#RolandMartinUnfiltered - #GeorgeFloyd laid to rest; GA primary drama; COVID-19 update; Black ad agency pros demand change

Episode Date: June 18, 2020

6.9.20 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: #GeorgeFloyd laid to rest; Georgia primary election drama; Dr. Fauci issues grim warning: COVID-19 pandemic isn't over yet; Black ad agency pros demand change; Can we solve the problem of systemic racism in law enforcement; Cops gone wild in Decatur and Alabama; Chicago sees its most violent day in six decades; America is officially in a recession; Popular crab spot in Baltimore is being shut down by protesters, but why? Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered #RolandMartinUnfiltered Partner: Ceek Be the first to own the world's first 4D, 360 Audio Headphones and mobile VR Headset. Check it out on www.ceek.com and use the promo code RMVIP2020 - The Roland S. Martin YouTube channel is a news reporting site 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. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Today is Tuesday, June 9th, 2020. Coming up on Roland Martin on the filter, George Floyd laid to rest in his hometown of Houston.

We'll show you what took place at the Fountain of Praise there. The word spoken at his funeral. In Georgia, lots of drama when it came to the primary today. Massive chaos, long lines. Some polls now extended for the next three hours. We'll talk with Latasha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, about that. After Anthony Fauci has a grim assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic and warns that it isn't over yet,

we'll give you the latest. Well, there's 600 black ad agency professionals called for an end to systemic racism in an open letter to the advertising industry. We'll talk to one of the creators behind that letter. Also, getting rid of a few bad apples of police forces will not solve the problem of structural racism that exists. We'll talk about that as well. Plus, we'll show you examples of bad policing in Decatur, Alabama. In Chicago, 18 people were

killed in a single day, making it the most violent day in Chicago in six decades. We'll talk with a local reporter about what's happening in the Windy City. Plus, America's officially in a recession. We'll talk to an economist about what happens moving forward. Folks, plus a popular craft spot in Baltimore is being shut down by protesters. We'll tell you why. It's time to bring the funk on Rolling Martin Unfiltered. Let's go. He's got it.

Whatever the mess, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the find And when it breaks, he's right on time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling

It's on, go, go, go, y'all It's rolling Roro, y'all It's Rollin' Martin Rollin' with Rollin' now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rollin' Martin Martin Only 500 people were supposed to be at the Fountain of Praise today for the funeral of George Floyd, but more than 2,000 folks actually crammed into the sanctuary there. So many people who were in attendance there, whether you had civil rights leaders, political leaders, celebrities as well.

Folks who went to high school with him at Jack King's High School in Houston. People who grew up with George Floyd and the CUNY Homes Housing Project as well. Here is a compilation of today's homegoing service. Anybody know anything about him? You are the strength of my life. Hello, everyone, on this day of prayer, where we try to understand God's plan in our pain. To George's family and friends, Jill and I know the deep hole in your hearts when you bury a piece of your soul deep in this earth. As I've said to you privately, we know, we know you will never feel the same again. For most people, the numbness you feel now will slowly turn day after day, season after season into purpose through the memory of the one they lost. But for you, that day has come before you can fully grieve.

And unlike most, you must grieve in public. It's a burden. A burden that is now your purpose to change the world for the better. In the name of George Floyd. Like so many others, I've watched with awe as you summoned the absolute courage to channel God's grace and show the good man George was. To stir justice too long dormant, to move millions to act peacefully and purposely. But among all the people around the world who feel connected to this tragedy

are the ones who lost something that can never, ever be replaced. To George's children and grandchild, I know you miss your dad and your granddad. But, Luciana, as I said to you when I saw you yesterday, you're so brave. Daddy's looking down. He's so proud of you.

I know you miss that bear hug that only he could give. The pure joy riding on his shoulders so you could touch the sky. The countless hours he spent playing any game you wanted because your smile, your laugh, your love is the only thing that mattered at the moment i know you have a lot of questions honey no child should have to ask questions that too many black children have had to ask for generations why why is daddy gone looking through your eyes we should also be asking ourselves,

why the answer is so often too cruel and painful. Why in this nation do too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life? Why does justice not roll like a river, nor righteousness like a mighty stream why ladies and gentlemen we can't turn away we must not turn away we cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul

from systemic abuse that still plagues American life. As Thurgood Marshall once implored, quote, America must dissent from indifference. It must dissent from fear, the hatred, and the mistrust. We must dissent because America can't do better, because America has no choice but to do better. I grew up with Catholic social doctrine, which taught me that faith without works is dead, and you'll know us by what we do. Ladies and gentlemen, you've got to deal with the denial and promise of this nation

to so many people for so long. It's about who we are, what we believe, and maybe most importantly, who we want to be to ensure that all men and women are not only created equal, but are treated equally. We can heal this nation's wounds and remember its pain, not callous the heart and forget. I know Reverend Sharpton is there in Houston with you today. Rev, I watched you speak from Ecclesiastes last week in Minnesota, chapter three, verse one. Everything there is a time and a purpose and a season under the heavens. Today, now is the time, the purpose, the season to listen and heal.

Now is the time for racial justice. That's the answer we must give to our children when they ask why. Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America. And then, as you said, Gianna, your daddy will have changed the world. May God be with you, George Floyd, and your family. And the words of a hymn from my church based on the 91st Psalm, may he raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the breath of dawn, and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand.

God bless you all. God bless you all. I'm not here today as a Democrat. We're not here as Republicans. We're not here because we're rich or poor. We're not here because we're rich or poor. We're not here because we're conservative or liberal. We are here because Pastor Remus Wright was so right when he said, we have no expendables in our community. George Floyd was not expendable. This is why we're here.

His crime was that he was born black. That was his only crime. George Floyd deserved the dignity and the respect that we accord all people simply because they are children of a common God, and it's very unfortunate that we have to be here, but we're going to celebrate the life of George Floyd today. And to the family, it's important that I say this to you. We who are here today are here to say we stand with you. We will be there for you. Let's let them know they are not alone. Let's give them some love. Let's say to this family, we are here to stay. Say it for the family, please, with some love.

Give them some love, please, the family. And I guess he wanted us to know, family, about CUNY homes and Jack Yates. Somebody might have said, what good comes out of Nazareth? And somebody else might have said, what good comes out of Third Ward? I am so grateful today to be able to say a man by the name of Big Floyd walked amongst us down those CUNY home blocks, went on up to that crimson and red, and began to mentor and make a legacy that no one can deny. I want you to know, my friends,

that as these members of Congress, give me a moment. Chairwoman Karen Bass, the Congressional Black Caucus. Leadership, Barbara Lee. Congressman Hank Johnson. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. Congresswoman Sylzie Fletcher, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Congresswoman Deb Haaland from New Mexico.

They are across the nation. They are here because they are honoring a brother that came out of the heart of Third Ward and Jack Yates. They are here to honor that leadership. So as I conclude, George Floyd was here on an assignment. It is painful to be able to accept that. I'm so sorry I know him in death. But he was here on an assignment. Some folk on assignments only get to stay 30 years when the wicked man thought they had done something. George Floyd took it 46 years he walked this

journey. He left behind sisters and brothers who could stand up against the adversity of life when the camera came and people asked to PJ and others, what do you want? We want justice. We want justice. Let me just say to you that people all over the world and elected officials on all levels are doing things that they otherwise might not and we'll get that done within a 90-day period. But as I speak right now, the city attorney is drafting an executive order, an order that I will sign when I get back to City Hall. And what that order will say is that in this city,

we will ban chokeholds and strangleholds. In this city, we will require de-escalation. In this city, you have to give a warning before you shoot. In this city, you have a duty to intervene. In this city, we will require comprehensive reporting. In this city, you must exhaust all alternatives before shooting. And there will be other things in this executive order. How do I say goodbye to what we had? The good times that made us laugh our way back I thought we'd get

to see forever but forever's gone all the way it's gone away it's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday I don't to yesterday I don't know

where this road is going to lead All I know is where we've been And what we've been through If we get to see tomorrow I hope it's worth all the pain It's so hard

to say goodbye to yesterday And I'll take with me the memories To be my sunshine after the rain It's so hard to say goodbye To yesterday God bless.

This family, who hopefully has been comforted by the many people who have come today, and who have given to us a portrait of the man we only knew through the news, but who we now know not only as a human being, but as a great human being. We're glad to have known George Floyd. All of us and our lives begin with obscurity. We don't know how it would end in history. No one thought on that January morning of the 15th day of 1929 that that boy would grow up to be the liberator to a movement called the Civil Rights.

No one knew. In August in 1961, on the fourth day, in Hawaii of all places, in obsc obscurity that the first African American president would be born and nobody knew on October the 14th 1973 in obscurity Fayetteville North Carolina parents boldly and courageously migrating to Houston, had no idea in Third Ward, Cuny Homes, Jack Gates, that God had birthed someone that now belongs in a rightful place of history. We all begin in obscurity.

