#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Fmr. HRC President's Discrimination Lawsuit, Voting Rights, Video may show Peter Spencer's murder

Episode Date: February 9, 2022

2.8.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Fmr. HRC President's Discrimination Lawsuit, Voting Rights, Video may show Peter Spencer's murder The Human Rights Campaigns says he was fired for cause. But the former president of the organization, Alfonso David, says it was discrimination. He's here to tell his side of the story.The Supreme Court's ruling about Alabama's redistricting sends a strong message about protecting voting rights.A surveillance camera was found at the remote Pennsylvania hunting camp where Jamaican immigrant Peter Spencer was killed. We'll get the latest on the investigation from his mother and the president of Chair, Allegheny County Democratic Black Caucus.Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty is demanding an apology after Republican Congressman Hal Rogers told her to kiss his ass over a face mask.Two white men get arrested and are now free on bond after chasing and shooting at a black FedEx driver who was just trying to do his job.She schools folks on the basketball court. In tonight's Marketplace segment, you'll meet a Chicago artist whose painting skills are just as smooth as her crossover, fade-away jump shot.#RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Nissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches. A real revolutionary right now. Black power. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. I love y'all.

All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Today is Tuesday, February 8th, 2022. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered,

streaming live on the Black Star Network. The human rights campaign says he was fired for cause, but the former president of the organization, Alfonso David, says it was discrimination. He's here to tell his side of the story. The Supreme Court's ruling about Alabama's congressional district sends a strong message about protecting voting rights,

or actually advancing GOP voter suppression. A surveillance camera was found at the remote Pennsylvania hunting camp where Jamaican immigrant Peter Spencer was killed. We'll get the latest on the investigation from his mother and the president and chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Black Caucus. Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Bates

is demanding an apology after Republican Congressman Hal Rogers told her to kiss his ass over wearing a face mask. And two white men get arrested and are now free on bond after chasing and shooting at a black FedEx driver who was just trying to do his job. Folks, she schools folks on the basketball court. In tonight's Marketplace segment,

you'll meet Chicago artists whose painting skills are just as smooth as her crossover fadeaway jump shot. Oh, y'all, it's time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin on Filter right here on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the biz, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine.

And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's Roland. Best believe he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. Yeah, yeah. It's Uncle Roro, yo.

Yeah, yeah. It's Rolling Martin, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh first black president of the human rights campaign, the largest gay rights advocacy group in the country, is suing the Organization for Racial Discrimination and Unequal Pay. Fonzo David says he was terminated in September because of his race.

HRC says he was fired for cause and his involvement in the case of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He joins us right now. I'm glad to have you on the show. So let's walk through this. They say you were fired because you were involved in, depositions show, your involvement in aiding Andrew Cuomo, then governor of New York, that your actions in that case violated your contract. What say you? Well, first, Roland, thank you. Thank you for having me on. Thank you for what you do. I think we need to start from the beginning, because just for, in case folks don't know this, I worked in state government for 12

years. I worked as the governor's counsel for four of those years. And after I left state government, after working on marriage equality, working on criminal justice reforms, working on the MWBE policy, after I left state government, a year and a half later, I received a phone call from the state asking for my files. They wanted to know where my files were. I told them my files should be in my office. They then asked me whether or not I had a copy of a memo, which I did, because I saved all of my money. That is something that all lawyers do. And in some states, you're required to do that. And I provided them a copy of the memo that I had in my possession, which I was required to do by law.

After that, the attorney general conducted an investigation into allegations against the governor that women had claimed that he was he had engaged in harassment, sexual harassment, to be specific. And during their investigation, they asked to speak to me and told me that I was legally prohibited from speaking to anyone about the investigation or the fact that they were interviewing me as a result of their investigation. I was not the subject of their investigation. They were talking to me and a number of other people. The attorney general then issues a report of their investigation. And in their report, they indicate that they spoke to

me. The report wasn't about me. The report was about the governor. I then told HRC that they should do an independent probe because they were asking questions about my engagement. I said, do an independent review, and this will clarify the facts for everyone, which they agreed to do. And they also said it would be transparent in their findings. Fast forward three and a half weeks later, the organization then asked me to resign

without telling me the findings of their investigation. They didn't disclose a report, even though they said they would be transparent in their findings. And now they're saying they're firing me because I was interviewed by the attorney general, because I worked for the governor, because I provided a report that I was or a memo that I was legally obligated to provide? This is nothing more than basic race discrimination. And I'm not pulling a straws here. This is an organization that has already been accused of systemic racial bias. In 2015, the majority of employees in that organization said that it was rife with racial bias. Every single senior manager in that organization

said they saw disparaging remarks against black and brown people and other marginalized groups. And guess what? When that happened in 2015, their white president was not fired. Their white president was not sanctioned. Their white president was not askeded. Their white president was not asked to resign.

But I was. That is the classic case of different standards applying to people based on race. In a statement, this is what the president of HRC, I'm sorry, the interim president, Joni Madison, said. Mr. Davis' complaint is riddled with

untruths. We are confident through the legal process that it will be apparent that Mr. David's termination was based on clear violations of his contract and HRC's mission. And as president of HRC, he was treated fairly and equally. Notably, some of the individuals he accuses of discriminatory behavior are people of color

and champions of racial equity and inclusion who provided support and guidance as Mr. David led the organization. Also, the executive committees constituted of independent directors were comprised of seven individuals, five of whom are black. So when you say it's discrimination, who specifically are you saying it?

Are you saying the black folks there or others? The entire organization. Roland, we all know that you can't sprinkle a few Black people in an organization and get rid of systemic race discrimination. Any Black person knows that. You can't throw five or six people on a board and claim that you can't be a racist organization. But guess what? This is what HRC is not telling you. There are at least 48

people on that board, not seven. There are 48 people on that board. The majority of them are white. What they're also not telling you is that one of those Black members on that board said to a guest that the organization was not ready for its first Black president. Another Black member of the board broke down in tears in front of Black and brown members of the staff and said that the process was flawed. So the organization can't hide behind this idea that we have Black people on our board, so we can't engage in systemic race discrimination. We know that's not true. And we've seen that in white institution after white institution. So I don't believe anything that HRC is saying. And then furthermore, this statement that HRC issues tells us everything we

need to know about the organization. I filed a 16-page federal civil rights complaint. 16 pages. On the same day, three former employees of the organization, all Black and brown, told the press that the organization was rife with racial discrimination. What does the organization do? Do they conduct an independent review?

Now you've heard from four people that are saying there's systemic race discrimination. Do they hire an outside law firm to do a review? No, they issued a public statement. They go on a media campaign to tarnish my name for blowing the whistle. So this organization is telling us they're not interested in addressing systemic race discrimination, because if they were, they would have issued a very different response. But instead they're saying we won't be dissuaded or we won't be deterred from our mission.

So what they're telling us is our mission does not include black and brown people, because if it did include black and brown people, we would have responded very differently. They say that you worked to undermine one of the women who accused Governor Cuomo. This is what the New York Times said in their story announcing your firing. suggested edits to a letter intended to malign Ms. Boylan that was being circulated among Mr. Cuomo and his aides and said that he would collect signatures for it from former aides. He declined to sign it himself, however, and he later said that he did not know the extent of the allegations against Mr. Cuomo.

Did you suggest any letters? Were you involved on the communications side? You said that you were called to testify to present documents that were in your possession. So were you involved in any way with, again, suggesting edits or involving the communications aspect? Two things there, Roland. Number one, I'm not going to be in a position to respond to the human rights campaign and their allegations when they haven't told me the basis for the termination.

They were supposed to be transparent in their findings. Instead, they have their media folks talking to the New York Times behind the scenes about why they, quote, fired me when they haven't even told me. When you say they haven't told you, what did you receive from them? They say it was for cause. What did they send to you? Was it a letter? What did they send to you? They sent to me a one-page letter saying that you are being terminated for cause for violating this provision and this provision of your contract. That was it. And what were those provisions? What were those provisions of your contract. That was it. And what were those provisions?

What were those provisions of your contract? What specifically? That reputational damage to the organization. That was it, Roland. I wasn't told the reasons for my termination. And with respect to the specific letter you're referencing, I never drafted a letter. The Attorney General's report doesn't say that.

So I'm not going to be put in a position to defend myself regarding allegations that the women's rights campaign is now advancing, but never actually told me. Think about it. You work for an employer. The employer says, we're going to conduct this independent review, and we're going to be transparent. And then the employer calls you and says, you should resign.

And you say, what are the findings? And the employer says, we're not going to issue any findings. And you say, well, you have an obligation to tell me the basis for your termination. And then they fire you. Did they take this to mediation, arbitration? Did they try to settle? Did they offer you a severance package? Did you accept?

Did you reject it? No. Answer to all of those is no. My... Without getting into the details here, we actually sought to engage with this organization and get more information. And we were told, their lawyers told my lawyers, there is no report. There are no findings that we can share with him. This is supposed to be a civil rights organization. Where's transparency? Where's due process?

Think about an organization that's putting itself out there to be a, quote, civil rights organization. And yet they're going to fire the first black president without being transparent and without honoring due process. And I said to them, Roland, if you don't want to disclose to the public your findings, you should at least disclose it to me, because I'm directly affected.

We're not issuing any findings. We don't believe we have an obligation to issue any findings. That was their position. If I were white, this would be very different. to issue any findings. That was their position. If I were white, this would be very different. Now, again,

Morgan Cox, Jody Patterson, who serves as board chairs, according to their statement, they explain what the cause was. And then they say that an investigation was conducted through the executive committees of the board, constituted of the independent directors with the assistance of Sidley Austin.

Following the completion of that investigation, the HRC and HRC Foundation boards of directors have voted to terminate Mr. David for cause, effectively immediately, for violations of his contract with the Human Rights Campaign. And then they say in here, as outlined in the New York Attorney General Report, Mr. David engaged in a number of activities in December 2020 while HRC president

to assist Governor Cuomo's team in responding to allegations by Ms. Boylan of sexual harassment. They say it was a conflict of interest regarding the mission of HRC, material damage to HRC, HRC's interest, reputation, and prospects as resulted or may be expected to result. Then this is what they say. This damage is evidenced by the intense media surrounding this conduct As well as hundreds of calls, emails, and other negative communications HRC has received from staff, members of the board, governors, volunteers, program partners General members, supporters, corporate partners, political figures

And more expressing serious concern with Mr. Davis' conduct And its inconsistency with the values and mission of HRC So what I'm still trying to... So you say that you were compelled to turn the information over. They say you turning the information over constituted helping Andrew Cuomo's team. Did you turn the information over to Andrew Cuomo's team or to the Attorney General Letitia James?

