#RolandMartinUnfiltered - IL 13-year-old Paralyzed by Police Shooting, Jan 6th Hearing, UMBC President Retires

Episode Date: July 23, 2022

7.22.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: IL 13-year-old Paralyzed by Police Shooting, Jan 6th Hearing, UMBC President Retires In Chicago, body cam footage of a 13-year-old teen shot by a police officer gets released, and that black teen is now paralyzed. I'll talk to the family's attorney, who says the footage clearly shows the victim raised his hands in the video. Recap of the summer's last hearing for the January 6th Committee. Folks, more disturbing details about the attempted coup encouraged by  Former President Donald Trump. We'll speak with Officer Harry Dunn, one of the few capitol policemen who fought to protect our democracy that day. In tonight's Education Matters segment, I'm talking to Dr. Freeman Hrabowski. He paved the way for many college graduates to excel while serving as the University of Maryland, Baltimore County president. Dr. Hrabowski is ready to pass the torch to someone else. Tonight he'll explain how he turned the once small university into one of the most significant academic powerhouses in the country. Support RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ [e-mail] Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Thank you. Thank you. ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത� Thank you. Thank you for being the voice support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. I 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 scape.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Să facem o pătrunjelă. The Să ne urmăm. Today is Friday, July 22nd, 2022. Coming up, a Roland Martin unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network in Chicago. Body cam footage of a 13-year-old teen boy shot by a cop gets released, and that black teen is now paralyzed.

I'll talk to the family's attorney, who says the footage clearly shows the victim raised his hands in the video. I'll also recap last night's hearing for the January 6th committee. The footage clearly shows the victim raised his hands in the video. I also recap last night's hearing for the January 6th committee. Folks, more disturbing details about what took place in the attempted coup that was encouraged by Donald Trump.

We'll also talk with Officer Harry Dunn, one of the few Capitol cops who fought to protect our democracy that day. In tonight's Education Matters segment, I'll be talking to Dr. Freeman Hrabowski. He paved the way for many college graduates to excel while serving as the University of Maryland Baltimore County President. He is retiring and passing the torch on to someone else. Tonight, we'll explain how he turned the once small university into one of the most significant academic powerhouses in America. Also, we'll talk to John Grant of ESPN about what they're doing for SWAC schools and other

HBCU conferences when it comes to football. That and more on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. It is time to bring the funk. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he to bring the funk. Let's go. With entertainment just for kicks He's rollin' It's Uncle Roro, y'all It's Rollin' Martin Rollin' with Rollin' now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best

You know he's Rollin' Martin Now Folks, newly released police body cam video of an officer in Chicago shooting a 13-year-old boy shows that young man raising his hands in the air a moment before shots were fired. Now, again, for many people, these videos that we show oftentimes are triggering. If that is the case, please turn away while we actually show this video. The shooting took place on May 18th on Chicago's West Side. And again, the young man was identified as A.G. has been paralyzed. Go ahead and play the video, folks.

The young man that all of a sudden you see at one point, he around raises his hands but the officer fires his weapon attorney andrew stroff represent the young man's family uh folks uh pull a bit audio up please okay now now now there's audio there so do this here so i want you to restart the video please and i want to go back to the beginning and I want audio pulled all the way up. Okay, fine. Roll the video back over again. And so before I go to Andrea, I want to play the video again so people can actually see what took place. This is the video that has been released. Hit play. And so you see again, they're going down this street here and all of a sudden they're going toward a gas station and then you see the gun being fired so joining us right now is attorney Andrew Straub. Andrew glad to have you here on Roland Martin unfiltered. Okay folks I need y'all to pull up. Hey, did you pull up Andrew's audio, please?

Thank you. Thanks so much, Roland, for having me on your show today. Okay, there you go. All right. So, so let's, so folks, let's, so Andrew, let's do this here. First of all, walk us through in terms of what actually happened here. First of all, why were they pursuing your client? So our client was in a car that was stolen. The police were following that car.

My client was the passenger in that car. The vehicle stopped. My client, a 13-year-old black boy, got out of the car, ran away from the officers. And what you see on the newly released video, Roland, is the client, my 13 year old client running away, his arms pumping. He hears the officer say, put your hands up. He puts his hands up while he's slightly turning and without cause or provocation is shot in the back. Okay. So, so he's, he's, he's a passenger in the car. Um, was he aware it was a stolen vehicle? What was it? I'm not, I'm not sure what he knew or didn't know, but it was a stolen vehicle that was involved, uh, earlier and on another day in a carjacking. And so the authorities did have the right to go after the car. My issue is when my client got out, ran away, clearly unarmed. All the objective video shows that he was unarmed. Several eyewitnesses reported that he was unarmed

and obeying the officer's commands to put his hands up. And without cause or provocation, he shot in the back shattered part of his spinal cord he's paralyzed we believe based on the doctors from the waist down and he also suffered a major injury to his esophagus so and here's the thing roland in chicago as you know from your time here the there's a pattern in practice of abuse by the police in Chicago against black and brown folks. There's been so many police pursuits that have ended in the death of a black or brown person, or in our case with this client, a serious permanent injury. And how many black boys and men need to die or be severely injured until the mayor and the city will enforce a police pursuit policy that

values the sanctity of life, especially black life. So, so this video that we have queued up, folks, I want y'all to play that video because I got a couple of questions for Andrew. So folks, play this video here. You see him going down here. Now you see stop freeze it right there. Freeze it right there. Now I'm counting one, two, three, four, five, six officers on the right side of the screen. Play the video, please. I see I see one, two, three coming from the left side of the screen. Now, go back to the previous video, folks, that shows you the footage from the center position of the gas station. You're going to get a better understanding. Okay, so play that video you have queued up right now. Okay, so all of a sudden you see the client shot.

Now, you see officers come in. I see one. I see in. I see one. I see two. I see three. So basically, so the reason I wanted that to be shown that way, Andrew, if he is

so he's running away. You've got six cops behind him. You've got three cops in front of him. Basically, he's boxed in. Completely surrounded, Roland. Why, again, unless, okay, no weapon. First of all, did he have a weapon? No weapon.

No weapon. So what's the point of firing shots? No point. And here's the thing, too, Roland. The officer did not activate his body camera. That's, you have to do that as an officer. You have to activate your body camera. He was the only officer that didn't activate his body camera.

And Roland, this same officer had a similar incident a year ago with his gun out, chasing a subject and firing. So you got an officer with a history of using his weapon unjustifiably. And now you have a 13 year old black boy who is paralyzed potentially from the waist down for the rest of his life because he ran away from the police and being black in Chicago, you can understand why people run away from the police, given the history in this town. You know, there are going to be people who will say, well, you know, this is what happens when you're running with certain folks and you're in a car that was stolen and the car was involved in some type of carjacking. But what I all still contend is that when we see these examples, Chicago or other cities, officers firing at somebody who's running away. Yes.

The logic behind that still makes no sense. He was in a stolen car. But what world are we living in if officers can shoot and use lethal force here, very dangerous force that injured my client? I mean, what world are we living in if you can just shoot at someone that presents no threat to you or other officers or anyone else? He was running away unarmed. And then drag Brandon. Look at this. Look at how they drag him like a rag doll away from the scene. He's

just been shot in the back. There's blood gushing out of his back. And you see the officers pull him with no care, no regard. And this is a kid with a major spinal injury. So, I mean, would they treat other, would they treat a white kid like that? I mean, it's very disturbing. I have my panelists here. They may very well have some questions here. Let me introduce to today's show, Akilah Bethea, Communications Strategist, Michael Imhotep, host of the African History Network show, Matt Manning, civil rights attorney. Matt, you're first up. So I have a couple of questions for you. The first is, I know that Illinois was considering getting rid of qualified immunity for officers there. What happened with that bill and how is

that factoring into strategy number one? Qualified immunity is very much alive and well in the state of Illinois. And as your viewers may or may not know, that's a judicial doctrine that gives police extra protections when they're involved and they use force. And it's a doctrine that should be eliminated. But it's still active in the state of Illinois for sure. Here's a second question that I have, and I appreciate that. Watching the video, the first thing I thought is he's actually running into the light. So I'm interested how CPD has addressed that problem, because as it relates to determining whether he has a weapon or not, it's actually especially problematic that he's running to an illuminated area that's obviously the brightest area in the whole environment. So have they made

any comments about that and tried to defend Officer Ball in that respect? Well, they have. Well, that's a great question. First of all, it was a very well lit. The gas station was incredibly well lit. It's clear that he was unarmed and running and pumping his arms. It's very disturbing. The lawyer for the officer has already come out and said he had to make a split second decision. He thought he was in danger. I mean, the lawyer, the officer represents several officers and and that that lawyer has has never seen an unjustified shooting. And in this case, the reason it's so egregious is unarmed, running away. And that's a great question, because this isn't down a dark alley where you can't see anything. This is incredibly well lit.

And I will also tell your viewers, Roland, thank God that we had the surveillance video from the gas station. Thank God we had the police body cams of the officers who did turn their cameras on, even though the shooting officer didn't. And thank God we have eyewitness reports that support the video that this young boy did not present a threat. I'm confused here. So they're saying the officer said he was in danger. Yeah, the officer said that he thought there was a cell phone or something that he was in threat,

that he thought the young man was armed. But also, as the lawyer just mentioned with the lighting, you know, no other officer shot. And Roland, as you pointed out, this young man, not only was he completely surrounded, there was a Chicago helicopter above. And then, I mean, there was no threat. And so for them to say there was a threat from an officer who likes to take out his gun and shoot is just completely unacceptable, unreasonable. And this mother has to take 24-7 care of her 13-year-old boy. And let me tell you, Roland, this kid likes to ride his bike. This young man likes to play basketball. His life has changed forever. And the city of Chicago is on the hook. And they've got to value the sanctity of life.

