#RolandMartinUnfiltered - GA's Early Voting Ends, Black Unemployment Drops, Clyburn Stays, Tuskegee's Farm Grant, Road To SWAC

Episode Date: December 2, 2022

12.2.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: GA's Early Voting Ends, Black Unemployment Drops, Clyburn Stays, Tuskegee's Farm Grant, Road To SWAC Today is the last day for early voting in here in Georgia.  National Coalition on Black Civic Participation joined other organizations in the final push to maximize the black voter turnout in the Peach State.  Melanie Campbell will explain what they will be doing this weekend to empower voters in Dekalb, Clayton, and Fulton Counties,  The current Democratic whip, Rep. Jim Clyburn, will remain in a leadership position for the next Congress as assistant leader. The November jobs report is out, and the Black unemployment rate fell to 5.7-percent.  I'll talk to an economist who will let us know if this is good news for the black community. A white Mississippi man pleads guilty to a hate crime for burning a cross to intimidate his black neighbors.  Jackson, Mississippi's water system may be getting much-needed reforms thanks to a federal judge's approval.  The SWAC Championship is tomorrow. Tonight, I'm talking to Southern University's SGA President about how the students are getting ready for the match-up.  And in our Education Matters segment, Tuskegee University's farming program is awarded $1 million to support the advancement of organic agriculture and farming practices.  I'll talk to the University's Dean and Research director about how the funds will help the students.  Support RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ [e-mail] Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ Download 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Today is the last day of early voting here in Georgia for the critical U.S. runoff between incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock and Hershel Walker. We will talk with the National Coalition on Black Civil Participation and Melanie Campbell. They have been joining other grassroots groups out there and encouraging people, knocking on doors, walking the blocks to get people out to vote, not only during early voting, but also getting ready for Tuesday, Election Day. We'll talk about that. Also on today's show on Capitol Hill, Congressman Jim Clyburn stays in leadership, elected as the assistant leader. Some younger members are not too happy that he chose not to fully step down, but he said it doesn't matter. He is still going

to be involved in the leadership there. Also, the Democrats are going to be changing the electoral map in terms of their primaries. Iowa out as the lead state. South Carolina is a recommendation. The Democrats will be voting on that today. We'll talk about what the implications, what does that mean for black voters. Also, the black unemployment rate has fallen, fell to 5.7%. We'll talk to you black economists about the latest job numbers. Also, a white Mississippi man has pled guilty to a haycropper burning a cross to intimidate his black neighbors. And in Jackson, Mississippi, a federal court may be giving them some help when it comes to their beleaguered water system. Plus, the SWAT championship

is taking place tomorrow in Jackson, Mississippi. We'll talk to the president of Southern University Student Government Association about how students are hyped for the championship game. Plus in our Education Matters segment, Tuskegee University's farming program has been awarded a million dollars to support

the advancement of organic agriculture and farming practices. I'll talk to the university's dean and research director about how those funds will be used to assist students. Folks, it's time to bring the funk, an early edition of Roland MacDonald Filcher on the Black Star Network. Let's go. The fact the fine And when it breaks he's right on time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling With some go-go-royal

It's rolling Martin Rolling with rolling now It's Roland Martin. Rolling with Roland now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best you know. He's Roland Martin now. Martin. Folks, we are here in Georgia, in Atlanta. Today's the last day of early voting for the U.S. Senate runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and Hershel Walker. In a moment, we'll talk about that with Melanie Campbell, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

But also happening today, Democrats will be voting on the changes to the electoral calendar for 2024 and beyond but the longest aisle was always the iowa caucus was always the first place where folks campaign new hampshire has always been second now that is going out the window president joe biden is recommending to the democrats that South Carolina become the first place where the primaries will take place, followed by Georgia J. Walker. He's assistant professor at the University of Central Florida. Glad to have all three of you here. Larry, I want to start with you. This is a huge, huge decision by the Democrats. I have long complained that you have two of the whitest states in America, Iowa and New Hampshire.

All of the attention, all of the money,, all the energy is always on those two states. And the butt kissing that goes on, even the most minute politician in Iowa, plays a huge role because of how the Iowa caucus, how the Iowa caucus is. But they've had huge problems there. Such a debacle in 2012 with counting the ballots, same thing in 2016, issues in 2020. And so now the Democrats have proved this and they likely will since the president is recommending this. This is absolutely a reward to black voters. This is a huge shift. Black voters are the backbone of the Democratic Party. And for South Carolina to be first, this is major. So President Biden's rewarding South Carolina for saving him not long ago. So, Rowan, this is

really important. And it's really, you talked about New Hampshire and Iowa. And listen, they're predominantly white states. So the fact that you've moved these, you know, more racially, ethically diverse states, you talk about South Carolina moving it to the front, to the forefront, very first state is really important. And I got to give President Biden credit because the Black community came out and voted for him and got him elected. And so we talk about Supreme Court Justice Kodungi Brown, Jackson, we talk about what's happening, going to have to vote today, and you're right, the president wants a shift, and it's going to happen. This is, once again, to show the importance of going out to vote, and this is also for politicians who have a tendency to make mistakes, is rewarding your constituency. So we move some of those, like I

said, predominantly white states, and we move those racially diverse states with more Black folks, let's be clear, to the forefront. And they show the importance of black political power. You talked about it before, Roland. Black folks have been the backbone, particularly black women, for decades. And it's finally time during this administration in particular, we're seeing that we're being rewarded for making sure we come out and support the Democratic Party. So I'm excited about this change. But Kelly, the reason this is also just hugely significant, people understand. I mean, we always saw this where these campaigns, they send millions to Iowa. They move hundreds of staffers. They go to all of the county picnics and the fairs and all that sort of stuff.

These elections are a huge boon to the Iowa economy with the amount of money. I mean, some politicians literally rent homes and they're constantly there. Now this money is going to be shifted to South Carolina. And the other thing is we always saw it. If a candidate didn't do well in Iowa or New Hampshire, they dropped out by the time he got to South Carolina. Hell, you only had a few candidates left. This now is going to mean that whoever is running

for the Democratic nomination, they are going to have to speak to the interests of Black people because African Americans drive the Democratic primary in South Carolina. I think that you're absolutely right in that regard. I find it refreshing that the Democratic primary in South Carolina. I think that you're absolutely right in that regard. I find it refreshing that the Democratic Party, Biden specifically, finally realizes that Black people have been the backbone of this party

for decades at this point. And I don't want to look at it as so much a reward as much as it is like it's about time that something like this is to happen. Because, like you said, Black people are the reason why Democrats have been in office for decades. And, you know, I mean, I'm just thinking back to as a kid, like, always wondering why are they going to Iowa first?

You know, you don't know the political process growing up. You just wonder why all of a sudden this state that no one thinks of except every four years is getting all of this attention. And then by the time the vote comes around to my jurisdiction, all the decision is pretty much already made because of this, I don't want to say obscure, but this state that no one really thinks about until election time. So with South Carolina being at the forefront, I think it'll give a better perception of what elections actually look like in this country, how diverse they really are as far as voter base. It is also not lost on me that Jim Clyburn re-secured his spot in leadership in Congress. So this could also be a thing for him to, you know, prop up in Congress. I mean, you never know.

