#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. Iowa Caucus, 14 States Reject Summer Food Program

Episode Date: January 16, 2024

1.15.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. Iowa Caucus, 14 States Reject Summer Food Program Folks across the nation are remembering the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday. We'll show you how folks, including the president and the vice president, commemorated the life of the civil rights icon. The great-great-grandson of Civil War hero Robert Smalls, who commandeered a Confederate ship in Charleston Harbor to secure his freedom, is running for Congress, hoping to unseat Nancy Mace. Michael B. Moore will be here to talk about his campaign.  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is home resting after a two-week stay in a hospital getting treated for complications from surgery. Fourteen states are opting out of the federal summer feeding program for low-income families.  And it's the first Republican presidential nominating contest of 2024--the Iowa Caucus. We have a special panel in Iowa to tell us what to expect.  Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. 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. Today is Monday, January 15, 2024. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network, I'm here in Indianapolis, where I participated

in the MLK program at the Madam C.J. Walker Theater. Folks, it has been a busy, busy day. Of course, the commemoration took place today. Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King was a pastor. We'll hear from Senator Pastor Raphael Warnock as well as Bernice King, the daughter of be talking to a brother who is trying to run and take the congressional seat of conservative Republican Nancy Mace. Plus, it's the Iowa caucuses. Republicans are going to show you how they are doing whatever they can to vote for the thug-in-chief, the domestic terrorist Donald Trump. We will break down what's happening there and hear from a number of people in Iowa as well.

Lots to discuss on this MLK Day, folks. It's time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin-Unfield to the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time.

And it's Roland. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best believe he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's rolling Martin. Rolling with rolling now

Yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best You know he's rolling Martin Now Martin All across America and today, folks, there were different events and celebrations, parades, as well as program speeches, breakfasts, speech contests, art contests, all focused on recognizing the federal holiday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today was his actual birthday, and the celebrations took place in Philadelphia.

President Joe Biden participated in a day of service in Philadelphia with a hunger volunteer and with a hunger relief group. They are helping prepare food boxes for those in need. I was here in Indianapolis speaking at the Madam C.J. Walker Theater here to a sold-out audience. Had a fabulous time here yesterday, of course. Was in Charlotte and was in Long Island on Saturday, and so quite the busy weekend. And of course, as we said, this is the busy federal holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And our Vice President, Kamala Harris, she was in South Carolina where she focused on not just on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a visionary who saw what could be unburdened by what had been, an organizer who moved the minds, the hearts, and the feet of the American people. A leader who dedicated his life,

and in the end gave his life, to advance one of our nation's highest ideals, the ideal of freedom. Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America. Freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right. And in many ways, the story of America has been a story of our fight to realize that promise. As Dr. King wrote in the letter from Birmingham jail, the goal of America is freedom.

And so we gather this afternoon to honor his legacy. Today, in 2024, where exactly is America in our fight for freedom? How we doing? Well, as Vice President of the United States, I'd say at this moment in America, freedom is under profound threat. Today, in fact, we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms. Consider, in states across our nation, extremists attack the sacred freedom to vote. They pass laws to ban drop boxes, limit early voting, and restrict absentee ballots. In Georgia, extremists have the gall to pass a law to even make it illegal to simply offer food and water to people standing in line for hours to exercise their basic civic duty. I ask the friends, whatever happened to love thy neighbor?

The hypocrisy abounds. And please note, the governor in Georgia signed that law on the 56th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery. Today, in states across our nation, extremists propose and pass laws to attack a woman's freedom to make decisions about her own body. Laws that would even make no exception for rape and incest. And let us all agree, one does not have to abandon their faith and deeply held beliefs to agree. The government should not be telling her what to do with her body. Freedom. Every person in our nation has a right to live safe and to live free from the horror of gun violence.

And yet today, these so-called leaders stand by and refuse to pass reasonable gun safety laws to help protect our children and places of worship. Every person in our nation has a right to be who they are and love who they love openly and with pride, and yet this past year, extremists have proposed or passed hundreds of laws targeting LGBTQ people. Every person in our nation has a right to be free to learn and acknowledge our country's true and full history. And yet today, extremists pass book bans, book bans in this year of And then they even try to erase, overlook, and rewrite the ugly parts of our past.

For example, the Civil War, which, must I really have to say, was about slavery? All the while they tell our children that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, in an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates. Fundamental freedoms under assault. Freedom from fear, violence, and harm. Freedom to vote, to live, to learn, to control one's own body, and the freedom to simply be. And understand the profound impact these attacks have had on the next generation of leaders. So many of our young leaders are here this afternoon. This past fall, I met with more than 15,000 young leaders

in my Fight for Our Freedoms college tour, including at the College of Charleston. From our young leaders, I heard that the assault on freedoms, well, it's a lived experience. It's not just hypothetical. Think about it. During the height of their reproductive years, this generation has witnessed the highest court in our land, the Court of Thurgood, take a constitutional right that had been

recognized from the people of America, from the women of America. This generation now has fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. That is not a hypothetical. That from kindergarten to 12th grade, this young generation has had to endure active shooter drills. Our children, who should be in a classroom has had to endure active shooter drills. Our children, who should be in a classroom fulfilling their God-given potential

to explore the beauty of the world, and instead have to worry that someone might bust through their classroom door with a gun. And when students go to vote, they often have to wait in line for hours because of laws that intentionally make it more difficult for them to cast a ballot. It is not hypothetical. But even though our young leaders are clear-eyed

about these challenges, I will share with you, they will not be discouraged. They will not be deterred. Standing on the shoulders of the generations who came before, our young leaders are prepared and ready for this fight. As are we. Six decades ago, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King spoke to our nation, to the thousands of Americans who had marched that day on Washington, and he spoke of what he called a promissory note, a promissory note, a check that had been signed to the American people in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Dr. King's voice rang out when he, quote, said, we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. So we've come to cash this check, he said, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. And of course, less than a year later, because of the movement that Dr. King and so many other great American leaders helped to build and sustain, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed and in the decades since,

inspired by the power and the purpose of that movement, together we have won many victories to make our nation more free, more equal, and more just. From the passage of the Voting Rights Act, to yes, Senator, to the appointment of the first black woman to serve on the highest court in our land. So if he were here, I think Dr. King would be the first to say that yes, we have come far. And though we have come far, in this moment, it is up to us to continue that fight, to cash that promissory note. And like Dr. King, even through the struggles and the setbacks, even during the pain and the heartbreak, even when our feet grow weary and our legs grow tired, we will march forward for freedom because I do believe, I do believe the true power behind the promise of America is in the faith of her people. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives

in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms,

even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

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

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

Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is.

Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. The promise of America, I do believe, is in the faith of the people. Our faith in the founding principles of our nation.

And our profound commitment to make those principles real. Generation after generation, on the fields of Gettysburg, in the schools of Little Rock, on the grounds of this statehouse, on the streets of Ferguson, and on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives, we the people have always fought to make the promise of freedom real. And so today, we must do so once again. The great Coretta Scott King once said, Freedom is never truly won. You earn it and win it in every generation. And at this moment in

history, at this moment in history, in the relay race of history, I say then, let us not throw up our hands, because it's time to roll up our sleeves. And we were born for a time such as this. And so with faith, with hope, and optimism, we will fight. And when we fight, we win. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you. Folks, that was Vice President Kamala Harris speaking today in South Carolina. When we come back, we will talk to our panel, but also to a descendant of one of the most fearless African-Americans to serve in the statehouse during the period of Reconstruction. That's next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, broadcasting on this MLK Day.