Kelly, go ahead. Yes, thank you. I can't keep, I keep going back to the fact that this is a 13-year-old child. This is a minor that we're talking about. And can you just speak to the fact that there's this terrible pattern of infantilizing white men versus adultizing Black children. And then on top of that, just in general, if you were using lethal force against an unarmed person, especially one such as this who is not only a minor, but his back is turned towards police, he's unarmed,

he's not in any threatening position whatsoever towards the police, can you just talk about how lazy this is as far as policing is concerned? Yeah, well, it's a great question. What I see in Chicago, because I've represented several victims of police foot pursuits, if the officer can't catch the young child or the young boy or the teenager or even the adult male. They use their weapons to catch the suspect. And that's not how it's supposed to work as it relates to, you know, police have two powers that no one else has. They have the ability to take people into custody, so take away their freedom, and they have the power to use lethal force. Those are two high responsibilities. And so this kid weighs 120 pounds. He's in

seventh grade. And so this was no adult carjacker. You know, it just, they try to address the narrative. And the truthful narrative is a 13-year-old unarmed black boy running away from the cops, shot in the back by an officer who likes to use force and a police department that has a serious documented history of a pattern and practice of abuse. Michael. Thanks for coming on today, Attorney Strzok. A couple of questions here. I think one was already answered. So only one officer fired out of probably about a dozen officers.

Only one fired a shot. He didn't have his body camera on. So with the Chicago Police Department, what are the consequences if you have an officer involved shooting and they do not activate their body camera, number one? And then secondly, can you address why the 13-year-old's body was moved, because that could have caused, and generally speaking, that could cause possibly more injuries if they moved the body. So why did they move his body also after he was shot? Well, I'm going to ask you questions in backward order. The second question, why did they move him? They said they moved him because he was near the gas pump, and they were worried. To me, it was so negligent because they saw where he was shot in the back.

He's bleeding out, and they just dragged him with no care. So he shouldn't have been moved, period. And if they did want to move him, they should have probably moved them with a certain level of care or with a board. The first question is very disturbing in Chicago where officers can violate their own general orders or policies, like activating your body camera, and man, 20 days of suspension. Other than that, no, no implications. So this officer may get reprimanded, but our perspective is the FBI is interviewing, is investigating. The state's attorney is investigating, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating, and our perspective is the officer should be indicted and charged for shooting and paralyzing this 13-year-old unarmed black boy. But as you guys know, hardly ever do you get indictments against officers and even less do you get convictions. We filed on May 26th a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Chicago and the shooting officer and the other officers involved.

And here's the thing. Even if we're successful and get the family money, it doesn't matter. That mom wants her kid to be able to walk. And so to say, you know, it's not OK. The system has got to change. Right. Attorney Andrew Stroth, we certainly appreciate it. Certainly keep us abreast of what happens next in this case. Thank you very much. All right, folks. Got to go. Got to go to break. We come back. We'll talk the craziness on January 6th, how Donald Trump stood around gleefully watching as his domestic terrorist thugs tried to overturn an election. Service members for Vice President Mike Pence were literally phoning their relatives, telling them goodbye because they thought the end was near. That's how crazy and dangerous things were on that day.

And then we'll show you punk ass Josh Hawley giving the thumbs up to the protesters. They're running his little punk ass out the back door when things got hot. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach. And on the next Get Wealthy, have you heard that it's not how much you earn,

but how much you keep that matters? Well, the secret to building wealth could be hidden in our tax code. That's right. Joining me on the next Get Wealthy is someone who calls herself the gatekeeper to the IRS. And she's going to be sharing the secrets and strategies you need to know, whether you're a business owner or an individual, how you can get wealthy. That's right here, only on Black Star Network. Sexy to me is the exact same feeling as running water, ever flowing. Water always finds a

way to get through. And so when you know that you're sexy, there are no questions about it. It is an ever-flowing emotion. It is an ever-flowing feeling. When you question it, though, you stop the water. I actually, I struggle with this a lot, mainly because I've been told what sexy should look like, what it should feel like.

As a model who did Sports Illustrated, you're told that this is what sells sexy, but then you travel the world and what's sexy to one person is not sexy to another person. I'm more of a mind fuck kind of person. How can you stimulate the brain? To me, that's that's that's. Pull up a chair.

Take your seat. 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. I'm Chrisette Michelle and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay woke. more devastating testimony took place last night on the Capitol Hill as the January 6th Select Committee continued to lay out a minute-by-minute breakdown of how Donald Trump stood by, gleefully, happily, watched these domestic terrorists attack Capitol Police officers

and try to overthrow the election. They released a video showing congressional leaders gathered around the phone trying to talk to the defense secretary to understand when order can be restored. We're not going to let these people keep us from finishing our business. So we need you to get the building cleared. Give us the OK so we can go back in session and finish up the people's business as soon as possible. Hey, hey, hey, Matt. Sir. Mr. Secretary and Senator Schumer, some people here in the Capitol Police believe it would take us several days to secure the building. Do you agree with that analysis?

I'm not on the ground, but I do not agree with that analysis. So what is the earliest that we could safely resume our proceedings in the Senate and House chambers? The earliest we could safely resume. Here's my assessment, but I prefer to be on the ground, which I personally would prefer to be right now, but I need to be here. I would say, best case, we're looking at four to five hours. One of the instigators, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley.

This is somebody who gave the y'all keep at it sign to the protesters. But then his little punk ass is seen on video running away when things got heated. Senator Josh Hawley also had to flee. Earlier that afternoon, before the joint session started,

he walked across the east front of the Capitol. As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters already amassing at the security gates. We spoke with a Capitol Police officer who was out there at the time. She told us that Senator Hawley's gesture riled up the crowd, and it bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space protected by the officers and the barriers. Later that day, Senator Hawley fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol. See for yourself. Folks, it was so embarrassing that when they played that video in the room, literally the audience laughed seeing him running away.

Probably one of the most shocking things we heard is when they talked to an official in the White House and they protected this person's identity who said he overheard Secret Service agents on Vice President Mike Pence's details literally phoning loved ones saying their last goodbyes. Okay that last entry in the procedure service the Capitol does not sound goodbyes. Okay. That last entry in this page is service to capital does not sound good right now. Correct. What does that mean?

The members of the BPT tell at this time were starting to fear for their own lives. There was a lot of yelling, a lot of a lot of very personal calls over the radio. So it was disturbing. I don't like talking about it.

But there were calls to say goodbye to family members, so on and so forth. It was getting, for whatever the reason was on the ground, the VP detail thought that this was about to get very ugly. And did you hear that over the radio? Correct. What was the response by the agents, secret service agents who were there? Everybody kept saying, you know, at that point it was just reassurances or I think there were discussions of reinforcements coming,

but again, it was just chaos. They were just yelling. Obviously you've conveyed the disturbing, but what prompted you to put it into an entry, as it states there, service for the county? If they're running out of options and they're getting nervous, it sounds like we came very close to either service happen to use legal options or or worse like I don't at that point I don't know is the VP compromised is the detail kind of like I don't know like we

didn't have visibility but it doesn't if they're screaming and saying things like say goodbye to the family like the floor needs to know this is going to on a whole nother level soon. One of the people who understands exactly what that fear was like is Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. He was there. He was in the midst of the turmoil. So many Capitol Police officers were attacked viciously by those domestic terrorists. And these are the so-called law and order people who didn't give a damn about these Capitol Police officers. Harry, glad to have you join us on Roland Martin Unfiltered. You have been attending these hearings. You have been listening to what unfolded. And how does it feel? I mean, here you were on this side of this day in the midst of it

while it's unfolding. But how does it make you feel to find out what was happening and the very people who were supposed to have y'all back were simply doing nothing and don trump was happy to see it and not only that now you have these people coming out and testifying but in real time they said nothing they literally talked among themselves and then some of them when they left the white house were thanking him him for able to serve. But now, oh, they have courage because now they're talking. But January 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and on, they said nothing. Yeah, you're talking about January 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th. What about January 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, the year before?

Right. This is a new behavior from the president, the former president. He's shown himself to be the person that we expected. That's why going into that hearing, I was prepared to see and hear anything. Nothing that I thought that I would hear was going to surprise me that day because I didn't really have any expectations. I didn't. I know what happened. I was there.

My co-workers were there. We heard what these people were saying. And just reliving it again, it makes you angry, but I wasn't really surprised about anything that came out of there. These people told us that on January 6th, while we were fighting, these people were not leaving.

Donald Trump told us to come here. Donald Trump sent us. So, I mean, it is refreshing for the whole country to be able to see what we knew that day. But, um... I'm conflicted, though, honestly, with the people that are coming forward in the half. I mean, on one

hand, I do appreciate them doing that. I mean, great. You're doing what you're supposed to do. But on the other hand, I'm like... Like you just said, you're doing what you're supposed to do. But on the other hand, I'm like, like you just said, you couldn't do anything before. We couldn't stop this. There was nothing that could be done. And

for me, I saw something today that I got to speak to. I thought this was quite interesting. Joe Scarborough was just so just shocked and beside himself on Morning Joe, you know, called this Trump a heinous individual. And I actually tweeted, yeah, Joe, we tried to tell you. I said, when y'all were calling me in 2015 to be on your show, I was saying the same thing.

And if y'all had not stopped calling in January 2016, we'd have told you the same thing. What drives me crazy are the people who gave him comfort. The people who, oh, that's just Trump being Trump. The people who advised him, who counseled him. In 2020, the people, after all he did for four years, oh, he should get four more years. The Chris Chris's of the world.

Jack Nicklaus, Ari Fleischer, all of these people. But it's amazing how they're silent right now. They're not live tweeting this hearing. They're not saying, oh, my God, this is a damn shame. So all of these people, I mean, we saw that evilness before January 6th, 2021. You know what? They did too.

You know, just think about it. Think back to in the early of Trump's presidency where there was an anonymous op-ed that came out, I believe it was in the New York Times, and there was a group of de facto or whatever that agreed to stay to try to keep him in line

and keeping him in check. Just think about that. They knew way back then. So they knew way before January 6th happened. They knew what kind of person he was. So yeah, you were telling him, you were telling people, a lot of people were warning about him.

And they, like you just said, that's Trump being Trump. And look what Trump being Trump got us. Look where we are now. For your fellow officers, when you're still there in the Capitol

protecting people who are trashing this committee. People, you got the House Republicans tweeting last night that one of the witnesses, she's a liar, didn't have to delete those tweets because she still works for them. And you got folks who are saying, oh, this is hearsay.

You know what, we should be able to cross-examine. Doubting all of this, and y'all still are protecting them? Yeah, you know, so, you know, when all this started and, you know, it started to get partisan and, you know, in my testimony last year, I said that you cannot take politics out of the January 6th investigation because the reason January 6th happened is because of politics. So you can't take politics out of the January 6th investigation because the reason January 6th happened is because of politics. So you can't take politics out of it.