But I think that this is definitely a step in the right direction. We still have other things to do. Of course, of the folks in Iowa, New Hampshire, not happy. You know, New Hampshire, they actually put it in their law that they would be the first primary in the country, which is sort of like arrogant of them to say that, damn, the party, we can do whatever we want to. We're going to be first. But I think this is this is absolutely long overdue. And it's something that I have advocated for for years, because, frankly, Iowa, New Hampshire was too damn white.

And now you have African-Americans in South Carolina, Latinos in Nevada. And then you have a New Hampshire and then you have Georgia. You really now have a better view of America when it comes to the folks who are going to be voting. And this is going to change the issues. Can this campaign on what they focus on and also the amount of attention that goes to African-Americans. This is a huge game changer, Roland. And this is, you know, in the same week that Hakeem Jeffries becomes the first African-American to become, to lead a major political party. He was elected House Minority Leader. So this is a game changer because if we go back and remember... Hold on, Michael. In fact,

so the vote has already been taken. Literally, it's coming in right now. Democrats approved that this is a Wall Street Journal alert. Democrats approved the plan for South Carolina to host the party's opening primary in 2024, supplanting Iowa and New Hampshire from their longtime roles.

It is now a done deal. Absolutely. And, you know, and even though Representative James Clyburn, who was the House Minority Whip, even though he told NBC News he was not involved in making this decision or anything like that, he has blasted Iowa and New Hampshire in the past for being early on first and second. He has blasted them for being early on in the past and not being representative of America. Iowa's 89 percent white, 3.7 percent African-American. So what this would do is totally change the issues that are pushed to the forefront. And these are issues that candidates are going to have to address and put as part of their agenda.

And we remember, we go back to 2007, 2008 presidential campaign with President Barack Obama. You know, it was the white people in Iowa that really set the tone and then made people realize, oh, well, he can actually be president, OK, because he won the Iowa caucus. Well, now you're going to have to deal with South Carolina. And South Carolina has one of the highest percentages of African-American voters in the country. So this is a this is a huge game changer. We have to make sure that we put together a comprehensive, logical, reasonable African-American agenda and push our agenda as well. Well, I think what this also does, Larry, again, you now are going to have, I mean, obviously, as of right now, Biden is going to be running in 2024. But let's say you have a competitive primary. You now are going to have a situation where candidates aren't don't have they're not putting everything on Iowa.

So you may not be appealing to the voters in Iowa. But guess what? You may be more appealing to the voters in Georgia or Nevada or South Carolina. And so now this gives voters a more well-rounded view. And I think it's going to seriously help candidates who didn't get caught up in that blizzard of, oh, I wasn't interesting to the people in Iowa and New Hampshire, so therefore I'm done. And that was one of the things that was always frustrating. By the time you got to South Carolina, hell, you only had maybe three or four candidates who were still left in the race. Michael, this is a monumental decision. Obviously, this just came down the last few minutes. Roland, the other thing it's going to do is for several years, for the next several years,

you know, obviously Biden's going to run 2024. But beyond that, it's going to encourage more Black folks to run for president of the United States. Obviously, we have just Jackson, et cetera, a number of others, Shirley Chisholm in the past, et cetera. But this is going to encourage more Black folks and more minoritized candidates to seek the Democratic nomination in the future because, once again, it's being centered in states that have, like as Michael highlighted, a large number of individuals from racially ethnic backgrounds. And so I'm excited to see what this looks like beyond even 2024 in terms, like I said, once again, and obviously Michael talked about, I know some of what's happened with Clyburn and some of the other individuals who were just one nomination of the Democratic Party in the House. But this is very exciting to see what the crop of

candidates is going to look like in the future. The other thing, Roland, I think this is going to do, I think this is going to encourage candidates throughout the country over the next several years to realize that they'd have an opportunity to seek higher office. And so it's going to strengthen that pipeline of Black and other minoritized candidates over the next several years. And I think this is going to serve the Democrats well in the future. I keep telling folks, you got to focus on the money. Iowa and New Hampshire folks are ticked off, mad and upset. And you know why they mad? Money. I keep telling y'all, the millions of dollars spent on television ads, radio ads, billboards, moving staff there, renting homes, car rentals, food bills. I mean, Iowa and New Hampshire, they make a ton of money on the presidential campaign

every four years. They're upset because also all the teachers not on them. And it got so bad. It got so bad, Kelly, where, I mean, every insignificant politician in Iowa wanted their ass kicked. I mean, I'm talking about, it was, I mean, some of the stories that I've read where so-and-so who was a commissioner here or a key Democrat delegate, you know, the candidates would be calling them wishing their children happy birthday. I mean, it was, I mean, the amount of things that were going on done to appease and appeal to these folks was just sort of outrageous. And they would sit and they la laughed it up. That's why they upset, because now you're not going to have all of that. That's why Iowa and New Hampshire, they've got all the little hard feelings.

Well, guess what? Stuff changes. I mean, yeah, I was going to say something relatively vulgar. I'll keep it to myself. But basically, such as it is, right? I mean, anytime the attention is taken away from anything or anyone, rather, that person is going to feel a way. In this case, two states feel a way. That is normal. They will get over it. They will find another way to make money, et cetera. You know, my experience in this life is that white people will find a way to make money anyhow, anyway. So I'm not worried about the state of their economies every four years. What I am excited about, however, Larry mentioned how this switch up

will help or encourage more black people to run, I would venture to say it will encourage Black people to vote outside of just the vote or die campaigns every four years and the like. When you actually have a genuine interest in something, the thing that you have that interest in, they will feel that. It's interest in, that they will feel that. It's not going, I would hope, that it's not going to feel like, oh, we're just gonna pay attention to black people every four years like it's been for the past,

God knows how long, in this voting process. Hopefully with South Carolina being kind of an example of what this country really is as far as demographics and landscape, it will serve everyone involved to actually treat it how they treated New Hampshire, how they treated Iowa, and that, yes, you guys are special, not because we are just choosing you, but because you represent our nation and we want you to, like, give us insight as to what the rest of the nation might do. I think that is what I find most exciting about this. When people have that, when people realize that and that idea will click, I think it'll renew the need to vote, the want to vote,

and we won't have these, you know, hurry up and wait campaigns to get people to vote all the time. Hopefully this will change the culture of voting within our culture such that things can actually get done. Absolutely. All right. Hold tight one second. We come back. We're going to talk about what's happening here in Georgia when it comes to voting. Early voting ends today in Georgia. Grassroots groups have been out there getting people excited,

kind of getting to the polls. We'll talk to Melanie Campbell. We come back right here on Roller Marks Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, broadcasting live from Atlanta. Don't forgettered on the Black Star Network broadcasting live from Atlanta. Don't forget, download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone,

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Send your check and money or the PO Box 57196 Washington 0196 cash happens. Dallas Paypal is our marketing un R. M. Unfiltered. They are dot com. Rolling that roll dot com and be sure to ge book, White Fear of the B

making white folks lose t And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. We'll be right back. Is it just me or does it feel like we've been here before? The whole country's finished voting and only us left. You'd think Hershel Walker would want to explain what he'd do in the Senate if he actually wants to represent Georgia. Instead, he repeats the same lies, trying to distract from what we all know is true about him. But I think Georgians will see his abs for what they are. Don't you? I'm Rafael Warnock, and yes, we're doing this again.

