#RolandMartinUnfiltered - GOP Blocks Fed Res Vote, Reproductive Rights, Black Women in Gov Races, Keeping Black Dollars Black

Episode Date: February 16, 2022

2.15.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: GOP Blocks Fed Res Vote, Reproductive Rights, Black Women in Gov Races, Keeping Black Dollars BlackThe top GOP senator on the Senate Banking Committee says Republicans will block votes on President Joe Biden's five Federal Reserve nominees. Is this foreshadowing for the SCOTUS nominees?Millions of low-income families will now get internet services through the Broadband Affordability Program. We'll tell you how to get it.The South Carolina officer charged with killing an unarmed black man had been fired from two previous law enforcement jobs. So, why was she able to get hired again? We'll tell you what she didn't do that allowed her to keep working as a cop.George Floyd was described as having "Superhuman strength" by one of the three officers on trial for violating Floyd's civil rights.The fight for black women and our reproductive rights. West Virginia, Delegate Danielle Walker, will explain what's she come up against by supporting a woman's right to govern her own body.Plus, there are six black women across the U.S. vying to be their state's next governor. Tonight, you'll meet Deidre Dejear, Iowa's gubernatorial candidate.And in our Marketplace segment, it's a one-stop shop for black businesses. We'll have the founder of the Black Business Focus group who wanted to keep black dollars flowing to black companies.#RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Nissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. 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. We'll be right back. right now in the crowd. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. Hey, Blake, I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN.

You can't be Black-owned media and be scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? It's Tuesday, February 15, 2022. I'm Recy Colbert, sitting in for Roland, who's in Liberia for its Bicentennial celebration. Here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. The top GOP senator on the Senate Banking Committee says Republicans will block votes on President Biden's five Federal Reserve nominees. Is this foreshadowing for the SCOTUS nominees? Millions of low-income families will now get internet services through the Broadband Affordability Program. We'll tell you how to get it.

The South Carolina officer charged with killing an unarmed black man had been fired from two previous law enforcement jobs. So why was she able to get hired again? We'll tell you what she didn't do that allowed her to keep working as a cop. George Floyd was described as having superhuman strength by one of the three officers on trial for violating Floyd's civil rights.

The fight for black women in our reproductive rights. West Virginia delegate Danielle Walker will explain what she's come up against by supporting a woman's right to govern her own body. Plus, there are six black women across the U.S. vying to be their state's next governor. Tonight, you'll meet Deidre DeGere, Iowa's gubernatorial candidate. And in our Marketplace segment, it's a one-stop shop for black businesses. We'll have the founder of the Black Business Focus Group, who wanted to keep black dollars flowing to black companies. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it.

Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's Roland. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks he's rolling it's rolling he's broke he's fresh he's, the best You know he's rolling, Martin

Martin The Republicans are up to their shenanigans again. The GOP senators on the Senate Banking Committee plan to block the vote on President Biden's Federal Reserve nominees. Why? are up to their shenanigans again. The GOP senators on the Senate Banking Committee plan to block the vote on President Biden's Federal Reserve nominees. Why? Well, ranking member of the Senate committee, Senator Pat Toomey, says his party will not participate because Democrats nominated Sarah Bloom Raskin to be the federal vice chair of supervision. They say Raskin's policy views are disqualifying. Toomey said

Raskin did not answer questions about her previous employment and should not have been advanced to the Senate floor. Raskin was the Treasury Secretary in the Obama administration. Without at least one member of the minority party, the committee cannot conduct official business. On the nominee list is Dr. Lisa Cook, who the economist who has been subjected to racist and sexist attacks. Let's go to the panel. Joining us tonight are Mustafa Santiago Ali, PhD, former senior advisor for environmental protection,

protecting environmental justice, EPA, and Teresa Lundy, founder of TML Communications. Hey, y'all. How y'all doing tonight? Good, Recy. How are you? Good. So good to be with you. So let's get right to it. This blockage is, once again, the Republicans trying to throw their weight around and carte blanche block nominees that are well-qualified and try to exert their ideological agenda on the Biden administration. Teresa, let's start with you.

One of the people that is part of the slate of nominees being held up is Dr. Lisa Cook. And there's also another Black nominee, Dr. Philip Jefferson, who was also being held up. Do you suspect that Sarah Bloom Raskin is a pretext for holding up these other historic nominees? Or do you think that there's really an ideological battle going on with Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination? KAYLA TAYLOR- I think this is a has been a longstanding history when it comes to African-Americans getting into one of the highest positions. And so if we start to look at the patterns that has happened,

not only throughout history, but as it relates to politics and some of the nominations that it does take for us to get a position, we'll start to see the same patterns go in the same inconsistent way when it's time for us to get on the bench. I think there is always more that they are asking of us to do when we provide it. It is still a challenge to get across the finish line. So I'm not, unfortunately, I'm not totally surprised that this is happening, but it is what it is. But I think overall, hopefully we will have the first African-American woman on the

bench. Definitely. Mustafa, you know, one thing that Republicans are good for is they're good for obstructing. What do you think about this trick of basically denying quorum so that you can't even vote on an entire slate of nominees? Also being held up is the Federal Reserve nominee, Jerome Powell. What are your thoughts on this blockage? It's the double standard that Republicans are famous for. You know, when we were in the last administration, you know, folks allowed many of those folks to be

able to move forward, even when they did not even have the qualifications to actually hold many of these positions that were there. So now we find in this moment that they are continuing to try and stop the Biden administration from being successful by these slowdowns and these procedural ways of not allowing folks to come up for a vote. So they don't want to see President Biden to be successful. They don't want individuals of color to hold these sometimes very powerful positions. And they don't also want to see the economy to be able to move forward, because they understand that if they can damage that and if they can create chaos, then it's less likely that folks will vote for the Biden administration.

So it is all part of a very calculated game that they are playing out. Mustafa, that is such an excellent point. And Teresa, picking up on that, you know, Republicans have made much do about the inflation rate that has happened. And there are many reasons we broke it down on Roland Martin and filtered plenty of times. But what do you think about the way that they are essentially obstructing a key measure or a key method of getting inflation under control, which is by using the Fed and disrupting the leadership of that? Do you think this is hypocritical for them to be attacking the administration over inflation while blocking their ability to adequately address it?

Absolutely, it's hypocritical. I mean, look, we've seen this countless of times where the GOP and the Republican Party finds they fixate on a specific issue, but do not allow Democrats to actually provide the tools to get us past the finish line. So I'm not surprised. You know, I've seen more than enough specials on Fox and Friends and many other right wing shows where it's literally, you know, an entire hour and a half filled of that said, you know, because of the price of inflation, people will no longer have their barbecue chicken and their fried chicken. So it was a very weird conversation that I had to watch for an hour and a half. But it also tells you, you know, the way right wing media is willing to attack versus follow solutions. Right. And so we do have an administration like Biden's administration that has to tackle many other issues.

But of course, the one that hits, you know, the hardest is inflation, but then doesn't work with the administration in order to get it done, you have to start to ask yourself, what is the real purpose of this right-wing position, and why are they doing that? So I think if we start asking ourselves those type of questions, we start to figure out the real red line in the sand of their agenda. And that's an excellent point. And Mustafa, another area specifically on the topic of Sarah Bloom Raskin that you're familiar with is climate and kind of her advocacy there. And if we're to take Republicans at their word, part of what their issue is, they think that she'll be too much of an activist on the Fed in terms of, for instance, penalizing fossil fuel companies and doing things of that nature. Now, she said that she will not actually engage in those sorts of policies that she has advocated for. What's your take specifically on Sarah's environmental record

and what you believe she'll bring to the Fed? Well, Sarah has a strong environmental record, but we should actually have all the individuals who are holding these important offices should actually have that. She's an individual who is going to follow the law. She's going to follow the science. And she's also going to be very clear about the economic impacts and opportunities that our country has in front of it. So you want someone who's forward-thinking, who's looking for those opportunities to strengthen us economically

by focusing on a new clean economy, but being very clearheaded about that and making sure that they're, you know, that she has the facts that are necessary. So those are the types of individuals that we need. So they should actually be thankful that they have an individual like her who will be coming before them so that they could actually confirm her and be a part of history. Yeah, excellent point. And, Teresa, you touched on this a little bit earlier, and I want to revisit that. You know, one of the big things I think we're all concerned about is potential GOP obstruction when it comes to the SCOTUS nominee.

President Biden has reaffirmed that he will nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. She will be the first Black woman to serve if appointed and confirmed. Do you think that this is just them kind of, you know, greasing the skids a little bit, getting people a little bit desensitized for the tricks that are to come? You know what? You just never know what the real strategy here is. And I think that's, you know, part of the political process, really, is, you know, you the media should actually be talking about, but some items, as it is close to midterms, that could probably resonate with the American people, that's when we really need to start looking alive and looking for solutions versus just looking, you know, to try to fix a problem that may take two years, but maybe some of the,

and again, this could be advice for the administration, taking some real actionable steps to kind of curve some of this obstruction that is happening. Yeah, and Mustafa, I do think that we've seen the administration kind of going on offense in terms of bipartisan meetings with the Senate Judiciary Committee and various senators. Some people might perceive that as kind of, you know, deferring to Republican senators, which I don't think is an accurate perception. But do you think it's important to forge these kinds of understandings and these kinds of meetings before the nominee is named? Or do you think that the

Biden administration should probably speed up the process and get this ball rolling? Well, I would always like to see the process speed up, but I was blessed that I worked for John Conyers when he was chairman of the judiciary on the House side. So on the Senate side, of course, one, you want to make sure you're having those conversations. You want to do what you can to answer any questions that they may have. Hopefully, they are actually legitimate questions that will lead them to a positive response. But the other part of it is, it also sends a message, a clear message to folks across the country that the Biden administration is doing its job. President Biden said that, when the opportunity presented itself, he would try to work in a bipartisan way.