Letitia James was not involved at the time, and I did both. Letitia James asked for any information that I had. I provided it to her, as I'm required to do by law. So when they said you suggested edits, where is that coming from? So are you saying that didn't happen? And so, therefore, if you say that didn't happen, where are they getting that from? So are you saying that didn't happen? And so therefore, if you say that didn't happen, where are they getting that from? We're talking about two separate things, Roland. So let's take a step back. The first is I'm a lawyer. There are rules that apply to lawyers.

And when you are responding to a request for information from your client on matters that you worked on, you have to respond. Imagine contacting your tax attorney. Well, no, your former client, because you no longer work there. It doesn't matter. Okay. No, no, no, no. My point is, you were at HRC, you were no longer

working for the governor's office. Go ahead. Under the rules of professional conduct, we don't have to guess this. New York University has already said, I had a legal obligation to provide the information that was requested. This is not a guessing game. Okay. Rules exist, and they should apply to black lawyers in the same way they apply to white lawyers.

So that's the first point. The second is when the Attorney General conducted her investigation, they specifically advised me that I was legally prohibited from discussing the fact that I was being interviewed or providing any information to anyone. When you say they, meaning the Attorney General's office?

Correct. Okay, so did you get that in writing? Did you present that to HRC? Yes. And Roland, this is what's fascinating, right? HRC knew all of this. They conducted their independent review.

They have this information, and yet they are now claiming, and I don't even know this statement that you're referencing. I haven't even seen it if it recently came out. So this is something new now. The bottom line is HRC, you conducted an independent investigation. Where's the report? Where's the findings? I shouldn't have to guess about the basis for your termination. They can't answer that question, Roland. It's a very simple question. Where are the findings? You conducted an independent review.

Where are the findings? If you were only going to rely on the Attorney General's report, there would be no need to do an independent investigation. But you did one. So where are the findings? Nowhere to be found. Six months later, the organization has not issued any findings. There is no report.

And if I were to only compare that to what happened in 2015, when there was reputational harm. So you're telling me when someone uses the N-word twice in the organization and there's wide public scrutiny and criticism about the organization, that's not reputational harm?

Who used the N-word? There was a vice president working at the Human Rights Campaign. That person used the N-word twice. When you were president? Were you a president before you became president? So the former president was running the organization, a white man. And during the course of his tenure, there was a report called the Pipeline Report.

And in that report, they had interviewed employees in the organization. They had interviewed every single manager. And they said, the majority of employees said, that the organization was rife with racial bias. Every single senior manager in the organization said that they had heard or witnessed disparaging remarks or comments regarding minority employees. They said that the minority employees said that they were tokenized in the organization. Fast forward a few years later, one of the senior managers uses the N-word twice in the organization.

What happens to the president of the organization at that time? What happens to the white president? Nothing. This is all in the press. What happened to the person who used the N-word? Were they fired? That person was fired. Got it.

The president, who was overseeing the organization during this entire time, stays. When you asked about the statement, so this was sent to us from the communications folks with HRC. The first statement that I read from Joni Madison is dated February 3rd, 2022. The second statement from the board chairs is dated September 6, 2021.

Also in here, they sent us the email that was sent in September to staff regarding your termination as well. And then there also was a statement that they when they announced the board investigation on borderline investigation, uh, on August 9th, 2021. So those were the, those were the statements that they sent. I'm still trying to understand, um, where they said that you suggested edits to a letter that you refused to sign, but you were going to get others to sign on for, um, where did that come from? What were they talking about? Those are separate issues as well. There was a letter that someone in the governor's office drafted that they asked me and three other employees to sign, which we refused to sign. And I articulated to them why I was not going to sign the letter. The letter included facts or information that I couldn't verify.

I wasn't there. I didn't have any personal knowledge. So they were drafting a letter of former aides of Cuomo to show that they stand with him and support him. Yes. That was a letter?

That's a separate letter. Okay, so I'm trying to understand. They are accusing you of suggesting edits to a letter that you didn't want to sign, but you said you would get other people to actually sign the letter. What are they talking? Like, what did you suggest any edits? What are they talking about? Is that true or false? Hold on. Let's take a step back again. I was contacted along with a few other employees regarding signing in a letter regarding a former employee. Before or after you cooperated with the investigation? This is before there was ever an investigation. Got it. Okay. This is before the attorney general was ever involved.

Right? So I'm contacted regarding a letter that they're looking to have other people sign. Said, I'm not going to sign this letter. I don't know anything about some of the facts or references you're making. So they say, fine, and say, why? I articulate all the reasons. They then came up with different letters over time,

and the letter shifted from a letter focused on an individual to a letter that was actually talking about positive experiences people had within the administration. That is very different than what was forwarded to me originally. The HRC knows. This is not a secret. They know this. But what they're trying to do is conflate the facts. And again, why are we, you and I, having a conversation about what HRC knew or didn't know? Why didn't they issue their report? They should have issued a report that was clearly articulating the facts as they saw them to determine whether or not my actions actually violated their policies.

But they haven't done that. And they also failed to recognize that I am a lawyer. And I had a legal obligation to respond to the governor and to the governor's office regarding matters that I worked on. The letter that was submitted to me related to a matter I worked on. There's rules regarding the conduct of lawyers. And you can't apply a different rule to a black lawyer than a white lawyer. And what happened here is HRC simply panicked.

Rather than going through the process and applying the applicable rules, they panicked. And they still can't explain why they are not addressing the issue of systemic race discrimination within the organization. They're silent on that. Instead, they're saying we won't be distracted

from the work that we're doing. Well, I hope that the work that you're doing relates to black and brown people. But it clearly is not. And that is one of the most important reasons why I'm filing this lawsuit. Last question, and that is you talked about what was rampant when you were president. First of all, for the public, how long were you president? I was president for two years.

When you were president, did you launch any initiative that specifically targeted any investigation or whatever to deal with what you describe as rampant racism in HRC? Oh, yes. Several. I asked them to do a pay equity study because we determined that there were pay disparities to rampant racism in HRC? Oh, yes. Several. I asked them to do a pay equity study because we determined that there were pay disparities within the organization

where women, Black and brown people were being paid differently than white people. And during the course of my tenure, before that could be implemented, I was fired. Second, the HR process within HRC was so broken that Black and brown employees didn't actually want to go to HR, so much so that I told them that the HR manager could not stay in that position anymore and implemented new systems to make sure that employees felt that their issues would actually get addressed through HR.

And then I learned subsequently that issues were still being withheld from me, even though I had implemented these changes. The problem within the organization is so deeply rooted, and this will all come out during litigation, because I have emails, I have voicemails, I have evidence to support the case that I've submitted to the court. And this will all come out.

HRC is hiding behind this veneer of secrecy, right? It's an organization that has been operating in secrecy for such a long time. And now I'm challenging systemic racial bias within the organization. And I have emails, again, from donors that were criticizing me for talking about Black Lives

Matter. I have emails and voicemails from people that are saying, why are we focusing on black and brown issues? These are their donors. They can't run away from that at this point. You said you have emails

from donors asking, why are we focusing on black and brown issues? Correct. I have emails from donors specifically saying, I no longer want to be a part of the human rights campaign. After I submitted, I sent out a letter highlighting why black lives matter. And there are certain donors that said they no longer want to be a part of the organization because I was making that a focus.

And how did the board members respond to that? This is real, Roland. This is affecting the lives of so many LGBTQ Black and brown people working in that organization. And for them to try to erase us, for them to try to pretend that this is not a real issue, is offensive. Oh, no, I know it's real. I mean, when you get the brother in Charlotte

who became the first leader of the largest LGBT organization there who resigned because he had folks who were white, who were LGBT, who were writing him saying, I'm not working with somebody who's black. Look, you know, I've covered this issue. I've had brothers and sisters on my show, my TV1 show, who are same-gender loving, who have talked about this as well.

You know, we dealt with this here when GLAAD came after me. We raised those issues, too, in terms of the coverage of where black folks were saying, hey, where are you including folks? And, in fact, when we've had discussions even on these shows about black issues that come up where LGBT groups have wanted black civil rights groups to stand with them. But then black folks are like, well, where are you when it comes to the issues? In fact, if I remember correctly, when I was in North Carolina, I actually said that, actually, I think I might specifically even say it, where's HRC, and that was a young brother. I said, bro, I'm not talking about you.

I'm talking about your national organization. Black folks were here for the trans bill. I was against that, voting against that. I said, where are white LGBT folks on issues that matter to black folks? So that has been an ongoing issue that's been talked about and covered. So yeah, I'm absolutely familiar with that as well.

What's the next step for you? What's next? I continue to work on behalf of marginalized communities. I've done this for more than 20 years. And this episode is not going to dissuade me from continuing my mission in this life. I believe that God put me on this earth to do something meaningful for marginalized communities.

And I've been committed to that for more than 20 years in the private sector, the public sector, the not-for-profit sector. So that work will continue, and I am proud to do this work. And I see this legal challenge as just an extension of that. Roland, after representing people for more than 20 years and having this show up in my doorstep, I had to really think hard about, what do you do now? Do you look the

other way and go and take another job and forget this ever happened? And I decided I couldn't look at myself in the mirror because I've met with too many plaintiffs. I've consulted with too many people about injustices, indifference, and discrimination, and I've worked with them to try to seek redress in court. And now it was happening to me. And I feel I have an obligation as a civil rights lawyer who's been doing this work for a long time to see this through. So I'm gonna see through this lawsuit,

and I'm gonna continue the work that I've been doing for more than two decades. All right. Alphonso David, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right. I want to bring in my panel right now. I have them here. I want to talk about what we just discussed and some other issues as well.

