#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Emmett & Mamie Till-Mobley Monument, CA Mother Punch By Cop Lawsuit,Cincinnati Music Festival Recap

Episode Date: July 26, 2023

7.25.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Emmett & Mamie Till-Mobley Monument, CA Mother Punch By Cop Lawsuit,Cincinnati Music Festival Recap In a proclamation ceremony, President Joe Biden establishes a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, while calling out Republican efforts to stymie civil rights education in classrooms.  We'll have some of that ceremony for you.  In California, a black mother sues law enforcement officers for excessive force after a disturbing incident that shows a deputy punching her multiple times in the face while holding her 3-week-old baby.  Her Attorney will join us to explain the details of the lawsuit and how she is fighting to get justice.  The Rainbow PUSH Coalition's new president, Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, will be here tonight to discuss his appointment from civil rights icon Jesse Jackson and the coalition's future. Nearly 60 years after Malcolm X's assassination, a man who says he witnessed the civil right's leaders death is coming forward with allegations undercover officials were involved in Malcolm X's 1965 murder. And I'll recap the Cincinnati Black music festival and its Black Music Walk of Fame grand opening. 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. self. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. 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. 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. 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 rolling Best belief 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, yeah Rolling with Roland now Yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Roland Martin Now Martin Today, folks, is the 82nd birthday of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy in Chicago who was lynched in Mississippi,

sparking the civil rights movement. At the White House today, President Joe Biden created the Emmett Till and Emmett Till Mobley National Monuments in Mississippi and Illinois. In his speech, he talked about the importance of this story to American history. When I was preparing these remarks, I quite frankly, and my colleagues will understand this, I found myself trying to temper my anger as I was writing it.

I'm not joking. I can't fathom. I can't fathom what it must have been like. It's hard to believe I was 12 years old. And I just, you know, I know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries, it's hard to relive this. It brings it all back. We were talking about Rev as if it happened yesterday, the images in your head, the things

you remember. But it's inspiring to see how many of your family have continued as mother's courage to find faith in pain, purpose in pain. That's a remarkable thing, it seems to me. Insisting on an open casket for her murdered and, I might add, maimed and mutilated son. 14 years old. 14 years old.

She said, let the people see what I've seen. Let the people see what I have seen. My God. All of us have lost children in other ways. see what I have seen. My God. All of us have lost children in other ways. How hard it is even to close the casket or keep it open or what a debate it is. But to see the child that had been maimed in a

country and the world saw, saw, and I just heard the story of Emmett Till and his mother as a story of a family's promise and loss and the nation's reckoning with hate, violence, racism, overwhelming abuse of power, and brutality. It's hard to fathom. Hard to fathom this even in war for me. It's hard to fathom.

But today, on what we've been, what would have been Emmett's 82nd birthday, we had another chapter in the story of remembrance and healing. Just as we joined together when I signed the law in his name to make lynching a federal crime. And think how long that took for that to happen. I mean, and we screened the movie Till at the

White House. Today, we join together as I sign a proclamation designating Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley a national monument in both Illinois and the Mississippi. When we ended lynching, as a matter of law, we talked about wanting to do this. But the support from the community has been so overwhelming.

I thank the members of Congress for their support, and more than that, their leadership. At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we're making it clear, crystal, crystal clear. While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing. They can hide, but they erase nothing. We can't just choose to learn what we want to know. We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country.

We should know everything, the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. That's what great nations do. And we are a great nation. That's what they do. For only with truth comes healing, justice, repair, and another step forward toward forming a more perfect union. We've got a hell of a long way to go. That's what's happening. That's what's going to happen with visitors of

all backgrounds to learn the history of Emmett Till and maybe Till Mulvey through our national monument. Look, telling the truth and the full history of our nation is important. It's important to our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, to our nation as a whole. I've said it before. It was a lesson I learned. I've come out of it not like real leaders in the civil rights movement, but I came out of the civil

rights movement as a kid, as a public defender. And I used to, you know, I used to say, think that you pass something that was good, you can make hate go away. Hate never goes away. It just hides. It hides under the rocks. And given a little bit of oxygen by bad people, it comes roaring out again.

It's up to all of us to deal with that. Up to all of us to stop it. Up to all of us. The best way to do this is with the truth. It's used in a different context, but I think it applies here. Silence is complicity. I will not be silent, nor will you be silent

about what happened. There's really critical work ahead to continue the fight for racial justice and equality for all Americans. And my administration is committed to leading the path forward. And I know the members of Congress here are even more committed than that. I'm going to close with this. The reason the world saw what Mrs. Till Mobley saw was because another hero in this story, the black press. Oh, I'm serious. Jet Magazine, the Chicago Defender, and other newspapers and radio announcers who told the story were

unflinching in the bravery with which they told that story, making sure America saw what they saw. Ida B. Wells once said, quote, the way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth on them. Well, that's our charge today. By the parenthesis, do you ever think we'd be talking about banning books in America? Banning history?

I'm serious. To the Till family, to all of you here today, I thank you for your courage, for never giving up. Never, never giving up. Before I say even what's more is on my mind, I'm not going to leave this podium. No, I mean, it's just barbaric.

Barbaric what happened. Seriously, all you moms out there, imagine the courage it took to say, let them see. The courage. I thank you all for being here. And I am — I know I'm considered too much of an optimist, but I believe if we keep pushing, we're going to continue to make progress. We're going to continue to make progress.

It's already being made. The idea that when that 14-year-old was buried, that in this Indian treaty room, there were this many people of color holding powerful office, changing the direction of the country. 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch

What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things Stories matter and it brings a face to them It makes it real It really does It makes it real Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves.

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

Council. Country would have been beyond our comprehension. And we're just getting started. Folks, so my name is going to include three different sites, and obviously it recognizes the importance of this story to American history. I want to bring my panel right now to talk further about this because it is critically important. Of course, we have Mustafa Santaygo Ali, former senior advisor at the EPA, Jones' law, Victoria Burke. She writes with NNPA, the Black Press of America. We also have on the panel, Joe Richardson, civil rights attorney. Glad to have all of you here. When we think of this story, Joe, I mean, it really speaks volumes about, again, what it launched, but it is still raw for African-Americans when you think about

what took place. And even the sign where, there's a sign where his body was thrown over the bridge, where they commemorate that, it's been shot up several times. So you still have hate that exists here in this country. No doubt about it, Roland. And in fact, I hope to join Deborah Watts and the family and everyone down there next month for the 68th anniversary, basically. But this is still very raw. There's no question about it. But, you know, Mamie Till deserves credit for starting the modern civil rights movement with the transparency of saying,

I want people to know what happened to my daughter, to my son here. And so that open casket got that thing started. And even as we go along, after all these years, you look at the work that the foundation is doing, Deborah Watts and everyone and her daughter and other folks in the Emmett Till family, they are still, they are very much like mothers and matriarchs to those that have lost people for modern-day lynchings, whether it's Michael Brown or whether it's Trayvon Martin. They still have that role. And just now, as the president said, this bill got signed,

the Anti-Lynching Act. That was last year. I mean, that was recently. So this is still very raw. And then this war has many fronts, including probably the most important one is voting. We're still talking about what's going on in the South. We're still reeling from the Supreme Court's decision almost 10 years ago now that basically allows people that want to discriminate and do voter suppression to do so. And even Alabama has defied the Supreme Court, even now, only in the last few days, redrew the districts to make one black district when they were supposed to make two. And so this is still raw because it's still happening. The underlying notions of hate,

of ignorance, of indifference, at the very least, acquiescence and silence, all of which is going to go to the negative as it pertains to being on the front related to civil rights, treating it for what it actually is and not acting like we've made it because we haven't. Maybe it looks different, but the last recent few years, it doesn't look a whole lot different at all, to be perfectly honest with you. You still have modern day lynchings occurring. You still have a lot of problems that are going on. And we're glad that the family is there. We're glad that the president is acting, and we hope to not only have the memories that these monuments will give,

but continuing in corresponding action. You know, Lauren, when you hear the president talk about the importance of the black press, I mean, the reality is without black-owned media, we would not have seen this story get as much attention as it did. And it still speaks. It still speaks to how critically important it is