Back in a moment. Next, on The Black Table, with me, Dr. Greg Carr, author Dr. Maribel Morey, on her astounding and enlightening new book, White Philanthropy, a history we're betting you've never heard before. Don't miss an eye-opening episode of The Black Table, only on Blackstar Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, we talk about a hard, cold fact. Not all healthcare is created equal in this country, especially if you're a person of color. So many

of us Black families, we rely upon each other heavily. A lot of us aren't necessarily sure how to best communicate with our health care providers. How to take charge and balance the scales. Your life may depend on it. That's next on A Balanced Life on Black Star Network. ¶¶ We'll be right back. All right, folks, welcome back to Roller Marked Unfiltered. I am here in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I was speaking today at the Invocate Day program at the Madam C.J. Walker Theater here in Indianapolis. My panel today, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist, also president emerita of Bennett College, of course, joining me out of Washington, D.C. Glad to have her on this King Day. Also, Suzette Speaks, attorney and host of the Suzette Speaks show out of Miami. Glad to have both of you here. Julianne, one of the things that I have said, I one of the mistakes that we make every year is that we make today solely about Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

When I believe that his holiday, his birth, his birthday as a federal holiday represents the whole movement the same way he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the movement. You know, Roland, that's such an important point. And the other point that often gets overlooked is the role that Coretta Scott King played as his partner. She was his partner, who spent almost 20 years turning his birthday into a federal holiday. You know, a lot of our younger sisters and brothers talk about it as the Black Birthday Song. It's not the Black Birthday Song. It's Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday song. And we can't ever forget that legacy. And it speaks to the resilience of Black people. And it also speaks to, as you said, the fact it's not just about the man. It's about a movement. The other thing I think that we often forget—people love that quote, the content of your character. Vice President Harris mentioned

the cash-to-check comment that was also—we've come to the nation's capital to cash a check, and that check has been marked insufficient funds. But more importantly, Dr. King was dedicated to economic restructuring. So he had—there's a quote he has in—this is around here somewhere, so I'm not—but basically, he says, if we ask questions about poverty, we must ask questions about what kind of country creates poverty, creates a cadre of what he calls desolate beggars. He goes on to say, you see, who owns the oil? Who owns the iron ore? If the world is two-thirds water, why do we pay water bills?

So he's really talking about distribution. And all these people who kumbaya in it up here, they don't want to talk about distribution. We black folks don't want to talk about distribution, because we talk about distribution. We've got to talk about the wealth gap, but also who has it, who hasn't. He said the curse of poverty is an abomination in our age. It is similar to cannibalism. So, you know, people like to have the nice cleaned up king, but there's an inconvenient king, you know, a revolutionary king, a radical king, and that's a king that we need to talk more about. Well, Suzette, that's one of the points that I've stressed in all of my presentations, that we should be reclaiming the radicalness of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King,

Jr. And I get this whole day of service. No, if anything, his birthday should be a day of protest based upon issues that you care about. I totally agree with you, Roland, and good evening to both of you and to the RME family watching. Yes, I do think we have this watered-down, very softened version of Dr. King that I think corporate interests, perhaps political interests, want us to believe is what America stood for its whole, you know whole length of history. And we know that during his time, Dr. King was one of the most hated individuals on this earth, right, by the U.S. government, by the very people, his fellow

Americans, that really took a strong—dislike is not even a totally encompassing word. They hated him. They despised him for what he was doing in terms of his trying to produce a more equal and equitable society. When he had the Poor People's March, when he was trying to at least put that together and standing for the real unity among poor white people in America and poor black people in America, that's when he became a problem. When he started to talk about the economic peace, and even to this day, when we are trying to revisit some of these themes, it's always kind of overshadowed by the love and the peace and the harmony without doing anything strategically or politically to actually

see folks who have been disenfranchised and folks who of all colors are sitting kind of still in the figurative back of the bus, if we're not using the U.S. government and policies to actually move them forward, are we really honoring his legacy? So I think there are folks who want to create this newly softened version of who he was. But he was, in fact, a radical. And the government was wiretapping him. And there were elements of our government that wanted to perhaps see him meet his demise as he was assassinated.

And we're not going to speculate on who caused what. But the point that you're making, Roland, is that, you know, his radical side has really much been rewritten and that we need to know who he truly was and study him in order to really bring his vision of America to fruition. Folks, hold tight one second. And later in the show, we're going to talk about Robert Kennedy Jr. Did y'all hear the nonsense that he said where he literally defended his dad wiretapping Dr. King?

Are you nuts? But we'll discuss that. But coming up next, we're going to chat with a candidate for Congress in South Carolina. He wants to take the congressional seat of Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. We'll talk to him next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network on this M.O.K. Day 2024. Back in a moment. Thank you. Learn at your own pace. Complete the online certificate program on your own terms. Stand out to employers. Get on a path to in-demand jobs and connect with top employers who are currently hiring.

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Be job ready and qualify for in-demand jobs. Folks, my next guest is the great, great grandson of Robert Smalls, the African-American man who in South Carolina commandeered a Confederate ship to secure his freedom. He went on to do some amazing things representing South Carolina. Well, his descendant is running for U.S. Congress, hoping to replace Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. Michael B. Moore joins us right now. Michael, glad to have you here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Last time we talked, you were leading the new Black Museum in Charleston. Yes. Yeah. Thank you for the invitation.

A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action, and that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business,

taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future

where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, It's really, really, really bad. Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

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

King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. I'm Tyler. 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. ...to be back and yeah, we were trying to raise the money to get the International African American Museum built and now it is open trying to raise the money to get the International African-American Museum built.

And now it is open and it's a very, very special place. I encourage your viewers to take a trip to Charleston and to check it out. When we talk about, you know, running for office, you office, what was it? What stood out to cause you to say, you know what, I need to do this to replace Nancy Mace in Congress? I am descended from a number of people, not just Robert Smalls, but a number of people who have really contributed greatly to their communities, to the state, to the country via elected office. If I'm elected, I'll be the fourth in the last five generations of people. You know, I've got I'm a father among a number of different things. I've got four sons. I've got a six month old granddaughter. And I looked at the world that my generation was leaving theirs, and it just felt to me that, you know, that there were some significant issues, that there's significant challenges,

and in particular that there were more challenges even for them than I had growing up. I grew up on the tail end of the civil rights movement. And even though we were still dealing with a lot of those social issues, and obviously we are still dealing with many of those issues, there was still an overall sense that each generation would do better than the last, that children would somehow almost automatically outperform their parents economically, socially. And I don't think that, as a society now, when I look at the state of the economy, the state of politics, the state of social interactions, I just don't think that we can be just so

automatically confident about the future. And being descended from a number of people coming from South Carolina who contributed in this way. You know, I grew up with this real reverence for service, reverence for what one can do in service of others. And so it just felt like I needed to jump in and try to make a difference. Today, the woman who you want to replace offered her thoughts on this MLK Day, and I want to read this here. So Nancy May sends out on her personal Twitter account, on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we reflect on the progress made and the work that still lies ahead.

May we be inspired to create a world where every person is valued and treated with dignity. Well, she got trashed by folks there on social media. She is a perfect example of Republicans who love to speak about Dr. King but completely oppose his agenda. Yeah, there's no question about Dr. King, but completely oppose his agenda. Yeah, there's no question about that. I saw on social media you called that out earlier on in the day about corporations and others who are playing this game. But beyond that, Nancy is one who tries to give a little something to everybody. There's just enormous gaps between what she says and what she does. For example, she has critiqued her party around abortion, their stances on abortion,

but yet she was the co-sponsor of a six-week abortion ban. She says that she voted against the speaker, Kevin McCarthy, because of his stance on issues around women. But yet she supported and voted for our current speaker, who is even further to the right on women's issues. So, you know, Nancy seems to be about Nancy. She is—I don't know whether she's out running, apparently, to try to curry favor with former President Trump to potentially become his vice presidential choice or whether she's trying out for a gig on Fox News. Who knows? But it's really clear that. endorsed and she traveled to New York to do a video in front of Trump Tower to pledge her

her allegiance to MAGA? Yeah, she tried to make it right real quick. But yeah, she's all over the place. Wow, that's absolutely crazy there. Questions from our panel. Jillian, you're first. First of all, brother, good luck. That lady is something else. I want your reaction on her scolding of President Biden when he went to Mother Emanuel to speak. And she was very, very caustic about his presence there. What do you think about her remarks? And what does the community think about her remarks? You know, I think that she felt exposed to a certain degree. You know, she knew she wasn't going to show up to Mother Emanuel.

