#RolandMartinUnfiltered - HBCU Coalition vs. MD; Fair Pay to Play Act; NAACP backs Byron Allen; Oprah donates $1M to UNCF

Episode Date: October 3, 2019

9.30.19 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: HBCU Coalition vs. Maryland; Calif. Gov. signs the Fair Pay to Play Act that supports student athletes getting paid; NAACP backs Byron Allen and his racial discrimination case against Comcast; Oprah donates $1M to UNCF. - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Life Luxe Jazz Life Luxe Jazz is the experience of a lifetime, delivering top-notch music in an upscale destination. The weekend-long event is held at the Omnia Dayclub Los Cabos, which is nestled on the Sea of Cortez in the celebrity playground of Los Cabos, Mexico. For more information visit the website at lifeluxejazz.com. - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: 420 Real Estate, LLC To invest in 420 Real Estate’s legal Hemp-CBD Crowdfunding Campaign go to http://marijuanastock.org Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Thank you. Să facem o pătrunjelă. Today is Monday, September 30th, 2019. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, the state of Maryland offers a settlement to its four HBCUs. It is an absolute joke. We'll talk about segregation in Maryland and what needs to be done to fund HBCUs, it is an absolute joke. We'll talk about segregation in Maryland and what needs to be done to fund HBCUs and what you can do to help them.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom signs a Fair Pay to Play Act that supports student athletes getting paid. Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina says he likes the idea. The NAACP steps up in support of Byron Allen in his racial discrimination lawsuit against Comcast that's going to the Supreme Court in November.

We'll discuss that. Oprah donates more than a million bucks to the United Negro College Fund in North Carolina. And also, sad news, we have lost the great opera star Jesse Norman. We'll discuss all of that. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Let's go.

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

He's rolling With Uncle Roro, y'all It's rolling, Martin Rolling with rolling now He's broke, he's fresh, he's getting paid for their services. Certainly you appreciate what Governor Gavin Newsom of California did today. He signed into law the Fair Pay to Play Act, which says that colleges in California cannot punish their athletes for collecting endorsement money. The law, which is scheduled to go into effect in January 2023, does not require schools to pay athletes directly as

employees. Instead, it makes it illegal for schools to prevent an athlete from earning money by selling the rights to his or her name, image, or likeness to outside bidders. The NCAA, in response to the Newsom signing of the bill, said it would continue its efforts to make adjustments to its rules that are both realistic in modern society and tied to higher education. One of the folks who also is being quite supportive of this is LeBron James. Today, of course, his digital site, they actually live streamed the signing of that particular bill, they say uh that is important in fact uh this is what uh this is what i'm gonna go right here this is what he posted on his social media account here

we go to my ipad this is a conversation on his show hbo show i don't want to say this is checkmate but this is a major problem for the nc2a You obviously brought the bill here with you today. When you put pen to paper right now, what's this going to change and what's it going to do? It's going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation. And it's going to change college sports for the better by having now the interests, finally,

of the athletes on par with the interests of the institutions. Now we're rebalancing that power arrangement. All right, well, let's do it. You ready? Let's do it, man. All right. Now we're all in California. Wait, this is the number one reason why we've created this platform.

To be able to have moments like this where we got the governor of California signing a bill That's the one reason why we've created this platform. To be able to have moments like this where we got the governor of California signing a bill to allow athletes in college... Let me see what that thing look like. You see that? You see that right there? That's good. That's good. I don't want to say this is checkmate,

but this is a... The law also allows for college athletes to hire a licensed agent to represent them. The bill was amended several times, including a recent provision that prevents athletes from signing endorsement deals that conflict with their team's sponsors. So, for instance, a basketball player could not wear Nike products during team events if he or she plays for a school that is sponsored by Under Armour or Adidas. Hmm. Quite interesting, isn't that? All right, folks, this legislation is similar to Congressman Mark Walker's

Student Athlete Equity Act. His bipartisan bill was introduced in March and would amend the definition of a qualified amateur sports organization in the tax code to remove the restriction on student athletes using or being compensated for use of their name, image, and likeness,

forcing the NCAA to change its current model. Joining us right now is Congressman Mark Walker. Glad to have you here, Congressman. I had Taylor Branch on my show, Washington TV, a few years ago, and in a book called The Cartel. And a lot of people were shocked to discover that the phrase student athlete was not created for the purpose of promoting the academic well-being of students. It was actually created to defend by a lawyer to defend the NCAA in a lawsuit. The NCAA's entire model has been about making billions of dollars off of athletes under the guise of their amateurs or student athletes. Yeah, you're correct. In fact, if you look behind the numbers a little bit, you will find that 40 to 45 percent of these student athletes in the high-profile sports come from your inner cities, come from your impoverished communities. 99% of these student athletes, they don't ever receive a single dollar from a professional sports contract.

Yet the NCAA, if you look at the response to the California ruling, in fact, if you look at the last sentence, there's another, a little bit of, I guess I should say trickery on the NCAA because they say this, we do not believe the student athletes should be employees of the university. Nobody's asking for that. This is to gain popularity on their opinion, which is tired and worn out. I've been on this for two years. They've been promising they would do something two years. And I can tell you on your show, I guess if it hasn't been published yet, Jay Billis and I are meeting in DC, holding a big press conference on October the 16th to bring more attention to this injustice.

The thing that bothers me is somebody who worked for the athletic department at Texas A&M University, and I saw it on the inside. And when I listen to people talk about all the freebies they get, and I'll be honest, Congressman, there's a racial divide here. Most African-Americans who are polled are supportive athletes getting paid. Most whites disagree with that because I don't think people understand this game. And we keep sitting here saying, oh, they're getting a free education. When in reality, look, if they don't play a certain way on the field, a coach can snatch.

And it's not even a scholarship. It's a grant in aid. They can snatch that at the end of the year. So so many people really don't understand what this financial model looks like and how. And I remember Johnny Manziel, one of the highs of Texas A&M. He signed four helmets that were auctioned for more than $70,000 by the university. It's his name. It's his name. Why couldn't he

sign a Texas A&M helmet and sell it? Well, listen, and get this, only the student athlete is the one that has to sign over any access to their own image and likeness, not the business, not the education, not the music scholarship. They can go out and pick up money on their image and likeness, whether they're playing in a band or they're tutoring another individual, another student. It's only the student athlete. This is the biggest racket

for decades, yet it has slipped by. I remember back the Michigan Fab Five. Yep. When they changed the face of basketball, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson never saw a penny of it. And I just said, this is time to do something right and get it the right way. So I'm hoping that Congress will pay attention and make this right or wrong. Well, in fact, Congress, remember,

they had to take their banners down because Chris Webber and other, I think it was Juwan Howard as well, but definitely Chris Webber was being paid by Ed Martin, a booster, thousands of dollars. And the university was out there. They still sell number four jerseys. Number four jerseys.

The NCAA got busted when Ed O'Bannon sued them because they were selling, they were making money off of video games with the likenesses of basketball players like Oscar Robinson who had not been in college in more than 50 years. Exactly. And here's the deal, Roland. We're not asking the NCAA or the university to give up a penny or to pay a penny.

We're just asking that these student athletes would have access to the same free market that every other American has. This is crazy that it's going on this long that you literally have to sign a document that says, I have no access to my own image and likeness. Listen, the NCAA and the university keep your branding, but to prevent a backup quarterback,

for example, I represent the largest historical black college university, A&T, Aggie Pride, I might add, throw in there if I could please. But if the backup quarterback wants to go to his local car dealership and they want to pay him a $200 appearance fee, it's none of the NCAA business. Listen, Zion Williamson, the 1%, they'll get theirs. This is for the young man and the young women that in their prime earning spot could have access to their image and likeness and potentially even create a pathway for their new career. Well, I agree 100 percent. And so we certainly will see what happens next. The NCAA, they are not happy with this bill. I certainly hope it does lead, as Governor Newsom said, to other states doing the exact same thing.

