#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Jelani Day Drowned?, Texas Redistricting Lawsuit, Judge rules victims were "rioters"

Episode Date: October 27, 2021

10.26.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Hundreds of people joined Jelani Day's mother in Illinois, demanding answers on how her son died.  The corner says his death was caused by drowning, but his family believes something sinister happened. A Wisconsin judge rules defense attorneys can call the men shot by a white man 'rioters,' 'looters,' or 'arsonists' at trial, but no one can refer to them as victims. A federal lawsuit filed in Texas wants to overturn the state's GOP-drawn redistricting map for Congress. We'll have the President & CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Melanie Campbell, talk about voting rights. The clemency for death row inmate Julius Jones has been postponed until a judge can decide if Jones can be added back to a lawsuit about execution methods. We'll take a look at a survey that says 911 dispatchers are not prepared to handle calls dealing with behavioral health crises. #RolandMartinUnfiltered partners:Nissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPAmazon | Get 2-hour grocery delivery, set up you Amazon Day deliveries, watch Amazon Originals with Prime Video and save up to 80% on meds with Amazon Prime 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ArwxEh+ Don’t miss Epic Daily Deals that rival Black Friday blockbuster sales 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iP9zkvBuick | It's ALL about you! The 2022 Envision has more than enough style, power and technology to make every day an occasion. 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iJ6ouPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Thank you. It's Tuesday, October 26th. I'm Dr. Avis, sitting in for Roland Martin. Here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Hundreds of people joined Jelani Day's mother in Illinois' demanding answer on how her son died. The coroner said his death was caused by drowning, but his family believes something sinister happened.

A Wisconsin judge rules defense attorneys can call the man shot by a white man rioter, looters, or arsonists at trial, but no one can refer to them as victims. A federal lawsuit filed in Texas wants to overturn the state's GOP-drawn redistricting map for Congress. We'll have the president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation,

Melanie Campbell, to talk about voting rights. The clemency for death row inmate Julius Jones has been postponed until a judge can decide if Jones can be added back to a lawsuit about execution methods. We'll take a look at a survey that says 911 dispatchers are not prepared to handle calls dealing with behavioral health crises. We have all of that and more. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got it, whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling, best belief he's knowing.

Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks, he's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. Yeah, yeah. It's Rolling Martin, yeah It's Uncle Roro, yo Yeah, yeah It's Rollin' Marten Yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah

He's broke, he's fresh, he's real the best You know he's Rollin' Marten Now So it's official. The LaSalle County, Illinois' coroner concluded drowning was Jelani Day's cause of death. But his family disagrees. How they said where the body was found, where they said the clothes were found, where they said the clothes were found, where they said the wallet was found,

where they said the lanyard was found. None of these are in a proper distance. None of these would be anything that Jelani would have purposely drove his car to, took off his license plate, not have his phone, throw away his keys, take off his clothes, and go into a river.

Jelani wouldn't have done that at all. So since this is what they have tried to put in black and white imprint to get you to believe, see it with your own eyes, right? See it with your own eyes. See it with your own eyes and think that what you believe that somebody would come and says would even come all the way to Peru to do something to themselves. So see it with your own eyes.

See why I'm so adamant about finding out what happened to my son. If I thought that anything that Jelani would have did something to himself, I can accept those things. But my son, he loved life yes he had goals and aspirations he believed in god he had a strong christian background he wouldn't dare did anything to himself never never so once again i thank you all for being here i thank you all for watching with us for justice just please please please help me find justice. That's all I'm asking. Family members, friends, and civil rights activists, including Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.,

marched for justice for Jelani Day today. Day went missing in August and was found in the Illinois River over a month later. The report puzzled the Day family, who says he was an avid swimmer and swim team member in high school. The family is pleading with law enforcement to find out what happened to Jelani. Now to our panel. Teresa Lundy, principal founder of TML Communications. Mustafa Santiago, advisor to the Environmental Justice Organization at the EPA. As well as, can we, Kelly? Bathia. Bathia?

