can pull away from some of these third-party
Starting point is 00:53:32 candidates. Many people were turning towards the third party because they were displeased and they weren't excited with either candidate, as the panel said previously. But this changes things. And now all of the arguments, a number of survey questions up to this point that asked about whether both candidates were too old or one candidate should drop out, you know, most people said both candidates are too old for their liking. And it was just, as was mentioned, a race between two old white men and some people elsewhere. Now that's not the case. If Harris can continue to be exciting, continue to stand up to Trump and have strong, strong language and words for his rhetoric and for sort of this MAGA movement
Starting point is 00:54:13 in this anti-Black Project 2025 agenda, I think that the third party ticket absolutely becomes less important and less relevant. All right then, Christopher. Man, we certainly appreciate it. It's going to be a whole lot to watch as we move forward. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Folks, don't forget, in less than an hour, black men from across America are going to be convening for Win With Black Men,
Starting point is 00:54:39 and we're going to be live at 8 p.m. Eastern right here on the Black Star Network. I am one of the co-hosts of this, 8 p.m. Eastern right here on the Black Star Network. I'm going to be I am one of the co-hosts of this. And so we're looking forward to that. We've got some amazing folks lined up, a variety of speakers who are going to be on the panel as well. I also want folks to remember this here. Again, we've already got almost 15,000 men registered for this conversation, but we're not going to have a closed call.
Starting point is 00:55:09 So if you are, everybody who is watching the show right now, remember, we're going to simply just go right into that particular call, but also spread the word that all they have to do, they cannot get on the stream yard simply go to our youtube channel or the black star network app they can actually watch the conversation and so we're not making this private and off the record it's going to be public on the record we got some media folks hit us up they want to roll on this as well uh and again i'm going to be co-hosting this along with Mike Blake, founder and CEO of Kairos Democracy Project, Khalil Thompson, executive director, Win With Black Men, Bakari Sellers, attorney, CNN commentator, Quentin James,
Starting point is 00:55:55 president of the Collective PAC, and Vote to Live Action Fund. And so we're going to be co-hosting this. Again, we've got a number of major speakers already signed up. Let me go with this. CBC Chairman Stephen Horsford, Congressman Jim Clyburn, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Least Honors President of AFSCME, Terry Melvin, head of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Morial, of course, National Urban League, Aaron Ford, the Attorney General out of Nevada, Lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist of Michigan, Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson,
Starting point is 00:56:38 Florida State Senator Chevron Jones, Joe Paul, Black Men Vote, Mondale Robinson, Black Male Voter Project, also Don Cheadle, Will Packer, C.F. The Entertainer, Bill Bellamy, Chris Spinner, Spencer, and a host of others are going to be actually on this call as well. We're adding speakers as we speak. And plus, we're also going to have a fundraising link as well for folks who want to give. I know a lot 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
Starting point is 00:57:20 the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. 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,
Starting point is 00:57:54 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 Glott. And this is season two of the war on drugs. We are back in a big way,
Starting point is 00:58:17 in a very big way, real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star studded a little bit, man. We got a Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
Starting point is 00:58:26 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.
Starting point is 00:58:43 Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.
Starting point is 00:58:57 It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive.
Starting point is 00:59:28 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 tayetherpapersceiling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. All of that is happening at 8 p.m. Eastern right here on the Black Star Network.
Starting point is 00:59:57 Got to go to a break. We come back. We're going to talk about last night's call, 45,000 black women were on a Zoom. They raised in excess of $1.5 million. We'll get an update on how much they raised and talk about that call as well. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message, and the price that we're all paying as a result.
Starting point is 01:00:32 Now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Coming soon to the Blackstar Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. Having a case. It's four of them.
Starting point is 01:01:07 My four-year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000. Matter of fact... $150,000. $150,000. That's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it.
Starting point is 01:01:21 My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly. When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them. I had to give them their $600,000 back. Wow. I was so pissed. Because, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you.
Starting point is 01:01:40 I'll give you your money back. You know, even though I know I earned that money, I gave them their money back. I gave them their $600,000 back. But know, even though I know I earned that money, I gave him that money back. I gave him that $600,000 back. But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I wasn't about the money. It wasn't about the money.
Starting point is 01:01:52 It was about doing right. Because I was looking at, I looked at, because you look at contracts. Look at John Edwards. John Edwards was making a million dollars. $800,000. I was making $150,000. I mean, I was doing everything.
Starting point is 01:02:02 And I'm like, but yet I was, man, I got so many letters. You know, you. You, oh,. So I just play for free and all that kind of stuff. I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. Right. That stuff is hurtful. 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. Thank you. All right, folks, it was a big night last night on social media as women with black women were trending like crazy because 45,000 folks were on a Zoom call that initially was supposed to initially have about 1,000,
Starting point is 01:03:25 then went to 3,000. So then they had to go reach out to the COO at Zoom to expand that particular list, and it kept growing, kept growing, kept growing. Joining us right now is Holly Holliday. She's the president of Sisters Leave, Sisters Vote. To talk about that, Holly, glad to have you here. Look, the number kept going, going, going. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty said, you know what, it's going to be some 18,000.
Starting point is 01:03:48 Y'all blew past that real quick. Exactly. It was. Listen, we haven't had a viral moment, but we found ourselves in the middle of a viral moment in a good way. And definitely Congresswoman Beatty predicted it. We didn't believe it. But I can tell you on this side of it, we know it was true. And what you're saying is exactly right. We thought we would have about 800. Normally, you know, we've been meeting since 2020, so almost four years. We thought we'd have maybe 800 or so, maybe 850. We couldn't even get on our own call. So then we had to back it up. We expanded it to 3,000. We blew through that. As you mentioned, next thing we know, it was 20,000. It was 30,000. It kept going up. We were
Starting point is 01:04:38 like, where are these people coming from? And not only that, but let me tell you something. You probably are well aware, but you know, when people want to get the information, when they want to know, they figure it out. So we ended up having 30,000 people listening to us on Clubhouse. People put it on their stream yard and broadcast it all over social media. I don't even know how to get to Twitch, but I hear we were on Twitch. Well, it's so funny. When I got a call last night, it was weird. Michael Blake and I actually were like calling each other at the same time.
Starting point is 01:05:13 He was like, hey, man, we need to do something. Hey, we want to do something with your network. And some of the guys were like, well, we can do this on Zoom. I was like, stop. We're not doing Zoom. And they were like, what do you mean? I said, guys, this is what we do. We stream every single day.
Starting point is 01:05:29 I said, so here's what we gonna do. We gonna use StreamYard. StreamYard caps at about 10,000. I said, we're also gonna stream this on our YouTube channel on the Black Sutton Network app. We already stream on Twitch. We also stream to Instagram. I said, so anybody who can't,
Starting point is 01:05:44 so we've already got about 14,400 folks to Instagram. I said, so anybody who can't so we've already got about 14,400 folks have registered. I said, listen, if they can't get in the stream yard, they can just go to the YouTube channel. So I was like, trust me, we're not going to be trying to figure out like how can we expand? I said, no, we're going to be full steam ahead. So I told
Starting point is 01:06:00 all the brothers, I was like, this is what we do every day. We got this. I said, y'all handle this is what we do every day. We got this. I said, y'all handle this. I said, y'all handle the speakers. I'm going to do the logistics. The good news is you walked into it thinking, okay, we need everybody to know. We walked into it thinking we were going to do our normal strategy call.
Starting point is 01:06:22 And let me say this here. First of all, Holly, explain everybody, because the people don't understand. Last night was not an aberration. No. We all have been doing this every Sunday since 2020. That's right, since August 2020. And, you know, I think we can safely say
Starting point is 01:06:42 that Vice President Harris has been our mission. We were founded around the concept that we wanted to have a black woman in the vice president's seat. That was the deal that we made with President Biden when he was candidate Biden. And we held him to that. We initially were like, pick somebody. There's so many qualified women. He ultimately landed on Vice President Harris. And we've been 10 toes down ever since. And we knew because we not only support Vice President Harris, but we are very intentional about supporting black women candidates up and down the ballot from school board to dog catcher right on up to president of the United States. And so we've had a lot of experience over the last four years, including things like Katonji Brown Jackson, which you see behind me here. We
Starting point is 01:07:36 were a big part of that campaign. And so we know what to do to move and help Black women, especially when we know they're going to be under attack. So we were ready for our strategy call to give our sisters the marching orders and give them the backstory. But what it turned into was, we're just going to start with the marching orders. We'll deal with the backstory later.
Starting point is 01:07:58 And that thing just kept going and going and going. And going and going. And I was laughing because you had women who were like, yo, we can't get in. And they were used to just being able to get in. And let me tell you, and they were holding it down, too, because we have very strict rules around our normal calls. So I want to shout out to the Wynwood Black women who've been rocking with us this last four years because we do have pretty tight rules
Starting point is 01:08:25 and security normally and uh there were a lot of things that were outside our normal protocols and the women were like you can't do that this is not our culture what's happening uh but you know what ultimately we realized that it was up to us to take advantage of the moment um amongst before we are anything else we we are organized Black women. And when we realized we had the audience that we had, we knew to flip the switch. And that's exactly what we did. We moved from being strategists to being organizers. And we were able to do things like, and literally we were doing this a little bit on the fly. We were able to capture almost 5,500 people who have special shout out to Star Jones, who runs our fundraising
Starting point is 01:09:26 effort known as the Brown Girls Fundraising Collaborative. We actually executed that strategy with her leadership in 2020, and we brought it back. And again, because we've been doing this, we knew exactly who we needed to call. We knew how to get our link. And unfortunately, it took a little bit of time because they were still in the process of flipping the financing over. But we had our link at 1130. And by 130, we had raised $1.5 million. Wow. What is it now? It's up to one. The last projection we had was about two hours ago, about 1.6 million. Wow.
Starting point is 01:10:10 And growing. And growing. It was so funny because y'all were trying to get off. It was like, well, let's hear the million. I think it was like 600. It was kind of like, all right, 621. And I heard that you sent a text that said, y'all better not hang up that phone. Right. Listen, listen. I heard a rumor that you sent a text that said, y'all better not hang up that phone. Right.
Starting point is 01:10:25 Listen, listen. I heard a rumor that you called. No, no, no. That wasn't no rumor. Let me be real clear. I have often done auctions. In fact, yesterday, I was at my man Wendell Haskins' original tee golf classic. And Wendell, every year, Wendell is always thanking thanking everybody and he always forgets the
Starting point is 01:10:45 auction and i'm like window how you always mess up the money so for the last three years i've had to get up take the microphone from window to raise the money because he always screw up the auction so i was on and i was like don't y'all leave money on the table. I'm like, stick your ass on that till 1 a.m. and get to that million. Well, we listened. We listened. We heeded the advice because we were like, oh, we're at $850,000. I think that was. Yeah, y'all were like, oh, I'm tired.
Starting point is 01:11:19 Well, we'll probably get there. We'll do it tomorrow. Smart like, oh, I'm tired. I'm ready to go to sleep. I said we can't get off. I was like, y'all, don't you leave till you get that million. Exactly.
Starting point is 01:11:30 We listen. We're smart. We listen. My favorite line from Frank Lucas in American Gangster when he said, a bunch of people in this room owe Bumpy a lot of money. Now I'm going to get that money. Well, we got our money, and we're not done. We're not done. We got our money, but we're not done. It was important for us to make a strong statement and to be a part of the
Starting point is 01:11:51 historic amount of money that was raised on behalf of her victory fund now. But we are not done. From here, we will be organizing at the state level. as I mentioned. We actually are going to be doing organizing calls tonight in two states. So we'll be bringing back that fundraising link and it will continue to grow, grow, grow, grow, grow. So far, we have almost I think we have 29 states that have signed up to do these organizing calls. And so we're going to take it everywhere. Our goal is to actually do these calls in all 50 states because we know that Black women and Black people exist everywhere. But listen, this isn't just about what Black women are doing. We want to make sure everybody is a part of this. So we launched our, you know, one voice, one fight. And we're inviting everybody,
Starting point is 01:12:44 all of our allies, to join us and stand with us. Absolutely. So, first of all, so if folk do want to continue, how do they join the call? Do you have to apply? You know, how are you going to operate moving forward? Wonderful question.
Starting point is 01:13:04 So, a couple of things. Operating moving forward, we will be reorganizing our call and taking some pages from your expert production book so that we can allow for bigger and bigger calls. We'll be sending out information. Follow us on our social media channels, When With Black Women, across all channels, or follow the hashtag, When With Black Women. We keep it nice and simple for you, and we'll be sharing ways for folks to get involved. They can get involved with us nationally, or as I mentioned, we'll be organizing state calls, but we'll be updating all of that information via our social media so that we can get everyone involved. And I want to repeat, for us, this is one voice, one fight.
Starting point is 01:13:53 This is an opportunity for us to do what a lot of conservatives, cross-generational, real unity moment and show that we can unify behind this candidate. She can win, and we're going to make sure that that happens. All right, then. Joining us right now, Monique Presley. Monique, you've been on that call as well a number of times. Again, last night, they just kept going, kept going, kept going, kept going. And I was cracking up, and Holly was like, man, they on Clubhouse, they grabbing a stream. It was like that call was cracked last night. Then, and then, because I was literally driving
Starting point is 01:14:39 from the golf tournament in New Jersey. And so that's pretty much, it was a four and a half hour drive. So I was on the call almost the entire time. But I was in between calls with the brothers, organized an hour call tonight. And then all of a sudden, then bruhs start showing up. And then Joteka made the biggest mistake of doing shout outs. Everybody in my home started texting her, I'm on, I'm on, I'm on.
Starting point is 01:15:04 So it was like an hour of shout outs. 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
Starting point is 01:15:35 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 three on May 21st
Starting point is 01:16:07 and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir, we are back. In a big way. In a very big way.
Starting point is 01:16:24 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,
Starting point is 01:16:40 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.
Starting point is 01:16:55 MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free
Starting point is 01:17:16 with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. 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. But what I keep trying to explain to people, though, this is not a new call.
Starting point is 01:18:04 Yeah. No. I was there from new call. Yeah. No. I was there from the beginning. Hey, Holly. Hey, Monique. Love you. Hey, Dr. J. Love you.
Starting point is 01:18:14 I think that what this was, and I just finished doing another show, and one of our allies, a white woman pollster who was on the call, I'll just do first name Gretchen, said she was moved to tears by the sisterhood, by the camaraderie, by the readiness to organize, by the enthusiasm have done for the past four years that made us all ready for this moment. Anna Navarro was on the call last night and it was pretty funny because Anna was like, listen, can y'all let the Latinas in? And what was interesting, there was a tweet that Shannon Watts, of course, Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand and co-founder of Everytown, she sent these tweets out. She went, fellow white women, I spent the last decade organizing you. And I know firsthand the impact you can have when you use your economic and political power for good. This must be the election when a majority of us help elect the first woman, a black woman president.
Starting point is 01:19:44 That means do the work. It's not enough to just send a donation. Hold the fundraiser. It's not just enough to vote. Join door knocking and phone banking events every week. It's not just enough to support the VP silently. Push back on every person who tells you a black woman can't get elected and on and on and on. She said have the conversations, things along those lines.
Starting point is 01:20:02 What you're seeing, and this is what people need to understand, and Monique Holley can answer this, and then I'll open up to our panel for questions. Folk need to understand, black folks have always gotten it. You may have all these rich, dim donors. Like I had to tell a couple of brothers, I said, let me clear. You may have 20 rich donors, billionaires.
Starting point is 01:20:23 All they got is 20 votes. Now I know they can give $50 million, but all they got is 20 votes. Now I know they can give 50 million dollars, but all they got is 20 votes. You're gonna need boots on the ground. Last night was an example of boots on the ground. I just got the update, we already, 21,000 men have registered already. It was 14,000 an hour and a half ago.
Starting point is 01:20:44 And so what I was trying to explain to people, folk are waiting for others to do it, but you have to mobilize and organize. And the reason why we understand that is because we would have nothing without it. What I was saying last week on my show was we wouldn't have the right to vote. I wouldn't have had the education I have.
Starting point is 01:21:04 I wouldn't be able to own a home. Women wouldn't be able to have checking accounts. None of the things that have happened happened because of just some rich donors somewhere. None of it happened with the ideal leader of this country. It all happened because we insisted upon it through organizing. We took what we had to work with. And as you always talk about, sometimes we had to give the president some more power. Sometimes we had to be the push, the will for things to transpire. So we're not made afraid because it's hard or because it's uphill or because, as Vice President Kamala Harris always talks about, soon to be Madam President, she always talks about the fight and how it's always been a fight.
Starting point is 01:21:47 And we cannot be afraid of that. And that is what I think people got to witness in the call last night. They saw that it takes steadfast insistence upon a desired end in order to get results. But the thing here, Holly, that I consistently tell people, though, somebody has to do the organizing. And it just don't just happen. And that's the thing that drives me crazy. Folks be like, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?
Starting point is 01:22:19 And I'm like, how about the work? I mean, it don't just happen. Yeah, it does not just happen. And I think there's two things to note here, especially because I know you like to be a corrector of the actual record. I think it has to start with the strategy. Right. And what we recognized is as we saw people coming and saying Biden should step down. Biden shouldn't run. We realized, look, if they're going to do that to a person who, let's be honest, Joe Biden is a very decent guy. And he has been rocking with those same senators, those same congressional members. He has been stumping as vice president with most of those folks to help get them elected.
Starting point is 01:23:05 And if they would do that to him, what do you think will happen to a black woman? We didn't just get to this country yesterday. So we knew that if we were not if if it was not him, that we needed to come strong and correct to let them know that she was not standing there isolated. That was the strategy. That was part of the intention. And then, as you said, once we understood what was necessary in the moment, and keep in mind, while they're calling for him to go, nobody's calling necessarily for her to stay and at the same time behind the scenes folks are calling and saying well you would support kamala wouldn't you as if they were going to support kamala so when he stepped down we waited an hour two hours nobody
Starting point is 01:24:01 stepped up for kamala we said okay we see how this is going to go. Then we begin getting those statements, as you have talked about on this show, of this open process. Well, here's the problem. When you say open process, you really mean you want to present a slate where people can run. And then you go to convention with a slate of people and then decide what you're going to do. We don't need an open process because we have a process. What we need is a transparent process. Right. A transparent process that shows how the rules are being implemented.
Starting point is 01:24:39 And guess what? We were already doing that. Heck, you can go on YouTube and rewatch it. The Rules Committee has a YouTube channel. The Credentials Committee, all meetings that took place right before he stopped, he decided to step down, were all on YouTube. We watched them all. So we knew what was coming. We knew how the process was going to go to nominate the president nominee for the Democrats. We knew she would need a certain number of delegates to support her. So we started working on that. We knew there were about 4,000 delegates and that a simple majority will get you the nomination. We knew we needed more than that. So we've been working on that very steadily.
Starting point is 01:25:21 We plan to go into the convention with her as a nominee. But we knew if we didn't stand up and push people to a position, they would continue to push this smokescreen of fairness by using words like open process, which really isn't open, but
Starting point is 01:25:39 rather contentious. These are the kind of code languages that we talk to black women about on our call every Sunday. Well, here's the thing here, and I'll say this because hold on, I'm blocking some Trump assholes on my YouTube channel. I don't play that. So here's the thing here. I ain't going to name this journalist, but let's just say he decided to send me some DMs.
Starting point is 01:26:08 I told you so, I told you so. You kept talking about there was gonna be a civil war. I said, first of all, who the hell you talking to? I said, what you don't understand is there was going to be a civil war. They were planning to skip over Kamala. I said, yo ass late. Three weeks ago, I said, the moment after the debate, I was calling people, checking folks out. I said, when I saw the Axelrods and the podcasting guys,
Starting point is 01:26:39 none of them were naming her. I said, we saw the game. I said, we laid the groundwork for what you just saw in the last 24 hours. I said, that wasn't no happenstance. Absolutely. So, I told him, I was like, man, don't come at me.
Starting point is 01:27:00 Black folks saw the game being played, and we checked folks. Let's go to our panel. Mr. Holly, I was on the call as well, and it was such a powerful experience just to witness all of that. One of the things I would love for you to talk
Starting point is 01:27:18 about is I was really concerned when Biden was still on the ticket about the lack of black people within the entertainment space that were coming out to support him. You know, when Taraji P. Put out that Project 2025, you know, it drew so many people towards learning more. And I was afraid many people weren't coming out to speak on the 6th. But last night, y'all started running down the list of so many that immediately came out for Harris. Can you
Starting point is 01:27:43 speak about the response from the Black entertainment and celebrity community as it relates to Harris? Absolutely. Well, listen, I'm going to start where I left off. People don't just wake up in the morning and say, I'm for stuff. You know, we have to educate them. And it's not about just education like teacher to student. This is about sharing information. It's about having dialogue with folks. It's about breaking down and actually talking through what has happened. And as Roland has shared and helped us to amplify, we've been doing just that for the last few years. So because we have that history, because we've been having these conversations about this administration, about these actors, about the folks inside and outside, about some of the influencers in it.
Starting point is 01:28:33 When we said this is what we're seeing, it wasn't like we were unveiling it for the first time. So our folks were ready because we had been talking to them all along. This isn't a single day strategy. What you're seeing is the result of, I would argue, years of work and information sharing. because our calls are very intersectional across industries, age, geography. We even have people from overseas who join us from time to time. Thank you. Julianne? Well, hey, sisters. It's great to see y'all. I'm so glad in the airline industry.
Starting point is 01:29:45 I was on a plane that was two hours late. I want to talk a little bit or have you talk a little bit about the down ballot people, because we always get a lot of attention to the top of the ballot. And certainly that attention is warranted. But tell me how you think the enthusiasm for our vice president, soon to be president, will trickle down to the sisters who are in local races. Every call we have, we do a shout out to sisters who are running. So how does that trickle down to them? And how can we perhaps bridle some of that so that they have even more of a bounce?
Starting point is 01:30:22 Well, absolutely. Well, listen, we only have to look at history. Following the election of Kamala Harris as vice president, the very next election cycle, we saw an exponential boom in the number of Black women running for office, and particularly in historic places, places that were, for instance, non-minority majority districts, statewide elections, and in historic kinds of roles that we hadn't typically seen Black women
Starting point is 01:30:54 run in before. And the reality is we're seeing that trend continue in 2024. This year alone, as Black Sisters Lead Sisters Vote has tracked over 900 Black women running for office. About nearly 70-something percent of those have actually passed into their primaries. And so we still have a few primaries left to go. But what we see is that it's evidence up and down the ballot that people are not necessarily as conflicted by race. And I'm not saying race is not a factor, but what I'm saying is leadership shines through. And we have such a sort of leadership gap in this country that when real leadership shows up, a lot of times people are choosing that. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Derek. Derek.
Starting point is 01:31:56 Holly, appreciate the work that you all are doing. I, too, was on that call. My wife is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. We won't hold it against her. Yeah, listen. I get it. Now you know Delta's outnumbered y'all. You might want to calm down now.
Starting point is 01:32:18 Calm down. We together. Holly, don't forget who you're talking to. See, now you're going to get Julian started. Derek, please ask your damn question. But my question is, we're playing a four-dimensional
Starting point is 01:32:35 chess game here because when you think about the top of the ticket and to Dr. Melvo's point, are you all looking at specific races in the Senate and more so in the House? Because there's one thing for us to get a president here is, but she's going to need to have a House and a Senate. And so there are some tough races out there that can use the synergy that you all have created, that we all witnessed last night. You know, Angela Altsabrooks comes to mind, for example, running for Senate.
Starting point is 01:33:10 So I think there's some strategic seats in the Senate, in the House. And so that way, President Harris will be equipped to be able to do the things that she will need to because she will have a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate. So at the moment, we see that of the races that are partisan, Democrats make up about 96 percent of the black women currently running. Here is what we know about Democrats. and frankly, it's just math. When Democrats are successful at building a strong coalition across all of its various communities, which are varied and do not always have the same objectives or priority issues, we win, period. And we don't just win at the top. We win in the middle and we win at the bottom. And so galvanizing, energizing and inspiring,
Starting point is 01:34:16 making sure that they're registered to vote, making sure they know how to vote and making sure that they have the information on who's supporting their issues on the ballot helps everybody. We are very clear. We not only need to get the White House, we need to retain and expand the majority in the Senate. We need to get we want to see a leader, Hakeem, turn into a speaker, Hakeem Jeffries. And let's be honest, we got our we got our sights set on several super majorities that we're seeking to break. So we are very clear about all the things up and down the ballot. We started actually last year and looking at some of these top mayor's races. Those mayor's races are fundamental to being able to galvanize votes in those communities. And again, this isn't a day one project.
Starting point is 01:35:07 You're seeing years of hard work, and we're not done yet because we know once we win this one, we've got to come right back and protect it in 2026 and again in 2028. So this is not a short-term strategy. We are dug in, and we're doing this directly with our communities.
Starting point is 01:35:26 We hope the party will be supportive. 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
Starting point is 01:36:00 dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Starting point is 01:36:38 I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-stud on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
Starting point is 01:36:53 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.
Starting point is 01:37:16 MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 01:37:32 or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself.
Starting point is 01:38:04 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. Or get out the way because we're ready. Holly, Monique, final comment. Sure. It was really important for me, Roland, that I come here tonight because
Starting point is 01:38:35 four years ago when my preferred candidate, then Senator Kamala Harris, ended her bid and suspended her campaign. It was a night I wasn't even scheduled to be on your show, but came in like mad and boots on and scowl on my face because I so desired to see a woman who was ready be acknowledged by this country,
Starting point is 01:39:10 not just by the majority of Americans, but even by our own, to be recognized for who she is, for her accomplishments, for her abilities, and for her ability to meet the moment and lead. And that didn't happen then. That didn't happen that year. But because of the work of When With Black Women and because of the infrastructure that's been built all those years, we were able to keep working and see that same woman become the vice presidential nominee and then become the vice president. And now I'm back again to say that my candidate is up again.
Starting point is 01:39:53 And I think that this moment is important for this country, for this country that has been embroiled in racism and sexism and patriarchy since its founding, for us to have never had a head of state who is a woman. We are behind almost every other civilized nation in the world. And the time is now for us to finally cross that bridge and burn it. I am thankful to President Joe Biden, not just for the exquisite president that he's been, but because he kept his promises and that he is sealing, cementing his legacy by bringing the first Black woman, who's almost the presumptive nominee, I think before the end of this night, will be able to say that and mean it. And it was just important to me that I be on your show and with your community to share this moment without a scowl on my face. Holly? It was important for me to be on your show because I needed to be on Black media.
Starting point is 01:40:53 I have spent the day reviewing mainstream media, the New York Times, political playbook started my day. And what I have seen is that they are, as they traditionally do, underreporting her support, underreporting the amount of money that she's been able to raise, underreporting the number of people and the types of people who have come out for her, underreporting the number of states who have signed on as delegates to support her. And so I knew that if we were going to continue in this fight, we needed to reach out with our Black media partners and make sure that we had at least one, two, maybe 100 places where we were able to set the record straight. I, too, want to appreciate President Biden for doing exactly what he said he would do the entire way, making it a seamless transition to ensure that we understood that she was not only the most experienced person for this job, but that she is the only person who has the resources, given the time that we have left. Why? Because President Biden not only put his word out there, he put his money out there and made sure that she had immediate access to it.
Starting point is 01:42:11 But also, let's be clear, we have a plan. We are ready and we will win. Thank you, darling. All right. Holly, Holly, I appreciate it. I appreciate it as well. Got to go to a break. We come back. We're going to be chatting with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. And again, we're 13 minutes away from our win with black men called more than 21,000 have already registered. So we'll be live at the top of the hour right here on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly
Starting point is 01:42:47 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,
Starting point is 01:43:18 whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at every 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. There's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women.
Starting point is 01:43:44 This is white people. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message and the price that we're all paying as a result. Well, now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. This is Essence Atkins.
Starting point is 01:44:49 Mr. Love, King of R&B, Raheem Duvall. Me, Sherri Shebray, and you know what you're watching. You're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Alright, folks, I've said repeatedly how Democrats are coalescing around Vice President Kamala Harris. Go to my iPad, Henry. These are all the unions that have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. AFL-CIO, AFSCME, ATU, AFT, CWA, Stage Employees, IBEW, IUPAT, SEIU, United Farm Workers, UFCW.