So, Governor, excuse me, Congressman Walker, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thanks, Roland. All right, let's bring in now my panel here. Certainly want to get their thoughts. A former university president, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president emerita of Bennett College. Also on the show, Derek Hawley. He is president of Reaching America.

Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeaver, political analyst and leadership strategist. And she's here for another segment. What the hell? I'm sure she's got the thoughts on this. Kristen Clark, of course, leader of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Dr. Mabou, I want to start with you. I mean, this is it. You talk about the billions being made. Terrell Pryor was a quarterback at Ohio State, was suspended for four games. I think it was four games for signing autographs, signing his name on an Ohio State jersey with his name on it. And he got suspended for that, signing his name on a jersey with his name on it. This is predatory capitalism at its absolute best. These young people come in to play sports.

It's their bridge to education. But the fact is that they also are commodities, and they're being treated as commodities. And they have the right to the agency of their own names, of their, as you say, their signature on a helmet or a jersey or something else as the congressman said of the opportunity to show up at auto show and get $200 many of these folks are low and moderate income they can't

even get home I mean their scholarships do not even give them so it just seems to me to the NCAA is exploitive. And I had my challenges with them, not big challenges like that, but small challenges. And I was at a roundtable with other presidents who talked about how you wanted to make sure that young people at least had access to books, to stuff. And you don't want to go to Massa and say, Massa, I need to go home because my grandma is sick.

You want to be able to make some money. It was a couple of years ago, two or three years ago, Derek, where the NCAA changed their rules because there were several basketball players who went public for the fact that they didn't have food to eat on the weekends. Yeah. Because the cafeteria is closed on Friday.

And they said, we're sitting here eating a slice of pizza or cooking food in a hot plate of fixie noodles. And the story blew up. I think it was one of the University of Arizona players. And the story blew up and the NCAA had to immediately change the rule to allow at least a stipend to be given to players to tie them over on the weekend. But people also don't understand,

the Congress has made this point, and I've made it for years. If you go to a university on a band scholarship, you can go perform in a local club. You can perform anywhere you want to. If somebody wants to pay you to play at their wedding, you can get paid. But if a football player was a journalism major,

or forget even a journalism major, and if a newspaper said, we want to hire you to write a column during the year, even though it's their major, the NCAA says, you're trading on your athletic talent. You can't get paid to do that. I know. And it's unfortunate.

It's been going on a long time. I went to college with a football scholarship and experienced the same thing. You talk about the people in the neighborhoods where they come. There were so many people on our team who had to borrow money to get home. A lot of folks from Florida came up to Tennessee

and didn't have coats. Because they didn't have coats down in Florida and didn't have money to buy them. And so it's been, this is a step in the right direction. And I just, again, I hope other states, you know, follow in suit with this because it's a shame the money the billions of these universities make With these bold packages and stuff it was I was I talk about power all the time I tell people all time you would come to Washington DC want to understand power and money go stand in front of the White House

That's the White House. There's only one federal agency that shares along the with the White House, Treasury. Power, money. Money, power. And the reality is, NCAA and these institutions are making billions. They are selling jerseys. They are selling autographs. They are pimping these athletes out

to boosters, sending the athletes out, oh, go speak to this booster group, and they're selling 300 and 400 hundred and five hundred tickets and that Person is staying there in there, you know Jersey or whatever and taking pictures with every little kid who comes up when that booster just paid a thousand That booster just paid a grand right to go to an event and take a photo with the star athlete and the athlete is Standing there, yes, like on an auction, like a slave block.

All right, y'all, come on. You are reading my mind. That's what it is. I was just about to go there. You know, O2, Marissa Alexander, this is just another example of slavery by another name, right? I mean, these men and women are putting their bodies on the line every day in these sports for the entertainment

of the wealthy, who will get even wealthier by being able to commoditize those very same bodies. And what's really sad is that, you know, not only are they exploited in this ridiculous way, the whole argument around, as you mentioned, the exchange in terms of the education, let something happen to them, to terms of the education. Let something happen to them, to their ability to play. Let something happen where they don't actually perform to the level that the coaches thought they were going to perform when they recruited them. Then they are butted out as if nothing ever happened in the first place. This is exploitative. It's ugly. As you mentioned, it's really the ugliest form of what you can do to a human being in this day and era

in terms of being able to profit off their labor. And I'm so glad that California said no more, and I'm hoping that they're not going to be the last state to do so. You know, Christian, people love talking about... I love people when they say they hate journalists and they hate lawyers until your ass need one. Oh. And, um...

Ed O'Bannon. So I had him on my TV One show. Ed O'Bannon, former star of UCLA, sued the NCAA because of the issue of likeness. And what he tried to do, it was an antitrust class action, and what he wanted was for an athlete to have the right, after their playing days were over, to benefit from the likeness in these various games.

And he won, then it was later reversed. It went to the Supreme Court. They denied this on October 3, 2016. But the thing that was crazy about this is that the NCAA, they were selling, they were making money off of video games that featured the number 15 jersey from Florida that the NCAA, they were selling, they were making money off of video games. That featured the number 15 jersey from Florida, and

the player on the video game was built just like Tim Tebow. And they were selling, again, so all of these major athletes, you play this video game, so you were actually playing, so the jersey didn't say Tim Tebow. But he had the black stuff under his eyes.

The body was built the same way. And he wasn't wearing 10. He was wearing 15. Everybody knew you were playing Tim Tebow. EA Sports. Athletes got nothing. And they went through this thing. Oscar Robertson was a part of it.

Oscar Robertson had not been at Cincinnati in 50 years. But in the EA Sports NCAA game, you could play the Oscar Robertson player. Cincinnati in 50 years. But in the EA Sports NCAA game, you could play the Oscar Robinson player. Who the hell else is playing a Cincinnati player with the same number as Oscar Robinson? That was the game. And so this is the system that's been going on. And there's a black-white divide

because white folks have been operating as if, no, they shouldn't get jacked. You're getting a free scholarship you should just be happy yeah it's not a sustainable industry and i think that as it becomes increasingly corporatized and we start to see more and more wealth kind of concentrated in this sports college industry i think we will see more lawsuits. We will see more organizing. We've already seen student athletes who are pushing to unionize. And I think we're going to see more litigation. But I think the floodgates have opened here.

What California has done, indeed, is a step in the right direction. And it'll take a combination of litigation, students speaking up and exercising their voice, and more advocacy in order for us to bring about the reform we need. And this is where the laws matter. And so for Californians to do this, and the reason that they're delaying it to 2023, so to give the, first of all, I don't know why in the hell we've got to wait three years.

But they're giving them an opportunity to figure out in terms of sort of the structure or whatever, but deal with it. But this is also what people need to understand when you have these entities that somehow control lives. What's crazy about the NCAA is that, okay, so the NCAA is supposed to, is supposed to govern college student athletes. But there have been cases. There was a young kid, a member of the black kid,

who, um, he was playing basketball, something like at four, three or four. And it went viral, and I think Reebok, one of the companies, signed his kid to a deal. The NCAA said if the kid in his family was four, took the money, he could not be

a student athlete because he would lose amateur status. I'm like, wait a minute, how in the hell can you govern me at four? I ain't even in elementary school. That's how they sort of operate. But, Roli, going back, if a brother takes a meal from a booster,

he could be disqualified. You're doing your thing, you're doing your PR thing. If you take a meal, you could be disqualified. We couldn't take a dime who was on scholarship. So the whole thing is really about extracting surplus value. It's about predatory capitalism and its absolute worst, extracting surplus value from these young people who simply want to get an education and also to play a sport that they love. And so, you know, most of them are not going to go to the pros, but many of them will have a productive college career.