for black-owned media to tell a story that many other people do not tell. Yeah, and so much of the Emmett Till story, obviously, is about the black press and the fact, without the black press, that we would not have known about this story. And obviously, without Mamie Till doing what she did, we would not have known about this story in the same way. I do think that I've kind of grown tired of,

as great as this is and as unprecedented as this is, I have grown tired of sort of monuments and proclamations when, in fact, there's policy that can be glued to this as well. In the form of qualified immunity, in the form of funding defense attorneys around this country, even if somebody just announced something about the Innocence Project, money going to them, something, you know, to the points just made, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, nobody paid a price for that. Zimmerman got away with that. The cop that shot Michael Brown got away with that. And it seems like to me the real sort of monuments that we should be building right now are built by policy and not just by granite and stone or whatever this is going to be. And it's not that I'm, you know, in any way against this commemoration, because, of course, it's good to commemorate and remember history. But at the same time, I wish that this announcement had been joined by some policy, because I do think the Democratic Party has a great deal of problems when it comes

to talking about things like qualified immunity, which, of course, they don't want to talk about. There was a famous caucus call in the Democratic Party, I think it was two years ago, where there was a big argument about whether or not they should even be talking about anything involved in the Black Lives Matter agenda around police brutality, because a lot of Democrats feel they're losing votes. But the fact that the party doesn't even want to talk about policy but does want to talk about monuments I do think is slightly problematic here. When in contemporary days we still see things like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. When I was a kid I watched the Central Park Five close-up living in New York. So that for me, this without policy is a little bit lacking in

something more. It can't just be talking anymore. It can't just be a monument anymore. There does have to be something happening on the policy level. You can't get the policy unless it goes through Congress. And the reality is Democrats can't pass anything by themselves. They don't control the House. And they do control the Senate, barely control the Senate. And so anything dealing with policy, especially qualified immunity, has also got to involve Republicans. I think that the fact that nobody's even talking about it. Hold on one second.

That was from Mustafa. Mm-hmm. I think that the fact that nobody's even talking about it. Hold on one second. That was from Mustafa. Mm-hmm. We understand the difficulties that are currently going on, but everything that Lauren said is exactly right. You know, we can't do these perfunctory types of things anymore. You've got to put some meat on the bones, if you will, to make sure that we are actually moving toward justice. Because when we don't do that, we continue to set up these situations where folks continue to be prey, because that's exactly what Emmett Till was. He was prey for Ray Bryant. He was prey for J.W. Milliam back there on August 28, 1955. And it was legal in some aspects,

because when it went to the court, they let him go. And then in 2020, when we brought stuff back again, once again, there was no prosecution for his death. So we got to begin to make sure there's real policy that helps to change these dynamics. All right, folks. Hold tight one second. I'm going to go to break and come back. We're going to talk about this case out of California, excessive abuse case. Another example of what we're dealing with is impacting African Americans.

Of course, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C. It is still an issue. The country still has not had a true reckoning when it comes to that. We'll be back right here in a little while and we'll talk to you when it comes to that. We'll be back right here in a little bit. I'm folks on the Box on the Net. Hatred on the streets.

A horrific scene. A white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not be back. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history.

Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. I'm Dr. Greg Carr, and coming up on the next Black Table, thinking about the Black Freedom Movement in a global way, Dr. John Monroe joins us to discuss his book, The Anti-Colonial Front, which maps the social justice movement in the United States and its impact internationally, from Asia to Africa,

and how movements like anti-communism were used to slow down racial equality, like critical race theory today. Critical race theory today, communism back then, was essentially mobilized to shut down any challenges to a given system of power. Connecting the civil rights movement to colonialism on the next Black Table, exclusively here on the next Black Table, exclusively here on the Black Star Network. Next on The Frequency with me, D. Vaughn's actress, writer, and advocate, Rae Dawn Chong

is here to discuss her childhood and break down her life in Hollywood, a show you don't want to miss. Well, even at my peaky peak peak when I was getting a lot of stuff, as soon as I was working a ton, I heard people whispering, oh, we don't want to pay her because we're giving her a break. Only on The Frequency on the Black Star Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk

about what that means, the generation that missed that message, and the price that we're all paying as a result. Well, now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night, and then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Me, Sherri Sheppard, and you know what you're watching Roland Martin unfiltered Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. Thank you. We continue to cover stories dealing with police misconduct, and there's a story out of California that speaks to this.

The black California woman seen on body cam footage being punched by a L.A. County sheriff's deputy while holding her three-week-old baby has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. Yayo Russell was riding in a car when deputies pulled him over on July 14th in Palmdale, California. The deputies made all other passengers exit the vehicle. Deputies then threatened to take her son away because there was no car seat. Russell began to scream while begging the deputies to let her sister come get her baby. They refused. Russell was then punched in the face twice by a deputy, causing the infant to dangle upside down with one deputy pulling on the baby's leg. Russell was arrested, spent more than four days in jail, and was separated from her baby.

The lawsuit alleges excessive force, wrongful arrest, unconstitutional custom practice or policy, and municipal liability for failure to properly train its officers. So, folks, pull a volume up here. You're going to see what's happening here. So go to the beginning, and then I want us to play it again so people can hear and see exactly what took place. Get back in the car. Get back in the car.

You got custody, bro. Don't touch her. What you're doing right now is not showing me you care about your baby. No, I care about my baby, but I'm not about to let y'all. Listen, okay. So record me, bro. I care about my baby, and y'all don't. My baby is black and Mexican, bro.

I'm not, but he don't. I don't have custody of my baby. I don't have custody of my baby. So what's going on? No, because y'all doing me wrong. I'm sitting here complaining. I swear to God on everything I love, bro, y'all not taking my baby from the home.

Y'all going to have to shoot me dead to take my baby from my home. Y'all going to have to shoot me dead to put me. I'm not about to let you take my baby all my life. I'm not about to. No. No, move. Move. come get my baby all my life. I'm not about to. No. No, boo! Boo!

come get my baby, bro! Get my baby, bro! My baby's three months. My baby's three weeks. You gonna hurt him, bro! No, I'm hurting him. No, you hurting the baby, bro! I'm not letting you guys take my baby, bro!

Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo! You hurting my baby,, so I'm not letting go! You're breaking his f----- leg, bro! Hey, get that on record!

Let's go, baby! Aah! Y'all break me, bro! I guess I don't record! That's f-----! 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 But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

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

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

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

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

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree.

It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpaperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Listen to me, bro. Hey, you broke my damn, bro. Is someone missing her? I know.

Ah! Record it, bro. They're wrong. They're wrong. They're wrong. They're wrong! They're wrong! They're wrong! They're wrong! All right, folks. Joining us now from California is our attorney, J'mon Hicks.

J'mon, glad to have you here. So what did the cops say the rationale for punching her in the face? That's how you detain somebody? We've not yet seen the police reports to justify it. In my experience, what they will likely have said is that she was resisting arrest or being somehow violent to the officers. I expect to see that somewhere in the report because they would have drafted the report

before have seen this video. And obviously she was distraught. She was saying she was not going to let go of the baby. But man, going to the extent to haul off and punch her in the face, that was absolutely shocking to see. Very shocking. And what's even more disturbing is that her sister was at the scene. And so the deputies could have easily just given the child to the sister or another family member if they were that concerned, as opposed to trying to separate the mother from the child. And there's absolutely no justification for punching her in the face. And we hear her saying,

I'll give it to my sister. So if she's there, why not use her? Absolutely. And even before this video, there is another young lady that's sitting down that's holding a baby as well. And she tells the deputies

that the police are on that. I'm sorry that the sister is on the way. And she was pleading for them to just let the children go with the sister because there was a car seat in the trunk. The only reason they weren't using the car seat was because there were multiple people in the car. So there was no space. So they could have easily ensured that the child was in the car seat and with the sister. I'm curious, does the law in California state that you can arrest somebody if a child is not in the car seat? This would be an infraction at most.