So the fact that the president did, you know, she had to come up with something to say about that. Beyond that, you know, I've been in touch with a number of people. A number of community leaders were there at the church and were very appreciative that the president of the United States would come to Charleston, would come to Mother Emanuel to talk about things that were, you know, of deep and great importance to the country at that sacred place. So, no, I mean, you know, of deep and great importance to the country at that sacred place. So, no, I mean, you know, she had a, you know, a bang-up week in terms of, you know, being in front of the media last week, and that was just the start of it. Suzette?

Good evening, Mr. Moore. I was reading in an article dated October 2023 about how gerrymandering may have an influence or an ultimate impact on your ability to win the first congressional district. It was speaking about 30,000 black voters now being excluded from the first congressional district. Could you tell us a little bit more about where that stands? I know that it was appealed. And could you tell us, you know, where that stands now and how it affects you? Yeah, thanks for the question. A group of federal judges ruled that 30,000 African-American voters were unconstitutionally gerrymandered from our district, the first congressional district in Congressional District in South Carolina. And that was appealed to the Supreme Court. And we should be hearing any moment about their response to that. On one hand, I'm optimistic because of their rulings in North Carolina and Alabama and Louisiana

upholding the Voting Rights Act. This is a slightly different case, although the very principle of one person, one vote is still what we are discussing. And it's difficult to be confident about our current Supreme Court doing the right thing. But there is reason to be optimistic. But as it relates to us and our campaign, we—you know, we jumped in, we made the analysis of the district as it stands now, and we're feeling really, really confident. And frankly, the more Nancy, you know, continues to sort of alienate herself from our district and from the people of the 1st Congressional District, the more that she ignores the real, you know, needs of people here who are—many who are struggling with

two and three jobs to, you know, put food on the table, many who are dealing with health issues. You know, most people know the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country is medical debt. And because South Carolina chose not to take on Medicaid expansion, we are suffering, you know, in many instances worse than other states on that issue. So there are real issues here. And she is off with her political theater and just her shenanigans. Well, the primary takes place February 3rd in South Carolina. You first got to get through that before you go to the general. So, Michael, certainly good luck when it comes to the primary.

And so we'll see what happens after February 3rd. Thank you. Well, actually, our primary is not until June 11th. We are on a slightly different. OK, sorry. So the presidential primary. So the presidential primary is in February. Yes. Presidential primary, February 3rd. Our primary is is June 11th. And for those who are interested and want to know more, you can just go to the website is our my name, Michael B. Moore dot com and lots of information there and would love your support. All right, Michael, we sure appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. Folks, we come back.

Robert Kennedy Jr., who's running for president, says literally that his dad and his uncle were absolutely right to wiretap Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Because, oh, it was needed. Yeah, we're going to talk about that when we come back. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network. You want to support us in what we do, please do so by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Folks, when I was here in Indianapolis today, there were people who literally came up to me and shared with us their support of what we do. I appreciate that. And in fact, one brother, let me see if I can go ahead and find this and know which phone I put this on. This brother, he said he didn't trust the mail.

He didn't trust any of that stuff. He didn't trust that. He said, but he wanted to put the money in my hand, and he absolutely did that. And I'm going to send it to our folks who may not have time in this break but to show you but but I want to show his show I wanted to show you his name he gave a thousand dollar contribution to roller mark unfiltered he said look I ain't trust electronic stuff and nothing else I want

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Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? All right, folks, I've heard some pretty dumb stuff, and a lot of it comes from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with Politico, he literally said that it made sense for his dad, Robert Kennedy, and President John F. Kennedy, his uncle, to authorize wiretaps, FBI wiretaps, against the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He said that he admitted that the FBI was out to ruin King, but he called it a necessary step. He said because the Kennedys were making big bets on King, particularly in organizing the march on Washington. Quote, they were betting not only the civil rights movement, but their own careers. And they knew that Hoover was out to ruin King.

The story says that he argued that the Kennedy administration had a legitimate reason to go along with Hoover's determination to surveil King. He said, quote, that was a good reason for them doing that at the time because J. Edgar Hoover was out to destroy Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, and Hoover said to them that Martin Luther King's chief was a communist. My father gave permission to Hoover to wiretap them so he could prove that his suspicions about King were either right or wrong. I think politically they had to do it. Julian, this is about the dumbest. See, they're about to make me cuss. I'm trying not

to cuss. This is about the dumbest crap I have ever seen to say, oh, yeah, they authorized the wiretaps against King to prove that he wasn't the bad man that Hoover said he was when Hoover used the wiretaps to try to blackmail King to even commit suicide. You know, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. needs to get himself committed. That is like some of the dumbest nonsense that I've ever heard. We know good and well that JFK and RFK, they had no business doing that, and he knows it, too.

But he's justifying—he's using historical hindsight to justify what he knows was an egregious wrong. Even more than that, what Hoover did to King was criminal. Yes, not only did they try to push him into committing suicide, they informed Coretta, Mrs. King, of his affairs, which basically probably caused enormous angst on her part. I think what Suzette said in the previous segment about Dr. King, about some of this, they wanted him out of the picture. They loved him until he started connecting militarism, racism, and violence. When he started connecting those things, he lost the support of all the foundations who had been pouring money at him. He lost the support of many of the white allies who had

surrounded him when he talked about I Have a Dream, but not when he talked about economic restructuring. And the Kennedys went along with J. Edgar Hoover. We know J. Edgar Hoover was a cross-dressing racist. And I ain't mad about his cross-dressing. I'm mad about his closet. But that's not the point. The point is that the Kennedys basically conspired to destroy Dr. King by giving permission for Hoover to wiretap and not putting any brakes on Hoover. So had they put brakes on Hoover, they could say,

you're not going to, if you wiretap, well, there's no if, but you can't send this stuff to Coretta. You can't use this for any other purpose. But the fact is that they allowed it. So, you know, everybody who looks like our ally and, you know, my mama had a picture of JFK and Jesus on her wall. Then she added Obama. I'm like, mom, please just stop it. But, you know, we revered JFK because we didn't know all the facts and we know all the facts. We know that he. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Business

Week. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that

they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

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

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

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

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

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. ...was a predatory capitalist, predatory capitalist who exploited Dr. King for his own benefit. Suzanne, I'm laughing because he's like, yeah, they wild-tapped King because they were betting on King. Hell, black people were betting on JFK. So this notion that, oh, they had to wiretap King to really find out, to prove to Hoover that he wasn't like that. Yo, seriously? No. This is dumb. It's shameful and despicable. The reality is, one of the greatest

mistakes Robert F. Kennedy ever made was authorizing that wiretap of Dr. King because that gave J. Edgar Hoover more ammunition to try to destroy MLK. And what the FBI did with COINTELPRO, this in essence is RFK Jr. essentially defending COINTELPRO, which targeted black leadership across the country. Yeah, I think as the young people would say, Roland, they would say, stop the cap, sir. I don't understand why he felt it was necessary to try to defend this. It is actual evidence now, again, with everything that has come out since his death, that, you know, the Kennedys were duplicitous, right?

They are cool with you in public, like many politicians. And then if they happen to find something that might work in their favor to be able to, you know, bring you down at the same time, it would work for them, right? So they kind of gave or they did give J. Edgar Hoover one of this open blank check to go after him and, like you're saying, so many others in the civil rights movement. What about all those other people? Were they betting on them as well as they were trying to find all kinds of information to try to destroy them?