We don't know where we'll land in history. The question of theology and theodicy is where was God in all of this? God was and is where God has always been. God didn't cause it, but God can certainly use it. Unfortunately, we've almost turned it into cliche, but it's Christian bedrock belief that all things work together

for the good of them who love the Lord and who are called according to his purpose. And so to this family today, God is working his way and he has been where he always will be. I'll leave you now with these words, trials dark on every hand. And we cannot understand all the ways that God will lead us to that blessed promised land, but he'll guide us with his eye yeah we'll follow him till we die and then we'll understand it better bye and bye all this family wants is justice oh it's nice to see some people change their mind the head of the nfl said, yeah, maybe we was wrong. Football players, maybe they

did have the right to peacefully protest. Well, don't apologize. Give Colin Kaepernick a job back. Don't come with some empty apology, take a man's livelihood, strip a man down of his talents, and four years later when the whole world is marching, all of a sudden you go and do a FaceTime talking about you sorry? Minimizing the value of our lives. You sorry? Then repay the damage you did to the career you stood down. Because when Colin took a knee, he took it for the families in this building.

And we don't want an apology. We want him repaid. All right, folks. The horse-drawn carriage took Floyd's body to a funeral home there in Pearland, Texas, not far at all from where the church is located. Of course, he was also laid to rest next to his mother, Lassiniya Floyd. Our panelist, Kelly Bethea, communications strategist, Michael Brown, former vice chair, DNC Finance Committee.

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, former senior advisor, environmental justice EPA. I'll tell you, Michael, this was, first of all, there's supposed to be 500 people there, about 2,000 packed in there. They just blew out social distancing there as well. Obviously, you had politicians there. You had activists. You had families of other black men who have died. The family, of course, of Trayvon Martin's mother was there. The family of both of Jean was there as well. A number of others. This is this was remarkable also because this was the second of the three funerals that was actually aired on broadcast television, aired by cable news networks, BET and Revolt aired it.

The other black networks own Aspire and TV1 didn't air i must say for tv1 that's a shame uh you know look i spent 13 of those first 14 years there uh trying to build up news there and i don't understand what the hell these black networks are doing you have what is arguably what is arguably one of the biggest moments in the 21st century in terms of the reaction to this. And a lot of these black media people are sitting their ass on the sideline. We live streamed it on this platform as well, been covering it. So I don't know what the hell these other black networks are thinking. And clearly I don't either. It's unfortunate. But the good thing is, as you mentioned, it was live streamed and frankly live

on other cable networks for everyone to see, especially for those of us who don't go to black churches, got to see how we celebrate someone's passing. And it was nice for the world to see it. Though there have been some other funerals that have been on cable network before but i don't know if this many people were watching and you know obviously godspeed to the family and it was done first class just clearly how this family is their first class people and it's unfortunate um kelly it was uh obviously um very emotional, very political. Reverend Bill Lawson, civil rights legend there in Houston, made it perfectly clear we've got to clean the White House out. Absolutely. I personally did not watch the funeral services today.

My spirit just couldn't take it to be fully transparent with you. I am tired of seeing us mourn black bodies at the hands of white supremacy. But I always stand with the families of the victims, and my prayers and thoughts are with them. I had no doubt that this would be a political event just because his death has been so politicized. I applaud CBC and the other politicians and speakers for truly giving the family their a respectful, as little political, as few politics involved as possible, so to speak. It really was a home-going service from what I did see.

And that's really all you can ask for and pray for in circumstances like this, because what you really want is for none of this to happen and for George Floyd to be alive. Mustafa, Paris Denard just sent an email with a statement of Rona Romney McDaniel, head of the RNC, about the George Floyd funeral. Give me a break. I'm not going to waste my time reading the tweets she posted. Well, you know what, whether it's that individual or others,

and I really appreciate it when Rev focused on justice. You know, we should remember Amos 524, where God specifically said what he was looking for for people who are being impacted, people who are being unheard and unseen. When he said that, you know, I want justice. I want justice to flow like an ocean and I want justice to flow like a river.

And when we focus on it in that sense, in that context, then we understand also the value of George Floyd's, you know, not only the loss of his life, but also of the living of his life. And it reminds me of the fact that we've had individuals throughout our history who have helped to transform and move us closer to actual justice. When we look at, you know, folks in our past, Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner and Malcolm X and Dr. King, you know, those are all folks who helped to shift the culture, if you will. When we look at what Rosa Parks did, but also with Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman led our people to freedom. George Floyd is now leading our country to justice.

I'm going to bring in Latasha Brown. She is the coach. She is, of course, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. Latasha, one of the things that I think is important as we talk about this as well. And and I've been making this point. When you look at the look at the history of black folks, the history of America, you had these moments where black blood was spilled that actually led to change. Emmett Till lynched, murdered, kicks off the modern black freedom movement. Then, of course, then, of course, Jimmy Lee Jackson there in Selma. Then, of course, Medgar Evers, four little girls in Birmingham. I mean, we can go on and on and on. And you got these nuts, of course.

Some of these black people on the right who like, oh, George Floyd was no martyr. But the reality is the the murder of George Floyd already has led to immediate changes. You heard what Mayor Sylvester Turner there. You see what's happening in New York State. You see already cities moving to ban chokeholds. So to act as if his death has not sparked immediate change, you have to be blind, crazy and dumb. That's right. And so and part of the process is it's not just the pain

that led to it. It's our response to the pain. That part of what happens is in his death, because in George Floyd's case, there have been hundreds of other brown and black people in this country that are on a daily basis are killed through state sanctioned violence. But it also demonstrates that when we respond and we say enough is enough, and when we respond to those deaths, that that's when transformation happens. And so we have to recognize our power in this process, that we have to recognize that when we decide that we're going to change things and that we're going to transform this country, when we collectively decide, stop making excuses. I think the Black media does

have to step up. That's why I'm so grateful for you, Roland. You know, I was talking to a Black media outlet the other day, and I really got disheartened. You know, when I remember when we first started the bus, with Black Voters Matter bus, and we were going all around the South, we were trying to get some Black media outlets to join us, and all they were concerned about is what celebrity was on the news. Right. And so fundamentally, this is, we have to also own our complicitness, that when our people, when we work together, when we utilize our resources, when we resist, things change.

But that means it's incumbent upon us in this moment to meet the call. And I do think that there's something fundamentally different that's happening. That when I'm looking at the energy of my entire adult life, I've never seen this moment. I've not seen this moment. It's been going on two weeks and people are still in the streets. They're protesting. They're uprising in 50 states. There are young folks who are still in the streets. They're protesting their uprising in 50 states. There are young folks who are demanding on the front, are demanding change. We've got to stop saying there's not an agenda.

There are a couple of organizations that have been working on an agenda. Moving for Black Lives has a wonderful agenda that they worked on collectively right after what we saw happen with the Black Lives Matter movement. When you see Black Futures Lab, there are others. So what we've got to do is a couple of things. One, Black voters, we do not

have a Black people in general. We do not have the luxury of sitting on the sidelines and just complaining about what is. We've got to turn that frustration into fuel. We've got to turn our protests into participation, into power. Like it is incumbent upon, this is our moment. You know, it's interesting because I would always see these people would say, oh, if I was back in slavery, I would have done this. Whatever you're doing now is what you would have been doing in slavery. If you are complicit and not literally fighting for your freedom now, guess what? That's probably what you would have been doing back then. This is the moment where we have more access to resources. We have organizations that are doing good work. We have all kinds of tools that are available to us that it is a question of when that ultimately when we work together we win. Well and Michael again

when you look at what is going on right now when you look at the changes and this is actually from earlier of the funeral procession for George Floyd that took place as they were leaving the church this is from the Fox affiliate in Houston the thing here Michael is that, here's what's already been going on. You've got police departments immediately banning chokeholds, changing policy. You see the folks moving to defund the police. That's going on. You see where media outlets, the Philadelphia editor, they ran a headline saying buildings matter, too. He's resigned. The editorial page editor of The

New York Times, James Bennett, he resigned. When you look at what's happening, Bon Appetite editor, charters of racism at that publication quit. Refinery 29, one of the co-founder, she stepped down. I mean, these things are happening. You see these companies donating a million, five million, 10 million. Look, Michael Jordan ain't never been this involved in anything donating $100 million. You saw, it was a white guy on a security company in Charlotte who made some comments. It got leaked. We talked about it yesterday. He lost the security

contract for all of the pro franchises, every single one of them. You are seeing these things happening in real time. I can name 30 or 40 black folks who died at the hands of police, and I have not seen this kind of change this fast.

This is where, again, black media better get their ass in the game because black people want to see folks who are speaking and representing them. If black media sits this one out, they might as well hang it up. I agree. I agree that

we need griots in our community that are telling our story. That ultimately what winds up happening, who is telling the story controls the narrative. We need black media not just to actually be in a position as part of to play their role to show the narrative, not just in the narrative of it is traumatizing.

It's gotten to the point now that I won't look at the videos, right, because it's traumatizing. But we also can create content with organizations like mine and others that are actually on the ground doing work and are making change happen. The young folks who are on the front lines, some of them have never done a protest before, but they're literally putting themselves right in the line of fire because they believe in it. We've got to lift up and tell those stories and shift the narrative that we are doing something, that we are standing in the gap for our community. And the media really can play a part of that because they can lift up a different narrative that shows that we're not hopeless, that we're not powerless. But in fact, that there are some things that are being transformed because some of us dare to make a difference.