So, making sure that you are engaging with those Republican senators, along with the Democrats, lives up to that ideal that the president said that he would do. So they have done their... You know, they're going through the process of doing their job. But we all know that the clock is ticking. And we understand that Republicans are trying to run that clock out so that they can get to the midterms. So I want to see folks do the right thing, but I also want to see the process move as quickly as possible. Absolutely. And there have been reports of Joe Manchin saying that he would not support a later appointment if a vacancy were to come up shortly before the midterms or if, for instance, you know, this process dragged on. And so hopefully they will, you know, continue these bipartisan meetings, but move towards an announcement

before the end of the month. All right. So let's move on to the next story. Since we're talking about the Biden administration, they announced an important initiative yesterday. The Biden-Harris administration announced a program to give broadband access to more than 10 million Americans. The affordable connectivity program will give low-income Americans discounted Internet services and a one-time discount on a laptop or tablet. Households must be 200 percent below the federal poverty line or receive government assistance. Vice President Harris says this plan will help low-income families afford the necessity. In the 21st century,

high-speed Internet is a necessity, not a luxury, a necessity. Our world has moved online, and that is why from day one, the president and I have fought to make it easier for everyone to access and afford high-speed Internet. Today, we are celebrating a major milestone in that fight. You see, during the pandemic, millions of people, families in particular, depended on high-speed Internet. Young people used the Internet to access digital textbooks, attend virtual classes, and collaborate on science projects all at their kitchen table. Parents used the Internet to buy groceries, paper towels, and other daily essentials.

The Internet allowed folks to take care of their children and get their essential needs accomplished. If you want to find out if you qualify for the program, go to ACAPbenefit.org. All right, Mustafa, let's go to you first. So one of the things about the bipartisan infrastructure package is a lot of people kind of perceive infrastructure as simply roads and bridges. And, of course, those things are important. But a big part of infrastructure and a big part of Vice President Kamala Harris's portfolio was actually broadband access and expanding the access for Americans around the country. What is your take on the impact of this affordability program? Well, this affordability program actually begins to move us in the right direction. There

are about 20 million people across our country who currently don't have access to broadband. We all know that the digital divide still exists in our country. And if you don't have access to broadband. We all know that the digital divide still exists in our country. And if you don't have access, then it puts you even further behind the eight ball, if I can say it that way. Whether, you know, as the vice president shared, we're talking about transportation, or excuse me, transportation is one of those issues, but education is incredibly important in this space because we know that our kids, in many instances, fall further and further behind if they don't have access to broadband. We also know that many of the jobs have now moved to a space where you have to have that.

And we saw many of our folks were still on the front lines because, in some instances, they don't have access to the tools that are necessary for them to be able to move into other forms of economic opportunities. So it's just so critically important. It can help us to deal with the wealth divide that exists, the digital divide that exists, the health care divide that exists. So they're moving in the right direction. And hopefully we can get everybody hooked up and everybody having access to a computer or a tablet. Absolutely. And Teresa, that's a really important point that Mustafa makes, because it's not just about getting access to the Internet. It's also getting the tools to use the Internet like a laptop.

You know, it was really crazy last week. We talked about talked about this on the show about how the crack pipes and that supposedly, you know, that disinformation about how that's targeting the black community. Broadband is actually an economic justice and a racial justice issue because we are disproportionately impacted by broadband access. So this is one of those things I would like to see more attention. That's why we do what we do here on the Roland Martin Unfiltered Show to bring attention to because it's going to empower a lot of people. Ten million people is a huge number of folks that will be impacted by this program.

What's your take on it? I agree. I mean, look, this has been, started to target low-income families that were making under certain thresholds. So that was happening, you know, city to city and state to state. But now that we have a federal law that is actually about to build on this plan of access and reliability, it gives people more opportunity in order to get a job, to provide more for the families and for themselves. So outside of, you know, this being a federal program,

this is also important as we look at, you know, those who are trying to do more for themselves. I remember there was a study about the homeless population and a woman literally said I shouldn't have to go to the library in order to use their computer to get access to find resources and other programs. What I needed was the phone that I have and to actually have Wi-Fi access. And so that's why she was going to the park. So I thought that was, you know, just an interesting point to make make because you could be anywhere. You could be outside, indoor, outdoor, and you need broadband access. So again, if we want to build each other up with different programs and services, we have to make sure the tools are accessible at any given time. Absolutely. And Mustafa, last comment on this. You know,

one of the things that is important going into the midterms is showing tangible byproducts of legislation that's passed. You know, it's great that there are going to be infrastructure projects that are long term, but people want to see results right now. How important do you think messaging will be in terms of showing, hey, this is a promise that was made and it was a promise that was kept, and ensuring that people actually get enrolled in this program? Well, it's critically important to be able to show the results, to make sure that people see themselves reflected, to be able to call out, you know, examples across our country of everyday folks who are being able to

take, you know, take opportunity from this and actually then utilize it in ways that help to improve their lives. You know, it's interesting. We often don't think about broadband in relationship to voting, but in this COVID pandemic that we went through, you know, if you needed to get your driver's license, you had to be able, in many instances and lots of locations, to be able to go online and fill out the forms. But if you don't have access to broadband, that might be a bit more difficult. When we look at, you know, the amazing sets of opportunities around the infrastructure bill, and hopefully whatever the components of the Build Back Better will be, you know, you also got to be able to go online in many instances to fill out, you know, the paperwork that's there. So, you know, we got to make sure that folks have these opportunities. And then we've got to make sure that the communication

and the marketing actually make sure that folks understand how valuable this has been and how it's actually changing people's lives, you know, helping to improve their health. And we're talking about, you know, on the medical side of the equation, or helping people to build wealth on some of these other economic opportunities. Absolutely. And I said last comment, but I'm going to bring in Demario Solomon-Simmons, civil rights attorney and founder of Justice for Greenwood, so he can have the last comment. Demario, your reaction to the importance of this affordability for broadband program. Thank you so much, Reese. Good to see you and good to see all my peeps here on Tuesday.

Listen, this is something that's a big issue. I actually was just dealing with this earlier today because my law firm is basically completely remote, virtual. And so when we send all our clients to sign things, we had a client today, her phone was not working. She didn't have internet at home. And so now we have to figure out getting somebody out to her home to actually get something signed. So it's really a detriment to not have these services that many of us, particularly those who are listening right now, Roland Martin Unfiltered, we have these services. We have this at our home. We have this at our businesses. And it's vitally important that our people have access to broadband internet.

How can you not, how can you do anything without internet in today's world? You cannot, period. Absolutely. Absolutely. So if you're out there, spread the word about this program, see if you're eligible for it. Because hey, saving money is a good thing, okay? We don't all have to be sitting up here spending top dollar on this expensive broadband. All right, y'all, we're going to head to a break. This is Roland Martin, unfiltered, on the Blackstar Network. We'll be right back. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ROLAND MARTIN, UNFILTERED, ON THE BLACKSTAR NETWORK, WILL BE RIGHT BACK. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Don't you think it's time to get wealthy? I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach,

and my new show on the Black Star Network focuses on the things your financial advisor or bank isn't telling you. So watch Get Wealth seat at the Black Tape. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Experience, which destroys innocence, also leads one back to it. Writer and activist James Baldwin. 17-year-old Montre'nise Hurley hasn't been seen since August 21, 2021.

The Indianapolis, Indiana teen is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds, with black hair and black eyes. Montre'nise may go by the name Monty Hurley, anyone with information about Montrenese should call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-3811. The officer arrested for killing an unarmed black man had been fired twice from previous law enforcement jobs. Cassandra Dollard faces involuntary manslaughter charges after shooting and killing Robert Langley on February 6th. Dollard was fired from two separate agencies and could still secure jobs as a law enforcement officer. In 2014, she was terminated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety

for several policy violations. She fired her department-issued weapon at dogs and did not report it. While helping a stranded driver, she became visibly frustrated, hit the driver's vehicle, and called the driver crazy. She also failed to call in traffic stops, did not document out-of-service drivers and vehicles, and did not wear her issued body armor. She was also fired in 2002 from the Johnsonville Police Department for poor performance. So how did she keep getting rehired by different police departments? The answer is her behavior did not qualify as one

of the 11 forms of police misconduct in South Carolina. She did not use drugs or alcohol, abuse a citizen, or lie. The Langley family believes if the officer had more training or was not rehired, they would not be experiencing

the tragic loss of her loved one. DeMario. How did this lady continue to keep getting hired and hired? The standards should certainly rise beyond just simply misconduct. And how about competence being a standard for being hired? What's your take on this story? Reese, you're exactly right.

This is a travesty that happens all over the nation as these officers get chance after chance after chance when they're the ones out there with a gun and with the authority to be able to actually arrest you or kill you. You know, in most locations, someone can be an officer in less time than it takes to be a cosmetologist.

I mean, I can go get my head shaved from a person who's probably been working on that craft for three to six to nine months, and someone can actually own a gun and have the ability to shoot and kill you with less time of training. This particular officer clearly had, did not have the propensity, the competence, or the compassion or the patience to be an officer. If she's shooting at dogs, she's helping a stranded driver and getting frustrated and hitting that driver's vehicle, she's not providing the, wearing the body camera, this person should not have been in law enforcement. This is a fight, as you know, Recy, we've been fighting all over this nation to have some uniform standards that should come down

for the federal government. And there should be some type of database for bad officers so they cannot get rehired in other locations. We saw this with Tamir Rice, the officer that shot brother little Tamir Rice, 12 years old, had just been fired from another agency for erratic behavior. This is something that has to stop and we need the federal government to help this stop right now. Absolutely, Demario. And one of the things in the George Floyd Justice Policing Act was, uh, you know, a reporting database so that this kind of activities and-and deficient performance could be reported across the country so people couldn't job hunt like

this. Now, Teresa, though, I'm trying to figure out, you know, as much as white folks love their dogs, how her shooting at dogs wasn't a big enough red flag. Like, if you have 11 criteria, shooting at dogs or cats or whatever kind of animals should certainly be one of those things. So what does it say about the standards when we've listed off several completely disqualifying behaviors that weren't, in fact, disqualifying?