There were no FISA courts at that time. There were no judges to pre-approve this type of stuff. It was just a here you go. And this man with his personal vendetta and mission to stop the civil rights movement in its tracks and to stop Dr. King in particular and to make his life hell was the purpose. And they knew it. Right. The attorney general, RFK's dad, knew about it. His uncle, the president, knew about it.

But I don't understand why he felt it would be a good argument to make now that somehow there was something defensible about it. No, they were duplicitous. They wanted good and bad information that they could use for their benefit in the future. It's seven o'clock. Well, and the thing here, first off, the wiretaps were approved on October 10th, 1963. And so here's a perfect example. I just pulled this up here. So Attorney General Robert Kennedy approves FBI wiretaps on Dr. King on October 10th because of allegations that two of his aides had communist associations. I don't know what the hell Robert Kemp Kennedy Jr. talking about. And then he said, oh, I think my father, I think John F. Kennedy, the uncle privately warned King about the wiretaps. King and JFK had an explosive confrontation on June 22nd, 1963, about those allegations.

And so that's just that's just absolutely nonsense. And in fact, those same wiretaps embarrassed Robert Kennedy when he ran for the United States Senate in 1964 for president in 1968. So sorry, RFK Jr., you're full of crap. You're full of crap. And in fact, the FBI tried to blackmail King by sending him a letter on November 21st, 1964, that was sent to his wife that contained tape recordings of King supposedly having sex with other women and strongly urging him to kill himself. But sure, RFK Jr., it was about them betting big on MLK.

This is what happens, Julian, when folks are trying to rewrite the story after the fact, and we ain't letting that happen. No, Roland, this is why you are so important and why this is such a service. Because basically people are trying to rewrite history, and RFK Jr. just needs to go somewhere. I mean, the fact is that our history is profoundly flawed. Lots of people have made lots of mistakes, many of them around issues of race. Let's just learn about them

so that we can avoid them in the future. Instead, there are those who want to rewrite history. Oh, we really didn't do that. Oh, the Civil War was really not about slavery. Or, you know, I mean, oh, lynching really didn't happen. I mean, the fact is that we have an ugly history, but as a nation, we only come together when we acknowledge the history and then move ahead. This person, RFK Jr., he does not want to acknowledge history. He's making excuses. And guess what? The whole thing was entirely unnecessary.

He could have easily said, yes, this happened. It was regrettable. He didn't have to talk ugly about his daddy or his uncle. He could have just said this was regrettable. He didn't have to talk ugly about his daddy or his uncle. He could have just said, this was regrettable. I mean, the context of the times, we all know that when you said somebody was a communist, that was like kryptonite. And so you could, at some level, if you got into their warped brains, kind of say, okay, I can see why that happened. Do not try to make excuses. Simply say, it happened. It was regrettable. Let's move on. But these folks want to clean it up. They want to try to do this kumbaya crap. And it's infuriating, but it's also disgusting, Roland. We look at,

basically, the record that they continue to try to cut and paste, just like the orange man talking about the people being hostages, the people who starved at Capitol being hostages. Well, if you're a rhetorician, you can say anything about anything and think it means anything. But those of us who know and believe in the truth and believe in freedom, as Vice President Harris said, will not go down like this. So let's continue to snatch off the blinders and tell the truth. And RFK Jr. just needs to go somewhere. Well, bottom line again, we're not going to sit here and play these little games with folks who want to distort the truth. All right, folks, hold tight one second.

We come back. The Iowa caucus, Republicans are going to vote. Donald Trump wants to destroy his rivals. You've got these white evangelicals in Iowa who literally are going to vote for a domestic terrorist, but they think he's just great and wonderful. Yeah, we got lots to talk about that when we come back. And also a new poll shows exactly how these white conservative voters think. And they really believe in their minds that racism against whites is just as bad as it is against minorities. These people are only delusional. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network on this white nationalist rally that descended into deadly

violence white people are losing their damn lives there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance we have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting i think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial this 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. There's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the Proud Boys guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women.

This is white people. On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, we talk about a hard, cold fact. Not all health care is created equal in this country, especially if you're a person of color. So many of us Black families, we rely upon each other heavily. A lot of us aren't necessarily sure how to best communicate with our health care providers. How to take charge and balance the scales. Your life may depend on it. That's next on A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry. And yet, only 7% of them are Black. What's the reason for that low number?

Well, a lack of opportunities and growth in their profession. Joining us on the next Get Wealthy is Needy Barnanilli. She's going to be sharing exactly what nurses need to do and what approach they need to take to take ownership of their success. So the Black Nurse Collaborative really spawned from a place and a desire to create opportunities to uplift each other, those of us in the profession, to also look and reach back and create pipelines and opportunities for other nurses like us. That's right here on Get Wealthy,

only on Black Star Network. Hello, I'm Paula J. Parker. Trudi Proud on The Proud Family. Louder and Prouder on Disney+. And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. Iowa normally is the first presidential caucus for Democrats and Republicans. Democrats said, nah, we good. We're going to start with South Carolina.

Republicans are sticking with Iowa, and so they're going to the caucuses today to vote. On the Republican side, you've got Donald Trump, and, of course, you've got Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy. You've got all these other different people. Bottom line is it's really the nutcases over there who are running. Let's go to Wayne Ford. Wayne is the co-founder of Wayne's, the co-founder of the Brown and Black Forums of America. Wayne, glad to have you here. First and foremost, it's freezing. It's cold. You've got, frankly, these white evangelicals in Christian, white evangelicals in Iowa who don't who don't care that Donald Trump wants to lead an insurrection, don't care

that he told people to move on when it came to the shooting in Iowa, based upon what we have been hearing, you know, that they're going to give him the knockout punch there in Iowa. That says a whole lot about these folks who they want to see as president. Yes, it does, Roland. You know, I've been doing this for a long time. I came here to play football back in the 70s. But the bottom line is, is that Iowa has a unique situation. We can show the world, we can show America, we can show so many people how we look at the race issue. By us being number one for all these years, Roland, as you know, we've been the first caucus state for so many years.

When Democrats and Republicans do it, and you've got two races running at the same time, it's a different feeling. You get a Republican philosophy, you get a Republican, a Democratic philosophy. But right now, since the Democrats lost out for various reasons, and one day, Roland, that's a whole show by itself, because I could talk to you about how the Democrats lost that opportunity that we had. Some people got mad. Some people didn't.

But the bottom line is, it balanced each other out. But now it doesn't balance out, because you only got one party, and you're only hearing one thing. I've been doing this for a long time, Roland. I don't see the Republican candidates going out and talking to the Latino community in Iowa, the black community in Iowa. I just don't see that. And to be candid, they don't feel no pressure because we don't have the Democratic caucus going at the same time. We don't have two Democrats and Republicans running for president.

So it's wide open. And that's why they talk about the Civil War. That's why they mention slavery, because they know nobody's going to hold them accountable. The brown and black form would hold them accountable if they did not reject my form two days ago and did not show up. Also, I want to bring in someone, Eddie Andrews, Iowa State representative out of the 43rd District. Eddie, Representative Andrews, glad to have you as well here. Roland Martin on filter.

Just give us a sense of how you have analyzed what you heard. I mean, we have heard some of the craziest stuff. You've got Vivek Ramaswamy running around talking about, oh, racism doesn't exist, but he's literally seeing and feeling the racism directly from his own people, people who won't vote for him. Well, first of all, thank you so much, Roland, for letting me be on your show. You've been fighting this battle for a long, long, long time and to be commended. So, been a great follower of you. And I know you may not think that all Republicans are monolithic, but I certainly want to commend you, I should say, for all the

hard work that you've been doing for decades. So, you know, I know. Listen, I know all Republicans are monolithic. Look, I know lots of black Republicans. I know some real black Republicans, as opposed to some of these grifters out here who are trying to make a buck since Donald Trump got in there. The issue that and many of these brothers and sisters who I've talked to are frustrated because of what they hear coming from folks in their own party. Yeah, there are some interesting comments that are coming out from some of our,

some of the candidates, you know, the one that couldn't quite manage to figure out what the swivel war was about. I mean, come on. I mean, it should have doctored five points right then and there, you know, the first people who heard that. But, you know, you're right. But there are a lot of good things that are happening, too. You know, we are here, like Wayne Ford said, you know, this is a great opportunity to hear people, whether you like their message or not. caucus itself to really get your message out one-on-one to people in pizza ranches and coffee shops all across Iowa, Starbucks, and get your message. If it doesn't resonate, then, you know, move on. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one.