If had it not gone to the use of force, what could have very easily happened under the law would be to allow the child to go to a family member and then to cite Ms. Russell for failure to have a child seat. But that is not something that you arrest someone over. Or what you do is you cite her and then say, ma'am, put that car seat in the car. Absolutely. and then say, ma'am, put that car seat in the car? Absolutely, especially because, again, when you listen to the entire video, they tell them that the car seat is in the trunk. So they could have just said, okay, get the car seat,

put it in, and put the child in. And if there was a concern because there were other children not in the car seat again, there was another responsible party that could have taken the children, and it's a site out. It's not an arrest. When did this take place? This took place July 14th of last year, so 2022. That's been more than a year.

So what has happened in the last year? Well, unfortunately, the video wasn't released until a week ago. So the family did not and had not even retained an attorney because she was fighting child endangerment charges in the criminal system. And there's an open pending DCFS investigation. So he has been focused on that portion and not any civil lawsuit until we filed our lawsuit yesterday. Any response from the police chief, excuse me, the sheriff regarding this case? Sheriff Luna did come out, hold a press conference when he released the video.

He has indicated that the captain of the station has been transferred and the officer, the deputy that was the one that punched, it's our understanding that he's been relieved of duties. But the concern is why it took so long for this video to be released in the first place. Absolutely, absolutely. All right. We still appreciate you joining us. Thanks a lot. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. This is, Joe, one of these cases that unfortunately we continue to see happen. And again, if you're cops, this is how you detain somebody?

Punch him in the face? Yeah, I mean, you know, nothing that went on would rise to the level justifying her being punched in the face. Among other things, that doesn't make them any more secure. It's going to be interesting to see what's happening. And that's what I would have asked Brother Hicks is whether he foresees at all any change with the new sheriff. This took place under the previous regime, you know, which got voted out of office. It does look like Sheriff Luna took his time getting this video out. So I don't know, you know, how well that bodes. Haven't paid a lot of attention to the sheriff's department at least day to day. So it's going to be interesting to see whether or not this is just going to be more of the same

or, you know, this is maybe some kind of step, even though they slow-footed it a bit this time, that the sheriff's department is going to get better at transparency because we'd be a lot further along if this discussion had happened a year ago when it was supposed to. So often we see these cases, Mustafa, and you have folks who, you know, let the cops off. And it's just, again, the actions to me is what is just absolutely shocking and astounding in terms of, like, that's how you wanna get somebody

to stop, you punch them in the face i mean it's atrocious um you know on a dna level it kind of hits you because it reminds you of when black babies were stripped from their mother's arms and for him not to understand that she has a three-week-old child and not wanting that child to be separated from her shows the dehumanization of the way that they see black women. You can't escape it. I mean, you had five, six officers there in that space and none of them stepping in and saying, you know what, let's make a phone call. Let's have a paramedic come over. Let's have a social worker come into this space. And, you know, and again, all you had to do was give somebody just a basic ticket for not having a car seat or having the baby in the car seat.

But you got to go deeper than that, Roland. You know, the National Center for Women and Policing has done a study before, and it showed that 40 percent of policies have domestic violence going on in their homes. And the general public is around 10 to 13 percent. So it shows you how, unfortunately, some officers, not saying all, interact in their own families. So imagine if they're out there on the streets, how they're going to interact. Lauren. Yeah, I mean, I think what happens in these videos a lot of times is the police, rightly or wrongly, and in this case probably wrongly, they get, police get annoyed when youraction. So they were stopped for some nonsense, nonviolent headlight infraction. The headlights were out.

And then one of the cops alleges that someone smelled of alcohol, so then everybody has to get out of the car. So maybe they were going to run a field sobriety test. Who knows what they were gonna do? But one would think that all of this money that we see getting allocated in these jurisdictions to de-escalate and to train cops to do this and that, we never seem to see any of that training reflected in any of these videos. This was

just a year ago. And just think, this is after we see all of what we've already seen when it comes to police brutality in this country. So I guess they're going to get her on failure to obey or resisting. It can't be resisting arrest. Arrested for what? So it's probably going to be a B.S. failure to obey charge, I guess, that is involved in this. But this is a great example of the police being too involved in American life. And then when they do get involved, they are a negative force when they shouldn't be a negative force. Many of these police cars in many jurisdictions say words on

them like, we're here to help or something like that. Well, if you're here to help, let's see that. Let's see that in what should have been a relatively minor stop in this particular situation. What it also does, Joe, it gives us another example. When you look at most of these cases involving African-Americans, it's nearly always a basic traffic stop. Right. Right. And then it escalates. Yeah. Yeah. You know, busted taillight. You know, something minor. I mean, the fact of the matter is the police can pull you over

for just about anything. And it is most of the time something that is super minor where the discretion to stop perhaps a white person normally is not utilized, exercised, at least not nearly as much. And so it starts there and escalates into something else where people get hurt seriously. This is serious injury, by the way,

where somebody gets killed, where somebody gets shot, and it starts off with next to nothing because those particular small things are used as pretexts in order to search cars, take people out of them, and create problems. And this woman, it was protecting her child. And I don't blame her. Something that most men can't understand, at least not quite the same way. And so, yeah, it always starts with little to nothing because that's what they want to do. You know, here she was in a little Cadillac CTS or whatever else. So they figured they'd go ahead and do what it is that they felt like they needed to do.

And it starts from there and escalates. And it's another situation that did not have to escalate. If she should have been pulled over at all, you're talking about an infraction at most. Right. You give her the infraction and you go along your merry way. And that's that. It didn't have to be all this. But once again, fortunately, I guess we ought to be glad she's alive. We shouldn't be thinking of it that way. There ought to be a federal lawsuit, et cetera.

But even this, as bad as it came out, could have come out worse, because it wouldn't have been out of character for it to come out worse, given the reputation of police in general, the actual things that have happened, and on some level, the L.A. Sheriff's Department as well. Yep. Well, this is unfortunately is par for the course whenever we have to do these stories. And so it just keeps happening over and over and over again. All right, folks, got to go to break. We'll be back. Rollerball Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to support us in what we do.

Join our Bring the Funk fan club by contributing to our efforts. You can see your check and money order at PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com.

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Tobacco use claims 45,000 black lives every year. It's the number one cause of preventable death. In the 1950s, less than 10% of black smokers used menthol cigarettes. Today, it's 85%. Menthol cools and numbs the throat, making it easier for kids to start smoking. Menthol also increases addiction, making it harder for smokers to quit. Menthol cigarettes are a big reason why black Americans have a harder time quitting smoking and die at higher rates from smoking-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

It's time to stop big tobacco from profiting off Black lives. An FDA ban on menthol cigarettes will improve Black health, save lives, and protect future generations from addiction. Learn more at tobaccofreekids.org slash ban menthol. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means,

the generation that missed that message and the price that we're all paying as a result. Well, now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me

and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. 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. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,

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

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

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

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves.

Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. This is Essence Atkins. Mr. Love, King of R.B. Waheem Duvall.

Me, Sherri Sheppard, and you know what you watch. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, a police informant says he saw a dry run of Malcolm X's 1965 assassination a week prior to it happening. And a new witness at the scene says authorities never interviewed him. Standing next to civil rights attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Ray Hanlon, Mustafa Hassan, previously known as Richard Melvin Jones, who was standing with Malcolm X, read his affidavit about what he saw the day Malcolm X was murdered in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom.

Watch this. I, Mustafa Hassan, previously known as Richard Melvin Jones, being duly sworn, hereby deposed, and say, number one, I have personal knowledge of the facts stated in this affidavit and certify that the following statements are true. Number two, I am executing this affidavit freely and voluntarily. Number three, I'm over 18 years of age. My date of birth is... Don't give your date of birth. Don't give your date of birth. Don't give your address.

All right. Number four, I am fully competent to make this affidavit and have personal knowledge of the facts stated in this affidavit. Number five, I was a member of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, acronym O-A-A-U, founded in 1964 by El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, also known as Malcolm X. Number six, on or about February 21st, 1965, I was present in the Audubon Ballroom at 3940 Broadway at West 165th Street in Manhattan, New York. I assisted with a security detail when Malcolm X delivered his speech. I was initially assigned to be in one of the aisles of the Audubon. Subsequently, one of the lieutenants higher in the OAU chain of command structure instructed to move towards the entrance to the ballroom.