So I had to struggle and find out something bigger, like what, how can I keep doing this? So I realized and I focused on the mission of my job and I dig into that patriotism that, you know, a lot of people, especially a lot of black people have, they have this patriotism about their country and they love it. And I've said before, sometimes you feel like you love this country, even when it doesn't love you back. And I think Magic Johnson said that. But I believe that. That resonated with me.

So you've got to realize that that seat of a member of Congress who I may disagree with or who may downplay what happened, that's fine. They're entitled to their opinion. But that seat that that member holds, it represents more people than that one individual. That seat is going to continue to exist when that member is voted out or retires or it existed before that member. So you've got to look at the bigger picture, that you're out here defending democracy for America and not just one individual. You've got to put it into perspective and be able to do your job regardless of who is doing, whoever has an opinion in whatever seat of Congress that they're representing. When we,

when you look at the likes of Fox News refusing to even air the hearings in prime time, when you think about, when you think about, I saw a story today, only eight out of 50 Republicans say they've watched any parts of the hearing. has been out here, you know, with you testifying, speaking on these issues, is Officer Michael Fanon. And last night, here's a man who suffered greatly, suffered a heart attack as a result of all of this.

Luckily, he's still here. This happens last night as he is trying to leave the U.S. Capitol. Why were you there January 6th? You were not even on duty. Why were you there January 6th, Michael? You were not even on duty. Why are you here now? Are you a real police officer? Leave me alone, sir. Are you disappointed that you're going to make men face years in jail because of your lies? I don't know about that. Why do you have so many kids? Hey! Hey!

Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Are you fucking kidding me? Ow! I'm an assault. Are you fucking kidding me?

I mean, these folks literally do not care, but they claim to love the blue. Blue Lives Matter. A friend of mine sent me something today, and it said, avoid people who incite things and then play the victim role. And that's exactly what you see there. Mike, he self-proclaimed was a Donald Trump supporter. He voted for Donald Trump. But he came out there, and he's still subjected to what you just saw on that.

And then some. That back-to-blue stuff, that's just all rhetoric. It doesn't mean anything because it just sounds good. They find these slogans that just sound good. And it's grifting. It's not just grifting for money. It's grifting for support, for just anything that you can latch on to make people follow you.

It's kind of like almost cult-like, these individuals. They just want something to just latch on to, no matter how stupid or asinine it sounds. It's so frustrating, but that's why you take it with a grain of salt. Like, okay, whatever, man. I'm not paying attention to that. The hearings are going to continue. Members of Congress have said that,

that Congresswoman Liz Cheney said, the dam is breaking. More subpoenas are being issued. More people are really testified. I'm glad to see more people are all of a sudden, you know, getting the courage. Because the reality is, many of these people, they would have stayed silent. They would have stayed silent. They would have stayed silent. We would have not have known. Now you hear, I mean, Secret Service deleting text messages,

even though they were told to preserve messages. That has to actually send a shudder through your body as a Capitol Police officer. Y'all work with Secret Service a whole lot. And I can only imagine standing there and going, well, who the hell is with me? Well, who the hell is with America? And who the hell is with the people who were the coup?

I mean, literally, you don't know who's in your midst. That's why it's very important for the committee. We're not even a committee of Congress because I believe there's a freedom of records preservation act. I'm not a, yeah, yeah. That's a federal law that states that, that any federal, like for instance, if I sent an email to, to anyone at the White House. Okay? They cannot delete that email. It is to be preserved.

Yeah. Yeah, so that's why it's interesting. So I think that Congress then, not just the committee, needs to get to the bottom of whether this was intentional, deliberate, nefarious. Sure, on the surface, it's like like there's no way that could have happened.

I'm not familiar with that. That's outside of my realm of responsibilities. But it doesn't sound right, and I think it's important for them to clear it up and be transparent about what happened. Because at the end of this, what are we doing? Everybody wants to make sure that nothing like this happens again. And we need to find out exactly what happened and all who was involved.

When these hearings first started, I was asked the question, what are you hoping to find out from this hearing? And I don't even know because look how many hearings, it's been eight of them. How much stuff that we learning that we didn't even think to ask? Like, did we even know that we don't even know what we don't know? Right. So we go into September.

What more could you possibly give us? Like, what? The dam is just breaking. Where's more? So it's surprising. But buckle in. Here we go. Earlier you said that you can't take the politics out of it.

But one of the things that is also very real is that there's an election in November, and And the very people who have trashed these hearings, people have trashed you. They've trashed other officers. There are people who refuse to even vote to thank Capitol Police officers for their patriotism, for keeping them safe. These folks could be in control of the House. They win in November. They win the majority. Then they are in charge of committees. They're in control of the House.

They're in power. They could very well shut down any effort to keep learning the truth. How scary is that? That the possibility exists that this committee does not get its work done before November. That we may not have the full story

of all that happened leading up to January 6, 2021 and after. So selfishly, for me specifically, that is scary because, you know, that's why people know who I am, because I've been advocating for the truth to come out from day one. And I feel like anybody should want to know the truth, no matter if you're Democrat, Republican, it doesn't matter. I guess the people that don't want to know the truth are the people that

possibly are complicit or it makes them look bad. So I think that's the reason why people wouldn't want to know the truth. But like I said, you cannot take politics out of it. What is scary, though, you know, January 6th, when is the next January 6th? Can that happen again? And as of now, there's been nothing done to ensure me or make me feel secure, or probably all of America, that that cannot happen again. We just saw an attack up in New York. It was a Republican governor candidate that was attacked on stage. And these violent threats,

they just keep, these violent acts, they just keep happening against political people. And Adam Kinzinger yesterday said that there's this, whatever, what's the word he used?

I can't remember the exact word he used, but it's still out there. These people, it's almost like he said, it's cult-like. And these people just still, they don't believe, they don't listen. They, they feel emboldened. They listen to lies and it's getting worse and it's getting dangerous out here.

So I really believe it's important for any member of Congress, any senator, any American to want to know the truth, get to the bottom of it and and put a stop to this violence, this rhetoric, this polarizing society that we live in. We can't continue this way. Where does it end, you know? January 6, look how close we were. What if we're not so lucky next time? Yep. Questions from my panel. I'll start with you, Kelly. Hi, friend. Good to see you. And we've talked about this several times, specifically when it comes to how you have to conduct yourself within your own ranks, right? Because it's not just outside people who are biased against what you're doing. My understanding is that you still have people within law enforcement, both in your division and

others nationwide, who do not agree with what you're doing. So my question to you is, how do you reconcile the need and the duty to tell the truth versus the perceived duty, rather, as a cop to be objective or apolitical, which effectively is to be silent? It's a simple answer for that. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. What's right should be spoken on and what's wrong should be spoken against. It's just as simple as that. Everybody has a moral compass and they know what's right and they know what's wrong. I am very, I try my best to be very matter of fact when it comes to these these interviews speaking out to my job I'm just very matter of fact I try to keep opinions out of it so you know if I'm wrong or disagree with something that's what that's all that is but when it comes to actual matter of

fact did this happen yes or no why did it happen this is why it happened And that's it. But it's very important to continue speaking out on the truth. Like, I won't be silent about that because I believe in doing what's right. Michael. Hello, Officer Harry Dunn. Hey, it's a pleasure to talk to you, brother. You are a real American hero and I appreciate everything that you do. My question is, do you encourage African-Americans to become Capitol Hill police officers? I know the January 6th insurrection and hearing from some African-American Capitol Hill police officers and previous ones, they talk about the racism that they have experienced as Capitol Hill police officers. So do you encourage more African-Americans to become Capitol Hill police officers? And maybe if you can share with us one or two reasons why you became a Capitol Hill police officer as well.

Thank you. Yeah, no, thank you for your kind words. No, so I absolutely believe, not necessarily just Capitol Police, I encourage members of any community to be involved in their communities. One of the reasons I believe that policing comes under such scrutiny, and a lot of times there are officers in communities that don't understand how communities work. It's because police communities, the police don't look like the communities that they police. Right. Their representation, I mean, if you have an Asian community, you shouldn't be, you know, 80% Asian community should not be 90 percent black police officers there. And, you know, in any demographic that you want to choose or plug in to that, that communities

need to look like and understand police communities need to look like the communities that they police. So I think it definitely is important. And I would encourage anybody in any community to join, you know, not just policing. It could be any kind of type of public service. Because like I said, this, this world that we're living in, it's our job to take care of it and to do it. Like people aren't going to do stuff for us.

So whether that is speaking out, volunteering, helping, like we're here to give back. And I don't think a lot of people are doing that. And they're depending on one or two people to be a voice, like, for thousands and thousands. And it's taxing. And I've learned that just being one of the officers who's speaking out. Like, people jokingly call me a spokesperson. No, I'm not.

I'm just speaking my truth. But what's important to me. And there's so many. That's the thing. Like, I'm not. I'm just speaking my truth. But what's important to me and there's so many. That's another. That's the thing. Like there's so many. Everybody's familiar with my story, but there were hundreds of officers on duty that had a story to tell. And I didn't want to get them to speak out

and tell your story. This is what you coming out and talk. And for whatever reason, it's their choice. But a lot of people are not doing it. I became a police officer. I use this, I kind of like have a type A personality with a type B heart. I'm very passionate. I'm caring. But I also believe I have this, I mean, I'm 6'7". I have a stature. I command, I like to think I command a little bit of at least attention when I come around. And I know how to talk to people, and I want to see people succeed.

I truly believe in service and public service and helping people. And I think that's what policing is about. Thank you. Matt? Officer Dunn, I want to echo Michael's sentiments. I appreciate your service and your forthrightness in talking about not only what you experienced, but making sure the truth comes to light. And I have kind of a difficult question for you, but I'm interested nonetheless. How do you go to work every day and continue to protect people that not only disagree with you, as you alluded to earlier, but who have made political theater out of trying to deny what we saw happen in real time? I mean, how have you grappled with the fact that there are people you're continuing to protect

who are not being honest about the fact that you had to protect them on January 6th from a riotous mob? How have you dealt with that? You know, like I said, I realize that sometimes that things are bigger than you. It's not just about me. I also realize that, you know, people use this term a lot, and I think it doesn't, I think it's interpreted wrong a lot. You don't, people need a seat at the table. Like, so what's the alternative to me not being there to me leaving? Um, I'm not going to let anybody's opinion or their behavior force me out of doing something that I'm good at something that I like doing. I'm not going to allow anybody to do that. I'm going to continue to do my job the way I believe that is the right

way to do. Um, because that's, what's what's important. I'm going to continue speaking out against my truth. You know, what if, what if, just, you know, just counter your point, what if somebody says, you know what, how can I keep working around an individual like him who keeps speaking out against what I'm speaking about against? I mean, you know, why not look at it that way? I'm going to continue speaking my against what I'm speaking about. I mean, you know, why not look at it that way? I'm going to continue speaking my truth, what I believe is right. And I think it's easy. I think it's easy to—it was difficult to interpret, to find another narrative, frame it, how I could continue to do it.