That's why I approve this message. On the next Get Wealthy, with me, Deborah Owens, America's wealthalth Coach, inflation is on the rise, interest rates are high. reparations. Reparations teach separation. Slavery ended over 130 years ago. We don't need this. I am with many police officers. And we sure don't need this. I want to be a leader like him. Walker wants to be like Trump and will fight harder for him than he will for us. We don't need

a Walker. Paid for by Black Voters Matter Action Pack. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. That's Kim Whitley. Yo, what's up? This your boy Ice Cube. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, we've been here in Georgia since Monday, focusing on early voting. It started in some counties on

Saturday. It ends today. And trust me, there have been long lines all around the state in Democratic, but also Republican strongholds. You've had groups out there who have been working diligently, doing all they can, making phone calls, knocking on doors, visiting with people, trying to get them to vote. The effort has all been about trying to ramp up Black voter participation. Joining us right now is Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civilization. Melanie, y'all are out in those streets as well. And so give us a sense of what you have been seeing since you've been on the ground in Georgia. Thank you, Roland, and thank you for being on the ground and putting the messages out there.

I'm here in Clayton County with Felicia Davis with HBCU Green Fund. We've got our Black Women's Roundtable leaders here, also from Pittsburgh and from Florida here. And we've always seen, just like you, we've been down here for the general election as well as this runoff, and people are in line. Unfortunately, they shouldn't have to be in these long lines, but they are. And the energy is high. Folks are serious about what's at stake in this election. It's not just about the Senate itself, but about what Black people want to see representing them and who have serious candidates. I'm nonpartisan, so I can't say who that is. Make your own decision.

But young people are turning out. They've been knocking doors. I saw you at Deborah Scott's party, power to the polls. We got buses. Everybody got buses hitting the streets. And we're not going to stop until the polls close on Tuesday.

And we at the IP barbershop... We're at the barbershop rolling right now because we're making sure that we're talking to the brothers. And so if you don't mind, I can let her tell you a little more if that's okay. We're at the VIP Barbershop.

They have two spots in Clayton County. We're getting both up with sound wave and noise. And people are coming in and getting their hair cut and leaving to go vote. A lot of brothers didn't know they needed to do it again. We're giving the message and they leave out. They go to vote and come back to get their hair cut. So we're loving that, loving up on our brothers, and everybody, we're turning out.

When Clayton County votes, we win. Amen. Amen. That's right. Woo! You know, Melanie, in the places that I've been, I've really been talking to people about numbers, and unfortunately, even when we have some of these black strongholds, which we're seeing

turnout during the election was like 45, 48, 49 percent. And I keep saying to black voters, you know, we've got to be voting at 65, 68, 70, 75 percent. If we are voting at those numbers, we are we frankly are walking away with victories in these elections. And so talk about that again, just trying to get folks to understand that that vote does indeed have power and it matters. I think what's happening also that's exciting that's going to make sure that we get there is there is the young people um that are showing up and turning out uh in in a lot of these places the energy is high um with with uh young voters who really uh made a big difference in the general election and they made a difference in the 2018 election in 22 in the 20 election i think where we have to really focus and make sure is that

we continue to make sure our young people are out here and owning their power to carry it, because the numbers are with them. And you start having young people, and the earlier you vote, the more likely you're going to be what they call a lifetime voter. And so, with Black You Vote, with Georgia Stand Up, with HBCU Green Fund, with the People's Agenda, with Black Voters Matter, it's all about coalition. All of these organizations working hard. I'm a graduate of Clark Atlanta University. So they got CAU votes. They've been out there getting it done. And that's what it's about. And if we work more closely together, Roland, I think we could be even that much more

effective in achieving that for the long haul. And of course, get our voting rights and don't mean I forget. And of course, we still need the Voting Rights Act. We still need the John Lewis Act. We still need that.

It's going to be hard, obviously. We'll hold the Senate. The Democrats are holding the Senate, and they're the ones who support the voting rights. I'm just being factual, not partisan. Of course, we have a problem with the House. But elections every year. And so if you don't win the battle the first

time, you keep on until we win. We're going to get our voting rights protected. But we have to keep showing up like you talked about. Well, and one of the things that we also have made clear to people is that, talk about these elections, yes, the runoff is between Warnock and Walker,

but of the elections, there are so many down-ballot races people have to understand. And so we're talking about DAs and judges, and we can go on and on and on. And so I just still believe that after we have passed this election, I think we've got to have massive citizenship education training and workshops teaching people and connecting the dots so they understand politics in a much different way than what is happening today.

I totally agree. Voter education is key. And that's year round 365. That's why we continue to do what we all do out here. And we're going to continue to do that. And we have a major focus, Roland, on Black men next year. That's to tell you what we're going to do to really engage even more than we have, make sure that we engage and train and provide leadership opportunities for young people to work. And I'm intergenerational. We're intergenerational. We believe in that.

But it has to start right after this election and connect when people vote that they get something out of it, so that it's not being what they see on social media, but they feel it. And that is the biggest thing. I think we have to focus on how we hold people accountable, who we do elect, and that our people see that they can see results from it. Because otherwise, no, it doesn't matter if we do what we're doing now. You know, every time there's an election, it's what happens in between. So it's about black building, black power. And our theme has been power of the ballot to really engage folks to understand that the power of the ballot. That's 365. And you do that very well.

And we appreciate you for that. You must understand that Georgia is doing it for the nation. And I am so pleased to be here with my sisters, my Black Women's Roundtable sisters from Florida and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So, we understand— Pennsylvania in the house. The Black Women's Roundtable, we understand what it takes. And we got our good brother right backing us up. So, we are going to get this done,

and we are going to secure democracy for Georgia, for the USA, and for the whole world. That's what Georgia is getting ready to do. All right. Well, look, I certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch.

It's, like I say, not much time left, but of course, that's for the early voting. But there's still a lot of things happening this weekend, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday, because Election Day is Tuesday. And so the ballot isn't over. If folks want to get involved with this unity campaign, we still need folks to knock on doors because Election Day. What we can do is sleep Election Day itself. And so go to unitycampaign.org. Let us know if you want to get involved. And come on down here, or if you don't come down here, call everybody you know in the state of Georgia. Call your cousin.

Call everybody, okay, to make sure if they have not voted to vote. And if you cannot vote, tell somebody that can to go vote for you. That's what it takes. It's about a family affair, and the family has to be protected. Our black community is not going backwards. We're going to continue to go forward, but we've got to fight for that. All right, then. Folks, we appreciate it.