Starting point is 01:45:29 Also, she is picking up, as the hours progress, more of the various delegations from the states. I saw one post where she's already locked down 75% of the various delegates. And so all those people who talk about an open convention, including President Barack Obama, y'all wasted y'all breath. I don't know what y'all were thinking, but you are seeing how the party is not waiting for the convention. They made it perfectly clear
Starting point is 01:45:58 that Vice President Kamala Harris wants to be the nominee. Joining us right now in studio, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio. Congresswoman, glad to have you here. Glad to be here. It has been a hell of a 24 hours. Yes, it has, Roland. Seems like I just got out of bed.
Starting point is 01:46:12 I was up half the night. 44,000 women win with black women. It was amazing. We also raised over $1.5 dollars in a couple of hours and that tells you the energy and the synergy that people have around Vice President Kamala Harris. And so it was an exciting night, it's exciting today to hear all the unions, to hear all of those individuals endorsing her and I think that is a big accomplishment because she is earning it.
Starting point is 01:46:46 It's not a coronation. You know, her name went out there and people looked at her background, they looked at what she's doing, and she is ready. And she is the most vetted person of all those mysterious names that people were putting out there
Starting point is 01:47:01 when they were saying, it can't be her. Well, right now, it can't be her. Well, right now, it's her. Absolutely. And again, you see the reaction. Yeah, a total of 45,000 last night. We've already had 21,000 men sign up. Yes. I know you all are trying to copy
Starting point is 01:47:17 a little bit after us. I hear there might be a call tonight. No, no, no. Ain't no might be. We go live in eight minutes. And I'm excited about it because it's nothing like brothers and sisters doing the same thing. So it's the energy that everybody wants and needs because we know what's at stake. We know what's on the other side of this.
Starting point is 01:47:40 What I also think is really interesting, of course, former speaker Nancy Pelosi was one of the people who was talking about an open convention. She endorsed Kamala Harris today. She endorsed today, yeah. So you see what happens when folk look up and go, this train is moving and is leaving. I probably wanna get on this sucker right now. And that's what's happening.
Starting point is 01:47:59 Young people, more seasoned individuals. On that call last night, there was every walk of life. I mean, and people were not hanging up. They stayed on because they were learning. They were hearing all of the great things. Pick a topic. She's been out there. She's done everything from international work to women's reproductive rights, civil rights, education. And when you see her walk in a room with our children, they just look up to her and she's in her own world. She's ready, she's earned it.
Starting point is 01:48:36 One thing we also must make perfectly clear here, it was the Congressional Black Caucus that held the line. Yes, yes, the Congressional Black Caucus that held the line. Yes. Yes. The Congressional Black Caucus. Let me just tell you, our chairman, Stephen Horsford, and I'm Chair Emerita. All these folks are calling me right now. Hold on. Okay. Congresswoman Yana Presley, I can't talk to you right now because I'm live with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
Starting point is 01:48:59 And I just left her on the House floor. So I'm going to have to call you back, okay? All right. Love you too. Bye. See, black folk just call you while you're on the House floor. So I'm going to have to call you back, okay? All right. Love you, too. Bye. See, black folk just call you while you're on the air. That's right. Now she knows we're on the air.
Starting point is 01:49:12 But just for the record, that was Congresswoman Ion Pressley, who speaks truth to power all the time, and my dear friend. But the point we're talking about is, again, folks were desperate. They wanted to see the crack. And it did not happen. But the point we're talking about is, again, folks were desperate. They wanted to see the crack. And it did not happen. Let me just tell you what we have with Hakeem Jeffries as our leader. And it's important for America to know this. Never in the history of the Congress has a leader been able to go to the House floor for the Speaker's vote and hold the line. Every single
Starting point is 01:49:46 member of every single caucus within the Democratic caucus said Hakeem Jeffries 213 times. And now, here we are again making history with someone who has earned it, someone who has worked hard, and we held the line. One of the things that we keep talking about is, again, it's going to be, you're going to need a massive ground game. Yes. And volunteers are signing up like crazy. Yes. And that was the other thing.
Starting point is 01:50:16 While we were watching the names scroll, two things were happening. And they're the two most important things you need in an election, a ground game with people volunteering and money. In three hours, $1.5 million without a hard sell. Star Jones said, hey, put $10 in the chat. We have 40-some thousand people in here.
Starting point is 01:50:40 People started writing $1,000 checks. And here we are at $1.5 million. And I'm sure it's more than that. That was at midnight last night. Yeah, well, absolutely. So it is, things are taking off. And I think that, and I've said it, I said it last night. I said, look, 48 hours, she's going to have this nomination locked down.
Starting point is 01:51:02 And it allows Democrats to focus on Trump in the next one. As opposed to this internal battle. Yes, and all of the names, people, governors from all over the United States, they're signing on, we're endorsing Kamala Harris, and so
Starting point is 01:51:19 I think we are now ready to start looking at what we need to do, because I can tell you the soul of this nation, our democracy, our freedoms, as you know, are all at risk with a Donald Trump and a J.D. Vance. I'm from Ohio. I know J.D. Vance is not good for Ohio and he's not good for the United States. All right, Consul and Bailey, we really appreciate it. You're trying to get rid of me because the brothers are coming on. We're live in three minutes. Final comments.
Starting point is 01:51:48 Derek, you, Julianne McCongle, you got 30 seconds each. Derek, go. I want to say, Roland, just want to give you an update that the DNC chair says they will deliver a nominee by August 7th. So that should kill all the other noise and distractions
Starting point is 01:52:04 out there. August 7th, we will have a presidential nominee. All right. We appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Omicongo, go. Let's continue to roll. Let's continue to stick together. Let's continue. Black men, women, all Black people come together. Follow Black women's lead on this.
Starting point is 01:52:20 They are in charge of what's popping. And let's get it together, brothers, as we have been doing to show the world that we are united for President Harris. Don't let him divide us. All right, Julianne. First of all, Roland, thank you, thank you, thank you for lifting up women with black women. Secondly, I want to give a challenge to the brothers. The sisters raised $1.5 million plus.
Starting point is 01:52:41 Y'all always talking smack. Show me some smack. I want to see y'all raise more than $ 1.5 million. And we're in it together. This is a friendly competition. I'd like to see y'all raise more than the 1.5. Thank you, Roland. All right, folks. When we come back, we'll be live again. We've got some amazing speakers, more than 40 speakers lined up for the win with black men call taking place literally in less than two minutes. You're watching Roland Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Back in a moment. lined up for the win with black men call taking place literally in less than two minutes you're watching rolling unfiltered on the black star network back in a moment
Starting point is 01:53:07 when you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture we're about covering these things that matter to us uh speaking to our issues and concerns this is a genuine people-powered movement 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.
Starting point is 01:53:40 Invest in Black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Weigh it to $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that.
Starting point is 01:53:54 Your money makes this possible. Check some money orders. Go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfil is DollarSignRMUnfiltered. PayPal is RMartinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy.
Starting point is 01:54:19 This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million, and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. We welcome the Black Star Network's very own Roland Martin, who joins us to talk about his new book, White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. The book explains so much about what we're going through now and how as white peop
Starting point is 01:55:07 a racial minority, it's g just say even more intere to see more violence. We' vitriol because as each d is a nail in that coffin. The one and only Roland Martin on the next Black Table, right here on the Black Star Network. Good job, good pay, good life. Would you be willing to walk away from it to achieve real wealth? Well, that's exactly what this woman did.
Starting point is 01:55:50 And boy, did it pay off. Once you make the decision that this is the direction that you're going to go in, I do believe that there's power in having a decided heart. Hear her story on the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach on Blackstar Network. Coming soon to the Blackstar Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. Having a case, it's four of them for my four-year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was $150,000. Matter of fact, $150,000. $150,000, but I made $150,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was 150.
Starting point is 01:56:25 Matter of fact- 150,000. $150,000, that's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it. My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly. When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them. I had to give them their $600,000 back.
Starting point is 01:56:43 Wow. I was so pissed. Cause, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you. I'll give you your money back. You know, even though I know I earned that money, I gave them that money back. I gave them that $600,000 back.
Starting point is 01:56:57 But yet, I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I'm not about the money. Wasn't about the money. It was about doing right. Because I was looking at... All right, folks. Roland Martin here. Glad to have all of you on here.
Starting point is 01:57:40 We've got a lot of folks who are on the stream yard, but here's also what we're doing. There's some folks that already sent me text and they say that they can't get in. Here's the deal. We are streaming this to multiple platforms. So you could actually watch this. You can actually watch this on different platforms. You can watch this on YouTube. You can watch it on our Twitch page. You can watch it on Facebook as well. So everyone doesn't have to all be into the StreamYard. We made it possible for everyone to be able to access this. We've got a whole list of folks lined up to speak. And so what we want to do is we want to get this thing started do we have Pastor Jamal Bryant to get us started with
Starting point is 01:58:32 prayer so guys if you can let me know if we have have Jamal Bryant on here, do this here. Studio, let me try to cue the speaker over here, please. Get you to cue the speaker. And so, again, we just finished hosting Roland Martin Unfiltered. We want to thank all the brothers and sisters watching us on the Black Star Network. We're happy to do this. We're in with black men. So many people are ready for us to actually get started.
Starting point is 01:59:07 Pastor Jamal Bryant, King, let's pull Pastor Jamal Bryant. He's going to get us started with prayer. Thank you so much, Roland, and good evening, brothers. What an amazing evening. Every freshman week for over 25 years, Benjamin Elijah Mays would say to the incoming class of freshmen, no time to dream nor drift, for we have work to do and loads to lift.
Starting point is 01:59:32 Shun not the struggle, tis God's gift. Be strong. Brothers, let's pray. Good and gracious God, we thank you for the place that you have placed us in to provide, to protect, and to lead. I pray that you'll give us strength for the place that you have placed us in to provide, to protect, and to lead. I pray that you'll give us strength for the journey. You'll give a strategy against the opposition. I pray that you'll blaze a path forward. I pray, dear Lord, that you will enlarge and increase our
Starting point is 01:59:58 numbers. God, thank you for making us men before the foundations of the world. You knew that this moment was going to come and strong men were going to be needed. Now guide our feet while we run this race so we don't run the race in vain. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, Pastor Jamal Bryant, we sure appreciate it. Thank you very much. Glad to have a clergyman here. He's also a Catholic, so glad to have him supporting us as well. Yeah, go ahead and throw your okay sign up.
Starting point is 02:00:34 All right, always glad to see you. Folks, again, we are at capacity on StreamYard, so do us a favor. All of your various chat groups and men's groups, let them know they can actually watch this by going to our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash MsMartin. They can watch on the Blackstar Network app as well. So we have availability to watch it in many different ways, not just through StreamYard. They want to watch it there.
Starting point is 02:00:58 Joining us right now is Quentin James, one of the co-founders of Collective Pack, also one of the co-hosts of this call. Quentin? Let's pull up Quentin James, please. There we go. Quentin, there you go. Roland, how you doing, brother? Thank you for having us today.
Starting point is 02:01:25 Doing? Roland, can you hear me? Yeah, I hear you. Quint, go ahead. 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.
Starting point is 02:01:58 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
Starting point is 02:02:10 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.
Starting point is 02:02:26 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.
Starting point is 02:02:53 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,
Starting point is 02:03:02 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
Starting point is 02:03:17 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.
Starting point is 02:03:34 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
Starting point is 02:03:52 Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers. But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else. But never forget yourself.
Starting point is 02:04:15 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. Roland, you there? Yeah, I'm here. Thank you so much for having us tonight. I know we're having some tech challenges. We're getting over it. But listen, everybody, this is a huge moment for all of us. Tonight will be the largest gathering of black men in politics in recent history.
Starting point is 02:04:48 And we are united to support our sister, Vice President Kamala Harris for president. You're going to hear a lot of information tonight, both about what we should be doing. A lot of different leaders from different organizations. I'm here on behalf of the collective pack. We support black candidates who run for office on a local, state, federal level. But we have one job tonight and a few jobs. One of those jobs tonight is to raise money to support our sister again, Vice President Kamala Harris. So in the chat, you all will be getting a link to donate. We know last night our sisters with when with black Women raised over $1.5 million. And brothers, we know we can either match that or exceed that tonight.
Starting point is 02:05:31 We want to make sure we have our sisters' backs. And so tonight, we're going to be asking each and every one of you all to step up and contribute money to support our Vice President Kamala Harris, as she seeks to become the first woman, first Black woman, first Asian-American woman to to win the White House. We have a huge threat in front of us in Donald Trump. You'll hear more about that tonight. But major kudos to Roland Martin, to the Honorable Michael Blake, to all the organizers of tonight, attorney and CNN commentator Bakari Sellers, Khalil Thompson, all the folks on the Biden-Harris campaign, including Trey Baker and folks at the CBC, Vincent Evans, all of you all. Thank you all so much for tonight. We have a few thousand brothers on the line now.
Starting point is 02:06:16 We're going to get up to hopefully 10, 20, maybe 50,000 brothers tonight. So if you are watching, please post the link on Facebook, on Twitter. Let everybody know to join this conversation right now because tonight we've got a lot of work to do. So passing it back over to you, Roland. All right, Quentin. We're having some slight issues here, but hopefully we can sort through those right now. Again, everybody who's watching, let me be perfectly clear, we've maxed out on Street
Starting point is 02:06:48 Yacht, completely maxed out. We've raised the limit to 20,000, totally maxed out. Let everybody know they can watch this by going to youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. Youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. They can actually
Starting point is 02:07:03 watch it. Next up is Michael. Michael, you ready? I am. What's going on, brother? Good to see y'all. Yes, sir. First and foremost, everyone, we just got so much love for y'all. We appreciate you. Of course, brother Martin, all day, every day, we thank you
Starting point is 02:07:20 for everything. For everybody that's watching us right now, Michael Blake, honored to be here, win with black men and what we're doing. Before we keep going, let us show love and honor to our dear sister that we recently lost on this journey, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has been a blessing, a titan, and just an incredible visionary for all of us. And the work that we all talk through around reparations, around justice, around for all. We say God bless Sheila Jackson Lee and her entire family. We offer our condolences to all that are here, to Khalil Thompson, to Quentin James, to everyone that made it happen, of course, to Brother Roland, to Bakari Sellers, everyone that is it happen, of course, to Brother Roland, to Bakari Sellers, everyone that is here tonight, we say thank you, thank you, thank you, because we have 106 days
Starting point is 02:08:10 to make sure that Black men are a part of this journey, 106 days to make it very clear that we are not going anywhere. We are here right now, 106 days to remind the country that you cannot make progress without Black men. And that's the reason why when we put this out today, more than 20,000 already are on the line. 20,014 signed up and we got going here. So we want to make sure everybody's engaged. First and foremost, please be aware of the link that is going to be moving out on how you can donate. And again, shout out to Vote to Live, shout out to Collective. Your donation will ensure that we split donations to the campaign to make sure that Vice President Harris becomes President Harris and to the other
Starting point is 02:08:58 Black organizations that are doing the work. Collective, Vote to Live, Win with Black Men, Cairo's Democracy Project, Democracy in, all of our respective groups, Black Men Vote, Black Male Voter Project, all of our respective groups, we are here to make sure we do the work so that we win for our people. Now, when people are out next steps, let's be clear. The vice president obviously is now taking the next steps when it comes to capturing delegates. There are several states, including that a black man, former Attorney General Eric Holder, is leading the nomination process and what's happening around the vetting process. That is critical for all of us to be aware. It is also important for us to be mindful of the language that we use. Yes, we have to ensure that she becomes the first black woman, the first Caribbean woman,
Starting point is 02:10:03 the first Indian American woman to become nominee and soon to become president. But let's also make sure they're mindful. They will try to make this a conversation where they talk about a prosecutor versus something else. Let's be mindful that we don't want to hear the language that's negative to our brother. We don't want to hear convicted because we've had a negative situation on too many of our communities. Let's be very clear. She is capable. She is absolutely competent, dynamic, inspirational. It is our job as Blue to support our sisters. So with that, let's be clear about the link itself. So everyone that's listening, if you want to help support the cause, go to right now secure.acblue.com slash donate slash TCP hyphen Kamala. That is the link that we want for you to donate. So we show what is possible. You've already seen what's been happening. Our sisters were incredible. More than one and a half million dollars they raised in less than 24 hours.
Starting point is 02:11:22 We as brothers have to be part of this effort. Lastly, this all is going to move very quickly. You're going to hear from a lot of speakers on tonight. You're going to hear from Governor Westmore. You're going to hear from CBC Chair Congressman Stephen Horsburgh. You're going to hear from CBC PAC Chair Congressman Greg Meeks. You're going to hear from Lieutenant Governors and Mayors and Senators and all the different leaders. But our jobs have to be ensuring. We get the message out, we mobilize on the ground, and we keep people engaged.
Starting point is 02:11:50 So with that, Brother Roland Martin, we thank you, we thank you, we thank you. It's up on the screen, everybody. If you want to be supportive, that's the link on the screen. $5, $10, $25, $500, $1,000. Do what you need to do, brothers, so that we support our vice president becoming president. It is essential. I go back to knowing her, going back to 2008 when she came and campaigned with her sister
Starting point is 02:12:13 Maya, her brother-in-law Tony, for then-Senator Obama. The same way she had our back, we have to have her back. So everybody, all the speakers, we'll continue this from here. Brother Martin, thank you again. And I know next up up we have incredible leaders. We're going to have Brother Governor. We're going to have Brother Congressman and Chairman Horsford. Stay with us throughout the night, everybody.
Starting point is 02:12:33 We'll come back with more call to action later on. Thank you and God bless. Brother Roland Martin, back to you. So explain to people that, again, we have the link there. And so some of the funds are going towards the campaign, but others are going specifically to black male groups to drive GOTV, get out the vote efforts on the ground in critical states. Absolutely.
Starting point is 02:12:58 Everybody, who wants to internalize this? There's seven battleground states that will determine this election. We know the Midwest blue wall of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. In the South, we have North Carolina and Georgia. And out in the West, Nevada and Arizona. I'm not saying other states are not critical, but we're just saying in terms of what is happening for Get Out the Vote, these battleground states. That said, when you donate, you will ensure that we support our vice president becoming president and they support Black-led, Black male-led organizations
Starting point is 02:13:32 that are doing the work on the ground, on TV, on digital, all the different outlets. So you're supporting collective, you're supporting Vote to Live, you're supporting the Kairos Democracy Project, you're supporting democracy, you're supporting Black men vote, you're supporting Collective. You're supporting Vote to Live. You're supporting the Kairos Democracy Project. You're supporting democracy. You're supporting Black men vote. You're supporting win with Black men. You're supporting Black male vote project. Why? Because too often we are not getting the support to provide additional resources on the ground so that we can knock on doors, so that we can make phone calls, so that we can have the commercials are directed to us, so that we can have the visualization that is necessary for us. Brothers, you, like me, are tired of people saying it's not our time. It is our time. Donate, click, be in, so we can make sure that more support happens across our country. All right, Michael, we appreciate that. Kenan, do me a favor. Can you please drop the RMU crawl, the Blackstown Network crawl? So folks, we normally when we do these broadcasts, so we actually have that up on our show all the time. So kill that crawl at the bottom and let's just keep that secure donate button there. So if y'all want to
Starting point is 02:14:38 support Roland Martin Unfiltered, y'all can go to Blackstown Network, y'all can go to BlackstownNetwork.com. But I only want this donation link to be up at the bottom there. Khalil Thompson, folks, he is our next speaker. He is Executive Director of Women with Black Men. Khalil, how you doing? We have Khalil there? All right. I see Michael. Do we have Khalil there? All right. I see Michael. Do we have Khalil?
Starting point is 02:15:09 Khalil? Hey, Roland. Thank you so much for having me. You got me? All right, cool. Just want to say thank you for convening this and working with myself, Brother Quentin James, Brother Michael Blake, Brother Bakari Sellers, for getting us all here tonight.
Starting point is 02:15:23 As we do and as I want to give great honor to my parents, Kathy Thompson, Oswald Thompson, I wouldn't be here without both of them following in the footsteps of great Black women. Homage to Joteka Eady and the great work that Women with Black Women have done. Women with Black Men is here to stand up and speak for all Black men, blue collar, white collar, no collar uh it doesn't matter what your affiliation is as long as you're a black man you have a voice and a vote and we want to make sure you exercise uh both not only this evening but also at the ballot box truly excited to be here uh following up on my artie brother michael blake uh and then soon to follow up with our our governor westmore
Starting point is 02:16:01 um we love the donations that jingle but to quote a favorite movie We love the donations that jingle, but to quote a favorite movie, we love the donations that fold. So if you're able to go ahead and click that link right there, secureatblue.com forward slash donate forward slash tcp dash com. We truly appreciate it. So the organizations that are doing the work on the ground, Black Male Voter Project, Black Men Vote, Win With Black Men, Black Men Build, Fred Hicks and others on the ground who Black Male Voter Project, Black Men Vote, Win With Black Men, Black Men Build, Fred Hicks and others on the ground who are working hard. We want to make sure they receive the dollars and continue to do the great work in the communities. Also want to give a big shout out to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, Dr. Amos C. Brown from San Francisco Third Baptist Church and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Thank you so much for joining us
Starting point is 02:16:45 as well as many others who are on this evening. Truly honored to be here and doing this work, following obviously from the work that Blake and Quinton and others and I have done on the Obama campaign and continue to do in the community. Just wanna put the challenge out. We are not a monolithic community. We have various different thoughts.
Starting point is 02:17:05 I know Brother Martin may like Marvel. I like DC. That's comics, that is. But we all have various different groups. I don't watch none of them. I don't watch, I mean, I just, you know. Fair enough. I mean, I watch dramas.
Starting point is 02:17:17 Okay, fair enough. But the point is, is that while we come from different ilks and different communities, some of us are from interseas, some of us go to tractor pulls, some of us wear cowboy hats, some of us wear Jordans. This is not about where you're from or what community you're in. It's about showing up on November 5th, going out during early voting, participating in your civic duty. I know many of us would call back on our ancestors who have literally died to get us here in
Starting point is 02:17:43 this point so that we can vote freely, Not necessarily going down that road, but so many have given so that we can be here and having this conversation openly tonight. We have the momentous opportunity to elect and watch the baton given to hopefully the first black female president. I have an amazing young daughter who is seven years old who got to meet her just a couple of weeks ago. And I am honored to be on here tonight with all of you. I am hoping we can get 40, 50, 60,000 black men who are joining this call either here in this space or on YouTube. I hope we can match what our black sisters have done. I know throughout tonight we are going to hear where the dollars are going.
Starting point is 02:18:23 So continue to let them flow in. Continue to let them sign up. I would be remiss as an organizer if I did not leave with one call to action, not only by donating. We need you to visit not only Women of Black Men, but other black male organizations, other groups that are out here and organizing around the country.
Starting point is 02:18:37 Sign up for a shift. Go out and knock on a door. Talk to your brethren when you're at the shop, getting your haircut and getting lined up. When you're in, getting your car washed or detailed at the tail end of the summer, make sure you talk to somebody about voting. Make sure you not only bring to the table what you bring on the court or in the office, you bring in that voting booth that same passion. So again, we're asking each and every one of you, five friends in your community, five friends in your neighborhood, five friends on your block that you know that may be disenfranchised
Starting point is 02:19:08 and may not want to vote. Convince them that it is about voting in this election for your community. You have governors, lieutenant governors, state senators, state representatives, officials, municipal officials, community organizers that are on here who are doing the work in there. We need you to show up and elect and hire people that we're going to hold accountable. So we're asking you not only to give, but at least find five people on your block and in the shop that you can talk to about voting this election cycle. Women with Black Men is here to support you.
Starting point is 02:19:37 Much like others, we have our Shape It Up conversations that we're doing around the country. We look forward to seeing you. We just saw Lieutenant Governor Garland Gildschrist in Detroit a couple of weeks ago, and we're excited to see others on the road. Roland, I give it back to you, and I know we're going to kick it to CBC Chairman Stephen Horsford. Well, first of all, Khalil, since you said we wear cowboy hats, I went ahead. I'm from Houston, so I went ahead and grabbed my hat since you went ahead and said that. So I got to represent the Black Cowboys. So we appreciate that.
Starting point is 02:20:07 Folks, we started this call literally 20 minutes ago. We have already raised $130,000. Brothers, y'all are doing this thing already. And so we already hit $130,000. And
Starting point is 02:20:23 our next guest, he knows how to raise money. He knows how to get them fired up. And he's one of the baddest brothers. And, yes, he's a member of the coldest and the boldest fraternity of them all, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. Put your hands together, brothers, for Governor of Maryland, Governor Westmore. What's going on, Frat? All good, brother. What's going on, everybody?
Starting point is 02:20:59 I am thrilled to be on here. And first, let me just say to the folks who are putting this on, Brother Roland, Brother Blake, another good Alpha Phi Alpha man, Brother Khalil, Brother Bakari, and Brother Quentin, and everybody on here, I just want to say how much I an unbelievable and an immovable force when we all mobilize and get fired up about what we know is the mission at hand. And I'm telling you, I got a chance to see this firsthand and in our campaign that is really because of your love and because of your support and because of your push that I'm standing here right now as the as not just the 63rd governor of my state, but the first African-American governor in the history of the state of Maryland and only the third African-American ever elected governor in the history of this country. When you all, when we mobilize, we move mountains. Now we have a new mission, y'all. We've got to make sure that we are mobilizing for our vice president, for Kamala Harris, who has stood by us, supported us, lifted us up. And it's important that she knows that she has an entire army behind her.
Starting point is 02:22:11 And I'll just say, you know, very, very briefly, I've had the joy of working very closely, hand in hand, with her as one of our country's chief executives. I've had a chance to see her in the trenches. And one thing I believe deeply is I never learned anything about anybody in times of ease. Anything I ever need to know about somebody, watch them when times are hard. Watch them when it's difficult. Watch how they work when the pressure gets turned up. And that's when she is at her best. We've got 100 days to go out there and make sure that we are going to protect the future for our children, protect the future for our families, protect the future for our
Starting point is 02:22:52 communities, protect the future of our neighborhoods by making sure that we have a president of the United States who sees us, believes in us, and who honors us. And that is Vice President Kamala Harris. And so I am so grateful for each and every one of you, not just for what we're going to do tonight, but what we're going to do tomorrow, what we're going to do next week, what we will do until election day to make sure that the honor of those and the promise of those who came before us is seen and heard and respected. And the honor and the promise of those who will come after us will be seen and heard and respected and how we move in this moment it will be remembered and so i am so grateful for each and
Starting point is 02:23:30 every one of you brothers for stepping up and saying we got her in the way that she and frankly black women have always had us it's our time and we have to make sure we don't miss this moment and we get this moment right so god bless yall. Thank you for everything you continue to do. And let's go ahead and win this thing in November when we mobilize. We are in a movable mountain and it's our time to get it right. I appreciate it. You're absolutely right. That's one of the reasons why I decided to break out this shirt. This was given to me two years ago by the ground game folks, Georgia Stand Up.
Starting point is 02:24:06 And if y'all can't see it, what the shirt says, it says right here, elect black women, fund black women, believe black women, invest in black women, follow black women, defend black women, hire black women, promote black women, and by them stand up and vote for black women, defend black women, hire black women, promote black women and by them stand up and vote for black women. So Georgia, stand up. I appreciate that. Again, Governor Westmore, my brother. Thanks a bunch. Continue the great job and we'll see you after the campaign trip. You know, you will. You know, you will. God bless y'all. Appreciate it. Joining us right now, folks. He's the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 02:24:59 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.
Starting point is 02:25:28 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 three on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th, ad free at lava for good. Plus on Apple podcasts.
Starting point is 02:25:53 I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the war on drugs. But 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.
Starting point is 02:26:05 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 shine down. Got be real from Cypress Hill, NHL enforcer,
Starting point is 02:26:30 Riley Cote, Marine Corvette, MMA fighter, Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter. And it brings a face to it. It makes it real.
Starting point is 02:26:40 It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the war on drugs podcast 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.
Starting point is 02:27:19 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. Hailing from Nevada and also a frat brother of mine, Congressman Stephen Horsford. Congressman? Congressman Stephen Horsford. Hello. There we go.