I would have to say, in Dollar's case, there must have been a very good arbitrator inside of the police union. But I think that's where we need to start first, is taking a look not only at the George Floyd National Act that we are trying to get passed, but also looking at these police unions and doing some real shakeup inside of that department. Because half the battle is, you know, these entities, these police officers, they get fired, they go to arbitration, and then they're back at work at another department. So it's more so like a shift that just happens when you're in law enforcement.

They get shipped around to different departments. And unfortunately, you know, some of it is just covered because, again, that's what you pay for when you are a union member. So I think when we started looking at the standards, the standards are definitely different. I think there were some items that was actually listed on her jacket that I'm not sure if it rose to the level of that she needed to be dismissed. But there were some other items that's a bit questionable, that I think if we had that national registry, this police officer would not have her badge and her gun for her to continuously do the same thing. But when officers feel like they are protected and that their, you know, their unions are

protecting them and the arbitration system doesn't really provide any real justice for some of their issues, then this is what we have. You're absolutely right. Police unions are shielding a lot of police officers from misconduct and probably responsible for the kind of extreme metrics that are, you know, the guidelines that say something is a misconduct. Mustafa, though, the tragic part here is that a man is dead. A person who has family and loved ones is dead. And I tried searching high and low to find out the details. They still haven't released the details.

It's great that she's been charged swiftly, but what happened? I mean, from what I understand, Robert Langley ran a stop sign allegedly, and that led to a police chase, which he crashed, but then he ends up shot dead. What in the hell is going on? We have a broken system, and the broken system, you know, starts with people, you know, looking the other way. So someone looked the other way, you know, when they, you know, in relationship to this system

getting higher time and time and time again, even though, you know, to folks with common sense, that that should not have happened. And then we also know folks continue to look the other way and they continue to slow walk stuff when it comes to these cases where we have officers who continue to take our lives. So it comes back to the broken system, and that's the reason so many of us have worked to get the right pieces of federal legislation in place to push, you know, these local governments and county governments and even

states to begin to make the changes that are necessary so that we know that our lives are honored and valued and that won't be taken prematurely. But the work continues because, once again, we see these pieces that are not coming together. And that's the reason that when we look at this case, it just doesn't make sense for the information to not be out there in front of folks, even though I'm sure those, you know, whether it is the, you know, the local folks who are trying not to get sued and all kinds of different dynamics that are going on. I'll let Demario, he's the expert in that space. Yeah. And Demario, I definitely want you to weigh in

because what's, what's, what's definitely different about this case is that, you know, typically there has to be this big outcry, protest, just to get footage, just to get a charge. In this case, before we even know what happened, they have charged her for voluntary manslaughter. We don't know because we don't have the details to know if that's even a sufficient charge. What do you think? Well, number one, I can name two things that are different. Number one, it didn't take that much of an outcry and, you know, how we have this just graphic video that has to come out before people start to care about these things. But number two, she's a black woman, right?

And so it's a lot easier for them to throw a black woman, not saying she doesn't completely 100% deserve it, you know, under the bus and say, all right, we're going to charge you. We're going to charge you quickly. What do you think is really at play here? Yeah, you bring out and you and Mustafa bring out a couple of really points that I was thinking about. It's always much easier to charge somebody black. We saw that up in Minnesota when a Somalian American police officer shot the woman through the car, the lady from Australia. They charged him instantaneously. And honestly, that shooting may have been a bad shooting, but I was so surprised when I saw his name and his color.

I saw that makes sense. So I definitely think that's part of the issue here. The interesting thing also about the video not being provided but she's being charged, that tells me that that video is horrendous. That tells me that the police department and the DAs have looked at this and said, we got to get out

in front of this because once this video comes out, people are going to be angry. Very, very angry. Obviously, we don't know that for sure because we haven't seen the video. But again, another example of something I was dealing with just here today, I have a family whose child was killed by the police, and we've been trying to get the video, and the police department, the location, the agency we're dealing with, they said, no, we're not going to give you

the video. And so that leaves us with an opportunity to either go public in a big way or file some type of a lawsuit. But then you got to think about the family, because as we talk about these things, and Recy, you stated, this man is dead. This family is grieving. So sometimes these families, they don't want something to be so big in public. They didn't ask for this. You know, they're just trying to understand and process that my loved one, my father, my mother, my brother, my sister, my child went to the store, went through a stop sign, and now they're dead. So to have to deal with everything that comes with trying to get justice is really an added layer of trauma. So I'm so glad that you centered the family and the victim here, because we need to be praying for these

families. I work with these families each and every day. It's very, very difficult. And there is no such thing as justice, really, for someone who's been killed. Absolutely. It's, it's, we cover these stories so frequently. It just seems like a, a way of life that Black folks have had to endure in this country when it comes to the way that we're over-policed.

Theresa, though, one thing we do know, and as Demario mentioned, is that we've seen it time and time again where the family, first and foremost, just wants to know what happened. And they're often lied to. Like, for instance, in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, his mother was told, you know, that he was trying to steal stuff, and she was given the runaround. And we've seen time and time again where the family is kept in the dark, and they're not able to even process what's happened because they're being re-traumatized by being lied to or kept in the dark.

What do you think, you know, needs to be done in terms of the transparency around what happened to Robert Langley for his family's sake? Well, transparency should always be at the forefront of every decision when it comes to police misconduct and the suffering that families have to go through. So that's first and foremost. But as it relates to what should be done and the process they're in, again, it takes these laws. It takes those who are representing us in an elected office from the local to the federal level that these do whatever they need to do, deal whatever deal that needs to get cut in order for this to take place. But I also think that it is incumbent of the people when we say, you know, defund the police,

we're not saying just remove the funding. Well, I'm not saying that. I'm not saying remove the funding from them because someone needs to protect these streets. But we also need to be very transparent on the process of protecting our people in these communities to make sure that the police officers have what they need, but we also have the protections that we need, and that we get back to the oath, which is to protect and to serve, not to kill when it's convenient and then cover it up. So I think there are a whole lot of instances that we as a public, taxpaying citizens, can actually be a part of the process.

And I think local cities have been doing this. You know, they've been putting in their own laws and not waiting on the federal government to step in. And then you have police commissioners that are, you know, stepping up and speaking out to say, look, more does need to be done. Body cameras will be on, you know, and there will be consequences. So I think there are things that are happening. Unfortunately, it's just being slow walk right now. And so, again, it does seem like a daily occurrence that unfortunately we're still talking about these same situations, the way, you know, Black people and Black and Brown people are being handled in this country. But again, I think the process just needs to speed up versus trickling that it currently is.

Right. And Mustafa, you get the last word on this. Teresa brought up the fact that, you know, we do need protection in our communities. And one of the things that is really interesting about this case, in a very bad way, actually, is that one of the reasons I've seen reports that they suspect that Cassandra Dollard was hired was because there's a shortage. And now that she's been fired, rightfully so, there are only two officers in that area. And so, unfortunately, we do have a situation throughout the country where, you know, it's there's high attrition among police officers, there's high overtime, there's burnout, there's a number of things that are hindering the ability to get the best on the force if you,

you know, the best, I understand, I'm talking about cops here, so, you know, give me some slack. But the point, Mustafa, that I'm making is, you know, the solution has to also go into the recruiting process and getting people who are community-minded and human-minded into the force so that we don't have to take people who shoot at dogs, people who shoot at humans, and just feel like they're above the rules. Well, you know, we can't have fast food policing.

And what I mean by that is that, you know, from the beginning of the system, you know, until an unfortunate, you know, situation like this plays out, you know, we want to move too fast through it. You know, instead of actually raising our sets of expectations. We often make, you know, our minimum our maximum. We've heard people say that before. So you now have police chiefs and others who are saying, well, you know, I can't find, you know, X, Y, and Z. So I'm willing to, you know, sort of

lower my set of expectations of what a good officer actually is, you know, from training all the way through the way that they, you know, conduct themselves. So I think we got to be really careful in this moment. I get shortages that people talk about. But at the same time, we're talking about individuals who hold life and death in their hands each and every day with the interactions that they do. And we have to always, always have excellence in policing. I come from a family that has, you know, Black law enforcement executives as well as patrolmen. And I know how they conduct themselves. But, you know, sometimes we get moving so fast that we'll just accept anybody, you know, into the process. And we get these types of results when we're not focused on excellence, both in the system and the individuals who are in the system.