That was difficult to find out how to frame. But once I did, I'm like, you know what, this isn't hard because doing the right thing shouldn't be difficult. And it is for a lot of people. And I can't live like that. Well, Harry Dunn, we appreciate your service. We appreciate you being forthright, not backing down, not running away. And also, last week when they had the hearing, one of those former Oath Keepers, I believe, folks reported that he came up to you and apologized and that you accepted it. And you tweeted, no, he apologized. He said it was not accepted. That's correct. Like I said, it was acknowledged. You know, I'm not against forgiveness at all.

And maybe the gentleman, he was truly remorseful. That's fine. But right now, I'm not focused on forgiveness. One thing I continue to say is we can't be focused, I can't be focused on forgiveness when I'm

still seeking justice. There's so many things that I can't do. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it is we can't be focused. I can't be focused on forgiveness when I'm still seeking justice. There's so many people out there that still need to be brought to justice. And then we can start to heal once justice has been served. I agree with that 100 percent. Officer Dunn, we appreciate you joining us on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thanks, man. Glad we got to catch up.

Indeed. Thanks a bunch. Yep. Take care. Folks, if you wanted to see how sick and demented Donald Trump is, they released these outtakes where he went to the Rose Garden and he was supposed to, of course, accept what took place, but just could not bring himself to say certain words. It was pretty illiterate. Roll it.

His staff prepared a script for him to read, but he refused to use it. As you can see on the screen, you can see the script a stamped president has seen. The script said, quote, I'm asking you to leave the capital region now and go home in a peaceful way. The president was urged to stick to this script, but he spoke off the cuff. Eric Hirschman and Nick Luna went with the president to film the message in the Rose Garden. Let's hear what they had to say and see the never-before-seen raw footage of the president recording this video message. Ultimately, these remarks that we're looking at here in Exhibit 25 were not the remarks that the president delivered in the Rose Garden. Do you know why the president decided not to use these?

I don't know, sir. No, I do not know why. Did the president use any written remarks, to your knowledge, or did he just go off the cuff? To my knowledge, it was off the cuff, sir. You going to chase? Yeah. When you're ready, sir. Yep, you'll be right behind me. You tell me when.

When you're ready, sir. Who's behind me? He's gone. He's gone around. We're all clear now. I know you're pained. I know you're hurt. We had a election. Let me say. I know your pain. I know you're hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don't want anybody hurt. It's a very tough period of time. There's never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us, from me, from you, from our country.

This was a fraudulent election. But we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated

that are so bad and so evil. I've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel, but go home and go home in peace. When I got there, basically the president just had finished filming the video. And I think he was basically retiring for the day. Was there any discussion about the president releasing a second video that day? Not that I recall. When he finished his video, I think everyone was like, day's over. People were pretty drained. Were pretty what? Drained. But we say day over. There were still people in the Capitol at that point, weren't there?

There were people in the Capitol, but I believe by this stage, law enforcement, and I don't have to go back and look, but I believe law enforcement was either there or moving in or going to take charge. I just say people were emotionally drained by the time that videotape was done. Then, of course, that was the speech Trump gave on the day after, January 7th, where his sorry ass just cannot accept the fact that he got his ass whooped. Whenever you're ready, sir. The President I would like to begin by addressing the heinous attack yesterday. And to those who broke the law, you will pay.

You do not represent our movement. You do not represent our country. And if you broke the law law you can't say that I'm not gonna you I already said you will pay the demonstrators who infiltrated the cap have defied the seat of dust it's defiled right see I can't see it very well okay I'll do this I'm gonna do this let's go but this election is now over. Congress has certified the results. I don't want to say the election's over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election's over. Okay. But Congress is now Congress. Yeah.

Now Congress is over. I didn't say over. So let me see. Go to the paragraph before. Okay. I would like to begin by addressing the heinous attack yesterday. Yesterday is a hard word for me. Just take it out? The heinous attack. Ah, good. Take the word yesterday, because it doesn't work with The heinous attack. Ah, good. Take the word yesterday because it doesn't work with the heinous attack on our country.

Say on our country. Want to say that? No. My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote. My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote. Oh. You know... if you supported that idiot for 2020 you have truly

got to feel like one of the dumbest people ever for actually wanting that idiot back in the White House, Matt. I don't know if there's anything for me to add. I think you're right. I can add a lot.

Go ahead. I can add a lot. Go ahead. See, we don't understand white supremacy. This is what this is. Go look at Rusty Bowers. Russell Rusty Bowers, House Speaker, Arizona, testified in the January 6th committee. He refused to go along with overturning the election results in Arizona. The day before he testified, he was interviewed, I think it was Associated Press, and he said and they asked him, hey, would you vote for Trump again?

He said all things considered, he would vote for Trump again. He said Trump would be better, something to the effect that Trump would be better than a radical Democrat, things like this. And what, and he talked about how Trump did good things before the coup. So basically what they're talking about, I know what they're talking about when they say good things before the coup. They're talking about tax cuts for the wealthy. They're talking about 226 federal judges, ultra-conservative judges, lifetime appointments, so they can maintain

control of the judicial branch of the federal government. And they're talking about three Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade and possibly other longstanding constitutional rights as well. So this is why these people voted for him. Now, Rusty Bowers, he just wasn't willing to go to prison for Trump. But he's willing to vote for this domestic terrorist again. This is why. Well, the next day he backtracked from that somewhat.

They always backtrack when their ass gets caught. They always backtrack when they get caught. Just like Senator Mike Braun, he backtracked when it exploded, when he talked about states' rights, when it came to, I think it was interracial marriage. I think that was what it was, Republican. They always backtrack when the spotlight is on them. And then when it's safe, when it's safe to go back to their original position, which is how they feel, this is what they revert back to. Kevin McCarthy, when the spotlight was on him, he denounced Trump. Two weeks later, his ass is down kissing Trump's

ring. No telling what else he kissed down in Mar-a-Lago. Okay. And then he's supporting Trump and defending him. They always backtrack when their ass gets busted. So what we have to make sure that we do is vote them out of power and make sure they never get back in power again. This is about self-preservation. This 2022 midterm election, this is the first midterm election since an insurrection,

since the 1866 midterm election after the Civil War. This is the most crucial. I turn 51 in June. This is the most crucial midterm election after the Civil War. This is the most crucial. I turn 51 in June. This is the most crucial midterm election I've ever seen or read about in modern history. So this is about self-preservation. The thing that drives me crazy, Kelly,

is when I just listen to just stupid stuff. And increasingly, Harris Faulkner at Fox News just says some of the dumbest shit. Okay? She literally... I know Harris. I've seen her at NABJ, went to the Apollo Theater Spring Benefit. But just some of the dumbest shit.

And don't try to act like you're the journalist, and so you're not giving your opinion on stuff. Like when I ripped her for comments about Don Lemon and others last week. But, Kelly, listen to this stupid-ass comment. Put them in a basket of deporables, and I think that's what have Trump supporters or

MAGA people so upset. It's not a point of disagreeing with them. It's to call them racist. It's to call them dumb and appalling. I think this is going to hurt them in the next election because that same wave of people are rising up. And a lot of people that did not necessarily like Donald Trump's emotional appeal now say economically, when it comes to safety, when it comes to the border, we were better off. Yeah, and that's the question that will be posed. But it's really interesting because they were trying to shame people into changing their beliefs by insulting them,

which just reinforced why they were looking for something else in the first place. And it's kind of shocking. They couldn't separate the Trump voters and what they wanted, what they were missing in their lives versus Trump, the person, someone they disagreed with and had issues with personally. Why now? Well, first of all, I want to go back to Hillary Clinton for just a second. And I normally don't blame one person for an entire movement, nor do I give them total credit either. But she was a specific case of bringing hate to a new level in this country. Her husband was the one in dynamically similar straits that we are today economically who said, I feel your pain to every single American. He was able to do something that really we haven't seen anybody do since and that's bring

the entire country together maybe for just that moment Lord knows he had his issues right but with her it particularly was damaging for her to express her hate for half the country after having been in a White House for eight years when it wasn't specifically like that when people were really down and you didn't kick them when they were down, you tried to help them with a better economy, with saying that you understood them. So now you fast forward and we get the Clinton crowd, the Hillary Clinton version of that crowd, as you say. And we're only growing more of them because it's easier sometimes to profligate hate than it is to shed your grace and love. Apparently. Yes.

Cleaning your gutter system is a never ending project. Come on. What? What? What? Well, maybe y'all were confused and controlled because I was. What? Like, what the hell is Harris talking about

I mean that must be some good shit she's smoking she's playing a position no no no that's some like really good that's some good shit she's playing a position no no no but but but but no no no that's that that's some like really good like some that's some good shit she's smoking because oh everybody was cool Clinton brought everybody together people were there was unified and then here's the hilarious part. Hillary made her deplorables comment on September 10th, 2016.

Two months before the election. Right. Kelly, I think MAGA folk had already gotten behind. And I love this whole deal where these folk act like, oh, you know, you're calling them racist. True. Xenophobic. True. Dumb.

True. So, oh, and they're even more now upset and they go, well, yeah, there are people and oh, there are people who they disagreed with Trump. No, they didn't. The fact of the matter is, and we're going to be going to do the big unveil in a moment for my book, White Fear, gave them permission to be openly racist. He gave them permission to be openly sexist.