The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.

So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

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

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod.

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

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

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

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. On that point, obviously, uh chose not to go first because they've had some serious problems counting in iowa i mean the last two caucuses did not go well uh there i remember being on cnn in 2012 and it was like damn it was like three, four o'clock in the morning for stuff. So what I don't understand is, look, what's wrong with one man, one vote? Why do people have to declare in front of others who they want to vote for?

So do you like the caucus or do you prefer an actual primary like we normally see one? Is that my question? So I would say that, first of all, the Democrats and the Republicans, the parties actually control the caucus, not the state. So the Democrats do the physical movements. You stand here in this corner if you like candidate A, and you stand in that corner if you like candidate B. Republicans are a little bit more streamlined. You have the speeches.

Those still do happen at every caucus. You know, someone will stand up for Donald Trump. Someone will stand up for Vivek. Someone will stand up for, you know, whoever else. And then after that, you vote and you go home. You handle a little bit of county business and caucus business, and then you go home so you're out uh you don't have to do all that that's just i actually like that it's not quite a primary um but i got to tell you the weather though too is also a a uh a critical piece i had a lady a senior lady uh we were going to pick her up

i don't know who she's voting for or caucusing for, but she's, I think, in her 80s. And she said, you know what, I'm not coming out on minus 15 degree weather with the windchill of minus 40. So someone else is going to have to have my vote. So it's really interesting how all these things happen and even weather comes into play on a cold winter day in Iowa. Well, Wayne, that's why for me, I get the uniqueness

of the Iowa caucus. They got caucuses in Nevada. But look, just give me some regular ordinary voting where I can do a mail-in ballot, where I can sit here early, vote, where I don't have to sit out and go out there and freeze my ass off to cast a ballot at a caucus. Well, Roland, you know, I grew up in Washington, D.C.

So I kind of, you know, I grew up in a federal city. I understand that. Originally, I'm from North Carolina. So I definitely hear what you're saying. But what I try to tell people is this. I came out here a long time ago when I was a young man. I'm an older man now. When people ask me, well, what's so special about Iowa?

I tell them this story, Roland. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson asked every state in America, I'm not going to give a black man a gun in Washington, D.C. or Maryland or Virginia because they're not going to allow it. But this is World War I. I want black men to learn how to fight. So he had the secretary of state send letters out to all the states in America during World War I. Only one state sent a letter back and said they would give a black man a gun and train him how to fight during World War I. One state. And that state is the state of Iowa. And that

Fort Des Moines of Iowa is still here now. Me and Colin Powell served on the same board together many years ago, the late Colin Powell. And I told him when we got a chance to meet, if it wasn't for those brothers in Fort Des Moines in 1913, you might never, never been a five-star general. There's a lot of stories here in Iowa that no one knows about, Roland. I second that. Well, look, I appreciate that story, but it's still too damn cold to be

going out caucusing. So I appreciate that, but I'm like, say dog, I'm with that woman Representative Andrews was talking about. She said it's too cold. It's too cold. Say dog. I, I, I'm with, I'm with that woman. Representative Andrews is talking about, she said it's too cold. It's too cold. Representative Andrews, before I let you go,

who are you supporting in this Iowa caucus? Out of the five people or six people that are still in the race, I like the base. Doesn't mean I like everything he says, but I like that he's willing to think outside the box and not be, you know, the same old, same old. Okay. All right, folks. I appreciate it.

Thanks a bunch. Stay warm. And if I ever get back to Iowa, I can tell y'all it will not be in January, February, March, April or May. I don't like sitting here being in Indianapolis right now where it's two degrees. Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Touche. Thank you. All right. Going to break. We'll be right.

We'll be right back. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network live from Indianapolis. Back to a break. We'll be right back. Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network, live from Indianapolis, back in a moment. On the next Get Wealthy, with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry, and yet only 7% of them are Black. What's the reason for that low number? Well, a lack of opportunities and growth in their profession. Joining us on the next Get Wealthy is Needy Barton-Nilley. She's going to be sharing exactly what nurses need to do and what approach they need to take to take ownership of their success. So the Black Nurse Collaborative really spawned

from a place and a desire to create opportunities to uplift each other, those of us in the profession, to also look and reach back and create pipelines and opportunities for other nurses like us. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Headline. I'm Faraji Muhammad, live from L.A., and this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation, you and me. We talk about the stories, politics,

the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together, so let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the Blackstar Network. We'll be right back. Ooh, I'm an alpha, yay. All right, you're 58 years old. It's over. And you are now watching... Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. Folks, welcome back.

Roller Mark unfiltered. Joining us right now is Mark Smith. He is the former Iowa Democratic Party chair, as well as DeWanna Bradley. She's the owner and publisher of Iowa Urban Media and the Urban Impact Show. Going to have, glad to have both of y'all on here. Mark, I'll start with you. A lot of people were upset because Democrats chose to make South Carolina first. New Hampshire people still are mad and upset. And look, I agree with

it. I simply said, I don't believe that one state has the absolute right to go first. I believe it should be rotated. I just don't believe that everything has to be, you start all presidential campaigns with solely what people in Iowa and New Hampshire have to say. Where did you come down on this? Well, of course, you always hate to give up something that you have. And I attended my first caucuses in 1972, Roland. So I like this process.

I know in the earlier segment you talked about not liking the caucus. But to me, it's a gathering of Democrats from the area, and it's such a unique process that I do like it. that the results aren't given out quite as quickly. If we have to give it up, yes, then I would be in favor of rotating. But, DeWana, how long did this stuff take? I mean, listen, I'm still registered in Texas. When I went to vote, I probably was in line by 10, 12 minutes, went in, voted, walked out. I've seen

these other stories at these caucuses several hours. Look, I could play a round of golf in less than four hours. Let me tell you, they are spending quite a bit of time at these caucus events, and they're coming tonight. I know a lot of people are figuring out, are these people going to show up? They are. quite a bit of time at these caucus events, and they're coming tonight.

So I know a lot of people are figuring out, are these people going to show up? They are. I have ran into several individuals already who were asking me, am I at the right place? They're scouting out these places before it even starts. I guarantee you they're going to come. They are there for hours. I think these things could move a lot quicker. But this is this is what the folks do. They spend a lot of time here kind of running through the motions, but they're showing up tonight for sure. I've seen it and witnessed it tonight. So they're they're going to be there.

Mark, for folk who are unfamiliar, how does this caucus stuff work? Walk us through how do y'all get around to determining who actually wins? Well, this is different, of course, this year. And you mentioned the difficulty that we had with the last two caucuses, which is, frankly, an embarrassment that that happened. But what usually happens at the caucus is that you get there, you sign in, you have an opportunity to give some money to the state party, to the local party, you greet old friends, and then you divide into preference groups. And then there is a process that if someone isn't viable as a preference group, then other people try to get you to come on over to their side. So it's just a unique

and interesting process for those of us who've gone through it. And as Wayne Ford talked about, keep in mind that this has been, in the past, a progressive state that has done some great things, that Barack Obama needed to win Iowa or felt that he needed to win Iowa to go on and win the nomination and win the presidency. And we saw those things happen. We also saw a woman carry this caucus process, and we found a person who is gay who won the Iowa caucuses. So it has been in the past a good opportunity for Iowans to show that we're progressive people.