And so to even go legislate down to a four-year-old really speaks to the depravity of the NCAA. It's all about money. It boils down to money and control. And that's what it boils down to. And so it's going to be very interesting to see how these universities respond. I got no problem. If you a star player

and somebody wants to pay for your autograph, show me the money. Hello. Because the universities shouldn't be the ones I got no problem. If you a star player and somebody wants to pay for your autograph, show me the money. Hello. Because the university shouldn't be the ones who are getting all the money. Going to a break right now. When we come back, we're going to talk about the Maryland HBCU case. Talk about show me the money.

It's been decades. This has been going on. And Governor Larry Hogan has offered a pittance of a settlement why you need to stand up and say something and do something. You care about HBCUs. Let's see what you do about Maryland. We'll talk about that next. Roll the mark and unfilter it back in a moment. Knowledge is power, and power is the key to changing things.

Writer Jill Nelson. All right, today's HBCU Giving Day school is Claflin University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. They were founded in 1869. Notable graduates, Ernest A. Finney Jr., Cecil J. Williams, Leo Twiz, Gloria Blackwell, and others. If you want to support Claflin, go to claflin.edu. That's claflin.edu. And one of the great things about Claflin, out of all of the HBCUs, Claflin actually has

the highest giving rate of any HBCU of its alumni in the country. It exceeds 50%. Now trust me, y'all, when the average giving at HBCU is about 5%, that's saying something. So Claflin's doing a great job there. And so we certainly wanna salute their new president. And so I look forward to being on their campus real soon.

All right, folks, let's talk about HBCUs in Maryland. The coalition advocating for Maryland's four historically black universities, the public university, they've had a 13-year-old lawsuit with the state claiming the state's university system long fostered segregation by allowing well-funded academic programs at traditionally white universities to undermine similar ones at Morgan State, Coppin State, Bowie State, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Let me explain what was happening here. At a certain point, there were majors being offered by the HBCUs that were not being offered by the traditionally white universities.

What ended up happening was a significant number of white students were going to the HBCUs for those majors. Guess what? Predominantly white schools saw that and said, hey, we're going to create duplicate degree programs. What do you think the white students did? Went to the schools that had better buildings and more resources. A 2013 court decision and appeal found that Maryland did perpetuate segregation and that the two parties should settle. Well, the latest court order mediation in July ended without any resolution.

Now, the HBCU coalition sent a letter to elected officials offering to settle its 13-year-old lawsuit against the state for $577 million at the beginning of this month. Well, last week on Thursday, Governor Larry Hogan made what he called a final offer of $200 million to settle the longstanding lawsuit. Now, let me explain to y'all. $200 million over 10 years for public universities, meaning Coppin State, Bowie State, Morgan State, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, if this Larry Hogan deal is accepted,

will get $5 million each for the next 10 years. Now, the parties can't reach an agreement. The case's future lies with the Federal Appeals Court. Joining me right now is Kristen Clark, President and Executive Director of the Lawrence Community for Civil Rights Under Law. They have been the ones involved in this lawsuit.

And so we talked this morning on the Tom Jordan Morning Show, Kristen, and we talked about a similar case that took place in Mississippi. So explain to folks what that case and how much that settlement was 20 years ago compared to what Hogan is trying to offer. Yeah. So the Mississippi case was resolved 20 years ago. It involved the way that the state funded and treated the three HBCUs in that state. Very similar facts. The court found that the state's poor treatment and poor funding of the HBCUs essentially resulted in a constitutional violation, and the state had to step up and adequately fund those HBCs. Interestingly enough, Mississippi, a much poorer state than Maryland, put forth $516 million

two decades ago to resolve the claims in that case. You translate that into modern day dollars, it's $791 million. So $791 million in modern day numbers. For three HBCUs. For three, and we're talking about four here. That's right. And they're offering $200 million. That's right. Now, the HBCUs in Maryland initially wanted around a billion or so. Where did the $577 come from? Where did that come from? Look, we're 13 years into this battle, and what we want is justice for HBCUs in Maryland, justice for the citizens of Maryland. So we are willing to resolve our longstanding claims at a lower figure, but not for the $200 million amount that's been put forth by Governor Hogan.

That is laughable and a number that he knows that he does not advance in good faith. A year ago, the state actually put forth $100 million. Good lord. Even more laughable. But at the same time, we're

willing to resolve our longstanding claims at a lower figure. But not for the $200 million number that he knows that he does not advance in good faith. A year ago, the state actually put forth $100 million, even more laughable. But at the same time, they acknowledged that it really would take a billion dollars to fix the problem. What we need is real equity between the HBCUs and the traditionally white institutions, and it's going to take real investments to make that happen. We need to use this money to invest that happen. We need to use this money to invest in faculty. We need to use this money to invest in offering up new programs at HBCUs so they can attract robust applicant pools and more racially diverse applicant pools. We need to give that

money so that they can promote their programs and offer up scholarships to students. So it is time for the governor of Maryland to do the right thing here, put a real figure on the table. And if not, then we need the state legislature to step up. And that's the thing for me. First of all, the Maryland legislature meets 90 days a year, the beginning of the year. What I'm trying to understand is Democrats control the legislature in Maryland why haven't they introduced a bill why the hell are waiting on the governor they don't the weight on the governor that's a good question and now it's the time for people to raise their voices and make some noise they should reach out to the

speaker of the Maryland Senate Adrian, they should reach out to the Senate president and ask the legislature why they aren't using their power to appropriate adequate funding to remedy the harm in this case. And let me say this here. There are people who are commenting, I see right now, on YouTube and Facebook, and they're saying, well, you know, hear the proposals from Senator Kamala Harris and others for HBCUs.

What they don't understand is we're talking about state universities. That's right. And we're not talking about waiting for the federal government. Because, first of all, you can be Senator Kamala Harris or any Democratic presidential candidate. You can promise all the HBCU funding you want, but it still has to get approved and appropriated by Congress to sign into law. The reality is these states should be funding these schools. Same as in North Carolina, just like Mississippi, same as in Texas, same as in, I mean, all the places where you have public HBCUs, black people are taxpayers in these states. That's right. And look, our HBCUs are an important part of America's story.

They're an important part of our educational landscape. And in 2013, a federal judge found that the state of Maryland did not do right by the four HBCUs in that state. A federal court found that the state maintained two separate systems, one for black students and one for white students. And for the last six years, Maryland should have been working on putting together the funding needed to address this. And instead they're fighting. It is a travesty. It is a shame. I don't know if they think we're going away, but we've been fighting for 13 years and we will keep fighting because the people of Maryland deserve justice and the HBCUs deserve justice.

Julianne, what is bothersome to me about this story, and we've covered it for years. Again, Democrats control the Maryland legislature. I tweeted this out and I said, how in the hell can the NAACP be headquartered in Baltimore? How can you have Divine Nine fraternities and sororities? You've got the UNCF

and Thurgood Marshall Fund. I don't recall there being a mass demonstration in Maryland demanding equity. The lawyers are doing their job. I'm like, where in the hell is the public pressure of individuals saying, yeah, we gonna go to the Annapolis, the state capital, in our fraternity colors,

in our sorority colors, or we in the fraternity or sorority, demanding equity in a state that has, if I'm correct, Maryland has the third highest concentration of black folks out of any state in the union. Roland, you raised the question. It's the appropriate question. I'm not sure what's wrong with black people. That's all I have to say.