Thanks a lot. Thanks, Roland. All right. Thank you. Let's go back to my panel here. Look, at the end of the day, Kelly, this is going to be a ground war. That's what it boils down to. Look, you know, I've seen I saw a story where the Warnock and Walker campaign, they've dumped 80 million dollars on TV ads. Folks are tuning those things out. This is this is this is this is ground warfare.

This is going door to door. This is making those phone calls, sending those text out. This is ground warfare. This is going door to door. This is making those phone calls, sending those text messages. That's the only way Warnock is going to win. It's a heavy ground. Not only will people need to be doing that, but I think most importantly, people need to not take Warnock for granted and actually realize the power of their personal vote. Because I think that's what happened outside of the runoff and other elections. When we have tight races like this, in my experience, it's because people are like, oh, he's a shoo-in. He's got it anyway. He doesn't need my vote. No, Warnock needs every single vote. Every single vote. Because the reason why we're in a runoff is because he did not get

every single vote. So we need to make sure that he is the one who stays in his seat, that Walker does not get into his seat, because we cannot afford to take Warnock for granted. We cannot afford, Georgians cannot afford, the U.S. cannot afford to take Warnock for granted. So please get out there. Don't take your own vote for granted. Georgians, just go vote. One of the things that I do want to mention here, talk about what was shameful. A black, a 15-year-old black Warnock campaign worker was shot in the leg by a white man in Savannah, Georgia, who fired the weapon through his door. Police arrested the man. His name is Jimmy Paiz, P-A-I-Z. He was booked into the Chatham County jail on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery. Again, the 15-year-old

was taken to a hospital, has non-life-threatening injuries. And this young man was simply canvassing and going door to door, Michael. Yeah, you know, I think this is the first I've heard of that story. So right now, based upon the information I have, I don't know what the motive behind the shooting was. However, again, here's what we know. Again, the young man was canvassing. It took place yesterday. And again, according to the Savannah Police Department, around 5.35 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Hartridge Street in reference to a shooting that discovered a 15-year-old male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the preliminary investigation, the team was campaigning for Raphael Warnock for the upcoming runoff election when the incident occurred while at the front door of one of the residences on Hartridge Street, the suspect fired a shot through the closed door striking the team. Right, right.

So this is crazy regardless of what the motive is. But we do have to understand that this is Georgia. And Georgia, the reason why you have a runoff, a statewide runoff election law in the first place goes back to a white supremacist segregationist who was a state representative in Georgia named Denmark Groover. And they created this statewide law to lock African-Americans out of statewide elected official powers, elected official powers, statewide elected positions, like governor and senator, so that if African-Americans put all their votes behind

one African-American candidate in the primary, then white people, regardless of political affiliation, could coalesce around one white candidate in the general election and defeat the African-American candidate. So people really have to understand what Stacey Abrams pulled off with getting Raphael Warnock elected to senator, what Nse Ufe, with people, New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter. What they pulled off defied the law. That was not supposed to happen. So don't know exactly what the motives was in this shooting. I could suspect what the motives are, but we have to do this again. So what they're doing in Georgia, the ground game, is fantastic. And 51 Democratic senators is going to make a huge difference than just having 50

Democratic senators. So, you know, this is fantastic what's happening. And in 2024, we have to take back control of the House of Representatives. So this is why understanding history is so important. And just very quickly, Roland, when we talked about South Carolina, South Carolina is a game changer. And isn't it very interesting that the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860 that led to the Civil War was South Carolina? And there's about to be a political revolution

in South Carolina led by African Americans. Larry, this is a photo of the man who shot that canvasser. Again, this is the man. He was arrested by police officers there, and so he has been charged in that particular case. Again, so the folks out there, there's going to be a lot of people who are going to be on the ground with me and Larry, there's going to be a lot of people who are going to be on the ground

speaking in Larry. There's going to be gospel concerts happening all across Georgia. People are flooding in. A number of entertainers and celebrities are flooding in doing all they can to help Raphael Warnock put them over the top. I saw recently that Warnock, they have an AAPI event.

So in terms of, we talk about minoritized groups, you need every single vote you can find. I want to comment about what we just talked about, the shooting of a 15-year-old with canvassing. And I want to highlight something very important, Roland. Political violence in the United States is embedded in our DNA. So let's be clear about that in terms of this particular event and violence we've seen in January 6th, political violence in January 6th.

We can go on and on. So political violence is part of what's happening in the United States, particularly when it comes to either black folks or individuals who are supporting black candidates. So I think that's really important from a historical context. The other thing I'm going to do, Roland, is you're right. There are a lot of events happening in the last couple of days. I've talked to family and friends down there. Many of you had to wait in line, voted early for a long period of time, but did vote. So I encourage folks out there to continue to stay steadfast as we move forward into next week.

The other thing, Roland, is the last few minutes we had, you know, Sisters of Black Women's Roundtable. And I want to give them a shout out because that goes to my point about black women, black folks and specifically and in general and generally. I mean, generally, specifically black women being the backbone of the Democratic Party. And I appreciate all the work they're doing in terms of getting going to black barbershops and getting black men out to vote. So that's really important. But once again, political violence is part of what we have here in the United States. And undoubtedly, we'll continue to see more political violence in the future. But Georgia's need to do the right thing and make sure Senator Senator Warnock makes sure we have that 51-49 lead. All right, folks, hold tight one second.

We'll come back. We'll talk today's jobs report that dropped and also what does that mean for black unemployment within the economy. That is up next on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live from Atlanta, right here on the Black Starting Network. We'll be back in a moment. Don't wait until November 8th. We can vote today. Your early vote started this week. We're on Savannah State University's campus.

We'll be dorm storming today, giving out treats for everyone. We hope to see everyone at the polls when it comes to November 8th. If you believe we got power, let them know. Make some noise. Put a fist up. I need to see a fist in the air because we got power, let them know. Make some noise. Put a fist up. I need to see a fist in the air, because we got power. Come on, you put it up. Come get your shirt.

We're out here in the streets of Savannah, Georgia. James, do not forget to go vote. I got you. If we vote, the right people live. We can make a change. We can get these resources in our community. I am a woman, and it is important that we have the say-so of what we want to do with our bodies. We're concentrating on entrepreneurism,

providing young people with resources and training that they need in order to change their trajectories. We want black down. Democracy's on the ballot. Voting rights is on the ballot. Voting suppression is on the ballot. I am most passionate about those three combined because they all impact each other.

Savannah is my home. I care about my community and I care about representation in my community. Our voices are still going to be heard no matter what kind of obstacles try to come up against us to stop us from voting. We're still going to be standing our ground. I see the effort that's being made to keep our communities from voting.

So that makes me realize it's even more important because if it wasn't important, they wouldn't be fighting to make sure we could vote. This doesn't stop this year. This is a forever movement. We're going to exert our power as a people. We're walking our rightful place. We're going to change our communities, fight for our communities, and build our communities. Hey, I'm Antony Smith. Hey, I'm Arnaz James. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin. Unfiltered.