So join me right now. Mustafa Santiago Ali, formerly with the EPA. Glad to have you on the show. Teresa Lundy, TML Communications out of Philadelphia. Thanks a bunch. Demario Solomon-Simmons, civil rights attorney, founder, Justice for Greenwood. So, Teresa, I want to start with you.

This is interesting here. Looking at this particular case here, what Alfonso lays out, he says, if you fired me for cause, then if you had an for cause, then, and if you had an investigation, present the report. You talk about transparency.

This is a non-profit organization. And should they publicly release a report where they investigated the allegations and then determined that it was true, should they? Well, I am not a legal expert here.

No, no, that's legal. But I'm talking about, this is communications. Because if you release statements saying he was fired for cause, he had an investigation, well, should you release a report that actually details that? Who did you talk to? How did you come

to that conclusion? Things along those lines. I think it could be internal. So, I mean, if they wanted to release it to him and then Alfonso then wanted to release it to the public, that's a different story. I'm not sure if it really needed to be a public transcript. I think because he didn't receive it was the issue.

And then that's probably what I think really on that. I don't necessarily think it needed to be a public report on why he was fired. I know I wouldn't want a public report of why I'm fired. I would want it in my email box if I was fired. But I think for him not to get it, I think that's a little disconcerting. DeMario, again, he says that because he served as an attorney for Andrew Cuomo when he was asked to submit information, he had no choice. He says that he was told by the attorney general, do not share with anyone your participation in this. He said as a result, he couldn't tell HRC that he had been called or compelled to give a testimony,

deposition or whatever. Your thoughts? Well, good to see everybody. I don't know the specifics of the New York state laws. There are some processes that if he was a part of a grand jury investigation, that yes, it has to be public. It has to be private. My question was going to be if I had opportunity, did he actually receive a subpoena? You know, when you say you're compelled to do something, usually that means you received a subpoena. Because in my understanding, in my experience, if they just ask you for documents, you have the opportunity to say,

no, I don't want to provide this to you. But I didn't get an opportunity to ask them that. Even if you served as counsel for the governor? See, again, I don't know the specifics of New York law to be opined on that. for the governor? See, again, I don't know the specifics of New York law to be opined on that. I am not familiar myself of you working for a client and a client and a third party ask you for documents.

Normally it's the client who has to waive what we call the attorney-client privilege. So in other words, Roland, if I'm representing you and then Mustafa wants me to give you some documents, give some documents that I worked on for you, that's attorney-client privilege. And you would have to be the one to say, yeah, DeMario, go ahead and give those documents to Mustafa. Now, I don't know, again, the specifics of New York law. Well, he worked for the governor's staff, meaning he was a state employee.

So this was not like he was the personal attorney for the governor. Yeah, again, from my understanding, if he were to receive a subpoena, then absolutely he has to provide any documents that he has in his possession. But if they just ask him for the documents, based upon my knowledge, and not knowing New York specific laws, I don't know why he would be compelled or have to give that particular information. That's number one. Number two, on the issue of actually releasing the report, I think it's important, again, every state has laws on what can be released on people's employment background. Plus, there were probably other individuals who were investigated or who were interviewed

whose information would have been in the report and you would have been violating their privacy if you released that report publicly. At least that's what it would be here in Oklahoma and the other locations where I'm familiar with. Um, what jumps out here, Mustafa, is, again, this is back to what HRC contends. Everything was done right. He was informed. He had an opportunity to respond and all of that. But clearly, he is saying, no, you fired me because you discriminated against me. Well, he's asking for transparency. We have to remember that his reputation has now taken a hit from this. And if he is asking folks, okay, bring forward the report, one, let me see what's in it, and then I guess he would make a decision then if he wanted to share that with a broader audience.

I know that he now has a case that's pending, so I'm sure that they would want to keep that information until that plays out over time. You know, I've seen these different types of situations on the federal level where we've been asked because we worked on a particular issue or we were part of a particular subject that we had to bring forward information for those who were doing an analysis for, you know, possible actions. So, you know, it's going to play out over time, but I'm sure he would like to have the opportunity to, as he said, to know why he was fired. Folks should be very clear if you're being fired from a position. What is it that I, you know, one of the reasons that

you're saying that I'm no longer fit to lead this said organization? And the reason I was asking about the letter, what they were talking about, because this is what the Washington Post wrote. David was fired from HRC in September, weeks after New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed that he had helped seek signatories for a letter that sought to undermine the accusations of Cuomo's first sexual harassment accuser, Lindsey Boylan. That letter was part of an effort that amounted to, quote, unlawful retaliation, according to a report on Cuomo's behavior by James's office.

And so that's why I'm like, OK, what letter are we actually talking about? Did he seek signatures? He said, well, a letter changed over time. But you have the governor's office saying that he sought signatures for this letter. You know, I think what's important here, I have no doubt that this brother dealt with some racism because racism is a part of America and this company is a part of America. I think what's really important here, Roland, for everyone that's listening, something that the brother said that really stood out to me. He said, I have evidence. I have emails. I have text messages. I have documents. So I would say for

everyone that's listening to this show tonight, when you're experiencing this racism on the job, keep the evidence, keep the receipts, because you're going to need that. He can say whatever he wants to say. We can say whatever we want to say. But he's in federal court now. He's probably bringing a Title VII case or a 1981 case. I do those cases all the time. He's going to need corroboration. He's going to need that evidence to prove if, in fact, he was fired for calls. See, a lot of people that work, they work in what's called at-will state. You can be fired for any reason, as long as it's not racist or sexist. But he has a contract that said he had to be fired for calls and that's why it's vitally important for him to see why was I actually fired and then for him to have

the evidence and the documents to back up that he should not have been fired without calls, or with calls. Alright then, well we'll see what the next step is when HRC responds. Alright folks, gotta go to a break. When we come back, Rolla Barton on the filter and we'll talk about the Supreme Court. But the next step is when HRC responds. Alright folks, gotta go to a break. When we come back, Roland Barton on the filter.

We'll talk about the Supreme Court. The schizophrenic Supreme Court. Okay. They make a ruling regarding the constitutionality of districts in Alabama. But didn't they just rule a year or two ago that they don't get involved in partisan gerrymandering? What the hell's going on?

We'll talk about that next. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Blackstar Network. I'm sorry. Norske Kulturskapet on the next Get Wealthy, why black women are deeper in student loan debt than anyone else. I wanted to be the next Connie Chung. Nothing was going to get in my way. What was placed in front of me was a promissory note that said that, hey, if you sign this document, you can be able to achieve your dream, not really understanding the full foresight of what I was going to be experiencing right after college. Learn how you can turn it around and get wealthy in the process right here on Blackstar Network with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, host of Get Wealthy.

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We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. All right, folks, the Supreme Court rejects an Alabama ruling requiring states to redraw congressional districts before the 2022 elections. Actually, what they've done, they've actually stayed that decision by the federal courts. It boosts Republican chances to hold six of the state's seven seats in the House of Representatives. Now, the high court's five-to-four vote means next elections will fall under the Republican-controlled

legislature's map, drawn with one majority black district represented by Congresswoman Terri Sewell in a state where of course more than a quarter of the population is black. Now here's the deal here. The federal courts ruled that the maps in Georgia, excuse me, Alabama, were

unconstitutional, violating the Voting Rights Act because African Americans were not being properly represented. They basically said this should have been the creation of a second district. By saying that, the problem now is they've got to seek actually responses from both sides. So, DeMario, by the time they actually hear that, the primaries have already started. Now, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in this case, and what's also interesting here is that, again, they're stepping into a gerrymandering situation where they previously ruled that, oh, the Supreme Court,

we have no jurisdiction for political gerrymandering. Now all of a sudden, what? We're changing? That's also what happens when you have a 6-3 conservative majority. And so even if Roberts flips to the other side, conservatives still hold 5-4 lead. And that's what the great Dr. Nellie Fuller Jr., his quote to say, if you don't understand white supremacy and racism, what it is and how it works, everything else will only confuse you. This is what this was about. The fact that they didn't jump into the North Carolina situation because it was going to benefit

black people. And the fact that they jumped into the Alabama situation because it's going to be a detriment to black people. The Supreme Court, the 63 Supreme Court that Mitch McConnell put through utilizing every tool and all the power that he had as a majority leader was for these reasons right here, for this reason right here, as we see in real time. They want to do everything they can to cement minority rule for America. That is the problem. That is the purpose and the goal of the Republican Party at this point. It is to continue and cement minority rule, white rule against all non-whites, period. And they have a 6-3 Supreme Court, and guess what?

The Democrats are not fighting hard enough against this. We have not used every tool that's available to them, and it's going to put black people's lives at further harm and risk. Well, say how to use every tool. What other tools do you use? Listen, I'm not a political, but with every tool that's to be

used. No, but I'm asking. You said we have to use every tool. Okay, give me some tools. Give me a chance. From day one, you know I've said this should have been the top priority. The top priority should have been voting rights and expanding the court. Expanding the court should have been the top priority. The top priority should have been voting rights and expanding the court.

Expanding the court should have been a top priority. You already knew that you were going to lose these decisions 6-3 because it's already gerrymandered at the court. Okay, but Mario, how are you going to expand the courts when you have the votes? Have they even asked to do it? Can you first ask? My grandma said first ask and you will receive. Have they even asked to do it? Can you first ask? My grandma said, first ask and you will receive. Have they even asked to expand the courts? They don't have the votes.

But they haven't even tried. DeMario, if you ain't got the votes on Build Back Better, if you ain't got the votes on the George Floyd Justice Act, if you ain't got the votes on the For the People Act as well as for the John Lewis Act, you ain't got the votes on expanding the Supreme People Act as well as for the John Lewis Act, you ain't got the votes on expanding the Supreme Court. Okay, but you still got to try. If black folks decided we ain't got the opportunity

to be successful, then why would we continue to fight? But if you don't have the votes... Oklahoma and racist Oklahoma, if I'm going to say, well, the courts are racist... If you can't get through low-hanging fruit, you ain't going to get to high fruit. Hey, I'm saying that they need to choose every opportunity to try to get us an opportunity to win.