And some of us have the courage to say, no, enough is enough. And so we need those stories. We need those narratives. This is the moment that we need the black media and those platforms. I'll tell you, Mustafa, go to my iPad, Henry. I just got I just see this here. The show Cops canceled by Paramount Network. Even the police show Live PD returned, evaluated by A&E. They're looking at pulling police shows. Yeah, you know, they serve no point for our communities or for our country

because what they have traditionally done is highlight, you know, the most negative aspects of things that are going on inside of communities. They have, in a sense, demonized many communities of color by the stories that they tell. So going back to what Latasha just shared with us, you know, the narrative has come in primarily from the media. When you travel internationally, people get the majority of their information about our country and the people in our country from the stories that they see. And if the only thing that you pump into their minds is, you know, the negative aspects and you continue to put up black and brown faces and connect them to those types of actions and activities, then you are framing a narrative that means that our people are less than human. media steps up and make sure that it is showing all the positive aspects, all the actions that

brothers and sisters across the country are taking to push, make sure legislation, make sure actions, make sure that there's defunding happening in those entities that have not been helpful to our communities. And I'll tell you, Michael, if you're black organizations, you better be doing something or you're going to get lit up by folks. I'm telling you, I mean, I'm serious. This right now is gut check time for a lot of people. And if you were watching. Michael, go ahead. How the white community, in particular white businesses, white individuals are stepping up.

They're marching. They're sitting down. They're marching, they're sitting down, they're taking knees. And that's to your point that the black organizations should be on the forefront. Don't let white folks take this issue as well. We should at least be in partnership, but we should be in the lead. And that's the point, whether it's news media, whether it's corporations, whether it's not-for-profits, whatever it is, if white folks

take this over, wow. Well, let me say... Hold on, hold on, hold on. Kelly, then Latasha. Kelly, go. Two points. I just want to push back a little bit on what Michael just said in terms of we need to take the lead on this. I disagree because this is not our problem. We are victims of their violence, of their problem. racism is really going to be eradicated, if we have a real shot at reparations, white

people need to take the lead on this. White women need to take the lead on this because they have perpetuated white supremacy on behalf of their white husbands and white brothers and white uncles because and they've been the channel. They have been the fuel for this. So, yeah, they need to take the lead on this. I would I would not mind. In fact, I invite everyone to take a step back once it's time and

let them take over because we've done everything that we can possibly do as a community to make sure that we are heard. And the reason why we see a whole lot of white people out there, I would hope, it's because there is an actual change in the narrative and the culture and something is clicking within them saying hey this isn't their problem. I'm the one who's doing this to them so I want to fix it. So that's my first point and my second point just very quickly as as heartbreaking as George Floyd's death was. We are on a Taylor died around the same time.

And I just want to be clear that while this movement is still going and I applaud it and I'm in the fight with you, we cannot forget our Black women who have died at the hands of police as well. We cannot forget our Black trans family, our Black LGBT plus family who have died at the hands of police and police brutality and white supremacy as well. When we, when I say black lives matter,

all black lives matter. So we need to take that into account as well. But here's the reality. Look, I'll put it out here. Latasha, you can respond. This is the reality and it's not being crass about it. But the reality is this here. George Floyd's murder was different. George Floyd's murder was captured on video. Look, that is, I can take you back. Let's go back to Eric Garner. There were three cases that took place in about a five-week span. Eric Garner, Michael Brown. Guess who was in between Michael Brown and Eric Garner? John Crawford III. Now, even though John Crawford III was captured on video, the reality is it did not get, there were protestings along those lines, and so those two bookends still get talked about today. You heard folks today mention Eric Garner. They mentioned Michael Brown, Mitchell John Crawford, the third. If you go back, if you go, if you go, if you go back actually to history, Natasha, the reality is there. certain events that strike people in a different way that leads to sort of this response.

So, so, so rolling while I agree with you that certainly this was different. We also have to acknowledge that just like we're fighting against structural racism, we are also fighting against sexism as well. No, I'm not talking about sexism. I'm talking about sexism. No, no, no. Follow me here. Follow me. I'm not talking about sexism. I'm talking about sexism. No, no, no, follow me here. Follow me here. I'm not talking about sexism.

What I'm saying is this here. No, no, hold on. This is what I mean. I mentioned three black, I mentioned three previous black men. I mentioned three black men. I mentioned Garner, Crawford, Brown. And what I'm saying is Crawford,

I remember when it was actually happening. John Crawford's dad came up to me and he said, thank you for continuing to mention my son because others didn't. So all I'm saying is what often happens is like in this case here, I look at I look at triplets, Arbery, Taylor, Floyd. And then what happens is in those cases, I'm comparing those two. too. When we had three black men, here you had two black men, one black woman, how one particular case can overshadow the others. And that's one of the things that happens. But again, you've got to have folks who control the narrative who are also setting the narrative. That plays a role in all I want to offer, though, Roland. I totally agree. I think that part of what made that George Floyd's case stand out is we literally watched a police officer literally slowly let the life leave out of that.

So it was an extraordinary thing to watch. But I think that what we're raising is also an issue that we're fighting for justice. The truth of the matter is we would not know Sandra Bland's name had it not been for women activists that literally created a campaign that said, say her name. And so as we're saying this, right now to this day, the officers have not been arrested for Breonna Taylor.

And so, and it was women. Because also there's no, there's also no body cam. It may not have been a body cam. No, there is none. What I'm saying is we have the president of the city council and part of that is that we know

of the case, but the officers didn't turn their body cameras on. Absolutely. I understand that, but we're speaking to something. We're literally trying to say that in the midst of this, right, that's why we're not talking about the explosion of women are being incarcerated higher rates than men right now.

Yeah. That we're not talking about the explosion of black girls who are being pushed out of school. The fundamental problem is there is an intersection of what we're dealing with all forms of oppression. And part of what happens is it is certainly that case. I'm raised when we're raising that case. But I just want to say that what the sister raised, we also have to be mindful, even our own community, because oftentimes in our own community, we're left out of the history. Like I can go back to the civil rights movement.

If you really look at the civil rights movement, you would think that it was all led by me. And you would think that the Montgomery bus boycott was actually organized by Dr. King without recognizing that there was justice. Because they were dealing with it in the midst of it. Nope. In fact, women were not on the official program of the March on Washington. That was a pre-program. But no woman was officially on the official program of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that was no female speaker.

That's right. Not one. So what I'm saying is we also have to deal with the residue and the vestiges of not just racism, but any form of oppression, even those forms of oppression that live within our community, that if we are to have the kind of country, the kind of nation that we all envision,

that this is the moment. I call this a moment of reckoning. This is a moment for us to look at all of those forms of oppression. It doesn't make one thing good where we're just dealing with one particular issue. We're dealing with how people and human beings are valued based on their race but we also have to deal with how people are valued based on their sexual orientation we got to deal with that family we also got to deal with with with gender we got to we also people also have to understand and this is this and look we dealt with this is the million man march the 20th anniversary. What I call, for lack of a better phrase, celebrity cases. And I remember when we were at, I remember we were at the march.

And they had called up, they had called up, I forgot the families they had called up. But it was the more prominent cases. You had this whole section of parents who lost children. And, man, they were angry. They were upset. And, you know, somebody came over. They was like, you know, can you please just interview them? And I'm sitting there going, why are you asking me to interview them?

They're like, because they feel like they're being ignored. And they were, these parents were like, well, we lost our children too. And, you know, why are they the only ones who are on the stage? And I mean, it was, and I'm telling you, I mean, we were, our cameras were there. And as the person who was standing there, and again, I wasn't an organizer of the event,

but you had these mothers and fathers who were angry, who lost sons, who lost daughters, but their names didn't get called. That's right. And so and as somebody who's look, I've done enough of these stories and we've done so we talked to so many of these family members. I'll tell you, you know, unfortunately, when these stories happen, just like if I hearken back to the civil rights movement, you know, when certain certain martyrs were deemed to be major, others deemed to be minor. Because I want us moving forward to realize that when we only mention three or four or four or five, there really are 40 and 50 and 100. And for those families, like, for instance, what's who's the brother? His last name is Reed, the brother who was shot and killed in Indianapolis. So, again, to make this point, Arbery, Taylor, George Floyd, but you had

the case where the brother live streamed him getting killed by the cops in Indianapolis. The fact that I can only remember his last name, not his first name, goes to show what happens when some cases are thrust and become national stories and others get left by the wayside. And I'm sure that family is saying, what about our son? What about our son? So, Roland, the only piece that I want to offer that is we're acting like there's not an intentionality around it. Some cases, there are tipping points, right?

Yeah, right. Some cases that literally are lifted up over other cases. Oh, yeah. That before the George Floyd issue, there were people that were trying to get some traction of Breonna Taylor. Here's a woman that was sitting in her, laying in her home, that was shot, right? And it couldn't get any traction.

And so while there wasn't body cameras, while there wasn't, on some level, it's not just about the sensationalism, the sensationalizing, I'm sorry, of these stories. It is about fundamentally that we have to really speak to all forms of oppression. And so I agree with you. There's this element of temporary point that some cases will be picked up. And the young man's name was Sean Reed.