Can we pause that for a second, please? I'm sorry. There we go. Kelly Bathia, communications strategist. All righty. With that said, let's move on. All right. So what are your thoughts, you guys, about the Jelani case here? I mean, it does seem strange. He went missing. All of these strange things are coming up with regards to how he was found. But according to the coroner, this was just a drowning, nothing to see here. Let's start with you, Mustafa. What do you think is going on here? Well, I think it's strange to begin with, just as

the mother had called out. You know, Jelani was a graduate student. He had everything going for himself. And for those who have ever studied, you know, the things that happen around suicides, because that's, I guess, what they're trying to say that it was, you know, all these different steps that were taken as the mother shared with folks, you know, removal of license plates. You don't hear of folks doing that, you know, of taking all your clothes off, of a number of the other things that were detailed. So there's definitely more to the story that's going on. And we know that in relationship to black and brown individuals, when they disappear, that in many instances, you know, law enforcement will quickly move to kind of shut the case down. So I'm not saying that that's completely what's going on here, but I am saying that there are a number of pieces that just don't add up.

Absolutely. I think that's fair to say at minimum. Your thoughts on it, Teresa. Yeah, absolutely. I agree with Mustafa. I think there is some really critical issues here, one with understanding some of the nuances that are happening with the investigation, not knowing. I think the family obviously needs clarity. But I think there's more so a bigger issue here as it comes with the amount of communication that is given to the public. I think, you know, I've read probably about four articles where there just seems like there's a whole bunch of confusion. And usually when it starts getting to the public atmosphere in terms of communication, that's when you start to see, you know, some real divide that's really happening on the inside.

So we'll see. Absolutely. And what are your thoughts about his poor mother and what she must be going through right now? Kelly, you know, can you even imagine being in her shoes? I really couldn't imagine being in her shoes at this moment, especially since the way in which we found out about Jelani Day was through a young white girl by the name of Gabby Petito, I believe her last name was. The fact that he was the example of how black and brown people go missing every single day under even more suspicious circumstances, and yet a white girl gets, you know, all the media attention, all the law enforcement backup. They are going, you know, thoroughly combing through that case thoroughly.

And yet Jelani Day's case, which is under the most suspicious circumstances I've heard of in a long time, gets virtually no media attention. It is only by way of missing white woman syndrome that we're paying attention to a black man. And I can only imagine how frustrating and hurtful and insulting that is to Jelani Day's mom, considering the fact that he, like by all accounts, was brilliant. He was accountable for his actions.

And under no circumstances would he have done this to himself. And I've said this on the show before, but, you know, allegedly, on its face, it does seem like a modern-day lynching, just by way of how the circumstances and the evidence that we have seen thus far have been laid out. So, I mean, my heart goes out to Jelani Day's mother, and I really do hope she finds justice regarding what happened to her son. Absolutely. It is just unimaginable to put any family through this. And as you rightly say, what's particularly disturbing is that, you know, unfortunately, we don't want anyone to go missing. But it certainly is unfair that when white women go missing, it seems as if the world comes to an end. But when black people, black men and black women go missing, it is just something that hardly gets any media

coverage at all. And so we certainly hope that the family receives true justice with this specific sad case. A Wisconsin judge says that Kyle Rittenhouse's defense lawyers can call the men he shot and killed looters, rioters, and arsonists during next week's trial. Judge Bruce Schroeder has already ruled prosecutors could call the three slain men victims. The Illinois teens shot three people, killing two of them, during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha in August 2020. Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges, including homicide.

The trial starts on Monday. Now, this is what is particularly interesting to me about this case. You all remember when this was happening and this was part of the whole Black Lives Matter group of protests across the country. Yet, when this individual

went across state lines with a gun, which in and of itself is illegal, and then shot and killed people in cold blood, what we saw was, in essence, a lot of his supporters rally around him and protect him. You know, what do you think are the chances that at the end of the day,

we will really see justice in this case, or is he gonna continue to be handled with kid gloves? Your thoughts on that. I'll start with you, Teresa. Well, I'm really not sure. And I think partially it was because, again, I just think there are a lot of factors, and I think it does start in the criminal justice system. So if there's some issues probably going on with the district attorney's office, something that could be going on with the police department, I'm not really sure where they likely will be going in this case. But I mean, hopes, keeping hopes alive for this one. Absolutely. And Kelly, the fact that, you know, you can call the people

who he, in essence, terrorized looters, rioters. It's very interesting how they are already, it seems to me, setting him up to be some sort of hero. I mean, but it's almost expected at this point, especially considering the jurisdiction in which he was arrested and the jurisdiction in which he committed this heinous crime, you know, when you talk about people who are protesting because their lives are at risk, because their lives are in danger solely because of the color of their skin and because law enforcement sees their skin as a threat,