And if you know that the Supreme Court is 6-3, from out the gate, that should have been something that should have been on the agenda, top of line, not some type of commission that took six months to come back and say, well, we don't know if we should expand the courts or not. No, the Democrats should have been on front and center saying we have to expand the courts. Otherwise, we will get screwed. You don't have enough at the crucial time. You don't. And this is the point. And I hear you. But here's the deal. The Democratic Party, I keep saying this, Mustafa, unlike the Republican Party, you have far more different positions on the Democratic side.

You've got centrist. You've got moderate. You've got progressive. You've got ultra liberal. You've got all it's like you've got rainbow going over there. On the right, it's right, hard right. That's it. So the point is, I agree with you. I think they should expand the court. The vote simply ain't there. Well, I think we got to continue to push them. We can't put them there. No, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no. Hold on, hold on. You said continue to push them. No. What you have to do is you have to actually expand the majority. Because as it's presently constituted, as it's presently constituted, 50-50, the votes are not there. Look, math is math. It ain't new math.

It ain't alternative math. And so that's where we are right now in terms of where you're dealing with this court. It's 50-50. If one person says nope, it's all dead, Mustafa. Well, I understand where Brother DeMario is coming from, that he wants us to actually utilize our power. But to build that power means that we've got to better educate our communities on how critical the courts are, from the Supreme Court all the way down, and how our vote can translate into making sure that we actually have some fairness inside of the courts, and to make sure that when the laws are being interpreted,

that they're not just right-leaning, which we see now from the conservative judges that are out there that make the job of getting justice so much more difficult. So we have work to do in actually making the investments and teaching young people and students, you know, how important the courts are and how we utilize our vote to get there and then all the way up, you know, to our elders who some of them know because they lived through the 60s and the 50s. But, you know, that's a part of this this overall set of how do we build and how do we get the tools? First of all, it's helping people to understand how valuable the courts are in our lives. Teresa, with this, what we're dealing with here and again, you're seeing wins. The difference here is this.

This federal panel made its decision based upon a violation of the Voting Rights Act. The reason you are seeing the successes in North Carolina and Ohio because those state Supreme Courts ruled. That's also what we have to keep in mind.

When we're talking about, we're talking about, obviously, we're talking about, you know, obviously the Supreme Court. But when we ignore those state Supreme Courts, that also impacts it because that's where decisions are also being made. I mean, you know, this is Pennsylvania. Yeah, you're absolutely right. You know, it was such an important election here in PA in 2017 when, you know, we were actually trying to get, and I was on that campaign, trying to get the second African-American on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He definitely did win the, you know, Democratic Party support. But again, we also lost that seat to a Republican.

So, you know, when some of these cases, like you said, Roland, are taken to the federal level, they first have to make a pit stop, and that pit stop is in your state. So, you know, when people are looking at, you know, these elections that's every four years, we also have to look at the judges' elections because they are so important. But I think, you know, as Brother Mustafa had already stated, education and educating people about what these seats that the judges present and some of those civil rights and, you know, and some of the voting rights and some of these issues. I mean, look at Bill Cosby. He's out. Right. Because of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, not the federal Supreme Court ruled in his favor. So there's so many things that happen at a local level. And even though it's not a local community type of situation, some of the issues that come up statewide are local problems that can either, you know, change some of the dynamics that's on the federal side or keep it the same on the local side. Absolutely.

Yeah, go. Another aspect of what I can say, they can use more power. Like here in Oklahoma, right, we have two very racist conservative senators who will not want to block any judge that the Biden administration may want to put forth. But they haven't put forth anybody yet.

And that's like that in a lot of red states where they're waiting for these conservative senators to acquiesce and say, okay, we will bless this particular individual to be an actual, what we call an Article III judge. We need them to move forward the way Trump did and nominate people, even in red states, put them on the bench right now while we do have the votes.

But they are. Actually, that is happening. In fact, in fact... That happened here in Oklahoma. Okay, in fact, well, in fact, what Senator Dick Durbin has done, what he said is, he said, same thing y'all did under Trump, we gonna do.

He's not allowing them to submit blue slips where if a senator submits a blue slip, then they say, hey, they hold off on that particular nominee. He said, we're using the same rules that y'all have done. That's why Biden has not actually nominated and confirmed the highest number of federal judges in one year than any president in history, and 24% of the federal judges that he has appointed

have been African-American. Yeah, but, Roland, you got to look, and that's a great stat overall, but look at the states. Look at the red states. Look at the Mississippis, the Alabamas, the Texases, the Oklahomas. Those states where we need the more progressive judges more than any place. Those people are not on the docket, And we're now almost into the second month, halfway to the second month of 2022. But how many open positions

in those places as federal judges? Because part of the deal here is you can only put someone forward if you have a vacancy in those states. So how many federal judicial vacancies are there in Oklahoma? There are at least three judicial vacancies are there in Oklahoma?

There are at least three judicial vacancies in Oklahoma that's necessary, particularly with the McGirt ruling where we have the Native American reservations having more power. Our court systems are jam-packed. They are bringing judges all around the nation. In fact, my deputy director is on jury duty right now. And so judges are coming from all over the place and lawyers. Roland, right now, we don't have a permanent U.S. attorney here in the Northern District of Oklahoma that's been nominated by this administration and pushed through. I'm telling you, they're not going as strong and as fast as necessary. We need to put as many

progressives on the judiciary bench right now, right now, right now. So I'm looking here at the various, I'm pulling up right now, the federal vacancies, current federal judicial vacancies that lays it out. And then I'm trying to see, right, give me one second. I got to cancel this here. So we got, okay, so in the, go to my computer, please. Do you see it? All right, not sure why this map is not coming up.

But I'm seeing. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Hold on. In the western portion of Oklahoma, there are zero federal vacancies. In the eastern portion of Oklahoma, it says there are zero federal vacancies. Then it says in the northern district, it says it's 25%, but that doesn't, that's percentage, but it doesn't tell me how many positions that is.

But let me explain that. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. In Louisiana, I'm looking at, I'm going through here, I'm looking at percentage of vacancies. So like in Mississippi, southern Mississippi, zero percent vacancies. Northern Mississippi says 33. And then you have in Alabama, there's only one section of

Alabama where you have vacancies. You do not have for the other four areas, for the other three areas of Alabama, there are no vacancies. Go ahead. Yeah, but so the vacancies are about percentages. But also we have to understand some inside baseball here. When you have judges who are on what's called senior status,

okay, they may not have actually retired, but they're on senior status. They're not actually taking cases. They may take one or two cases and they're waiting for a new replacement to come on. So technically there's no vacancy, senior staffs are not actually taking cases. They may take one or two cases and they're waiting for a new replacement to come on. So technically, there's no vacancy, but they're not actually hearing cases. This is

what I'm talking about. This is the type of education as my sister has stated. They may not be hearing cases, but they still have to retire. But this is how this works is when they know they have somebody who's going to replace them. This is what Republicans do so much better than Democrats. Actually, what

the Republicans do is go to people, push and prod them to retire. What you've had is... But that actually has been happening as well. I'm with you. You want it to be faster.

But again, when you look at the actual numbers that have actually been confirmed, again, you can appoint all day. You still got to get them confirmed. That's also a fundamental issue. And so that's one of the things that they also have done. And so they've done a, this administration does a hell of a lot better job than previous ones when it came to pushing federal judges. Absolutely. And so right, like for instance, I'm right here, if you go to my, not quite sure why,

let me just see why we're not, why we're not seeing my computer here. Let's see if this will do it. Hopefully this does it. So this here is a press release that the White House submitted January 19, 2022, where he announced the next round 13 additional judges, and these were judges that were for Court of Appeals here.

Then you go here for Western District of Washington, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of California, Southern District of California, Eastern District of New York, Southern District of New York, District of Colorado. Those were the ones for January 19th. So, look. What did all those states have in common? What do you mean? What do all those states have in common?

Any of those red states? Hold on. Hold up. You can be a red state or a blue state, but depending upon what the federal judicial area, there could also be a red area of a blue state. We've got to remember, okay,

Michigan is a blue state, but outside of two or three cities, that's Alabama. Pennsylvania is a blue state, but outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, that's Alabama. And so that's the other deal as well. You have areas of those states where you have that are very conservative. So if you talk about Western New York, upstate New York, that ain't like, you know, super blue. So you have that as well. And so I understand your, I understand your point. What I'm also saying is you've got areas in state, like you take Minnesota. Minnesota used to be a hardcore blue state. It's a lot of red outside of Minneapolis and St. Paul. So we got to just recognize how these things are happening as well.

Hold tight one second. We come back. We got to talk about this case out of Philadelphia. Excuse me, out of Pennsylvania. Remember the Jamaican immigrant shot and killed by these four white guys? Well, apparently a camera could have captured what took place. When we come back, we're going to talk with his mother. Folks, you don't want to miss this.

You're watching Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to support what we do. Get the app, Black Star Network. Folks, we are, I just got the text message, we're about 100 and what, 153? 153 or so away from hitting 30,000 downloads. So let's get it going. Download on your Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Xbox, and Samsung Smart TV as well.

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back again. You don't want to miss this conversation we have next, folks. We'll be back in a moment. I'm sorry. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday

on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network.

Defining myself as opposed to being defined by others is one of the most difficult challenges I face. All right, folks. We always focus on black and missing. Here is Alexandria Gant. She's 5'6", weighs 127 pounds. Hair is brown. Eye color is brown. She's been missing from Rochester, New York. Rochester, New York. Folks, any information, please call the Rochester Police Department, 585-428-6666, 585-428--6666 This story out of Pennsylvania. We have been covering this for some time. It is an extremely

strange story. A strange story. And that is, you know, Jamaican immigrant Peter Spencer was shot nine times when he went on whether it was a hunting trip, I don't know what they actually call it, with some colleagues. He was the only black person on this December camping trip with a former co-worker.