Race informs those decisions. Gender also informs those decisions as well. Well, I mean, look, I was one of the people Oh yeah, but it's also again who, in terms of where the voices are going I was one of the people who helped elevate the Trayvon Martin story. And I can tell you

I can tell you what that was like working for CNN and trying to get producers to pay attention. And it was like, okay, we about to swing on this. And then there were other black people and other mainstream media outlets who were like,

yo, how in the hell are we ignoring this story? How are we ignoring this story? But the difference there is same thing. You didn't have the video until later. And I think we just gotta be mindful of that. And again, the young man's name is Sean Reed, If there is, same thing. You didn't have the video until later. And I think we just got to be mindful of that. And again, the young man's name is Sean Reed, the brother who was shot and killed by police in Indianapolis.

Remember, he was live streaming the entire time. And so we don't want to forget that story as well. I got to go to the second story today, folks. Voting in Georgia, an absolute unbelievable mess. Y'all got video rolling. I mean, there were massive lines, explosion of people voted by mail, but you had COVID concerns. I was seeing stuff from this morning that polling locations not having ballots in Atlanta, folks were yelling and cussing. Also, you've had the polling places, I think in Fulton County, have been extended to 9 p.m. because of this. LaTosha, what the hell happened today in Georgia? It was a disaster.

At my polling site, we were actually doing work today. We go around and work on elections. I was at my polling site for three hours. It was, and I'm sitting here saying, why is it? And it was interesting because I had this experience where I was at my polling site for three hours. I leave my polling site to go to another polling site, which was in the north part of Metro Atlanta, which is a predominantly white district. I get there. I didn't even realize, I was questioning whether that was a polling place because we didn't see any lines. There were people going in and out leisurely,

like there wasn't the same kind of problems. For some reason, some parts of town, the machines always seem to work. And what's really baffling about this is that this happened in 2018, right? So here it is. And since 2018 to 2020, there are new machines. So this election cycle, mind you, that has been rescheduled twice. So they had additional time to get this together in addition to the fact that there were new machines. So why in the world are we still seeing the same pattern

that there are some polling places that the machines don't work? There were one of the places that we went to, which is in a predominantly African-American community off in the Campton area over in an area close to my own home, where it's predominantly African-American, that it was the Adams Park precinct. That precinct, the machines did not get up until 1230. Half of the day is gone. There were people and seniors who had been sitting out waiting to vote for more than five hours. One of the women that we talked to,

when we were in line, we were talking to folks, we were giving out masks and talking to folks and documenting and giving out water. And one of the young women was really striking. Her name is Terry, who is a caregiver that earlier that moment morning, she had gone with, I think in Cobb County with her client, her patient, who happened to be a Caucasian American, like, and literally took her to vote. She said from getting from the car to inside in and out, the entire process was seven minutes. However, when she came over to her side of town during her break, she took a lunch break and came over on on her side of town to vote. She had been in line when I talked to her for over 35 minutes.

And the people in front of her said that the wait was averaging about two hours. So how can you have two distinctively different experiences in the same election? And the question is why? And we think that the Secretary of State is responsible. We also think the election officials as well. But this is unacceptable. If we're seeing this now, what can we expect for November? But I can tell you, we are. If we're seeing this now, what can we expect for November? I can tell you, we are literally, we're going to drive, it has to be for the Democratic Party, for Biden, that number one on this list, that part of a priority at this point too, has to be around voter suppression and voter protection in this next election cycle.

Mustafa, looking at again just the drama there, the reality is this here. We are in the middle of a pandemic. And so if we don't prepare Mustafa for this, look, you're not going to have the same number

of people you normally do. My parents have worked polls for numerous elections. They're both 70, dad's 73, mommy's 73 in November. Okay. I don't know what their plans are, but I can tell you it's a good bet. They're not going to be working polls come November and they are sought after poll workers. They're where they live. Yeah. you know, we know these impacts that COVID-19 is bringing into the mix. And, you know, first of all, thank Latasha for all the incredible work that they've done to help to prepare people to have all the steps in place that are necessary to be able to vote.

And we know more people are actually voting by mail where possible. But we also know that, also know that these polling booths or these locations get moved. There's less folks who are actually working at them. So if we know this, then we have to make sure that the organizations that need the resources to help to better prepare our people have those so that folks got their IDs,

folks know that their names, they're registered and their names are correct know that their names, you know, they're registered and their names are correct, you know, on the lists that are out there, you know, knowing how to get to the polling locations and even maybe having conversations about how, you know, with the polling locations of, you know, how many folks are going to be working there on those days, you know, so that folks have a better idea. So there are a number of steps that we should be doing because we know that there's these different types of barriers that are continually placed in front of us. And of course, now we have the extra, you know, sort of set of impacts that are happening

from COVID-19. This is going to be an issue, which you have, Kelly, already. Republicans who plan on hiring 50,000 people to watch polls as well. This is going to be a problem. And, yeah, if you're the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, secretary of state, shame on you for not being prepared after all these other states postponed and canceled their primaries. You had an opportunity to see what others did. And look what happened in Wisconsin. There were no excuses what happened in Georgia today, Kelly. Yeah, I don't know if it was a slip up so much as it was intentional. Georgia, as well as many other states, have a history of, you know, very insidious, very sneaky ways of conducting voter suppression, having to wait extremely

long periods of time in line to vote, that can be considered a form of voter suppression, especially when every single area in your jurisdiction isn't experiencing that. You have to ask yourself why. You have to ask yourself how, especially when the resources are available for all jurisdictions within the state to accommodate the constituents in order to vote. Like Latasha said, in regards to the different voting booths or voting polling places, one is actually being effective and one isn't. And you have to, you know, ask yourself why. We know why. And it's disgusting how politicians, Republicans

specifically, have to come up with ways to cheat in order to win instead of just letting the process do its job and let the chips fall where they may. But it shouldn't be at the expense of a voter. Absolutely. But what's also interesting, Latasha, really, the Georgia Speaker of the House and the Secretary of State calling for investigations. Isn't the Secretary of State over elections? You got one job. He got one job. That's your only job, election. That's his job. He got one job and he failed miserably. You are supposed to manage and make sure that it's an effective and efficient election. Here, one job. All right. Well, we certainly will see what

happened again. If you're in Atlanta, if you're in that area, Fulton County, your polling places have been extended until 9 p.m. Still vote. The lines are long. Take precautions. Safe distancing. Folks, hopefully there are people out there who are bringing them water and snacks as they stand that line. But look, this is a precursor to what November is going to be like. And I can tell you this could be a massive turnout in November. And so better get ready. And that's why the mail-in ballots are so important, because you can avoid those long lines on Election Day. LaTosha Brown, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Thank you. Thank you for having me, Roland. Thank you very much. Appreciate it, folks. According to the CDC, today there are 1,956,421 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. 17,598 are new cases. More than almost 111,000 people have died. Now, 550 of those deaths are new. Dr. Anthony Fauci describes the coronavirus as his worst nightmare and warns that it isn't over yet. I'm not quite sure, Mustafa, people quite get that. No, they don't.

I mean, so we got a number of really serious issues that are still going on in relationship to COVID-19. One, you know, there still isn't comprehensive testing that's happening. And the reason that I know that, and I appreciate, you know, the folks who get on TV and, well, they were getting on TV and sharing their updates is because when you actually call leaders around the country and ask, you know, is it easy for the folks that you are

serving to be able to get a test? And the answer is no, then we still have a problem. Wait a minute. I'm sorry, but Paris Denard, when he came on here, he said anybody who wants a test can get one. Well, Paris actually needs to spend some time out there with real folks on the ground to see if that is actually true. I believe in ground truth and stuff. You know, people inside the bubble, they love to talk a good game. But when it comes to what's happening in real people's lives, it's usually markedly different than the words that come out of people's mouths. The other part is that we can continue to open up, to try to get the economy going again,

even when experts, public health experts, have told us to be cautious in that moment. So we're also having, there are going to be these additional, unfortunately, infections that are going to continue to happen because we rushed to open up the economy again. And then, of course, there are all these other types of activities that have been going on, whether it's those of us who've been out protesting or others. And unfortunately, there are some folks who have PPE and there are some folks who still do not. And unfortunately, there's also been the narrative from leadership in this country, when you see them, they're not wearing masks, they're not practicing social distancing, they're not doing a number of things that gives people a false sense of security

that these types of behaviors are how we should be moving forward. And in fact, Kelly, there are, Dr. Fauci was talking to the folks with Yahoo Finance about that vaccine. I just wanna play some of that interview, here we go. Everyone should understand when either I or other people talk about projections of vaccines when you may or may not get it. You've got to realize there is no guarantee at all that we are going to have a safe and effective vaccine. We feel, and I'll use my terminology, cautiously optimistic that we will

actually be successful. So we're counting on being successful. The rate at which we do it is something important. We say we're doing it very quickly and at risk. It isn't risk of safety. We're not compromising safety. We're not compromising scientific integrity. What we're doing is that we're going along at a pace where under the normal development of a vaccine, you would go to one step, wait to see if you're successful, then make an investment in the next step. Then when you're successful, make an investment in the next step. The reason for that is caution, because if you get stopped at this step, you don't want to have to waste all the money of the investment. Companies do that because they can't risk resources. Given the urgency of this situation, we've made a decision with the support of the federal government that we will proceed at risk. We will start making doses of the vaccine

before we even prove it was effective. If it isn't effective and isn't safe, then the only thing that would have been lost is money. But we feel it's worth it to gain those extra months. And that's the reason. Michael Brown, I want to pull you up here. What's interesting is that you've got people who, and I've seen, let me know what michael is there but you've got these people who are it's all good no need to wear a mask i've seen some people out there protesting fauji says look if you got that protest you better wear a mask in fact a number of the national guard in dc they tested positive for coronavirus after after covering the protest this this i'm like y'all this ain't gone nowhere

this is still here covering the protests. This, this, I'm like, y'all, this ain't gone nowhere. This is still here. And that's- Are you asking me or Michael? No, I'm actually, Michael, we have an issue with Michael's Skype. So one of y'all can jump in. Look, I'm gonna be honest. That's why I wasn't in Houston covering the George Floyd. I'm telling you, right?