I mean, could it be any other way? Really? All right, folks. The job report that came out today is showing, again, showing better than expected and continuing job growth. You know, the critics out there keep saying that all the economy is bad and is awful. Yet we continue to add jobs. More than 260,000 jobs were added again this last month. Unemployment rate dropped to 5.7 percent for African-Americans. When you begin to look at

these numbers, again, what you're seeing is you're seeing things still doing well. Overall, the unemployment rate is 3.7 percent. And again, you're seeing progress. Patrick Mason is an impressive professor of economics of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He joins us right now. Glad to have you back, Dr. Mason. When you look at these numbers, what does it look like? Somebody's trying to call you right now, Doc, so let me know when we have him back,

please. All right, Doc, there you go. All right, so, Doc, we talk about these numbers. When you look at this report, what stands out for you? What stands out for me is it's kind of a good report in that the unemployment numbers didn't go up a lot with the Fed reserve interest rate increases. So jobs have been holding steady. In fact, for Black men, the number that I look at is the employment population ratio, and that's the fraction of people who actually have a job.

And for Black men, that went up a little bit from 63.6 percent to 64.5. And for Black women, it didn't go down. It kind of held steady. So I'll take that as moderately good news in that we didn't lose jobs and black men actually increased their level of employment. Talk about, again, these reports. A lot of times we see adjustments also made to the previous reports. Were there any adjustments made? Not yet. I mean, there will be adjustments. So these are like a set of numbers that come out, and then said, it's from last month to this month, I'll take it as good news. But the numbers are still too high. A 5.7 percent unemployment rate is still a recession level number for black workers. I mean, the national number is good, but, you know, the African-American

number still needs to come down quite a bit. We keep hearing folks predict, oh, it's going to be recession, it's going to be recession, it's going to be recession. Do you actually see that? Or is it sort of, you know, because again, what's weird is we keep hearing people howl about recession. You look at these job numbers and you see we continue to add jobs. Correct. So there have been mixed numbers on recession forecasts. And I think part of the difficulty is that we're still coming out of the COVID pandemic. There's still some supply chain shortages, and then you've got a war that's generating inflation.

So you've got a number of things that are kind of different from usual, and I think that's making it hard to forecast where we'll actually be six months from now or a year from now. And the Fed, you know, the last few months has been more concerned with inflation. And by raising interest rates, that increases the chances of having a recession. But the goal of the Fed was to try and increase interest rates without causing a recession. In other words, kind of slow down economic growth, but not to the point where you actually end up causing a recession. Got it.

All right, then. Well, again, it's always trying to understand these economic numbers. Anything else in this report that we should be paying attention to? Wages grew, but they didn't grow as much as I would like. I mean, I think it was like 5.8 percent or something. Inflation is still growing faster than wages, so wages need to catch up. All right, then. Dr. Mason, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, sir. All right, folks. When we come back,

we will talk about some headlines. White man found guilty to burning a cross to intimidate his Black neighbors. More great work by Christian Clark's Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. Folks, download the Black Star Network app, available on all platforms.

Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, of justice uh folks download the black star network app available on all platforms apple phone android phone apple tv android tv roku amazon fire tv xbox one support us joining our breen the funk fan club your dollars make it possible to do what we do uh senior check and money order the p.o box five seven one nine six washington dc two zero zero three seven dash zero one nine six cash app for dallas sign rm Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartinUnfiltered. Venmo is RMUnfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And of course, you can get a copy of my book, White Fear,

How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at Ben Bella Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Bookshop, Chapters, Book Simillion, Target. Order from your favorite black bookstore or download a copy on Audible. We'll be right back. Is it just me or does it feel like we've been here before? The whole country's finished voting and only us left. You'd think Herschel Walker would want to explain what he'd do in the Senate if he actually wants to represent Georgia. Instead, he repeats the same lies, trying to distract from what we

all know is true about him. But I think Georgians will see his abs for what they are. Don't you? I'm Rafael Warnock, and and yes we're doing this again that's why i approve this message on the next of alan's life with me dr jackie tis the season tree trimming party going and gift giving and i don't know about you but for me sometimes it can be overwhelming and sometimes it's just downright exhausting. Surviving the holiday season, we've got tips for you for staying sane, solvent, striving and thriving, and sometimes keeping a little money in your pocket. Two things just out of the gate, set boundaries and set a budget. On a next A Balanced Life right here on Blackstar Network with me, Dr. Jackie.

Hi, I'm Vivian Green. Hi, I'm Wendell Pierce, actor and author of The Wind in the Reeds. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. All right, folks. Let's do our black admission, folks. Let's do our Black from Scott, Louisiana.

The contracted driver last spoke to her family on March 9th of this year. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 168 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a denim jacket and blue pants. Her car was abandoned in April in St. Joseph, Missouri, 50 miles north of Kansas City, near the Kansas-Missouri state line. File play is suspected. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Ella Goody, contact the Scott, Louisiana Police Department at 337-233-3715, 337-233-3715. A fact check of information is needed after an article circling the internet claimed Mexican officials made an arrest in the Seanquilla Robinson murder. The article on a popular blog claimed that Interpol had arrested

Dajane Jackson for the November murder of Robinson. Well, Robinson died on a trip with friends in Mexico, but Mexican authorities have not publicly named the suspect. Authorities have only issued an arrest warrant, but haven't said who the warrant is for. According to Chancuela's father, the family has not been notified of any arrests. Folks, Mississippi's Capitol City is getting help from the federal government to improve its water system. Earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department filed a proposal to implement the rare intervention for improvements in the struggling water system, which nearly collapsed this past summer. A Mississippi district judge approved the move and authorized the appointment of a third-party manager to oversee reforms to Jackson's water system. This effort is part of President Joe Biden's campaign promise to elevate environmental justice issues to create an ecological justice division. Folks, also, a white Gulfport,

Mississippi man pleads guilty to a federal hate crime for cross-burning. On December 3, also, a white Gulfport, Mississippi man pleads guilty to a federal hate crime for cross burning. On December 3rd, 2020, Axel C. Cox burned a cross in his front yard and used threatening and racial derogatory comments toward his black neighbors to intimidate them. It's believed Cox chose to burn the cross because of the victim's race. His sentencing is scheduled for March 9, 2023. Cox faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. A panel of judges in Florida struck down the need for a particular master review of documents seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Thursday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, three panel of judges, paves the way for the Justice Department to regain access to all materials seized from Trump's residence for

use in the criminal investigation. In the 23-page unanimous opinion, the court rendered that the lower court judge should never have granted his request for an independent arbiter. And the idea of the court expressed explicitly that no person, even a president, is above the law. Quote, we cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant, nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so. In the event of an appeal from Trump, it is unlikely that the ruling is going to be overturned. The thing here, Michael, I say about this, they really went after this judge saying she did not have standing to intervene in this case.