Now, no one has been arrested. The white men are claiming self-defense, and there are reports of a surveillance camera at the cabin where Spencer was murdered. There's no word on if there's anything on that video or if any video even exists. We reached out to the Venango County District Attorney, Sean White, for a statement. We have not gotten a response. Joining us now is from Pennsylvania, Peter Spencer's mother, Isilda Spencer-Henry,

and the chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Caucus, William Anderson. Glad to have both of you here. And so, is that correct? Isilda, is that correct? Yeah. Okay. All right. So I want to make sure I get the name right. All right. So let's talk about this surveillance camera. How

did y'all find out that there was a camera there? So the surveillance camera was actually discovered during an investigation by our local reporter, Chandy Chapman from WTAE. Their investigative reporter went out to Venango County to the address where Peter was dropped off,

and then he discovered there were surveillance cameras outside of the location. So, again, it was a camping trip with coworkers. Did he know all of the people there or just the one former coworker? Well, we're really not sure. We know that the coworker, when he was dropped off, that the co-worker was recognized Nathan Myers, but we're not sure whether he knew the other people that were there. What is still baffling to us, Isel, how your son can be shot nine times

and the folks who there had guns, no one gets taken out to the police station. Really crazy. I had that question, that there's a man who was shot nine times, no one else got shot, but at the same time, no one is held accountable for it. who was shot nine times. No one else got shot. But at the same time,

no one is held accountable for it. So I stand up and argued with the police. I said, you're not doing your work. So what has been the response? I reached out to, sent an email to the Jamaican ambassador to the United States. I've not heard from him. What have y'all heard from Jamaican officials? Have they pressed the Biden administration, the Department of Justice, to get involved in this case?

Well, actually, a few weeks ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C., and went to the Jamaican embassy myself. And I spoke to the chief security officer and asked that exact question. I went to D.C. because when he had met with them a week prior, they had promised to send me an email updating me on what they were doing to demand justice for Peter Spencer. So when I went to the embassy and I spoke with the security general, they still didn't have any answers. They told me that they were aware of the situation and that basically the same thing that our news reporter reported. So they didn't give me any affirmative answers of what they were doing. So I continued to press them. So I was given a phone number

and told that the embassy in New York is actually the embassy that's in charge of this and that the consul general, Allison Wilson, is the person that I need to contact, which I have contacted several times this week. And I'm currently waiting a response. But our next move is to go to the embassy in New York to demand action and demand immediate justice, as Peter Spence was not an American citizen. He was a citizen of Jamaica that came to this country seeking all the glories of our country, and we are demanding that the government that is supposed to represent him represent him.

Isilda, I mean, do you feel, I mean, does it bother you that, Frank, that Jamaican officials are dragging their feet on this, that they're not? Because, I mean, we've seen other cases that have involved foreign nationals where their country's officials were very aggressive in getting involved? They have been involved. To my knowledge, a few that I've spoken with, they have been trying their very best. They have written letters to Josh Shapiro, I mean, emails and all of that, requesting for the transfer of the case from

Bonanga County and all of that. So they're really putting a foot down. They keep calling me and talking with me and everything like that. So we just have to press a little more. I think I have to call the lady, the ambassador, the counselor herself, because she did call me and talk to me a couple of times. So I'll have to get back to her also. Yeah, well, I just think that's critically important for them to be very much involved because if they then begin to put pressure as a nation, then all of a sudden that begins to impact this and change this as well.

So as it stands right now, the four men who were involved, they're walking around free. I mean, is there a actual investigation taking place? Who's actually leading this investigation? Is it the local DA in Allegheny County? Is it the state? I mean, what's going on? So currently, you know, this case is in the Allegheny County case, right? We're in Allegheny County. We're residents of Allegheny County. You know, Peter was a resident of Allegheny County, but this

happened in Venango County. So we're needing pressure from everybody. All the officials from Allegheny County need to be calling out to the Venango County District Attorney, D. Sean White, and demand that he turn this case over to Attorney General Josh Shapiro. So because of the laws in Pennsylvania, without that reference of the case to the attorney general, the attorney general cannot get involved with this case. So we're demanding that, you know, everyone get involved. You know, we need to hear from elected officials in Allegheny County and across, you know, across the country and across the world to put pressure on the Venego County District Attorney so that we can get justice

for this family, right? It's been almost two months. Tahila Spencer is Peter Spencer's brother. He also joins us. Tahila, just your thoughts about this case and what's going on. Yep, you're there. We got you. Talk.

Go ahead and talk uh i think you're on me there you go now you're good now go ahead hey how you guys doing my name is tahila spencer i'm peter's brother um i i don't know what did you guys uh what i what i asked is i mean obviously um is this is this has been two months and not enough has been done. You know, what are you asking folks to do? What is it that you want to happen, whether it's the Jamaican government or Department of Justice? Yeah, we haven't heard any response yet from, like, the prime minister of Jamaica, Honorable Andrew Honus,

and we were expecting, you know, someone to stand up for, you know, a Jamaican brethren that was basically cut down because life was cut down so short. This whole thing is definitely... You can see the whole thing from a mile away. It's definitely a weird situation, a weird case. They're playing, I feel like they're playing mind games with us, the way they're handling it.

And it's just weird the way it's being handled. So definitely somebody needs to step in. Somebody needs to stand up for my brother. Somebody with authority that actually can, you know, help us get the answers that we're looking for. Honestly, we just want, I really just want to know what happened. I really, I really just want to know. And the people that did this get brought to justice, you know? And so other than that, like, I don't know anything I've said before and nothing I can do can bring my brother back at this point.

I don't know if anything at all will bring me any kind of consolation or any kind of closure at this point, but something has to be done. Yeah, I mean, look, someone is shot nine times and killed. You certainly want answers.

And so far, we do not have enough answers. Let me thank all three of you for being with us. Please keep us updated on what goes on with this particular case. It certainly makes no sense whatsoever. You just don't go camping with somebody and you get shot nine times and it's no big deal, as if that was sort of an accident, that just makes no sense whatsoever. Yeah.

Yes, I agree totally. We just want to let the mom tell the world what type of person Peter was. How some of his dreams were coming to this country. Peter was always an affectionate person, very caring.

People might think that because it's my son I'm trying to put over, but it's not because we hear from people that I've never met before that I don't know, and that's the same thing they come with. He's a person who works hard for whatever he has or whatever he wants to attain. He puts his shoulder to the wheel.

His friend would say, oh, this little mother is so strong. He's not afraid to lift or to do whatever he has to do to make his living he was a construction worker he was a salesman he was also a chef where we all cook together, you know, and make everybody happy. And he's passionate about whatever he have in his dreams and he go after it. He don't just speak and stand back.

He work towards it. All right, then. We certainly appreciate that. And again, keep us abreast, and we'll do all the weekend as well to help all of you get answers to this sad story. Thank you, guys. Thank you, sir.

I appreciate it. Thank you very much. All right, folks. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Senator, Pastor of course, Ebenezer Baptist Church there in Atlanta. He is running for re-election for a full six-year term to the United States Senate, and he has dropped his first campaign ad for his re-election bid.

Watch this. People are tired. People have seen what they've worked their entire lives to build turned upside down at a moment's notice. They're wondering when things will get back to normal and at the same time not knowing what normal even means anymore. At my heart, I am and always will be a pastor. That means going to work for my congregation. It means understanding the challenges you face and then doing my best to make a difference. Every day I carry your concerns with me.

That's why I've worked so hard to protect and create jobs. That's why I know we must make health care more affordable. That's why I'm cracking down on the corporations who are raising prices out of control. What I want the people of Georgia to know is that I see you. I hear you. I am you. I understand the work that I was sent to the Senate to do. That's what I intend to keep doing for Georgia. I'm Raphael

Warnock, and I approve this message. Well, the one thing we did not see there, Mustafa, the puppy that was ubiquitous in many of his ads when he was running in 2020. Obviously, when you run as an incumbent, it's a little bit different. Of course, he's going to be facing a stern test there. Republicans want to take him out. They're running several folks. Herschel Walker is the Donald Trump choice on that side. Polls are showing us a very tight race there. And so this is going to be one of the critical seats Democrats must hold if they want to expand their majority in the U.S. Senate. Well, you know, first of all, Governor Warnock's ad is spot on, especially for Georgia, not just in Georgia. That message plays all across our country. I'm looking forward to the time when he and Herschel Walker

are debating each other so that folks can see a serious and significant difference. So the folks can see Herschel up there talking, and I don't know what the Voting Rights Act is. Yeah, not even his, you know, Brother Walker's lack of articulation. You know, that is what it is. Everybody hasn't been blessed with the gift of gab. But if you are going to represent a state, a great state like Georgia, then that means that

you've got to have some substance behind the policies that you are fighting for. And those policies have to be actually be linked to what everyday folks are asking for. And I know that Senator Warnock is going to do an excellent job in making sure that folks know exactly where he stands, what the policies are, and how he will help to leverage additional sets of opportunities for Georgia. You know, this is the point that, Teresa, that we keep talking. I mean, people can sit here and they can yell, holler, scream, and say what should happen, what needs to happen, all that sort of stuff. Look, this is the bottom line. If you don't vote, if you don't realize the role that that

plays, not just when it comes to policy, but what we were talking about when it comes to those federal judges, then you don't understand politics. The reality is this here. You're going to have critical races. The Democrats are trying to hold their seats in Georgia, Nevada. Okay. But as I've been saying, you hold the line there and you're able to win Wisconsin, we're able to win Pennsylvania, able to win potentially Ohio. Florida's going to be real tough. You got

North Carolina. Hey, you pick up North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, now all of a sudden, it's 53-47. It changes the dynamics there.

And so people, you know, we talk about you have to connect the dots. You have to connect the dots. Primaries are coming up very soon in Texas. We're voting in March. Not sure when the primaries are there in Pennsylvania. You, of course, there are people running for the U.S. Senate seat there, Democratic and Republican side as well. These are going to be critical elections

that are going to determine will you have the votes to break the filibuster to pass the George Floyd Justice Act. And so I know people say, man, we did our part in 2020. Yeah, but guess what? You got to do your part in 2020, 2021, 2022, school board races, county races, city races.