Starting point is 02:27:56 Congressman, looks like you're in the car, but you're live. Go ahead. Hello, Brother Martin. Great to be with all of you. Thank you to Brother Blake and Brother Bakari, Sellers, and all the organizers. Look, I'll be brief. I'm headed back to the Capitol to honor former Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who we lost over the weekend. But I'm standing in unity with brothers and sisters all around the country for our Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the most prepared and qualified person to win this nomination, to defeat Donald Trump, and to govern for the next generation of leaders.
Starting point is 02:28:42 This is an opportunity for all of us to play our part in making sure that we advance economic opportunity and wealth. I'm proud as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, this has been the center of our agenda around work, wages, and wealth for the brothers in labor, for the brothers that are starting their own businesses, to the brothers that are in corporate America. This is an agenda that lifts all of us up. And we have been working with the vice president on her economic opportunities tour to lift up this agenda. And I know that she is committed to closing the racial wealth gap
Starting point is 02:29:20 and making sure that we have a seat at the table when she becomes the president, the 47th president of the United States. Now, I represent Nevada and the 4th Congressional District, including Las Vegas. We are a battleground district, and it's going to take all of you to make sure that we not only win the White House, and Nevada was one of the key states that we had to carry in 2020, we'll have to do it again, but also to win the House and to make Hakeem Jeffries the next speaker, the first Black speaker of the House of Representatives. And that is as
Starting point is 02:29:59 equally as important because we've got to control the Congress in order to control the agenda to get these bills on the desk of the president when our Vice President Kamala Harris is in charge. So I'm asking every brother tonight to do our part. I'm doing my part. I'm going to donate to Harris for president and to make sure that we are seeding her. She's already raised more than $100 million in the last 36 hours. 880,000 grassroots donors have contributed. 40% of them, 60% of them, first-time contributors ever. So the energy, the excitement, the enthusiasm that is behind the movement that is now Kamala Harris is electrifying, and we're going to be a part of it. And I know Black women vote, or win with Black women, excuse me, did their part. And I know win with black men will
Starting point is 02:31:07 do the same thing tonight. So I want to thank you, Brother Rowland. I'm getting ready to head up to the floor, but thank you for allowing me to jump on for a few minutes. And I just want everybody to know the Congressional Black Caucus is 100 percent behind the vice president, and we will do everything that we can with the 60 members, the largest in our history, 120 million constituents, a third of the U.S. population, 20 million Black Americans, and we understand that as a conscience of the Congress, this is our moment, this is our time, so let's get out here, let's win, and let's show people that we are unified behind our Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Starting point is 02:31:47 Thank you, everybody. Congressman Horford, great words there. First of all, I have known Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee longer than anybody else dating back to when I was an intern at the Houston Defender in 1990. Her office was right next door to ours. And so certainly our condolences. I was last with you and her at the funeral of Reverend William Lawson in Houston. And so she was indeed a warrior fighting on behalf of all of us. And so she is certainly with us in spirit. And we are going to the Black Star Network.
Starting point is 02:32:16 We're going to be definitely live streaming all of her funeral services once they are announced. So we appreciate it. Thank you so very much, sir. Folks, joining us right now, for payers of the breach, he is a co-convener, lead of the Poor People's Campaign as well. Another Alvin brother of mine. I want to go to Reverend Dr. William Barber. I know we have him via audio.
Starting point is 02:32:38 Reverend Barber? Can you hear me? Yes, we got you, Doc. Doc, I was just thinking, first of all, thanks to all the brothers that are on, is that the 47th president is a prime number. 47 is a prime number. You can't divide it. And prime numbers only come around every so often.
Starting point is 02:32:57 Every so often they're special, but they are transformative. And this is a prime number time. I also want to say to the brothers, as you and I talk often about this organizing, the fact of the matter is, Vice President Harris, she was poised to sign a bill to give 55 million Americans,
Starting point is 02:33:19 if it had come to her, it would have been a deciding vote, not sign a deciding vote, a living wage of at least $15. That was something that Dr. King had dreamed of. She was ready to sign off on the Voting Rights Act restored if it had come to her. She would have been the deciding vote. She didn't get that opportunity then. But as president, I'm sure she will get the opportunities and will push those two things, one which will lift over 43 percent of all African-Americans out of poverty and low wages, just one piece of legislation.
Starting point is 02:33:53 And so this is a critical time. And brothers, what I want to say to us as we talk about mobilizing is that there is power in this moment. In North Carolina, when the last election and Trump won North Carolina, he only won by 174,000 votes. But over 1.2 million persons didn't vote, and over a half million African Americans. In Michigan, the victory, the margin of victory was only 10,000 votes, but over 1 million poor and low-wealth voters who were infrequent voters did not vote. In Wisconsin, 20,000, and over 1.3 million infrequent poor and low-wage voters didn't
Starting point is 02:34:39 vote. In Pennsylvania, the margin of victory was only 40,000 votes, and over nearly two million poor and low-wage voters did not vote. And African Americans—60 percent of African Americans are in that area. The point I'm saying to us, brothers, is that there is this power, there is this remnant. The Bible says there comes a time when a remnant can literally save the nation. There's a time when someone like an Esther figure steps to the plate, steps to the time, and can literally transform the nation.
Starting point is 02:35:17 And the remnant out here, enough votes, people are already registered who just need to be moved, who just need to be moved, who just need to be pushed that can change this nation. Last point, Broderick. In battleground states where the margin of victory was only 3 percent, poor low-wage voters represent over 43 percent of those or the votes in that state. My brothers, let's reach out to the brothers. Yes, the brothers in the frat, like me and Roland and Alpha and another brother
Starting point is 02:35:52 in capital, but let's reach out to the brother in the barbershop, to the brother that digs the ditches, to the brothers that is the janitor, to the brother that's in school, to the brother that's a teacher, to the brothers that are painters, to the brother that's in school, to the brother that's a teacher, to the brothers that are painters, to the brothers that are plumbers, to the brothers everywhere, everywhere,
Starting point is 02:36:12 everywhere, and lift up a mighty transformative remnant of voters that can change the direction of this nation. It is time we can do it. And I want to offer a challenge, Roland, and that is that every preacher that can, if we would give $500 a piece at least to the fund to empower black men and challenge every other pastor that can do that to do it tonight or at least by tomorrow. God bless you. Thank you so much. Let's get it done. Reverend Dr. William Barber Pratt, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Let me give y'all an update.
Starting point is 02:36:50 Brothers, we have already raised, we have only been live for 33 minutes and we've already raised $500,000. Y'all see the number down there? Y'all are killing it. We've got brothers from all over. Pass the word. Please post on social media.
Starting point is 02:37:09 We are maxed out at StreamYard. That's why we're streaming on YouTube and my Facebook page. Go to youtube.com forward slash Rollin S. Martin or go to the Black Star Network app. Tell everybody they can watch this conversation on YouTube. No need to sign in. We still would love for them to go to winwithblackmen. Tell everybody they can watch this conversation on YouTube. No need to sign in.
Starting point is 02:37:26 We still would love for them to go to winwithblackmen.org so we can capture your data. But to watch this, just go to the YouTube channel. You can see all of this here. Joining us right now, he is live calling in from London, England. He's Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, Garland Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist. welcome to this amazing call. Thousands of brothers all around the country and obviously around the world. You're live. Hey, everybody. It's Lieutenant Governor Garland Gilchrist.
Starting point is 02:37:59 I'm repping the great state of Michigan, but I'm talking to you from London, which means it is 1.38 in the morning over here. But I stayed up because I wanted to be part of this powerful conversation, community, and connection, a demonstration and illustration of leadership and unity behind who will be the next president of the United States, and that is Vice President Kamala Harris. I want to thank every brother who has joined here, and I want to thank all of you for inviting others to be part of this, to contribute, to donate your money. And now we need everybody to not only give dollars, but we need them to give their muscle, their resources, their minds, their intelligence, their tenacity to make sure that we do everything within our power to make sure that not only that Vice President Kamala Harris wins, but that we win. And we win
Starting point is 02:38:52 when we work together. We work together so we can win together. We win together so we can work together. I'm so excited that the state of Michigan is not only going to be in play, but we have a chance to deliver an electoral victory the likes of which we have not seen in generations because we are at a generational moment. All of you understand that we deserve the right to access the dream of health and wealth that exists and burns brightly within every single Black man's soul. That is what we work so hard for. That is what we get so frustrated about when racism and every other form of hatred holds us back from us reaching our full potential. But when we support one another, we can make things happen. And it is that kind of energy we need to bring to this
Starting point is 02:39:36 electoral process to make sure that we can make a difference. There are brothers all over the United States of America who will get involved if you talk to them. Every Black man is one conversation away from being engaged in this political process in a way that we have never been engaged in the political process. This is our moment. It's our opportunity. We need to take ownership of this opportunity so we can show leadership going forward. I'm so proud of all of you for being part of this. Roland, I want to thank you for the leadership to bring us all together. Blake, I want to thank you for inviting me. I might be tired right now, but I'm never too tired to put in the work for this movement. I'm never too tired to put in the work for Black
Starting point is 02:40:18 people. I'm never too tired to put in the work for the state of Michigan. I'm never too tired to put in the work for our collective future that is better when we are a part of it because our vision of the future is too big to leave anybody out. Those who stand against us, they see a future so small that it cannot fit black men. It cannot fit black women. It cannot fit black babies. It cannot fit the diverse and beautiful members of our community. But I say to them, like I say to you, we believe in a big, abundant and bold future where we all have a place, have a role and can be our best. So gentlemen, God bless you. It's time for us to get to work. It's time for us to convince every person in our life that this is their moment, that when they say something doesn't
Starting point is 02:41:00 matter to them, they say the moments always matter to you when you take ownership of those moments. So challenge them to step up, to stand in and always matter to you when you take ownership of those moments. So challenge them to step up, to stand in, and to stand tall. Thank you for having me on here. Let's make history with how much we bring in and raise here. Let's lay a foundation for all of our leadership as individuals and our leadership
Starting point is 02:41:18 as a collective because there is enough room for all of us to lead us into this future. Thank you so much for having me, y'all. Let's go get it. All right, so I just want y'all to know, you know, he got the blue blazer on and he's like speaking. Y'all, the junior governor was like, yo, I'm hype! That's what he was texting me. So it's early in the morning in London, but he is hype. We appreciate, brother, you being on this call. I last saw you when I was in Detroit when the vice president was there. You're doing a great job there. And so listen, we got to have a strong ground game in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in North Carolina,
Starting point is 02:41:49 in Wisconsin, in Georgia, in Arizona, in Nevada, in these critical states. And we've got other critical elections. There are sisters who are running for United States Senate in Maryland, Angela also Brooks. You've got Lisa Rochester running in Delaware. So there are opportunities beyond the top of in Delaware. So there are opportunities beyond the top of the ticket. So these are great opportunities. You got a competitor sitting right there. I know Hill Harper is on the
Starting point is 02:42:12 call as well, and they're in Michigan. So a lot has happened. Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, we appreciate it, bro. Thanks a lot. All right, y'all. Be good. Appreciate it. Folks, we're going to keep this thing going. Again, you see right here, the donate button is below. Folks, we're going to keep this thing going. Again, you see right here, the donate button is below. Look, we have a goal, but we're not going to give you the number. We want you all to keep
Starting point is 02:42:32 giving. And again, you're supporting the campaign, but you're also supporting black men's organizations. Do understand, ground game is critical. Many of our organizations do not get the support. A lot of these consultants want to run all the ads on television, but you got to have folks who are making phone calls, who are knocking on doors, who are doing precinct walks. And so that's why your donations are critically
Starting point is 02:42:56 important. That's right now. We're going to go to Nevada. See, I know so I was going to go to Martin Morial with the head of the National Urban League, but I think Quentin and the rest of them said, hey, we done had too many alphas speak in a row. So let's go ahead and go to this Kappa. I went to Texas A&M with him.
Starting point is 02:43:13 He's the attorney general in Nevada, Aaron Ford. What's up, bro? You on mute? Come on, Kappa, you on mute? Yeah. You know mute? Come on, Kappa, you on mute? Yeah, you know what? I was just saying, look, I know it's cold in here, but it's pretty, too.
Starting point is 02:43:34 I mean, hey, Roland, it's great to see you, man. I'm so proud of you, always proud of you, man. You spearheaded this with your co-host, and I just can't thank y'all enough for putting this on. It's so important. What we're talking about right now, what we're doing right now, the moment that we are in is just too hard for us to grasp. And so we have to stay engaged, and we have to continue pushing forward on this. And so, look, I'm not going to tarry long because in about 10 minutes, six minutes, actually, I got to jump on the Nevada State delegation call.
Starting point is 02:44:04 We're meeting, our delegates are meeting. I'm one of the delegates going to Chicago, and we're meeting to talk about committing our delegates. And obviously, I'm pushing for Kamala Harris, and I think we're going to pull that out. So I don't have much time to spare. But I did want to jump on and just augment what has already been said. Look, we are in a very crucial moment in our country's history. And right now, I'm so honored to be working with everybody to push this thing forward. I'm just reminded of a handful of songs. You know, I know y'all were talking about Marvel versus DC. You know, Roland,
Starting point is 02:44:36 I think you and I have something in common. We both like good music. And there's music out there that has spoken to us for generations. And one of the good songs that I've liked out there by Ice Cube is, it was a good day. And sometimes we can get caught up in this concept of thinking it's a good day because we're living in our own little gated neighborhoods or we're driving our nice cars and we got money in the bank. But the truth is, it's not a good day, right? The song was talking about utopia. And at the very end of that song, Ice Cube wakes up and he says, wake up. Let me snap back to reality. And he recognizes we are not in a good day. We're on the precipice of danger. And that's where we are right now, on the precipice of danger. We've been warned about this several times before with Marvin Gaye asking questions like, what's going on, right? Where
Starting point is 02:45:17 he's talking about war and he's talking about poverty. He's talking about picket lines and he's talking about brutality. Does that sound familiar to y'all? We're going through the same issues now that our songs have told us about over the course of generations. You know, there was another song out there that, you know, gave a very good directive and it was simple, wake up everybody. That's what Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes told us to do, to wake up everybody. But here's the truth of the matter, y'all. People want you thinking it's a good day.
Starting point is 02:45:42 They want to lure you into a sense of complacency. And that's what the other side is doing right now. They want to lure you into a sense of complacency. And that's what the other side is doing right now. They want to lure you into a sense of complacency so that you're not asking questions like, what's going on? That's the reason why they are getting rid of books. They're banning books and they're rewriting history because they want you ignorant. They want you complacent. They don't want you asking what's going on. They don't want you woke, y'all. They don't want you to wake up everybody. They have a war on woke, in fact. And so what we have to continue to recognize is that that is nothing but the devil at the end of the day, like my mama would say. They are trying their best to take us backwards.
Starting point is 02:46:14 You know, they complain about the word progressive like it's a bad word, but the truth of the matter is the opposite of progressive is regressive, going backwards. And that's what so many of the policies of the other side are trying to do, take us backwards. Don't take my word for it. Look at what they're doing with voting rights, taking us back to before the civil rights era. Look at what they're doing in education, again, rewriting history and trying to dumb down what has actually happened in our state histories.
Starting point is 02:46:40 Don't just take my word for it. Look at what they're doing in reproductive rights. They just took us back 50 years. At the end of the day, we have to continue to fight and push forward and understand that it's not a good day out there, y'all. We have to ask what's going on and wake up and continue to push forward because otherwise we are doomed to repeat the bad issues that we've already encountered and experienced. And right now in the Kamala Harris campaign, we have an opportunity to continue moving forward. I've known Kamala for a handful of years now. She was the very first national candidate to support my campaign for Nevada attorney general. I've seen her so many times. Every time she comes to Nevada, I'm meeting her at the tarmac. You know, I've
Starting point is 02:47:20 worked with her. She used to be an attorney general. I'm an attorney general. And I know exactly the work she's had to do in pushing back on predators like Donald Trump. So at the end of the day, we have an opportunity here. We cannot waste this opportunity. We have to raise the money at that blue sign right here at the bottom that we have to support these organizations that have been working very hard to continue moving us forward. And I, for one, am going to be in there. I'm going to be counting in that number. And I'm so blessed and honored to be here with you, Roland. Keep up the good work, my man. All of our friends who are putting this on, I really appreciate y'all.
Starting point is 02:47:51 And I'm going to stand with you until we're all done with this thing. All right, Dan. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. And the Voter Attorney General, Aaron Ford, thanks a lot. All right, folks. Let me remind all the speakers. We've got lots of brothers, literally.
Starting point is 02:48:03 We've got folks waiting in the queue to speak, so please keep your comments brief. We would like no more than two minutes because we've got so many people who want to jump on. People are texting me. Senator Raphael Warnock is stuck at the airport. He's trying to get on. Don Cheadle is trying to get on, So many others are trying to get on. Here's an update. We've now hit $600,000. We've only been live, y'all, for 45 minutes. We've already hit $600,000. Y'all keep
Starting point is 02:48:34 giving, keep giving. Wendell Pierce just texted me. Hill Harper just texted me. John Legend is watching us right now. This thing is going, going, going. Let's go back to some alphas. Hey, y'all, don't blame me. It's just how it is.
Starting point is 02:48:50 Lee Saunders, he is the president of ASPE, the American Federation of State County Missile Employees. Let me tell y'all right now, I always give Lee a shout out because ASPE was the first sponsor of Roland Martin Unfiltered and the Black Star Network. They were with us for year two as well.
Starting point is 02:49:06 They were sponsors the first two years. This show and this network does not exist if it wasn't for Lee's support. And so, Lee, I always appreciate that you have the floor. Thank you, Roland. And let me just say this. We're back to the alphas now. So you had so many speakers that are alpha men. And we're going to turn this around
Starting point is 02:49:26 and we're going to win in November. But let me just say this. It's great to be here with all of you. I am the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. We represent 1.4 million workers across the country, 1.4 million members of AFSCME in the public service. And I want to tell you this, tell you this story real quick. We had a meeting of our board, our executive board, our highest body within our union today. We had a discussion about endorsing Kamala Harris. And before we could even get into the discussion, there was a motion made that we would support Kamala Harris. And it was unanimous, a unanimous vote for Kamala Harris. And I want to tell you this also. I'm the political chair of the AFL-CIO.
Starting point is 02:50:15 And a number of other unions are endorsing at the same time. We had a meeting of the AFL-CIO today, I guarantee you that by the end of the week, the overwhelming majority of the trade unions in this country will be supporting Kamala Harris for president of the United States. And let's not make this difficult. And let's not make this hard. We know what we've got to do. We've got to organize, we've got to mobilize, and we've got to educate our communities. Labor has a program where we're going to the work sites, we've got to mobilize, and we've got to educate our communities. Labor has a program where we're going to the work sites, we're knocking on doors at homes, we're getting to people, looking them eye in the eye and saying that it is too important
Starting point is 02:50:56 not to vote. You've got to vote. That's a right that we have that we cannot give away. And, you know, it's so great now because we've got somebody who is going to continue to move this country forward. A sister, an AKA brother. She's a sister of the office. But she's going to move this country forward. But she needs our help.
Starting point is 02:51:21 She needs our support. So let me tell you something. Labor needs some help. Now, we're going to be knocking on those doors. We're going to be going to those work sites, but we need our communities to support us as well, to support Kamala as well. We need you to go to those barbershops. You heard it before. Talk about this in your settings, in your community settings. Move this agenda forward. We know that this is a change, a change moment in our history complaining and let's get to work. And if we get to work, guess what? We do what we do best as far as organizing, as far as talking with our community members and our union members.
Starting point is 02:52:18 And if we do that, we will win in November. So let's get the job done and let's start today. Thank you very much. All right, Fred. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, Fred. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. I got a root pastor, Rudy McKissick, texting me, talking about you need to get some omegas on here.
Starting point is 02:52:33 I mean, my bad, Rudy. I mean, that's just how I just work it out. I mean, I'm not controlling the speaker's list. They sending me the names. So, Lee, I appreciate it. And so we got some other folk. Again, a lot of people we got coming up, y'all. Don't forget, give to that link right there.
Starting point is 02:52:50 Kenny, go ahead and pull that link up. People, this is where you can give. Y'all, we are well on our way to a million dollars. If we want to exceed that, it's on secure.atblue.com, forward slash donate, forward slash TCP, dash comma. And remember, some go to the campaign, and a lot of that money is going to the grassroots organizations black men's organizations who are on the ground i know i'm sorry capas omegas sigmas and iotas next up is my frat brother mark morel longtime mayor of new or, also president and CEO of the National Urban League. And remember, every person who is speaking here of a nonprofit, they're speaking in their personal capacity on this call.
Starting point is 02:53:32 Mark Morial, what's up, man? Hey, Roland. Good to be with you, brother. 8506 all the way. And I want to emphasize. 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.
Starting point is 02:53:55 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 multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.
Starting point is 02:54:21 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.
Starting point is 02:54:50 I'm Greg Glod. 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 has kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
Starting point is 02:55:10 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.
Starting point is 02:55:30 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,
Starting point is 02:55:50 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 Dadication.
Starting point is 02:56:23 Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. I emphasize that I am here tonight in my individual capacity. I proudly lead the National Urban League, but tonight I am in my individual capacity, and I'll be voting for Kamala Harris. I've made a personal contribution to Kamala Harris. We must stand with our sister, but we must importantly stand in this moment, this moment where the choices between forward ever are going backward. We know Joe Biden has been consequential, a president who has responded, who's made history, who rescued us from COVID, rescued us from the 15 million people unemployed that Trump left behind. We know that. He put Katonji Brown Jackson on the Supreme
Starting point is 02:57:21 Court. He put Kamala Harris in the vice president's seat, and thus we have this chance for this moment. Two quick things, Roland, I want to address. Number one, I want to address the absurdity that I heard from someone today about whether, quote, Kamala Harris was ready to be president. Number one, this woman has been an elected official for 20 years. More time than Donald Trump ever served in office. More time than George W. Bush 43 served in office. More time than many presidents have served in office. And a variety of experiences, a smart lawyer and a district attorney, an
Starting point is 02:58:07 attorney general and a distinguished member of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, and now four years as vice president to a consequential president. That is number one. Let's not engage or allow people to create a double standard, a double standard for Kamala Harris. Number two, it is absolutely unacceptable for us to suggest there's any legitimacy or rationale in saying I'm not going to vote. We will not unilaterally disarm. We cannot disrespect the hard work of our fathers and mothers and grandmothers and grandfathers and ancestors, and we can't surrender our power by not using it. It is not a choice to not vote. And if this new candidate at the head of the ticket means anything, we are now energized and the stakes are clear. I believe that tonight Mr. Trump is shaking in his boots.
Starting point is 02:59:16 He'll do anything and everything to avoid a debate with this sister who will call him out for all of his transgressions, for all of his illegal misogynistic activity. We know what we need to do. We have to work in the grassroots. We have to knock on every door. We have to be in every community center, in every church, on every campus. We must light a flame under our community and communities nationwide and build a huge coalition to make this a historic win come November. I am here in my personal capacity and I am passionate about this choice. I am now not only a father of three, but a grandfather of a new two-year-old. And when I think, I think about them and the America I want them to live in. So this fight must continue and this fight must go on.
Starting point is 03:00:17 And I'm just proud to be with all you brothers tonight who are stepping up in a positive way. Roland, let's keep this going. Let's not make this a one-off. Let's keep this conversation going all the way through November and let us move and work and act. Mark, we absolutely will. That's one of the reasons why we are collecting data. And so, folks, we want you all to go to winwithblackmen.org,
Starting point is 03:00:44 fill that form out. There's a reason we want you to do that, because we need to do data collection. We don't believe in just having conversations and then don't know who actually was on the phone call. And so that's what we want y'all to do. And so, Mark, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All the Omegas and the Capas, you're getting mad. Y'all, I'm just following orders.
Starting point is 03:01:04 So y'all step on up. Next up, super producer, Will Packer. Fam U. Represent HBCUs. And an Alpha. What's up, Fred? What up, baby? What's happening?
Starting point is 03:01:19 All good. Come on, man. Bro, let me hit you with the 1-1-1-1-9, sir. Oh, six? My voice is hoarse. I can still hit that. That's all right. You've been out there putting that work in.
Starting point is 03:01:33 One time for the Ice Cold Brothers of A5A. One time for everybody from the Florida A&M University. Shout out. Put them rattlers in the chat so I know you out there. Listen, Ro, I'm not going to be long. I want to give honor to everybody that put this together. Listen, you all that are here, all 20, 30,000 of y'all that are here, you are here, right? You understand how important this is. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to give what you can. Somebody asked how much, what can you give? What you got? What
Starting point is 03:01:58 can you afford to give? Okay. The next thing I want you to do is talk to other brothers, cats that's not in this chat. And y'all know who they are. You know the cats that sit back and go, I don't know. For what? Right? Ain't none of them for me. Ain't none of them right.
Starting point is 03:02:14 I don't want to do it. I understand that. You got to talk to them. That's what we got to do. Use our power and influence. The other side has a base that no matter what, they are always riding for theirs, right? They are counting on us to sit this out. They are counting on us to not have a base that comes out and shows up for this system. I know Madam VP personally. I know Kamala Harris personally. And I'm telling you now, she is ready. She is up to the challenge and we will win this. They count us out brothers.
Starting point is 03:02:47 And you know what happens when they count us out. I work in Hollywood. You know that role. And I tell people all the time, you've got to understand that audiences never realize the true power that they have. They think that, that the executives in Hollywood are determining what movies and TV shows are getting made. And I tell people all the time, that's not the case. You know, determines what gets made in Hollywood? You, the audience. Audiences have the power. If you see something, that means that an audience has said,
Starting point is 03:03:11 we want to see that. We have the power in this election. This is it. When's the last time you, talking to you that's watching this right now, when the last time you did something that was truly monumental, truly consequential for yourself, for your family,
Starting point is 03:03:25 for your community. This is the time. Who better than you? Who better than us? Let's go. That's it. It's period. It's done. This is it. They count us out. They think black men not going to stand up. Guess what? We're going to stand up. We're going to show out. I want you to give what you can. And I want you to reach out to those brothers that are doubting this moment. You know who they are. I want you to talk to those cats, the one that's like, for what? I'm going to sit back. Why do I need to be involved?
Starting point is 03:03:52 This is it. This is the moment. It's not another moment. Don't wait on another moment. Don't wait on another time. We don't have time for that. This is it. This is our moment, and black men will lead the way.
Starting point is 03:04:04 Black men will lead the way. Black men will lead the way. Show me something, brothers. That's it. I came over here to say that, bro. That's it. That's what I had to say. Let's go, and let's get it. It's our time.
Starting point is 03:04:15 I appreciate it, man. Thank you so very much for joining us and sharing those words, and then we're going to see you out on the campaign trail. Let me also remind y'all this. Conan, who is the husband of a young president, he sent me this text. Make sure you tell brothers, don't forget brothers from the block. And here's the deal. We're joking about frats and stuff.
Starting point is 03:04:35 Listen, not every brother is in a frat. Not every brother went to college. Not every brother has a college degree. So we're talking about reaching every brother. Every brother on the streets, every brother in the suites, whether you're a frat, whether you didn't pledge, it doesn't matter. And so we're keeping this thing going, and so we want you to
Starting point is 03:04:53 understand, we got brothers from all around the country, people are watching around the world, and again, everybody couldn't get into the chat, have them go to youtube.com forward slash Roll This Martin. They can watch this without having to get in the stream yard because they capped us.
Starting point is 03:05:10 And so we tried to get it expanded, but it was issues with their salespeople. Let's go right now to our next guest. You see him on CNN. He's an attorney as well. And he's from South Carolina, Bakari Sellers, one of the co-hosts of this call. Bakari. There you go.
Starting point is 03:05:34 What's up, my brother? How are you? All good. You're live. Thank you so much. Look, I am actually in Las Vegas, Nevada, as we speak, and I just wanted to start off by saying I'm from the big city of Denmark, South Carolina, where we have three whole stoplights and a blinking light.