And so she just decided on her own. She had the power. They said, no, you don't. Exactly. And this is what a lot of legal analysts have been saying the whole time. And it appeared that Trump and his attorneys were shopping for a judge, shopping for someone who would give them a favorable decision. But early on, they were saying, wait a second, this judge does not have the legal standing to even do this. So it was really suspected that the special master would be struck down. But even with the special master, things still weren't going Trump's way. This has been a very bad week for Donald Trump, OK? You have the House Ways and Means Committee, who finally got his taxes. Number one, you have Kanye West still going crazy, and Kanye West gets banned from Twitter

once again because of idiotic comments he makes on Alex Jones' show. And Kanye West is a big supporter of Donald Trump, as well as Alex Jones. You have the Trump Organization lawsuit as well that's taken place. So this has not been a very good week for Donald Trump. But this turned out as we expected that it would. This goes to show you, Larry, this judge was in Florida, that Donald Trump has appointed judges who don't give a damn about the law, who will do whatever they can to protect him. Yeah, and the other thing is he's appointed a lot of judges that weren't qualified.

We should add that important caveat. So I'm glad to hear what the court had to say in terms of the lower court judge, that they didn't have the authority. I think the other thing that's important when it relates to Donald Trump and a lot of these legal issues, what he's done now and in the past, is he just wants to run the clock out. He wants to take as much time as possible. And so you mentioned, Michael mentioned before, in terms of them shopping, his legal team shopping for judges. He's done that throughout his career. So listen, he's trying to game the system. But all these legal cases are finally

catching up to him. And I think 2023 will be the year in which Donald Trump will finally face the music. And I know he's announced he's running for president of the United States. But as you just talked about the legal decision from the judges, no one is above the law, particularly a former twice impeached president. Bottom line here, Kelly, we have to understand Republicans would do anything to protect this man. People need to understand this is a perfect example why voting matters. This man should be buried. He should never even come near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And so, you know, look, and he doesn't give a damn about the law. He will ignore the law.

He always has ignored the law. And so we must understand these so-called Blue Lives Matter people, they don't care when it comes to their cult leader, Donald Trump. No one does. And it's really frustrating. But I want to make clear that, you know,

you mentioned that Donald Trump doesn't know the law. Not only does he not know the law, I don't know if he has ever truly won a case. I mean, the fact of the matter is Donald Trump doesn't necessarily know how to win cases so much as he knows how to delay them and to stretch them out to the point where people get tired of them and it's dismissed. But that's not necessarily winning a case. It's just getting a case dismissed. So he's been, you know, somewhat Teflar for the longest time. Hopefully that time is coming soon. But you're right. His supporters are not going, are relentless. They are not going to stop supporting him. They are not, they're going to do whatever it is

within their power to make sure that he has a semblance of power so that they can have a semblance of power. And that's why your vote matters. That's why political action matters. And, you know, to bring it back to your previous segment, that's why Warnock needs to get in office so that we can have a semblance of cushion just, you know, so that whoever comes in office the next time isn't able to just blow everything up. Oh, absolutely. Hey, folks, a Washington state sheriff was on trial for chasing and harassing a black newspaper delivery man. In January of last year, Sheriff Ed Troyer assumed Cedric Altheimer was stealing packages from neighbors and chased him in an unmarked vehicle. After a

confrontation, Troyer called an emergency dispatcher, saying Alzheimer threatened to kill him. Over 40 units came rushing to the scene. Troyer eventually admitted he was not being threatened. Troyer faces misdemeanor charges of false reporting and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Troyer faces up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine on each count if convicted. The conviction also could be legal grounds for voters to launch a recall to remove him from office. Well, that should absolutely happen. Folks, another federal judge has stopped

President Joe Biden's $400 billion student loan debt forgiveness plan. The New Orleans Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman's ruling for November 10th that the debt relief program violated the law. The conservative job creators network foundation filed a lawsuit alleging it's illegal and harms taxpayers. Supreme Court will consider arguments around the legality of the student loan forgiveness program in February. In the meantime, an injunction suspending the program of implementation will remain in place.

The Biden administration extended the student loan payment clause until June 30, 2023. All right, folks, I've got to go to a break. We'll be right back right here on Rolling Mark Gun Culture on the Black Charlene. Don't wait til November 8th, we can vote today, y'all, early vote started this week. We're on Savannah State University's campus. We will be dorm storming today, giving out treats for everyone. We hope to see everyone at the polls

when it comes to November 8th. If you believe we got power, let them know. Make some noise. Put a fist up. I need to see a fist in the air, because we got power. Come on, you put it up. Come get your shirt. We're out here in the streets of Savannah, Georgia.

James, do not forget to go vote. I got you. If we vote, the right people in. We can make a change. We can get these resources in our community. I am a woman and it is important that we have the say so of what we want to do with our bodies. We're concentrating on entrepreneurism,

providing young people with resources and training that they need in order to change their trajectories. We want black down. Democracy is on the ballot. Voting rights is on the ballot. Voting suppression is on the ballot. I am most passionate about those three combined because they all impact each other. Savannah is my home. I care about my community, and I care about representation in my community. Our voices are still going to be heard no matter what kind of obstacles try to come up against us to stop us from voting.

We're still going to be standing our ground. I see the effort that's being made to keep our communities from voting. So that makes me realize it's even more important, because if it wasn't important, they wouldn't be fighting to make sure we could vote. This doesn't stop this year. This is a forever movement.

We're going to exert our power as a people. Walk in our rightful place. We're going to change our communities, fight for our communities, and build our communities. 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. Folks, tomorrow we will be in Jackson, Mississippi, broadcasting the pregame show, partnering with General Motors for the SWAC Championship, pitting Jackson State versus Southern University. Of course, the winner of that game goes on to the Celebration Bowl against the winner of the MEAC conference. Joining us right now is Carlos Brister, Jr., president of the Southern University Student Government Association. Carlos, glad to have you here.

I take it your fellow classmates at Southern are hyped and excited about this game. A lot of y'all headed to Jackson, Mississippi for the game? Yes, of course. This is a big opportunity for Southern University. And we're excited just as much as the Jags. We can't wait to root our Jags to victory on tomorrow. And look forward to a big game. Also, a nice friendly battle between the two bands.

Now, what often happens is whenever cities are in the Super Bowl, they typically have bets between the mayors. And so have you had some sort of bet with the Jackson State student government president? No. We always look at it as friendly competition. Of course, they think they're going to go to celebration, but we also do. So there's always a friendly, friendly competition. It's always a great time to go into Jackson because it's such a family, a family vibe. Like Jackson State is one of my, one of my favorite HBCUs besides my HBCU. All right, then, well, it is going to be a huge game. And one of the things that I said to some folks, you know, normally we're talking about these games. People always talk about who wins halftime but this is really about who wins

who wins on the field yep yep yep so i'm looking for jags to win both on the field and at halftime i know that's what i know that's what we're going to do coach duly um has prepared our boys for this and also um mr taylor with the band has prepared us for a boombox classic, what we call it, part two. I don't know because, you know, the last couple of years, the general consensus is that Grambling got y'all at the Bayou Classic the last couple of years. We couldn't have been watching the same Bayou Classic. We couldn't have been watching the same one.

I'm just saying. I'm just saying. Look, I didn't see this year's halftime show, but I will say last year's halftime show, y'all got got. I mean, you know, Southern University is often imitated but never, ever duplicated. So I'm going to just leave it at that. Questions from our panel for you about this SWAC championship.