Hey, this ain't just, hey, I did it one time. I'm out. Yeah, the essence of politics is about engagement from the local level to the state level, to the federal level. So when we are talking about the primaries right now, you know, in Pennsylvania, we're also dealing with redistricting. So people are not sure what district they're actually running for and if they'll be running in the same district if they are incumbents. So we look at some of the primary elections here. Accordingly, it's supposed to be May 17th, but it actually could be pushed back to June. So that decision still hasn't been finalized or made. So you have everyone trying to make their own individual plans about what's next and what could potentially happen. But you're absolutely right. If we continuously talk about the education of some of these local elections and the importance of these state elections,

it absolutely can change how a state like Pennsylvania and some other, you know, red states that actually had some blue components, that it can really just change the slate and change some of the activities. So I think part of it is, again, just making people aware and making sure, you know, whatever party, you know, obviously the Democratic Party needs to make sure that every election, that there is a budget for educational purposes so people know when to vote, why am I getting these emails about, you know, individuals either from the federal level or from the state level or local level are asking us for donations. That's because there is some election coming up and they need to be involved.

Demario. I agree with Mustafa and Teresa. She's talking about a budget. I want to see the Democrats put money into the hands of people like Teresa to build power within the political system, building businesses, advertise with people like... I think Teresa agrees with you on that one. I think she agrees with you.

I think Teresa agrees with you on that one. Absolutely, and they need to advertise, and I appreciate the ad by you on that one. I think she agrees with you. I think Teresa agrees with you on that one. Absolutely, and they need to advertise, and I appreciate the ad by Senator Warnock. I'm a big fan of his, and I hope that he spends money with black media. But, Roland, if you just give me an opportunity, I'm still so touched by that family that we just talked to, but the brother from Jamaica.

As you know, I handle these type of cases all over the nation, and to know that they're not getting any cooperation from anyone there in Pennsylvania really breaks my heart. I would hope, if they're listening, that they will find a lawyer that can open up or file a wrongful death lawsuit, and they can conduct their own discovery to try to get some answers. No one is shot nine times by accident. No one is left out in the front yard to die by accident. This was some type of a nefarious scenario. And if the government, the Jamaican, U.S., Allegheny County, whatever government will not help them, they need to find a lawyer in that

locale that will file a lawsuit, at least utilize a civil process to get some form of accountability. I'm devastated to see that mother sit there and say for two months she doesn't know what's going on. And that actually goes back to what we're talking about here voting because that district attorney is elected. And so that district attorney does not he's not protecting or not serving all of the people in that particular locale. So that's another reason we have to be engaged in everything. But I hope, if they're listening, I hope you can get you an attorney to file you a wrongful death lawsuit and try to get some answers for your son.

All right, then. All right, folks. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, of course, of Ohio. She's the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Sent out this tweet earlier today. She was not happy at all when Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers poked her and said to her,

kiss my ass, when she asked him to put on a face mask. This is the tweet that she posted. Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague, Representative Hal Rogers, to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get

on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, kiss my ass. This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe. Representative Hal Rogers,

when you're ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, she wrote in the tweet, you know where to find me. Well, it didn't take Sister Long to get her apology. I was just about an hour ago. I was just on. I was just checking to see what the latest was. And Hal Rogers tweeted this about 6.30.

Let me pull this thing up. Here we go. Give me one second. Here we go. He tweeted, this afternoon I met with Representative Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable, and I expressed my regret to her

first and foremost. Well, you should, you arrogant son of a bitch. This is the kind of crap that we see in Congress right now with many of these Republicans. People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, they don't give a damn about wearing

masks, but you don't put your hands on a black woman, Hal Rogers. Teresa, she should have checked him. Absolutely. I mean, look, the comfortability here, you know, is just a bit alarming. You know, it's the traditional privilege. It's the outlandish remarks. I'm glad she did it, but I know she wanted to do more. So I am absolutely happy that she kept her composure. But part of it is, you know, it did have to be, the alarm had to be sounded on this guy. Because part of it is, you know, if one feels

comfortable, then everyone else starts to follow suit. So good for Red Betty. You poked me. That's asking me to smack the hell out of you, Demario. Man, I'm enraged by that. As you know, I spent a lot of time this last year with Congresswoman Beatty and with the Congressional Black Caucus. I cannot believe that. I wish

that she would have filed a police report because that is battery when you touch someone else, that is a crime. And then when he said, kiss my ass, that is actually, I would say, assault. He was putting her in imminent danger of being touched or harmed even further. You know, these white supremacists like that, they cannot feel comfortable, as Teresa just stated. They need police reports. If this happens to you out in the real world, people that are listening, file your police report and file a civil lawsuit against these folks. Let them know

that they have no right to touch us and treat us as property. How dare him do that to not only a black woman, but the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, one of our leaders in this country. It enrages me to hear that. I did not know anything about that. And I certainly will be reaching out to Congresswoman Beatty and expressing my support for her and anything that I can do personally to help her with this situation. This is ridiculous.

Well, of course. You can't know everything. That's why we got roadmaps unfiltered, see? That's the whole point of the show. Uh, Mustafa, what you're dealing with... You do a great job, my friend. Yeah, I appreciate it. What you're dealing with, Mustafa, what you're dealing with, you're dealing with some arrogant Republicans

who are emboldened by Donald Trump, who want to flout masks, they want to flout mandates, they don't care. And you know what? They got to be chin-checked. Oh, without a doubt. And you know, to Representative Rogers, you know, at one time you had a

person in your life by the name of Cynthia and Shirley, your former and current wife, and then you also have a daughter named Allison. So if someone did that to Allison, how would you feel? What kind of repercussions do you think that that individual would have needed to receive if they'd done something like that? So we understand the dynamics that are going on. They don't see us quite as full humans. They don't see us and they don't respect us, no matter what our titles

are, no matter how many letters we have after our name. These folks continue to see us the same way that their grandparents and their great-grandparents did. The difference is we are no longer silent and we will no longer allow you to punk us. So we will utilize every tool

that's in our arsenal to check you. And these white supremacists, white nationalists, they don't like getting checked. So, today, uh, the U.S. Senate, there was a hearing, uh, for one of President Biden's nominees, uh, who's an expert on anti-Semitism. Oh, Lord! Crybaby-ass Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who's been

saying some of the most foul stuff, sucking up to Donald Trump over the last five years, he took offense to a tweet where she called something he said, white supremacy, white nationalism. Watch this exchange today in the U.S. Senate and listen to this

crybaby, you call me names! Let me ask you a question. Somebody came up to you privately, quietly, and said, you're a racist. You're a white supremacist. You're a white nationalist. By the way, I do not believe you are.

I would never assume that because, you know, certainly growing up when I was being taught the commandment that says, do not bear false witness. My Lutheran catechism says, always put the best construction on things. In other words, always assume the best about people, not the worst. So how would you feel if somebody just privately called you racist? First of all, I would say they're wrong. Second of all, I would disagree with them. And as I said earlier, but I want to reiterate that even in my critiques of people, I'm very careful never to ascribe to the person.

I heard that. I thought that was interesting. You see they would criticize the person, but heard that. I thought that was interesting. You see, they were criticizing the person. But that's not true. What you just testified there is false. Because not only did you go on, first of all, you don't know me. You don't know a lot of the people that you have

accused online in front of millions of people that you have accused online in front of millions of people. You have engaged in the malicious poison. You've accused people you don't know of very vile things. I mean, wouldn't you agree that probably calling somebody a racist is just under murderer and rapist? Calling somebody a racist? It's not about as serious and vile accusations you can hurl against somebody. just under murderer and rapist, calling somebody a racist. It's not about as serious and vile accusations you can hurl over somebody,

against somebody, somebody you don't even know. I mean, you've never talked to me. You've never met me. You don't know what's in my heart. Do you? I have no idea what, no, I do not know what's in your heart at all. So why would you go on social media and make those charges? And not only me, by the way, what Senator Rubio said, this position is supposed to be for a nonpartisan. It seems like how you engage in malicious poison is purely partisan.

You're hurling these charges against people that are generally one political persuasion. That's not nonpartisan. But again, why did you why did you go on social media and level these vile. And horrible charges against people, including me, that you don't even know. You didn't know anything about the Joseph Project, you know, about my what's in my heart, Why did you do it? Well, first of all, I don't think, as far as I can tell, and I'm happy to have this conversation further or right here,

call you personally. I don't call people personally. No, I mean, we all know the tweet. It's right here. Right, right. You said it's pure and simple, pure and simple. White supremacy, nationalism. And then you referred to your articles that continue the charge.

Do you feel bad about that at all? I mean, do you retract that? I mean, what's your current position on this? Can we allow the witness to answer your questions? As I said earlier, it was not nuanced. I would not do diplomacy by tweet. While I may disagree with what you said specifically, and I think that's a legitimate difference, I certainly did not mean it, and I'm sorry if it was taken, and I'm sorry if I made it in a way that it could be assumed to be a political

at the person personally. Listen, I appreciate your apology and I accept your apology. It's more than, for example, what the chairman of this committee has done and other members who've also callously and cavalierly hurled those same charges that I would consider our malicious

poison to our body politic today. But again, appreciate the apology, but I think somebody that has had a 30-year professional career ought to know better. And when you're being nominated and considered for confirmation to a position of diplomacy representing the United States, I certainly cannot support your nomination. I hope my other colleagues won't either. You're just simply not qualified for it. But I wish you the best in life, and I do accept your apology.

You know what? We had to deal with four years. No, no, no, no, no. Let me take that back. We had to deal with four years. No, no, no, no, no. Let me take that back. We had to deal with nine years of a racist asshole in Donald Trump, Mustafa. We had to deal with this man attacking black women,

trashing people on Twitter until they ban his punk ass. And you got all these old weak-ass Republicans, oh, my goodness, you said mean stuff about me on Twitter. That's how they shot down Neera Tanden's appointment to head to OMB. They have been complaining and whining, and I don't know, why do you keep targeting

as partisan Republicans in your tweets? Because probably most of y'all are saying some racist shit. That's probably why. So you mad because she called it out. Why don't you just check the bids that you do? I'm so sick of these whiny-ass Republicans whining about a damn tweet. When they didn't... When Trump says something, this is always their response walking down Capitol Hill.