Starting point is 03:05:51 And my mom and dad would always tell me the two most important words you can say in the English language are the words thank you. And so the first thing I want to do is just say thank you to all my brothers on this call. Quentin James, a special thank you. Roland Martin, a special thank you. Wynn with Black Men, a special thank you to all my brothers on this call. Quentin James, a special thank you. Roland Martin, a special thank you. Win With Black Men, a special thank you. Everyone who came in to coordinate this effort, a special thank you. We joined here for a singular cause and a common good and doing something that nobody really thought would be possible at this moment. And we're answering questions that people had about whether or not we could change the world that we live in. I'm somebody who doesn't believe in necessarily what this country was or what it
Starting point is 03:06:34 is, but I believe in what this country can be. And so I'm here with my undying support for Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States. And the reason being is because many of us who are on this Zoom call, we are head of households. We are fathers. We are brothers. We are boyfriends. We are providers. We are protectors.
Starting point is 03:06:54 And oftentimes our voices get muted in the larger political discourse. And I recall a moment in my life where my wife nearly died giving childbirth and my daughter was sick with a liver disease. We had to have a transplant at 10 months old, Sadie Sellers. And I never forget the first person to call me. We got you, Doc. We got you. We got you. Take your time. I'm not sure people understand the pain or the suffering that goes along with being a black man in this country. I'm not sure people understand what it means to stand strong in this country. I'm not sure people understand what it means to have your back against the wall. But I'm going to stand with her because she stood with me. During my darkest moment
Starting point is 03:08:28 when I almost lost my daughter, when I had to protect my wife, when I had to fight for a black woman in the hospital. And so now it's my turn and I really don't care what you all say about there's another black man crying or this or that or the third
Starting point is 03:08:53 because every day I'm going to work damn hard to make sure that tomorrow's better than yesterday and so donate stand up to me, because if we do not change the country we're living in, our daughters, our sons are going to have hell to pay. This is an amazing moment for our country. Let's protect Kamala. Let's be with her like she was there for us. And at the end of the
Starting point is 03:09:27 day, we're going to disagree along this road. We're going to disagree about a lot, but let's put all that petty bickering aside. Let's just stop with all the petty BS. Let's stop with all the silos. Let's stop with this organization versus that organization or this city versus that city. And let's stand up and be the black man that changed this country. We built this country. We built our communities.
Starting point is 03:09:55 And now it's time for us to stand up again. And so I'm rocking with Kamala. I love all of you all. I'm glad to have this space to share. I want to say a special thank you to the Big Seven. I want to say a special thank you to the Big Seven. I want to say a special thank you to Rick Wade and Steve Benjamin. A special thank you to Don Lemon. All of these brothers who are on here from South Carolina.
Starting point is 03:10:13 Jamie Devine, Aaron Bishop, Antoine C. Wright. And happy birthday, Jim Clyburn. I love you all. All right, Bakari, I appreciate that. My brother, somebody sent me a text and said, hey, ain't nothing wrong with a real man showing emotion, showing crime. So, brother, we appreciate that powerful testimony that you just gave, quite emotional. And absolutely, that's a real sister in Kamala Harris. Absolutely.
Starting point is 03:10:42 So, Bakari, we appreciate that, man. Thanks for joining us. And thanks for being one of the organizers of this and co-hosting this. Thanks a bunch. To everybody who's watching, it's a locked movie. We've got a number of speakers going, and so, also, we also see the Donut button. Folks,
Starting point is 03:10:58 give me an update on how much we've raised. It's a lot of different brothers on here, different walks of life, brothers who are blue-collar, who are who are white collar, you name it, attorneys and doctors, just engineers, janitors, you know, airport ramp workers. I'm seeing your text messages. I'm seeing your comments in the chat rooms. And so, man, we appreciate that. I want to go now to Florida.
Starting point is 03:11:24 Congressman Maxwell Frost joins us right now. Brother, how you doing? Keenan, we're going to Congressman Maxwell Frost. Hello, hello, hello, everybody. Thank you so much for having me on. Glad to have you here. I haven't had you yet on Roller Mark on Filter. We got to make that happen haven't had you yet. I'm on roll the mark, on filter. We got to make that happen. But you're right. We got to. I'm here with Black
Starting point is 03:11:49 men. Go right ahead. Well, thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate the opportunity. And it's great to be here as we together, especially as Black men coming around this historic opportunity to elect Kamala Harris as the president of the United States. And I want to talk specifically about an issue that's really important to me, which is ending gun violence. I got involved in politics at the age of 15, 15 years old, because I didn't want to get shot. It was seeing the gun violence in my community. It was seeing the gun violence across the entire country that pushed me to get involved in politics in the first place. And when I got to Congress, the first bill I introduced was to create
Starting point is 03:12:27 this federal office of gun violence prevention, which none other than the vice president of the United States, Vice President Harris, has been overseeing. And when we talk about policy that centers the most vulnerable people, when we talk about policy that centers black people in this country, we have to talk about policy that centers Black people in this country, we have to talk about community violence intervention. A lot of the things that have been done outside of the carceral system to end gun violence before it even happens and work at creating the conditions necessary so people don't have to pick up the gun in the first place. And the vice president
Starting point is 03:12:59 has been a leader in that office fighting to ensure we have hundreds of millions of dollars going to our communities across the entire country. And so that's one of the many reasons I'm proud to be supporting her. Many of you know me, some of you might not know, I'm the youngest member of Congress, the first member of my generation, Gen Z, to be in Congress. And I'll tell you, this issue, especially for young people, but especially for young Black men, is top of mind. When we talk about survivors of gun violence, there's a lot of black men out there that are surviving gun violence on a daily basis. And I think the vice president has the opportunity to really bring this issue to the forefront and talk about it in the way that needs to be spoken about. Yes, it's making sure guns don't get in
Starting point is 03:13:45 the wrong hands, but it's creating the conditions necessary so people don't feel the need to pick it up in the first place. And that's one of the many reasons I'm excited to be on this call, to support our vice president so we can make it the president. So I come from organizing, so I got to put out an organizing pitch. I want to encourage everybody on this call, before you leave this call, of course, make sure you donate. But if you can, knock some doors and make some phone calls. Don't let yourself leave this call before you sign up for a shift, before you sign up to go out in your community, speak with some voters in your community or friends that you have about how important this is. We can't sit this one out. We always say it's the most important election of our
Starting point is 03:14:23 lifetime. And we say that because it's true, because the most important thing is what's right in front of us. And what's right in front of us is this. So again, I appreciate you having me on. I don't want to take up too much time, but I wanted to speak about an issue that's dear to my heart. I'm all about this. I'll be on the road across the country to get the youth vote out. And I'll see you all out there. Congressman Matt Frost from Florida, I still appreciate it. And when you come on Roller Barton Unfiltered, we'll give you a lot more time. Of course. Thank you. Appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Starting point is 03:14:53 Folks, we've got a lot of folks who are waiting to get on. We've got, of course, out of Virginia, the second black Speaker of the House, just elected, Don Scott, my frat brother, also plays at Texas A&M, Power Macron chapter, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, another brother, wait to get him on as well. Right now, I want to go to Pennsylvania. First, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair, State Senator Sharif Street. We also have State Senator Vincent Hughes. So let's go to Sharif first, and then we're going to go to Vincent Hughes, and then we're going to go to Chevron Jones, and then Reverend Terry Melvin, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. So State Senator Sharif Street, you're up.
Starting point is 03:15:38 Yes, sir. I think you're on mute. You got me now. Can you hear me? Now we got you. Go. Look, Roland, all right. Look, I'm glad to be on the call.
Starting point is 03:15:50 I've heard from all the other brothers. Look, in Pennsylvania, we need all the support. We can get black turnout. It can make the difference with black folks' turnout, not only in Philadelphia, but Pittsburgh, but Harrisburg, Lancaster, Redding, and all the various cities around there. We can make sure that Pennsylvania holds up the blue wall and we elect Kamala Harris president of the United States. But not only that, in Pennsylvania, if you're out here, we can make the difference in holding the
Starting point is 03:16:15 U.S. Senate when we reelect Bob Casey to the U.S. Senate. Pennsylvania, we can make the difference in holding the U.S. House. We can elect, we got four seats that could be in play. We can make sure that we reelect Susan Wild to Congress. We can make sure that we elect Matt Cartwright to Congress. We can flip two seats. We can elect Ashley Ehasz in the 1st District. We can take the 10th District as well. But, and understand this,
Starting point is 03:16:41 I know a lot of folks want to get on. Kamala Harris has been delivering for us. She filed a litigation as an attorney want to get on. Kamala Harris has been delivering for us. She filed a litigation as an attorney general to take on the opioid companies. We see the drugs that go on in our communities. All that's not coming across the border. There were legal U.S. companies pumping opioids into our communities. She took them on as attorney general and filed with 34 other attorney generals in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to do it. She's helped close the black wealth gap as vice president of the United States. She's worked to get lead and asbestos out of our schools. Black kids are more likely to have
Starting point is 03:17:18 lead poisoning than anybody else. These are critical issues. She has a track record of delivery. Now it's time for us to knock doors, give money, make calls and get out the vote. We need to deliver for her because she's delivered for us. And we especially need to deliver for us in the battleground states like Pennsylvania. Roland, thank you for doing this call. And I thank everybody for allowing us to participate. Appreciate it, sir. Thank you so very much. Senator Hughes, hold tight. I got to quickly go to Florida. I'm going to face Senator Chevron Jones.
Starting point is 03:17:45 And I'm coming back to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania with Senator Vincent Hughes. By the way, cap alpha side to the day I die. All right. Snuck a little cap in here. All right, then. Appreciate it. All right. Appreciate it, brother. State Senator Chevron Jones. My alpha brother, go right ahead. I think you're on mute. You're on mute. You're on mute.
Starting point is 03:18:13 Hey, Fred, you hear me? Now you're good. Go. Good to hear you, brother. Thank you. Brother Roland, Brother Quentin, Bakari, and Brother Khalil, first I want to thank you all for calling us all in for this huddle this evening. I've come here from Florida, and we're just happy to be here in this moment. It definitely warms my heart to know that men, Black men, that we gather in such a time as this.
Starting point is 03:18:33 Black men, we are not a monolith. And Governor Westmore said it best. We have different stories. We have different experiences. We all have different testimonies. We've reached this point where we can once again demonstrate our capabilities just like we have done in the past. We're familiar with hard work and we understand the impact of our collective strength. And I believe that this is the time for us to support black women as they have supported us and they continue to support us.
Starting point is 03:18:58 You all know the old saying that Malcolm X has said, and that is the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman. We have the opportunity to show America that Black women are respected, that they are supported, and that they are protected. I have a mother who lived through Jim Crow. She saw the first Black president. Now we see the day when her sorrow will be swung in at the president of the United States. Brothers, we have the opportunity to amplify and mobilize around Vice President
Starting point is 03:19:31 Harris. And based on this call, I know that we're ready. We're seeing as if we're ready. And after today's call, I charge all of you all, create your own community conversations with other Black men, with other community leaders and other stakeholders. Make that clarion call in your own communities and build that energy that we know that we can build, that we have built before. Brother Roland, I can't wait to see the momentum that we're about to build across this country because I know we can do it. And we know we need to do it, brothers. And I believe that we will get this done.
Starting point is 03:20:00 God bless you all. I love you all. Love you, King. Thank you so much, Fred. Fred, I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Let's go back to Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, also the husband of Sheryl Lee Ralph. I may not be a proud frat member, but I'm a damn sure proud husband of Sheryl Lee Ralph. I'll be clear about that. All right. Roland and crew, thank you for pulling this together. If you need reasons why to support Kamala Harris for president, let's walk it down real quickly.
Starting point is 03:20:32 In the Biden-Harris economic policy program, states have huge budget surpluses now. What have we done with that in Pennsylvania. Over $155 million of grant money, grant money, not loan money, went to small black and brown businesses, the barbershop, the beauty salon. And I said, grants, not loans, grants, not loans. One example. Second example, we just began the funding of the huge education discrimination lawsuit case in Pennsylvania's history. Just this past budget, because of the Biden-Harris budget surpluses that were provided to Pennsylvania, we've driven $1.1 billion to school districts all across Pennsylvania, most of them black and brown, that historically have been left out. Because of the Biden-Harris budget surplus that were provided to Pennsylvania,
Starting point is 03:21:29 we've gotten over $240 million to neighborhood-based anti-violence programs that have reduced violence, gun violence in Pennsylvania and in Philadelphia, specifically the largest reduction of any big city in the country. We've got money to black and brown mental health providers serving black and brown communities because of the Biden-Harris economic policies. But let's ask this question on a more personal level. What do we say to our sisters when asked the question, where were when kamala harris had the opportunity to be president of the united states of pennsylvania do we say say we stood with our sisters partner to partner shoulder to shoulder or do we say we turn the other way what do we say to our children daddy where were you great papa where were you when it was that time, when it was that moment? Do we say we stood within and stood for their future or we turn the other way?
Starting point is 03:22:29 What do we say to our allies who are waiting to see if we are going to step up and stand up because they're waiting to see if we're going to move before they move? What do we say to them? And for those of us brothers who think about this from a historical perspective, this moment that we're in right now is a manifestation of wherever we were in 1984 and 1988 with Reverend Jackson and his effort to empower us and to move us forward when seeking the White House. This is just another step in that line. And this sister is prepared, prepared from day one. She is like that philosophy. If you stay ready, you never have to get ready. The question is, are we going to step up? So all I'm asking, Roland and everybody, all the brothers, take your hill, take your personal hill. That family, that community, that neighborhood that you live on, that you work in, and that you thrive in. Take that hill right
Starting point is 03:23:32 now. This is our moment. This is our time. Let's make the difference that we deserve to make, and this sister deserves us to stand up for her and with her. All right, Roland. All right, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much, folks.
Starting point is 03:23:47 We've got a lot of folks waiting. My man, Drew Bullock, is going to give us a breakdown in a bit about the tax on the criminal justice record of Kamala Harris. And so we're going to get that. But right now, I want to go to Reverend Terry Melvin with the Coalition of Black Trade Unions. Reverend Melvin, are you there? Reverend Terry Melvin. He's next.
Starting point is 03:24:12 Then we have U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, Speaker of Virginia Don Scott, and then Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raul. And so right now, let's go to Reverend Melvin. Kenan, you got Reverend Terry Melvin? Do you have Reverend Terry Melvin? Can you send me a text? If you don't have Reverend Terry Melvin, let's go to U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock out of Georgia. Hello, brothers. You're live, Fred.
Starting point is 03:25:02 Good to be with you, Fred. Hello, brothers. We got to throw it out there. Listen, it's wonderful to be here with you. I'm in a car making my way across Georgia where I had an event earlier today, but I wouldn't miss tonight for anything. Thank you, Roland and Mike Blake and Bakari Sellers, Khalil Thompson, Quentin James. Thank you all for pulling this together. This is our moment.
Starting point is 03:25:35 This is the moment of truth for us to show up. Kamala Harris's name will be on the ballot. But in a very real sense, it's our families that are on the ballot. It's our future that's on the ballot. Our sons and our daughters are on the ballot. I can say a whole lot about Kamala Harris, whom I consider not only an extraordinary human being, an extraordinary vice president. She's a good friend. And I'm thinking about so much right now.
Starting point is 03:26:16 I'm thinking about the moment we confirmed to the United States Supreme Court another outstanding black woman, Katanja Brown Jackson. That day we confirmed her, the Senate chamber was full. And had I not won, had John Ossoff not won in Georgia, first black senator, first Jewish senator, even with Joe Biden in the White House, we wouldn't have been confirming Katanya Brown. Thank you. Sorry about that. My bad. I'm sorry. I was muted. Do we have Speaker Don Scott?
Starting point is 03:27:18 We lost Senator Warnock. He said he was traveling. We'll try to get him back on. We must have lost his feet there. And so can we go to the second African-American to speak of the House in Virginia, Don Scott? Kenan, you got Don? Do you have Don? Okay. All right.
Starting point is 03:27:49 We don't have Don. Let's go to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. What's up, bro? Hey, what's going on, Roland? And good evening, everyone. It is really, truly my honor and privilege to be with you all this evening. What an exciting opportunity we have as a country.
Starting point is 03:28:06 Of course, let me just first thank President Biden for his leadership. He will certainly be recorded in history as one of the most consequential, one of the most effective presidents in the United States history. And I'm speaking as a former social studies teacher. But in this moment, as soon as President Biden made his decision, I was one of the first elected leaders in this country to endorse Kamala Harris. I didn't flinch. In fact, that's what this moment requires, black men to stand up and not flinch. That's how I grew up. I'm one of 10. My brother would always say to me, my older brother, if you're in a fight and you're ducking, you're losing. If you flinch, you're losing. We have to swing on behalf of our daughters, our aunts, our sisters, our cousins, our wives, our grandmothers. I mean, they helped build this democracy. It is very evident that there are forces that want to rematch on the Civil War. They made it very clear a season ago. They are playing for keeps. The best moment that we have to secure our democracy and protect the progress that we've made as a people is to put our and her values reflected in Vice President Kamala
Starting point is 03:29:26 Harris as the first Black woman to serve as president of these United States. That's why I didn't hesitate, and that's why I did not flinch. The first elected official in the state of Illinois to come out and support her. I'm committed to doing what we do well as black men. We organize, we challenge, we provide protection, we provide support that's financially. And otherwise, the last thing that I'll say is this, her commitment to a few things that we've been working on in Chicago, her commitment to making sure that we have real investment for behavior health, mental health services for our young people in our schools, $285 million, 14,000 clinicians around the country. That's why I'm supporting her. I just passed a $1.25 billion investment for housing, affordable housing, and economic development.
Starting point is 03:30:19 Her position, securing $12 billion for Californians in her other capacity and what she has done as vice president around affordable housing is why I'm also supporting her. And then the last thing is this. We have real challenges with community safety around this country, particularly gun violence, whether it's school shootings, whether it's shootings on the block. President Biden trusting Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee for the first time in the history of Chicago and the history of America, gun violence prevention office reduction. That's critical for our transformation. So look, I'm excited about this moment. I got elected a year ago with young voters, 26,532 votes determined my election as a progressive Black mayor versus going in a different direction. 27,000 new voters voted in April of last year, all under the age of 34. The tide is shifting. Let's make sure that we build an America that works for working people and that person to actually help transform our country. Coming out of the city of Chicago with this convention. I expect all of you brothers to
Starting point is 03:31:28 show up as well because this is the city that said keep hope alive. This is the city that said yes we can. This is the city that launched the first black woman to be a United States Senator. Kara Mosley Brown, the ambassador. History is made in Chicago. Dr. Keene said we figure it out in Chicago. We can do it anywhere in the world. So you can see my enthusiasm. Let's make sure that Kamala Harris not only shatters the glass ceilings, but let's make sure that we build up an economy that works for our people. God bless y'all, brother. Look forward to seeing y'all in August, and let's make sure we make history in November. All right then there, Brandon, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Brothers, we have surpassed $800,000. $800,000. Let's get to a million.
Starting point is 03:32:10 You see the donate button right there, secure.actblue.com, forward slash donate, forward slash TPC dash comma. Let's stay in Illinois. Here's Attorney General Kwame Rowland. Rowland, thanks for having me. First off, let me say to the mayor, I was in the no-flinch zone as well. I was the first statewide elected official to endorse Kamala Harris yesterday. I don't know who was first, whether it was the mayor or me, but I'm going to give him his. I'll trust his word on that. Secondly, let me thank you for organizing this call.
Starting point is 03:32:46 I knew something was up when I saw the black and gold colors on the invitation. You know, there was a conspiracy to get a bunch of alpha men on here, but that's all right. I circulated that black and gold invite to my Kappa brothers in Chicago, and I'm encouraging them all to make a donation, just as I did. I want to really thank, as a father of a daughter, I want to thank Bakari for sharing his story, displaying his strength. Sometimes as Black men, we get confused as to what strength is, and sometimes we think that standing behind a Black woman as a leader does not display strength as Black men. I'm here to tell you all tonight that it does the opposite of that. It displays strength. That's why I had no hesitation in supporting
Starting point is 03:33:36 Kamala Harris. I've seen her demonstrated leadership. And to all, I'm asking all the brothers on the call tonight to do one thing. When we see a misled brother trying to take down our sister, mischaracterizing her history of leadership, I have served as a prosecutor. I have served and continue to serve as AG. And I know the decision-making you have to make. And I've seen people mischaracterize her record. We have to step up and we have to characterize those brothers because those brothers are not displaying the type of strength that I'm talking about. We have an opportunity right now to make history by electing Kamala Harris. I'm standing behind a Black woman to be president of the United States, and it doesn't make me any less of a black man. I'm asking all
Starting point is 03:34:25 of you all to do the same. Thank you, Roland. All right, sir. We appreciate it. Thanks so very much. Folks, let's go to New York City. Congressman Gregory Meeks. Congressman Meeks, let's pull them up, folks. 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.
Starting point is 03:35:06 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, and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
Starting point is 03:35:33 Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back.
Starting point is 03:35:55 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.
Starting point is 03:36:21 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.
Starting point is 03:36:36 It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive.
Starting point is 03:37:07 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.
Starting point is 03:37:28 Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. We have Congressman Gregory Meeks. Kenny, if we don't have Meeks, let's go to... There we go. Congressman Gregory Meeks. Go right ahead. What's up, Frat?
Starting point is 03:37:47 Thank you for doing this, brother. Thank you for doing this. I appreciate you so much because it's so important. Can you hear me now? Yeah, let's turn your program down so that way we don't get to see you. Go right ahead. Thank you, brother. Thank you for doing this. Thank you to all the brothers with you. I know Brother Blake also.
Starting point is 03:38:11 This is so important. The camera of history is rolling right now. And sometimes when you're living history, you don't understand it and you don't realize the consequences it means for the future. I can think of the brothers that were walking back in the civil rights movement. Charlie Rangel talked about how he was cussing as he was walking in the rain with his shoes on. Did we lose Congressman Meeks and he frees up? If we lost Congressman Meeks, he froze up there. Let's get his signal back. But let me go to right now, attorney Ben Crump. Ben? Got an Omega.
Starting point is 03:39:10 All Omega's happy. Ben, are you there? Ben? Hey, Roland. Yes, sir. I'm here. Can you hear me yeah let's do this here turn your program down
Starting point is 03:39:27 because we're getting feedback so just talk to me let's go ahead and talk okay Roland it's so good to be with the brothers as we make history or should I say her story as I
Starting point is 03:39:42 was with the family of Sonia Massey, a sister who was shot in the face by a police officer after she called 911, as busy as the vice president is, she always finds time to give a voice to those who are often forgot about, as you very well know, Roland. And obviously, you know, I am 110 percent committed to Vice President Kamala Harris because of the relationship going back to the days after Trayvon when I handled a police case out in California, and she was their attorney general. And even though we were against one another, we had such healthy respect, and she really showed me and demonstrated to me
Starting point is 03:40:33 that she cares about our people passionately. And so what we have to do, brothers and sisters, is protect her. We have to protect her from all of those who are going to try to attack her because of racism, sexism, classism, and just all-around haterade. That's what happens. When I talk to her, she sometimes don't even understand why they're being so visceral and nasty to her. And the one thing I always say, Roland, Madam Vice President, you've been chosen for this moment. Some people don't want to accept that. And so you just go ahead and keep your eyes on the prize. And us strong black men and us strong black women, we're going to watch your nine and we got your back.
Starting point is 03:41:31 So tonight is a testament to that. As I'll say this, Roland, she is the perfect person to be able to prosecute and cross-examine Trump's Project 2025. I mean, she, as a civil trial lawyer, she is somebody who understands the nuance and the strategy and the brilliance of getting shyster like Trump boxed in a corner where he can't get out. I really hope that he has
Starting point is 03:42:14 the courage to debate her. In the words of my little daughter, we dare him to debate the vice president. We double dog dare him to debate the vice president. We double dog dare him to debate the vice president, to be able to show not only America, but all marginalized people in America who have never had the constitutional guarantees fully bestowed upon them. This is our opportunity. And I know we can win this thing. Roland, you understand president politics, battleground politics better than most. Her path to victory, as long as the Democrats vote Democratic
Starting point is 03:43:10 and not be blindsided by bias or bigotry, and we get our brothers and sisters and our little cousins and nieces, nephews, our homeboys, our homegirls, our frat brothers, our Mason brothers, our Cheniquas, Junebugs, everybody that's Derek Johnson, NAACP president, often say the infrequent voters, like with Obama, like what they did in Georgia with the Senate races. If we get those infrequent voters fired up and get to the polls, then she has such an easy path to victory. And like the great men of Omega Psi Phi say, Roland Martin, we need 10 of us. We come to the poll and we bring 10 people with us, unlikely voters.
Starting point is 03:44:03 People, some of them might be in our family. Some of them may be in our community. But we write their names down and we make sure that they are registered to vote and they come to vote. And oh, by the way, y'all brothers, God has blessed everybody on this call. We can donate to Kamala
Starting point is 03:44:21 and scare the hell out of those billionaires because when you got small donors, that's way greater than those billionaire donors because money don't vote. People vote. And that's why we got to have a ground game and organize.
Starting point is 03:44:35 That's it. All right, Ben Crump. I appreciate it. Love you, brother. And again, we got brothers from all stripes on here. In fraternities, not fraternities. In college graduates, not college graduates. We got them all stripes. We got grassroots. We got people blue collar, white collar, you name it, we got it.
Starting point is 03:44:54 He's about to get on a plane right now. Let's quickly go to Derek Johnson, president and CEO of NAACP. Again, he's speaking in his personal capacity tonight. And so, Derek, go right ahead. We got Derek. Do we have Derek Johnson? All right, we don't have Derek Johnson. Do we have Reverend Terry Melvin? Kenny, do we have, let's see here.
Starting point is 03:45:28 Reverend Terry Melvin, go right ahead. There you go. Hey, Roland, how you doing? Thank you so much for pulling us together and all the brothers that are here with us tonight. This should be the beginning of something great. This should be not a moment, but a movement of brothers coming together
Starting point is 03:45:44 to do something positive to save our country. Look, we must support Kamala Harris because she is qualified. The fact that she is black is great. The fact that she's a woman is great. But she is qualified to be the next leader of the free world. I want to report that just this evening, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, in their last 52 years of being in existence, has only made four other endorsements for the office of president of the United States. Tonight, we chose to endorse Kamala Harris to be the next president of these United States. And why did we do it?
Starting point is 03:46:27 Because she is qualified. Look, this election is about the difference between saving our democracy and saving our children and grandchildren's future. Black men, we've got to come together like never before. We've been called out. We've been told we're not enough. We're not going to come together. But this is the time that we stand up and support this sister to go to the highest office in this nation. I was also a part, that's why I was late, of the New York delegation meeting today, where we endorse, collectively endorse as a delegation
Starting point is 03:47:07 out of state of New York to endorse Kamala Harris, because she is the one that we need in this office. Again, this is the beginning and this has to be not a moment, but a movement. We've got to stand together because we know that we need the White House, we need the Senate, and we need the House. And we've got to pull together all of our resources, all of our forces to make this happen. When black men come together, when black men work together, then we will win. And I believe that we're ready to do something. Let me say what I've been saying for the last six months. We have the opportunity in this country, this election, to elect somebody that's going to do something for us or somebody that's going to do something to us. I want to
Starting point is 03:47:58 elect the person that's going to do something for us, that's going to make a better future for this country. So it is time for us to not just talk the talk, but we've got to walk the walk and we've got to give whatever we can. I don't care if it's $1. I don't care if it's 50 cents or $50,000, whatever we can afford based on where we are in our place in life, whatever we do, whatever we can afford, we've got to give. Look, the women met, black women met yesterday, and they did over a million dollars, I'm understood. Now, we have got to leave, black men. We've got to put some money in the coffers. I'm calling on everyone on this line to give, give like you've never given before. And not only give, but it is time
Starting point is 03:48:47 to go to work in this election immediately, not tomorrow, but tonight. Get on the phone after this call and start calling your friends, your family, and tell them we all must get involved in this fight to save democracy, to save us from Project 2025, to save our country. Thank you so much for calling us together. And let's let this be the beginning. Let's set up more of these calls, not just for an election, but let's just talk about Black men power, getting together and making a difference. God bless you and thank you, Roland. Reverend Melvin, I appreciate that. That's one of the reasons why we're collecting as much data as we can. Thank you so very much.