Absolutely. I mean, as you said, this is life or death here. And so red flags lead to avoidable situations like the tragic death or murder or manslaughter, as she's been charged, of Robert Langley. All right, let's talk about HBCUs. Several HBCUs were on the receiving end of yet another onslaught of bomb threats. Monday, Howard and Fisk Universities issued shelter-in-place orders as law enforcement investigated bomb threats targeting the two historically Black universities. Over a dozen historically black colleges and universities have received bomb threats since Black History Month began. We ain't that far into it either, including

Howard, who has received four bomb threats this month alone. Both universities have since been and classes resumed. DeMario, this is, in my view, terrorism. Because this is, you know, we're not in the Jim Crow era. We're not in the 60s where people are physically screaming and hovering over black kids or college students going to school. But they're doing it from their computers. And they seem to be doing it without any ability to stop them. What's your take on just the urgency of addressing this issue and it being a civil rights issue? Yeah, I think having our young people terrorized like this is a civil rights issue. It's

heartbreaking. And we are, we're not in the Jim Crow era of our parents, at least my parents, but we are definitely in a post-Reconstruction era where we have white supremacists and those who wish us harm and danger are trying to do anything that can maintain power. And one of the ways they want to maintain power is to stop our future generation of leaders from being able to be educated, to feel safe, and to be active in this struggle for power. That's what we're struggling for. You know, politics is just who gets what, when, where, and how. And our brightest at Howard or Southern or Morehouse or Spelman, any of our great HBCUs

are on those campuses trying to get those skills, get those networks, get those relationships so they can come out and come back into our communities and help us get power and get the political power that we need. And this is just a way to disrupt. This is just a way to hurt people, have people afraid to go to these particular campuses. And I'm hoping that the federal government, the FBI, is doing everything it possibly can to find these individuals or these companies or corporations or organizations that are bringing this terror on our beautiful young brothers and sisters at these HBCUs. Right. Teresa, DeMario brings up such an interesting point about power. We know that HBCUs disproportionately provide the doctors and black lawyers and doctors. We have our vice

president who's an HBCU alum. One of the black women SCOTUS nominees is an HBCU alum as well. And so there is a power dynamic here that they're trying to disrupt. Talk a little bit about, you know, the implications of disrupting really that power center and how unfortunately easy it seems to have been for these chaos agents and terrorists to do. I have to say, when we started looking at what power actually looks like domestically, it starts with fear. And I think it's individuals with the thought process that they can actually push that fear onto educating Black students and to move them from being the great doctors, the great lawyers, the great entrepreneurs, because it disrupts their normalcy. And so I'm never surprised, you know, during Black History Month, you know, we just got finished putting Juneteenth in as a holiday, a national holiday.

So I'll be expecting, unfortunately, something there. But we have seen the turn-up of some of these situations when it came to, you know, we just got to be honest, Barack Obama being elected as the first African-American president. And so it's been year after year. These threats have been happening. Cyber attacks have increased. And so we are looking for our federal government to step in and protect HBCU students and its faculty and staff. But we also just have to realize that fear is what started American history. And I think that's very important to note because if we, you know, understand the sender and the root cause of this, we will start to, you know, really understand

as a people what needs to be done. It's not like we're saying, you know, HBCU students should just go online. That's not the case. But what we are saying is, you know, being black and brown in America is going to have some consequence. And it's unfortunate because we have those who still live in the past and is not willing to change for the future that apparently, you know, looks like color. Yeah, absolutely. You know, I'm really glad you mentioned the cyber attack that Howard University experienced last year. Mustafa, clearly, they're a group of folks who are very threatened

just by the existence of Black students learning. You know, we've seen this ridiculous CRT hysteria, which is really, we know, is really about teaching the true history of this country, but it's also just a pretext for white supremacists trying to push their propaganda instead of the actual history. But now we see this, to me at least,

and I wanna get your take see this, to me at least, and I want to get your take on this, this is kind of the child of the CRT, of the backlash and the hysteria, is not just trying to stop history from being taught, but stop black students from being taught altogether. You know, what do you think about just the threat that people seem to feel from Black students in particular at HBCUs?

Well, you know, it is about Black excellence. It always has been. And folks finding ways and opportunities to begin to dismantle that, to deconstruct that. And that's what, you know, this violence, this trauma that folks continue to inflict on our communities and on our institutions is about. So we should be very clear about that. We have huge amounts of mental stressors

that are currently going on in our lives, you know, because of the pandemic, because of dealing with systemic racism, because of a number of other factors. So when folks can begin to utilize these cyber tools, then they can begin to continue to sort of chip away at Black excellence, or at least they think they can. Now, we know that we are a resilient people, but at the same time, you know, you can only carry so much for so long before some folks end up breaking. So we should make sure that we understand these dynamics.

You know, sometimes we think folks just do things. There's a lot of thought that's behind many individuals who do nefarious types of actions. And I think that this is a part of that. You know, the other part of it is that we have to be very careful of in this moment is desensitizing the students and individuals who are on HBCU campuses because people continue to call in these bomb threats. And then, you know, folks stop maybe taking them as serious as they would, you know, the first time or the second time that they hear them. And then if somebody does something, you may have students or faculty or others who didn't move as fast or as quickly as they normally would. So we should really understand this

psychological game that is a part of many of these steps that folks have been, you know, bringing forward when they're doing these cyber threats and other types of actions in that space. Absolutely. I mean, to your point, this is not a prank. This isn't kids having fun. This is a deliberate campaign that is trying to inflict fear on these students and really exacerbate the mental stressors that you pointed out that Black people are living with

because we're facing a variety of issues, not of our own choosing. So our hearts and our prayers definitely go out for the continued safety of these students. Thank God nothing has happened yet. We want to keep it that way. And we certainly don't want to wait until something happens for this to be all hands on deck and trying to find out who was behind this and how to make it stop. All right, y'all, let's move on to Minnesota. The defense has taken the stand in the federal civil rights case

against three former Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd's death. Today, one of the officers testified that Floyd was exhibiting superhuman strength before being killed. Thomas Lane Jay, Alexander Khong, and Tu Thao are charged with deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly failing to give Floyd medical aid.

Thao and Khwang are also charged with failing to intervene in Derek Chauvin's use of unreasonable force. Over the course of 13 days, prosecutors called more than 20 witnesses. One of them was Darnella Frazier, who recorded the cell phone video of Floyd's death. Oh, Darnella Frazier. She was 16 years old at the time of this execution that we saw.

Now she's 18. Today she testified in court and she had to actually take a break because she immediately broke down crying. This is just, as Mustafa mentioned in our last story, a mental stressor for her, it's just continuing to traumatize her over and over again. And we really have to, you know, wrap our arms around her because she's doing just a great service to

the memory and the life of George Floyd by continuing to testify in these cases, despite the trauma that it's bringing her. Teresa, let me start with you. Your reaction to, number one, let's just talk about what the strength of Darnell Frazier to continue to subject herself to these proceedings in the name of accountability for the officers that contributed to the death of George Floyd. What's your take on her contribution and her testimony today?

Well, her contribution is absolutely necessary as we push for the calls for justice and also reform inside the police system. So, you know, for her to, you know, and again, when I watched it, I'm just like, more has to be done, you know, just to protect this young woman's mind. And again, I'm always saying about mental wealth and health and all this, but her testimony is so crucial to really understanding the dynamics within the brotherhood of the police district. I mean, so, you know, we have Derek Chauvin that, you know, is obviously guilty. But then what about the neighboring officers, those three officers that essentially was supposed to be, you know, telling him, hey, get your knee off his neck, you know? And, but it looks like more so they were almost like securing the perimeter so Derek can do,

Officer Derek Chauvin could do what he was going to do, which, again, was kill George Floyd. And so, you know, her testimony was so crucial on just so many other levels. One is the constitutional rights of each of us. But two, also just the understanding that that that I'm sorry, just getting a little emotional here, but just understanding that this this particular moment not only just kind of set the precedent on the rest of the testimony that was going to happen on the stand, because that's part of the reason why I believe, you know, she was also restricted from speaking in the beginning. But this portion, I think, would actually do more when it comes to reforming some of the issues with police officers. Absolutely. You know, her testimony was really critical in establishing, for instance, that George Floyd was not resisting. So any notion of superhuman strength, what the hell does that

got to do with anything? He's sitting up there saying he can't breathe. That doesn't sound superhuman to me. DeMario, you have a lot of experience with these cases. One of the defenses that these officers are trying to put forward is that they were very new to the job, and that they had training, and they even played a video of the training, which had just really ridiculous and violent imagery clipped from any given Sunday with Al Pacino saying, don't give an inch, and just all this really outlandish things that are part of the training, which obviously is unacceptable and inexcusable and is getting folks riled up.

But that does not absolve them for their responsibility to act like a human being in that case. What's your take on the whole, I'm new to this job, I didn't know what I was doing defense, that these officers are trying to put forward? Well, my 18 years, almost 18 years of practice in law and having to go against police departments all across this nation on more times than I can imagine, I'm always a little tickled by all the excuses that they make. On one end, they want to be the great heroes. They want to be paid great. They want to be looked at as the heroes and the protectors of society. But on the other end, every time they violate someone's rights, it's always an

excuse. It's always, oh, I was not trained enough. Or the person has superhuman strength. I've seen them call people who are 5'8", 175 pounds, say, oh, he looked like he was 6'2", and 300 pounds. I mean, these men and women, they are taught, believe me what I'm telling you, I see this every day, they're taught how to say certain phrases to get out of accountability. They're taught to say, I fear for my life. They're taught to say superhuman strength. They're taught to say things like he was not complying. They're taught how to actually write their actual police reports in a way that is fraudulent to a point that you can take each police report, take 20 of them, and they're almost

going to say that verbatim. This is what we're seeing in policing. My brother Mustafa said it's a broken system. It's been a broken system. It's been a broken system from the first time that they started having white people as slave patrol. That is

what the policing has come out of. It is something that needs complete re-overhaul. We talked about the language of defund the police. I understand that people have problems with that language. I get it. But what people are talking about is having resources being allocated appropriately to different agencies. No one is saying take all police off the street.

No one is asking for that. My mama doesn't want that. But all the money shouldn't go to the police department. It should go to education. It should go to mental health training. It should go to other preventative measures that you don't need police. But here's the thing. Our police departments in many, many cities, they're running the cities. They're actually running the cities. And as Teresa talked about, their unions are so powerful. They run the mayor's office. We saw the actual press conference after the brother was shot on the no-knock warrant, where the mayor and the police chief tried to come out and say

some BS. And that sister, the civil rights attorney, shout out to civil rights attorneys. She said, I'm not taking it anymore. Last thing I want to say, that sister that took that video that's now 18 years old, I am praying for her. We all need to pray for her. She needs a lot of therapy. She had to witness a man be choked and die right in front of her. She had to go to court, which is stressful enough. She had to testify once.

Now she's testifying again. We need to love on her. We need to protect her. We need to give her the resources that's necessary because she's going to be dealing with this for the rest of her life. Absolutely, Demario. And unfortunately, there's still another trial.