My whole deal was, I said, look, I'm from Houston. I know lots of people there. Folks want to hug. Folks want to kiss. I said, I don't know about this social distancing. right my whole deal was i said look i'm from houston i know lots of people there folks want to hug folks want to kiss i said i don't know about this social distancing and guess what happened there was supposed to only be 500 people who were invited to the funeral 2000 showed up right and i'm sitting there going i'm watching this funeral i'm like uh y'all sitting too close and there were a lot of folks in the sanctuary not wearing masks, even though Pastor Mia Wright said from the podium, hey, put your mask on in the sanctuary. Yeah, like I don't understand how people don't think that crises can work in tandem.

You know, it's just because one thing's going on doesn't mean the other thing stop. And it's not we can walk and chew gum at the same time, basically. And in this case, we kind of have to because especially for black people, because in both instances, they're affecting us the most. It is infecting us the most. The infection of white supremacy and the infection of covid are are two ailments that we need to get rid of within the Black community. And we, at least in the case of COVID, we have precautions, we have protocol that we need to take so that we can protect ourselves to the best of our ability. But because we are, I guess our attention has diverted to to police brutality and the like for whatever reason your health comes

second to that i'm like no you have to you have to think about both here and frankly wearing a mask is a lot easier sadly than getting shot by a police officer so i would just sooner just just wear your mask practice social distancing distancing, wash your hands. Those those things that were it hasn't gone away. Media all through February and March. Keep it going. You know, that didn't stop. It hasn't gone away. Just because it's off your television station doesn't mean that you can't do it or you shouldn't. Again, it has not stopped, folks. In a moment, we're going to talk to an ad exec. They were part of sending out a letter.

600 black folks sent this letter out demanding changes in their industry. We will talk about that next on Roland Martin Unfiltered. The history of this nation teaches us that in some of our darkest moments of despair, we've made some of our darkest moments of despair, we've made some of our greatest progress. The 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments followed the Civil War. The greatest economic growth in world history grew out of the Great Depression. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 65 came in the tracks of Bull Connor's vicious dogs.

To paraphrase Reverend Barber, it's in the morning where you find hope. It's going to take more than talk. We've had talk before. We've had protests before. We've got to now vow to make this at least an era of action and reverse the systemic racism with the long overdue concrete changes. For that's what the presidency is. The duty to care.

To care for all of us. Not just those who vote for us, but all of us. Not just our donors, but all of us. It's going to take the work of a generation. We stand together, finally as one America. We'll rise stronger than we were before. I looked out. The field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people.

It took almost four years for Trump to get the crowds he wanted. After years of Donald Trump's divisiveness and discord, America is coming together. This year, we have a choice to make. America or Trump. Imagine how big the crowds will be when he's gone. A new day begins on November 3rd. Paid for by the Lincoln Project, which is responsible for the content of this advertising. So Mustafa, the folks at the Lincoln Project, they've been looking at the data and

they are going to be targeting Donald Trump in Texas, Ohio, Arizona. They believe, based upon current polling numbers, that he may have issues in those states. They're also targeting Iowa. They want to take out Senator Joni Ernst. And this is going to seriously help the Biden campaign when it comes to, in Democrats, if they're able to win the White House and recapture the Senate. Which is extremely important. We talk about it on the show consistently, hoping that people will actually get it. You know that we can actually win in states that folks before labeled as purple or light red, whatever that means. But even though in the presidency someone can win there, you've got to also be voting up and down the ticket. So that when we talk about addressing systemic racism, to do that means that we have to

have systemic change. And that change comes through us engaging in the civic process, which then gives us the ability to affect, you know, the development of legislation and the policies that come out of that. Because then we're actually leveraging our power. And that's, you know, how we actually build an infrastructure that will benefit all people. Kelly, this is one of the folks, John Weaver, who was with the Lincoln Project. This was the tweet that he sent out earlier today. Project Lincoln leadership had a strategy call this morning after detail analysis and deep dive of polling data. It's clear that Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and Ohio are in real play. Watch a unified front go after Donald Trump and his enablers in these states. I would hope so. You know, like we've had four years of the most inept, incompetent,

straight up dumb president in the history of our nation. And hopefully those states and America overall is fed up and ready to vote him out of office. And with that comes his entire administration being voted out of office. So I hope that the polls are right. To quote Dr. Fauci, I am cautiously, cautiously optimistic regarding November's election because we kind of went through the same thing regarding Clinton and Trump. Obviously, the circumstances weren't exactly the same. It is actually, sadly, far worse than it was back then. And the stakes are much higher now. So that being said, I hope, I hope and am cautiously optimistic

that these circumstances actually prompt Americans to vote and to create the change that we seek. All right, folks. Well, the 600 black agency professionals sent an open letter to industry leaders calling for an end to systemic racism. The letter read in part, the recent murders of George Floyd,

Breonna Taylor, and Armand Arbery have shocked the nation and brought millions of Americans to the streets in righteous protest. As loud as these protests are, it is impossible to overstate the pain that has been felt by your black colleagues as the still refreshed wounds from Ferguson, Baltimore, and countless other flashpoints of racial violence were once again reopened.

We hurt because we have seen this movie before. We hurt because we expect that once again, when the streets have cleared and the hashtags have been retired, little will be done to address the systemic racism and economic injustice we face each and every day. Over the past week, we have seen messages of solidarity sent out by several agencies and agency leaders. Though we are encouraged by these messages, the words ring hollow in the face of our daily lived experiences. After decades of well-intentioned diversity and inclusion efforts, we have seen little progress in making Black voices a more representative part of the creative process. We have seen even little progress in making black voices a more representative part of the

creative process. We have seen even less progress in ensuring equitable representation of black professionals in senior and leadership positions. And because this industry does not release or track diversity numbers, it is impossible to tell what, if any, progress has been made. Joining me right now is Bennett D. Bennett, principal and content lead for Aerialist. He was one of the co-authors of that particular letter. Bennett, glad to have you on Roller Martin Unfiltered. Not only is this a fundamental problem, years ago you had the Madison Avenue Project. Not only is it a problem when it comes to hiring senior positions, but here's the other piece. These ad agencies who are dominating the dollars that are being spent, they also are completely ignoring, in many cases,

black media and other ethnic media. And so now you have a double whammy because your black agencies have been crippled because what used to be multicultural is now mainstream. Yeah, no, I agree. And I wouldn't even call it just a double whammy, Roland. It's more of a triple and quadruple whammy because for the last few years, I've covered the media ecosystem intensely during my last full-time job as a journalist at The Drum. Ad agencies have been losing money to the likes of Google and Facebook. They've been losing it to in-house brand agencies. So they've already been losing a ton of power. And of course, to your point about multicultural advertising agencies kind of getting the shortest end of the stick, it's so much money going around that, you know, the ad industry, you know, the fact that they have not been able to,

uh, you know, release any sort of data, uh, talk and just like be really transparent about the issue, even though you have a ton of, uh, uh, rivals and, uh, potential client partners, uh, being more transparent and translucent and trying to do things, it becomes more of a problem just because they keep this stuff hidden. And when you talk about in the industry, bottom line is it is white as all get out, the ad industry. Absolutely. And, you know, even though there's probably a ton of resources, external diversity and inclusion initiatives that, you know, have, you know, I won't say boatloads of talent, but, you know, a huge amount of amazing young rising stars who can make an impact in the industry, you know, once they get in the doors, there's really nothing that can be done because the system only benefits those white executives that, you know, end up at Cannes every summer. And so what's next? I mean,

you released a letter. What's next? You know, let's hope that the ad industry takes a page from Beauty's playbook. I know there were a couple of women last week who, you know, challenged the beauty industry to reveal their diversity numbers. Estee Lauder was one of the latest yesterday. We'll see if the big four holding companies can at least say something or if the trade organization, the four A, can push a little harder. They had made an attempt years back, but lawyers from each of the holding companies decided, no, it's not worth risking our business to let these numbers go public. Well, which means that they've got that pressure has to be applied on them. And I think that's what has to take place, this constant pressure. And so we certainly have no problem,

you know, asking for that information. And so I think, you know, I think what is helpful for us is like, OK, fine, you know, give us the top five or top seven or top 10, the target we'll get to work. Yeah, no, I, I agree with you. Uh, industry has been super stubborn in the past, but you know, there's just so much happening on, on so many fronts that in order for that industry to survive that, or even, uh, you know, see, see through to the next generation, uh, that data part has to absolutely change.