Again, like I said, we're going to be at the General Motors booth tomorrow broadcasting from there. I'm looking forward to seeing the folks there. Let's see. Larry, you're first up. Yeah, so I'm a rolling proud HBCU alum here. So I wanted

to ask a question about relating to students. I know it's getting close to break, and I remember being in student government. So I'm curious, how many busloads of students are you sending to the game? So right now we're sending three busloads of students to the game. Actually, our finals start on Monday, so that's good to start after the SWAG championship. So we're able to go out there and have fun. Students left today. Some students are leaving tomorrow.

And Jackson is going to be live. I think last time I talked to the SGA president, they had less than 500 tickets left. So it's going to be a packed house on both sides. All right. Kelly? Hi. All right. Kelly? when it comes to sports and athletics and the like, especially when it comes to recruiting these athletes and how HBUs are finally being seen as a legit competitor to these Big Ten schools?

I think it's a great opportunity for our HBCUs to finally be on the forefront, actually shift the culture and the network of our Black athletics and black students and things like that. I think that Deion Sanders shedding that light on HBCUs as a whole is a big opportunity for us all. Michael.

I'm sorry, guys. I do have to go really. I do have to go. I'm so sorry. I got you. Well, look, I will be there tomorrow, so we'll see y'all in Jackson, Mississippi. Good luck. Thank y'all so much, and good luck to y'all as well. Whenever Southern win, maybe we can come back here and talk about the Celebration Bowl. Well, we'll be in the Celebration Bowl as well, so we'll look forward to it. Thanks a bunch.

All right. Sounds good. Again, folks, we're going to be broadcasting tomorrow from Jackson, Mississippi from 12 to 2, 12 to 2 there before game time. So if you're actually in Jackson, come on by the fan zone. We'll be in the General Motors activation. So we look forward to having you there. You can actually get information on the electric vehicles. We'll be broadcasting there. I look forward to having the conversations with some various folks there as well.

We were supposed to. So we'll do this here. I'm going to do another story when we come back. But, again, don't forget, tomorrow we're broadcasting live 12 to 2. Be sure to tune in with our Road and Swag Championship powered by General Motors right here on the Black Sun Network. The new GMC Sierra, premium and capable. That's professional grade. 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. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. We welcome the Black Star Network's very own Roland Martin, who joins us to talk about his new book, White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. The book explains so much about what we're going through in this country right now and how, as white people head toward becoming a racial minority, it's going to get, well, let's just say, even more interesting. We are going to see more violence. We're going to see more vitriol. Because as each day passes, it is a nail in that coffin.

The one and only Roland Martin on the next Black Table, right here on the Black Star Network. Hey, I'm Antonique Smith. Hey, I'm Arnaz J. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin, unfiltered. I mean, could it be any other way? Really. It's Roland Martin. Folks, we were supposed to have the president of Jackson State on the show, but, man, some sadness out of the university.

The president has confirmed that a student of Jackson State has been shot and killed in the parking lot there. JSU President Thomas Hudson said, it is with a heavy heart that I confirm the death of a JSU student. The loss of a young person is always a devastating circumstance for our campus community. Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time. As president, I assure you that the safety of our students and campus community is our highest priority.

While we do not have all the details at this time, the person of interest is in custody. Out of respect for the family and due to the nature of this ongoing investigation, we're unable to release the name of the student at this time. Jackson State officials did confirm that the victim was not a member of the football team. That is certainly some sad news out of Jackson State. And so our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to that student's family, friends, and loved ones as well. And so that is just so unfortunate. And again, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the

Jackson State University Police Department, they are working together to investigate this homicide on the campus of Jackson State University. All right, folks, we're talking about the issue of education. A little bit earlier, I talked about the debt relief, debt forgiveness plan being held up in the courts. Larry, this was one of the things that, one of the reasons why President Biden took so long on this issue, because he frankly kept saying that he didn't have the authority to do this. There were people like Sharon Elizabeth Warren and others who kept saying he absolutely had. Now this is in the hands of a Supreme Court. This is a huge, huge decision that can have major implications, as we say,

at a $400 billion debt relief program. So one of the things that's important about your point, Roland, is that Nancy Pelosi even said that she didn't believe he had authority and that it was something that had to be taken up at the House, by the House. So you're right, there's going to be serious long- long term ramifications and particularly with this conservative Supreme Court. And so you talked about the amount of debt that, you know, we're looking at. But one of the things is about this particular policy is that it's really dealing with a racial justice issue. We know that black folks are more likely to incur debt than white college graduates because of systemic racism, particularly, obviously, white parents are more likely to have equity in their own homes and have equity in their homes and give their students,

give them money. So this is a racial justice issue. But what is this going to say about other similar programs that maybe someone from the White House or some other leader may want to implement? So it'll be interesting to see what happens in a couple of months with the Supreme Court. But it's certainly not promising as it relates to, once again, we talk about the makeup of the current court. But obviously, this is a huge issue. This is a campaign issue that President Biden said he would make sure it happened. And I know a lot of Black folks, including myself, were quite excited about some debt relief, considering, once again, that we're far more likely than white folks who are college graduates to incur significant debt. And it is going to be—and again, look, this is a conservative Supreme Court, Kelly, and God knows how they're going to rule.

But, you know, it doesn't necessarily look good for students. But if the Supreme Court is going to be reviewing this. I mean, it doesn't look good. I and other, many other former students who owe a significant amount of debt, student loan debt, they're going to sit right there until somebody makes a decision. Because at this point, you know, it is no question that student loans, the way in which we received them, the way in which they were marketed to us. It was incredibly predatory and, dare I say, fraudulent. The fact that we are in situations in which the degree versus our salary just isn't matching up, hasn't matched up.

I could go on about just how burdened we are with student loan debt. But again, until somebody makes a decision, they're going to stay right there. Right now, they're on pause. Let them keep pausing until somebody has like a final say, because it's getting ridiculous. But at the same time, you know, for a lot of us, the debt is so great, it kind of doesn't matter one way or the other.

I know that the 20K that was being promised barely touched my interest, let alone the principal on my loan. So we'll see. But I will say this, Michael, something is better than nothing. And here's the deal. Congress, step the hell up. It's on you. Everything shouldn't be left up to the president and executive order. Congress could have moved on this and they didn't. Exactly. And, you know, if you want, if Senator Elizabeth Warren wants broad debt forgiveness without restrictions on how much you make a year or anything like that,

then, you know, Congress, when you when Democrats have control of the House and the Senate and they still do until probably January 3rd, 2023, then sponsor the bill and get it passed through the House and the Senate, okay, and put it on Biden's desk. What took so long with this is for Biden to do the executive order. And as somebody who's actually had experience in writing executive orders for the city of Detroit, because I was actually on the committee to do so under the Kwame Kilpatrick administration. I didn't go to jail or anything like that, but I do have experience in writing executive orders. And it took us 13 months to get it done. And what was holding up the executive order that Biden signed was investigating the legal position, the legal foundation for this.