Starting point is 03:49:30 Pastor Rudy McKissick, let me bring up another Omega, Derek Johnson, President, CEO, NAACP. He is speaking in his personal capacity. He's about to hop on a plane. Derek, go right ahead. Derek, you're on mute. Hit the mute button. Can you hear me? Now we got you. Go ahead. Derek, you're on mute. Hit the mute button. Can you hear me?
Starting point is 03:49:48 Now we got you. Go ahead. Can you hear me? I want to thank you, Quentin, Michael Blake, and everyone who organized this. What's at stake in this election is not only what's at the top of the ticket. And let me start by saying I'm speaking in my personal capacity, not as head of a C4 organization. But the southern courts is important. The administration did really good in appointing more black judges than any other president in history. But where majority of black people live in the former Confederate South, we did not get district court judges
Starting point is 03:50:22 appointed and confirmed. This election is as important as any other time. They're playing chess, not checkers. It's not about the one election cycle. It's about controlling the federal courts for the next 40 years. And at the cliff, they are prepared to do that. That's why November is important. That's why we must turn out and that's why we need to raise money to ensure that we
Starting point is 03:50:47 can get the message out and turn out to vote. I want to thank my brother Ben Crump for talking about the Freaking Voter Program. It is important that we turn out everybody that's living in our house, because we have the numbers.
Starting point is 03:51:04 They may have money, but we have the numbers to turn out to vote. We don't have a time for us versus us paradigm, but time for us for us reality. Finally, Project 2025 is a 60-year goal that they put in place place and they have perfected their method of using the arc of time to put in place an apartheid system that 1930 then 2030 it is important for us to recognize what they put in place and for any of our brothers who are in the barbershops that conspiracy theories the only conspiracy that's taking place is a conspiracy to take your ass out. And then 2025, whether it's taking out Head Start, whether it's taking out all the programs that we care about.
Starting point is 03:51:54 At the end of the day, there is nothing important in this election. There's nothing more important than what's at the top of the ticket. There's nothing more important than making sure we get control of the Senate. There's nothing more important than we prevent them from implementing Project 2025. There's nothing more important than us making sure that we put in place to secure our citizens. It is our time to do it. It is our time. Thank you, Roland. Thank you time to do it. It is time.
Starting point is 03:52:26 Thank you, Roland. Thank you, Quinn. Thank you, Michael Blake. Take care. Derek, I appreciate that. Safe travels on the airplane. Let's go to, we got Senator Raphael Warnock back. Let's go to Senator Raphael Warnock.
Starting point is 03:52:43 Let's pull up Senator Raphael Warnock. We know he's traveling on the road. Keenan, you got him? Do we have Senator Warnock? All right, let me know if we get Senator Warnock. Let's go to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. A good captain. Mayor Dickens? Hey, Roland. Can you hear me? We got you. All right, good. I'm just like a bunch of other brothers. I'm traveling as well. That means we are all out here
Starting point is 03:53:13 doing the work of the people. And I know Senator Warnock is too. But listen, I wanted to chime in on everything. Thank you, Roland. Thank you, Bakari and Michael Blake and Khalil and everybody else who helped to put this together. I'm excited. We are fired up in the state of Georgia and in the city of Atlanta. You know, what made sure that Biden got over and won that election was the state of Georgia. And Donald Trump is still looking for those 11,000 votes. Well, we got them. And we are fully fired up right now behind Kamala Harris. She's received the endorsement of President Joe Biden. She's received the endorsement of so many other elected leaders, including myself. And now we're fired up. And I know a thing or two
Starting point is 03:53:57 about momentum. We got 100 days, y'all. And in this 100 days, this momentum is going to carry us all the way to victory. And I want to just make sure that I share this with all the brothers out there from the state of Georgia and those in the South, that we don't doubt nothing. We're going to keep moving forward and we're going to make sure that we turn out the vote in the state of Georgia. The victory that we got for Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock and Ossoff is going to happen once again for Kamala Harris. We are fired up so much so that, you know, everybody from labor unions in Georgia to all the delegates have already guaranteed that all their votes are going towards Kamala Harris. So now it's time for us to raise the money, get the volunteers and go forward. One thing that I've been hearing is Republicans are scared. And one of the ways I know they're scared is they're already talking about lawsuits, already talking
Starting point is 03:54:50 about lawsuits. You know they're afraid of Kamala Harris as if not even in 24 hours are they talking about suing the party for having her already be the nominee. See, that's the kind of fear that we've already struck in them by this momentum that we've got going with over $80 million raised in 24 hours. And brothers, we are all putting our money in. In Atlanta, we got our money train coming. We are definitely going to show up big with our support. So let's go out there and do our thing. Yes, I'm a Kappa man. Yes, Roland, you're alphas. And everybody else. We're calling out our organization. We come together just like I was working for Warnock to help the Divine Nine be able to put him over the finish line when he ran in that historic
Starting point is 03:55:34 election. And just like Joe Biden, we all work very hard to be able to get him where he is. That's going to happen again for Kamala Harris. But I'm excited. Let's make sure we turn out the polls, whether it's through our churches, through our nonprofits, our organizations, our businesses. Somebody that you know may not have casted a vote in a long time. Don't give up on them. Make sure they know what's at stake in this election. And for us city leaders, I don't know a single mayor across America that is unfamiliar with how impactful the Biden-Harris administration has been to mayors. I know the world's busiest airport has benefited from it. I know the city of Atlanta's
Starting point is 03:56:13 roads and infrastructure and the Beltline, as well as all the number of things that we got going on in the city. Our crime rate went down because the American Rescue Plan Act that Biden-Harris put together. So Kamala Harris is at that table. And when she becomes president, she's going to make sure that our cities get just what we need, which is why we were able to reduce our homicide rate by 21 percent, why we were able to hire all these kids and make sure they have the best year ever with the year of the youth. Because of the programs and the policies and the money that came out of Biden-Harris. When Harris has it as the presidency, we're really going to take off and do amazing things for Black and brown people and youth and urban communities in all of America.
Starting point is 03:56:54 So I'm excited. You can count on me, Roland. Let's continue to keep this thing going. I'm glad to see all these brothers on the call. I watched the sisters last night and they did their thing. And I'm hearing so many conversations that are excited in all the communities that I represent, not just black communities, but all of them. People are ready to go across America and definitely in the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia. Let's keep this thing going, guys. And let's let's continue to support one another. No doubt. No fear. We're moving towards the finish line. Mayor Dickens, I appreciate it, my brother. Thank you so very much, folks, we got a big, important update. Here's Mike Blake, Quentin James. Brothers, brothers, brothers, thank y'all so much for joining us. Q, Q, won't you kick it off first, Q?
Starting point is 03:57:37 Yes, yes. Thank y'all, brothers, for joining us. Roland, thank you so much. Y'all, I've raised a lot of money over the past few years. I have never been a part of an effort to raise over $1 million in less than two hours. Win with black men. Win with black men, y'all. This is powerful. I am sitting like I'm out of the country right now. I'm on vacation. And this has been so, so, so amazing. The other important announcement, Kamala Harris has now secured
Starting point is 03:58:12 enough pledged delegates to be the official nominee for the Democratic Party over the next few weeks. And so, y'all, this is incredible. Thank you all. Thank you all. Please keep giving, though. I will say, listen, the black women last night, women, black women, they raised, I think, 1.5 million on their call. 1.6. It's at 1.6. I had Holly Holiday on my show. They had 1.6. Yo, we're going to get past 1.6.
Starting point is 03:58:40 We're going to get them. Come on, bros. Let's go. Let's keep it up. Thank you again, Roland. Let's keep it going. We've got a lot more speakers to come, but thank you all so much for being here, for giving. And we're going to have some organizing updates.
Starting point is 03:58:50 Our money is important, but also our time is going to be important. So you're going to hear from the DNC and Trey Baker and Darren Owens, other folks on the DNC, to give us some marching orders for our time to get our brothers, again, from the streets to the suites, lined up to make sure that we're knocking on doors, making phone calls, doing the work and organizing to get Vice President Harris over the finish line. Mike Blake, Mike. Look, we got to keep this going, y'all. We have more to do. We are excited. If you did not hear the update just now, we have passed tonight one million dollars raised to make sure that Vice President Harris becomes President Harris. We are raising this to support her campaign and to support black men organizations that are doing the work on the ground.
Starting point is 03:59:41 You know, collective vote to live democracy in action. Kairos Democracy Project, black men vote, democracy in action, Cairo's democracy project, black men vote, win with black men, black male voter project. We are here to do the work. And because of what you are doing, we got to keep going, everybody. They're afraid of us right now. They're afraid of what we're doing. They can't understand that black women and black men have stepped up in this way. So we need you. So again, you see the link on the screen. Doesn't matter what the amount is. It matters to making sure we saw home 106 days, everybody. Other critical update, because many of you have been asking this because of what's happening in California,
Starting point is 04:00:16 New York and other state delegations. The vice president has now garnered more pledged delegates to ensure she will be our nominee. Now we got work to do. We got to keep pressing everybody. So we have more speakers to go. We are excited. We are excited. We are excited. Click on the link.
Starting point is 04:00:36 That will ensure that we support Vice President Harris becoming President Harris and supporting Black men-led organizations that will be doing the work across the country. Brother Martin, let's keep this all going. We got more speakers to go. We're excited. We're excited. And Brother Martin, you know, if any brother on this call had 38 felonies, they would not be on this call. They would not be taking flights around the country,
Starting point is 04:00:53 speaking at rallies. They would not be going to see their kids, not be spending time doing crazy things that Donald Trump does. So we got to make sure that somebody else gets held accountable, that black men, that if they have 38 felonies, they'd be buried underneath the jail. So we got to make sure that somebody else gets held accountable, that black men, that if they have 38 felonies, they'd be buried underneath the jail.
Starting point is 04:01:08 So we got to make sure we show up. We got to do what's right and show up and vote and organize in our communities. All right. Absolutely. Gentlemen, I appreciate that. To all of the speakers,
Starting point is 04:01:18 please, if you can limit it to two minutes, we got lots of people lined up. We got to get to them. Y'all let me know. We have Senator Warnock back into the room. I'm checking here. So let's do this here. Let's go real quick. I'm going to go to right now. Let's go to Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. Cliff, again, speaking in his personal capacity. Cliff, you there? Cliff, let's go. Cliff, Cliff, turn your audio down.
Starting point is 04:01:52 Cliff, turn your Cliff, Cliff, turn your program audio down. We got lots of people lined up. We gotta get to it. Tell Cliff I need him to do. Let's go to, let me go to real quick.
Starting point is 04:02:10 Hey, Drew Bullock, y'all. Drew Bullock has been studying the record of Kamala Harris. A lot of people have been spreading lies and misinformation about her criminal justice record. Drew, give it to us straight, the truth about Kamala Harris' criminal justice record. Drew, give it to us straight, the truth about Kamala Harris's criminal justice record. All this stuff about how she put thousands of black men in jail. Give it to us straight, Drew. Well, thank you for having me.
Starting point is 04:02:36 Real quick, listen, all of this, Cap, none of this is true. Ain't no thousands of black men being thrown in jail by Kamala Harris. That is not what happened at all. As a matter of fact, when it came to things like simple possession from marijuana crimes, when she was D.A. of San Francisco, even when people had felony amounts, they were regularly pleading that down to misdemeanor charges. Folks were not getting locked up and not even touched on this program. She started called back on track, which instead of giving you jail time, even if you got caught with like two grams of crack, where you facing 40 years, you go to a bootcamp, get trained, and go through certain classes.
Starting point is 04:03:09 You've got a job waiting for you when you get out. You got your GED waiting for you when you get out if necessary. You got parental training if you need it when you get out. So, no, she wasn't locking us up. She was keeping us out of jail. So I'm eternally grateful for what she has done for many people who look like me, who have come from different circumstances. And more recently, just keep in mind,
Starting point is 04:03:26 that child tax credit, that's her idea that y'all got. And that COVID-19 release bill, the one that got us all the testing kits and the vaccines and those $1,400 checks and all that stuff that y'all love to talk about. Oh, man, old Trump gives. No, that was definitely a tie-breaking vote by none other than Vice President Kamala Harris.
Starting point is 04:03:46 So guess what? I'm supporting her. Give her a vote. Make sure y'all donate, get money. But she got us. We got to make sure that we get her. So that's really what it is, yo. Oh, and by the way, Aggie Pride, of course. Ha ha, A&T. Be sure to follow Drew on Twitter. He breaks down all of the
Starting point is 04:04:02 facts. Be sure to watch him. Let's go now to a councilman in Maryland, Will Juwando. Will, what you got? Will Juwando. We got Will there? Do we have Will? All right. It's going to center or not?
Starting point is 04:04:28 Okay, Will Juando, go. No, Will, go ahead. Hey, I appreciate you. Good to see you all. And I'm glad to join the caucus of being on the road, being an active black man, supporting our vice president. I really appreciate all you brothers for organizing this. And my brother Roland, brother Blake, brother Thompson, Bakari, thank you for sharing your heart, man. You inspired me. One of the first things that Kamala Harris does every time she sees you, she asks about your
Starting point is 04:04:59 family. She asks about your kids. She invites them to come see her. She cares about our families, our people more than anybody. So the brother who was just talking about her work as a prosecutor, she brought her heart into that and soul into that work. A very difficult job. We've always had to deal with that as black people. One in three of us as black men have been arrested by 21. One in two, excuse me, arrested by 21. One in three will spend time in jail or prison. That weighed on her every day. And she brought that into her job. So put to rest all that stuff that people talk about her.
Starting point is 04:05:37 I just want to tell you two things. Kamala Harris will work harder than anybody for all of our communities. But we have to support her as Black men. I'm so proud that we're past a million dollars. I'm going to make another donation tonight. We can get, we can be on par and compete with our sisters who knocked it out of the park last night. The excitement that's been out there.
Starting point is 04:06:01 I'm a Maryland delegate as well as a council member in Montgomery County, but also worked in the Obama White House. And I've known Kamala for over 15 years, and she cares about this community. We voted by acclamation in Maryland to give all of her delegates. She secured all the delegates already. This all happened in one day, millions of dollars, and this has already reached the grassroots. So the fire has already been lit. Our job as black men is to step up and support and be leaders and help our sister get to the White House so that she can help all of us do better. All of us do better. And that's what Kamala always has done. She cares about our community. And last thing I'll say, she focuses on the small stuff. She built this
Starting point is 04:06:45 administration with President Biden, who will go down in history as someone who has done more for Black people as president than any president probably since Abraham Lincoln, appointing a sister to the Supreme Court. And Kamala has been his helpmate. She's ready on day one. I appreciate y'all and can't wait to get this done. Let's get it done. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thanks so very much. Let's go. Senator Raphael Warnock. Senator Warnock, we got your back. I'm here. There we go. I go. Well, Roland, I'm going to defy Baptist gravity and be brief. Listen, brothers, this moment, this night will go down in history when the brothers got together to say that we are all in for the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris. I've often said that a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for
Starting point is 04:07:42 our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together. Brothers, it's time to pray with our lips and with our legs, with our hands and with our feet. It's time to show up for not just for Kamala Harris. Her name is on the ballot, but it's our families and our future that's really on the ballot. Donald Trump, I don't have to tell you future that's really on the ballot. Donald Trump, I don't have to tell you, is a plague on the American conscience and a threat to our democracy. He is an existential threat, and the Lord has given us a way to make sure that we stop him at the pass. I've known Kamala Harris for years now. She's
Starting point is 04:08:26 been to my church. I know her pastor. I know her faith. And I know that her faith is what drives her in this important work. Don't let anybody slow us down asking the question, can a black woman win? Can a black woman be elected as president of the United States? On a smaller scale, I know something about that kind of question. Can a black man who grew up in the projects be the first black senator from a state in the old Confederacy? And here I sit, having been elected five times,
Starting point is 04:08:56 my name on the ballot five times in Georgia, Kamala Harris can win. We just have to show up, and we have to show up with our money as well. Glad to see the donations rolling in. She is responsible for so much progress. She's a proud HBCU graduate. She went to Howard University.
Starting point is 04:09:14 I'm a proud Morehouse man, but it's all HBCU 1867 love. And she is the one pushing President Biden as he's forgiven all of the student debt. She has been in the fight with us, investing in HBCUs, more than $16 billion. This administration has already invested in HBCUs. The list goes on and on and on. But I promised you I would be brief. And so I'm going to keep my word. Let's make this happen.
Starting point is 04:09:42 History is watching us. And the future is waiting on us. The time is now. All right, Frat, I appreciate that so very much. Let's go to the Speaker of the House in Virginia, Don Scott. Don, from my chapter at Texas A&M,
Starting point is 04:09:58 my alpha brother, just elected Speaker of the House. We made it happen helping him. Don, go! Thank you, man. Thank you all for the work that y'all are doing. I am so very grateful to see this happening tonight. This reaffirms my faith not only in America but in black men and the role that we play. We have an opportunity to put an extraordinarily talented political personality in the presidential house.
Starting point is 04:10:23 And that is Kamala Harris. She is a foundational, inspirational person. And we have an opportunity to put her there. Don't believe the lies. We know that a lie will be halfway around the world before the truth can catch up. And so it's important that we make sure that we give her the resources. I've learned the hard way over these last two years, as you know, winning here in Virginia, that they will come with all kinds of lies and attacks to try to keep us from our destiny, to keep us from what we've been. I have been a person who was just as involved, and I had a felony conviction. But I am now the first Black speaker in the 405-year history of Virginia, in the cradle of the Confederacy. So don't tell me what we can't do when we make up our minds, we put ourselves together and we lead and we lead and we do the work. I'm so very proud of all of the brothers
Starting point is 04:11:09 on this call. We have work to do. It's time to stop talking. My mother used to tell us all the time when my sisters wanted to date somebody, romance without finance is a nuisance. We need to raise the resources so we can make sure that the return that we expect from our government, we have made that investment for those returns. So I'm grateful to be on tonight. I'm thankful to you, Roland and Michael, and all of you guys who did it, did the work this evening. And so I'm just on board. I'm 10 toes down for Kamala and 06 to all the brothers out there. Y'all have a good one. I appreciate it, man. Thank you so very much. All right, y'all. So Holly Holiday has sent me a text.
Starting point is 04:11:47 When with black women, they crossed the $2 million threshold. We've already crossed the $1 million threshold in two hours. And so, y'all, give. Secure.actblue.com. Forward slash donate. Forward slash TCP dash Kamala. Share it on all your social media platforms. Let's make this thing
Starting point is 04:12:08 happen. David Johns, you're up. David, you're up. Two minutes. Go. Hey, brother. I appreciate you're up. Two minutes. Go. Hey, brother. I appreciate you, bro. I got you. I'm thankful for the space and the staff. 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.
Starting point is 04:12:47 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.
Starting point is 04:13:19 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.
Starting point is 04:13:40 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.
Starting point is 04:13:52 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.
Starting point is 04:14:16 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.
Starting point is 04:14:28 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.
Starting point is 04:15:02 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. As leadership of all of my brother organizers, I want to give a special shout out to Brother Quentin James and all of the good brothers of Cabal Visayas Fraternity Incorporated on the line.
Starting point is 04:15:30 Beloved community, we are so much closer to freedom than we know. When we fight, we win. And by sheer mathematical permutations, those of us who care about democracy, who care about Black people thriving, should win almost every political contest. I'm excited and I want us to
Starting point is 04:15:45 keep this energy going. Shout out to our sisters, including Joteka Eady, and the Women's Black Women Crew for laying the foundation. Let's keep this energy going for Vice President Kamala Harris. Let's put the respect on her name that she deserves, in particular so white people don't go harder with the racism. Let's organize, let's combat misinformation and disinformation. Let's ensure that every member of our beautifully diverse community can vote safely. We got to do it together, right? This is one band, one sound. We can debate policy nuance in private, but we got to remain united in our support in public. Now, here's the last thing I want to say. We got to engage young people. Most of y'all know that I'm honored to have served Barack Hussein Obama, still my president, leading the White House Initiative on Educational Access for African Americans,
Starting point is 04:16:31 traveling across this country, talking about representing this government on behalf of a black administration. There's something called the black effect. It does something to us. Let us not forget the 73 percent of Gen Z voters who want us to be voting to do more to increase support for the Black community. Let's also not fall for the trap of divide and conquer, that white supremacy stuff. Some of y'all are still uncomfortable saying gay. Some of y'all don't know how to say trans. If you are not comfortable making sure that all of us are free, this is not David Johns, this is Fannie Lou Hamer. None of us are free unless and until all of us are free. So let's do the work to make sure that all of us are free. And that requires us
Starting point is 04:17:08 electing Kamala Harris, Vice President Kamala Harris, our next president. Brothers, we can do this. Let's do it for all of our babies. Heavy emphasis on all. All right, David, tell Brittany, bring her ass back in. Okay, she ain't fooling nobody. He's in my house, first of all. I don't care if he in your house. Hold on, wait a minute. Hey, everybody. Hi, hi. I'm Brittany Packnett Cunningham.
Starting point is 04:17:31 This is my brother. I just wanted to say I was one of the 44,000 last night, have been a part of Win With Black Women since the very beginning. And I just want to say it is beautiful to see our brother standing up for and with black women on this evening in public, just like you do all the time, just like y'all do all the time. So we're excited to see all this money you're raising, going to sister vice president
Starting point is 04:17:52 Kamala Harris, and we're excited to see all this energy over the next four months. Love y'all. We had one dude on the women's call last night, but Brittany just went on and just jumped my ass on the call. We're gonna switch it up. We're gonna switch. You gotta be disruptive. Good. I'm about to cuss my ass on the call. We're going to switch it up. We're going to switch. You got to be disruptive. Good. I'm about to cuss her out on the tips.
Starting point is 04:18:08 All right, David. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Mondale Robinson, you're up. Let's get to Mondale Robinson then Cliff Albright. Rolling. What's good, man? All good. You're on the clock. Can you hear me rolling?
Starting point is 04:18:32 Yes, I can. You're on the clock. Yo, listen. All right, well, listen. The clock is not as important as me setting the record straight. And let me start by saying that regardless of what anybody tell you, black men will already guarantee be the second highest voting demographic for Vice President Harris, regardless. Let's just start there. So when people are already talking about what black men need to do, I think we're already behind the eight ball on that because we're forgetting all
Starting point is 04:19:01 the weight that black men are carrying. They keep saying we don't do our part, but they forget to tell you that black men outperform everybody in Ohio in 2023 for women's right to choose. So when people are talking about black men in this context, I want people to think about what science, not Mundell, not black male voter project, but what science tells you on how to animate and motivate people to do something and form new habits. So if the new habit we want to form is more black men that don't normally vote to participate in elections, we don't need to be adding negative information about what it means to be black man in the political space. So when people are creating judgment, animosity or any chaos, you're not doing anything to help the vice president own this extremely important moment. So here's what we need to do. There are 9.6 million black men in this country
Starting point is 04:19:53 that are already registered. 9.6 million. Of that 9.6 million, 54% have not voted in any of the last four federal elections or only one. That is not a critique of black man. It's a critique of stale tactics where we blame brothers even when we show up. I've heard people say that black men are not a monolith. We are not a monolith, but we vote monolithic. And we should look at that as a code of honor because it says that we put community, we put people over ourselves because regardless of where you are geographically, regardless of where you are economically, Black men still show up and vote
Starting point is 04:20:31 for our community. And if we're not acknowledging that, then we're not going to help brothers form a new habit and crack into that 3.5 million Black men who have already registered but not voted in the last four federal elections. So Mondale Robinson speaking on behalf of my organization, Black Male Voter Project, saying that we will do something that we've never done and we will endorse in this election. And we will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris because it's necessary that Black folks show up in a way that says nothing will stand in our way in this moment. All right. Mondale Robinson, my brother, I appreciate it. Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, speaking in his personal capacity. Cliff, go. We're standing our way in this moment. All right. Mondale Robinson, my brother, I appreciate it. Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.
Starting point is 04:21:09 Speaking in his personal capacity. Cliff, go. What's going on, y'all? What's going on, Roland? So glad to be here. Y'all, we are having a good time. We got the momentum, y'all. We are well on our way to making sure that Madam Vice President becomes Madam President.
Starting point is 04:21:23 We are raising over a million dollars. We've got the delegate count that we need, pledge delegates. We got the momentum. So I'm going to share two words. Those two words are faint not. Why in the midst of all this would I be talking about faint not? Because as an organizer, and those of us who do this work know, not every day is going to feel like today, y'all. Not every day is going to feel like this kind of momentum and this kind of joy. There's going to be some hard days. There's going to be some bad polls, manufactured polls coming out. There's going to be some disinformation coming out about Madam Vice President. There's going to be some hate coming out. There's going to be some donors trying to switch up stuff at
Starting point is 04:21:58 the convention. There's going to be some hard days over the next 15 weeks. But I'm going to say it again, faint not, because grow not weary in well-doing, right? And so my message to us on this call, while we're hype tonight, let's stay hype, even on the difficult days, right? Grow not weary from knocking on those doors. Grow not weary from making those phone calls. Grow not weary from holding up those signs in the streets.
Starting point is 04:22:22 Grow not weary in well-doing, because in due season, we shall reap. If we faint not, y'all. If we faint not, we shall reap. And when we reap, we gotta reap together, because as my brother just said a few minutes ago, none of us are free till all of us are free. So let's get it done, y'all. We got the momentum. Let's
Starting point is 04:22:40 keep it going and faint not. Love it. Cliff spoke in exactly one minute and 30 seconds my man i appreciate it thanks a bunch let's go to trey baker who's working with the with the uh not the bob harris campaign now the harris for president campaign trey you're on the clock my man roland thank you so much i want to thank all the organizers organizers, Mike Blake, Quinn James, Khalil Bakari. Brothers, this is a powerful moment that we're in right now to have us all together. This is like one one big barbershop. The alphas are acting up, but we got enough noobs here to clear all of that nonsense up.
Starting point is 04:23:18 I want to tell you, this is day one of the Harris for president campaign. She has done so much today. She has gone to headquarters and she's laid out a clear contrast between her and the other guy. She laid out the contrast of the prosecutor versus the criminal. She laid out the contrast of a champion for reproductive rights versus someone who is proud to have done away with Roe versus Wade. She laid out the contrast of a fierce ally of the middle class versus somebody who's into billionaires and tax cuts for those billionaires. And she got the handoff from Joe Biden, who's going to go down as the most consequential president of our lifetime, who appointed this Black woman as vice president, who appointed the first Black woman Supreme Court justice.
Starting point is 04:24:05 And we just appreciate this handoff to this next generation. In one day, she's raised over $81 million, 880,000 new grassroots donors, 28,000 new individual volunteers have come up. So the momentum is here. We are pushing it. People are excited and ready to go. And so what I want to do is draw your attention to the link should be coming up or the link should be up for you to click on. It's very straightforward. Things haven't changed all the way over yet. It's JoeBiden.com slash volunteer. JoeBiden.com slash volunteer. You can go there and pick out different things that you want to do. So if you want to knock doors, if you want to make calls, if you want to raise money, there are opportunities for all of you brothers here tonight to do something to push this.
Starting point is 04:24:53 We are going to win. Kamala Harris is going to win and be the first black woman president of these United States. And I'm confident that with the black man that we have in this room, that we're going to be able to push it. Combining that with what black women did and what black women always do, I'm very excited about the future. And so I encourage you, go to JoeBiden.com slash volunteer and get involved. There are so many ways to get involved. And we just appreciate you, Roland, for this opportunity. And I'll throw it back over to you and we're going to get out here and keep doing the work.
Starting point is 04:25:28 Alright, my brother, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Joe Paul, you're on the clock. I got Joe Paul, then I got Cameron Trimble, I got Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Mandela Barnes, Joshua DuPont, then Montgomery Mayor
Starting point is 04:25:44 Stephen Reed. Go! arms, Joshua DuPont, then Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed. Go. This is 06 to my brothers. Brothers, this is our time. Everything is on the line. This is our lunch counter moment right now. When they look back on this day, this year, this election, they're going to ask, what did Black men do? And we're going to respond enthusiastically. We're going to say Black men voted. Black men showed up and showed out. Black men reclaimed their power. We put our egos and pride of ownership aside to collaborate and ensure we made history, not excuses. They're going to ask, what did Black men do?