He gave them permission to do what they do. Now they're like, yo, our man has arrived. There's no longer the need to apologize. We don't have to backtrack, do whatever. That's what this evil, demented, sick, despicable individual actually did. I don't know what these two black people, I don't even know where,

I don't even know where black neighborhoods they even come from saying some dumb shit like that. I mean, that's just, it's just, it's flat out. Lawrence, you're a liar. And Harris, you're an absolute liar. Kelly, go ahead. I mean, it's really interesting to me on several fronts, the rise of this revisionist history that because if they don't, they are beholden to the truth, which is the fact that they are being led by a cult leader. They are being led by a white supremacist. They are being led by somebody who ascribes to the doctrine of Hitler and actually perpetuated

that doctrine for the four years that he was president of the United States. And it is, it is, it's fascinating, but also simultaneously frustrating and just sad to see that happening. Harris talking about the Clinton administration, I have no idea what she was talking about. I have no idea what she just said, because from what I recall of the Clinton administration, they tried to get this man out of office for having oral sex on a taxpayer's dime. That pales in comparison to Trump literally organizing a coup to overtake the United States. I do not see how there is any comparison there. I don't even understand what she said to be containing a modicum of truth because that's not how I remember it.

That's not how history wrote it to be remembered. Nothing she said was factual. Nothing. Like, zero. It wasn't supposed to be. Like, just zero. Like, you're living in Never Never Land with that, oh, yeah, Hillary. And then to say Hillary took hate to a higher level when this fool descended down the escalator

and calling Mexicans rapists, trash, and everybody. I mean, first of all, Harris, how can you as a black woman completely overlook the level of hate that Donald Trump projected at black women. Never telling John Kelly to apologize to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. His hate at Congresswoman Maxine Waters. His hate at Omarosa when she left. I mean, the literal hatred. But this, oh, but Hillary, oh, she took it,'m not going to, Hillary is responsible for the MAGA movement.

No, the man launched the campaign the year before. Oh, Harris, shall I remind you that Donald Trump was a birther, is a birther? Harris, Melania, that lying birther. What the hell was that? Oh, that was 2011, five years before Hillary's deplorables campaign. I mean, look, I get there are folks on Fox News who got to sell out for a check. That's not

just black. White folks over there too. Okay? But what you're not going to do, well, they'll let you get away with it because you can easily lie on that network. And that's why I absolutely hope, I absolutely pray

that Dominion takes them for billions. I hope Dominion gets billions from OAN. I hope they get billions from Fox News because somebody has to make them pay for lying. It is a lying network. They lie to their viewers. And that's why they won't show the January 6th hearings in prime time because they

like to lie. They want those white conservatives clueless and dumb to practice their racism and their xenophobia and yes, people, just having a black face on Fox News. Lawrence, remember that idiot who was down?

First of all, I don't know how Lawrence has his damn job after he castigated all the media and praised the Uvalde cops. How did that turn out, Lawrence? How did that turn out? So how he would still sit on the set with a job, but then again, it is Fox News. But they are purposely lying because they want to lie themselves into power in January 23. And they will lie themselves into power in 2024.

And folks, just understand it. And it's, I can't even, and it just drives me crazy when I see folk who want to pretend like, oh, they're journalists and no one else is. But you're just going to knowingly lie like

that. Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out, Kelly, what in the hell Clinton administration they're talking about. Maybe there's a fictitious one in some TV show that we haven't quite seen yet. I don't even know. Let me do this here, folks. Let me go to a break because I need to get the stench of the lying of Fox News off of this set. Yes, the stench of the lying we just heard.

All right, y'all, several things. First of all, we've got university president in Baltimore. He is retiring, took the university to huge heights. He's hanging it up. We'll talk with him in our Education Matters segment. Also, you get the first reveal of my book, White Fear. It is here. I'm gonna unbox it right here on the set plus we hear from uh my

man john grant with espn talking about what they're doing with with the hbcus this upcoming football season folks you're watching roller mark unfiltered the black star network support us by downloading the blackstone network app apple phone android phone apple tv android tv roku amazon fire tv xbox one samsung smart tv bring the funk fan club folks please support us with your dollars uh check Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Bring the Funk Fan Club, folks. Please support us with your dollars. Check money orders, P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered.

Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zell Rowland at RowlandSMartin.com. We'll be right back. 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. Sexy to me is the exact same feeling as running water, Ever flowing. Water always finds a way to get through. And so when you know that you're sexy, there are no questions about it. It is an ever

flowing emotion. It is an ever flowing feeling. When you question it, though, you stop the water. I actually, I struggle with this a lot. Mainly because I've been told what sexy should look like, what it should feel like. As a model who did Sports Illustrated,

you're told that this is what sells sexy. But then you travel the world, and what's sexy to one person is not sexy to another person. I'm more of a mind fuck kind of person. How can you stimulate the brain? To me, that's that's. I'm Deborah Owens, America's wealth coach, and on the next Get Wealthy. Have you heard that it's not how much you earn, but how much you keep that matters?

Well, the secret to building wealth could be hidden in our tax code. That's right. Joining me on the next Get Wealthy is someone who calls herself the gatekeeper to the IRS. And she's going to be sharing the secrets and strategies you need to know, whether you're a business owner or an individual, how you can get wealthy. That's right here, only on Black Star Network. Pull up a chair, take your seat in 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. Black Star Network is here.

Hold no punches. A real revolutionary right now. Support this man, Black Media. He real revolutionary right now. A crowd. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. I 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 scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hey, everybody. It's your girl, Linnell.

So what's up? This is your boy, Earthquake. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Sheldon Smith went missing from Baltimore City, Maryland yesterday. The 13-year-old is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Sheldon was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, burgundy sweatpants, and black flip-flops. Anyone with information with regards to Sheldon Smith, please call the Baltimore City, Maryland Police Department at 410-396-2525, 410-396-2525. All right, y'all. My next guest says that he is such a math genius, he could have gotten me to love math in school.

I said, man, if you could have made that happen, they would have gave you the Nobel Peace Prize. He is my alpha brother, folks. He is a prominent educator, has done so much for educating folks there in Maryland, leading an institution that some called a sleepy, if you will, when he took it over. But he took it to an entire new level. Freeman Hrabowski, he is retiring, y'all, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 30 years, and taking the university to heights. Doc, how you doing? Doing great, Brother Martin.

Good to see you. So let's talk about this because, again, you know, again, it was called this small, sleepy university. Hey, people talked about the University of Maryland College Park. That was the main thing. You get to UMBC. So when you arrived, what did it look like? And when you stepped on the campus, did you say, I'm going to do something and take this thing, take this school

places that they don't even realize they can go? I appreciate the question. First thing I will say to you is my motto is, it's not about me. It's about us. And when I got there, I found a lot of very talented people who wanted to strive, to aspire, to envision being better than we were. So we worked hard. We had a vision for ourselves to become this model for the nation of inclusive excellence with students from every race, with African-American males doing as well as anybody else on that campus, with students from 100 countries. And so whether somebody is from New York or from D.C. or Baltimore

or from Lagos or wherever, having them working together. And so it has been an effort of the community at UMBC that's made the big difference. And the good news is we lead the country in producing blacks who go on to get PhDs in the natural sciences and engineering and MD PhDs. In fact, the first time a predominantly white university has gone ahead of all the HBCUs. And I am a very proud graduate of Hampton. But it's a good story when I can say that the people at UMBC of all races have worked to help students, including my African-Americans and my Asians and my Hispanics and my whites, to excel from science to pre-law.

And that's our story. A lot of folks wanted you to leave, to go leave the HBCU. Folks have been coming after you. Different universities, larger universities, other HBCUs. UMBC is not an HBCU, although you serve a significant black and minority population. Why did you stay there all these years? What was it about UMBC? Because look, they were coming after you. You know, I appreciate that. And I appreciate our HBCUs. As I said, Jackie and I, my wife and I, are very proud graduates of our beloved Hampton. In fact, we give back all the time. We've got a building there named after us. So when we go back to Hampton, we kiss the ground.

Let me start there. We Hamptonians love each other. Now, number two, we from UMBC are people from all over the world who've gotten to know each other and trust each other. And there's a mission there. You see, most black students are in institutions that are not HBCUs. I'm very proud of what our HBCUs do, but we have to teach all these other institutions how you support students of color. We can do that. We have shown what is possible. We have campus outside of Baltimore with about 600 acres with 14,000 students, of whom well over 2,000 are black. Here's something you'll appreciate, Brother Martin. Half of my black students are male. That is unheard of in America, where you've

got as large a black male population as the black female population. And the graduation rates of my African-Americans are as high as anybody else's. So it's a and it's a place where you can go to become whether you want to become a scientist or you want to be a lawyer or you want to be an artist. And so all those are reasons that have kept me there to show the rest of American higher education this can be done. As you detail those things, when I visited the campus, and I forgot why I was even there. What was I doing there? That's because I begged you to come. That's why you were there.

I said, I want my students to see you. I wanted them to see a good alpha man who was down to earth. My students loved you. They knew about you. Remember how people would come up? Oh, yeah. They want to take a picture with you. Oh, yeah. I like for people to see the campus and to walk around and to see the sense of self that my students have of all races and how my young black men are respectful of young black women and how students of all backgrounds support each other. The more people who can come and see our model, the more people say, we want to be like UMBC. That's the message.

It was interesting because I've been to other universities. First, I've been to many universities. I've been, I mean, all around the country. And what was interesting was how you were engaging with students and asking them specific things about classes and what they were doing. And to have that many students, to have that level of engagement, I thought was also impressive. That's what's kept me young, being around my students.

It has made all the difference in the world. They keep you up to date. They will tell you the truth. They speak truth to power. I have students who text me regularly, others who send me updates in different ways, my alumni. And that is the joy of being an educator who believes in our students. It is about just that. It's about being elevated to think about the possibilities for every young person. When you made the decision that 30 years is enough, what in particular was it where you said now is time? I'm a strong believer that we who have become older need to empower younger people. Sometimes as we get older, we want to stay in the jobs. Well, I want to leave while I'm still able to do my tachi, and I still can do my 10,000 steps, and I'm still writing another book right now, and I have another chapter, and I can tell you about what I'm doing. But I also wanted to give my young people a chance to be empowered, to move up. And so we've got some

brilliant people of all races who are moving into those jobs. And the new president, Roland, you want to have on here, is an incredible polymer chemist, black woman, from Hillsborough, North Carolina—from North Carolina, excuse me, who was the dean at Duke University of Arts and Sciences. And she, Dr. Valerie Shears asked me, she is as superb as an educator as anyone in the world. And she comes from a family where her mother was an English teacher and her dad was a science teacher and a preacher. And she talks about learning how to weave a story and take up the offering. And she makes everybody laugh and she gets that money. So the idea of my leaving was we need somebody like that. It's time for her. She is a member of what we call the 1966 club.