Number eight. As Malcolm X began his speech, a disturbance occurred when someone yelled, nigga, get your hand out of my pocket. Immediately thereafter, Malcolm X stepped forward and asked everyone to stay calm to de-escalate the situation. Now, all of a sudden, number nine, there was a loud explosion that immediately caused further disruption, capturing everyone's attention. Now, a series of gunshots, number ten, then rang out from another direction and I immediately ran from my post in the entrance and witnessed Malcolm X being shot. Number eleven, I immediately

started to make my way from the back of the Autobahn where I had been posted and towards the stage where Malcolm X was located. However, the scene became chaotic as people frantically ran around seeking exits to cover and protect themselves. Number 12, I saw a man running down the aisle towards the exit where I had been posted with a gun in his hand. I made the decision to attempt to stop this person because he had a gun in his hand and was headed directly towards me. Number 13, I managed to knock this person down and I continued towards the stage where Malcolm X was lying on his back

surrounded by his followers. I know now that the identity of the man with the gun is Talmadge X. Heyer, also known as Thomas Hagen. When I arrived at the stage, I saw that Malcolm X was in grave condition, seemingly close to death, and as a result result my extreme distress and anger I turned attention back to the man who I had seen running away knowing that he had a part of responsibility for what I had just witnessed. Number 16. I would later see the same man outside as he was being beaten by Malcolm's followers, while a group of policemen who suddenly showed up on the scene asked if he was with us, while at the same time holding back Malcolm's followers from beating him. Can you repeat that?

Yes. I would later see the same man outside as he was being beaten by Malcolm's followers while a group of policemen who suddenly showed up on the scene asked him, is he with us? While at the same time holding back Malcolm's followers from beating him. From my vantage point, this was an attempt by the police to assist in him getting away. Rather than allow the man to get away, I reached out and grabbed the man by his collar to prevent him from escaping. As evidenced in the attached photograph that you'll see, you'll see me grabbing Talmadge hair while a police officer tried to hold, tried to come between us in Exhibit A. Number 17, when he was in police custody,

then I went back inside the Audubon and observed on stage Sister Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's wife, Sister Yuri Kochiyama, a co-member of the OAU, and others surrounding Malcolm's prone body. There are photographs of myself and other individuals trying to assist Malcolm in Exhibit B. Number 18, I later observed Malcolm X being removed from the Audubon as he was placed on a stretcher and then on a gurney to be taken to the hospital. I can be seen escorting Malcolm to the hospital outside of the autobahn as I helped clear the way on the street to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. Number 20. I later discovered one of the men assisting Malcolm

was Eugene Roberts, an undercover agent with the Bureau of Special Services and Investigation in the New York City Police Department, NYPD, and Raymond A. Woods, another undercover agent with BOSSI, B-O-S-S-I, in the New York Police Department, was also present at the assassination. 21. I know Eugene Roberts has stated he believed he witnessed a dry run of Malcolm X's assassination on February 15th in 1965. I can attest that there were previous attempts on Malcolm X's life, and I believe I witnessed one earlier. After police and medical officials removed Malcolm's body from the Audubon, Sister Kochiyama stated that

Ray Wood is said to have been seen running out of the Audubon and was one of the two people picked up by the police. I agree with Yuri Kochiyama. Number 23, there were no uniformed policemen in or around the Audubon the day Malcolm X was murdered compared to previous speeches and events where Malcolm was present. Number 24. To this day, despite my presence inside and outside of the Audubon on the day of the assassination, law enforcement never attempted to interview or attain a statement from me regarding what I had seen, heard, and actually did on that day. Number 25. After Malcolm's assassination, I was concerned that the lack of law enforcement's focus on myself could change to interest in myself. I became so disillusioned by what I had seen

and experienced that I had made arrangements to and did leave the country for a number of months as I sought a new residence for myself and my family. This was done out of concern for my and my family's safety and where I believe the United States as a society was headed. Number 26. I am aware that NYPD officials claim that Malcolm X exaggerated assassination attempts on his life. They believe Malcolm X's complaints and attempts on his life were a publicity stunt. After he contacted NYPD in July of 64, after he was approached in his car by two men when he arrived home that evening. I believe that Malcolm X's claims were valid because I personally witnessed one such attempt earlier in 1964. On the penalty of perjury, I hereby declare and affirm that the above-mentioned statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Lauren, I want to start with you. There was a docuseries on Netflix where a brother here in D.C. really examined a lot of things involved here and laid out that, without a doubt, they allowed the killer to go away, and he remained free and then became a prominent New Jersey activist. That's right. He busted that open. That was Abdur Rahman Mohammed, who he calls himself a citizen journalist. To me, he's better than most journalists that call themselves full-time journalists. I think he covered a lot of the territory that we heard today, certainly not in this level of detail. I thought Ben Crump and everyone at the

press conference really gave a really full level of detail. They had photos, they had video, you know, they had pointed out exactly where Mustafa Hassan was in those old videos. It was pretty spectacular in that sense to have somebody living who could point themselves was in those old videos. It was pretty spectacular in that sense, to have somebody living who could point themselves out in those videos in 1965. The only thing is that I think what this requires is the government to release what they have. And Mohammed, in his documentary, Who Killed Malcolm X?, which I think is still on Netflix, he was making that point. He had actually talked to a police officer, a New York City police officer who was still alive, in that documentary, and they brought a lot of this up,

that in fact there was a lot more to the death of Malcolm X than anybody ever knew. The fact that we're sitting here 58 years later without knowing the fullness of what happened is spectacularly crazy. And if it wasn't for Mr. Muhammad and his documentary, we would not know what we know now. But really, a lot of these documents should just be released. That right there to me, I think is the most important thing here, Joe. How in the hell are we still not don't have access to all the documents? Right. I mean, at the end of the day, everybody knows that the government was watching this. They were sitting on it, probably multiple agencies. We all know.

I mean, you know, we can go back historically. Most of these things in of consequence. I mean, you know, you know, we can go back to well actually be going forward it'd be a couple years but even martin's death dr king's death there were things going on i mean you know this this guy you know james or array gets away nobody finds him nobody gets him there's always something else there as it pertains to particularly somebody like malcolm x who was followed to mecca who was followed around everywhere, and they used the conflict. I believe the government used the conflict between the nation and he to put them in front of whatever the government wanted to have done. And so they watched it. They acquiesced to it. And they may have even helped it somehow.

But let's take the guesswork out of it. After all these years, we ought to know what the role of the government was because there should be transparency. And hopefully that can be a lesson, another lesson learned about what has to happen as it pertains to these particular things. There should be transparency so that we know we can take the guesswork out of what we already believe to be true. It really is astounding, Mustafa, that the government continues to hold these documents and not wanting to completely come clean, whether it's NYPD or the FBI. Yeah, and we also understand the time period that we're operating in back then, I should say, with J. Edgar Hoover. And we've seen both the stories and documents. Some documents have come out about how they were following black leaders, how they saw black leaders as a problem because they were rallying people, they were fighting for

policy changes, all these different types of things. So, you know, once something is sort of infused into a system, it is very difficult to extract it from that system. So we have to continue to push. That's why we got to continue to get the right people in positions. And if we truly want to make sure that humanity becomes a reality inside of our country, then we have to continue to do the work. The Holy Quran says that if a person kills someone, it is as if he has killed all of humanity. When Dr. King was killed, humanity was lessened. And of course, when El-Hazmalik El-Shabazz was killed, humanity once again was weakened. Lauren, you are from New York. And I mean,

let's just be honest. What you have here, folks who are protecting individuals who likely are still alive. Oh, absolutely. You know, I almost went up to New York to see this press conference in person. And yeah. So what's happening here? And Mustafa just talked, touched on it. You know, it's not only the J. Edgar Hoover era. It's the era that we live in right now. We're having a battle over history. And you can bet that some of these records that everyone is hiding, the FBI and likely the New York City Police Department,

are the types of records that black people are going to be really pissed off at. And, of course, not just black people. Anybody who's interested in history and the truth is going to be pissed off to find out that the government was involved in the death and the murder of Malcolm X. I mean, that is where this is headed. That's where everybody had suspected that in the first place. And there's a reason why these documents are not available. It makes no sense that they're not available, of course, because, again, here we are 58 years later. I'm not sure why they can't be available other than the political implications in this situation. That is it. And when we look at, again, how this continues to play out, Joe.