This is how they would go down the hall. They'd be asking him a question. Uh, sorry, I didn't read the tweet. I can't comment on it. I can't comment. That was their whole deal. Now they got all the time in the world to read tweets. Mm-hmm. Yeah, they use denial as justification

for their lack of action, uh, and supporting action and supporting of all kinds of racist actions. People want for folks to stop calling them racist, stop supporting racist behavior, stop supporting racist pieces of action, stop supporting, you know, all these other types of racism that plays out that anyone with any inkling of intelligence knows is going on and that you are playing a role in propping up. You know, when President Trump was in, like you said, they used to just ignore the majority of the things that he said and that he did that they knew had significant impacts inside of Black and brown communities, and they remained silent in many instances. And then, now it's gotten good to them.

So they'll say something, and then they'll turn around and say, that's not what I said. And you'll play the tape, or you'll read the transcript back, and they'll still be like, well, that's taken out of context. So, you know, they assume that people are much less intelligent than they actually are, and they also assume that they can get away with saying and doing whatever they want to do without there being any repercussions. I understand the sister and the situation that she was just in,

because I wish she could have probably said how she truly felt. But I understand when you're going through a confirmation set of activities that, you know, there's a certain level of decorum that you got to present. You know what, Teresa? I remember I was in Atlanta and we were talking to a judge there and she had a staffer

who was a millennial. And she's like, Judge, why you always criticize millennials? She said, because y'all do millennial shit. That's what she said. I would say to the Republican Party, why y'all keep getting called racist white supremacists?

Because y'all do white supremacist shit. That's what y'all do. Tom Cotton, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz. We can go on and on and on. You mad because folks calling you out? Because that's the stuff that you do. Yeah, the saying is that the shoe fits where it.

I think, you know, just part of my issue here, you know, when we're going through a confirmation hearing, you know, on taxpayer dollars, they're going, they're talking about their grievances with a tweet. Some of them don't even handle their own Twitter accounts, but yet on taxpayers' dollars, they want to take the time for their reasoning of why someone's not confirmed for a specific position is because they wanted to basically get the point across that they're not racist, which apparently in the GOP nowadays, if you're being called a racist, we see their approval rating go up and their fundraising goals skyrocket. So it's always interesting that it's like they don't want to be called it, but they actually do because they try to prove a point. And then when they think the point is proven, you start to see the fundraising go up.

So, very interesting. DeMario, these cats crap. You take that punk ass you got in Oklahoma, Lankford. All the crap that he said about Tulsa and that's why he got booted from the damn commission.

I'm like, man, we ain't sitting here playing games with y'all. We gonna call like we said. And you know what, Ron Johnson? Every white supremacist, white nationalist thing that you said is gonna be in ads when we defeat your sorry ass in the election in November. Yeah, I co-sign everything

you say right there, Roland. But I tell you, this is a great example when I say the Democrats be too weak. I'm embarrassed for the nominee who capitulated her rightful statements about Ron Johnson being the white supremacist and white nationalist that he is. She capitulated,

apologized to him, and then he still said, but I'm not going to support you. You're not qualified. This is a great example of why are we trying to appease the other side when they are not, they are completely not ever going to do anything to help us out. She could at least instead

have said, go ahead, Roland, go ahead. She didn't need to do all that. You know why? Because two Republicans already said they're going to vote for her. So that's one of those deals where when you're in a confirmation hearing, all right, boo, your little feelings hurt. I'm sorry you took it that way. Y'all go ahead and confirm me.

I ain't taking the tweet down. That's what the deal is. But I think that sends the wrong message. Demar, no, here's the deal. Me and you ain't going to never get nominated for anything that requires a Senate confirmation. But I'm just saying, that's the thing. That's what Republicans and Democrats do when you go on

before the Senate. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. Remember, Brett Kavanaugh did one thing and then he flipped to the other. That's Supreme Court. I'm talking about there are other examples of folks

who've been nominated for lower level. This is a low level position. This ain't no major position. I'm just saying she didn't sit here and go at him because like, you know what? I already got the votes. I'm going to be confirmed. I'm not about to sit here and get back into the little tit-tat for this food. That's all it is.

I mean, I'm with you, but that's the deal. I think it's very important that we speak truth to power at all times. I think it's important that when other people are sitting down, we stand up and talk. When other people are retreating, we fight and we tell the truth. She could have simply said it, which I would have liked for her to say, listen, I made that analysis based upon what you said. That was something that I felt was racist and white supremacist. And it put people's lives in danger, particularly black and brown people. I'm sorry you felt that way. Or anything like that, but she completely

capitulated and backed up and said, I'm sorry if I, you know, I didn't mean that. And I don't think we need to do this with these racist white supremacists. That ain't gonna get her confirmed. But I'm telling you, that ain't gonna get her confirmed. That's gonna guarantee she don't get confirmed.

He wasn't gonna vote for her anyway. No, no, no. Because it's not about him. I just told you she don't get confirmed. He wasn't going to vote for her anyway. No, no, no, no, no, no. Because it's not about him. I just told you two other Republican senators had already said they voted for her. She just needs all Democrats. They have the vote.

Now, this is one place. No, no, no. No, no, no. You don't know that. See? You assuming. You assuming You assuming Manchin and Sinema gonna vote for

I'm trying to tell you That's what I'm I'm trying to tell you Demario there's a difference between And that's why That stuff that happens in D.C. That's political And so when they say

I ain't gonna sit here and go hard here, fine. Okay, you look hurt feelings. I'm moving on. I said she had to go hard rolling. Why did she have to apologize to this punk? No, no, no. Actually, if you actually heard it, she didn't apologize. What she said is... He did. No, no. She said, I'm sorry. No, she said,

I'm sorry you took it that way. But she didn't sit here and say, no, Senator, I'm sorry. I did that way. But she didn't sit here and say, no, Senator, I'm sorry. I did not call you. No, she didn't. But that's the confirmation game. It's one of those things where do you want to win the skirmish?

Do you want to win the battle? Or do you want to win the war? Every fight ain't a war. Some stuff is a skirmish. I understand that, but we shouldn't be apologizing to white supremacists point blank, period. No, here's the deal. Here's the deal. You don't waste that much time on him because your whole focus is to take him out in November.

And then guess what? It don't matter. You see, that's my deal. My deal is he up for re-election. The thing is, take him out. That's the best revenge. That's the best revenge. Alright, I gotta go to a break.

I gotta go to a break. Y'all, when we come back, we're gonna talk about of course, we got an artist who's coming up, but also, she a hooper. Why is she out here embarrassing people all on social media? Y'all might have seen some of these videos. We're going to talk to her next right here,

Roland Martin, unfiltered, right here on the Blackstar Network. ДИНАМИЧНАЯ МУЗЫКА Pull up a chair, take your seat at the Black Table. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. My name is Charlie Wilson. Hi, I'm Sally Richardson-Whitfield. And I'm Dodger Whitfield. Hey everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered.

You're not. All right, y'all. Golfer, golfer, Mark Lye. Golfer Mark Lye, commentator for Sirius XM Radio. Y'all, he got fired because they were talking about, you know, women golfers, and somehow he started talking about the WNBA this listen what this fool said you're not getting

so he made these comments y'all while they were talking about, while they were talking about, let me see if I can find another video of it. They were talking about, again, these various, and he said, look, man, if you had to make me watch the WNBA, Lord, I would shoot myself in the head. Well, that did not go over well with the folks at Sirius XM Radio. So Mark ended up getting fired for that. And a lot of people have talked about it. And so, of course, you know, like the rest of these people, oh, my God, this is cancel culture.

He put this tweet out. He said, the fact that I, let's see here, let me pause this. The fact that I can't relate to WNBA does not make me sexist in any way. All you haters should listen to the whole segment where I completely glorify women's golf, which I love to cover. Thanks for listening.

All right, so, but here's the deal, though. So you got guys out there who say women can't hoop. Well, what happens when dudes in the gym talk trash and think they better than a sister, and then she start roasting their ass? Yo, watch some of these videos. Watch this.

Teams, this is what I did. I'm going to You ready? You ready? You ready? You ready? I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready. Stop playing, I'm leaving. That's for you. I have cracked up at a whole bunch of these videos y'all.

They are hilarious. Y'all got one more? Okay, okay, play one more. He called me old, so I showed him old school. Oh my God. Oh All right. So Angela Johnson joins us right now. She's an artist in Chicago. And so while she's schooling folks on the hard court, she's also schooling folks when it comes to art.

Why are you sitting here just abusing people like that? Thanks for having me. I'm just trying to represent for the women. I mean, but yeah, but you ain't got to sit here and set the camera up, you know, and just record and, you know,

so how did that whole thing start where you're like, okay, let me go ahead and sit this down so everybody can see what happens. It was crazy. It was random. Just one day we set the camera up and we just wanted to record my answer actions with the guys because we couldn't believe they were treating me like this. And it just started from there. The thing.

So I don't know if we have the one video. So I guess you were playing something. Dude wasn't playing any defense whatsoever. And then he said something like, yo, if I just have to D you up, you're not going to score one point. And then all of a sudden, you just got all pissed. You start rubbing the sand off your shoes and everything. You start stretching.

Really? Really? Well, look, I got a little old school in me. I guess I'm not part of the millennials, but look, if you talk, we going to play. So did you hoop in school or did you just hoop on your own? Yes, I hooped all through high school, four years of varsity,

and then I went to college off and on for about four years. I just got back from Canada a couple years ago. Gotcha. And so you're regularly in the gym just sitting here whooping ass, taking names, huh? Well, no. I was actually coming back from break.

These videos are me out of shape. So I was shocked to get the responses that they're getting. Hold up. Hold up. Oh, see, now you're trying to brag. Yeah, these videos, you know, I wasn't in shape and everything. You know. No, it just, you can see my stomach kind of like out. I don't want people to think that this is how I played through college

because it wasn't. Well, see, now you're like, damn, these videos give me tension. I better go ahead and get myself back in shape. I don't need them to talk about me that way. So is that what you're saying? Absolutely. We're looking forward to getting more competition as the videos get bigger. So I need to definitely get in some shape.

All right. So people are watching your videos, but how you promoting your art? The videos have been doing so well that the art kind of took a backseat, unfortunately, but I'm still painting. All right, so what kind of painting you doing? I do a lot of kind of like abstract art.