That's the year the university was founded. That's the year she was born. So she's young, vibrant, dynamic. And it's time for me to move. And I'll be working with presidents and provosts around the country. In fact, I was just teaching a seminar at Harvard with presidents from Amherst to Spelman to my alma mater, Hampton to UMBC. So I'm looking forward to more and more working with presidents and boards of all types of universities in the nation. So before I go to my panel with questions, we were talking about this here, and you just insisted that the reason I don't like math because I didn't have the right math teacher.

And I was like, Doc, I'm telling you, it would have been a miracle. I told you, I can count money, I can negotiate, I can do all kind of deals, but I never, the geometry and the algebra stuff just made no sense to me whatsoever. But I killed it on the communication side. Let's be real clear. I knew what my gifting was. Yeah.

If you had been in my class, if you had been in my class, I would have had you getting goosebumps doing math. Goosebumps. I mean, I want students you getting goosebumps doing math. Goosebumps. I mean, I want students to get goosebumps doing math. And that's whether they're going to be in communications or they're going to be in some STEM area. And that's what we do on campus. We got both areas going. Let me just give you one example. What kind of vaccine did you take, Roland? Moderna. Okay. The black woman who led the team, co-led the team with Dr. Bunny Graham at NIH, Dr. Kismetia Corbett, is one of our students. She graduated, recruited her when she was 17.

She came up, majored in both biology and sociology, went on to Chapel Hill, got a Ph.D., then worked out down at Bethesda at NIH. She led that team. She is the first black woman in the world to create a vaccine. Every person in this country needs to know the name Dr. Kismikia Corbett. She is brilliant and gorgeous and sassy and will change the world. But she created it. So if you're alive today, we can thank she's now on the faculty at Harvard. Why do I tell you that story? People see her and they don't think of her as a scientist. They just think she's a fashionable young woman. Well, that's fine. But she knows science. She knows math. She gets

goosebumps doing science. I want every young person to get goosebumps reading and learning more mathematics, whether you're going to go into STEM or not. And if I'd had you as a student, you'd be saying, Doc, give me another math problem. Hey, that would absolutely be a miracle if that conversation happened. Let's go to my questions. Matt, you're first. Well, I first have to say, Doc, as a proud Howardite, I'm congratulating you and everybody from Hampton for your wonderful achievements.

But I will still say Howard is the way to go, brother. But congrats on all of your success, Doc, and thanks for everything that you've done there at UMBC. And the question I had for you was particularly the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program that you were just talking about. I know it's been replicated at other schools like UNC. In your retirement, how do you plan to help, if you do at all, plan to help pilot that at other schools and kind of really grow out STEM at some of the other universities, because for you to have done what you've done at UMBC is remarkable. And obviously, a lot of other institutions can benefit from that knowledge that you have. So how do you-

So let me say, I appreciate the question. First of all, I appreciate the pride Howardites take and how they always let me know we're the other HU. I love that pride that you all have, and it's great. Wayne Frederick is a mentee. I love him dearly. The provost at Howard, by the way, is a UMBC graduate. Start there. The provost at Howard is a UMBC graduate. And then number two, the new Kerr Scholars Program, Carr Scholars Program at Howard was modeled after my heart. That was the greatest honor. I mean, we got it modeled at Chapel Hill and Penn State out with with Howard Hughes money, and then out in San Diego and Berkeley with Chan Zuckerberg money. But when Howard decided to model its premier program for black students in science after

Meyer Hall, I was deeply moved. And what I say is, I am a product of Hampton. So Hampton and Howard go together very much so. I like bragging on all the graduates from Howard, from Kamala Harris to others. I want you to know that the head of the Ravens, president of the Ravens, is a Hampton graduate. And the woman who was over there, that MSNBC part is a Hampton graduate. So you can see that pride there. So I talk about those who create the vaccines from UMBC and those who are with MSNBC from Hampton. I just got to say, we're being noticed. Yes.

I think it was still an institute when you went to Hampton, right? It wasn't a university. Hampton Institute. All right. All right. I get it. I accept it. I accept it.

But let me tell you, a lot of my Hampton classmates are the professors at Howard right now. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. So we teach y'all all the time. We do. He said we teach y'all all the time. Cutting deep. Cutting deep. See, Matt, that's what happens when you challenge an alpha man, Matt. I done warned you about that, Matt.

You notice how he didn't say anything about Texas A&M? Why don't you go ahead and stand up? Hold up. hold up. But that alpha man just schooled you. See, alpha is from the east, the west, the north, and the south. Hampton, Howard, Texas A&M, Cornell, you won't know none of this, Matt. Go on, be quiet. Kelly, go ahead and ask your question.

Let me answer Matt's question. Let me make one more comment. If you get a chance, look at the new Howard Hughes program, HHMI. That's the largest foundation of its type in our country, $24 billion. They're putting $2 billion into diversifying the STEM workforce. Half a billion will go to continue replicating MyHoff in different institutions. $1.5 billion would be going to scientists of all races, though, with an emphasis on producing more blacks and Latinos and others in those labs. And that's a $1.5 billion program.

And I'm truly humbled that they named the program after me. So as a little black kid from Birmingham coming through Hampton, it is an honor. I am truly honored that the work we've done at UMBC has a place like Howard Hughes saying, let's do more of that around the country. Yes. First of all, it's an honor to speak with you and hear you, doctor. I am a proud graduate of Bowie State University. So we are neighbors and some of my closest friends were under your tutelage. So again, it's an honor. So my question to you

is kind of two parts. You have been just listing the achievements of UMBC this entire segment, but I want to know if you have a favorite accomplishment or just like that feather in your cap that you know you will talk about

till the end of time. And then secondly, I just want you to expound upon what you're doing next. I appreciate it. Two things. First of all, Dr. Amita Brough, who is the president of Bowie, is one of the most admired presidents in the country. I consider her a friend and mentee. She is brilliant. And Marilyn is so fortunate to have her. She's bringing in the money. She's bringing in the bacon. And she leads with great dignity. We need that at all our institutions. We need leaders who lead with dignity so that other young people will say, I want to be like her. And I give her that credit, number one. Number two, it's exciting. I think my students' accomplishments, my graduates' accomplishments are my legacy.

I have one young man. We have four black males, for example, on the faculty at Duke, on the medical faculty, three MD, PhDs, one MD, JD. And the top of that group has invented a pacemaker for the brain to address schizophrenia and bipolar disease. So he's gotten the world's—the neuroscience society of the world—the leading young investigator award two years ago. Dr. Khafre Zarrasza grew up in Montgomery County. Parents are from Ghana.

He was born in this country. But he is my choice to one day perhaps be the first black in the world to get the Nobel Prize in science or medicine. We have never had a black person in the world to get the Nobel Prize in STEM or medicine. We've had it in peace. We've had one in economics. We've had it in literature. Wonderful people. But people need to understand we have the gravitas to get that Nobel Prize. He is an example of my top people who can get it. Dr. Kismetka Corbin may be another. But let me just say, to have the first black woman who is speaker of the House for the

state of Maryland, who speaks for black children and other children in our state, who's able to talk about reform in the way we work with our children children in our state, who's able to talk about reform in the way we work with our children in the prison system, who is using her background in the social sciences to transform our thinking about the underrepresented. She's a graduate. Dr.—her name is Adrienne Jones. She's the Speaker of the House. And then, finally, one of my great graduates who is president of Clemson, young white man

who was first in his family to go to college and literally got all three degrees from UMBC. And he's there and he's hired one of my my horse, who is now that black faculty member in engineering at Clemson. I could go around the country talking about people we've got on the faculties now at Harvard, Clemson, Stanford, at Howard, at Morehouse, at Spelman, all around the country. So it's a great story. And that is my legacy. That is it's what all of my colleagues and I work to do, producing these leaders who will take it forward. That is the essence of what we do. I think Matt might need that pacemaker for the brain to deal with his issues. Michael, your question. All right, Brother Freeman, thanks for coming on today, Brother.

And President, forgive Michael. Forgive Michael. He a little sigma, but forgive him. Hey, hey, Brother. Hey, we all in this together, man, the divine nine. We're cousins. No, no, no. I told you, it's Alpha and the Divine Eight, but go ahead. It was Dr. King and John Lewis,

man. Alpha and the Sigma. But when Dr. King went to go meet Kwame Nkrumah, he bowed down to the king who was a Sigma. That's another conversation. Yeah, but don't even get started now. You don't want to start it. Don't let me have to hurt your feelings because he didn't bow down. He just shook his head. But go ahead and go on with the question.

So, Brother Freeman, number one, you know, I appreciate your enthusiasm and passion for education. As a son of a mother who taught 47 years in Detroit public schools. I know that passion when I see it. You talked about Dr. Kazmika Corbin, and I just want people to know that it was an African slave named Onesimus who taught the Europeans in Massachusetts, the Quakers, how to inoculate themselves against smallpox in the early 1700s, because we were doing that in West Africa. OK, with engineering, engineering is like really personal to me because in middle school,

I was for three years I was in what's known as DAPSEP here in Detroit, Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program. And when I went to high school, Cass Technical High School, you know, I took algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and pre-calculus. When I enrolled at Wayne State University, I enrolled as a business major, but I switched to engineering because I wanted to be an engineer like Dwayne Wayne on a different world. Seriously. I took calculus. I took calculus. My calculus teacher was from China. I could not understand a word that he said.

I had to go to tutoring to get a C out of calculus. And then after I passed that calculus class, I went back to the business school and graduated with a business degree. How do you encourage, how do you graduate so many African-American males with engineering and science degrees? Can you give us some tips on how you do this? Yeah, and we, I appreciate that. You raise a good point. If you get a chance, look at my TED talk on the four pillars of college success in science and engineering, and it's high expectations, building community. It takes scientists and engineers to produce scientists and engineers. then we have to have rigorous evaluation. But the key to all that, when we in education talk about high expectations, we talk about what we expect of students.

We need to talk about what we expect of ourselves. Because if I teach a class and I put the problem on the board and nobody gets it and they all flunk it, did I teach it? No, I didn't teach it. If you don't have most students succeeding, then you didn't get the point across. So you really didn't teach effectively. So we've worked at UMBC to work on effective teaching and redesigning courses, but on building community around students, getting away from the cutthroat approach. So black men and black women, but race of all races are working in these groups. We've got them working in these groups collaboratively to solve problems.