They don't want to be honest. And what it also speaks to is his entire organization, the Nation of Islam, they were infiltrated by federal undercover agents. Right, absolutely. And so even to that point, you know, there were people that may have been doing what they were doing. There were some in the Nation of Islam that were against Malcolm, of course.

I think we understand that. But there were plenty that had infiltrated as well. And so, you know, there's something to be said for separating all of that out and understanding that as much as possible. I'm certain that we would find out that the involvement is deeper than they thought, than we all thought, for as much as we all thought. It's probably more than that. the involvement is deeper than they thought, than we all thought, for as much as we all thought. It's probably more than that,

it's probably deeper than that. And to the point that was just made, it almost certainly involved people that are still alive. And so therefore, because of that, between the power of media, social media, dissemination of information, et cetera, they're probably scared there'd be a drive to start to arrest some of those folks, just like we were trying to arrest the lady that

was involved in the Emmett Till murder. You know what I mean? So, therefore, they're probably trying to lay low as much as they can, particularly while people that have not been brought to justice at all that could be are still lying out there. And so here we go again. We're continuing on. But we understand that this web of deception is continuing. still lying out there. And so, you know, here we go again. We're continuing on. But, you know,

we understand that this web of deception is continuing. It doesn't mean it's not there. The fact that they're not giving it up, as it were, as yet does not mean that we don't know that there is something nefarious is going on and there's a lot to be uncovered. And the beginning of apology, turnaround, et cetera, is transparency. You have to show us what you have. Indeed. All right, folks, hold tight one second. We come back. We'll talk with the new president, Rainbow Push Coalition. Lots to talk about. You're watching Buller Martin Unfiltered right here on the Blackstar Network. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

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

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

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

compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher.

Brent Smith from Shinedown. 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 podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers. But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves.

A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else. But never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. I'm Faraji Muhammad, live from LA. And this is The Culture.

The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together, so let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the streets a horrific scene a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn minds there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s

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

The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message, and the price that we're all paying as a result. Now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Next on The Frequency with me, the Bond actress, writer, and advocate, Rae Dawn Chong,

is here to discuss her childhood and break down her life in Hollywood, a show you don't want to miss. Well, even at my peaky, peak, peak when I was getting a lot of stuff, as soon as I was working a ton, I heard people whispering, oh, we don't want to pay her because we're giving her a break. Only on The Frequency on the Black Star Network. For decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately targeted Black communities and kids with marketing for menthol cigarettes. It's had a devastating impact on black health. Tobacco use claims 45,000 black lives every year.

It's the number one cause of preventable death. In the 1950s, less than 10% of black smokers used menthol cigarettes. Today, it's 85%. Menthol cools and numbs the throat, making it easier for kids to start smoking. Menthol also increases addiction, making it harder for smokers to quit. Menthol cigarettes are a big reason

why black Americans have a harder time quitting smoking and die at higher rates from smoking-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It's time to stop big tobacco from profiting off Black lives. An FDA ban on menthol cigarettes will improve Black health, save lives, and protect future generations from addiction. Learn more at tobaccofreekids.org slash ban menthol. Next on The Frequency with me,

the bonds actress, writer, and advocate, Rae Dawn Chong is here to discuss her childhood and break down her life in Hollywood, a show you don't want to miss. Even at my peaky peak peak when I was getting a lot of stuff, as soon as I was working a ton, I heard people whispering, oh, we don't want to pay her because we're giving her a break.

Only on The Frequency on the Black Star Network. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it, and you spread the word. We wish to plead our

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stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Waits $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Early days in the road, I learned, well, first of all, as a musician, I studied not only piano, but I was also drummer and percussion.

I was all city percussion as well so i was one of the best in the city on because you go also studied uh trumpet uh cello violin and bass and any other instrument i could get my hand and and and with that study I learned again what was for me. I learned what it meant to do what the instruments in the orchestra meant to each other in the relationships. Right. So that prepared me to be a leader. That prepared me to lead orchestras and to conduct orchestras. That prepared me to know, to be a leader of men, they have to respect you and know that you know the music. You have to be the teacher of the music. You have to be the teacher of the music.

You have to know the music better than anybody. There you go. Right, so you can't walk in unprepared. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepherd Talk Show. This is your boy, Herb Quaid. And you're tuned in to... Roland Martin, unfiltered. J. LaVille has been missing from Killeen, Texas, since June 29th. The 13-year-old is 5 feet tall, weighs 98 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about J. LaVille is urged to call the Killeen, Texas, Police Department at 254-501-8830 at 254-501-8830. 254-501-8830. New York federal judge rejects the request to change her ruling allowing NFL coach Brian Flores' racial discrimination lawsuit to proceed to trial. The decision allowed Flores to sue the NFL and three of its teams, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and the Houston Texans over allegations of discrimination against him and other black coaches. Flores, currently serving as a defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, filed a lawsuit in February of 2022

claiming the league's hiring and promotion practices were plagued with racism. Judge Valerie Caproni said the coaches' experiences raised profound concerns about the league's history of systematic discrimination against black players, coaches, and managers. A trial date has not been scheduled. I'll say this here. I doubt very seriously, Joe, they want this thing to go to trial because discovery could reveal a whole lot. Yeah, discovery could be damning. And then the other part is,

in a league that's 70% black players, and I believe 30 franchises, and around the time Brian Flores filed this, there was one black coach. If there is a precedent that goes all the way to trial, it's going to turn the NFL's coaching ranks upside down. And I'm not sure they want that either. So they're better off settling the case and not having something hard and fast that actually changes the law permanently so that perhaps on its face, by virtue of their having just one black coach under these circumstances, it's not going to pass the smell test. And if there is a precedent that Brian Flores wins, it has the potential to turn things on its head. You know, but the thing here, Mustafa, that is important,

they need to be on the record. Remember, they sell the Colin Kaepernick lawsuit. We just saw Dan Snyder, where after the team was sold, they admitted how he withheld millions from other NFL teams, how he sexually harassed an employee, and he was heavily involved in all sort of other shenanigans. And so these owners have always protected each other when it comes to their dirt. I would really hope this thing goes to trial.

Yeah, I'm the exact same way. You know, it's easy for these billionaires to write checks to, you know, make sure that things disappear. But we really need to once again put the light of day on these issues and make sure that people understand the dynamics that have been going on behind the scenes. We saw, you know, before how they used to say, well, you know, you can't be a quarterback because you don't have the intelligence because you're African-American. And then, of course, we, you know, made sure that we broke that glass ceiling. Now we just got to make sure that the, you know, these things that are happening in relationship to coaches and even ownership begins to change. It's just greatly frustrating, Joe, to continue to see these things happen over and over and over again and this league not be held accountable,

and they just simply keep raking in the billions of dollars? Yeah, and it continues to perpetuate. And so the question becomes, you know, do we ever get to the point? You know, back before social media and back before desegregation, you know, and, you know, in the 50s and the 60s, you had a unifying thing. I might not like this brother next to me, but none of us can ride the bus. There you go, unifying thing. And so therefore, here's what we will do. There will be an economic effect and we will shut this thing down. So a lot of people will change policy because they're choked economically. A lot of

people will change policy because they're moved by the heart. But one way or the other, policy changes. The question becomes, can something like this really change with the players themselves rising up, taking a stand, doing something that undercuts the finances of the league in a very fundamental way? Because it's probably going to take something like that to have a permanent, lasting, sustainable change. Indeed, indeed. Do we have Lauren back? Lauren, your assessment on this Brian Flores lawsuit, the judge saying, no, we're moving forward. Yeah, I'm glad the judges say, that's basically it.

Once you get past the motion to dismiss, you just won the case, and they're going to be settling probably because I really doubt that the NFL is going to want all the details of what they do on front street you know i doubt that so he just won the case effectively uh that's great that the you know that this case is going forward it would be great to see the details though on discovery uh and boy would it be great to see some depositions on this case to see the inner workings of the NFL.