I mean, fortunately, because, you know, we still want to get them, lock them up on everything, get them on every single charge. No question. But unfortunately for Darnella Frazier, that's yet another trial where she'll be subjected to testimony that's going to be heartbreaking for her. Mustafa, I'm going to give you the last word on this before we go to a break.

You know, the thing about the system is it is working as designed. And as Demario just mentioned, we're still dealing with issues in Minneapolis, you know, where they're just now talking about, you know, no-knock warrants and trying to get rid of that. You can't train humanity, right? And so just overall, just close us out, your reaction to these hearings. But you can legislate it, sorry. I'm sorry, what was that, Demario?

I'm sorry, but you can legislate humanity. We don't care what's in people's hearts, but they need to have accountability. I'm sorry, Mustafa, to jump in, but they must have accountability, swift, consistent accountability. That's what we care about. Absolutely. Mustafa, your final reaction? Dr. King said I can't legislate to make you love me, but I can't legislate to stop you from lynching me. So, you know, we have to be very conscious of the tools that we have. We also just

have to understand that there is, unfortunately, still a number of actions to dehumanize us, to dehumanize us so that these types of egregious behaviors are not evaluated the same way they are if they happened to other groups or wealthier communities. So we just have to make sure that we're very clear that these types of dynamics are going on. So we just have to make sure that we're very clear that these types of dynamics are going on. We have to continue to do everything we can to change that. And then we also just got to build more accountability into the system. We're never going to get rid of the system, but there has to be much more accountability. And that's why we continue to talk about folks voting and understanding the power that's inside of your vote

so we can make sure that whether it's the district attorneys or it is the sheriffs or a number of these other elected positions that are a part of law enforcement, that we begin to get folks who actually care about our humanity and our communities. Absolutely. We can't just vote federal. We have to vote in local elections. All right, y'all, we have a lot more coming up. Roland Martin and Filtered will be right back after this break. You're watching the Black Star Network. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you.

Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not.

From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives, and we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. Oh, from Black-ish. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin,

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Delegate Danielle Walker, was sent a racist, hateful email for her support of abortion rights for women. The photo says, what do you think the coward hiding under his dunce cap and face mask thinks every time he hears about a black child has been aborted? Be pro-life as if your race depended on it. It's the American thing to do. The Berkeley County West Virginians for Life Group president said he sent the email. He has since stepped down from his position.

Delegate Walker is one of many Black women lawmakers fighting for reproductive rights. She joins us now from Morgantown, West Virginia. Welcome, Delegate Walker. Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for having me on the show. I am very excited. Actually, I am in Charleston. We are in the midst of legislative session. And these abortion bills are coming at us from across the United States. And it could be more dire than right now. Right. So please tell us about what's happening.

The legislature is voting on a 15-week abortion ban. Talk a little bit about that. We actually voted on that ban today. It is disgusting. This is a decision between a patient and a physician. We tried an amendment that was going to help people who had been raped or sexually assaulted. It was voted down on party lines. And this is what we are seeing across the United States. We see it in Texas. We see it in Mississippi. We see it in Florida. But this is disgusting West Virginia. Yeah. And to be clear, this is not the 15 week deadline is not a sciencebased deadline, right? It's just an arbitrary date that they put

out there to be restrictive and really just exert control over women's bodies. Now, let's talk a little bit about this email. So from what I understand, you alone were sent this email, despite the fact that you're one of several lawmakers who've been fighting for reproductive rights. Tell us a little bit about that. You are correct. I received this email on February 1st, the first day of Black History Month. And I don't think that that's a coincidence. Right. One, myself and another colleague, Delegate Evan Hansen, introduced legislation to repeal all the abortion bans

in the state of West Virginia. Okay. I don't understand why I was the only one targeted, but I do understand why I was the only one targeted. Right. Delegate Hansen is Jewish, and how insensitive to send this as intimidation to the only Black woman serving in both the House and the Senate and the West Virginia legislature.

Absolutely. And as we discussed earlier, as I mentioned earlier, the per the chapter person who sent this has stepped down. But I read his response and it sounds like gaslighting, you know, trying to say that he didn't realize or he didn't think that it was a racial thing. I mean, it was a KKK hood. You could call it a dunce cap, but we all know what doggone KKK hood looks like. What is your reaction to, you know, him not taking accountability for the racist nature of that message? Well, we are making him take accountability, and we're making that group take accountability as I filed a lawsuit. Oh. Tell us about that.

Against West Virginians for Life and for the individual who sent that email, the time is right now that we take a stand and that we use our voice, and this will not be tolerated. We will call out those things, and we will have a call in at the same time. So that's for each and every one of you at home. I need you to be educated voters. I need you to be part of the legislative system, not just when it affects you personally, but when it affects everyone with the uterus, every patient. This is healthcare. One in four persons will have this healthcare. Abortion is healthcare. And until we break down those stigmas and those barriers, sometimes abortion is only in name

because of all the barriers. Right. Absolutely. You know, you mentioned people being civically engaged and involved. You're obviously in the minority and you have, you know, a big burden to carry as being the sole Black woman in the legislature. Tell us about how important it is for everybody to be involved, you know, and to not just check out of the process because the numbers may not favor their particular cause. You keep going despite the fact that the numbers aren't always in your side. So tell us a little bit about the importance of being engaged and not giving up. There's two things that I've always said. Presentation without presence is powerless, and we the people, we are the power.

So we all need to do our job. You do the job when you go to the voting booth. But how do you make those folks accountable? Are you making sure that they are living to what they told you that they were going to do when they were on their campaign trail, when they were knocking doors, when they were kissing your babies, or making false promises. Accountability starts with the voter.

Now, also, uncomfortable for a moment to be part of a movement. I sit uncomfortable. Now I'm in my second term going for my third, and I I don't mind it because the movement is change. Whether we're speaking about health care, education, infrastructure, including child care, that time is right now. West Virginians, Americans, we don't want to just survive anymore. We want to thrive. We want to make sure that the legislation that is being introduced is not copy and paste, but you are actually sitting down with your constituents and listening to their needs, their wants, and their desires, because it is, we are

all able and it is possible. Absolutely. You know, one of the things that we've talked about earlier in the show is mental health and the particular toll that on our previous story, Darnell LaFlazier has had to endure with her bravery in the George Floyd case. You're also incredibly brave as being the sole black woman in the legislature who is being subjected to racist threats and abuse. How are you doing just mentally with all this, emotionally? What kind of support are you getting and what kind of support could you use from folks out there who want to show their solidarity with you and show that they support you? So not only the mental struggles in being an elected official. I'm a newly grieving mother. I lost my oldest son

to his battle to leukemia in June, but I am still standing and I'm still smiling and I'm still serving. And right now is the most important time for voices to be echoed. See, when I say delegate Danielle Walker, that delegate is the people's title. And as long as I know that I'm not being a politician, but a people-tician, because I place the people over the politics, I will be okay. But I also need people to know it's okay not to be okay. And so what has this caused? Now I need increased security measures. But you know what? We're going to also make those folks accountable

who tend to target elected officials with intimidation no more. And we're going to stop this conduct from happening again. Absolutely. I just think that, first of all, let me say my condolences to you. I can't even imagine the loss that you've experienced and the way that you are pushing through is just really extraordinary. And I really appreciate, in this particular case, we're talking about the email and that organization,

how you are demanding accountability in the form of a lawsuit. I want to go to the panel and give them opportunity to ask you questions and weigh in. But can you just, before we go to that, explain a little bit more about what this lawsuit is. Is it a civil lawsuit? Are you pressing criminal charges? Explain for the viewers what exactly

you're pursuing with this lawsuit. So it is a civil lawsuit, but we are also pushing for criminal charges. I am an elected official. We know that this is hate. And the first thing is that to stop the conduct. The second thing is stop the targeting. It is intimidation, and it will not be tolerated in 2022. And lastly, we want damages for the increased security measures that I have to endure now. It's not fun wearing body armor. It's not fun having a security team follow you everywhere you go. It's not fun being two and a half hours away from home and making sure that

your mother and your other son has security measures while you're staying awake at night, watching the video cameras, praying that there's not going to be a light outage, making sure that your younger son, putting more barriers on him, and it's absolutely not fair. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, this is ridiculous. This goes beyond just being pro-life versus pro-choice. This is absolute hate. And fear, shame, and hate around reproductive healthcare has no place here, there, or anywhere. Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more. Teresa, do you have a question for Delegate Walker?

Yeah. Delegate Walker, one, again, I sympathize with you. You know, after reading this story, I was just like, unfortunately, here we go again. But you also are a woman and a legislator,

so I am also concerned about your colleagues who did not receive this message and what was their response. So outside of, you know, them saying, oh, this is wrong. You know, how do you feel? How's the relationship with your colleagues? Did they speak out against this as well? You know, what happened? Many of my colleagues have spoken out about this. Many of my colleagues have been, I called, won my shield and won my sword.

Delegate Evan Hansen has been my shield since my first year in the legislature in 2019. And Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, the other Black male delegate, we actually have two, we have one Democrat and one Republican, 2019, and Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, the other Black male delegate. We actually have two. We have one Democrat and one Republican, has been my sword during this fight. And what was so interesting is that I received it

on February 1st, and I sat on it. So why did I sit on it? Because we always have to prove being women. And being a black woman, we have to double. We have to make sure our I's are crossed and our T's are crossed, and we go back because we have that generational trauma. I am also a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence. This right here, using my voice, I will not play victim. We will survive this by being very vocal

and calling those things out and making folks accountable. This is about accountability. We scream choice all the time. Well, just like you have the choice to become a parent or not, you should also respect the choice when someone doesn't. Powerful words, Delegate Walker. Thank you so much for being here with us, sharing your story. How can people keep in contact with you, support your efforts, follow you on social media? Drop your details so that folks can get to you.