Starting point is 04:26:13 We're going to answer with pride, we showed up and we had our sister Kamala's back. We championed policies that improve the lives of Black men everywhere and the Black community in general. We showed up and we demanded a black man on the Supreme Court. We showed up and we demanded jobs and training opportunities for our young brothers. We showed up. Black Man Vote Pact has been on the ground since January, protecting the blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Just this year, we've registered over 60,000 brothers across these battleground states. Our goal is to reach 100K by October. We're going to do it. Through our Shop Talk initiative, we're training barbers to have meaningful conversations. Brothers, this is not just about us. This is for my two-year-old
Starting point is 04:26:50 son to sleep upstairs. This is for your young brothers and our young sisters who are counting on us to get this thing right the first time. They're watching, and they need to see that we're willing to stand up for their future. Our actions today will shape our tomorrow. Let's make sure that we leave them a legacy of courage, unity, and progress. Let's show them that black men stood up and we showed out. We made a difference. Brothers, donate. We need you to give.
Starting point is 04:27:11 We need every brother to bring as many black men to the polls this November. Black men vote. Brothers, let's make history, not excuses. Thank you, brothers. All right, Joe. Appreciate it, Crabb. Thanks a lot. Let's go to Cameron Trimble.
Starting point is 04:27:24 He of politics, a former digital engagement director for the Biden-Harris White House. Cameron, you're on the clock. Go! You got Cameron? Cameron? Go! Go! Cameron? Cameron, go. Cameron. Yo. You're on the clock. Go. Thank you.
Starting point is 04:27:52 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Roland. Thank you for putting this together. I'm going to keep it short and simple. I'm going to keep it. Cameron, do this here. Turn the program feed down.
Starting point is 04:28:04 Just talk to me on the screen. Turn the program feed down. Just talk to me directly. And in fact, just take your headphones off. Got it. Now, just talk. Thank you, Roland. Coming to you as President. All right, Cameron, now you hit the mute button. Cameron, you hit your mute button. We got you. Sorry. Thank you, man. I was going to ask the digital director for the White House, and you can't get your damn computer straight. Man talk. Thank you. Thank you. I'm over here doing this. Yes, Cameron Trimble, former digital engagement director for the Biden-Harris White House. I'm going to keep it short and simple. All of our research, everything is pointing.
Starting point is 04:28:50 We as black men are the number one target online for disinformation and misinformation. We just wanted to come on and give some quick shares, three quick to do's, three quick do nots, because the collective power here, while we have our financial and voting power, this online battlefield for misinformation and disinformation to just reduce our numbers by just a little bit is going to make the difference in so many states. We need you, one, share your content loudly and online. We are trying to create online permission structures for brothers who are not politically involved to make sure they feel comfortable sharing their support. Engage with positive Harris content only. If you see negative content, do not comment, do not like, do not share.
Starting point is 04:29:36 It feeds the algorithm. It keeps negative content going online. Number one thing, please only share factual government or trusted sources on voting locations and polling locations. We are getting a ton of information that there will be misinformation around polling locations and places to vote. So please do not share that. Do not engage with negative content. Do not amplify information that is not from a trusted source. And please do not believe everything you see. There is going to be so much happening online. So please make sure you're sharing loudly and proudly for Kamala Harris, for President, for politics. Thanks, Roland.
Starting point is 04:30:18 There you go. You talked in one minute and 58 seconds until after we had to go through all them damn technical issues. All right, Cameron, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Let's go to Houston, Texas, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Roland, thank you. This dude y'all ever seen. Roland, thank you for doing this. And I want to thank Michael Blake, Khalil Bakari, and Quentin,
Starting point is 04:30:42 and, of course, Vince Evans, who gave me a call. He was on the vice president's staff when she was in the Senate. Look, I want this race to be successful. I'm so tired of being embarrassed to say I'm from Texas. You know, this is not a red state. It's a blue state that does not vote. And I think with Kamala Harris at the top of this ticket, you're going to see a change. And next go-around, if we don't going to see a change. And next go around,
Starting point is 04:31:05 if we don't get it this go around, next go around, people are going to say Texas of all places is a swing state. Vince wanted me to mention how long I've known her. I've got the privilege of being able to say that I wrote a check to her first campaign for district attorney in California. She took on the incumbent who she worked for. She won. She did a great job as DA when she decided to run for attorney general in California, the second largest justice department in the country. And being from Northern California, from Oakland, you would have thought Southern California, where more of the votes are, had an advantage. She won that race. She decided to run for U.S. Senate, raised an unprecedented
Starting point is 04:31:45 amount of money. She has earned the right to be president of the United States of America. Roland, I'm excited. I wrote a check. I want to stay on this line because it's important for Black men to stop all of that BS, all of that talk. I remember when Maynard Jackson was leaving and Andy Young was running the first time. Some of those folks who were on the other side, Maynard had a phrase for them, shuffling and grinning. And on the other side, they're going to have a few shuffling and grinning people saying she has a problem with black men. Nothing could be more ridiculous. And the show that we raised over a million. I hope we surpass what our sisters did.
Starting point is 04:32:25 So, brothers, I wrote a check earlier. I wrote up one of the checks the first time she ran. I'm going to write another check. So I'm going to end my comments, and I want everybody else who's still on this line, you wrote a check, write another one. Thank you. Roland. All right, then. And, again, Commissioner Ellis, just real quick, because I'll give you 30 seconds.
Starting point is 04:32:46 Just a few words about the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson. We're going to have a home going ceremony. Nobody could work harder than Sheila Jackson. She raised the bar for all of us. The Congressional Black Caucus members did a special audit tribute, special audit tribute to her tonight. What a great leader. She became America's congresswoman. In fact, I tell folks all the time, if you walk in a room and nobody knows who Sheila Jackson Lee is, get out because you're in the wrong room. A powerful voice and we're going to miss her. And she fought cancer until the end, out passing out supplies for our constituents. And she is the reason Juneteenth is a national holiday. All right, then. Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ells, I appreciate it.
Starting point is 04:33:32 Thank you so very much. Folks, if you want to understand why voting matters, in 2022, 50,000 fewer people voted in Milwaukee than they did in 2020. If those 50,000 people in Milwaukee had voted in 2022, our next speaker would have been the United States Senator from Wisconsin and not MAGA Ron Johnson, who was a part of the conspiracy to overthrow the government. Joining us right now is Mandela Barnes. He joins us right now. Again, he lost by 26,000 votes. And so if y'all understand what happens when we check out of a process, that's what happens. Mandela, go. Hey, I just want to say thank you so much for having me, man. I was proud to have been on your show during my time as lieutenant governor. You gave me an audience when I was running for the United States Senate. I'm glad to be here today talking about why we have to support Kamala Harris. We all understand why,
Starting point is 04:34:30 and I think you made the case very clear. You talked about that 26,000 votes. To put it in context, my race came down to 1%. There are a number of reasons. There are a lot of folks who had the means to get involved in this race but decided before I even got in or at the time I got in that my race wasn't winnable for whatever imaginable reason. I'll let you take your guesses, but there are going to be so many people that think that this race in November is not winnable for the same exact reasons. And for those folks who have the means that will not show up for Kamala Harris in the way that they would have shown up for somebody else. We have to step up as black men and fill in the gap. She has been there for us. And I can tell you right now, four years ago, she wasn't my number one choice. I was not all in for Kamala
Starting point is 04:35:14 Harris. But right now, today, for November 2024, I could not be more in for Kamala Harris to make sure that she's the next president of the United States. So we got to show up like never before. But the folks on this call, we get it. We understand. And I know for sure, because I know some folks who've already texted me and I've seen some group chats, and I know some of us have some mutual friends, and I know some of our mutual friends have shared some real bad stuff in the last couple of days that is completely wrong, out of line, and out of place.
Starting point is 04:35:43 We have to correct that. We do have to pull brothers to the side and tell them that we have to show up because she has shown up for us. Nobody is going to show up like she has. I can guarantee you it's not a single thing that Donald Trump has done in the four years that he had a chance to do something for us. So, brothers, thank you so much. I am here representing Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Gamma Phi Chapter, Alabama A&M Spring 2005.
Starting point is 04:36:07 But most importantly, somebody who is dedicated to democracy, somebody who wants to see this country strengthened. And we know what an uphill battle it is going to be. We're going to have our disagreements. Roland, me and you, we've disagreed on things before, but I can tell you this. We're going to be united like never before. And everybody else who's on this call, whether you're part of Divine Nine, whether college wasn't for you, if you are a black man in America, if you find yourself in a struggle or somebody you know, a friend, family member or neighbor, I need you to step up for them. And if you can't donate today, knock on the door tomorrow, do whatever it takes, show up. Just want to say how much I appreciate this time. We're going to win with black men.
Starting point is 04:36:47 They always doubt us, but we're going to show up and prove everybody wrong when given the opportunity to. I let a cap ago two minutes and 30 seconds. I appreciate it. Thanks, Mandela. Yeah, I've been sitting down for four and a half hours, and so I had to get the damn massage out, sitting
Starting point is 04:37:03 down, handling all this sort of stuff all right y'all let's go to Virginia my alpha brother Congressman Bobby Scott Congressman go right ahead we got Congressman Bobby Scott Keenan Congressman Bobby Scott go right ahead hey Hey, how you doing, Roland? Thank you for doing this, this is great We had, when Joe Biden Was in this race, we were talking About the number of jobs he created
Starting point is 04:37:34 His infrastructure, his healthcare Reducing healthcare prices Environment, putting money into education And comparing that To Trump's record Where all he did was a tax cut for the rich and posted the worst job numbers in about 100 years. You remember those long lines to the food bank that he wants you to forget. And when you couldn't buy toilet paper anywhere, then he managed to get himself impeached twice. That's his record. And we have,
Starting point is 04:38:04 that was Biden's record. And now that Kamala is leading the ticket, we don't have to change the message at all. It's still jobs and infrastructure and health care and everything else. We can get this done. I talked to the Virginia delegation a little while ago, unanimous for Kamala. I was at the Divine Nine group this morning, still got my alpha tie on, and they were all for Kamala. And I contributed $190.06, $190.60. You can give $19.06. You can give $1,906. I gave $190.6. You can give whatever you want, but make sure that we double up because we can get this done.
Starting point is 04:38:55 We can build on a great record, and we can lead. Thank you, Roland, for all that you do. Carson, Bobby, Scott, I appreciate it. My brother, thanks a lot. Let's go to Joshua Dubois. He served as the faith director with President Barack Obama. Y'all, I didn't play him this.
Starting point is 04:39:13 Yeah, he's an alpha. Go, Joshua! Joshua, you on the clock. Joshua Dubois then Gary Chambers then Mayor Stephen Reed we got Joshua Joshua go right ahead yeah I'm here brother Roland
Starting point is 04:39:35 Brad thank you Q thank you Khalil thank you Reverend Michael Blake thank you Sister Joteka thank you brothers this is historic this is historic. This is powerful. And this is God ordained tonight, y'all. Remember where you were on July 21st and 22nd, 2024. These two days will literally change the course of the nation. Listen, I'm going to say one thing. I was proud to work closely with our first black president, my friend and mentor, Barack Obama. But
Starting point is 04:40:03 I'm actually not here thinking about and speaking in a professional capacity. I just put my kids to sleep, and right now I'm thinking about my role as a husband and a father. Y'all, this ain't a black woman thing versus a black men thing. This is a black family thing. Our support for Kamala Harris is something that will change the trajectory of our children's futures. One candidate supports policies that will strengthen families, health care access, educational opportunities, economic opportunities, voting rights, responsible policing. And one candidate would leave my kids and your kids and our families out to dry. This is a black family thing. Last night, my wife was on the line late with our homegirl, Joteka. I couldn't sleep because she had the Zoom open
Starting point is 04:40:47 in the bed next to me till 1 a.m. But it's all good because we in this thing together. Tonight, I got my laptop out and she's upstairs right now listening to me talk to brother Roland, but it's all good because we are in this together. My kids asked me, what are you doing so late up on the computer, daddy? And I said, I'm fighting for their future.
Starting point is 04:41:05 If you're asking yourself or if somebody asks you why you support Kamala, it's because you care about your families. And she's the only one that supports policies that will strengthen black families. Black men are for Kamala, black women are for Kamala, but black families are for Kamala too. In fact, me and Michelle want to get mamas and daddies and babies on the line together and rally for Kamala Harris. So let's give y'all, let's push back on the haters in the barbershop. Y'all, if they ask you why you're with us, say you wouldn't be with the AKA instead of the KKK. Spread the word, donate tonight, but most importantly, remember that this is for the future of our families. Thank you, Brother Roland, and thank you to all the brothers that put this together. All right, I appreciate it, families. Thank you, Brother Roland, and thank you to all the brothers that put this together.
Starting point is 04:41:45 All right. I appreciate it, Frank. Thank you so very much. Hey, y'all, let's go to Montgomery, Alabama. Here's Stephen Reed representing for the Omegas in Alabama. What's up, Mayor Reed? Roland, how you doing today, man? All good.
Starting point is 04:41:59 Hey, listen, thank you and everybody for putting this together. I was on a little earlier called Leader Morial, called Bishop, called Reverend Barber, called so many people. Reverend Jamal Bryant, I mean, you've had a great team. And I know some of my brother mayors have gotten on here already. But as a president of the African American Mayors Association, representing over 520 some odd mayors across this country, small, mid-sized, and large cities. We're excited about Vice President Harris becoming the next president of the United States. I can't tell you enough how much her leadership and her friendship to us has been crucial over these last four years and what they have done to bolster cities and what they have done to bolster many
Starting point is 04:42:45 other things we want to do in our communities. And so winning with Black men has been evident from the time she came in as VP. And I think we will see that even more as president. So I want us to really make sure that we're reaching beyond our own circles, make sure that we're doing things beyond our norms and talking to brothers everywhere we can in barbershops and everywhere else about why this election is so important. I'm excited about the energy that we have because I felt like we were lagging behind these last couple of months. And now there seems to be that burst.
Starting point is 04:43:19 Now there seems to be that injection of not only money, which is great, but energy in the campaign that I haven't seen probably since 2008. And many of us who were doing a lot of that work then, whether we were volunteering or whether we were just trying to help out President Obama, it's great to see that back. But we got to make sure we get everybody to the polls. And I want to say this before I run out of time. Roland, you talked about this a lot on your show. It's so very important that everyone on this network, everyone that has been on this call, talks to people about how to register to vote, where to vote, and how to make sure their vote is counted. Because the other side is set up to steal this election.
Starting point is 04:44:06 The other side is set up to take away votes and deny people their legal right to vote. They have done it through the courts. They have done it through the legislation. They've done it through secretaries of states and other election officials. How do I know? Because I was a chief election official for Montgomery County, Alabama for seven years. So I'm telling you what I know. We've got to make sure that all the men who we're talking to, all the men that we want to bring out to bring other men to the polls, understand what the rules are in your cities, in your counties, in your states. And we don't need to wait till the last minute because the race is now. The race is already on.
Starting point is 04:44:41 And we have to make sure that we aren't teetered out of this and we aren't shortchanged out of these votes because we've got too many swing states, too many counties that are going to come down to just a handful of votes that can make the difference. And that's why certainly it's important that black men get out and vote. But we also have to make sure we inform them of how they should vote and why that is so important and how to make sure, ultimately, that vote is counted. So I just, again, want to thank you, Michael Blake, Bakari, and everybody,
Starting point is 04:45:10 Khalil, everybody, for putting this together. Thank all the brothers who've been a part of it. And let's not make this the last time that we get on the call between now and November. Nope, not gonna happen. Let's do as often as we need to. Well, it's not gonna happen. That's why we got the database.
Starting point is 04:45:22 And so we're gonna make that happen. Mayor Stephen Reed, president of the African-American Marriage Association. Appreciate it, bro. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, y'all. So here are the next four people. OK, so Kenan. Next is Gary Chambers, then Jamie Harrison, then Tennessee rep Justin Jones. We got Michael Eric Dyson. We got Congressman Troy Carter of New Orleans trying to call in multiple people.
Starting point is 04:45:50 Here's the deal. Again, Gary's going to speak. Then Jamie's going to speak. I got to go to the damn bathroom. If Gary finished Keenan and I ain't back, pull up Jamie. Jamie, you just talk. All right, let's go. Gary Chambers, and I ain't back. Pull up, Jamie. And Jamie, you just talk.
Starting point is 04:46:05 All right, let's go. Gary Chambers, you're on the clock. Thank you, Roland. I really appreciate the opportunity to speak. Let me be to the point. We as black men have a responsibility and an obligation to our communities to this moment. There's a picture that you see behind me of black folks that were elected in the 1800s. Ever since we got off the plantation, we have been fighting for economic progress and political progress, because when we are not in the political conversation, when we are not electing our
Starting point is 04:46:36 people to serve, we are on the menu. I'm from Louisiana, the 50th ranked state, and we gave you Mike Johnson. And understanding that this is the second largest population of black peopleth ranked state, and we gave you Mike Johnson, and understanding that this is the second largest population of Black people in a state in America, and we don't have a Black person elected statewide because of voter turnout. And so when folks who ask me why am I supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, the stakes are too high. You can have disagreements with things in her past and her record. You can feel all of the things that you want to feel, but feel them while you go to the voting booth. I felt all of the things that many people feel conflicted about, about President Biden.
Starting point is 04:47:14 But I was going to vote for him. And I have a deep understanding. And I put my money where my mouth is tonight and made a contribution to the vice president because this is not about our emotions. And for brothers who are in their feelings about these things, get out your feelings and do what we got to do as leaders in our communities. Because when we show up and when we participate, change happens in our communities. Understand this. They allow the red hat Trump and black men to get the telephone and the prompters and the exposure. But it is really 85 percent of black men that showed up for Joe Biden.
Starting point is 04:47:47 And we as black men are going to show up for Kamala Harris because we understand that our liberties are at stake, that our rights are at stake and that the future of our children is at stake. And so I'm just asking you, no matter how you feel about the situation, about politics, this is not an emotional decision. It's a business decision and it's time to take care of business. We have a candidate that we can support, somebody that understands our plight, and we somebody that we can talk to. Let's get to work, brothers. But Gary, let people know, listen, you are on my show. You are on the show. Let's talk about Louisiana and about turnout. Black turnout in Louisiana was abysmal.
Starting point is 04:48:26 And then what happened? Jeff Landry wins. You got a black guy who's running the Democratic side. Landry comes in and he is driving a MAGA agenda. What Jeff Landry is doing in Louisiana is exactly what Trump's Project 2025 is. And it's going to be the same thing for America if Trump wins. And Donald Trump is considering a person like Jeff Landry to be the attorney general of the United States. Let me tell you, he has been governor less than a year, less than a year. He has taken away probation and parole. He has increased the penalties for juveniles when they commit a crime.
Starting point is 04:49:03 He has released juvenile records. He has taken the ability to appoint the chair of the board for every higher institution, education body that is state funded in this state. This man is on a power trip of no record that we have seen before. And he is a Trumper to the highest degree. And him, Mike Johnson, and the cronies that they are putting the policies that they are trying to put black folks under was preventable if black folk had showed up. There are 900,000 registered black voters. The man won with 500,000 votes. If you don't get off your ass and do your part, that's how we lose.
Starting point is 04:49:40 If you're wondering why we don't pass policy, we don't pass policy because we don't vote down ballot. Y'all mad at Mike Johnson, but Mike Johnson right now has no challenger in the state of Louisiana. And if you think he's bad, why is nobody on the ballot against him? When we talk about the change that we want to see, we're going to have to make it happen because ain't nobody coming to save us. All right. Gary Chambers, my brother. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, folks, all of these states have come out and have demonstrated her strong support. Just this type of forum is unprecedented. We are all a part of history right now. And the question is, how is history going to note us? You know, often growing up in South Carolina, you watch
Starting point is 04:50:45 Eyes on the Prize and all these other things about the marches and civil rights movement, and you often wonder, what would I have done in that moment? Well, you don't have to wonder about what you're going to do in that moment, because you're in that moment right now. You are in that moment. So the question is, what are we going to do? Are we going to sit back on our hands and say, woe is me, when we see what they have on their agenda? We know what Project 2025 is. We know that if it's going after everybody's freedom, who's the first freedoms that they're coming after? It is ours. You know, I live in a state raising my two black boys, same state in which they still have a statue of Ben Pitchfork Tillman, a man who basically would go to the floor of the United States Senate and talk about the joys of lynching of black folks. Democrats have tried to take that statue down, but you know what?
Starting point is 04:51:38 Republicans said, no, no, let it stay there. It's our history. At the same time, they're trying to wipe away our history. Folks, we have an opportunity to make our own damn history. We have that opportunity. It is in our power. Gary talked about the fact that we don't turn out. I ran against Lindsey Graham in a state where 400,000 unregistered Black voters. I lost by, I got the same amount of vote that Donald Trump got when he beat Hillary Clinton by 13 points, but I still lost to Lindsey Graham by 107,000 points, votes. Folks, we can
Starting point is 04:52:13 change that. We have the opportunity and we have somebody like Kamala Harris who has done so much for us and we got to continue to fight. We got to continue to go. And she has an agenda that will transform our families. Think about wiping out medical debt. How many of us have medical debt that we are carrying or our family members have medical debt that they're carrying right now?
Starting point is 04:52:39 And wiping that out, taking it off of our credit report. That is how we are able to then live the American dream, dealing with the child care and student loans and all of these burdens that we have right now. It's time that we fight for ourselves, and it's time for us to get the people who will fight for us. And we got that. So folks, let's continue to organize, let's continue to mobilize. I'm proud. I'm the first time in 175 years of the Democratic Party. We've had two black chairs before me, Ron Brown and Donna Brazile. But this is the first time that a president of the United States and a vice president picked a black person to be chair of the DNC in 175 years.
Starting point is 04:53:22 So, folks, we got it. We got the right tools. We just got to use it. We got to use our voices. We got to stand up. All right, Jamie Harrison, I appreciate it, my brother. Thanks a lot. Let's go to Quinton, folks. He is the Deputy Campaign Manager for Head of President. Quinton, go right ahead. You're on the clock. Appreciate you, Roland. And I just want to thank everybody for this call tonight. I was just with the VP earlier, as Roland mentioned, I'm the principal deputy campaign manager on the campaign. And before that, I ran Senator Warnock's campaigns in Georgia. So I know a lot of the fellows on this call were also in Georgia on the ground helping get that over the finish
Starting point is 04:53:58 line. I mean, look, I think the speaker before said it perfectly, that this is a business decision for us. I think even after the president stumbled during the debate, I think that we saw the people asking the president to step aside. We know what the backbone of the Democratic Party is, and the vice president is ready. She is the best person. I tried to think of, you know, what I would say that hasn't been said on this call. Our path to victory is still there. Before we were looking at the blue wall states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, the Sunbelt states and the southern states, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina. North Carolina's got an extreme person running on the ballot as well, just like Donald Trump,
Starting point is 04:54:39 an African-American already dealt with something like that in Georgia against Senator Warnock. But our path to victory is there. You know, she performs better in some of these states, even. I think we have to look at that and leverage the strength of that. We're talking about rural Black voters. I heard Roland talking about Louisiana and some of the gains that were made in places like that. We got to organize in those places. And so I know that his brother's on this call from all across the country, whether it be, you know, from Atlanta to rural Georgia. But don't forget about our rural counties. Twenty-five percent of the voters in Georgia and North Carolina are rural black voters. They're our voting base. And these folks are energized now. Obviously, we see the enthusiasm that the vice
Starting point is 04:55:19 president is getting from the money standpoint. E80 million raised in 24 hours. And obviously, you know, this group on the call doing this, the last two days and two nights alone, just with the Black Women's event and this event tonight are unprecedented. We've never seen anything like this in politics. And we also haven't seen a change of a candidate with 100 days to go. But I think that we're united. We got something to fight for. You heard the chair just lay out the record of accomplishments. I think we got to ignore the noise that's going to try to pit us against each other as we move forward in the next couple of months here. Because for us, it is really only one outcome. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have Project
Starting point is 04:56:02 2025. They want to usher in. I mean, it is dangerous. It's scary. The vice president is going to get torn in a lot of different directions, and she has been since the moment that she stepped off the office. She's a woman. She's a woman of color. And she can never be enough of any one thing for anybody. And I think we have to make sure that we're constantly holding her up.
Starting point is 04:56:21 We have to make sure we're supporting her. That is what this call is doing tonight. I know the energy is only going to keep going. We need y'all. We are figuring it out, right? Like she just took over the mantle. The campaign is in the field, testing, polling, doing research. I know people are hungry, you know, for that specific data that a lot of people on this call, I see a lot of organizations, a lot of elected officials want to know how they can tap in. And we will do our best to make sure that we're coming up with that and getting you all, you know, the theory of the case on where we need to be, who we need to be talking to down to the district levels so that people on this call can get to work, but also want to partner with you all. I
Starting point is 04:56:58 know a lot of people on this call are involved in organizations that are helping specifically drive up the black male vote. And I think it's a lot of, you know, concerns out there about the black male vote, but really the gap in between black voting and white voting is really what's going. The voting has actually stayed pretty steady, but the portion of black voters turning out specifically black men is low. I do these briefings all the time. I have it by the state level of how many black men, black women, age groups, religion, anything you can think of. And so really want to just partner with you all to make sure that we can get the VP across the finish line and appreciate the support tonight. All right, Quinton, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much, folks. Money update,
Starting point is 04:57:44 Mike Quinton! What up? Quinton James, Mike Blake, bring him up. Hold on. Before we go to Justin, I need a money update. Mike Blake, Quinton James, where you at? Quinton, you're in audio only.
Starting point is 04:58:07 Turn your camera on. All right, y'all ain't ready. You there? Y'all ready? All right, Quentin. Yo, folks. Hey, this again is an amazing night. As Quentin, folks just said, this is unprecedented.
Starting point is 04:58:24 Gentlemen, over. 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
Starting point is 04:58:58 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,
Starting point is 04:59:20 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
Starting point is 04:59:41 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.
Starting point is 05:00:01 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.
Starting point is 05:00:20 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.
Starting point is 05:00:50 Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-up way, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov.
Starting point is 05:01:12 Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Almost 16,000 brothers have given tonight a total of over $1.2 million. We are catching up to the sisters from last night with Women Black Women. Let's keep it going, y'all. I don't want to nitpick. I think it took them about
Starting point is 05:01:35 12 to 14 hours to reach that $2 million mark. We've done $1.2 million in a little less than three hours, y'all. Let's keep this momentum going.. We got some more speakers, but let's give, give, give. And also there is a volunteer sign up form as well. Joe Biden dot com slash volunteer. People can sign up. We're going to support with our money, with our time, our talent. We're going to bring it all to bear to elect our sister as the first woman, first black woman, first Asian-American woman president of the United States.
Starting point is 05:02:09 So thank you again, Roland. Let's keep it going, y'all. 1.2 million so far. Let's get to two. Let's get to two million. Yes, sir. Let's appreciate it. We had New York Speaker Carl Heastie on.
Starting point is 05:02:19 Let me know if we get him back. Let's go to Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones. You on the clock, my brother. Appreciate it, Roland. And just want to thank Brother Allen Williams and Brother Khalil for making sure I was linked up to be on the call. I'm calling from Tennessee, the state that was the first state to unanimously pledge our delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris. We in Tennessee stand with the Vice President because she stood with us in one of our darkest times last year during our expulsion.
Starting point is 05:02:45 We were expelled on a Thursday. The vice president came to Tennessee within 24 hours on Good Friday to stand with us and let them know that these attacks on our democracy would not happen without challenge, that this state that is the birthplace of the Klan would not fall back into our darker history but would rise into a new vision of what we could be as a multiracial democracy. And so we stand with the vice president. I stand with the vice president because when we were expelled and when we were silenced again a few months later, the vice president checked on us each and every time and stood
Starting point is 05:03:12 with us and said, how could she support what was happening in our state, a state where one in five black men cannot vote because of felony disenfranchisement, a state that was one of the first states to pass book bans and bans on black history, a state where it's easier to get a gun than it is to vote, a state where it's easier to get a gun than it is to get health care. And yet the vice president said that we are not going to be alone here. And so we stand with her. As the youngest black lawmaker in our state, I'm so excited about this campaign to know
Starting point is 05:03:37 that we will have a vice president who will not neglect the South, who recognizes that the South is not going to rise again, but it can rise anew, a new South that we represent here as we fight for a vision that roots human dignity and rights. And so I'm 100% behind the vice president. I know that she is lifting up a new generation of voices in this moment that we're in, a moment of crisis where we're facing a real threat of authoritarianism. And I tell you that I come from a state that we talk about Project 2025. I want to let you know that Project 2025 is Tennessee 2024, that we already see what is at risk in this moment.