But effectively, I think he just won. And I'd be surprised if the NFL did not just hand him a lot of money to avoid the details of what they do being public. Well, you know, I hope he I hope he does what Colin Kaepernick chose not to do. And that is not settle. Right. You know, he may he may choose to do that. And that would be quite exciting because then you get into a bunch of paper discovery and, of course, a bunch of discovery on the record and in fact, probably a trial. So that would be a big reveal on the details of how the NFL works. We already know how the NFL works. We don't really need to see the detail, but it'd be very exciting to see the

details. And this is really a great example of what happens when you bring a case and there's some merit to what you're bringing, which I think we all knew there was. But it'll be surprising to me if the NFL doesn't try to avoid a trial. Well, I absolutely believe putting them on the front stream is really important. All right, folks. A Wisconsin man was spent time in prison for making racially charged threats toward black people. 45-year-old William McDonald was sentenced to 30 months in prison for intimidating black residents, demanding they leave his neighborhood. McDonnell pleaded guilty to vandalizing a black woman's vehicle parked outside her apartment by slashing her tires and smashing her windshield in March of 2021.

McDonnell also left a note on her car filled with racial slurs and threats. He also did the same thing to another African-American in April 2022. McDonnell's sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. That's how you do it. You send these racists to prison, Mustafa. Without a doubt. That's the only thing that's really

going to get their attention, you know, is putting them in jail and then sometimes hitting them in the pocket as well. Those are the two things that get their attention because we know that white supremacy is up. The statistics show us that and we also know that white supremacy is up. The statistics show us that. And we also know that white nationalism and hate crimes are also up. So the only way you're going to get their attention and hopefully change some minds ain't going to change everybody's

put their ass in jail. That's it, folks. In a powerful and long overdue ceremony, Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. finally awarded high school diplomas to 24 black deaf students who were denied in the early 1950s. Saturday's graduation ceremony was hosted by the University Center for Black Deaf Studies in honor of black teachers and students. Black students were transferred to separate schools

due to protests against integration by white parents. However, in 1952, Louise B. Miller and other parents successfully sued the District of Columbia School Board of Education, leading to a court ruling that allowed black deaf students to attend a segregated Kendall School. The school's board of trustees expressed deep regret for perpetuating these injustices

and apologized to all 24 students for denying them their diplomas. In addition to the graduation ceremony, Gallaudet dedicated a memorial to Miller and designated July 22nd as Kindle 24 Day to commemorate this critical moment in their history. How about, you know, I don't know, Lauren, creating scholarships for their descendants? 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 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 one, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back.

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

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

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey.

We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Oh, absolutely. I mean, that's what Georgetown

did, I believe, right? I mean, I think that would have been great to bring money into the picture. And I'm not sure, again, you know, 1952, and we're just getting around to doing this. It's great that they've done it, but it is amazing how long it takes for justice to happen for African-Americans in this country, whether it's the murder of Malcolm X or something as simple as a graduation ceremony. I'm not sure why it takes so long for these things to happen, particularly in Washington, D.C., where the Library of Congress is sitting there and all these historians and all of these people with the knowledge that they have

about what has happened in this country. But it is great to see these images. It's great that Gallaudet finally did this. But yes, you're right, Roland, it would have been nice to meet this with some money, a scholarship, a set of scholarships, et cetera, and so on. All right, folks. LeBron James' son, a scholarship, a set of scholarships, et cetera, and so on. All right, folks. LeBron James' son, Bronny, suffered a cardiac arrest while playing basketball Monday. The USC student was a high school American, collapsed on the court during practice. He was

rushed to the hospital and treated for his condition. The 18-year-old athlete is one of basketball's most celebrated young prospects and ranks in the number one among the nation's top 10 highest NIL valuations. The cardiac arrest circumstances remain unclear, and the family spokesperson has requested privacy. Quote, yesterday while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family,

and we will update the media when there is more information. LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes. The thing, of course, you always have these stuck-on stupid people, Mustafa, people like Elon Musk already trying these stuck on stupid people, Mustafa, people like Elon Musk already trying to come out and say, oh, it could be because he got the vaccine and all sorts of stuff like that. I mean, I wish these yahoos literally would shut the hell up. Yeah, if they want to say something, they should be sending prayers. If Elon wants to do

something, why don't he dedicate some resources to medical research or to, you know, the underserved areas in our country where black and brown folks are, where they can't get proper medical treatment, those types of things. So if you want to do something, do something productive. Well, how about this, Elon? Pay the black workers in Africa who you fired. How about that? All right, y'all, hold tight one second. We'll come back. We'll chat with the new president of the Rainbow Push Coalition,

Reverend Frederick D. Haynes III, next on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it, and you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it.

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On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, Financial Literacy. Without it, wealth is just a pipe dream. And yet, half of our schools in this country don't even teach it to our kids. You're going to hear from a woman who's determined to change all that, not only here, but around the world. World of Money is the leading provider of immersive financial education for children ages 7 to 18. We provide 120 online and classroom hours of financial education.

That's right here on Get Wealthy on Blackstar Network. Hi, my name is Brady Riggs. I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams. I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams. I'm from Dallas, Texas. Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable.

You hear me? Well, it's been quite the busy time for the new president of Rainbow Push Coalition since taking over about more than a week ago. And he joins us right now, Reverend Frederick D. Haynes III. Thank you so very much. First and foremost, I take it you've been just a little bit busy with all the folks reaching out to you. Now some of this new responsibility. Thank you so much for having me, Roland, and thank you again for continuing to be our voice as well as to offer a vision of the path forward. As always, you were on the case right there, on the scene, I should say, when Reverend

Jackson made the announcement, and so I thank you for that. Yes, this has been a whirlwind of a few weeks. Well, not even a few weeks, 10 days. And it's understandable, given the magnitude of Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson is one of the heroes of our history who literally can be credited with making a significant, liberating, empowering impact on the world, but especially on behalf of those who have had no voice. You don't have, you don't register 7 million new voters in 84 and 88 and not make a significant impact. You don't change the rules for the way the Democratic Party was nominating or giving out delegates that eventuates in the 08 election of Barack Obama without your making this kind of announcement,

having reverberations that spread throughout the world. And so given the magnitude of Jesse Jackson, my phone has blown up in a way that reflects his greatness, his stature, but also it reflects the fact that in his greatness, he has seen that there is a need for transition, that we have to institutionalize what we do so that generations, plural, benefit from a vision and not just one personality. And so I salute Reverend Jackson. Again, the phone has been blowing up, but it has a lot to do with who he is. And of course, I do maintain that Reverend Jackson did not select me because I hadn't been doing anything.

He selected me because there is work that has been done, work that needs to be done. And so I think my phone blowing up has a lot to do with that. Plus, I know Roland Martin, plus the Alphas are meeting in Dallas beginning tomorrow. Absolutely. And I will be there. We'll also be broadcasting from there tomorrow. And I am set to announce a major announcement with Alpha Phi Alpha folks. So y'all want to tune into that. We'll be covering that live right here on the show. When we talk about priorities, what do you see as the top two priorities you have moving forward? Well, sadly, the priorities that Jackson was articulating and working toward in 73 still are apropos in 2023. Number one, economic justice. As you well know, Operation Breadbasket birthed out of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

and the vision of Dr. King to push for economic justice, especially for people who had fought so hard for civil rights but did not have civil rights. There's that classic scene in the movie Selma where King is greeted by Ralph Abernathy, trying to lift his spirits by saying, you know, keep your eyes on the prize. He said, what prize, Ralph? What is the prize if we can integrate a lunch counter, but we don't have the money to buy a hamburger and we don't have the education to read the menu? And so I think those are priorities that speak to where we are in 2023. And that is we do need economic justice, economic justice. When you think about the fact what 2053, Roland, our net wealth as a people will be at zero. It's forecasted. Not only that, but when you think about the fact that right now the wealth gap between blacks and whites is at

10 to 1. And so we have a responsibility to carry on that legacy. As Jesse said back in the day, we don't need charity. We want parity that comes through equality of opportunity. We need equity. That is what we need. So the fight for economic justice is going to continue as we fight those economic predators that prey on our community. But at the same time, we recognize, for example, in a state like Texas, where we are based, that procurement opportunities for black businesses is at less than 1%. We don't need charity. We want parity. We want equality of opportunity. We want equity. So that's priority number one, economic justice. Priority number two, Jesse Jackson, again, hit it off real well when he was talking about educational justice. And so on the one hand, he's saying to students in economically deprived schools, I am somebody. You go ahead and do your best so that you can have the kinds of grades that

reflect the greatness that is in you. But at the same time, we're challenging those educational institutions that make policy. And so we see in Florida, we see in Texas an all-out war on the education of our students. And so those have to be the priorities. But, Roland, I have got to add one more, because it reflects where we are now, and that is, we have got to have an agenda for environmental justice, because the bottom line is the planet is experiencing a slow burn. That means our communities are on fire because of the war on the environment. And the war-only environment has our communities on the front lines of catching ecological hail, and the ecological hail we are catching, again, we must wage war against it.