Yes. So we are on Facebook. I have Delegate Danielle Walker, Danielle Walker for House. We are on Twitter, Dani for WV. We are on Instagram, Dani for WV. The website, DanielleWalkerWV.com. Please keep following. I am not the only one.

But we need to make sure that we continue to shed light on this. Thank you, Delegate Walker. Abortions can be sexist and racist, and I will not tolerate it. Thank you so much for your service and your leadership, more importantly. And we will stand beside you and do what we can to support you and keep us surprised of what's going on with your lawsuit. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, moving on to our next story. U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is calling out Olympic and anti-doping officials

after Russian skater Kamila Velova, I hope I said that right, was allowed to compete despite testing positive for a banned drug. In a series of tweets, the sprinter shared some valid points surrounding the decision to allow Valaiva to compete. Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mine's? My mother died and I can't run and was also favored to place top three. The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady. Richardson won the 100-meter race at the US Olympic trials early last summer. Still, after it was revealed that she had tested positive for THC,

the intoxicant in marijuana, she was denied a chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Demaria, I'm gonna start with you on this. You know, I think it's really interesting how Dems the rules when it comes to black folks in competing versus when it comes to Russia. Russia just says, I don't give a damn about rules. We're about to invade a country. They always got some dope mess going on.

They're always skirting around the issues. This is another example. And I'm sensitive to the fact that this is a 15-year-old skater. She's underage. She's, quote, unquote, a protected person as according to the ruling. And that's why the rules aren't applied the same way. But what are your thoughts on the double standard here? Well, the double standard, we just heard from that fantastic, powerful delegate.

You know, being a black woman is the hardest job in America. It's the hardest job in the world. No question about it. And we've seen another example of this. Regardless of what you call it, it's just racial discrimination, anti-black behavior. You have a black young lady, Sherea Richardson, who was kicked out of the Olympics for testing positive for marijuana. Okay, fine, if that's the rule, I don't think that was really what should have happened. But if that's the rule, that's the rule. Now you have a white young lady who has tested positive for some type of banned substance,

and she's allowed to compete. That is racism. That is discrimination. I'm not exactly sure what jurisdiction the IOC falls underneath, but if there can be a lawsuit filed for 1981, that's the case, the 1981 race discrimination case. This is the case. And she also stated in her tweet that there is not one black athlete that has a positive test that is allowed to compete. If that

is true, this should be a class action lawsuit. It's like what the delegate just stated. It's time to stand up. This is not a time to retreat. This is a time not to retreat but to move forward. This is not a time to be quiet but stand up. This is not a time to retreat. This is a time not to retreat, but to move forward. This is not a time to be quiet, but to speak. This is not a time to sit down, but to stand up.

And that's what it's going to take. People like Sheree Washington, getting with lawyers from around this nation who are not afraid to take these cases, fight these cases, and win these cases. It's ridiculous. You know, I appreciate your passion on this. And I'm with you, Demario.

But you know, Mustafa, look, we know, I'm not reading the comments, I don't have it up. But I already know how we can be. We can be as hard on each other as the white folks are in terms of, them's the rules, and she shouldn't have been breaking the rules, and we shouldn't be dying on the hill of a person who violated the rules. But I just, there's a part of me that feels like,

well, the rules are only the rules when they want them to be. And when they don't want them to be, then the rules all of a sudden change. They just never seem to change when it comes to showing grace to black athletes. This isn't just a Sha'Carri Richardson issue. We see that black athletes are disproportionately targeted. Look at how many times Serena Williams has been drug tested over and over and over and over again. You know, and then we've had other athletes like Kastor Semenya, who was targeted with testing about her gender. I mean, I could go on. And even a couple months back, there was slander about the great Florence Griffith Jr., you know, making this baseless accusation

that she was doping. And so this is one of those things that it always seems to be about penalizing or targeting black athletes, but then you have a Lambsard Strong, and then you have this Russian skater, and then all of a sudden, we have grace. All of a sudden we're making provisions. What is your take on that?

Well, all black athletes are asking for is equity and fairness in the process. I mean, I ran track all through college and a little bit afterwards. And, you know, I used to see, you know, the disparities that existed between the way Black athletes and others, primarily white athletes, were treated in relationship to if there was a perceived violation or those different types of things. So folks are just asking for equity and justice. And let's be very clear here. You know, when Sha'Carri Richardson, her situation, you know, the substance that she had, and you mentioned it was THC, that is not a performance-enhancing drug. Now, the sister from Russia, she actually used a performance-enhancing drug. And then

today, you know, her legal team came out and said, well, she probably, you know, accidentally got it because of her grandfather, because the particular chemical actually, you know, improves your heart's performance in the blood, so that you can, you know, run faster, jump higher, those different types of things. So, once again, we see these disparities that exist between someone who didn't use a performance-enhancing drug and someone who did, and then even being allowed to continue to compete. So folks are just asking for equity and justice. Absolutely. And, Teresa, I'll give you the last word on this. Where do you come down on this situation when it comes to Shikari and calling out this double standard? Do you think that she

is within her rights to call it out, even though she did, in fact, break the rules? Or do you think she should probably just set this one out? No, I think Sha'Carri was absolutely in her rights. I mean, look, we can't, you know, only ask for us to be treated fairly if we're not being treated fairly. So part of it is, you know, the excuses that has been coming up ever since Sha'Carri has put this out there was, you know, the young lady, Volivia, probably her name, but the young Russian woman, they said she was a minor

and she's a protected person. So, you know, her rules are a bit different than adults. But, you know, to Mustafa's point, THC is a relaxing drug versus, you know, an actual performing drug, which apparently they knew in December of last year. And when Sha'Carri got in her situation, they knew within that week. And so endorsement deals and everything else went by the helm. So I think, you know, when we want to talk about justice, you know, we want to talk about equality and just across the board, not only for athletes, but just for us as a people. Sha'Carri was very clear.

Because of the color of my skin, this is why I'm in this situation. And honestly, the facts show. It shows that this was one of the many reasons. One, it's just not the color of her skin. It's because she was a high-performing athlete. And she would have likely taken home the gold. So again, if we can't have the rules only for one particular group of people, it has to be fair across the board. And I think, you know, the U.S. absolutely needs to step up, not only for Sha'Carri, but for the many others that will likely happen after her. Absolutely. Well, listen, I'm a stick besides Sha'Carri. I stand with Sha'Carri. But in other better news, Olympic speed skater Erin Jackson made history this weekend in Beijing. Jackson became the first black woman to win a speed skating medal at the Winter Olympics with her gold in the 500 meters. While Jackson doesn't look at herself as some trailblazer, she recognizes the moment's

significance. The Olympic gold medalist says she hopes her victory will encourage other people of color to take up winter sports. Well, DeMario, this is Black Excellence, right? I mean, we can at least celebrate that.

Everybody in the chat, everybody in the comments should be in agreement that we are Team Black Excellence, Black History. We're all proud of Erin Jackson. Just one final comment before we go to the break. Yeah, Black History is world history. Black History is American history. And that is Black Excellence. You know, she is a trailblazer.

We are proud of her. I hope she's just as proud of being the first African-American female. You know, I don't really like the use of the term people of color. African-American people, I don't like people of color because then that makes the default people being white people. But I'm glad for this sister. I'm glad for any time someone looks like me have success, period, point blank. Point blank.

We blacky, black, black, black. We don't have to do people of color when we're talking about a black woman. Let's keep it 100. Let's keep it 100. Especially. This is a Roland Martin show. Exactly. Speaking of Roland Martin, you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We'll be right back. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you.

Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network.

Hey, I'm Cupid, the maker of the Cupid Shuffle and the Wham Dance. What's going on? This is Tobias Trevelyan. And if you're ready, you are listening to and you are watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Black women across the nation are looking to change the gubernatorial landscape by placing their names on the ballot for the top seat in their respective states. Six black women in states are running for governor in 2022. Harvard professor Danielle Allen in Massachusetts. Educator Deidre Gilbert is running in Texas. Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams in Georgia.

Small business owner Deidre DeGere in Iowa. Former state senator Connie Johnson in Oklahoma, and state senator Mia McLeod in South Carolina. One of the candidates listed, Iowa gubernatorial candidate Deidre Degere, joins us now. And to give you an idea of who she is and hear her one-minute campaign ad. DEIDRE DEGIERE, Iowa Governor- After several weeks of doing my homework with a group of incredible community leaders throughout the state, I am signing up to do more work. I am announcing that it will be an incredible honor and give me great pleasure to be Iowa's

next governor. I am of the belief that if anyone expects to lead this state, the priority must be put on islands. During this time a year ago, our communities were devastated. Thousands were vulnerable without power, access to food, water. Our neighbors came out to help while it took our leadership days to tap in.

Leadership has to lead with the people's interest first. And I know it has been really, really challenging in spite of everything going on to see the good, to have hope. But if there is anything that I can say to each and every one of you all today is that I believe in you. Iowa has built small businesses.

It has built national education models. Iowa has built a businesses. It has built national education models. Iowa has built a thriving agricultural system. Iowa has built fields of opportunity. And we're not done building. We've got work to do because Iowa is worth it. I need you all to sign up. Go to DeJearForIowa.com. Tell your friends, tell your family that we've got work to do and we're going to get it done.