I'm not sure what's wrong with black people. I mean, really, you have these black state legislators. Many of them are alums of these universities. You have alums of Coppin and Morgan. You have Kweisi and Fumi and Brother Cummings and all these other people. And nobody has, I mean, I love them all, but nobody has put their foot down and said,

block the dumb spit. And I didn't curse. Block the dumb spit. This needs to be different. And it's really disgusting, in my perspective, to see the way that Kogan is... My final offer? Dude, you don't get to make a final offer

when you're talking about... Of $200 million. Yes, of a third of what's being asked for. A third, and really, 20% of what is equal. So the question is, where is our gravitas? Where is our commitment to our own education? When do we really put our foot down and say no to the no to the no to the no? And your other point, Roland, which is so important, is that we talk about federal solutions to the gaps with HBCUs, but we have Texas and North Carolina each have 10 HBCUs, more than any

other state. Where are those state legislatures where you have people? These are not federal solutions. These are state solutions. We are taxpayers. We paid our tax money, and our tax money has not gone to feed and fuel our institutions. Forgive me for getting all whatever. Hogan is a Republican. You've got a Democratic-controlled legislature. And you've got both, frankly, who are falling short. I agree with you 100%. The thing about it is, look, it's an opportunity. Someone should have been organized and lobbied

on behalf of these HBCUs for this money. And so... Well, no, no, first of all, that's been happening. I can tell you you've had political pressure. You've had, while the lawyers were doing their thing, you've had the Black Caucus, and the Black Caucus has already said

that there's 200 million is unacceptable. You've had that, but to me, that's the inside game. That's the inside game. The inside game gotta have the outside game because, inside game got to have the outside game because, see, when the outside folks are outside the door

about to knock the door down, inside is saying, look, y'all might want to deal with us because, see, if they get inside here, so I'm just trying to understand, and I'm saying right now to NAACP, how in the hell can you be headquartered in Baltimore and there has not

been a mass mobilization in Maryland leading people to the state capital to demand this be done? That to me and look, and I tweeted out earlier, where in the hell is the NAACP and

the National Urban League and the National Action Network and Rainbow Push and the UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall Fund and Alpha and Delta and AKA and Kappas and Omegas and Sigmas and Zetas and Iotas. two million members. Do you understand? If each president sent an email out, said to every member, call this number, they could completely shut down the switchboard in Maryland. Hell, they wouldn't repair it for a week. And I'm sitting here going, how is it

you're not saying, you know what, we should be doing that? Look, do you understand, y'all? Do y'all understand? This morning, I've already texted the Alpha president, who is also the president of the Divine Nine, just so y'all know. I've already texted the Delta president. I've already texted the AKA president, just so y'all know.

And Derek with the NAACP, and Morial with the Urban League, and Sharpton, Reverend Jackson, y'all getting y'all text messages tonight. Avis, go ahead. Oh, I'm just... We're talking about what should be a billion dollars. Absolutely. At least.

Avis, go ahead. You're exactly right. Here's the thing. We have to understand that we have power in this situation. And to not sleep that we have power in this situation and to not sleep on our own power. What you are sort of laying out here is absolutely correct. There are so many of us who are direct beneficiaries of the educations that we receive at HBCUs, or our parents were, or we have children who are,

or siblings who are. We know how important this is to our community. We also know, if you just look at the statistics in terms of who actually graduates and gets into professional positions, if they are black, they are disproportionately graduates of black institutions and not white institutions. Let's just be very real about that.

So the contribution that these institutions make to larger society is profound and unmatched. And it is our responsibility to stand up and fight for those institutions in an organized way, but also, I think, in a very strategic way in terms of not only maximizing the outside, but also doing some more strict strategy in terms of the inside lobbying as well.

I have to agree with that. I don't think they've been getting enough pressure on the inside or the outside. So, Christian, okay, so take... Okay, so, when you hit me this weekend, you said, like, this week. So, is there a deadline? And then what's next?

Yeah, I mean, look, we won the case in 2013, handily. So, hold on. Y'all won in 2013, and y'all have been negotiating for six years? And then the judge actually had a trial on the remedy and said, you know, we need real funding. And the judge got pissed.

Yes. The judge was like, look. Yeah. Yeah. This is taking too long. Yeah. It is taking too long. And so we're now before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The clock is ticking. This is a really critical point. If you care about HBCUs, then you have to care about this case and the outcome. So what's the, okay, so you say it's clock is ticking. So what's the actual deadline? We go back to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals likely in October. And, you know, three. So you go back to the Fourth Circuit in October.

And a three-judge panel will hear the case again and render a decision. But we don't need that. So hold on, hold on. Let's walk through so if you don't have a settlement you go back in October and and then the Fourth Circuit will issue its ruling but we don't need now we say it's ruling what are they gonna come up with a number no they're gonna come up with a decision on the merits of the case but they've already okay I'm confused now they

already ruled they already ruled? They have ruled, and they told the parties, you should mediate this. Basically like, you should... So y'all, one in 2013, it got appealed. We got appealed, and the court hasn't issued its ruling. It said, go and mediate. Work this out. Okay, okay, hold on. So the people who are watching,

it's okay. So y'all won on the district level. That's right. They lost. They appealed. That's right. It went to the Fourth Circuit. That's right. The Fourth Circuit, y'all won on the district level. That's right. They lost. They appealed. That's right. It went to the Fourth Circuit. That's right. The Fourth Circuit, y'all have already had... Yes. Y'all have already gone through all of the proceedings and everything.

And the Fourth Circuit is like, okay, look, y'all go work this thing out before we rule. Yes. So if you don't get an agreement between now and... Has a date been set when you go back in October? Not yet, but a date... Movement will happen in back in October? Not yet, but a date. Movement will happen in October, and we don't want that. Right. We are this close.

What we need is political will from Governor Hogan to do the right thing. And you need public pressure right now. And so, just so, again, just so y'all understand, and look, I don't sit here and waste time with it. I told Tom Joyner, call for a day of unity and organize this whole deal in Annapolis and have Steve Harvey there, have Ricky Smiley there, have Russ Parr there,

have every nationally syndicated radio show, mobilize people, drop 50 or 75,000 in Annapolis, and look, let the governor know, but also the black woman, Adrienne Moore, who's the Speaker of but also as a black woman Adrian Moore who's the Speaker of the House There who's the guy who's the Speaker the head of the Senate? Miller I believe it's Ted Miller Senator Miller. I mean and so again They could they could come to the table and say okay the numbers 577 will agree to 577 Which is 57 million dollars each year, which means the schools will get about $11, $12 million

each additional year. That's what we're talking about here. Right. And look, the traditionally white institutions in Maryland are swimming in resources. And also, they ain't never had to sue to get their money. That's right. We have to remember what got us here.

And literally, the Hbcus in the 1970s were more racially diverse back then than they are today they were able to attract more student applicants back then than they are today and they did so because they offered up unique programs not offered up by any other university in the state and what did the state do they came in and dumped tons of money on the traditionally white schools, allowing them to set up competitive programs that doomed the HBCUs to failure. And this is the pattern that we see with respect to so many of our HBCUs across the country. Maryland knows that they've done wrong by the HBCUs. It's time for them to stop resisting. It's time for us to start speaking out.

You can call Governor Hogan right now at 410-974-3901 and tell him to do right by the people of Maryland and to do right by his HBCUs. All right, the other number again. So while you're giving the number, I'm about to send a text message right now to Derek in Sharpton and Moriel. So go ahead and give the number again.

At 410-974-901. That is the number for Governor Hogan. Spread it far and wide. The message is do right by the people of Maryland. Do right by your HBCUs. And I just want to thank you, Roland, because this has been a 13-year battle, and you've followed this story every step of the way. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is deeply committed to ensuring the success of our nation's HBCUs,

and you've helped to keep this story out at the forefront for black people. So thank you for that. I appreciate it again, folks. I'm going to let y'all know as we continue and we'll keep covering this story. We did reach out to the governor's office and so, yo, Governor Hogan, send somebody here. Oh, also,

the dude who ran for attorney general in Maryland, you came on his show and you said you're going to be fighting for the HBCUs, I'm calling your ass back now that you won to come back and talk about this case. And also, all you black state legislators, I want to hear what y'all

got to say, the pressure you're putting on as well, because we shouldn't have to wait for a judicial ruling in October when it comes to the merits of this case. But the last thing, and I'm going to say it again, and I've given speeches about this all across the country. I said this, I gave the Brotherhood speech at the Alpha Convention in Baltimore two years ago.