And I get the whole gabbing thing along those lines. DeWanda, we've heard a lot of stuff leading up to this Iowa call. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Business Week. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest

stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. 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. two of the war on drugs podcast we are back in a big way in a very big way real people real

perspectives this is kind of star-studded a little bit man we got uh ricky williams nfl player hasman trophy winner it's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves music stars marcus king john osborne for brothersborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcast.

We've heard Nikki Haley utterly confused about the civil war. You got a Vivek who's, who's constantly talking about racism don't exist. But then you got people there who will say, man, I ain't vote for that dark skinned Duke. I think he's a Muslim. And you've heard so much about the strength of white evangelicals there in Iowa. And so what do you make of all that we've heard, Dawana, all that we've seen,

and what that means for the Republican Party? Yeah, I think with everything that I've seen and I've heard, I mean, here in Iowa, it is a Republican state. And what we're finding here is that their agendas are being pushed forward and they're being moved. And that's what we're seeing. And that's what we're going to continue to see. And what I'm seeing is that the people that will come out tonight will rally this party once again, and they're going to be on the move to make things happen. I think it's sad and unfortunate because there's a lot of rhetoric

that we know that this party is bringing forward that is not true. But also, the people here are, we say, drinking the Kool-Aid. They're drinking it here. And they're buying into it. And it's unfortunate. So what it's going to do is just bolster things as it moves on into other states. I know that Iowa doesn't always determine the winner or who's going to be the Republican candidate. But I will tell you that what's going to happen tonight is just going to be something that we're going to see kind of push across this nation. And that Republican narrative, those things that they are saying are going to see kind of push across this nation and that Republican narrative, those things that they are saying are going to continue to be pushed across the country. And I honestly, personally, as someone who has watched this rhetoric, you know, now I'm sad and it makes you really not hopeful for things to come.

Questions from our panelists. Is that your first? Yes. I'd like to know if you saw any either of you. Thank you for being here, Mr. Smith and Ms. Bradley. Saw any of the Republican candidates in traditional urban strongholds. I know people don't necessarily identify anywhere as urban from the outside anyway, looking into Iowa. But I know there are enclaves, obviously, where there are black populations are significant, if you will, for Iowa, in Des Moines, in Davenport, in Waterloo. Were there any visits to those areas by any of the Republican candidates? And for either of you, did they speak to any issues or messaging that would resonate with

Iowa residents who live in those very urban areas? I will tell you, for me, I feel like their rhetoric has not touched people who look like me. And I will say it's been very far and few between that they've been in those areas. They've been in those areas, but have they gone into the communities in which I think a high majority of black and brown individuals are a part of? I don't think so. And I think that the broader issues that they're talking about are the broader issues. They're,

you know, they're talking about immigration. They're talking about some of these other issues, but they're not talking about the issues that would impact someone that look like us. So to answer your question, I would say no, I have not heard anything that is resonating with me that would make me feel like they're caring about any of the issues that we're impacting. As you all know here, they're making laws and things that where we can't even talk about our own history here, they're limiting the things that we do. So I feel like they have been very out of touch with the black and brown communities. I would add that I agree with that. First of all, as Roland talked about some of his views, and mine are not all that different.

And so I haven't really followed where they've been in the state of Iowa. But one day when I was in Oskaloosa, there was a DeSantis rally that was going on there. And so I have seen it more happening in the rural areas. Wayne Ford talked about Fort Des Moines during World War I. But Iowa's had a history of,in 1839, the very first territorial Supreme Court ruled that people are not property. And we desegregated our schools in the 1860s—yes, 1860s. And so, these things that are going on currently with the Republican Party here are very different from the origins of the Republican Party, and that makes me very sad.

Julianne? First of all, thank you both, Mark and Juana, for being with us. You know, I don't hear—Iowa has a 4 percent black population, 4.1, 4.2, something like that. So you don't often hear a lot about black folks or black issues in Iowa. So, Tawana, you have a newspaper, you have a show. Tell me what we need to know that we don't know, because the mainstream media is not covering people of color, but especially black people in Iowa. We've been blacked out for Iowa. And Mark, if you would chime in after she basically talks to me about what are we missing? What must we know as we talk about these Iowa caucuses about black Iowans?

Yeah. So I would say that that's the reason why I created a media company is because a lot of things weren't being shared or where you're focusing on those higher-level things. But I say here in the city where I'm at and across the state of Iowa, we're dealing with, you know, health issues. I'm not having access to health insurance. We are dealing with an educational issue. I served previously on the school board for our district here in Des Moines Public Schools, And we're talking about still trying to figure out how we support our black males. They are, in our district, the lowest achieving group of individuals. And that's probably not different in any other parts of the state of Iowa. And we're still trying to figure out how to provide those resources.

So we have an educational crisis with our black males and our black and brown students all together. We also are dealing with housing, you know, being able to adequately, you know, get your loans secured for housing. We know that that is a pathway to some generational wealth within families. We're having those issues here. I actually just spoke somewhere today regarding that issue. And then we're also talking about our Black-owned businesses who are here but not being able to get the access to capital that they need to be able to

thrive and to achieve to be better. So some of the things that you're hearing on a larger place, we are dealing with those same issues here in Iowa. You're just not hearing about it as much, but you hear, you know, when our governor makes some of these laws that they're making, when we're talking about, you know, banning books and not being able to talk about the 1619 Project and other things, you hear those things. But those are some of the other critical issues that are impacting Black Iowans. Yeah. All right. Mark and Dewana, I appreciate it. I'm sorry. Mark, go ahead. Go ahead. No, excuse me. But yeah, I think, again, this breaks my heart, this history of Iowa, 1839, the ruling that people are not property and not subject to the rights of property, then Susan Clark,

Clark versus the directors in 1868 that desegregated our schools, and then Emma Cogger pushed for equal protection under the law in Iowa in 1873. So we had that great history, and now we've moved into this. You mentioned about 4 percent African-American population in the state of Iowa. But what is really sad with that is the last I knew about a 25% population in the prisons of African-Americans, or much higher than the overall population. I am haunted by what a friend of mine said, and I would give his name, except I haven't gotten his permission to say that. But he said African-American people in Iowa are tired of having the worst streets, the

highest crime levels, and the poorest schools in the area, and therefore they're not voting, like in the percentages that we would like to see. And so that has to change, and there has to be more response to those concerns. I would end with a shout-out to my friend Wayne Ford, who was on earlier, who did more to protect all of Iowa's children against lead poisoning than any other legislator that came before or after him. And that was a concern that he expressed for all Iowa children. All of us need to do the same. All right. Mark, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Folks, we'll be right back on Roland Mark Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network.

I'm Dee Barnes, and next on The Frequency, we're talking about the rise in great black literature and the authors who are writing it. Joining me will be professor and author Donna Hill, discuss her writing journey and becoming a best-selling author. I always was writing, but I never saw anybody that looked like me in the books that I was reading. Plus, her work with the Center for Black Literature and next year's National Black Writers Conference. That's right here on The Frequency on the Black Star Network. Grow your business or career with Grow with Google's wide range of online courses, digital training, and tools.

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we talk about a hard, cold fact. Not all health care is created equal in this country, especially if you're a person of color. So many of us Black families, we rely upon each other heavily. A lot of us aren't necessarily sure how to best communicate with our health care providers. How to take charge and balance the scales. Your life may depend on it. That's next on A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. It's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherry Shepard talk show. This is your boy, Herb Quake.

And you're tuned in to... Roland Martin, Unfiltered. All right, folks, in our last segment, you heard Suzette and Julianne both ask our guests about the issues that matter to black and brown people. Joining us right now is Bo James, the CEO of Hip Hope Inc. He currently is at one of the caucus locations. Also, Jessica Trinidad, a Hispanic community advocate. Glad to have both of you here. All right, Bo, what's happening where you are? Hey, everyone's just gearing up. I just checked in, logged in, and I'm in like a suburb of Des Moines. And so, yeah, it looks like I'll probably be the only pepper in the salt out here. How does it work? First of all, do you have to declare parties or can you vote in,

do you have to vote in one or the other? Or can you vote in both Republican and Democrat caucuses? I really haven't asked, but they did ask me what party I was in. And now that I think about it, when I did walk in here, there was arrows to the Republicans and arrows to the Democrats. So I talked earlier about the caucus format, and I get some people who they think is pretty cool. People get together and they get to talk.