Deidre, welcome to Roland Martin Unfiltered. So good to have you here today. How are you? It is so good to be on this show. I'm sad I couldn't be with Roland, but really excited that I'm here with you, Reese. Thank you. I'm so glad. Yes, I'm holding it down for Roland while he's in Liberia, and I'm happy to have you on. You know how I feel about Black women running,

hashtag win with Black women. But girl, you are in Iowa. A Black woman running in Iowa is not something that people hear all the time. So tell us more about you and what it would mean for Iowa to have a black woman governor. Awesome. So I'm a small business owner and I started my small business while I was an undergrad at Drake University. And what's great about this state and what I keep with me often is that in spite of all of the challenging circumstances that I was dealing with as a young college student, there was opportunity and provisions that were made available to me in this state. Not only was I able to start a small business in undergrad,

but I started a nonprofit to help other students who were interested in going to college get engaged and for those students who were in K-12 to be prepared with school supplies when they went into school. And so when I think about what this state has been able to do for me and the pathways of opportunity it's created, and I think about where we are right now as a state. You know, we were once number one in education. Now we're 18, 19 on the list. Our governor is 44th in the nation. We're not paying our teachers what they deserve. And while the rest of the country is dealing with a worker shortage and a skills gap, you know, Iowa's not living up to its potential. And a great deal of that not only is part of, you know, us experiencing this pandemic, but the greatest point of that is having field leadership in this state. And so I'm running, as you heard in the video, because I believe in Iowa

and I believe in what we're capable of. But that belief is not just predicated on a hope and a dream. That belief comes from where Iowa has been. A lot of folks don't know this. Talk about Black History Month. A man by the name of Alexander Carp, 100 years, nearly 100 years before Brown v. Board of Education, led this state to ensure that each and every student had access to an education, had access to an education despite their race, despite their gender. That happened in Iowa. This is also a state where a woman like me can

become the first African-American to ever be nominated for a statewide office. And lastly, what everybody knows is this is a state that sent a signal to the rest of the country back in 2008 that Barack Obama should be our president. And that happened in a state that's majority white. And so I believe in this state because I believe in what we've been able to accomplish in the past. And that only speaks to a brighter future in the future, given we have different leadership. Absolutely. Now, to be clear, you are running for the Democratic nomination and your primary is uncontested, right? So you are the only candidate for the Democratic nomination

at this point, right? Correct. Correct. Correct. So let's say that continues to be the case and you are the actual nominee come the general election. what makes Iowa competitive for the folks who are interested in supporting, but they might think a Republican governor? How is this going to work out? You know, what's unique about Iowa is that we've traditionally been purple. And over the last several years, we have erred on the side of leaning right. But what has happened over the years in this state is that Iowans have the ability to see the humanity that exists in folks. They have the ability to feed into authenticity.

And what's authentic about black women leading, what's authentic about me leading is the fact that it's never really been about campaign promises for me. It's always been about outcomes. And right now, Iowans, as vulnerable as we are related to education, mental health, our health care system in general, whether we're in rural Iowa or urban Iowa, we're seeing shared struggles across this state. And so what it would mean for me being office is one that I'm willing to put people first and that I'm going to put people first because I believe that that's the only way we lead. That's the only way we grow. If 2020

taught us anything, it's that we're stronger together. I mean, our cities, our communities were literally stripped to the bare bone. And it was our job to pull the stronger together. I mean, our cities, our communities were literally stripped to the bare bone. And it was our job to pull the pieces together. When we did that collectively all over the country, Iowa was not immune. Needless to say, unfortunately, what we've had to deal with over the last two years during this pandemic is a leader in Kim Reynolds, who has politicized COVID, who's politicized our education system, and has drawn a wedge between Iowans all over the state. And it has served no justice, and it has given us no value. And so I'm ready to see real change happen in our communities and throughout the state amongst

communities of color, amongst our students, amongst our women, amongst our working-class folks. There's so much work to be done. We just need leadership who's willing to put in the work and willing to put people first. Absolutely. Speaking of communities, talk a little bit about the coalition you have put together that you think will power you to the win and how you've been received throughout the state, throughout your campaign. So I had the fortunate opportunity when I was an undergrad to volunteer for then-Senator Barack Obama's campaign back in 2007. That is where I started building coalitions. I then went on to work for him in 2012 in his reelect in the state as an African-American vote director.

And I went on to work on school board races and city council races. I've done nonpartisan engagement work. I've done partisan engagement work. And all of this has been an effort to increase people's access to the ballot box and uplift people's voices during this political process. Iowa, in our state constitution, says that all political power is inherent in the people. And I am reminding people of that every single day. The coalitions that we're building go beyond my own racial identity. We've obviously got coalitions of Black folks all over the state. Not only do we have Black folks engaged,

we're engaging our Latinx population, our AAPI, LGBTQ, our folks with disabilities, and our students, and rural islands. These are constituencies that have traditionally been hard-to-reach populations. Some in the Democratic space might call them less reliable voters. Well, from my vantage point, they are reliable because they're Americans and they're Iowans, and we need to ensure that they have true access to the ballot box, especially in light of the fact that this state, after a record year in 2018, experienced even more voter restriction laws that was signed by this current governor that disproportionately impact Blacks, that disproportionately impact other communities

of color, and vastly disproportionately impacts 65-plus in this state. And so we've got a lot of work to do. And that coalition building is what was able to get me through my secretary of state's primary. That coalition building is what was also able to ensure that all of the other campaigns that I was a part of, we got wins. Because from my vantage point, it's incredibly important that when we talk about democracy,

when we talk about getting people engaged in the process, that means all people. And we don't wait till the last minute. We start at the beginning. The populations that are critical to engage in our communities, the hardest to engage, we start with those first. And then we work our way backwards because that is how we truly get people to the ballot box, by meeting them where they are and not taking their voice for granted. Absolutely. I think you have to compete for every vote. And meeting folks where they are is really important with social media. A lot of times different candidates or even sometimes the party expects people to come to them and go to their website. But I love that you are getting out there and meeting folks. Let's go to the panel.

Theresa, do you have a question for Deidre? I think it is phenomenal that African-American women like yourself are going for not, you know, not the mid-level position, but a really high position where change can really happen in your state. So my question is, have you received the support? Obviously, I think you said you received the Democratic support. So what can people do, you know, to support your campaign so you can make it through the general election? You know, this takes a village. And I'm a Democrat. And we know over the last two to four years that Democrats have not been getting all the wins that we wanted throughout this country. And that's also happened in Iowa.

But that's no reason to count us out, especially when people are willing to do the work. And so I'm letting folks know that there are Iowans out here that are willing to do the work, that are willing to invest time and energy into getting people to the ballot box this go-round. But if you're not in Iowa, you can also contribute to our race. Every dollar counts. I mean, I'm running against an individual who has been an elected official for nearly 30 years. They were an elected official when Iowa was at its peak. And now under her watch, it's falling short. And so folks can give to help me be competitive in this race. We've got to get on TV. We've got to connect to folks via social media and other

advertisements, because this is a race that, one, has to reinvigorate hope that we can change, given what society has experienced over the last two years, but it's also a campaign that is not only going to reinvigorate hope, but it's going to deliver. As I said earlier, for me and so many Black women across this country, it's not really been about promises. Our success has been predicated

on what we've been able to deliver, outcomes. And so when we walk through this campaign process, we're not selling people dreams. We're selling people reality because it's the fundamentals that have to be restored in this state. I mean, we've got teachers who are leaving the job, going to other states. We've got superintendents who are teaching in classrooms and in schools that are closing because they don't have enough individuals to do the work. That is fundamental to our democracy. Education, access to a free, affordable, and accessible education that's of quality is incredibly important. And our state's failing on that.

In fact, our state is suggesting that we should put cameras in the classroom. Our state's creating a banned book list. Our state is also going down the road of talking about things that aren't even taught in our schools rather than focusing on what should be taught in our schools. And so we've got a lot of work to do, but we're not that far gone. We just need help. And folks can contribute to putting that work to help us.

Okay, I'm going to go to Mustafa. We got to keep it quick. But before I do that, I just want to ask the website because you said people could give, but I didn't hear a website. So give folks the website and then I'll go to Mustafa for a question. Dejer4Iowa.com is our website. And spell that out for the folks. D-E-J-E-A-R. For, spell out for, Iowa.com. Okay. Mustafa, your question for Deidre. You know, there's a lot of fantastic folks in Iowa. It's cold there, but I've seen some of the great folks and spent time there. My question for you is this, you know, when you're elected governor, a number of the dollars that are part of the, you know, the bipartisan infrastructure bill will be flowing year after year into Iowa and, of course, other places.

How will you as governor actually utilize those to make real change happen? Excellent question. And I'll be brief. I mean, we have one lone state representative or excuse me, Congresswoman Cindy Axne, that has been advocating a great deal to get resources in the state alongside the Biden administration. And we've gotten over half a billion thus far. And I think what's incredibly important is that this state has a partner that's not only willing to take those resources and put them to work, but unfortunately, we have a governor that sent resources back, nearly $100 million back to the Biden administration. And so we've got to put those resources to work on climate, on infrastructure, on our schools, because Iowa needs those resources in order for us to grow.

And I intend on being a true partner there to make sure that we're using those resources equitably and ensuring they're meeting the population's needs. YAMICHE ALCINDOR. Thank you, Deidre. That was, you've given us so much to chew on and I hope that you get more support. The website again is Dejear4Iowa. Say that one more time. Dejear4Iowa.com.

D-E-J-E-A-R for Iowa. YAMICHE ALCINDOR. Okay. Thank you. And you have to keep us posted on how your campaign goes on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Absolutely. It was so good to spend time with you, Recy, and thanks to the questions. Thank you.

Okay, you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We'll be right back. Folks, Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches! I'm real revolutionary right now. Black crowd.

Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. Be black. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN.

You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? I'm Bill Dukes. This is De'Alla Riddle. What's up, y'all? I'm Will Packer. I'm Chrisette Michelle.

Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. He got tired of trying to find Black-owned businesses, so Philip Dunn decided to create an online community called the Black Business Focus Group to drive peer-to-peer interaction to help close the wealth gap and build sustainability. Since it began in 2015, members of BBFG have circulated more than $2 million with Black-owned businesses. Philip joins me from Houston, Texas, to tell us more about how he's fostering this Black business network. Welcome, Philip. Hey, thank you, and hello, Recy. Thank you so much for having me,

and happy Black History Month to you and your panelists, your production team, all your viewers, and your listening audience. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. So tell the viewers out there a little bit more about, I saw that you have an app. It's on the Google Play Store and on the iPhone store.