I said this year at the Delta Convention that was in New Orleans. I said this at the AKA Convention when I was on it there last year, and I've said to the rest of y'all, Divine Nine has two million members. If we got time to organize some bullshit-ass step shows and some probate shows, you can't tell me we can't organize

to try to get a billion damn dollars for HBCUs. I like step shows. And that should be a collection. That should be a collection. That should be a grouping of people in a black and gold and purple and gold and red and white and all them colors moving on to state capitol. Because it's a waste of resources for us to meet. And by the way, that's divine nine. Prince Hall Masons? Y'all too. Eastern Star?

Y'all too. Sigma Pi Phi to Boulay? Ladies of Distinction? Jack and Jill? Who the hell I miss? The Lynx? The Lynx? All y'all. It makes no sense to have national organizations

and we're not using our collective power to change this. I can guarantee you that if Governor Hogan hears from a million black people between now and Friday, blowing up his phone line, blowing up their emails, and blowing up the phone lines and the emails of the House Speaker and the State Senate, and they say, oh my God, these

black folks are coming after us. We better negotiate a deal. I don't want to hear no lip service. I want to hear, oh no, we can't. All y'all got emails, and it's time for you to use collective power. Otherwise, stop having all these damn meetings, because if all you're doing is talking about what's happening on the inside of your organizations, and you're not helping black folks externally,

it's a waste of damn time. Amen. Are we clear? Kristen, go ahead. In fairness, I will say that I have talked to Derek Johnson and the NAACP and fully expect that they're going to be activating this week, but I'm glad that you're putting out the call to action to everyone. This is an issue that impacts black America broadly and generally,

and you are exactly right that if we all speak up now, that we can get over that finish line. Get the money in Maryland. They ain't going to get the money in North Carolina. They ain't going to get the money in Texas. They ain't going get the money in North Carolina. They ain't gonna get the money in Texas. They ain't gonna get the money in Florida. It's the same playbook. You know, Rola, the thing that bothers

me the most about this is that the organizations you called out, our organization, everybody here on this panel belongs to one of them. We are people of privilege and we choose not to allow our privilege to trickle down. We have had the benefit of college education and we're ignoring to allow our privilege to trickle down. I mean, we have had the benefit of college education, and we're ignoring our brothers and sisters

who aren't having that. And so when you look at Maryland, and like you said, North Carolina, Texas, we can call the roll, we are in those legislatures. We are not doing a damn thing, excuse my language, a damn thing about it. We think it's okay.

We have normalized inequality and inferiority. But again, even if we're on the inside, outside helps inside. But inside can't just do it if nobody on the outside. And that's the

problem. And I'm just saying, and there's no need for permission. I'm telling you, the way our organization is run if the national president of Alpha Phi Alpha Dr. Ward presses a button and says to every chapter Do this they do it Same as Delta same as a caves. I'm like use your power Yeah, and that's been my biggest problem having these international organizations with national leadership regional leadership state leadership

Grad chapters undergrad chapters we get our team programs You have all that infrastructure and it's just sitting there not being activated except when it's time for a regional or national Convention. Yep. This is real money. It is. Real money. The AKAs raised a million dollars for HBCUs in one day. Oh. Headed up the glove on the show.

Great job. We can get right here 500 to a billion. Yep. With pressure if we actually use it. Kristen Clark, we appreciate it. Keep us apprised of what's going on. Thanks a lot. Thank you.

All right, y'all, go on to a break, and we're going to talk about when we come back how members of our military are being targeted online with malware by foreign entities. That's next on News 1 Now. Next on News 1 Now, Rose Martin unfiltered. That's the old show. I did it for four years.

I did it for four years. Go on to a break, only a year. And I was just talking about News 1 now with the HBCU deal. Back in a moment. You want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered? Be sure to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar that you give to us supports our daily digital show. There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real.

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I will be there broadcasting Roland Martin Unfiltered. Boy, we're going to have a fantastic time at the Omnia Day Club Los Cabos, nestled in the Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos, Mexico. Folks, it's going to be fantastic music and food and drink. It's going to be spa, health, wellness, all that fun stuff I ain't doing, but I'll be playing golf. So the second annual Life, Luck, Jazz Experience all that fun stuff I ain't doing. But I'll be playing golf. So the second annual Life of Jazz experience

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All right? Looking forward to it. U.S. veterans and current service members and their families are being targeted online with malware and by foreign entities and influence campaigns, and the government ain't doing a damn thing to stop it. The study by Vietnam Veterans of America, a nonprofit that advocates for and serves the needs of all veterans documents a myriad number of ways

veterans are impersonated and targeted online, particularly on Facebook. Joining me now is Christopher Goldsmith, chief investigator at Vietnam Veterans of America. So Christopher, so is there a particular country that is mainly being targeted or is it all over the globe? So, right now, first of all, Roland, thanks for having me. It's an honor to meet you. I've been watching you for years. So, to get right into it, veterans in the United States are being targeted by foreign entities from all across the

world. It's not just Russia. It's not just, you know, state sponsored organizations. There are criminals all over the place who are just targeting vets for financial scams. And what it boils down to is we're being targeted as a direct result of our service. Influence campaigns look at us as economically efficient targets. Every veteran is more likely to impact the voting and opinions and the behavior of their friends and family. When I was 20 years old, I returned from Iraq and I had people, you know, middle-aged guys coming up to me and asking me for advice. So, you know, whether it's the Russians or any other nation state who wants to target us, they realize that they get the most bang for their buck if they go for vets. And how is the government helping? Or are they not? They're not. I hope.

Now, if anyone wants to read my report, it includes lots of photos so that you can kind of get a sense of how my investigation happened. You can even do it on your own. The government is simply not prepared to deal with the problems of the 21st century when it comes to cybersecurity, when it comes to preventing cyber fraud. And we're hoping that the report is reviewed by the FBI and that the FBI follows the trails that we've laid out for them and goes and gets the bad guys. Because ultimately, all that we've been doing as a country, the people of the United States and the members of Congress who represent us is boiling things down to Facebook bad. And that's not the case. We need to look at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram as American assets that are being turned against us by foreign adversaries. I mean, if it were Raytheon or if it were Boeing who had their technologies taken advantage of and exploited and then used against Americans,

we would all, you know, yes, hold them accountable, but we'd be primarily mad at the bad operators behind the attacks. So what I'm hoping is that law enforcement goes and gets the bad guys. I mean, that's the America I grew up in. We go get the bad guys. And this is, with a little bit of attention, could be an easy fix. And well, part is also when you have a president who totally ignores foreign interference in, frankly, Congress, Mitch McConnell hasn't done jack to protect us at the ballot box. It's no shock. And I thought these people loved veterans. I thought they keep wrapping themselves in the flag.

What the hell? You know, there's nothing more profoundly offensive to me than someone saying thank you for your service and then being totally fine with foreign agents interfering in our democracy. I mean, to have our very democracy attacked and destroyed from the inside, and people thank me for my service, and they're not going to pay attention to that problem, that is something that is infuriating to me. And I hope that with some education,

people read my report, they go to vva.org slash troll report, send it to their legislators, send it to the White House, make sure that everybody in government is reading this so that they can understand this problem, learn how to fight. All right, Christopher Goldsmith, Chief Investigator for the Vietnam Veterans of America, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot, thanks for your service.

Thank you, Roland. All right, folks, let's talk about our next story. So that's, I mean, again, I love these people who loves, oh no, we love the military until it's time to do something about them. Let's talk about something needs to be called out. A Virginia student, black girl,

who accused her classmates of cutting her hair and using racist insults last week now admits that she made up those allegations. The family of the 12-year-old student who made the accusation said in a statement via the school that they sincerely apologize to the accused boys and their parents for the pain and anxiety caused by the allegations.