You know, we're in this unique pandemic situation where, you know, you can't even be faulted for just releasing it and using this point as a point zero. That's what I've been telling peers who've actually been reached out to by their executives and saying, you know, there are points on this plan that we can absolutely enact. Like, can you help us? So I've been hearing it. My partner in crime on this project, Nathan Young, has also been getting tons of encouraging feedback from Black professionals who either got to sign that pledge or haven't, but at least know that there are a couple of guys who are willing to risk their necks

for the greater good. All right, then. Well, Bennett D. Bennett, we certainly appreciate it, man. Thanks a bunch. Good luck. Keep us abreast of what goes on. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, folks, going to break. We come back. We're going to talk with economists about why you should not believe all the hype about the stock market and how that has no real bearing on the economy. And also, man, 18 people killed in one day in Chicago, the deadliest in 60 years. We'll talk with the reporter about that. That's next to Roland Martin Unfiltered? YouTube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. And subscribe to our YouTube channel. There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real.

It's Roland Martin Unfiltered. See that name right there? Roland Martin Unfiltered. Like, share, subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's YouTube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. And don't forget to turn on your notifications so when we go live, you'll know it. All right, folks. Seek. Of course, you know, Black-owned company.

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Yeah, you know what? The clueless one in the White House. This is what tweet he sent out today. Check it out. NASDAQ hits all time high. Guess what? If you don't own stock, you don't give a damn. The reality is the top 10 percent folks own more than 80 percent of all stocks in the country. OK, how's that really helping them really helping this country? Still, unemployment rate is 16.3%. We discussed it yesterday, of course, with Dr. Cecilia Rouse, the dean at Princeton, talking about this here. Now we're going to talk to another economist, a sister, on this very issue as well. And so Lisa Cook, who joins us, folks. Do we have

Lisa? All right. Lisa, how you doing? Fine. How are you? I'm doing great. So this is, you know, what's interesting here is, again, it's amazing, I think, for a lot of people. They go, yeah, but my 401k, how's it doing? Well, and things along those lines. But the bottom line is, when we're talking about the economy, we're actually playing into the hands of rich people if we're only talking about the stock market. Absolutely. And as you said, most Americans are not invested in the stock market. So there's just a disconnect between what is happening in the stock market and what's happening in the economy. And we saw this in the previous recession. The stock market recovered much earlier than the rest of the economy.

And I don't think that that has a lot to do with whether we're in a recession. It was declared today by the NBER that we absolutely are in a recession. So or well, the news broke today, but it may have been yesterday. But we know that we're in a recession. Now, I saw Mark Cuban sit out a tweet earlier today where he said there's still $130 billion left in the PPP fund and that businesses have until June 30th to tap that. We've been trying to encourage as many Black businesses to do so. But the reality is this here, that money is really for full-time employees. And if you have many Black businesses, utilize 1099 employees, which you really can't access those dollars for. So that means that the 1099 employees themselves should

be eligible for unemployment benefits. I think that's where one might be most eager to tap into some benefits, whether the PPP ones or not. But I think that the big clarification that has to happen is related to forgiveness and the regulations associated with PPP. Some businesses are scared because there wasn't clarity around forgiveness. And the last thing that you want to do is to come out of recession loaded down with debt and coming out with the wrong loan. There are other SBA loans that they could apply for, but they want to make sure, we want to make sure, we all want to make sure that they're applying for the right ones. So I think there hasn't been clarity from the Treasury Department and from SBA about the forgiveness portion of the PPP.

Mustafa, got a question for Dr. Lisa Cook. Yes, Dr. Cook. What should everyday people do to be able to navigate the recession that we find ourselves moving into? So that's a good question. I think there are two things. First, I would say make sure that you are saved up as much as you can be, save as much of your $1,200 as you can, save as much of your unemployment benefits as you can. because if the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting us, we're going to have to use that money for unexpected expenses. And those can be anything. There's just a lot of uncertainty.

So definitely spend it on what you need, but try to save as much as you can. Kelly, question. I'm in a couple Facebook groups regarding you know the stock market and saving and I get this constant messaging of you know start your own business. You gotta you know you know keep pushing and things like that especially when it comes to where we are right now as a nation, more or less staying at home. You have the time to do all of these things. I just want, you know, your thoughts on that, specifically for millennials who have that added pressure of debt. Any advice regarding, you know, how do we navigate a recession while we are in debt?

So I think that's a really good point. I'd like to back up a second. I think that there is a misnomer about what is actually happening to people while they are in lockdown. And when I was advising the government of Rwanda and negotiating its first post-IMF, post-genocide IMF program, one thing that they needed and needed right away was mental health counseling. I think that there is a lot of pressure, and I think Americans in general are feeling a lot of pressure to do things that may not be consistent with their values and consistent with their long term plan. So I would resist the notion that one might need to do something like open a business if that weren't originally in one's plans. But for millennials in particular, I would say try to get

some additional skills. And if it turns out to be a climate where businesses can open safely, there's a lot of uncertainty happening right now. If businesses can open safely, I would say get those skills right now, because there won't be many other times I would imagine in one's career that this kind of time is made available. So I'm not sure about opening a business right now, but certainly getting the skills that one needs for a higher degree or another set of skills like coding skills, for example, I think now is a good time. All right. Dr. Lisa Cook, professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, then. All right, folks. Some breaking news here in New York. Go to my iPad, please. New York Senate lawmakers have repealed 50A, the law shielding police records.

The bill passed along party lines in the Senate 40 to 22 with all Republicans voting against the measure. That's, again, one of those things that is happening real fast, Mustafa, since the death of George Floyd? Yeah, we need transparency. And that data allows people to know, you know, if a police officer has, you know, had, you know, other types of instances, whether around, you know, brutality or shootings or all these various things that come into the mix. And of course, you know, we've talked about how the police unions, as a part of their contracts, have tried to build that in to stop, you know, that type of information being shared. So it's great to see that folks are continuing to push and we're making change happen. To have the cops disciplinary records public, that is a big deal, Kelly. It's a huge deal, but I am glad that it's going to happen

because, frankly, police officers specifically have had this veil between the people that they are supposed to be protecting and themselves. And I want to know who is supposed to be protecting me. I need to know their history before they come in to intervene on my behalf. That veil between the two of us needs to be torn down completely. I don't want to peek around it. I don't want to open it a little bit. It needs to come down. When you talk about doctors and patients and things like that, you can get

a referral from a doctor and say, hey, they did A, B, and C. I think they can do this for you. We don't have that with cops. We don't have that kind of relationship with cops. Cops are people too. They're not gods. As such, we should be able to see them as people and see their records as people to people and just hold them accountable. Folks, from the story here, since 1976, the statute has prevented the personnel and disciplinary records of any police officer, corrections officer or firefighter from being made public. That's how it says the NYPD, this is according to the New York Daily News, the NYPD only started adhering to the statute in 2016 when the department abruptly stopped allowing media and the public to see the outcomes of administrative trials. And just another example of how quickly these things are moving and how George Floyd's death is causing considerable change across this country.

Some things, though, still are not changing fast enough. Chicago, folks, 18 people were killed on Sunday, it was May 31st, making it the single deadliest day in Chicago in 60 years, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab. From 7 p.m. Friday, May 29th, through 11 p.m. Sunday, May 31st, 25 people were killed in the city, with another 85 wounded by gunfire. Joining me right now is Brandon Pope. He's a reporter and anchor at CW26 in Chicago. Brandon, you have, of course, the mayor's demanding answers as well. But it's you see these stories. Mostly black folks are being killed.

One brother who was from Washington, D.C., goes home to visit. He's standing outside. I'll stop outside. Guy drives by, shoots and killed him. A couple of college students were shot and killed, one after an argument. It's just like it just continues in Chicago. Yeah, it's a city with a reputation for crime, and it seems like the bleeding just won't stop. And you're seeing right now a combination of so many factors, I think, leading up to this moment. You're seeing the frustrations of COVID-19 and the economic depression that's come with COVID-19 and that virus mixed into areas that are already economically depressed, that are lacking opportunity

and opportunities for growth, job opportunities, resources that they need to let people grow and develop and lead good lives. And then you had the unrest happening with these protests, the frustration and anger at seeing what happened with George Floyd and the already frustrating feelings we have about police in our own city, especially here in Chicago. We had its own history of police brutality. So I think all of that just made for a chemical mix and a very violent weekend. He said 18 people in one day. That is the most violent day in Chicago's history in six decades. And they've been tracking the data. So it's just really sad to see.

Again, you talked about the economic aspect. That's what rarely ever gets talked about when we're dealing with what happened there in Chicago. You cannot overlook economically depressed areas. And so this whole idea of this like, oh, if everybody gets a gun or we take all the guns. No, you have to confront the conditions that is creating that are ripe for this sort of thing. Yeah, it's going to need immediate response. This is a crisis that Chicagoans have been fighting. You know, you hear people often throw the refrain out there that, you know,

where are people protesting for black-on-black crime? People are doing that here in the city of Chicago. We understand the problems. The problem is that we don't have the funding and the resources that people need. People need good schools to go to. They need more jobs so they're not turning to the streets to, you know, look for money and things like that. Like, those are the issues that need to be addressed at the core. You don't attack the symptoms.