And it's the more problems you solve, the better you get, the better you get. So I've got over a million hits on that TED talk. A lot of people love it. Some people think I was too hard on us in the profession. But I think, as I say in my new book, The Empowered University, we must look in the mirror and be empowered to be truthful. We do some things well. There's a lot we don't do well. More than half the students who come to our colleges and universities do not graduate. Millions of people start, leave in debt. We've got to do a

much better job. That's the part of my next chapter of working to get us all to feel more responsibility to make it. Let me tell you what we say at UMBC, and you all have heard this at every institution. Look at your student to your left, look at the student to your right. Then usually the dean or president will say, one of you will not graduate. That's a terrible thing to say to young people, because the fact is, if I'm if I'm at all insecure, I'm saying, oh, my God, he's talking about me. So I may as well party because I'm not going to make it. But this is what we say. Look at the student to your left. Look at the student to your right. Our goal is to make sure all three of you graduate. And if you don't, we fail and we don't plan to fail. Different mindset. That's what we need. And so we've got to think about that. We've got to get

away from thinking about STEM courses as weed out courses. We call STEM courses weed out courses. And this is what people don't know. The more prestigious the university, the higher the test scores of the student of any race, the greater the chance that the student will be wiped out of science within the first year or two. So it's not just students who don't have a good background in science. We wipe out those with the best backgrounds. And so literally we have too few students of any race actually graduating in engineering and science. At the same time, we've got to work to help students from all those other disciplines to do well, because this is what I would be teaching Brother Martin. I teach him some statistics to go with his background in communications and social sciences,

and I would make him a data scientist, because data science is at this intersection of statistics and computing with the social sciences. And Brother Martin would be an excellent data scientist scientist because he'd be able to show you why the alphas are so superior, I'm sure. Hey, absolutely. And I remember taking a stat class in college and I didn't know what the hell they were talking about. So yeah, you're right.

That would have had to be the case. I was like, man, let me just get out this sucker and get this sheet of paper. What'd you say, Matt? You just got to use livestock, Doc. You can get rolling and learn anything if you teach them how to count chickens and pigs. Well, you know, Matt, I know you down there in Texas,

and of course, you spend a little time in Austin, but you went to Concrete U, so you don't even want to start none of that, though. And let's not even go there, Matt, because you keep talking about, you know, Hampton and Howard. But, you know, you know Hampton got some stuff over y'all now. You might want to call. I've been on both campuses. You might want to be careful.

You might want to be careful so you get called back to Howard, brother. I didn't worry about nobody. Let's get beyond because both of both of our wonderful institutions. But this is what I want to say. I want us as black people, as Americans to help our children know that they want to learn to read well. Yeah, because so many of our children and America's children cannot read well. And number two, that they can do math, that they can. Anybody you give me who says they can't do math, we just need to work on the attitude and then give them a chance to do some have some success because success breeds success. We got it. But you see a lot of little girls and boys.

We hear somebody saying, well, I couldn't do math. So they start thinking. So I want Brother Martin to start saying, well, I'm still planning to learn some more math. Rather than saying what you can't do, just say what I still can. That's a new frontier for me. Because, Brother Martin, I'm telling you, I can teach you calculus. I promise you. Hey, here's the deal. Knock yourself out.

I do believe in math. And I already said my math. We're trying to go from $3 million to $5 million in revenue. Then it goes to $10 million. That's math. Oh, I know it's math. I told you I can count money. I knew that early on.

Knew that early on. Doc, I do have to put this out here because, and you know how it is in our society, all the academic success, but y'all got a whole lot of attention when y'all became the first number 16 seed to knock off a one seed in the NCAA tournament. Yep, yep. And it was great because we are a nerdy campus. We really do spend a lot of time talking about ideas. And it was unbelievable to have that success. We got so much visibility. And we beat them by 20 points, just saying. And we have great

respect for UVA. And I know we make them better that next year. I tease my friends at UVA about that all the time because they won the national championship that next year. But here's the point. When the game was over and the reporters asked my students, my basketball players, Jairus and others, what are you going to do? One student said, I got to go back to my room and study. Another young man with tears coming down his face said, we stand on the shoulders of our chess team. And that made me cry that here we are, the basketball players respecting our chess players because they're so good. Now, that's the kind of nerdy place it is. When you send a student to UMBC, they learn to think about ideas and to be scholar athletes.

And then last year, 2021, we made history. We beat Yale University. There's the former coach right there. So we've got a great basketball team now. But here's the point. We made history with that game, but we also made history in 2021 when we beat the powerhouse Yale University in mock trial. We were the 2021 national chess to mock trial to what we do as we go out into the community and voting, because that's what I'm really about, helping campuses to get our students to get out there and vote, but to help other people vote and to help them understand why being involved in this process is so important. They always talk about my having been a child leader with Dr. King, and that was a great experience for me. But what it taught me was the marching is symbolically important, but the question is, what happens after the march?

You see, we've got to have the marching to make the point, but then you've got to get into the whole vote. It's getting and getting people out to know, if you want to complain, let's do what you can do. Let's select people who will understand the issues about the rights of people that we are so concerned about. There she is. There's my captain right there. Y'all on it. That's Mark Trout. She's now in law school at UCLA. Fabulous. That's right.

That's exactly right. We certainly appreciate it. And you really making Matt jealous for showing what Hampton graduates can do. You're making Michael sick, showing you how alphas roll. But he talked about chess. He talked about chess.

That's huge, man. As somebody who was the 12th grade chess champion, 1989, Cass Technical High School, you're speaking to somebody who wanted to be world chess champion. So, they'll understand strategy, studying chess. Every member of the UMBC A team is a grandmaster.

Every member is a grandmaster. And beat a grandmaster. So, when you see a chess player on my campus, you bow and reverence. So, Michael needs to go get some lessons, and I'm sure Matt was the head of the checkers team.

All right, Ken, Dr. Hrabowski, we appreciate it. Good luck in retirement. The reality is you're probably going to be busier in retirement than when you were. All over the country. I'm looking forward to it, but y'all go look at UMBC.

When you want to see brilliant black students among people from all over the country. I'm looking forward to it. But y'all go look at UMBC when you want to see brilliant black students among people from all over the world with their heads held high. High achieving. Go to UMBC and be inspired. Be inspired by the vision. Thank you. Doc, I appreciate it. Congratulations on 30

great years. Keep hope alive, brother. Keep hope alive. Proud of you. There goes an alpha man. All right. Take care. Tell your wife hello. All right, folks. Time for HBCU Connect. Yesterday we were in Birmingham for the SWAC Media Day. We caught up with John Grant, who is executive director of the Celebration Bowl. We talked about what ESPN, how they're expanding their footprint with HBCU football on their digital platform. Here's our chat.

Glad to be here. As I said, John Grant with ESPN, one of their executives. Y'all remember we chatted with John at the MeXWAC Challenge, the Celebration Bowl as well. Man, how you doing? I'm wonderful, Roland. How are you doing? Doing good, doing good. What do you think about today?

Good day. Being able to chat with the players and the coaches. And a lot of folks, a team that didn't do well last year, got chips on their shoulder. They're ready to get out there and do it again this year. You got Coach Sanderson. They're going to dominate everybody. But you've got some of the other coaches like, yeah, we'll see. So with this whole HBCU experience, and I know you've been engaged with it,

you've been talking about it for some time. What do you think, Roland, with what you've seen here today and the growth that you're witnessing around how HBCU properties are being presented? Well, I think the thing that I constantly talk about on my show, it is important for the HBCUs, for the conference, to understand what their value is. The fact of the matter is, anybody who studies any of the research knows that African-Americans, we watch TV more than anybody else. And so the reality is, our eyeballs are driving all sorts of different things. And so it's important for these schools and for Congress to get maximum values. Everything is about monetization. We always hear these phrases, you know, in terms of the culture,

the culture. But I've always said other folks have gotten rich off of our culture, not us. And so the key is, you know, how do they do it? And that's one of the things, the deal that y'all have with the SWAC in terms of the partnership and the games. Commissioner McClellan was talking about some of those digital numbers where he said, what, more people were watching on the digital

side than watching on ESPN2 or something along those lines. And so how has that gone for y'all at ESPN? Well, actually I can speak primarily to when I started with ESPN in 2015 to launch the Celebration Bowl. ESPN was televising 32 games linear with the MIAC and the SWAC, 32. This year, we will carry over 150 on both linear and digital. And it also has expanded to include the CIAA and the SIAC. All of that's predicated on the value that was demonstrated through the

Celebration Bowl, through the MEAC SWAC Challenge and moving that to Atlanta and connecting the two together. And, you know, so that is just the beginning. And of course, the expansion of our digital platforms allows us to carry a lot more content because linear, as you well know, there's a defined amount of space in linear. And so that's what we're continuing to do and continue to drive that. The key thing, Roland, going back to a point you made, is educating ourselves. How do you utilize the value of television, first and foremost? And my comments to presidents and athletic directors when they play in our game, my first question is,

what is your plan? You're about to have over 3 million viewers. What's your strategy? What are you going to do with that? And so the suggestions we give is, first, you shouldn't sleep any of this weekend. You should be meeting with your marketing people, your institutional advancement people, your admission folks, so that on Monday morning, you've already sending out a letter that says, you know, what a great day I went to A&T, what a great day to be an Aggie, and talk about the excitement of having been on the tour,

and then list three things that you want to accomplish for the institution, and then ask for their help. I can tell you without question, everyone that has done that, that's been a part of what we've done, have seen the results. South Carolina State this year, meeting with their president, they got record enrollment coming in this fall. Fundraising is up fourfold and holding at South Carolina State, which we all know was having some trouble. That is strong, absolutely strong.

And you're seeing the results in those who are watching, who are watching the bowl game compared to all of the bowl games out there. Correct. Let me give you some fact around that. There were 39 bowl games played last year. Total live audience, Celebration Bowl was number 11 out of 39. Now let's take out the New Year's Six and the championship because we know they're going to be bigger.

That brings it to 32 games. But it also takes the Celebration Bowl to number four in total live audience of all bowl games. So our responsibility, mine is, inside of ESPN, is to advocate the value of that. How do we then expand what we do across the network, but also to work with our partners to help them understand, whether it's the conferences, university presidents, athletic directors, that there is a strategy to this, and it's not new.