The school also has talked about that. A lot of people, of course, when this story came out, Avis, were speaking in support of this young girl. Now we know it's a lie. That has to be called out. Yeah, yeah. I mean know it's a lie. That has to be called out. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's really disturbing and sad that she did this

for whatever reason she did it. Because, once again, it makes it harder when people who are legitimate victims of assaults, which happens in educational situations, to be believed. And so whatever she's going on,

whatever's going on in her personal life, or maybe what other traumas that she may be experiencing at that school that she wanted to maybe bring attention to in this dramatic way, I'm hoping that that is resolved. But it's unfortunate that she went forward with this story. And as a 12-year-old with her faith out there now shared with the world,

I am just concerned about, you know, how is she even going to be able to move on with the rest of her life without having this to continue to come back up and be used against her in future years? Derek, of course, this is a school where Vice President Pence's wife is one of the teachers there.

There were many people who immediately spoke out about this. And the reality is, when somebody makes up one of these stories, it has a negative effect on the next time something actually happens. And that's what's also shameful here. That and the fact she's 12 years old and she was able to come up with the story. And we are so quick to believe.

And so now we all have to backtrack on this whole thing. And it's really sad. So I wonder what's going on with the young lady that she felt like she had to go this far with a story like this. I mean, is there something else going on with her? Is there something else going on with the school that maybe this could shed some light on, but it's unfortunate it happened this way?

It's unfortunate, you know, that they had to... When I saw the story, the biggest point was it's the school that Vice President Pence's wife teaches at. You know, and so that was a bigger... It seemed like that might have been one of the bigger issues as opposed to what really happened to her. You know, this young lady, they've acknowledged that she had been bullied.

So that's one of the things that was going on. Nothing is right about her making up a story. But there is much wrong about the situation that so many young black girls find themselves in where there nobody hears them and she's been bullied I was with two young ladies this morning well we don't know she's been bullied well okay no no no no initially she said she was bullied and they cut her hair we know now know that's a lie. But we... So we don't know...

But there have been allegations rolling in. No, no. There were allegations, but these were allegations that proved to be a lie. So I'm not going to say she's been bullied if we don't know that. Well, here's what we do know. Obviously, someone who comes up, who makes some stuff like this up, is troubled. We have to go to the root of the troubling. What we do know, or what I do know, what Avis knows, is that young black women are not

accepted, acknowledged, affirmed. So if the only way that this child could find affirmation was to make up a lie, was to make up a lie, then we have to unpack that. I'm not, I certainly would not say she was right

because so many people, as you said, basically immediately said, oh, this is horrible, oh, what's going on here? I mean, we're all yelling and hollering, we're upset, and we were ready to believe it because of the climate we're in. And so because of the climate we're in, we weren't ready to believe.

If this stuff has happened before. So we were ready to believe it because of the climate we weren't ready to believe if this stuff has happened yeah for yeah so we were ready to believe because of climate so there's a lot of unpacking to be done we condemned the young lady with love yeah she's 12 we couldn't say well you can't do this mess again girlfriend we commend her family for their very responsible apology which I think was affirming of the boys and their family. We commend the school, but we also say, let's get to the bottom of this. Young black women are being slapped in the head every time they turn around.

And so, you know, while this is horrible, there's also, where there's smoke, you know, there's some fire. So let's find the fire. It is true that oftentimes, you know, this is a very interesting situation because it's a private school. I'm sure that she is like a micro, quote unquote, minority in that school, right? And just having done some research on black girls in similar situations, we do have a very specific sense of isolation in those types of environments.

Whereas when black boys are there, oftentimes they are unfortunately brought in because they're athletic prowess. And they are celebrated in those environments. Black girls are typically there primarily because of their academic achievements, but they aren't celebrated because of that. And they have a hard time not only fitting in culturally with the school specifically, but also have a hard time

fitting in romantically because those black boys who are brought there aren't going after the black girls. Hello. They're going, they're getting attacked and mobbed and going after the white girls. And so there's a very specific sense. At 12, at 10. You're in middle school. At that time, you're starting to look at the other, you're starting to want some attention from the opposite sex. And so what I'm suggesting here is there is a very unique experience and a very lonely experience that black girls face and experience in hyper-segregated situations,

which it seems like this school provided, and maybe she couldn't handle that situation and was crying out for help in this very unfortunate way. Again, unfortunately, when you have people who come to this woman's aid, who raise their voices on this, and it turns out to be a lie, it hurts when it actually happens.

Absolutely. That also has to be called out and said because there are a lot of people right now who are now saying, who apologize on social media, who initially took her aside because of the initial story. Because the reality is, when these things happen, most of the time they are true. But when it's a hoax, it actually also hurts us

and the next young boy or the next young girl who says something because when they do raise it, the person go, well, the last time the girl lied, and it's hard to believe the next person. All right, folks, we're coming back. We're going to break right now. We come back. NAACP stands with Byron Allen in his lawsuit against Comcast.

It's interesting because he previously called them out. Hmm, let me explain. You're watching Roller Martin Unfiltered. You want to check out Roll Roland Martin Unfiltered. Filty. Like, share, subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin. And don't forget to turn on your notifications so when we go live, you'll know it. Oh, you heard me talk a lot about marijuana stock.org. Why? Because I want to keep you informed of investment opportunities that make sense. We've all watched the growth of the cannabis industry. A recent report by New Frontier Data estimates the global cannabis market at more than $340 billion.

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Their goal was to raise $500,000 for deserving area students to attend HBCUs. And what happened was they were running a tally as Oprah was talking. And at the event, it showed that about $1.15 million had been raised. Then Oprah said, I'll match it. 1.15 million had been raised then Oprah Said I'll match it

It's what it looked like Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my second number. And we gonna call it the best of the best. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Oh my God! Oh my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Damn, you're knocking my head off. I thought homegrown was going to step right there. So, certainly congratulations on the money that they raised.

All right, folks. Friday, the NAACP announced that it's in support for Byron Allen in his discrimination case against Comcast. In a statement the NAACP released, it said, quote, Comcast, the second largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world, is poised to take an unprecedented step. Because of a dispute with a black businessman,

the company has urged the Supreme Court to roll back the crucial protections of one of the nation's oldest civil rights laws, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. We urge Comcast to cease its attack on Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a bedrock civil rights statute that has been in place for more than 150 years. Now, the Supreme Court is going to hear this case on November 13th. What's really interesting here, Derek, is that when Byron Allen sued, in his lawsuit, he actually blasted the NAACP, the National Urban League,

Reverend Sharpton's National Action Network, saying that essentially Comcast used them essentially as fronts or props to help them advance their interests. And what he has been doing is he has been trying to get different black organizations to stand with him in this. Comcast actually released a statement as well. I'm going to pull it up in a second.

But it's interesting because he's been on this aggressive stand trying to get more black organizations to stand with him. People were saying, okay, why are they scared? Critics of him saying, well, hell, have you been standing with black people? So it's been really interesting watching this whole thing play out. He owns the Griot now and has been using the Griot, writing a number of these stories as well. Just your thoughts about all of this.

And I was, I looked at it all and I was wondering, just you and I both came, worked at TV One, Radio One. And so I was wondering, Roland, is it the content? Could it be the content at all? Why they haven't picked him up or is it really a racial issue?

Well, he's alleging that being a 100% they haven't picked him up, or is it really a racial issue? Well, he's alleging... He's alleging that, uh, being a 100% black-owned company, that he has been denied an opportunity. Now, when he initially made this lawsuit, uh, Avis, he included Charter and some others. Mm-hmm. AT&T as well.

They settled. Right. They placed his various networks on their systems. What Comcast essentially is saying is, oh, you're just trying to force us to place your networks on our system. Comcast, in their response, said,

well, we've launched different black-focused networks, minority-focused networks, and so how is it that we've launched these when we're somehow denying you? That's their response to it. Yeah, I mean, you know, this is... I still... I want to see black businesses thrive.