You attack the disease, and the disease is the systemic oppression of black people in America and in the city of Chicago. Well, and also what you have to continue with is and that is when you talk about what is going on there. The reality is the resources are there. They're simply not on the south side and the west side, on the north side. You know, and Roland, that's interesting you bring that up because we saw a lot of the discussion coming up during the unrest that happened here in Chicago. A lot of people on the south and west side felt like the south and west side stores of the Gold Coast, whereas on the South and West side, pharmacies, Black-owned businesses were being destroyed and torn down, ultimately by people that aren't from those communities. And so that just kind of played right into the same feeling and just kind of confirmation of what many people felt.

The mayor has already denied that that doesn't exist in her head, this idea of giving certain resources to downtown and ignoring the south and west side. That doesn't exist for what people feel. Okay. And Alderman and the city have called a route on it. There's actually been leaked audio

of Alderman Ray Lopez, who is over at the back of the yards neighborhood, south and west side of Chicago, vehemently challenging the mayor, why were we left unprotected in a time of crisis? All right, then. Brandon Polk, we appreciate it, man. Thanks a bunch. Appreciate you.

Have a good one. Thank you very much. All right, folks. Remember Catherine Pugh, former mayor of Baltimore? Remember she pled guilty to federal charges? Well, she goes to prison next month for a prison, actually headed to federal prison in Alabama later this month. But Baltimore Sun is reporting that she is expected to plead guilty

to a misdemeanor charge of perjury in state court. Catherine Pugh is 70 years old. You might remember she charged hundreds of thousands of dollars for books that were never delivered, children's books. And then, again, she is actually headed there. According to the Baltimore Sun, it says Pugh's federal prison term has been postponed pending the resolution of the state case. She's scheduled to leave in two weeks for the federal correctional institution, Institution Allisville, a women's low security prison about two hours west of birmingham alabama and again you might remember uh some 500 000 books thousand 500 000

bucks worth of books were supposed to be so pretty much never delivered and so she pleaded guilty uh to federal conspiracy uh on to commit wire fraud uh well. And so the judge ordered her to serve three years in federal prison and to pay more than $400,000 in restitution and forfeit another $700,000. Let's stay in Baltimore. I told you yesterday about this crab house in Baltimore, Vince's Crab House, where some, let's just say some racist comments were released, and folks got too happy. Put them up, please.

This is what he, first of all, he had tweeted. I hope this Zimmerman guy is found not guilty. Just saying. He also said, LOL, Duckworth, you would be a good slave if you had a better tan. Then he said, there's one place I bet the protesters, rioters won't light on fire or break into or even block the road to. The social services buildings, a laughing emoji, four of them. Well, guess what, y'all?

Oh, Vince has five crab houses in Middle River, Manchester, Faustin, and two in Dundalk. All five were closed on Sunday after he protested dissenting on his place. You got to be pretty stupid to say that, Mustafa, when 75% of your business comes from African-Americans. This is what I say, Mustafa. Black folks in Baltimore should protest his restaurants every single day. And if you run his ass out of business, good. Because as Dr. King said, economic reciprocity, you ain't feeling us, we ain't feeling you. That's the translation.

It's a rolling translation. You know, it is real quite simple. Stop giving racist people your money. And all you got to do, you know, utilize your dollars in an intelligent way and make racism cost, make it pay, you know if it wants to continue to pop it's head up

every time it pops it's head up, make it pay that's the bottom line Kelly, to me again, hit em everyday, everyday and if he can't open look what happened in Atlanta when that Houston's restaurant disrespected, disrespected black folks there. T.I. led that boycott that Houston's shut down.

I mean, you play dumb games, you win dumb prizes. I don't know what this particular vendor or restaurant owner was thinking. I don't know whether I've gone to those particular restaurants because I lived in Baltimore for many years and my family lives up there. So I visit quite a bit. But honestly, Baltimoreans aren't missing much. If you know your crab meat, if you know your seafood, I'm pretty sure that's not the only place. In fact, I know that's not the only place you can get good seafood. That's probably one of the places you shouldn't go to get good seafood. Anyway, if it's a chain like that, you get better stuff from mom and pop stores anyway.

But again, like you shouldn't be saying dumb stuff out your mouth anyway. You shouldn't be comfortable enough to insult your main customers behind their backs because what's done in the dark will come to light. And in this case, it came to Facebook and it came to the closing of your five restaurants. So again, I say good riddance. And, again, you won a dumb prize because you played a dumb game. And so according to The Sun here, this is a mid-boycott over operators' racist Facebook post. He was supposed to reopen on Monday.

Look, I say shut them down. But check this out. So let me come across this here. Let me see if I can pull this up. He did an interview with the Baltimore Sun. So let's see what little Vince had to say to the Baltimore Sun. Definitely. Some of them were a different Vince Meyer that weren't like mine that are going around. But I'm not going to try to fight and figure out and sort them out because I think I'm wasting my time and everybody else's time. So it is what it is. I might just help everybody think that we're super offensive and old. I don't think that way. I've already said it all already.

Okay, he said some of the stuff was old. Really? Really. Is your mentality old? I don't think that way. Is your sentiment old? Really? Really.

Like, I don't, I don't, I don't like, oh, so I said said this two weeks ago so it doesn't matter anymore like you the way that you think does not just go away because you you thought it two weeks ago that that's not something you were comfortable enough to say that on a public forum sir you were comfortable enough to say that amongst friends and family which tells me that you have friends and family in your circle who also agree with you who also either frequent your store or part owners in your store or work for your store i wouldn't feel comfortable in your store after that i don't care if you said that yesterday or a year ago so again what's happening right now is your fault just because happened, just because we're just finding out about it doesn't mean that justice can't be done. And your apologies will fall on deaf ears.

I think I read somewhere he didn't feel like saying an apology because we wouldn't believe him anyway. You're right. So just go home. I think, look, at the end of the day, Mustafa, I want to see black folks shut them down. Shut them down. I say protest every single day. You shut them down. That's all you got to do. That's all you got to do.

Hit them in the pockets. You will see how quickly they change. I'm tired of these 24 hour conversions that we keep seeing, whether you're a quarterback or you're helping to lead a league or you own a restaurant. And once you see that folks are no longer accepting this type of behavior and that they will engage with you in a way that will hurt your pocketbooks and you may lose your job. Then you want to have this conversion. I'm not buying it. Yeah, I get a kick out of that one. All y'all today in the United States Senate, Charles Q. Brown. He was confirmed in the United States Senate as chief of staff of the Air Force, highest ranking

African American in the Air Force's history. You might remember he had released this particular video. This was a few weeks ago where he shared his thoughts. Give me one second. I'm going to pull up in a second, folks. Where he shared his thoughts with regards to, again, what's been happening in this country. Really strong video. I just want to go ahead and play it for you. As the commander of Pacific Air Forces, a senior leader in our Air Force, and an African-American, many of you may be wondering what I'm thinking about the current events surrounding the tragic death of George Floyd. Here's what I'm thinking about, the current events surrounding the tragic death of George Floyd. Here's what I'm thinking about.

I'm thinking about how full I am with emotion, not just for George Floyd, but the many African Americans that have suffered the same fate as George Floyd. I'm thinking about protests in my country, tis of thee sweet land of liberty, the equality expressed in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that I've sworn my adult life to support and

defend. And thinking about a history of racial issues and my own experiences that didn't always sing of liberty and equality. And thinking about living in two worlds, each with their own perspective and views. And thinking about my sister and I being the only African Americans in our entire elementary school and trying to fit in. I'm thinking about then going to a high school where roughly half the students were African American and trying to fit in. I'm thinking about my Air Force career where I was often the only African American in my squadron or as a senior officer the only

African-American in the room. I'm thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers and they mean questioned by another military member are you a pilot. I'm thinking about how I sometimes felt my comments were perceived to represent the African-American perspective when it's just my perspective informed by being African-American. I'm thinking about some of the incidents of comments made without awareness by others. I'm thinking about being a captain at the old club

with my squadron and being told by other African-Americans that I wasn't black enough since I was spending more time with my squadron than with them. I'm thinking about my mentors and how rarely I had a mentor that looked like me. I'm thinking about the sound advice that has led to my success, and even so, most of my mentors cannot relate to my experience as an African American. I'm thinking about the pressure I felt to perform error-free,

especially for supervisors I perceived had expected less from me as an African AmericanAmerican. I think about having to represent by working twice as hard to prove their expectations and perceptions of African-Americans were invalid. I'm thinking about the airmen that have lived through similar experiences and feelings as mine or who were either consciously or unconsciously unfairly treated. Conversely, I'm thinking about the airmen who don't have a life similar to mine and don't have to navigate through two worlds. I'm thinking about how these airmen view racism, whether they don't see it as a problem since it doesn't happen to them, or whether they're empathetic.