Man, it just takes you damn long. So did you bring you some snacks, some headphones? Did you bring you some board games or something, because you're going to be there a while. Yeah, no board games. That's a good idea. But, yeah, I've done this before. I started doing this early.

I'm 51 now, and my parents started bringing me here when I was about 23. And so, yeah, it is a long process. And it's interesting to see, you know, how different people click up around different issues and things like that. And I mean, and they get heated, man. And again, they all look alike, but man, they vary on issues and they're real passionate about stuff out here. And everybody's looking to me to tilt the scale one way or another. So, yeah, I should have brought the board game, man. Now, I got to ask you this because, you know, I keep a black and gold deck of cards in my backpack.

So, has a spades game ever broke out at a caucus? Nope. At least not at the ones that I've been to. Like I said, I've kind of been on the outskirts. I mean, you know, you can get anywhere from suburb to suburb within five, ten minutes here. So I'm always on the outskirts. But I dwell in the city, but I reside outside of the city. And that's funny because those are the exact same deck of cards we just gave out at our Young Men of Color conference back in October. Well, you said you're the only speck of pepper there,

so I don't know how many other folk who don't look like you will understand how to play spades. So, yeah, I keep these in my backpack, so when somebody starts talking trash about spades, I'm like, come on. Let's go. Okay. We got to take you up on that. We hold the spade starter in here this weekend.

I'm going to leave it in here this weekend. So, yeah. That's what's up. All right. I'm always ready. And like I say, I don't need somebody. I can bring my own deck. We good.

But questions, let's see here. I know we're trying to fix Jessica's audio. So any questions from Julianne, Suzette? Julianne, you first for both. Okay, my brother. Well, thank you for the Hip Hope Coalition. I like that name, Hip Hope. You're there at the Congress. As you look around, what's the energy?

What is the energy? Because all day long, the CNNs and the MSs have been speculating about whether people are going to come out, who are they going to come out for. Can you share what the energy is as you're there right now? Yeah, like right now, like I said, people are, they're kind of sizing each other up. And because like I said, later on, everyone gets to separate,

like there's a bunch of tables here and stuff. And so everybody's like trying to feel each other out to see who they're going to align with probably later on. And the energy is high just because there are people pouring in and we're sub-zero temperature right now and they're but they're still uh showing up we've been at mlk events all day long i've had a a whole little bus of kids that i've taken to a couple of events today and so uh to end up here and uh I said, this is a whole different look.

But like I said, this energy, I mean, these guys really get fired up for the campaigns and things like that. We do take this very seriously in Iowa. But like I said, it's interesting to see that, I mean, they're willing to go at it with one another. So it's really, it gives me a lot of insight to, you know, the culture and how they deal with one another, especially when they're talking about their priorities and things that matter to them. We got Jessica straight with her audio. Jessica, I want to bring you in here. For you, what are the priorities that you want discussed,

and have you heard any of that being discussed by these Republican candidates? Yeah, thank you for having me. One of the things that I would love to hear the candidates discuss, obviously, immigration. Immigration is a major topic with our Latino community, but also access to health care. And, you know, the future of the economics in North America, topics that are of concern to our community, for sure. Suzette? Yes, I would like to ask you both. I was trying to get statistics about what... A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news

show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows

up in our everyday lives. But guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June

4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got

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

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

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. The economic, as you just mentioned, Jessica, situation is for black and brown folks there in Iowa.

And I was reading, but the statistics I saw were from like 2012 to 2016. So 10 years ago, I'm not sure if you guys could give us some insight. What I was reading was for black Iowans, the home ownership rate was more like a third of them. And for white Iowans, it was averaged at that time, 75% that black people, specifically black men, earned about 47 cents for every dollar white men in Iowa earned. I was reading about other statistics about what industries they were in. Talk about the economic situation there. Where are black and brown people employed mostly? Are you seeing those deficits still? I know I've seen black unemployment up to five years ago down to 10 percent in Iowa. Tell me about what is the reality for you guys as you live in Iowa each day.

Yeah, and I'll start on that. I don't know if he was referencing what we call the one economy report. That is our most recent record from when they did research a few years back. But those numbers have not moved very much. And I doubt that they got any better, especially since COVID knocked everything back out. But, I mean, we're recovering. Again, we help people get jobs. The jobs are here if they want them, and they're taking them seriously. But again, the wages do vary. The disparity with the wages is very real. And you can really see some systemic challenges there. But yeah, but those numbers are pretty much the same. But the one economy report, if you could Google that,

would be the most recent and up-to-date information. All right, then. Well, look, I'm sorry. Go ahead. Go ahead, Jessica. No, I was just going to add for us in the Latino community, it's more of a combined issue when it comes to economics. We come from a mixed group of individuals where some households have individuals that don't have immigration status. Some do. And so the situation might change for everybody. Obviously, our community having access to those higher paying jobs that have more opportunities where there's higher wages. And the issue with the immigration of having a status that allows you to get access to those type of opportunities. Understood.

Thank you. All right, then. All right. Glad to have both of you join us. Good luck. Stay warm. It's too damn cold. So that's why give me some give me early voting. Give me, you know, absentee. Give me I ain't leaving the crib. First of all, Bo, where you are, how cold is it? Oh, it's the last I looked, it was like negative seven degrees.

Oh, hell no. Hell no. Jessica, how about where you are? We are in the same place, so the same thing. Oh, listen. Fortunately, my caucus. I'll say, fortunately, my caucus I would say fortunately my caucus is like literally yeah fortunately my caucus

place is right across the street from where I live so say bro I ain't even trying to lead a crib even if they across the street I'm like okay alright look y'all good, y'all, good luck. Y'all stay warm. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Before I let Suzette and

Julianne go, your final thoughts on this MLK Day. In our last block, I'm going to play comments from today's MLK event at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. But Suzette, you first. I'll just start where you started tonight's program, which was with the vice presidents from Marks. I want to say she sounded the most confident and clear as to messages that really resonate with the black community that I've heard from anyone in the Biden administration. I know they have a challenge with their communication to Black people and understanding what we really care about and how to speak to those issues. She did a phenomenal job in that speech. I don't know if it was the spirit of the day, the audience she had and where she was speaking, but kudos to her. It's been hard for her to shine with the portfolio she was given,

those issues that she must take on. But if they can utilize her in the way that she was able to bring forth the message today, there's a lot more promise to reaching those in our community that feel as if they're not being heard or that Democrats are not speaking to their issues. Julianne? I agree with Suzette. I think that—Kamala Harris is a rock star, and she behaved like a rock star in that speech. And we all enjoyed her energy and her focus. But let's be clear about Dr. King. Let's not sanitize him.

Let's embrace the revolutionary spirit that he had. And it is amazing to me that we continue to do the Kumbaya King. You know, we shall overcome, whatever. Forgive me for singing on your show because I can't sing. But that Kumbaya King is not the king that was real. The king that was real was economic, revolutionary. I always tell people Dr. King was an economist. He believed in distribution.

If we embrace the legacy of Dr. King, we must look at issues of distribution. All the publicly held land in our city, like D.C., you know, federal land, that's reparations. Give it to black folks. And if you look at King, don't quote King, read King, read the whole thing. And when you read the whole thing, you will understand that this man was a quiet revolutionary that we have never fully embraced. All right. Both of you, thanks a lot. Folks, going to break. We come back. We'll hear from Senator Pastor Raphael Warnock, plus Bernice King, the daughter of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King at today's ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church. You're watching on YouTube. Hit the like button, folks. We should be at a thousand likes. OK, I should be telling you all this. Also support us in what we do.