Tell us a little bit more about this app and your online community. All right. Well, thank you so much for the question, Recy. Actually, we started from a community of around 20,000 consumers, all hoping to buy Black or buy products and services from Black-owned businesses. And so we thought it was a really fun and cool way to get together and to help drive transactions to Black-owned businesses. And so we thought it was a really fun and cool way to get together and to help drive transactions to Black-owned businesses. So we actually started out in a Facebook social media focus group, and that helped us to grow and to learn more about the product that we built in the BBFG app. Okay. So explain a little bit more about how you view the BBGF app and community as closing the wealth gap and helping to recycle Black dollars.

Right. Well, thank you for that question. We actually have around 20,000 consumers that all actively log their transactions with Black-owned businesses. They make a commitment to spend more of their dollars with Black-owned businesses And then they go and they find black owned businesses to support. They also work in various major corporations and they try to direct and drive some of their corporate spend to black owned businesses. So this is a great way for us to increase the amount of spend. As many of you know, black owned businesses are hurting from the pandemic, and more than anything, they need the support of our community. So I believe, I happen to believe, that the greatest stimulus package that Black-owned businesses can receive is the support from the

Black community in spending upwards of $1.3 trillion to possibly $1.8 trillion with Black-owned businesses. Absolutely. And we know the statistics around recycling Black dollars. And in our communities, Black dollars only circulate within our community for hours, as opposed to other races where it can go on for days. And so something like this is definitely transformative and really helping to close that gap. Talk a little bit more about the peer-to-peer aspect of this app in this community. Sure. In our community, every single month, we have over 200, 300 requests for products and services from various Black-owned businesses across the United

States. Whether that's brick-and-mortar products or online products and services, we have folks that are actively and aggressively seeking out these products and services, we have folks that are actively and aggressively seeking out these products and services every single month. When they can't find them from various directories that have been created for Black-owned businesses, they come to our community and they ask the community, hey, where can I find someone who provides a product in this category? Or where can I find someone who provides this type of service? We've had folks come and find doctors in our group, had folks come and find lawyers and accountants in our group, folks to do their taxes, folks to cut their lawns. So this is the type of peer-to-peer activity that we need to see in our community, not just relying on directories to find

Black-owned businesses. And so if many of us are old enough to remember the Montgomery bus boycott, that wasn't driven by technology. That was driven by the black community talking to each other and helping each other to find transportation across town, out of town, to work, to the grocery store. In many ways, we created the first rideshare system just by talking to one another.

So now imagine what we can do today with this type of technology and the BBFG, where if you make a commitment to buy black a certain number of times per month and you actually go out and do it, imagine the number of transactions that we increase that are flowing into our businesses, the revenues increase, the wealth increases for those business owners, and then ultimately for our overall community. Absolutely. So I know the answer to this question, but I got to ask for the viewers.

How much does this cost? Because it sounds all good and mighty and everybody's down for the people, but how much does it cost? Well, that's a great question, Recy, and I definitely appreciate that. This is an absolutely free app for those folks that want to use and want to log their transactions and hold themselves accountable.

It costs you nothing to go in and log your transactions with Black-owned businesses at the BBFG. You do this, and you might even, in the future, we might even be able to reward some of our consumers who are actively and aggressively going out and finding value in the black community. So this is a free app to use. Of course, it's subject to your data plan or whatever you have on your phone, but it's certainly free for all of our consumers to use this app. Now, is it the same entry point for consumers versus black businesses,

or do they have a different process they have to go through to, you know, network in terms of their business? Well, right now I'm really focused in on consumer behavior. I think that our community, we really need to focus in on trying to close this wealth gap that's taking place. Our businesses have enough platforms that they can use and leverage to advertise on, to reach our audience. But there are some opportunities coming up in the future for black businesses and some of our allies

to advertise to our audience. So wanna make sure that folks understand this is for consumers to go in, log their transactions with black owned businesses, hold themselves accountable, and everyone take their own personal responsibility for helping to close the wealth gap because we know we can't rely on others to do it for us. Absolutely. Okay, I'm going to go to the panel. Mustafa, question.

Yeah, well, thank you, brother, for this. I'm curious, BBFG, is there an educational component for folks who are moving to this space with you all? And if so, what does that look like? Well, out of the 20,000 consumers that we have, many of them offer classes in financial literacy. Many of them offer classes in business readiness. So we have different folks that offer certain components. We do not have a structured educational program at the moment, but we do rely on our community to help educate the folks that are coming in looking for that type of information. So each one teach one in the BBFG right now. Demario, a question for Phillip. Absolutely, Phillip. Nice to talk to you. You know, I'm from Tulsa. Black Wall Street represent

the last three living survivors of the Tulsa race massacre. And what you're talking about reminds me of the beauty and the power of Greenwood. You know, here in Tulsa, the Black Dollar circulated 36 to 100 times before it left the community. And they created Greenwood by the same

model that you're talking about. Number one, a freedom mind state. A mind state of saying we're going to work together. Number two, ownership, which you're talking about people coming in and owning things in the black community. And number three, innovation and wealth concentration. So this really speaks to me. It speaks to my organization, Justice for Greenwood. I'm so excited. How is the easiest way for organizations like myself, my organization, Justice for Greenwood, to connect with your organization to help further this mission, this important mission of eradicating the wealth gap

in our community. Thank you so much for sharing your history and where you're from. Tulsa, of course, Greenwood was very inspirational in the development of the BBFG and the Black Business Focus Group, which is an online community of folks BBFG and the Black Business Focus Group, which is an online community of folks that are spread across the United States. But I would be remiss if I didn't talk a little bit about Greenwood and acknowledge that as one of the inspirational moments and inspirational places that fed into the BBFG. Now, if folks, organizations want to connect with the Black Business Focus Group, go to theblackbusinessfocusgroup.com and then also sign up for our newsletter. And then I will also share my information with the production team as well

so that I can connect with those organizations where we share the same mission and the same vision. I often like to challenge Black organizations to, you know, really make a commitment on a monthly, quarterly, annual basis to increase their spend with Black-owned businesses and to use this tool, use this app, use this platform to record your spend. And in that way, you'll have an objective body that's there to help hold you

accountable, hold your organization accountable, and then help to hold your organization in high esteem when it comes to other organizations who may not be doing anything for the Black community. So we'll definitely be in touch. I'm definitely glad to hear about your connection to Greenwood. Phillip, that's such a great point. You talk about organizations, black organizations, spending with black businesses. That's something that Roland emphasizes so much on the show. That's something that he makes an effort to do. And so I think that is a challenge

that these organizations that are getting $100 million and $40 million and tens of millions of dollars as a result of this racial reckoning should be holding themselves accountable to spending black with black businesses. Teresa, you get the final question. Question for Phil. Philip, sorry. Thank you so much, Philip.

I'm really inspired. And I also just have a question. I am a small business owner myself celebrating seven years. If I wanted to introduce my business to your app, what is it and what can others do to also be on your'm a little bit tougher than a lot of the other directories that are out there. And I'm sure that you buy black, but I only want to do business with folks that are interested in buying black and that they themselves, through their businesses, through their individual activities, are buying black. So that's the first qualifier that I asked. I ask people, do you buy black? Do you buy products and services from black-owned businesses? I then ask them, are you interested in seeing the black community succeed at the same rate or better than other communities?

And if the answer to those questions is yes, then I will definitely be more than happy to present you to our more than 20,000 consumers, more than 10,000 followers across different social media platforms, and then more as we grow. But those are the qualifiers, and we have to be able to demonstrate that in order for us to share businesses with our consumer audience. Philip, thank you so much for being here. Share the website again so that folks can find out how to find you, how to find your app. Give it to the viewers. Thank you.

And viewers, again, happy Black History Month. The website is blackbusinessfocusgroup.com. And the app is called the BBFG. You can find it on the App Store and you can find it on Google Play. Go and download it. and then start logging those transactions. Make a commitment to log three transactions a month. And I know many of us do more than that. But if just the panelists on this stage today, you know, if all four of you, five of you or five of us committed to doing three a month, then that's 15 transactions going back

into black owned businesses. Do your part. Let's close the wealth gap. Let's start it right here with how we spend our dollars. Absolutely. Challenge accepted. Thank you. Thank you. Before we go, here's a reminder for you. HBCU juniors or seniors, time is running out for you to apply for that scholarship from Rowland and McDonald's. If you attend an HBCU and Thurgood Marshall College Fund member institution, you can submit your application for the chance to receive a $15,000 scholarship. The deadline is February 28th. Go to tmcf.org for details on how to apply. Now, in addition to the free money, scholarship recipients will also have the opportunity to engage with McDonald's executives working within their respective fields of study.

Well, that does it for us here at Roland Martin Unfiltered. I want to thank my panel, Mustafa Santiago, Ali, Teresa Lundy, Demario Solomon-Simmons had to run. Thank you and all of tonight's guests. And a big thank you for joining us here on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming on the Black Star Network. I'm Reesey Colbert, feeling it.

If you haven't done it yet, download the Black Star Network on all of your devices. If you would like to help support us so we can continue bringing you the stories that matter to us, Cash App is Cash App, dollar sign Roland Martin unfiltered, RM, I'm sorry, I'm messing up, RM unfiltered. PayPal me is slash RM unfiltered, Venmo RM Unfiltered. PayPal me is slash RM Unfiltered.

Venmo RM Unfiltered. Zelle Rowland at RowlandSMartin.com. I'm Recy Colbert. Ray Baker will be back tomorrow. We'll be holding it down with Rowland in Liberia for its Bicentennial celebrations. I'll be back Thursday. Have a great night, y'all.

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