Let me just say that, first and foremost. And I hope that he's able to get his content placed on Comcast. We don't have enough representation. I'm glad Comcast has done what it's done. But as far as I'm concerned, black people are the top viewers of television. If you look at all the demographics enough representation. I'm glad Comcast has done what it's done. But as far as I'm concerned, black people are the top viewers of television. If you look at all the demographics in this nation,

we are more likely to watch television than anyone else. So just because you've included some representation on your platform doesn't mean that it's enough. And it doesn't mean that we wouldn't be hungry for more if we had more options to choose from now What's also interesting here Julianne is that the the Los Angeles Area Urban League? four weeks ago released a statement Saying that that would be economic reprisals or boycotts of Comcast in this case Okay now but but but let me, but let me further unpack that. I saw a story over the weekend where the National Urban League

knocked them back saying, you don't make those decisions as a chapter. Now, earlier this year, Byron Allen was awarded an award by the Los Angeles Area Urban League and was also interesting is that David Cohen, Byron Allen was awarded an award by the Los Angeles Area Urban League. Uh, and what's also interesting is that David Cohen, a top executive with Comcast, sits on the National Urban League board.

So there's all this interlocking stuff that is difficult to unpack in terms of the fact... First of all, does Byron Allen... And I'm just playing devil. Do you have the right to have access to Comcast? Do you simply have that right because you are offering content up? I mean, I'd like to see his stuff on Comcast, but none of us know what the intricacies of these deals are, what he's done.

I know he's ticked a lot of people off, and I'm not making any excuses or anything. I'm just saying, does he have the right? This is a business kind of question. It's not a civil rights question. That they would go after it. My problem with Comcast is that they go after it from a civil rights perspective is problematic. But, Roland, you say, I don't want you to be a panelist no more. Can I sue you because of age discrimination or something like that?

No, you just don't want me to be a panelist no more. But isn't it Byron Allen? he's the one that's going at it from a civil rights perspective. Right, so the basis of his lawsuit is that Comcast is violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866 by denying him an opportunity, and he says it's based upon race. As he said, 100% African-American owned.

He's asserting that these other networks are not 100% African-American owned. He's right about that. Well, you know, he's done a great job with his brand and his work, and I salute that. But I'm also looking at this from a different perspective and sort of saying, hmm, I'm not so sure. And then the third piece of it is, as I said, the interlocking piece. The L.A. Urban League supports him. The National Urban League does not. Or certainly saying, you know, with Cohen on their board, what can they do? And you have a lot of white folks and black folks Kool-Aid, which makes some black folks step back.

So I support him. Personally, I support him. But I also think that the way that this case has been moved forward has a lot of, my sister has a word called catawampus. And catawampus means that it's all right. They'd be like, yo, we want you. You know? I'm with you. I agree.

Well, I don't think his content's okay. I think that he may have been. Too vocal? No, not even too vocal. If I don't like you, man, I ain't going to do business with you. Right. If I don't like you, I ain't going to do business with you. Period.

End of conversation. I think that's a piece of it. I'm just putting that out there. It definitely could be. But the elephant in the room, and I think this is probably what he's raising in his suit, and we'll see what happens as a result of the NAACP getting involved. But the elephant in the room is that major corporations like Comcast, for example, fund

a lot of our organizations, fund a lot of our legacy organizations. So organizations that you would think would be on the side of a 100 percent black owned business, maybe they're a little bit quieter because there is a check that they are expecting to come and they need to keep their organizations open. Now, let me just say that is a reality that we have to face as a black community, but it's also a reality that we have to face

in terms of our responsibility to fund our own organizations and, as you often say, our own own politics because the reality of the situation is that if we as a people did a better job of funding our own organizations they would not have to rely on these corporate dollars and therefore they would have more ability to be free and doing what they wanted to do around various situations as they arise so while we can chastise these organizations for doing what they have to do to keep their doors open,

if in fact that's what's happening here, we also have to cast a mirror to say, what is our responsibility to be able to fund these organizations so they can stand up for what's right no matter who is involved, no matter what big, you know, well-funded entity might have an interest in the issue. Derek Johnson was at a meeting that I attended

over the weekend, and he was... He talked about the fact that if membership, if people paid their little $30 dues, if half a million people paid their $30 dues, how many million dollars would NAACP have? They could fund their operating budget. They could take independent positions.

I mean, at the moment, they're basically shackled. $15 million. They're shackled by the fact that people don't, you know, people paid their NAACP dues 20 years ago, and they'll still tell you they're a member of the NAACP. And they paid it one time 20 years ago, but they're still a member of the NAACP. So that's a really big piece of it, Davis, as you say,

is how can we fund our own stuff? And we have $1.3 trillion. Yes. $1.3 trillion. Roland goes on the air and says, fund the fa... Well, what are the... Bring the funk fan club. Bring the funk fan club.

Try and get 20,000 people to give an average of 50 bucks, which completely funds the show, and we've gotten 3,000. And-and y'all watch. Y'all watch, y'all comment, y'all talk spit, y'all talk back, but you don't... you know, you don't fund. And that-that's wrong. That happens with all of our stuff.

Yeah, so, like, right now, there are 1,004 people watching on YouTube. There are... There are4 people watching on YouTube. There are... There are... Let's see here. Let me see. Pop over to Facebook. Keep talking.

How many of them are members? So, these are really legitimate questions to raise. 320 on Facebook. About 1,500 total watching right now. And, yeah, I mean, keep going. That will... That's... If each one of the people right now says, I give we go from $3,000 to $4,500.

But yeah, and that's what it boils down to. And so the thing here is, so also let's be clear, y'all. So, now Byron Allen, I'm going to need you to come on here. Right. When I launched this show, I called Byron Allen two or three times. And then get a phone call back. So I'm, I call, I call.

So for all y'all, I love the people out there, it's about, oh, Roland, you start talking about this story. No, no, no. Roland called last year, didn't get a phone call back. And it's also important to not just want black support but come talk to black people. Yes. And so...

And again, and I appreciate it. Look, I got to see the griot, but if y'all... Just so you understand, and it's not... And again, just understand it ain't hatin'. It's statin'. Okay?

The griot's got 1,300 YouTube subscribers on their channel. I'm just stating. We got 376,000. Hate, not hate. 100 million views last year. So the point is, that's the other piece as well. Right.

Is that also coming, if you want to speak to these issues, come talk to black folks as well. Right. And so I would love to have Byron Allen come on this show and share with our audience why they must stand behind him and support him as well and be able to get these questions. We reached out to National Urban League to get their thoughts and response as well to all of this here.

These are all stories that we covered. But let me go ahead and say this while I'm here. Because this is kind of important. And why it matters and depends upon what you support. I keep telling y'all, it's a whole bunch of people out there calling themselves black media. And some say they themselves black media. And some say they knew black media, and others say they owe black media.

But if all you doing is rewriting what a white journalist wrote and commenting on what somebody else wrote, you ain't real media. Now, y'all heard me say, see, this is what I need y'all to understand.

I'm a journalist. This is what I went to school for. This is what my degree is in. This is what the high school I went to. This is what I have done since I was 14 years old. I'll be 51 in November. This is all I've done. Other people call themselves journalists journalists and they're not.

I believe you need to learn how to pick the phone up and call people. So when Roland says, I personally called Byron Allen to talk about this story. I did. I can pull the logs. I told y'all that

this morning, I text message the Alpha president and the AK president and the Delta president after Kristen Clark was on Tom Joyner Morning Show. The Alpha president hit me back. The AK president hit me back. They're interested. I just told y'all while Julianne and Avis and Dad were talking who I was going to text. I can just read for y'all. Let's see here. Who did I text?

I text... See, again, though, real journalist. I text Derek Johnson, NAACP, Sharpton National Action Network, Marc Morial, National Urban League, Rashad Robinson, Color of Change, Melanie Kemmer, Black Women's Roundtable. Also text Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. and Susan Taylor. This is what I said. When is the mass mobilization to put pressure on Maryland to give a real settlement in this HBCU case? I've been calling the Divine Nine all day. Hogan,

the Maryland legislature, needs that public pressure. Robert Smith likes the idea of a day of action and protest to target them. We text today. That's the richest black person in America, y'all. Robert Smith. Yeah, we text today, too. I also told Tom Joyner we need black radio championing this. These schools should be getting a billion bucks. They have asked for $577 million. Hogan is offering $200 million over 10 years.