Starting point is 05:04:09 We see the risk of authoritarianism, of anti-democratic behavior. We saw that they banned books and banned black history and tried to ban black lawmakers, but they won't ban these militarized guns that are terrorizing our kids. And so we need a vice president who we know will not just speak about it, but will be about it. And that's what we saw last year. That's what we've seen consistently with Vice President Kamala Harris. I'm honored to be a part of this call, lift up the voice of our generation who say that we stand with her. Whatever we can do to support her, whether it's your resources, but also young people, we got to knock doors. We got to get out the momentum. We see the excitement from young
Starting point is 05:04:41 people in this moment. And it's making me hopeful that we're not just fighting against something, but we have a proactive, positive vision of what we want this nation to be in a time where DEI is being weaponized and used as a bad word. We know that we have someone who will fight against these attacks on our history and these attacks to bring us backwards in our history to a time that we don't want to go to. And so I'm completely behind the vice president. I know Tennessee is behind the vice president. And I know that the South is behind the vice president because we know it's at risk in this election. We know it's at risk of being lost, our voting rights, our health care rights, the reproductive rights of our sisters and mothers and our friends. And so we know that we have to fight like hell to make sure that come November that Vice President Kamala Harris is
Starting point is 05:05:22 the president of the United States of America. And And not only will we make history, but we'll bring forth a new vision of what this nation should and can be. And so honored to be here supporting VP Kamala Harris, a fighter for the people. All right, then. Representative Jones, I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. All right, then. Again, reminding all speakers, two minutes max, y'all. We got a lot of other people we're trying to maximize.
Starting point is 05:05:46 It's 1053. We're live at 8 p.m. We're going to take this for only one hour and seven minutes. We're going to conclude at midnight. Just letting y'all know. So, speakers, get ready. I'm coming to y'all. I need y'all to give.
Starting point is 05:06:00 We want to hit absolutely 1.5 million. We want to hit 2 million.5 million. We want to hit 2 million. Look at the donate button. Secure. S-E-C-U-R-E dot A-C-T B-L-U-E dot com forward slash donate forward slash
Starting point is 05:06:17 TCP dash Kamala. Take that, share it on all your social media platforms, push that thing out. Money is going to the campaign, but more importantly, it's going to black male organizations that are on the ground, that are going door to door, that are doing phone banks, that are doing pre-seed walks. That stuff takes money, y'all. I tell my audience all the time, this studio, my crew, the cameras, all this stuff costs money. And so this is what needs to happen.
Starting point is 05:06:46 We've got to fund our grassroots efforts. We can't wait on other folk to do it. And so we need your support. So let's get it going. West Bellamy, are you there? West Bellamy. West Bellamy with 100 Black Men.
Starting point is 05:07:12 We got Wes. All right. We ain't got Wes. I'm going to move on. Y'all know I don't roll how I roll. Michael Eric Dyson. Yes, sir. Here we go. Michael, hit me up.
Starting point is 05:07:25 Here we go. Michael, there you go. All right, my brother. Thank you, Roland, for what you're doing, your leadership and organizing and galvanizing us. Look, we have a historic opportunity to get into office the first woman, the first black woman, the first Asian woman in America to represent us. But it's not simply about the titles. It's not about the magnificent, if you will, sexiness of being the first. It is about on the ground commitment to our people and the ability to tell the truth about what's happening in America. Joe Biden passed the torch to her. Joe Biden has done more in his first term than
Starting point is 05:08:05 many presidents have done in two terms. And the fact that he gave that baton to Kamala Harris means that she has the integrity, the inspiration, and the imprimatur of the guy who did a great work to give it to this woman now who is able to take that baton across the finish line. And I'm so glad that Roland and others have organized and galvanized black men because we have often been seen as has-beens, also rams, on the margins, demonizing and stigmatizing our sisters. No, we stand up for that which is good, that which is profitable, and that which is amazingly helpful to our community. And Kamala Harris has proved to be all of that
Starting point is 05:08:46 and will take that in a way that will be unprecedented, not simply because she's the first to do it, but because she's so deeply rooted in the ancient traditions of black protests, about black grievance against hostility in this country, the white supremacy, the sexism, the misogyny. Thank God that we are galvanizing as black men to support this sister because she represents the best of us. And as president of the United States of America, she will do an amazing thing. I am with you all.
Starting point is 05:09:16 I stand with you. I'm grateful and honored to be on this call to support our sister, Kamala Harris. Y'all, oh my God! Michael Eric Dyson, y'all, spoke in one minute and 56 seconds. He left four seconds on the clock. That's what I'm saying. Michael, I appreciate it, brother. Love you, Doc. Love you, brother.
Starting point is 05:09:43 I appreciate it. Y'all know we gotta have fun, y'all. Love you, Doc. Love you, brother. Appreciate it. Y'all know we gotta have fun, y'all. We gotta do that. My man, Wes Bellamy, 100 Black Men of America, you finally turned your camera on. What's up, good brother? What's up? Hey, man, I appreciate
Starting point is 05:09:59 you having me on. I guess I was having some technical issues. I'm super excited to be here, and I just want to say this. I know there's been a lot of talk and a lot of people saying a lot of different things. I just want to encourage us to keep in mind that, you know, if you're on this call right now at 11 o'clock Eastern time, more than likely you are already locked in. You're going to vote. We know what you're going to do. But it's imperative that we take our talents into our communities and be bold enough to talk to our brothers who are not as voting or ready to get into or ready to go out and vote. Like we need to make sure that we're going out and talking to those, again, who have been targeted by misinformation, those who have
Starting point is 05:10:41 been just feeling as if nothing's going to change within their communities and remind them if they have sisters, nieces, mamas, daughters, their lives will be completely different if they're not engaged in this electoral process. And then us specifically as black men, we know it's important for us to take our rightful place. There were 100 black men. We are going across the country on a 16 city tour. Real men vote. We've had four stops already. We have 12 more to go. We're looking to continue to partner with organizations like The Collective Pack, Black Borders Matters, and others. So, brothers, let's
Starting point is 05:11:13 continue to stay engaged. Let's continue to do what we have to do. Roland, you're all right for an alpha, but all the brothers, no matter where you're at, let's do what we got to do. And I'm signing out. All right. Appreciate it. But you know to do. And I'm signing out. I appreciate it. But you know how we roll. All right, Wes, I appreciate it. We get
Starting point is 05:11:29 spoken a minute and 22 seconds. Way to go. I kept it quick. There we go. Pastor McBride. Pastor McBride, you are up next. Go, you're on the clock. What's happening? What's happening? It is a great blessing to be
Starting point is 05:11:46 here. Much love to Roland, much love to Michael, Blake, Quinn, everybody that's pulled this together. I'm super excited to just tap in and say we are all in for Kamala Harris for president. Last night, the Black Church Pack, along with a number of other folks hosted a call, had over 4,000 folks register. 1,000 plus were jammed on the Zoom. Couldn't get everybody in the room, but we decided to endorse Kamala Harris, the Black Church PAC, and it is owned like Donkey Kong.
Starting point is 05:12:14 And I just want to also say, as someone who's from the Bay Area, born and raised in San Francisco, living in Oakland, let's really push back on the misrepresentation of her record at every level. She was moving the ball forward on criminal justice reform, stopped trying young men as
Starting point is 05:12:33 adults, would not use the death penalty, was holding a whole bunch of folks accountable for the way in which they even addressed racial profiling and procedural justice at the state level. She didn't do everything we wanted, but she did enough to move the ball forward. And that's what we expect for our president and I. And we are super, super excited. Let me just also say, if you have a pastor, if you have a bishop, if you have a black male preacher and they are nervous about being engaged because of their own 501c3 status, let them know that the Black Church PAC can be a home for their political work to make sure we get Kamala Harris elected. We have been doing master classes. We've been doing all kinds of efforts all across the country. And so we are all in
Starting point is 05:13:15 for Kamala Harris. I love this call. Organized money, we raising the money. Organized people, we mobilizing Black men. Organized ideas. Let's get Gumbel Harris elected as the president of the United States. I'm out. God bless y'all. Man, that's the second pastor we've had in three calls who hit. You were less than Michael Eric Dyson.
Starting point is 05:13:38 Man, these are new school preachers, y'all. Pastor McBride, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Let's go to New Orleans. I need some jambalaya and some gumbo. Congressman Troy Carter. Hello, my good brother. We got all that for you. We got gumbo. We got jambalaya. Most importantly, we got votes. Listen, I've been in the green room for a while. I had the opportunity to hear Brother Gary Chambers, and he spoke nothing but the truth. My homeboy from Louisiana.
Starting point is 05:14:12 Listen, we've seen the atrocities of what happens when we don't vote. We have a governor that tried to not accept $71 million for summer EBT funds to feed hungry children. But we didn't give up. We pressed. We fought. We rallied. We went to the other side of the aisle to find compassionate members. And young brother Jason Hughes, a member of the House of Representatives, told me, Congressman, if you can hold USDA in place, I will work my butt off to make this turnaround. And he did just that. So kudos to never quitting. Kudos to Representative Jason Hughes of New Orleans East, who never gave up, who was my partner, to make sure that we
Starting point is 05:15:05 demonstrated when we fight, we win. And the election is the exact same way. Listen, we've had a late night. We had late night votes. And then we had a testimony on the House floor tonight honoring the late, great Sheila Jackson Lee, a warrior who has gone to be with God, who was a fighter of, on every front you can imagine, a living legend who has now taken her place in heaven. Her life, her energy, her love was spent fighting for our people. And so today we find ourselves in this posture of having to get together. You know, I had this, the closest memory I have of something like this, Roland, was in 1995 when we had the Million Man March. I was a young member of the New Orleans City
Starting point is 05:15:57 Council at the time. And we went to the Million Man March and we got out and we were all together as brothers demonstrating that we can stand together, accept our responsibilities. And now here we are in 2024 in need of another Million Man March of sorts. Roland, I want to thank you and Brother Blake and others for bringing us together tonight, for giving us an opportunity to galvanize as black men, being responsible and being a part of the solution. We've got to look them in the eye and say, you're a damn lie. When I hear people say that black men were looking and leaning toward Trump because of his felony convictions, we're going to look them in the eye and say, you're a damn lie. When they say that black folk are going to stay home and not going to vote,
Starting point is 05:16:43 we're going to look them in the eye and say, you're a damn lie. Listen, I'm proud to be on this with you guys. I know that the night is long and you have been on here for a while. I want to tell you, we're 60 members strong of the Congressional Black Caucus, led by our fearless leader, Stephen Horsford from Nevada. We will stand with you. We will fight with you. We will come to your communities, your towns, your villages, your townships Biden-Harris administration, when she sat at the table and they fought for $16 billion of HBCUs, when they fought to lower insulin prices for $35 for our seniors, when we put more money in environmental justice through the Inflation Reduction Act than ever before in the history of our country, when we saw and recognized the $1.2 trillion
Starting point is 05:17:46 infrastructure bill that's building bridges and putting people back to work. Listen, we have receipts. We have a record to run on. We have receipts to demonstrate what the Biden-Harris administration has done. We cannot be hoodwinks. But some are going to say, well, she's this, she's that. We've got to defend this sister. We've got to circle this sister. We've got to protect this sister. We've got to uplift this sister. And we've got to vote for this sister.
Starting point is 05:18:16 So I want to thank you all for joining in, for putting your money where your mouth is rolling. I cannot be more proud of you, my dear brother, Brother Blake, Gary Chambers, all of the other powerful speakers that have been on tonight and will continue to be on. We are one and we will win. Listen, I often say there are far too few of us in this space that we cannot afford to be against each other. There are far too few of us in this space that we can afford to hate on each other. There are far too few of us in this space.
Starting point is 05:18:50 We must stand together and we have to spend more time talking to each other and less time talking about each other. All right. God bless you, brothers. We're in this battle together. And guess what? We're going to win. God bless you all. All right. Appreciate it, Congressman. Normally, I don't let no Capitals talk for five minutes and ten seconds. we're in this battle together and guess what we're going to win God bless you all alright appreciate it Congressman
Starting point is 05:19:06 normally I don't let no capitals talk for 5 minutes and 10 seconds so I mean listen Jesus is working on me so I'm just giving y'all a little grace alright we appreciate it sir thanks a bunch Ohio State Representative
Starting point is 05:19:22 Dontavious Geralds oh good evening good good evening, everybody. Thank you, Brother Martin. Can you hear me? We got you. You're on the clock. Well, first and foremost, I want to say thank you for allowing me to be on to Brother Blake and Brother Quentin. And also, I'm proud to be repping the oldest fraternity in all the land, Alpha Phi Fraternity Incorporated, Afro-Lamba chapter.
Starting point is 05:19:43 Brothers, I'll be quick. You know, this has been, President Biden has had one of the most consequential 10 years of our lifetime. And giving President, our future President Kamala Harris, the opportunity to run and to win with our support is going to change the fabric of this nation. I naturally believe that the soul of this nation is on the line. And each and every one of us is on this call, is going to do everything we have to do, whether it's give money, get into the streets, knock on doors, do everything possible to make sure that the reality of this presidency and of this administration includes all of us.
Starting point is 05:20:18 There's two things I want to leave you with. One, I know right here in Ohio we can set the bar because we did it. We just passed in November issue one, which gave the ability for women to have autonomy over their bodies. And you want to know the highest number of voters that we saw in terms of the highest demographic, it was black men who came out and turned out and said, we believe that women should have control over their bodies. And so if we believe that women should have control over their bodies, we also should believe that Vice President Kamala Harris can be in the White House. And so we have to do the work, brothers. We don't have a lot of days, only 106, 105 days left to go.
Starting point is 05:20:59 But I really do believe that we will get it done. The last thing I'll leave you with is this. Dr. Martin Luther King said to serve, you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. Each and every day, we have to fight for the soul of this nation. And if you are someone you know who's never checked their registration, who is not updated their registration, you have to make sure that you do it because purging laws across this nation are real. We've seen it in Ohio. We've seen black folks being taken off the rolls simply because they didn't vote in one election. And we got to do everything possible to make sure every person has the opportunity to vote this election. And so I'm proud to be on the
Starting point is 05:21:39 battle for each and every one of you all. And God bless. And I love you, brothers. Let's get to work. I appreciate it, Frat. Thank you so very much. Let's get the Durham, North Carolina, the mayor of Durham, Leonardo Williams near Williams. You're on the clock. A lot of albums out here tonight, but I had to get on here. I've been in and out, in and out listening in man. And I listened to the ladies last night. I'm so glad that we were making it happen. Listen, I just wanted to get on some of what I'm saying is what you've already heard,
Starting point is 05:22:08 but I just wanted to give you the perspective of North Carolina. And I think Kendra Lamar said it best. They're not like us. We got a clown running for governor, Mark Robinson. And this is not what black men in office look like. And we have a lot of sisters that are running down ballot, Jessica Holmes, Carol, Judge Carolyn Thompson. We can't forget about the judges. And we have a lot of sisters that are running down ballot. Jessica Holmes, Judge Carolyn Thompson. We can't forget about the judges. And I think what's happening, as a matter of fact, I know what our sister, Vice President Kamala
Starting point is 05:22:34 Harris is bringing, is 2008 vibes amped up. It's on steroids. You know, the last time I felt this energy was with Obama. But she's breaking her story. She's breaking her story. And I look forward to being on the battlefield with all you guys. What I wanted to say
Starting point is 05:22:50 was just let's continue to use this momentum strategically. Let's make sure that you are drafting your Project 2025. Let's stop talking about what the damn Republicans have and let's focus on what we are going to do because people want to vote for something. Let's stop giving airtime to the other guys and to our
Starting point is 05:23:09 brothers who find it convenient to speak up only when it's time to vote against ourselves. Let's spend some intimate time to educate those brothers as well. Have a little grace and be a little patient, but we got to be strategic about all of it. This is an opportunity to really change the game in our democracy. This is an opportunity to change the game in how we do business. So let's make it, let's draft our own project 2025. Let's start putting it out there. That's what I'm working on here in North Carolina. I have 100, 100 black mayors and mayor pro-times across the state. We are in formation. We are lined up, ready to go. Send out an endorsement one hour before the actual announcement the other day. And now we have the same folks announcing their endorsements for Kamala Harris.
Starting point is 05:23:55 But I want to make sure we go down ballot. So North Carolina, we're going to make sure we get everybody. And I hope you all do the same thing in your seats. So appreciate you, man. Thanks for having me on, Fred. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thanks for having me on, Fred. All right, bro. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Let's go to Greg Jackson.
Starting point is 05:24:08 Greg Jackson, you are on the clock. All right. What's up, Roland? Peace and pride, brothers. Amen. Thank you, Q, Khalil, Quinn, everybody for having me. For folks who don't know me, I'm here as a survivor of gun violence, but also in my personal capacity, but serving under vice president in the first
Starting point is 05:24:25 ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. And I just want to just drop a few major things for y'all when we think about the stakes. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death for Black men in America. It's the number one cause of death for Black youth and all youth in America, but Black youth since 2006. And when we think about what's happening in our communities, it's not as simple as gangs and crime. What we're seeing is that only 11% are connected to gangs, only 30% is connected to other felony crimes. What's happening is interpersonal conflict
Starting point is 05:24:54 and people in crisis that have firearms. But what I'm so excited about is that we have a vice president who is not just fighting for this issue, but is leading this issue and literally has been leading this almost her entire career. I mean, in California, she helped build the national model of how we support youth that have been impacted by violence as they're grieving. And in this office, we made the largest investment in youth mental health. We made gun trafficking a federal offense. We made the first ever investment in community violence intervention.
Starting point is 05:25:20 And the vice president actually spoke at the first ever leadership academy for community-based leaders that are working to prevent violence across the country. And we even had a convening of over 200 mothers who lost their loved ones, who lost their sons, their daughters, and decided to create organizations to help change things. And the one person who made time out of their day to sit down with those mothers and celebrate their work was Vice President Kamala Harris. And the last thing I'll just share is last year, we saw the steepest decline in homicides in American history, a 13% decline in homicides. And in this year, we're seeing a 26% decline with 41% being the average decline in cities with over a million residents. And when you look at the demographics, the communities that are, the lives that are being saved the most aggressively are those in Black communities. Those are our Black men, our Black
Starting point is 05:26:08 boys, our Black kids. We are the lives that are being saved because of this amazing administration. And so I'm just so proud to be a part of this. I think we have to realize the stakes. The last thing I will just share, I was with the vice president when we went to Parkland and we walked through the school and we literally saw blood. We saw destroyed desks. And we stood there with the families. And politicians walked in those doors. The only one who had the heart to stand with those families all three levels of that carnage was Vice President Harris.
Starting point is 05:26:38 When we went to Charlotte, North Carolina, we sat down with youth, literally young black boys that watched their best friends get shot and killed. And the only person who sat there and heard from every one of those black boys was Vice President Harris. And so we have someone who leads with their heart, who understands the issue and is willing to fight every day to save our lives. And those are the real stakes. And so I'm just so thankful to be here. I'm so thankful to be a part of this legacy, but so thankful that we have someone that we can fight for and fight with that we know is committed to fighting for our lives. So thank you again, Roland. Everybody, put in what you can. Let's do this. All right. I appreciate it, Greg. Thanks a lot. Folks,
Starting point is 05:27:13 don't forget secure.actblue.com forward slash donate forward slash TCP dash Kamala. Last update, we got 16,000 donors, $1.2 million. Y'all, we got 45 more minutes before we sign off. Let's hit, let's hit 1.5 million. Let's go to 1.6. Let's go to 1.7. We are going to be supporting these folks, these groups that are out there on the ground doing the work. These black male groups, they are doing it. Let's make it happen.
Starting point is 05:27:50 My brother next, he's been with us all night. We've been texting back and forth. He was like, well, what I want to say, I said, man, just speak from your heart. He's one of the baddest actors in America, Oscar-nominated, you know him, Miles, dealt with a blue dress and all kind of other roles. Put your hands together, y'all. My man, Don Cheadle. Yo, what's going on, Roland? My brother, how you doing?
Starting point is 05:28:17 I'm good. I just ran in the house and ran upstairs and the connection finally came through and I'm like, look at us. Look at us go. So glad that you're doing this and so, you know, appreciative of your efforts. They're consistent and true and real and you always, you know, put your whole spirit and soul where your mouth is and that's very important and I'm really glad to see what's happened and amazing to see
Starting point is 05:28:44 what's happened. I was on that call last night with the women, and, you know, it was great that the women leadership, you know, kind of always works. Black women leadership is what it's about. And it's great that we are, you know, here as a result of it doing our thing and supporting them and walking arm in arm with them. So it's just beautiful. And just thank you, everybody, that's come on board. We have 106 days left, a lot of work to do, and, you know, down to do it. And, Roland, you and I were in a very special room talking about the things that matter the most, you know, directly to power and now to see if that comes to fruition and we get to really, you know, be in the room where it happened and be parts of making sure it continues to go forward is really exciting. And also the gauntlet has kind of been thrown down.
Starting point is 05:29:40 Absolutely. Very well said. And, you know, Don, the thing here is everybody can contribute. This is what I've said about the Democratic donors. They may have lots of money, George Clooney, Ashley, Judd, the rest of the people, but they only got one vote. And every single one of us, we need more than one vote to win. Biden has got 81 million in 2020. That's what it requires. Regular, ordinary people making sure they cast their ballots. Yes, exactly. Showing up. Don't disenfranchise yourself. I think every year since, you know, I've been alive and paying close attention, it matters.
Starting point is 05:30:19 You know, you can't have the margins. You know, you always talk about this too, Roland, it's the margins game. And, you know, we can't disaffect ourselves and not show up and be apathetic with what's, you know, coming down the pipe if it doesn't go our way. With this project 2025, I encourage everyone to read it and not just look at it, but look at the architects of it and see, you know, what it is that we're dealing with and really see what it is that your future potentially holds and make an informed decision. Not just the one that makes you feel good, but really thoughtful. And to me, it's absolutely clear which way to go. It's not even a thought. Indeed, indeed. Don Cheadle, brother, I appreciate it, man. Thank you so very much for hanging out with us
Starting point is 05:31:06 and getting on this win with Black Men Call. Thank you, Roland, and thank you for everything you do, and more to come, man. This is just the beginning. Yes, it is. Indeed, indeed. Hey, folks, earlier, my man John Legend, he said, hey, if I move
Starting point is 05:31:22 to say something, I will, but John was on. He donated. We appreciate John being on. Hill Harper was on earlier as well. Bill Bellamy has been on. So a lot of brothers out there making this thing happen. Let's go to Reverend Mark Thompson. Mark Thompson, you've been waiting some
Starting point is 05:31:38 time, so come right ahead. Bless you, Roland. Thank you to you and Michael, Quentin, and Khalil for convening us. Some of you will remember 29 years ago, we gathered as black men on the National Mall to stand up for our families, to stand up for our sisters. As Malcolm said, the most disrespected, unprotected, neglected women in the country. We are called to do this again. I stand with Kamala Harris in the name of the women who raised me, the names of the women who raised me, my mother, my grandmother, in the name of my daughter. We must do this and we must stand for our system.
Starting point is 05:32:20 We can't take anything for granted. You may also recall we had to fight. We had to organize in the way when with Black women organized and in the way when with Black men organized in 2020 to get her on a ticket. In the past 10 days, we had to mobilize and organize to be sure that the Democratic Party elites didn't leapfrog over her and pick someone else as the nominee. She is entitled to this. She has earned it and she can do the job. It is in our nature to do so. We must educate all of our young brothers that it's okay. It is part of being a man. One's manhood is not lessened to support a Black woman. And if we know our heritage and our culture, we've always had queens. We had Taiyi and Hatshepsut and Amina and Makeda,
Starting point is 05:33:07 the Queen of Sheba and Nefertiti. And so this is no different. We can support a Black woman in leadership. The Supreme Court wants to make Donald Trump a king, but we can stop that by electing our queen. So brothers, continue to give. Let's continue to hit those marks in terms of the money. Let's talk to our young brothers, get them them out to vote and let's be certain that kamala harris is the next president of the united states man that's the third reverend tonight that spoke under two minutes mark was a minute 35 lord that is a god appreciate it it, Mark. Thanks a lot. Give thanks. Yes.
Starting point is 05:33:46 All right. Let's go to Baltimore. The mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott. 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.
Starting point is 05:34:14 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. 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 One, 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.
Starting point is 05:34:55 Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.
Starting point is 05:35:09 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.
Starting point is 05:35:32 Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things.
Starting point is 05:35:45 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.
Starting point is 05:36:12 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
Starting point is 05:36:38 at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Still rocking that afro? Oh, you got the whole thing? It's curly. Curly fro, curly fro, curly fro, brother. What's up, my brother? I'm good, man, and I'm going to be brief. We know what the mission is.
Starting point is 05:36:54 Black women have saved this country time and time and time again from itself. And if we're going to be honest, brothers, even from us, it is now time for us to support a Black woman, my vice president, your vice president, the future president of these United States, because we know that this is the most critical election. We know what the other side wants to do. We know that the numbers don't add up. They do not qualify and can't even be compared to what this system has done. We have to show up. We have to pull the young brothers up. We have to challenge everybody in standing in the way of all the bull crap that is going to be thrown our way.
Starting point is 05:37:32 We know that they're going to dig it all up. Because when you look at the results, historic numbers that they put in the HBCUs, you heard Brother Greg talking about the historic numbers of reduction in violence in this country. All the things that we've asked for for all these years, she's delivered on. It's time for us to deliver for her, to be there for her, so that she, a black woman, can be the first president of these United States. As a woman, we know we have to do it. We just have to show up, put up or shut up and deliver for her the same way she delivers for us. Thank you. All right, then.
Starting point is 05:38:06 Mayor Brandon Scott, great leadership when it came to the bridge collapse. So, brother, we want to congratulate you and keep doing a great job there. Thank you, brother. In Baltimore. Or somebody sent me a text. They said, Roland, it's not Baltimore. It's Baltimore. I'm like, Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore.
Starting point is 05:38:23 We do what we do. One plus two. I got you, my brother. Thanks a lot. I'm like Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore. We do what we do. One plus two. I got you, my brother. Thanks a lot. I appreciate it. Y'all, yesterday I was playing in Wendell Haskins' original tee golf classic, and a phone rings, and, man, people were texting me.
Starting point is 05:38:39 I'm on the seventh hole. I'm going to put up for a birdie. Hell, after Biden announced my golf game was crap, I couldn't focus or concentrate. Bill Bellamy sitting here FaceTiming me, calling me. I'm like, what the hell? Is Bill in jail or something? I'm like, you need some bail money? And so
Starting point is 05:38:56 he hit me today. I was like, Bill, I'm working. I'm working. And so we finally got him. Bill Bellamy, y'all, joins us right now on the Wind with Black Men call. What's up, Bill? Oh, my God, man. What a day, man. I'm excited to see so many of our brothers, man, standing up and literally coming together overnight.
Starting point is 05:39:16 Like, I've never seen this before, and it's very, very exciting. And it goes to show you how powerful we can really be if we just dedicate our energies in one area. And this is a monumental part of our history. When I called you, I was like, Ro, because you're my go-to. I said, Ro, man, something's about to happen. This is like, I remember when Obama was, you know, doing his grassroots campaign and I could feel the energy in the cities, the inner cities. I could feel people whispering and talking at the barbershops, the hair salons and things of that nature.
Starting point is 05:39:49 And I feel like right now, this is one of those moments where you don't want to not be a part of it. Like this is something that we're fighting for, for our kids. We're fighting for our liberties. We're fighting for the future to be bright for the next generation. You know what I'm saying? And now that we have the platforms, we have social media, things that we didn't have 20 years ago. We have all these different brothers with podcasts and their, you know, their influences out here. We can really make a seismic shift in how people look at voting and how people show up.