And so that reflects not only what Rainbow Push has done, but what we need to continue to do. And I'm sure that is music to the ears. I'm gonna stop for Santiago Ali, who's on our panel, former official with the Environmental Protection Agency, Mustafa. Yeah, well, Rev, congratulations. And I appreciate you talking about the economics and the environment.

So folks are gonna expect me to talk about the environment, but I'm gonna go to the economics. I'm curious, as we see corporations not living up to their sets of commitments after our dear brother George Floyd was murdered, as we see hundreds of billions of dollars from this administration being put out the door, how do we make sure that our communities actually get their fair share? Well, I think, again, we take a page from what was done back in the day, and that is we literally give a report card of what institutions were doing and then put them on blast to basically say this institution is not engaging in giving us our fair share. And when we put them on blast, and guess what? They did that back in the day, Mustafa, without social media, without a cell phone. We have access now. They didn't have Roland Martin unfiltered. And so one of the things that we have already discussed doing, and that is giving a

report card to all of these entities that benefit from black dollars and yet don't treat us like they have good sense. And again, that goes even to our government, as I've already pointed out, in Texas. And Texas is not alone. Our businesses make less than 1 percent, receive less than 1 percent of procurement opportunities. And that needs to be put on blast. That needs to be something that we rally against. And again, we have a friend in the White House, supposedly, who says, I'm going to have your back. One way of having our back is what's happening with our resources in our hands. And so we're going to put that on blast because, again, that's the rootage that we come from, and we can still reap fruitage if we use those old and proven methods. I think you're right.

I mean, the NAACP used to do that under President Kweisi and Fumey. I've said to Derek Johnson, I've said to Marc Morial, the National Urban League, that needs to return. We need to have that report card on the hotel industry, on media companies, on all of these companies. We're spending a lot of our money. My deal is that if we have that report card and we know who gets A's, B's, C's, D's, and F's, it's important because, frankly, what I'm tired of I'm tired of these corporations coming to civil rights groups and giving a pittance ten thousand dollars fifty thousand dollars a hundred thousand dollars uh and hell even look Wells Fargo did a 50 million donation to NAACP but how much money how much black wealth was lost in the home foreclosure crisis via the practices of Wells Fargo I

guarantee you is more than 50 million you it's more than $50 million. Without question, more than $50 million. And how many black folks lost their homes and they have not been repaired? And so, again, those institutions, we need to issue a report card, a grade on all of them, and then not settle for, and I think of that, Roland, settle for them giving us a ban or buying a banquet table and thinking that that is going to satisfy economic parity. Again, I'm going to exegete in this administration what it means to have parity and not settle for charity. And as far as I'm concerned, if you take out an ad in my

book, if you buy a table at my banquet, that's charity. That's not parity. We deserve parity because our dollars help to keep these businesses afloat. And in instances like Wells Fargo that economically pimp our communities, they still make money at the expense of Black pain. And that has to be exposed and it must come to an end. Lauren. Reverend Haynes, great seeing you. Great seeing you in there. Thank you, Lauren. Good to see you. Great seeing you. I, you know, I just, I know it's early. You probably haven't thought that much about this, but I wondered if Rainbow Push was thinking about being a part of the civil rights meetings at the White House. It might just be a geographical thing that's always like the NAACP and NUL

and the ones that are in like the D.C. area. No, that's not what it is. No, no, that's not what it is. No, no, no. I'm going to go ahead and say it. And what it is is all those other organizations are using the phrase called legacy civil rights organizations. Okay. And so the phrase, I want you to understand the phrase is just like in black-owned media, legacy black-owned media,

which means a black enterprise, Essence, Ebony, Urban One, but they also want to leave out Black Papers. I'm like, hell, you want to talk about legacy? They all came before any of those folks came. And so what you had is, what you had is the legacy civil rights folks have purposely, let me be perfectly clear, y'all. They have purposely left out Rainbow Push. They do not want repairs of the breach in the poor people's campaign in the same meeting. They do not want color change there. They do not want black voters matter there. They don't want until freedom there.

And so that's why. And I'm saying it right now. Enough of this legacy BS. Okay? If the White House is going to have meetings with civil rights organizations, it needs to be the old ones and the new ones, because that's how stuff gets changed. That's why they've had the distinction. Lauren, go ahead with your question. OK, so Reverend Haynes. Can I just say the doors of the church are open now. Maybe this night will kick off that effort, Reverend Haynes, to get you into

the White House meetings, because I just think that it is interesting to me that an organization as old as Rainbow Push would not be considered legacy. But OK, I think that it would be I mean, I know that that's probably something you haven't thought about. I mean, you just got into the position. But I will ask at the White House about that. Roland just educated me on the details of that. But, you know, I wanted to know what you thought about that. I'm sure you would love to be at the White House. I'm sure your answer is I'd love to be at the White House. But how hard would you push for that if that opportunity presented itself to be in some of these meetings?

Oh, without question. Rainbow Push not only has a constituency, we have a vision. And let's be real, I don't know, and please correct me if I'm wrong, if anybody has ever registered as many voters as Rainbow Push under the leadership of Reverend Jesse Jackson. And so if they're serious about that kind of track record continuing, then they must go ahead and correct what has been an oversight, and that's being quite generous. But without question, we want to be there because we do have voters that we are going to register in that tradition. We do have the coattails of Reverend Jackson that literally, even though he did not win the nomination, we can't count the number of black elected officials who were swept into office

because of what he did. And so we got the legacy, and now we have the energy, we have the wisdom, and we have the connects with the community. And so we deserve a seat there at the table. And we also have the Shirley Chisholm spirit that says if we don't get our own seat at the table, we do have chairs. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

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

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

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

all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

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

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers. But we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you've got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else.

But never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. We can bring. Absolutely.

Joe. Reverend, congratulations on your position. Clearly, this is an obvious and a good evolution of your leadership, longstanding. So you talked about this a bit previously. I'm not going to change my question and maybe get a little bit more. You know, the urgency hopefully would create the energy towards working towards a goal. How do we take this incredible legacy? You know, most black politicians of consequence, particularly on the national level, have Jesse Jackson to thank. Local politicians, et cetera, people all over the place. There's no question about that. How do we take advantage of that legacy, but at the same time, without being sheepish, use the opportunity that transition creates to give us both the energy and the urgency that allows Rainbow Push to get a new look,

not only of its historical significance, but of what needs to happen right now. And thank you for that question. A, I must say with gratitude that the energy that has been coming our way since the announcement a week ago Sunday has been gratifying. It's been strong. And in our meetings at Rainbow Push, we have discussed harnessing this energy, and especially, as you've noted, in light of the state of emergency that we find ourselves in as a nation, as a community, which should really fuel our sense of urgency in addressing the issues that are happening and hitting our communities right now. It's crystal clear the Supreme Court is waging war on justice. And not only are they waging war on justice, but the Supreme Court, while waging war on justice, a part of justice has to do with accountability.