I try to get art that brings a vibe to a room that's unique. Oh, and that's the basketballs. So yeah. So all these, so all of these pieces that you actually painted on basketballs. Well, they're either painted on canvases or on basketballs. Okay. Okay.

All right. All right. Got it. Now, how long you been doing long have you been doing art? I've been doing art for a while. I just got back into it after college. But it's definitely therapy for me, so it's something I appreciate. I love art.

Okay. All right, then. Let's sit here. I know DeMario, he can't hoop. So I'm just going to go ahead. I'm going to go ahead. You can look at DeMario and know he can't hoop. I'm going to go ahead and start with him. DeMario, go ahead.

Well, I'm glad you know because you know I got to get out of here, man. I'm impressed by the young lady. I hoop like a football player that I am. Like I said, you can't hoop. I would have been out there fouling you. I would have been out there pushing you down because you was just schooling those fools. And the little dude go first.

He's talking about you too old. Then he go say, oh, you a grown woman out here. Right. And I'm on the AT. Right. It was amazing. So, hey, where are you from? I'm from Chicago, Illinois, Southside.

Okay, cool. Well, that's good. I played with sisters just like you that grew up playing with the guys who had no fear and learned how to talk that noise. You only learn that when you're on the court with the best players, period. Men or females. And I can tell you got that game.

So, hey, Rollins, right, if I'm playing you, I'm going to have to give you the elbow. I'm sorry. Yes, sir. I'm going to have to give you the elbow. I'm old school, too. I'm going to have to give you the elbow. I understand. You could call a person injured like me to sue me, but I'm going to give you the elbow. I'm old school, too. I'm going to have to give you the elbow. I understand. You could call a person injured like me to sue me, but I'm going to give you the elbow.

I'm telling you right now. All right. Mustafa. Well, sister, thank you for opening up that can of whoop-ass on folks who sometimes need to know what time it is. You know, it's interesting that we've made some strides in relationship to sports and people understanding how amazing female athletes are and dealing with the misogyny that still exists that we saw. You know, how's your journey been? What tools do you use besides

breaking them down on the court to make sure that people understand this is a new day? Well, it was very shocking, to be honest, to see that we still go through that to this day, because, you know, I was I wasn't in regular gym. So I didn't see how the guys felt about women basketball until I got in there. And then they don't pass you the ball. They don't pick you up. They don't even guard you. So I was like, well, this is an opportunity to bring some awareness to women's basketball and women's sports, period. Teresa. Yeah, well,

I am, I love it, one. So thank you for representing the women. I was literally sitting here looking at your website and I can't get over the cartel name of it. So can you tell me a little bit about that? Because I do think names are a very important part of businesses and how we start to evolve them. So tell me a little bit about your website and some of the individuals that you decided to capture in some of your paintings?

Okay, so the name of my website is AW Universe. Thanks for asking. It's basically a universe where I've created a lot of what I do, which is basketball, art, music, and comedy. It's a lot, so I made a universe of it. And a lot of my art, it started within the pro black, and then it just evolved into a lot of like joyful but happy scenes and just want to bring some type of joy in a room with the canvases. So yeah. All right. So what is, take us to your website in terms of folks want to check it out. What's the name of it? And can they get your stuff there? So the name of the website is awuniverse.bigcartel.com. You all can order shirts on there, canvases, prints, original artwork.

I would love the support. And we're also coming out with shirts for the women, for the basketball movement that we got going on. Are they or Angela? Angenay. Angenay. Angenay. All right then. They had Angela in the script.

All right then. Well, look, we appreciate it. Good luck. We'll be looking for your in-shape basketball videos since you said we showed all the out-of-shape videos. Right. Thank you all. I really appreciate the love.

And I don't know if you're actually from Chicago because normally when you meet somebody, when somebody's from Chicago, they give you the full address of where they grew up. You just said Chicago Southside. See, so what that tells me is you probably grew up in the South suburbs as opposed to the South. See, right there.

See, I told y'all, which means your ass ain't from Chicago. So why don't you tell people the actual city you grew up in because your ass is not from Chicago. Well, look, I'm trying to stay incognito out here. No, no, no. Well, look, I'm trying to stay incognito. No, no, no,

no. See, I need everybody watching. I lived in Chicago six years. I keep telling y'all this. If you meet somebody black who's actually from Chicago, they gonna give you the street and the cross

street. They gonna say 87th and Cottage Grove. That's what they're going to say. If you meet anybody black who say, hey, I'm from Chicago, and they leave it at that, they ask from a suburb. They are not from Chicago. See, that's why when you said it, I was waiting. I went, she ain't from no damn Chicago.

I'm like, she grew up in the south suburbs. Yeah, south suburbs. I do have family in the city, but I ain't going to claim it. Yep, there you go. Busted. All right, then. See, that's right. I just rejected that because I saw that.

I'm like, oh, she ain't from Chicago. I owe you one for that. Uh-huh. They give you the full address. All right. We'll appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, all.

All right. Take care. Have a good one. See, y'all, that's how you always bust somebody when they say that. I'm telling you. I don't know how they do it in Philadelphia, Teresa, but I'm telling you. Anybody black in Chicago, they give you damn near their whole address.

They give you the street and the cross street where they from. Always. That's how it works. I probably say the same thing is happening here. If you're like, oh, I'm from Philly. Okay, so where? Oh, you know, if it's not from the suburban county, it's either northwest, southwest.

So you got to be very specific. Otherwise, they'll be like, oh, yeah, Montgomery County or Armoire. Like, okay, so that's the suburban. That's not Philadelphia, but we got it. Hey, Mustafa, just like when I asked what somebody said they're from Houston, you go, no. Are you from Houston or are you from a suburb of Houston? Because see, I have a very simple philosophy. If you got,

if you are from a place where y'all elect your own mayor and city council, your ass cannot claim the large city. No. So they do the same thing. Oh yeah, I'm Chicago. No, no, you can't. No. You're from that little bitty ass town. You're from Harvey. You're from Olympia Fields. You are not from Chicago.

I bust them all the time. Same thing from Houston. Like, yeah, I'm from Houston. No, where you grew up? Spring? Yo ass from Spring. It's called Spring, Texas. You are not from Houston. Okay, then? That is not Houston. So I bust them all the time. Well, you know, when I tell folks, you know, my time living in Detroit, I'm from Freeland Street, so I want to be exact. See? See? See? You give me street. But the part when I grew up in Appalachia, I just tell everybody we from that big oak tree over there on the left-hand side. So it's totally different from the rural and the urban.

Oh, Lord. See, now you're talking about the country. That's a whole different thing right there. All right, that is it for us. Hey, folks, let me shout out to the people at Grambling. I missed yesterday's show because I spoke at Grambling. You know they gave me some swag. President Rick Gallo, he a

Kappa, but it's all good. It's all good. You know, because again, without Alpha, they're known as Kappa Psi. So I had a good time down there with Grambling. I appreciate the swag they gave me, so that's why I'm rocking the sweater. This is perfect because it was cold as hell here in D.C. It was gorgeous today in the daytime, 50 degrees. When that sun dropped, that temp dropped.

So I'm real warm in the zip-up right that grandma hooked me up. Don't forget y'all we have a partnership with McDonald's and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, the only real fraternity. Mustafa is a member. I'm a member. Demario, he belonged to one of the other youth groups. And so this is in celebration of the 115th

anniversary of Alpha and our seven founders. We're a partner with McDonald's giving away seven $15,000 scholarships for juniors of Alpha and our seven founders. We're partnered with McDonald's, giving away seven $15,000 scholarships for juniors and seniors, for juniors and seniors. That's what we're giving away. So we're sitting here, $15,000, $15,000. Go to tmcf.org.

Brittany, put your phone down in the control room. Pay attention to the damn show. Okay, put your phone down. Let me go ahead. Let me come back to the scholarship. See, I told y'all, pay attention in the control room. Okay? Pay attention to the show. Put the phone down. You're over there text messaging and on social media. The only thing, no, you are not on GroupMe. You're lying. I can see it's a big glass window. I can see. It's a big glass window. I can see.

See, y'all, y'all, see, if he return one of them cameras around, see, y'all got to understand. You got these, see, she doing millennial shit right now. That's what she doing, millennial shit, where you trying to sit here and do the show. And my niece laughing because she do millennial shit, where you sitting here trying to work, maybe on a damn phone the whole time you trying to work.

That's why when a controller will be messing up because they on their phone, they missing stuff, okay? So when they ain't playing something right because they on their damn phone, okay? So luckily now we got this big old glass window right here where I can literally see inside the control room. I can see everybody while I'm on this side of the studio. And see, guess what?

They're backs to me, so they can't lie when they got their phone. Her problem is, again, when you a millennial, she holding her shit up, leaning all back in her chair. I can literally see her whole damn conversation. If she was smart like us, Mustafa, those of us who were in Gen X, we knew how to cheat with it in our lap. We knew because if you see it right here, it's contained right here. Nobody in the back can see you or nothing.

But see, she don't know that. But that's what happened. So, mm-hmm, your ass got busted. So, yeah, put the damn phone down. Thank you. Uh-huh. Let me get back to talking about this scholarship. Go to tmcf.org to apply. All the rules are on the website. Y'all can check it out and apply for the scholarship. The deadline is February 28th. February 28th. And that's how we do it. That's right. This is the Blackest Show on TV, on digital,

because we keep it real all of the time. So, that's it for me and my millennial shit staffers. Thank you so much. Appreciate the panel, Mustafa, Teresa, as well as Demario for being with us, folks. I had a good time today.

We're going to see you guys tomorrow. Yo, Carol, don't I have the mayor of Englewood tomorrow? All right, so Englewood, that's where the Rams are hosting the Super Bowl, is located in Englewood, California. Y'all know that's a black city, right? Well, I'm going to have the mayor of Englewood on the show tomorrow talking about that. All right, y'all, that's it for me.

I got to go. I'll see y'all later. I had an early flight, 6 a.m. leaving Shreveport. So, bro, I need a nap. So, I will see y'all tomorrow right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Owned by a Gen X who knows how not to get busted when you are at work. Brittany Holler! When you are at work, Brittany Hall. This is an I heart podcast.