I'm thinking about our two sons. Now we had to prepare them to live in two worlds. I'm thinking about the frank and emotional conversations my wife and I have had with them just this past week as we discussed the situations that have led to the protests around our country. Finally, I'm thinking about my historic nomination to be the first African American to serve as the Air Force Chief of Staff. I'm thinking about the African Americans that went before me to make this opportunity possible.

I'm thinking about the immense expectations that come with this historic nomination, particularly through the lens of current events plaguing our nation. I'm thinking about how I may have fallen short in my career and will likely continue falling short living up to all those expectations. I'm thinking about how my nomination provides some hope but also comes with a heavy burden. I can't fix centuries of racism in our country nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force. I'm thinking about how I can make improvements personally, professionally, and institutionally so that all Airmen, both today and tomorrow, appreciate the value of diversity and can

serve in an environment where they can reach their full potential. I think I don't have all the answers on how to create such an environment, whether here in PACAF or across our Air Force. I'm thinking about without clear-cut answers, I just want to have the wisdom and knowledge to lead during difficult times like these. I want the wisdom and knowledge to lead, participate in, and listen to necessary conversations on racism, diversity, and inclusion. I want the wisdom and knowledge to lead those willing to take committed and sustained action to make our Air Force better. That's what I'm thinking about. I want to know what you're thinking about.

I want to hear what you're thinking about and how together we can make a difference. 98 to nothing. That was the vote in the United States Senate for General Charles Q. Brown. He will become the first, not only will he be the first, he'll be the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, he will be the first African-American to serve as a service chief when he takes over.

So certainly congratulations on that historic appointment right there. All right, folks, also some things I did not mention earlier. We were talking about how things are faster moving. How many of you have heard of King Leopold? King Leopold, of course, was the king of Belgium, Leopold II. And he killed, led to killing literally more than 9 million folks in the Congo. Well, check this out. In Belgium, due to, again, the death of George Floyd. Protests ignited. The statues, the statue of King Leopold in Belgium

are being taken down. Kelly, again, if you want to talk, look, Pastor Ralph Douglas West said in his remarks day at the funeral, you know, when a person is born, you don't know what they're going to do. This does not happen unless Floyd, unless what happened in Florida, we see it. I mean, this is unbelievable. In fact, not only that, I need to do this here. Go ahead and comment on that because I'm going to pull up in a second where Mississippi could very well be moving, Kelly, to get rid of the Confederate flag on their state flag. I am truly at a loss for words for that imagery because the history runs so deep. But it is also indicative of just how tired we are

of racism and white supremacy being upheld and shielded by some type of heroic act or shielded by a polished version of history or just covered up entirely and masked as something good. We are tired. Globally, we are tired. And yes, you know, George Floyd was an American black man, and this happened on our soil, and we have our own history. But white supremacy has infiltrated every corner of the world. It is everywhere. You do not escape it just because you leave America. You just go into a different facet of it in another country.

They handle it a different way. And to see King Leopold's statue being taken down, that's more, this is bigger to me than, say, what happened in Virginia when they took down a Confederate statue. Well, actually, that hasn't come down yet in fact in fact a judge uh there was a ruling where judge uh halted action on that for the next 10 days and so that's the update of that particular case but here's the deal this is this is this was in this antwerp square but they have these other images on social media uh right here uh this is a bust of King Leopold in Belgium that was defaced. That took place right there. Then there was another statue. I'm going to pull this video up. Here was another statue

of King Leopold in Brussels that protesters were, take a look at it right here, standing on top of as well. I'm sure they're going to want to topple that one as well. I mean, it is, it's just incredible, Mustafa, what we're seeing. You know, there for a few years, we started to see a conservative paradigm move across the planet. And now we're seeing that folks are pushing back against that because that was actually rooted in racism. It was rooted in injustice. But now, you know, young people and others are coming together. It doesn't matter almost what country we live in. I'm still waiting to see it happen in Brazil and in a couple of other countries that have similar leadership that we have in this country. But you are seeing it across the planet where folks are saying this is not what the 21st century is going to look like.

And we are going to actually push and make real change happen. Absolutely. I wanted to real quick, real quick, very quickly. I wanted to note that even like with the taking down of statues globally, I find just slightly more more powerful because at least in the case of King Leopold, he was a head of state, and he is revered as royalty there. That's a lot different and a lot more profound than taking down the statue of a traitor, which is what's happening in the U.S. Like, the Confederacy was the antithesis of the United States. They were the enemy of the state. So it actually makes sense and should

continue to take those statues down because it is treasonous for them to be still erect in the country. But King Leopold was a king. Right. And what you're saying is, again, folks combating white supremacy. Kelly Mustafa, I appreciate it.

Michael Brown, thank you for joining us as well. Folks, we're going to end the show right there, right here. I'm going to talk about the Alabama story tomorrow where the brother was punched by a cop in Alabama when he called the cops. OK, we're going to discuss that tomorrow. But actress Anjanue Ellis sent me this video today sharing her thoughts with regards to the discussion in Mississippi about removing the Confederate emblem from their flag. Check out what she had to say. Hello, my name is Anjanue Ellis. And this afternoon, I would like to speak to Mrs. Ellie Reeves, the wife of Tate Reeves, the governor of the state of Mississippi. Mississippi was at your door yesterday, Mrs. Reeves, the wife of Tate Reeves, the governor of the state of Mississippi. Mississippi was at your door yesterday, Mrs. Reeves. I don't know if you were there, but I know you heard it.

You would have to have an Arctic heart not to have been moved by it. I am a citizen of Mississippi. I've lived there since I was three. It is my blessed home. It is my only home. All around you, in Birmingham, in Southeast Louisiana, New Orleans, in Richmond, Virginia, white citizens, white American citizens like you are uprooting the stone, plaster, copper, brass, pewter, gold, silver, resin, bone, bone of a legacy that has precipitated the national crisis we are in. Outside of your home, the governor's mansion flies the Confederate flag. That legacy is in every thread of that flag. That legacy is in every thread of that flag. I'm not interested in arguing semantics or contesting the history of the number of stuff and that it was in fact a battle flag or whatever tactical distraction that's used to shut down conversations like this. The reality is that flag has been at the site of church burnings, church bombings,

assassinations, shootings. There are photos of little white children waving that flag during meetings of the White Citizens Council when the council made and instituted policies of segregation. It is the shared iconography of the Ku Klux Klan, a terrorist organization no better than Al Qaeda. And so it has been waved and held in reverence by mass shooters and men who mow women down with their cars in the street. My 12-year-old nephew should not have to pass by that flag to get an education. And he does every day.

That flag raised so high under cloudy skies waving outside your window. Tropical storm Cristobal is coming and that wave hopefully will become pelts against the conscience of you and those who are in earshot to hear it. I'm speaking to you not just because of your proximity to power. I'm speaking to you as a woman. We are God's instruments of creation and it ensures that we care about bodies. We care about bodies outside of our own. You are a mother. You saw what happened to George Floyd. You saw that. I ask you, how would you feel if this were your child, if it were a white child under that policeman's knee? But I hope, I hope that you would find this absurd, insulting for me to even say this to you.

That I would even suggest that you would have to go to such lengths for empathy and that I should know that the sight of that father dying in front of the world would be enough for you to care. But I say this because what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis was not the first or the 100th time. Anil Ponder was beaten by police in Mississippi. June Johnson was beaten by police in Mississippi. Fannie Lou Hamer

was brutalized and sexually assaulted by police in a Wynonna jail in Mississippi. I know that there are people at home content to see Mississippi last and everything. They are content to see the state continue to fail economically. They are content to watch the brain drain with the flight of its graduates every year. They want Mississippi to remain cloistered and small. They want Mississippi to be a place that people fear and avoid. I know there are people at home who would rather die and suffer before they see Mississippi change. They, in fact, find honor in it.

They are eternally in the Battle of Vicksburg. But I am asking something of you today. I am asking you because you are a woman, a mother, the instrument of God's creation. And I ask that you seek life this morning, this afternoon, today, tonight. Seek life for Mississippi. Seek life for your children in Mississippi, a firm life, another kind of life, a richer, fuller life. They say that Southern women are husband whisperers. Whisper to your husband and say that he could be the first governor of courage for the state of Mississippi. He could be the governor that Medgar Evers deserved, the governor that James Meredith deserved, the governor that Emmett Till deserved. Turn to your husband, the man of God he

claims to be, and remind him that racism is a sin and that flag's chain on our collective souls is the wage of it. Other first ladies, the wives of pastors with white congregations should follow suit. Tell him to take down that flag himself and not wait for another cowardly or malicious legislature to never take it out of committee. Tell him to take down that flag and not outsource his integrity. Tell him to take down that flag and be as Mississippian Stan Jones says, be the first governor of the people, all the people. Tell your husband, Tate Reeves, to take down that flag and change the course of history for the state of Mississippi. Mississippi is America writ small. So goes Mississippi, so goes this country. Tell him to take down that flag and change the course of history of this country for good.

Thank you so much for listening. All right, Anjanue Ellis, thanks for sending. All right, folks, if you want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered, the only daily digital show of its kind, please do so by going to, supporting us via our Cash App, joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Our goal is to get 20,000 by-files to give at least 50 bucks each for the year, $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. Those of you who are watching on YouTube right now, you can give right there

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