They won't even hold accountable members of the court who are engaged in unethical practices. You know, of course, I'm in Dallas and Clarence Thomas has a sugar daddy who is pimping him. And so what that is doing to democracy ought stir up a sense of urgency. And let me just put it to you like this. If it does not energize us that a Trump-appointed judge in Tulsa, Oklahoma, refused throughout the case of the survivors of the most vicious, deadliest race massacre on U.S. soil in the history of this country, if that does not remind us that elections matter, because if Clinton had appointed that judge, I don't think the outcome would have been the same. But again, that denial of reparations is not just about those beloved three survivors of the Tulsa race massacre. It's really about what this nation thinks about a people who built it

for free. And not only did we build it for free, but now they are trying to even revise, engage in revisionist history, what Jacob Carruthers called historicide, killing memory, killing the truth in order to further their neo-fascist agenda. We are in a state of emergency, and now it's my determination that we harness the energy during this season of transition, focus on the issues, and make sure we get a message out while offering an alternative vision of what democracy ought to look like. Two more questions. One, I want to go back to the money because that is critically important. And what I keep saying to people is you have folks who are fighting reparations. Got it. Understand it. But there are

billions of dollars being spent right now. Right now. Billions upon billions of dollars. City, school boards, counties, the state, the federal government. The federal government,

$560 billion is annually spent in federal contracts. African Americans are receiving 1.67% of those contracts. Nearly a billion dollars being spent in advertising, $600 million by the Department of Defense alone. Black-owned media is getting 1% of that $1 billion. Then we talk about the spending in corporate America,

billions and billions upon billions of dollars, small amounts of money. You've got these black board members who are on these boards because of the work of Rainbow Push and Reverend Jackson, and many of them are sitting their asses there, quiet, saying nothing, not advocating for anybody black, but they're getting paid and getting their stock options. And so I would also hope that black board members will be challenged to say you were put there not to enrich yourself, but to ensure that black people as a collective are getting paid. Right. And tell the whole truth, Brolin Martin. Reverend Jackson opened those doors along with others who advocated. The door swung open. And now we have too many of us who

get there. And as easy a target as Clarence Thomas is, you are betraying your community if you get to that seat. And that seat does not reflect a transformation because of the work that you should be doing. And so without question, I agree with you 100 percent on the fact that you have, again, I pointed out, you know, here in Dallas, I'll go to Dallas now, when it comes to procurement opportunities, they're giving out contracts at the city level, at the county level. I just saw a report at the county level, the DFW Airport, the Dallas Community College District, and other entities of the county. When it comes to the money they take in, it's in, of course, the billions of dollars. I think the report said $25 to $30 billion. And

yet when it comes to contracts and opportunities, we are making at 1% of that, even though we are one third of the population in the county. And so we're going to expose that, not only expose that, but do all we can to turn up the heat so that they can see the light. You're so right, Roland. There is money out there that is jumping over our communities and continuing to go into the same greedy hands. And that pipeline has to come to a stop and has to be diverted to the communities of those who have done so much for this country, again, without receiving the kind of reciprocity that we deserve. You mentioned voter turnout, registered people to vote. In Texas in 2022, 75 percent of all voters 30 and under did not vote in the election. If 25

percent of them had voted, Greg Abbott ain't governor and Dan Patrick, he's that lieutenant governor. Today, you have fewer African-Americans who self-identify as Democrat, although they lean Democrat and vote that way. And so what do you hope to achieve in terms of really reaching young voters, walking folks through about public policy, explaining how the dots are connected, but also getting them to understand they cannot sit out of any of these elections if we want to change public policy. Thank you. And thank you for using the language, walking them through. There's a generation that has come of age without access in their educational process to civics or government classes, and it's reflected in a lot of what they say. I was teaching

at Paul Quinn College several years ago, and a young man said to me, I don't vote because the electoral college ignores my vote, and they're going to put in who they want to put in. We had a conversation, and over the course of that semester, I discovered, again, his lack of access to civics and government in his high school matriculation. And so that's why it just hit me that we cannot—we can no longer say, folk died for the right to vote, and a generation says, I'm going to vote now because folk died for that. No, we have to slow walk them through what public policy does, how public policy has personal consequences. And here's the piece I shared in our board meeting recently, Roland, and that is we have to have voter registration with an educational agenda. And by that, I mean we are educating. Again, you use the language slow walking. We're educating

them while we are registering them to vote as to what it looks like to have an empowered vote. An empowered vote is an empowered vote with an agenda. We have an agenda that we need to articulate and connect the dots between the agenda we envision, the needs the community has, and the power of the ballot. That is what we're going to do as we slow walk them through the voter registration and voter education process, voting with an agenda. Well, all these issues you're laying out, we obviously focus on those here as well. And we're going to keep doing so because we've got to be educated and keep our eyes on the

prize in terms of where we're trying to go, what we're trying to do. Reverend Haynes, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Frat. Appreciate you, Frat. See you at the convention tomorrow. Indeed. I'll be in Dallas tomorrow for the Alpha Convention. Thanks a bunch.

And to all the folks who are watching, again, I'll be broadcasting live from the Alpha Convention tomorrow in the first hour. In the second hour, we'll pick up live coverage of the public program. I'll be participating in a major announcement that Alpha Alpha is going to be making. It's one that will attract national attention. You don't want to miss that. All right, got to go to a break. We'll be right back. Roland Martin on the Blackstone Network.

Early days in the road, I learned, well, first of all, as a musician, I studied not only piano, but I was also drummer and percussion. I was all city percussion as well. So I was one of the best in the city on percussion. There you go. Also studied trumpet, cello, violin, and bass, and any other instrument I could get my hand on. And with that study, I learned again what was for me. violin and bass and any other instrument I could get my hand on. Mm-hmm. And with that study, I learned again what was for me. I learned what it meant to do what the instruments in the orchestra meant to each other in the

relationships. Right. So that prepared me to be a leader. That prepared me to lead orchestras and to conduct orchestras. That prepared me to know to be a leader of men, they have to respect you and know that you know the music. You have to be the teacher of the music. You have to know the music better than anybody.

There you go. Right, so you can't walk in unprepared. hatred on the streets a horrific scene a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn minds there's an angry pro-trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history.

Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. We'll be right back. Martin unfiltered. Uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable.

President Joe Biden's opponent, Shawanza Goff, is the new Director of Legislative Affairs, making her the first black woman to hold that position, a veteran congressional aide. Goff previously worked under Louisa Terrell before joining the Biden administration. She worked as the floor director for Congressman Steny Hoyer,

Maryland Democrat who has served in House Democratic leadership for decades. At the White House, Goff played a significant role in securing the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson and worked on important legislation related to infrastructure, guns, and semiconductors. You know, Lauren, a lot of people sit here and talk about, well, you know, you don't have this and you don't have that. Biden hasn't done this, hasn't done that. But let's just be clear.

You got more black folks who are in senior positions in the Biden administration than you had under Obama. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, to me, the Katonji Brown Jackson nomination is massive, massive Joe Biden activity. Obviously, Shawanza getting this is fantastic. OMB director, fantastic. Joe Biden has done a lot of things that I think only maybe Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton had like four black folks in his cabinet, I believe. I have to go double check that. But yeah, Joe Biden is putting black people in charge of stuff and it's big

stuff. And so that really matters. There's always more that can be done. There's no doubt about it. But these are not symbolic positions when you're legislative, when you're legislature. You're basically communicating with members of Congress all day. She's the perfect person for it. She worked on Capitol Hill for years on the floor for Steny Hoyer. And it's great to see. It's a great pick.

Mustafa? Yeah, just like Lauren said, it is really a great pick. When I worked on Capitol Hill, I had a chance to meet Shawanza, and then after that she's got, you know, she has the resume, but she also has the personality that's going to be necessary. And then just speaking about President Biden, I mean, if you look throughout numerous, both agencies and departments, there are black folks who are in very critical positions. So this is another piece to the puzzle that will be

important, especially for this last year as they try and get some other things done. Joe? Agreed. I mean, she certainly seems to be the right pick. Biden probably doesn't get as much credit as he deserves for the quality of the appointments that he makes. And even if you go over to judges, there are a lot of folks that have been appointed, probably did a better job than Obama did in terms of getting people that weren't necessarily big law or along that majority-acknowledged pedigree line. Joe Biden has done an excellent job of that. That also means that he listens to his staff, the people that surround him, including his vice president. So I'm looking forward to her success. She's got her work cut out for her, particularly getting closer to an election. Of course, you know, the other side is not going to want to do a whole lot, but hopefully Biden will be reelected.

This would be this would continue and there could be some other things that could be accomplished. Indeed, indeed. All right, folks, we appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Joe, Mustafa, Lon, thanks for joining us today on the panel. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov.

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