Starting point is 05:40:29 Bill, you're absolutely right. And it takes everybody. And the reality is, look, you tell jokes for a living, but you're still a citizen. You still got a family. You still care about the issues. And so I think people need to understand that. Listen, entertainers, they are a part of family society and they got a voice, too.
Starting point is 05:40:55 Yeah, I mean, we, you know, being a comedian and an entertainer. Can you hear me? Yeah. Yeah, you're good. Can you hear me? Yeah, you're good. Is it clear? You're good. What I was about to say is like when you're an entertainer, a lot of times people don't realize that, you know, you are still, you know, a black man. You're still a family man. You're still a father, a husband. You are still a community leader. So when you have all these different hats and things of this nature come up, dude, there should be a level of passion and a level of commitment that we've never seen before. Because honestly, when I was reading about that Project 2025, I was like, yo, this is crazy. This is not anything to play with, bro.
Starting point is 05:41:37 This is officially crazy. It's officially a moment in your life where you have to commit to what you want your future to look like and we have that opportunity with kamala harris um i've been a friend and a fan of her her her journey i mean she didn't just come out of anywhere i mean i remember when she was running for senator and next thing you know she vp is mean, it's just her story is a movie. Honestly. I want to shout out all the AKAs out there. Shout out to all the HBCUs that, you know, produce great people, great talent. And she's an example of that kind of talent.
Starting point is 05:42:20 And as black men, I just think we should just do our thing, man. I'm excited about the possibilities of meeting so many people. I'm just thinking of all the creative ways that I could add this element to my tour. It's been, I've been brainstorming all day how to get the message out with comedy and getting people, you know, invested in voting and getting information to people. So I'm really, really into it. So thank you for, you know, giving me that inspiration, Roland.
Starting point is 05:42:48 Absolutely, Bill. Man, I appreciate it. Thanks for joining us. And your voice contributes to this. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. It sounds like the audio is a little bit. Yeah, no, we're good.
Starting point is 05:43:00 We're good. We're good. I appreciate it, my brother. I appreciate it, Bill. Thanks a lot. I'm going to go to the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board County Commissioner, Reverend Dr. Monty Witherspoon Brown. Doc, you're on the clock. Doc, you're on the clock. I'm here. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for this opportunity. Listen, it's already been said by so many.
Starting point is 05:43:28 One o'clock. I'm here. I'll ask you to not do this here. Turn your audio down on the program. Thank you. Talk to me. Yeah, it's already been said by so many. We already know that the stakes are high from everything from health care to education. Listen, this is more than an election. This is more than a campaign. This is more than just a vote. We are in a fight.
Starting point is 05:43:47 This is a fight for our existence and a fight for our lives. And I believe that with our help, if we get out there, we spread the word, we get drive people to the polls, we mobilize our communities, that Vice President Harris will be the next president of the United States of America.
Starting point is 05:44:03 Thank you so much for this opportunity. Well, let me hold up before you go. The reality is education is a critical issue. You've got Trump's Project 2025. They want to abolish Department of Education. They want to cut Pell Grants. They want to actually drive more money for private school vouchers. And so speak from that perspective from an education standpoint.
Starting point is 05:44:27 Absolutely. I live in North Carolina, and North Carolina, like so many states across this country, their state legislatures are dismantling public education. As I sit at the dais and oversee with eight others, the 14th largest school district in the country, the plight of Black students or Black children, particularly Black boys, is alarming. And as we need a strong Department of Education, we need strong leadership all the way down from the White House Department of Education, all the way down from the white house department education all the way down to our local school boards and with the leadership with vice president
Starting point is 05:45:11 harris will be president harris i think we can make this happen we can turn the trajectory of our communities around education is the key to to success and we need her we need her in the white house absolutely sir we certainly appreciate it uh thank you so very much all right i want to bring up uh i want to bring up mike blake quentin james uh let's get an update mike you said something regarding give people an update on the delegate situation uh khalil khalil is there pulling as well so give us an update on the delegate situation michael with vice president kamala brown so i'm sorry my apologies i mean i know we got the black band black brown men call
Starting point is 05:45:53 right now so we excited about that brothers uh i'm just going to read of the person that's going to be the next president united states when States. When I announced my campaign for president, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination. Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support to become our party's nominee. As a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state's delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon. I'm grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has always put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking the case directly to the American people. Brothers, I want us to internalize
Starting point is 05:46:35 the magnitude of what has just occurred. I always tell people that this is Kairos moment. Kairos means an opportunity to create a moment. That we put out this call earlier today, and not only we passed more than a million dollars, in which Q will talk that through, that's going to help Harris president and black men groups, but we could say that we were in the number on July 22nd, 2020. We were on the call when a black woman became the first black woman to be the nominee for the Democratic Party to become president. We should be excited. We should be inspired. And it means that we have something special to do. We got 106 days. We keep saying this, y'all.
Starting point is 05:47:20 But that means it's 106 days for November. Voting gets going in September, y'all. We cannot wait. We have to be engaged. We have to keep working. We're going to give y'all some call to action at the end of this call. But we want to make sure that we have these moments of being inspired and excited that night. Vice President Harris has secured the delegates. She will be the Democratic nominee when we get to Chicago in August. Q, let's give them more reasons to be excited. Where are we at on the numbers right now, Brother Quinn and James? Thank you, Brother Blake. Gentlemen, gentlemen, we are at 17,000 donors who have contributed over $1.3 million. We are getting close to matching our sisters from last night with the women black women call. But again, this is unprecedented. We've never seen this type of momentum and energy from black men in politics. Seventeen thousand brothers have given one point three million dollars. And the thing about it is less than four hours is three and a half hours. We've been on this call. And so this is exciting. We know we've got a lot more to build upon. This will not be our last gathering, but only our first. And so again,
Starting point is 05:48:29 thank you all for joining. I want to thank again, Brother Blake, Brother Khalil, Women Black Men, Roland, thank you, Bakari Sellers, thank you, the entire team from the campaign, Quentin Folks to Trey Baker to Antoine Seawright, Steve Benjamin, the entire group of Black men surrounding our Vice President right now. Thank you, Steve Benjamin, the entire group of black men surrounding our vice president right now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Starting point is 05:48:50 Brother Alan Williams, thank you all so much for what you're doing. We know this is going to be a tough fight over the next 104 or 105 days. But brothers, if we came out today and in four hours moved $1.3 million together, there's no telling what else we're going to be doing together over the next couple weeks and months. And so thank you all for rallying. Thank you all for stepping up. Again, this is not about us. It's not about our ego.
Starting point is 05:49:16 This is about our community, our collective. And so thank you all for being a part of this historic night, historic moment. And we're going to help this sister win. Her team is kind of watching this process go. And we're sending a loud message that Black men have your back, Vice President Harris. On day one, we are here and ready to rock with you, as we have really been doing for our communities since the beginning of time.
Starting point is 05:49:41 A lot of misnomers out there about how we show up. But Black men will be with Kamala Harris. Black men will have the backs of time. A lot of misnomers out there about how we show up, but black men will be with Kamala Harris. Black men will have the backs of our families, of our wives, our children, of all these people. I do want to say, Roland, my wife just told me
Starting point is 05:49:57 I need to wrap it up. She said she's trying to win with a black man tonight. Again, toast to everybody out here raising. You on the clock. I'm on the clock. I'm on the clock. All right, Khalil, explain to people
Starting point is 05:50:14 again, if you give, you're not just supporting the campaign, you're supporting the black male organizations that are on the ground. Thank you, Roland, and I couldn't I'd be remiss if I didn't take that opportunity, and thank you for bringing that up again. There are a lot of groups that work tirelessly, day and night, whether they're here in Washington, D.C., in Southeast, or in Ward 1,
Starting point is 05:50:37 not just Anacostia, and also in Ward 7, or they're in Detroit, or they're in Milwaukee, that are doing this work on the ground. A part of your donation not only goes to support the work that myself, Kairos with Michael Blake and Quinton over at Collective Pack, but we're really trying to make sure that those groups on the ground who are doing the work, who get up every day, whose organizations exist in the red day in and day out, have the support over these next hundred days to really get the work done on the ground, to move voters in our communities, to get them out to vote. So want to make sure each and every one of you know, go to secureactblue.com forward slash donate forward slash TCP dash Kamala and donate every single dollar that you feel comfortable to give.
Starting point is 05:51:20 We truly appreciate the moment that we have had tonight. I'm glad to see that the iteration of Women Black Men has been able to match this amazing work that we saw our sisters do last night. And we hope we can all surpass and get together. We're texting right now to see if we can create a club quarantine in the months to come. I should say days to come over these next hundred days where we can get a million Black people together in a forum to host this and hear from each and every one of us and share our opinions. I just want to say, and Bakari moved me earlier, lastly in the rollout, I know we'll get it back to others that were trying to get in this last chat, but our vice president is a sister of my late wife, Megan Janelle Jackson Thompson. I'd be remiss in this moment if I didn't feel that moment that she is speaking to all of us to share with us this amazing opportunity to participate
Starting point is 05:52:11 and show up and vote for us in our household. When she was pregnant with our little one, Olivia Grace, we would make sure we would go out and vote. There's a picture of a voting sticker on her belly. And so I am truly proud that we are here at 1130 p.m. on the East Coast, still rocking hard. I know we joke with Roland and his massage gun and other things, but this is a truly pivotal moment for many of us that worked on the Obama campaign. We've been striving for and looking for that moment in our community where we can really galvanize. We know we've had a tremendous president, Joe Biden, but we're truly excited about the opportunity of what a Kamala Harris presidency means for this country.
Starting point is 05:52:49 So I just want to say thank you and thank her for all the work that she's doing and will do. Khalil, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Let me quickly, let me just quickly go, because I got to play a couple of things. Let me quickly go. Ben Chavis, what are the black newspapers doing?
Starting point is 05:53:06 What are the black newspapers doing? Can you speak to that? All right. If not, okay, so do this here. So, Kenan, do this here. If some of you may have missed, Vice President Kamala Harris making her first visit to the now Harris for President campaign office in Wilmington, Delaware, here's some of what she had to say. Thank you, Joe. Thank you. And it is my great honor to have Joe's endorsement in this race.
Starting point is 05:53:51 And it is my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election. You know, as many of you know, before I was elected as vice president, before I was elected as United States senator, I was the elected attorney general, as I've mentioned, of California. Before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. predators who abused women fraudsters who ripped off consumers cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain so hear me when i say I know Donald Trump's type. And in this campaign, I will proudly, I will proudly put my record against his.
Starting point is 05:55:34 As a young prosecutor, when I was in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in California, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges and put it out of business. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college, Trump University, that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed. As district attorney to go after polluters, I created one of the first environmental justice units in our nation.
Starting point is 05:56:21 Donald Trump stood in Mar-a-Lago and told big oil lobbyists he would do their bidding for a $1 billion campaign contribution. During the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families, holding those banks accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud. But make no mistake, all of that being said, this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. There is more to this campaign than that. Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country. Two different visions for the future of our country. One focused on the future. The other focused on the past. Donald Trump wants to take our country backward to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights.
Starting point is 05:57:47 But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty. Where every person can buy a home, start a family, and build wealth. And where every person has access to paid family leave and affordable child care. That's the future we see. Together, we fight to build a nation where every person has affordable health care, where every worker is paid fairly, and where every senior can retire with dignity. All of this is to say building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.
Starting point is 05:59:06 Because we here know when our middle class is strong, America is strong. And we know that's not the future Donald Trump is fighting for. He and his extreme Project 2025 will weaken the middle class and bring us backward. Please do note that. Back to the failed, trickle-down policies that gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and made working families pay the cost. Back to policies that put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block. Back to policies that treat health care as only a privilege for the wealthy instead of what we all know it should be, which is a right for every American. America has tried these economic policies before. They do not lead to prosperity. They lead to inequity and economic injustice. And we are not going back.
Starting point is 06:00:09 We are not going back. You're not taking us back. Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom. Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom from our founders to our framers, to the abolitionists and the suffragettes, to the freedom riders and farm workers. And now I say, team, the baton is in our hands. We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote. We who are committed to fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the freedom to vote.
Starting point is 06:01:03 We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence, and that's why we will work to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. We who will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing if Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state. But we are not going to help in this November to elect a majority of members of the United States Congress who agree the government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms as President of the United States, I will sign it into law.
Starting point is 06:02:15 We the people. Indeed, we the people. Indeed, we the people. So ultimately, to all the friends here, I say, in this election, we know. We each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law? Yes! Or a country of chaos, fear, and hate.
Starting point is 06:02:50 You all are here because you as leaders know we each, including our neighbors and our friends and our family, we each as Americans have the power to answer that question. That's the beauty of it, the power of the people. We each have the ability to answer that question. So in the next 106 days, we have work to do. We have doors to knock on. We have people to talk to. We have phone calls to make. And we have an election to win.
Starting point is 06:03:38 So are you ready to get to work? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunities? Do we believe in the promise of America? Yes! And are we willing to fight for it? Yes! And when we fight? We will! God bless you all, and God bless the United States of America and Joe Biden. Folks, that was Vice President Kamala Harris a little bit earlier today speaking at the campaign headquarters for Harris for president. We wanted to close out with that. Now, we've got some housekeeping issues.
Starting point is 06:04:17 We also have a benediction from Reverend Dr. William Barber. And then we're trying to get Reverend Dr. Marcus Cosby on. So let me go to, we bring up Quentin, Mike Blake, as well as Khalil Thompson, and serve with some final comments. Gentlemen, there's some things that are coming up. Folks, this is not going to be the only time we convene. We are taking that database. You can share it. If you have not signed up, winwithblackmen.org,
Starting point is 06:04:47 please do so. We're collecting that data so we can communicate with you on next steps, more calls. We're going to be doing different activations happening all around the country. Mike, you're first. first and foremost uh can we just show love to roland martin who held it down uh for all these hours this is another reminder why you got to support black media everybody so make sure to support black star network and all only continues to do uh we are grateful for you brother uh for stepping in immediately and answering the call. Second, as we've been saying, this is not just about tonight. We need you consistently to support our respective organizations, ourselves and what we're doing with the Kairos Democracy Project,
Starting point is 06:05:38 Quentin is doing with Vote to Live and Collective, what Khalil is doing with women with black men. If you want to stay connected with us, KairosDemocracyProject.com, K-A-I-R-O-S, DemocracyProject.com. We are focused on the storytelling of democracy. We got to make sure people are connected to the issues and to the demographics before what's happening with democracy. If you want to stay connected with us, KairosDemocracyProject.com.
Starting point is 06:06:07 Also, you can text the word Kairos, K-A-I-R-O-S, to 917-983-0800. Again, if you want to stay connected in what we're building across the country, Kairos, text that to 917-983-0800. Lastly, we got a lot of upcoming events that we want you to be aware of. If you want to rock with us, again, Kairos Project, if you want to rock with us, we'll be on Martha's Vineyard in a few weeks. Our-Kairos.com, O-U-R-Kairos.com August 12th through the 15th. If you want to build with us,
Starting point is 06:06:50 brothers, you've seen what we did online, now meet us in person. We'll be there in Martha's Vineyard August 12th through the 15th. The very next week in Chicago, Quentin and myself had many events happening out in Chicago. Specifically, we have a democracy convening happening August 22 out in Chicago. Specifically, we have a democracy convening
Starting point is 06:07:05 happening August 22nd in Chicago. Come to the Shire, support what we have going. Both of us are going to have events at night as well that you got to rock with as well. Lastly, shout out to Mayor Michael Hancock, former mayor of Denver. He is leading the national nonpartisan conversation on voting rights. Brothers, families, September 21st, we need you in Selma. September 21st, us vote rally is going to go across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. You're hearing it from us right now. We need you with us September 21st across the country as part of this movement. A lot of things are happening. Tomorrow, you're going to see something
Starting point is 06:07:45 out there. You heard this earlier about countering Project 2025. Get ready for Project Freedom. Shout out to my son, Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour, Pastor Mike McBride, Reverend Stephen Green, all of us coming together. So when you see Project Freedom and Project Freedom 2025, that's another effort to keep these causes going. I love to you our appreciation for you. Again, support our causes. If you see Kairos, Kairos Democracy Project, rock with us and stay with us. We will have more calls, more activations.
Starting point is 06:08:19 It is not just about tonight. It is our time. It is our Kairos. It is our Kairos. Roland, Quentin, Khalil, Bakari, much love to you, our brothers. Let me turn it over to Khalil and then go to Quentin. I appreciate it. And I wish I could be there September 21st, but I will be in Atlanta because I will be being inducted into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame on that day.
Starting point is 06:08:42 So I wish I could be there, but I got to be in Atlanta. Khalil, go right ahead. Thank you, Roland. Thank you for hosting us. Thank you, Black Media. Thank you to a big brother and mentor, Michael Blake, and to you, Quinton, as well, a mentor and a peer, and to all of you who have joined and taken some time out. Those that are still staying with us tonight and are still on, hanging out for these next six minutes, really appreciate. For those that wish to continue the conversation going, we will be here on Sunday, the fourth Sunday of every month, when Black Men host our call. That is our convening call that we do. The sisters do their call every Sunday. We hope in 2025 we can get to that level of frequency. But the fourth Sunday of every month, when Black Men convene
Starting point is 06:09:24 these calls. This Sunday, we're going to hope to have people who can discuss polling, media, digital content as well, and bring the facts to you so that you can take them back. This is public information that you can share. Kenan, I put the link in the chat, so if you can share that screen, that'd be great. As well as, I'd be remiss if we didn't shout out a couple of people from our labor movement. We had Frederick Ingram, Secretary-Treasurer for the American Federation of Teachers. We have Everett Kelly, President of the American Federation of Government Employees. Matt Morrison from Working America. Edemna Owifuso from the United Food Workers and Commercial Workers Union.
Starting point is 06:10:01 Samuel Epps from Unite Here, Local 25, President of Metro Washington Labor Council, as well as Fred Hicks from Black Men Decide and John Taylor from Black Men Build. I know there are more and more organizations that we didn't get to shout out. That does not mean we do not love you and appreciate the amazing hard work. I forget how the phrase goes, but charge it to my head, not to my heart, or however that frequency goes. But truly appreciate the work that you're doing on the ground. Each week, we'll try to do a better job of making sure we can highlight all the work
Starting point is 06:10:34 we're doing. Less than 100 days or just about 100 days to go. We need all of you to lean in. Again, we love the money that jingles. We appreciate the money that folds and clicks online. Please go to that link and donate tonight so we can keep this going and support the organizations that are doing the work on the ground. Again, winwithblackmen.org. Really excited to be here.
Starting point is 06:10:52 Thank you, all of you. Roland, Mike, and Quentin, I'll kick it over to you. Quentin? Thanks so much to everybody again, especially to you as well, Roland. This has been a historic night. Don't want to keep rehashing that, but we're going to have to sit with this gentleman for the next few hours and going into tomorrow. A couple things.
Starting point is 06:11:11 I want to give a special shout-out. Happy birthday Congressman Clyburn yesterday. Again, we continue to send our condolences to the family of Sheila Jackson Lee, a tremendous leader who we all owe a great debt to. But again, to everyone who jumped on tonight, thank you all so much.
Starting point is 06:11:29 Thank you for your comments. Thank you for your energy. Thank you for the dollars. We want to keep raising. Again, we're at $1.3 million. Let's see, can we get to $2 million by tomorrow? The link will stay live. We'll keep promoting it on social media.
Starting point is 06:11:43 So please keep sending that out. But as Michael Blake mentioned and Khalil mentioned, the work continues. If you are watching and you want to make sure that you or your family is registered to vote, please visit votetolive.org. There you can register. You can check your status. I live in Ohio. Over 100,000 people were purged from the rolls just last week. So make sure you check your status to make sure you haven't gotten purged anywhere you may be registered or commit to vote, commit to cast a ballot. Those things will be really important. We'll be making sure that we are turning out black voters this November through registration, mobilization and turnout. Michael Blake mentioned the DNC coming up. We are looking to host a pretty major event on Thursday, August 22nd. It'll be at Soldier Field in Chicago, working with some amazing organizers, including Mayor Johnson there and Go Shy Life, amazing organization there in
Starting point is 06:12:40 Chicago. That'll be a huge event. We want you all to be a part of that. We hopefully will have our nominee, Vice President Harris, there as well. But lots of things coming up that will be in touch. This will not be our last call, but again, our first. Thank you so much, Rolla, for having us. Let me thank Mike Blake, Quentin, Khalil. I can't remember if Mike called me or I called Mike. We were actually trying to call about the same thing. And, folks, I need you all to understand, this was put together literally, literally in 12 hours. That's how quickly it all came together. We began to do the graphics, push everything out.
Starting point is 06:13:24 And so the response, absolutely phenomenal. And, you know, when I started Roland Martin Unfiltered Black Star Network, this was actually one of the things that I envisioned. And I'm being very serious. When TV One canceled News One Now, Tom Jordan was retiring in December 2019, and I said, we've got to have a black-owned media platform that we own and control to be able to get our message out for the 2020 election. Here we are in the second election cycle, and we're doing that. A lot of y'all have been hitting me up. People have been saying, hey, how can we support? And listen, I tell it, we don't have billionaires, millionaires.
Starting point is 06:14:05 We got these ad agencies that give us hell. And so I had Kenan early take the crawl down because I wanted to emphasize the ad bloop. But Kenan, if you can go ahead and show our slide, if you all want to support us in what we do. Listen, we plan on traveling with these brothers, live streaming events, broadcasting events. We're going to be in Chicago live streaming events, broadcasting events. We're going to be in Chicago live streaming every single day. And so we've got some old school people. They send checks and money orders, PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196.
Starting point is 06:14:39 Our cash app is DallasSignRMUnfiltered. PayPal is RMUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUn unfiltered zale rolling at rolling s martin.com rolling that rolling martin unfiltered.com that's how you can support us here at the black star network my show and the five other shows that we have um we got two preachers that's going to close us out uh and so what i want to do is I want Reverend Mark, Dr. Marcus Cosby, my alpha brother out of Willa Avenue Baptist Church in my hometown of Houston, Texas, but he's really from Third Ward, Texas. And so I want Reverend Cosby to go first and then Reverend Dr. William Barber is going to
Starting point is 06:15:21 take us home with the benediction. So this is so powerful a night. We need two preachers to take us home. Reverend Cosby, take it away. Kenan, we got Reverend Cosby? Do we have Reverend Cosby Keenan all right I don't know what's going on with Reverend Cosby do we have Reverend Barbara says Cosby. Do we have Reverend Barber?
Starting point is 06:16:07 Yeah. Says Cosby's not connected. Okay. Reverend Barber. I'm here. Do you hear me? Yes, Doc. Go right ahead. Roland, when I had the opportunity to preach the inaugural sermon for President Biden and Vice President Harris,
Starting point is 06:16:24 I want to remember that tonight and say this benediction things that were said to them then. We thank God for each of you who have come out online. God, we thank you for Roland and all of the other brothers that are leading in this moment. God, we thank you for every brother from the barbershop to the businessman that participated in tonight. We thank you, God, for the privilege to be in this moment and in this hour. And God, we thank you that there are more than 26 million of us
Starting point is 06:17:09 who are Black and eligible and able to vote in this country. And now, God, after such a powerful night, grant us wisdom and grant us courage for the facing of this hour, this moment. Grant us wisdom and courage to move and motivate every one of the voters in our community. Grant us the wisdom and courage to have a vision that calls all people who believe in justice and right to this task. Grant us wisdom and courage to be able to support this strong sister. We're recognizing that in every generation, you place some sisters to be Esther, to be Deborah, to be people who care more than just about themselves.
Starting point is 06:18:00 And we heard tonight Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris say, we, not I, we, what we can do if we stand together. Grant us the wisdom and grant us the courage to mobilize this we. Grant us the wisdom and the courage to take the onslaught of criticisms that will come and the lies that will be told and persevere with truth and unity and love. Grant us wisdom and courage to fight back with justice and courage and to never surrender. Grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of this hour that you have given to us an opportunity that the stones that the builders rejected now have the power to be the chief cornerstones
Starting point is 06:18:56 into building a new society and a brand new vision for the uplift of all people. Grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of all people. Grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of this hour. Amen. Reverend Barber, I certainly appreciate that. Thank you so very much. Let me thank my team from the Black Star Network,
Starting point is 06:19:18 Lisa. Let me thank Kenan for the amazing job handling all the guests, the stream yard, all that good stuff. And so fantastic job. And also my crew here as well. Do we have a Marcus Cosby? Do we have Marcus Cosby?
Starting point is 06:19:34 I see him in the green room. For some reason, we're unable to pull up Reverend Dr. Marcus Cosby. Not sure what's going on. So we'll guarantee this here. When we do our next mass call, we're going to make sure we have Reverend Dr. Marcus Cosby straight and praying
Starting point is 06:19:56 with us. Not again, not sure what's going on. For some reason, we're not able to pull him into our studio out of the green room. Let me thank all of you who connected to StreamYard, all of you who have been on our YouTube channel, all of you who have watched on Twitch, on Instagram, on Facebook. Thank you so very much. Don't forget, please go to winwithblackmen.org, winwithblackmen.org. If you did not sign up, please sign up, fill the data out, so we can keep you abreast of the things that we're doing moving forward.
Starting point is 06:20:32 Folks, I thank all of you for being with us. I thank every single caller. We could not get to all callers, but there were some technical issues. I see some calls in here. I could not pull you up. So for some reason, we had some technical issues. I see some calls in here. I could not pull you up. So for some reason, we had some technical issues with some calls. So my apologies, but this will not be the only time we do this. Folks, I will end with this.
Starting point is 06:20:59 Dr. King's last speech took place on April 3rd, 1968, at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. And in that speech, Dr. King said that black people individually, individually are poor, yet collectively represent one of the largest economies in the world. He said in that speech that if we as black folks move as a collective, then we are able to move mountains. When we move as a collective, then we are able to change things.
Starting point is 06:21:37 Tonight was not about egos. Tonight was not about whose name is on the flyer, who gets to speak, who doesn't speak. Tonight was about how do we move as a collective? How do people bring their talents to bear? So those are those who are organizers, who are mobilizers, who are political strategists, who handle media, who handle PR, who handle finance. This happened because brothers moved and operated in the collective. If we're going to change this country, then we must operate in the collective. That means that we must have people
Starting point is 06:22:16 in all of our different cities, all of our neighborhoods, in our streets, who are moving and operating and not just focused on themselves. Because this is not about whether you get a tax cut. It's about whether or not we have civil rights, whether we have human rights, whether we have health care, whether we have quality education, whether we get funding for HBCUs.
Starting point is 06:22:38 And so the challenge for every single one of us is whether we move as a collective, whether we understand that we must register folks, we must educate people, that there are people who say, man, I don't know about Vice President Conor Harris. Ain't never heard of him. Take the time to educate him. Take the time to find the information out.
Starting point is 06:22:57 They say, I don't have never heard of Trump's Project 2025. Take the time to educate him. Take the time to walk him through. Because we must understand you cannot say I'm my brother's keeper. I'm my sister's keeper. You don't actually do it. If we move
Starting point is 06:23:14 as a collective like we did in Montgomery, like we did in Selma, like we did in Birmingham, like we've done all across this country, I can guarantee you this. America will be confronted with a mass force
Starting point is 06:23:34 that they've always underestimated. Black people made, as the king said, be true to what you put on paper. America was not a real democracy until the Black Freedom Movement. And we are going to do what is required to ensure that we maximize our power and we leverage power and influence.
Starting point is 06:24:04 But it cannot happen if we as black folks are operating in individual silos. It requires brothers and sisters working together. It requires folks putting ego aside. And as Dr. King said, if we move and operate as a collective, then and only then we will be able to achieve what our aims are.
Starting point is 06:24:30 Brothers and sisters, it's time for us to get to work. It's time for us to do what we are supposed to do because the ancestors did what they were supposed to do. God bless you. Hala. Thanks, Roland. Thank you. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time.
Starting point is 06:25:41 Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I started a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.
Starting point is 06:26:28 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. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. Arapahoe, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at
Starting point is 06:27:03 fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.