And for the conference to extract necessary dollars out of it because ESPN benefits from it, advertising-wise, and those eyeballs. Absolutely. And that's why it's important for all of us, yourself, everyone who is, and you've done a great job in advocating. That advocacy matters because we have to help people understand. There's nothing wrong with when you don't know something. And we can't get mad when someone doesn't know. What we have to do is help to understand.

But it really also is going to come down to economics. At the end of the day, the bottom line is going to be what are the economics. And when we learn that, and we are, you've got new presidents, you've got new athletic directors, you've got new people, and people like you who continue to advocate that. And then we have to show them the importance of it. And we're seeing it happen. We're seeing it happen across the board. Absolutely. So it has been a big change.

Next Black Challenge, when is it this year? Excellent question. We're excited. Rolling August the 27th. August 27th, we kick off at 7 o'clock p.m. on ESPN. You know, last year's game was the second most watched FCS game, regular season, on record. Wow. On record.

All-Corn State and North Carolina Central. And around that, we had another 4. six million people in wraparound programming. First take. Good morning, America. College game day. So you had a total of about eight, almost eight million people that watched the game and the surrounding programming promoting HBCU platforms. And this year, you, Commissioner McLovin, asked me last year, how are you going to top this? Well, my response is just hold on. Because this year, we're welcoming people to Wakanda.

Black Panther 2 opens in theaters on November the 11th. Well, we all know that Atlanta is Wakanda. Number one travel destination for African-Americans, Silicon Valley of the South, Hollywood of the South, one of the media capitals in the country. And so we're going to use the opportunity with the release of the film to do some really special things that Universal Studios and Marvel and Disney are bringing to the table for us. So it's going to be something you really don't want to miss this year. So who are the two teams playing? It's Howard University, which makes it special. Chadwick Boseman, who we lost August the 28th, 2020.

During COVID, we never got an opportunity to celebrate his life. And Alabama State. So we got the Hornets and the Bison. You know, one quick fact I just learned, 85% of Howard's band are female. 85%. So we got an 85% female band going up against one of the best in the country with Alabama State. Well, we're looking forward to it.

Of course, we were there last year with Coca-Cola. Going to have a back. So looking forward to being down there, showcasing what's going on down there and doing some great content. Man, let me tell you, I appreciate you. I really do. I mean, because you're doing great work and keeping this in the forefront in an authentic way.

I mean, sometimes you've got to tell us what tell us the truth, whether we like it or not, if it's the truth. And you do that well, you know, in your your unfiltered program. And I want to thank you for that because it pushes us. It pushes us to make sure we are raising the bar. Look, we appreciate it. Glad to be here. Look forward to, of course, this season again. Me and Swag Challenge will be at the Bayou Classic and, of course, at a Celebration Bowl as well. And so this year, my plan, not to get COVID at the Celebration Bowl.

I tested positive last year. It was not a fun experience. It was fun, but it wasn't fun. But hopefully we'll be COVID free this year so I can actually enjoy the week as opposed to those chills and fever last time. Well, I'm going to say to people that are watching, he did not catch it at the Celebration Bowl. No, I did not. I got in Hawaii. I got in Hawaii and i tested positive that saturday and so yeah i wasn't at the game i went back to the air me and me went to sleep well we appreciate you looking all right with you i appreciate it thanks a bunch all right look forward to it all right folks um we appreciate that and so um look forward to uh of course uh

being uh at the mix by Challenge next month in Atlanta. All right, y'all. It's time. I told you all we've been working on my book, White Fear. Last week, I recorded the Audible version of that. I got to go in and do some finish up, some other pieces to it. And so when I was in Birmingham, they sent me books. And so my wife hit me up. She's like, hey, what's the two boxes? I'm like, I don't know, open it up. And so I said, well,

I'll just open it when I get there. And so let me go ahead and do this here. I told you I was going to give y'all the first look. I was going to drop a video on social, but I'm like, nah, we'll go ahead and do this thing on the air. And so we've been talking about it. I have been, you know, the concept, I've been talking about this stuff on television since 2009. And so now we get to have our first look at the book. And so let me, I ain't trying to see anything, slice my hand. And so, here we go, folks. And so, I'm always making sure y'all get the first look here. And so, this right here, y'all, is the first look of the book, White Fear.

Worked on it with writer Leah Lakins. And so, we had a good time with the book. And so, this is it right here. I've got on the back of the book, Let's see here. Which camera? Right there. Okay. All right. One, six. All right. That's the book. That's the cover right there. We've got, of course, blurbs on the back from Reverend Dr. William Barber, Jane Elliott, Tim Wise, my girl Angela Rod, Tiffany Cross. That's on the back as well. And so again, white fear, how the brownie of America is making white folks lose their minds. And so Dr. Cornel West, he has the, of course, the blurb on the front.

Roland Martin is one of the great journalists of our time. This book is another great example of his brilliance and courage. My alpha brother, Alpha Michael, Dr. Cornell West. And so that's how we do it. And so folks, the book is available for pre-sale. Our goal, our target goal, the book drops September 13th. Target goal is for us to move, I want 25,000 copies. And so what happens is all the books that we pre-sale

and then once we go live September 13th, that's where they sort of tabulate them all and then lay out. So let's hit the bestsellers list. So go ahead and show it. These are all the places you can actually buy the book. Available for pre-order. Ben Bella Books, they have a publisher. So you can go to their website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Bookshop, Chapters. I think Chapters is in Canada. And so Chapters is in Canada. So my friends in Canada, BAM, Books A Million, and also Target. So you can pre-order the book there as well. And so we're going to push it out on all of our social media platforms. I look forward to traveling all around the country, signing copies

of the book, having conversations, because, you know, as things happen every single day, you know, the book sort of, we kept getting pushed, because every time something would happen, and white folks would do some crazy stuff, well, guess what? It would just show that I kept, and I would email the publisher saying, look, y'all, white people are going to keep doing crazy stuff. And so at some point, we're going to publish this book. And so it actually happened. And so again, thing after thing after thing kept happening. Now, I'm just going to use center shot.

Kept happening. And that's exactly what went down. And so I look forward to hitting the city. Matt, my bad. There are no pictures in it. Since the A&M grad. I'm going to buy it, brother. Congratulations.

There are no pictures in it. There are none whatsoever. And first of all, Matt, you know what? Let me go ahead and just say this right now. See, Matt had the audacity to keep. See, I wasn't going to go there. But Matt had the audacity to keep talking see I wasn't gonna go there, but Matt had the audacity to keep talking about A&M's agriculture history.

Do I need to remind you about your agriculture history? Please elucidate me, brother. Yeah, okay, I thought so. So you don't want me to go ahead and do that, but you know doggone well, Matt, you know you're a country boy, grew up on a farm, so stop even fronting acting like you from the city. Don't even fronting. Come on, bro, you're reaching. Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, where you from're a country boy. I grew up on a farm. So stop even fronting acting like you from the city. Don't even fronting.

Come on, bro. Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, where you from? Where you from? I'm from Austin. I tell you that every time I'm on the show. Right, right, right, right. It's called a hill country. Yeah, well, I didn't grow up in a hill country.

Yeah, uh-huh. Where'd you grow up? I grew up in the city. Let's not worry about that. Yeah, you know dog on well. Way out at College Station with all them dogs. Come on, now. Come on, now. Come on, now. You know Doggone

Well ain't nothing in Austin. Black and burnt orange only work together on Halloween. That's it. But you know it. But it's alright. It's alright. But you from the hill country. That means your ass country. Whatever you tell yourself. Whatever you tell yourself.

I know where that's from. You're from the city. I love when they say they're from the city. Boy, you're from the country. I'm from Houston. That's the city. Here we go. Austin, y'all are silver or Bastrop. You're from the country. Don't do me like that.

Yeah, yeah. You know that's what you hang out in Bastrop. Don't do me like that. Yeah, yeah. Bastrop. Yeah, yeah. You know it. You know that's what you hang out in Bastrop. Don't get me started. I worked in Austin. All right, y'all. So, again, go to these sites.

Pull up again. You can preorder your copy of White Fear, Ben Bella Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Bookshop, Y'all in Canada, Chapters, Book Civilian, and Target as well. And so, man, let's do this thing. We'll push stuff out on social media. And we're also putting together, hopefully we'll have it ready next week, our 60-second commercial spot for White Fear as well. That is it for us.

Kelly, thanks a bunch. Michael, thanks a bunch. Matt, thanks a bunch. And Matt, it's going to be a whole bunch of Hampton people looking for you after the show. Just letting you know. Remember, they're in the control room. They've been cussing for the last 30 minutes in the control room. I'm just letting you know.

I'm just letting you know. I'm just letting you know. You know where to find me. Oh. Matt said he wanted Hampton smoke. I want all of it. I want all of it. You want all of it. Okay. Uh-huh.

Gotcha. All right, y'all. That's it, folks. Tomorrow, we are going to be at the Rock Nation Social Justice Conference in New York City. Now, we told them we'll live stream it. They said they're going to handle it. We don't know. We're going to have our cameras.

We have it anyway. So we hope to have the live stream tomorrow. Again, Wendell Haskins has his Ridge and Tee Golf Classic on Sunday, honoring Alonzo Mourning. We'll be there covering that as well. And on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we are in New York City for the opening, the ribbon cutting of the Jackie Robinson Museum. We covered the groundbreaking a couple of years ago. We'll be there for the

ribbon cutting. So a lot of things happening. Folks, I want y'all to support us in what we do. The work that we do is about showcasing African-Americans, the great things that happen. Look, we're about covering the news. Some folks spend all their time talking about it, but no, we are completely about being about it. And so this is where we are. And so folks, we're going to keep making this thing happen and keep covering each of that banner to Black America. Please support us in the Black Star Network. All the names that you're seeing right now, people who are paid members are bringing the funk fan club. You can also get your name on that list by sending a check money order

to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. That's Cash App, dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal's RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo's RM Unfiltered. Zelle's Roland at RolandSMartin.com. If you don't see your name on there, just send us an email and we'll get it done. And then y'all be like, yo, man, you're scrolling too fast. Well, all you got to do is just pause it, you know, just record it and pause it,

and then you'll see your name. Alright, that's it. Folks, I'll see y'all on Monday right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Holla! Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă. Martin! Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! Thank you. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! Thank you. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! This is an iHeart Podcast.