Sharpton, I'm in. Moriel, count us in. Rashard Robinson, happy to jump in. I'd love to get something to engage color change members maybe coming from someone on this list. See, real journalists make phone calls. Last week, I had to hit a couple of black entities who wrote stories about Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland

and Linda Sarsour resigning from the Women's March Board of Directors. The story was written by the Washington Post. The Washington Post essentially said that they were being forced out under pressure when, in fact, their terms, the two-year terms, were up. I've known since last year their terms were up. A couple of black outlets rewrote the Washington Post story, sent it out to their members,

and gave the impression that it was true. I had to email the CEO of each one of those companies to say, this story is wrong. Why am I saying that? Because if anybody out there is calling themselves real black media, and they're calling themselves speaking for you, if all they're doing is just wonk, wonk, wonk, and not actually interviewing Kristen Clark and her organization who's leading the lawsuit, not actually talking to people who are involved in these cases,

all they're doing is just commenting. They're not actually reporting a damn thing. And so it's real easy to read the New York Post and to read somebody else's story and the Washington Post and the New York Times and come on and say, hey, here's what's going on. As opposed to learn how to pick the phone up. Because see, today I text Anthony

Brown, Congressman from Maryland, who was the Lieutenant Governor, to say, why in the hell was there not a bill that was actually introduced in Maryland? See, that's what journalists do, okay? They actually reach out to people. So I'm saying all of that is that when you're supporting black media,

see if they're actually reporting on something. These people out here who say they're black media, and let me be real clear, I'm not talking about people who say they're in new black media and old black media, because it's a bunch of sorry-ass black newspapers who don't show up to a damn thing, and all they want are advertising dollars, but they don't cover Jack. Yeah, today is roll call day. I had a good damn weekend. I got a good night's rest.

And I'm checking lots of people today. So I need y'all to understand, I take this shit personal because this is what I do. I'm sick and tired of black people wanting to come on television and play journalist. Play journalist. Staying in the Holiday Inn Express

don't make you a journalist. Okay? Everybody named Mama, it's like right now, everybody want to be a DJ. Like, damn it, that's a craft. Work at the craft. Everybody want to be a DJ. Like, damn it, that's a craft. Work at the craft. Everybody want to be on television commenting on stories, but they can't call nobody.

They can't reach out to anybody. Presidential candidates, I text several of them directly. Not a senior aide. Directly. And so, if we're going to talk about black media and where we go, then we need to be supporting those who actually are doing the work and trying to get the results. So, that's one of the reasons why we need you to support

this show, other black outlets that do so, because at the end of the day, when everybody else is out there reporting and all we're doing is commenting on what they report, we're just parenting with parenting what they wrote, we're just parroting what they wrote. And if we're repeating what they wrote and what they wrote is not really what happened, and all we got to do is pick the damn phone up

and call the black person who was involved, how hard is that? How hard is it? That's all I'm saying, what we got to do. I need us to do it. So, we're going to try to get Derek Johnson on here. Talk about the Byron Allen case. Byron Allen, I would love for you to come on the show.

Supreme Court not going to hear the case on November 13th. Today is September 30th. We got a month and a half to come on the show. More than welcome to have you on the show. Some sad news, folks. Opera star Jessie Norman has died. 74 years old. Of course, she internationally acclaimed.

An amazing, amazing singer, uh, who of course has traveled the world. Uh, humble beginnings there, uh, in Arkansas, I believe. She sang the night Bill Clinton won the presidency, uh, in 1992. I had a chance to actually meet her, uh, when, uh, she sang at the Black Church Ball in 2009. Let me tell you something. It was a trip, too.

Let me tell you how much a diva she is. And I'm so ticked, I'm trying to find... That's why I'm putting together all of my archives because I'm trying to find the photo. Let me tell you what happened. So, at the Black Church Ball... Stop texting, Jillian. I'm paying attention. I was not texting.

I'm at the Black Church Ball, y'all, and so it's noisy. They're, like, talking and stuff. Just stood the stage. Mm-hmm. I don't blame her. People like, she stood the stage. When everybody shut up, she said, now I will see.

That her. I was like, now I will see. That her. I was like, so I was the emcee. I was like, damn, go ahead, Jessie. She said, everybody shut up. She ain't say, can y'all be quiet. But that was her. I saw her at a friend's wedding, and she did pretty much the same thing.

People were, it was a small wedding, but, you know, our people, people doing whatever they're doing doing and she just very grandly you know stood and waited until and then she she didn't say i would now i will sing she waited for people to quiet down and then she just went into it but it's like okay y'all y'all know you're not gonna talk while this woman is singing y'all gonna pay attention so she died she died a multiple organ failure she had a spinal cord injury uh in 2005 uh and uh the death cause of death was septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary complications but spinal cord injury again 74 years old uh and

uh she won four grammys national medal of Arts, and just, again, an amazing singer who could blow a lot of folks out of the room. And so we certainly wanted to take the time to make mention of that. And so we certainly want to wish prayers for her family on her passing. I do want to end the story with this. Everybody talks about Tiger Woods being, you know,

black golf on the PGA Tour. There's another brother y'all may not realize. His name is Cameron Champ. Cameron Champ, he's actually, so dad's black, mom is white. He went to Texas A&M. I met Cameron when he was there. His dad is Jeff. Isn't it amazing?

So this weekend, Cameron won the Safeway Open. And guys, go to my iPad, please. That is his grandfather. His grandfather is battling stage four cancer. Uh, he would have been at the tournament, but he's battling cancer. He lives an hour away from the tournament. Uh, Cameron this weekend won the Safeway Tournament.

Uh, one of the top golfers, a great, great kid. That's, of course, him. Texas A&M tweeted that photo out. And so I just certainly want to say congratulations to Cameron, his dad, Jeff. And not only that, and first of all, his grandfather's Mac. And it was his grandfather who overcame racial barriers,

taught Cameron how to play golf, leading him to go on the PGA Tour. And let me tell you something you also don't know. Cameron and his father, Jeff, they bought, there's a par-three golf course where they live in Sacramento. Cameron and his dad bought that golf course. And they actually

Had the course there for young kids to be able to learn how to play golf They want to get more kids interested in playing golf and so the term is gonna be later this year I'm gonna try to Get out there to play in and support them. And so again, congratulations to camera champ. So See, I realize there's another another brother doing well Julian you lied to him you better stop it that is so wrong oh my god it's wrong oh calm down you know method man is watching yeah yeah who's right yeah who the red bone who the red bone you know with the red hair the older woman the red bone with the the red bone? You know, with the red hair. The older woman with the red bone, with the red hair. Oh, yeah.

No, no. You ain't going to live that one down. All right, y'all. Be sure to support Roller Martin Unfiltered by going to rollermartinunfiltered.com. Please support us in what we do. Every dollar you give goes to support this show. That is hugely important because this is all about us speaking

our stories. And so we want you to do so. Some of y'all also gave on YouTube. I can't pull up right now. I closed the window. I certainly appreciate you doing so. Avis, thanks a bunch. Derek, thanks a bunch.

Julian, thanks a bunch. Don't forget, folks, I want all of y'all. And I'm going to pull up real quick. And guys, tomorrow in the control room, I want the number at the bottom. Every day this week, we're going to give out Larry Hogan's phone number. And I want all y'all calling his office.

I'm trying to pull up Kristen Clark's. Matter of fact, I got it over here. Let me find it over here. So I want all y'all to hit up Governor Larry Hogan's office 410-974-3901. The number is 410-974-3901. Call the governor's office and say, do right by Maryland's HBCUs. I want every single one of y'all to tweet it out, put it on Snapchat, put it on Facebook, use our power. 410-974-3901. 410-974-3901.

Y'all want to talk about Black Twitter? Let's show them what it feels like. I got to go. Ha! this is an iHeart podcast