Joining our Bring the Funk fan club. You can support us by sending your check and money. Order the PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, RM Martin Unfiltered, Venmo's RM Unfiltered, Zale, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. 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 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.

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Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hi, I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family, Louder and Prouder. I don't play Sammy, but I could. Or I don't play Obama, but I could. Or I don't play Obama, but I could. I don't do Stallone, but I could do all that. And I am here with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Folks, the MLK Center has an annual commemoration for this day.

It takes place at Ebenezer Baptist Church. It is the church where Dr. King's father, as well as Dr. King, pastored. Well, it is always a packed celebration today. Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney was the featured speaker, but here is Pastor and Senator Raphael Warnock with his thoughts on this day. It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you again, those who are in this sanctuary, those who are on television and online, to the Ebenezer Baptist Church of America's Freedom Church. We're grateful for the work and the witness of the King's center and the King family. And on this, the very first King day since her triumphant transition as her pastor, I remember fondly the enduring love and profound respect that all of us have

for the matriarch of our church, big sister of Martin Luther King, Jr. Let's remember Christine King Farris. Come on, give God praise for Dr. Christine King-Farris. Let Earth celebrate her and let the heavens rejoice. How we miss her. And how we miss her hats. She was the longest serving member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and one of the longest serving members of the faculty

at Spelman College ever. Teacher, daughter of a preacher. Happy birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 95 years. Come on let's hear it for Dr. King. Happy birthday to America's great prophet. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., co-pastor of this church, who stood in the tradition of his maternal grandfather, A.D. Williams Williams second pastor of this church Martin Luther King senior daddy king third pastor of this church his clarion voice of conscience as it was informed by that tradition

summons us together at a moment when there are forces at work in our country trying desperately to tear us apart and they're trying to tear us apart because people who have no vision traffic in division They do not know how to lead us and so they are trying to divide us for their own short-term Political purposes, but we've seen this movie before we're not going for it There are elected officials in our great country waging war against democracy itself. The great Reinhold Niebuhr said, humankind's capacity for justice makes democracy possible.

And our capacity for injustice makes democracy necessary. Whether you're on the right or the left, you've got to fight for the democracy. I say that not just as a senator, I say it as a pastor. Because I believe that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea. The notion that each of us has within ourselves a spark of the divine. That we are a reflection of the very glory of God. It is the covenant that we have with one another as an American people. E pluribus unum, out of many, one. With all of our differences and all of the distinctive expressions of our diverse and variegated humanity, we must stand together. E pluribus

unum, out of many, one. It takes a great spirit, the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. One. It takes a great spirit, the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., to summon Raphael Warnock and Liz Cheney to the same pulpit at the same time. All right, folks, this is Bernice King, the daughter of Coretta Scott King, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reverend Natasha, I'm not just the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King, but I stand today as the daughter of the King of Kings. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

As CEO of the King Center, let me officially welcome each and every one of you to our 56th observance of my father's birthday, the 39th Federal Holiday Observance, in honor of what would have been his 95th birthday. To Pastor Senator Warnock, thank you for opening the doors once again to us on this sacred day. Thank you to all of our program participants, especially our speaker for the hour, Arline Bradley. I want to thank also the King Center staff and the King Center team, and especially thank Fox 5, Atlanta, WGAGA-TV. This is an urgent hour.

These are very strange and peculiar times. I, for one, am very concerned about our children. I'm concerned about our communities. I'm concerned about all my brothers and sisters in our world house. We're being denied living healthy and prosperous lives due to repressive regimes. You see, I believe we are in the fight of our life. Our humanity is literally under attack, causing us to come out of character, to be opposite of what God created us to be. He created us after his image and likeness. I believe he also created us to operate from a higher plane

of dignity and discipline. and yet over and over again too many choose to operate on low levels of vibration. These tumultuous, turbulent, and trying times have led us to a dark place where it seems like our love for humanity has dimmed and fear, hate, greed, selfishness, meanness, oppression, exploitation, nationalism, militarism, imperialism, terrorism, xenophobia, homophobia, anti-black racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism have become magnified. With the looming levels of threat to our current existence through physical, sexual, and socioeconomic violence, terrorism, wars, and AI, as well as the confluence of hate and genocide, war and genocide, greed and genocide, and an unprecedented loss of human life, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with sadness, anxiety, fear, and anger, tempting us to succumb to hopelessness.

There's some that believe that there is no way out or through this current conundrum. But I believe we can be who God created us to be as vessels of love and champions of truth and warriors for justice and liberation if we truly hear and heed the words of Dr. King and the King of Kings. Over the past 56 years, we've honored the life and legacy of my father by sharing so many powerful and inspiring words throughout the world. Despite some things changing, what have we really done with the numerous words inspired by him? How different is our state, the state of our world, since we began commemorating his birthday as a collective in 1969, even before the King holiday? At the time, if you recall, we were in the midst ofpublicized wars, Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas, and over 12 additional wars in our world, including in the Congo, Yemen and Sudan, Tigray and Ethiopia, where we are losing millions of human lives across conflicts, including children, with the numbers mounting daily. And yet we are silent and separated in our cries for a ceasefire, the freeing of hostages and the condemning of terrorism.

A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters,

and how it shows up in our everyday lives. With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull, we'll take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.

So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you

Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st

and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Folks, you can check out our Blackstar Network to see that entire program which we streamed today. We certainly appreciate you joining us on today's show. Let me thank the folks with the Madam C.J. Walker Theater here in Indianapolis for today's program.

Of course, yesterday I also spoke in Charlotte. We live streamed that as well. If you want to see my presentation in Charlotte, North Carolina, you can check that out on the Black Star Network app. You can go to our YouTube channel as well. So let me thank the folks yesterday with the MLK Planning Committee at Mayfield Memorial Baptist Church. Let me thank the pastor as well for being with them. Also, let me shout out the ILSIP chapter of the NAACP on Long Island. It was good being with them on Saturday night.

And, of course, University of Tennessee in Knoxville was there on last Thursday. Folks, don't forget that our focus is not about just celebrating and commemorating King today, as well as the other freedom fighters. The other thing is for us to keep doing the work after today. That's what our job is. That's what we must continue to do. I will be back in the studio tomorrow right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered, and we're going to keep doing the work, keep being as King called on the Negro press in his book,

Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos or Community, to remain militant and remain focused on the substantive when it comes to the liberation of our people. And that's exactly what we will do here on this show. If you want to support us in that effort, please join our Bring the Funk fan club. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing on average 50 bucks each over the next year. Y'all pull the photo up of the brother of me. Shout out Tyus. I was, as I said, I was in Indianapolis today. Do y'all have the photo?

I sent it to y'all. Do y'all have it? I'll pull it up. This Tyus is there on the left. Tyrus Lewis, he wanted to make sure that he put his $1,000 donation in my hands. Tyrus, I appreciate that. And thank you so very much for your contributions to the Bring the Funk Fan Club. Folks, again, we appreciate it. Every dollar that we get, whether it's a $1,000 contribution, $100, $50, $25, $10, $5, $1, it does not matter. It all matters for the work that we do here at Roland Martin Unfiltered as well as the Black Star Network.

You can send your check and money order to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app is dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal, R Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Be sure to download the Blackstar Network app available on Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You also can watch our 24-hour, seven-day-a-week streaming channel. We are available on Amazon News. By simply going to Amazon Fire, go to Amazon News. You can tell Alexa to play News from the Black Star Network.

You can also check us out, folks, on Plex TV, Amazon Freebie, as well as Amazon Prime Video. And do not forget to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available bookstores nationwide. And be sure to get the audio version on Audible. Yep, that's me reading it. You can check it out there as well. Folks, that's it. I'll see you tomorrow back in D.C. right here, rolling by the unfiltered.

Holla! Holla! Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punches! I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart.

Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastain. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops.

They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs Podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.