And they used the 2003 Heroes Act to for the president to be able to discharge debt during a pandemic. They use that as the foundation. But they put out the Biden administration, put out about a 25page legal analysis stating why he has the authority to do this. So, and let's keep in mind, the reason why it's tied up in court is because you have Republicans filing lawsuits to block the student loan forgiveness. We have to keep that in mind. Once again, this goes back to understanding who is fighting for you and who is fighting against you. So hopefully, the conservative Supreme Court will rule in favor of the Biden administration, but also Congress has the authority to do what Senator Elizabeth Warren says she wants done. So Congress

has to do her job also. Right. And that's what my point, they could have done something on it. All right, folks, let's talk about Tuskegee. They received a million dollar endowment from the Cliff Bar and Company. It's going to support the advancement of organic agriculture and farming practices through the University's College of Agriculture, Environment, and Nutrition Sciences. Tuskegee becomes the first HBCU to receive a Cliff Bar endowment. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is matching the endowment. This nonprofit organization builds public-private partnerships to fund research addressing challenges in food and agriculture, doubling the gift to $2 million. Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller is the Dean and Research Director of the College of Agriculture, Environment, and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee.

She joins us right now. Doc, glad to have you here. So take us through, you know, what does this grant do? What is it going to allow for the students to do when it comes to organic farming? Well, Roland, you know, we are known definitely for teaching the students, but also our research and outreach that is conducted by our faculty members. And so we actually have a 20-year history of conducting organic research here in the Southeast and have really led some outstanding projects with regards to organic agriculture in the southeastern area allowing them opportunities to expand their transition into organic practices. One of the things in agriculture we definitely want to do is to make certain that we are providing a choice for consumers with regards to their fresh fruits and vegetables and so

Tuskegee University is leading that charge and ensuring that all farmers have the opportunity to contribute to this revolution. And we're including students as well as part of that project, that process. And for folks who don't know, I mean, we're talking about a university that has a lot of farmland and has played a huge role, obviously, for decades when it comes to agriculture. But things certainly are changing now with urban farming and folks who are involved in agriculture, and they're not dealing with lots of land. Well, one of the things that we're most proud of is that we've always taken into consideration not only the large producers, but also small farmers, individuals who

have a half an acre, a single acre, even just a plot in their backyards. We're there for them, and we want to make certain that they are a part of the most modern practices to ensure that we can produce enough food. We know that by the year 2050, we have to almost double the amount of food that we currently produce in order to feed our growing population. And we know that in order for that to happen, everyone has to be involved, not only large producers, but also small producers. And we're here to do our part. And again, to do so in a way that we're ensuring that there's not just food available, but healthy and nutritious food that's available that will help address some of the health disparities that are seen in minority and other marginalized communities. All right, future farmer Kelly, what's your question? When it comes to organic food in general, I live in D.C.

And, you know, that that yuppie health kick is definitely a thing here. Of course, organic food, super healthy food in general, to be more expensive than the stuff that's not good for you? And how do you translate that message into, say, places with food deserts and people who actually need that food? Well, that's a great question. One of the things that we know is that fast food is fast because it can be generated very quickly. A lot of our healthier foodstuffs, produce, vegetables and such, it takes a lot more effort because these items are not processed. It needs to incorporate more labor. And one of the things that we're excited about as a part of this cliff bar contribution is that we'll be able to utilize

modern agricultural practices so that we can really revolutionize how we do organic agriculture. We're talking about utilizing artificial intelligence in the process so that instead of having to have 40 or 50 folks out on the field doing weeding, we can have fewer individuals that are monitoring the robots and what have you that are weeding so that we can get these products out faster. So that reduces the cost overall. And that's why this involvement of this research of these practices is so very critical, so that we can reduce costs. That's how we've been able to be a superpower as a country in the agricultural space by increasing our technological advances in agricultural production over the years. And now we'll be contributing more of that

to organic agriculture specifically. Larry, your question? Yeah, so congratulations on securing this funding. As a researcher, I know how hard that is. So I have to say my wife is a proud Tuskegee alum. She was a homecoming a few weeks ago, so I have to say that before she kills me. But also, let's talk a little bit about this funding. It's an endowment, and I think a lot of people don't understand how that works. So I'm curious in terms of how you, first of all, this is a long-term investment because it's an endowment. And I'm curious in terms of how you plan on utilizing the money. Are you utilizing the interest?

How exactly are you going to use the funding to continue to support research? Exactly. So one of the great things about an endowment, as you indicated, is that it is long-term, long-bearing interest. And so we anticipate that at minimum we'll get between the two contributions of funds around $100,000 annually to put toward research and what have you. We will be able to help support the research and work of our organic agriculture teams. The team is led by Dr. Kokoase Kumaku, who is a soil scientist here at Tuskegee University, and the co-director of the program is Dr. Franklin Karku. And so in addition to supporting their research, we'll also be able to train students, which is really exciting. And we'll be able to

build, I'm utilizing that interest to support that research that is being conducted to purchase supplies. And as they come up with all these great innovative ideas, those dollars will serve as seed monies so that they can do some initial experiments and then utilize those pilot experiments to go after additional funding from USDA and other sources that support organic agriculture. Michael. All right. Well, this is fantastic news, and thanks for sharing this with us, Dr. Olga. Can you talk about possibly how the farming practices, the new farming practices that are being used, can you talk about how this could possibly benefit and help African-American farmers?

I know we've lost, at the turn of the century, we had about a million African-American farmers. Today, there are only about 45,000, and they've lost millions of acres of land. Can you talk about how some of these practices can help them? The beauty of advancing organic agricultural practices and incorporating these modern technologies that include, as I mentioned, artificial intelligence,

which could be robotics that can be utilized in video monitoring and what have you. It allows them to enhance their capabilities. And so again, where they may have limited labor or labor shortages, you don't have to rely on not having those additional individuals for labor. You can take two people and do the work of 20 people. And this is going to be very important

for our limited resource producers. And then some of them have smaller plots of land. And so again, this automation allows them to do a lot of the work faster and more efficiently, which increases their profitability. And so this is an investment in them and also teaches them not only modern practices, but how do they increase profitability? Because at the end of the day, the 1% feeds the 100%. And, again, everyone matters in order for us to meet our food challenges. All right, Doc. Thank you.

Appreciate it, and good luck to all of y'all at Tuskegee. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much for having us, Roland. Appreciate it, folks. That is it for us. I've got to go. Urban One Honors is being taped tonight in Atlanta, and I'm actually presenting one of the awards to Congressman Maxine

Waters. That's why we came on early, and I'm ending the show a little bit early. Let me thank Larry, Kelly, and Michael as well for being on the panel. Folks, I'll be flying early to Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow morning to be broadcasting live from the SWAG Championship there. It's a crazy, crazy busy day. I'm back in Georgia on Sunday, and so we'll be here through Wednesday Wednesday. And so a lot of things are happening. We doing what we have to do. Y'all know how this thing goes. So do this here. Please support us in what we do. Download the Black Star Network app available on all platforms. Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV. You can also su by joining our breeding f box 57196 Washington DC 2

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