it is frustrating to me at the very least that you have a white man with a gun basically being a vigilante for no reason in a jurisdiction in which is historically racist. So the other point that I would want to make is that when we protest for our lives, either, you know, ethically or not, by way of, you know, property being damaged, at least it's not a body being damaged. You know what I mean? When you have sports teams who win or lose,

you don't hear them being called looters or rioters or anything like that. You hear them being called passionate fans or something of that nature. But when something as important as your life is on the line and we are protesting regarding that, all of a sudden we're looters. So, I mean, I don't know what to say in this case. I hope he gets justice. But, you know, my faith in the justice system in this regard is low. You know, those are really great points. And when you think about the fact that on the one hand, you have individuals, as you

so eloquently stated, fighting for their lives, in essence, being called looters, rioters, everything else that you can name negative under the book. It's interesting, isn't it, Mustafa, that when people are now reflecting and trying to rewrite history as it relates to the looters, the rioters that participated in the January 6th insurrection, we have a complete rewriting of history and a failure to actually sort of really move forward in any strong way to hold people to account in terms of justice. What do you think would have happened if, for example, a black person showed up at that particular event,

even before they went to the Capitol and killed a couple of people? Do you think that he would be getting the same sort of treatment as Rittenhouse is receiving right now? More than likely they'd been shot down in the street. If we're gonna have an honest conversation about the disparities that exist

in the way that enforcement happens and policing happens. And now we're seeing even these disparities in the judicial system. I mean, for that judge to create this prejudicial set of actions in place, where you're saying that the individuals who were shot by Rittenhouse were, you know, rioters and looters,

that also creates a very high bar for the folks who are trying to prosecute him. I wonder how the judge would feel, and I'm pretty sure I know what his response or her response would be if we labeled Rittenhouse as a murderer. And that was being injected into the jurors and into, you know, into the mainstream media. So we're supposed to, you know, not be biased in relationship to the law, even though we know that that's not the case and that's not true. these types of requirements and framing of language that makes it extremely difficult for there to be, you know, a real evaluation of what happened in that moment. So we'll see how it all plays out. But we know there's a double standard and we always have to just be able to navigate that. That is so true. And Teresa, you know, Mustafa brings up this point about language.

You know, I could argue that the people who he murdered were patriots. I could make that argument. I think I make a very strong argument about people who are fighting to save not only their lives, but other people's lives in a way to sort of combat injustice is a patriotic act. Yet we continue to hear actual thugs, actual attempted murderers and murderers, because people died on January 6th. Let's just be clear about that.

And individuals who were trying to take away your right to vote by overturning the election. Somehow things have been twisted where we have people in this country calling them patriots. Could you speak a little bit to, you know, sort of what this sort of bizarro world of language is doing to us as a nation when it comes to really being able to fight for justice right in front of our faces in instances like this where lives were lost?

Absolutely. I think we are currently in a state of insanity, really, but more so as it relates to January 6th, we have found ourselves calling people who decided to cause that insurrection at the Capitol murderers, well, patriots who are now murderers. And it's been a complete flip. And it's very interesting as we really start to talk about the power of language and also the power of using our voices and allowing it to make sure it resonates where it's where it's seen fit. There are some opportunities that I think within those who are in position and leadership, especially this case with the judge.

And the judge ultimately, again, used the language that I believe he felt in his heart. And thus, you know, especially with judges, they're very careful with how they deliver a verdict because, again, it's a wrecker. And so I think when we start to look at some of these conversations and some of these nuanced mediums and different perspectives, we have to also think critically about how we're singing and where it's going and who the audience is, because it could lead to a lot of destruction. But I think that's essentially what we're seeing now is just complete opposite where it's working in people's favor. So for those who don't want to be called murderers, but they want to be called patriots, they are essentially wielding their power

in order to see that specific thing done. Indeed. With that, we're going to go for a break and we will be right back. НАПРЯИЧНАЯ МУЗЫКА Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become Bear Hug Betty. Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, where you going?

Ha, ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha ha ha, yeah. Hey, I'm Antonique Smith. What up? Lana Well, and you are watching Rolling Martin Unfiltered. Texas Latino voting rights organizations file a federal lawsuit claiming the approved redistricting map diminishes the power of black and Latino voters. Governor Greg Abbott and Secretary of State Ruth Hughes

are named in the suit and are accused of creating the new maps to give whites most of the voting power and to provide that to Republicans as well. The lawsuit demands a new map be created to include two major Latino districts in South and West Texas from the border region north to Bexar County and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Improves the voting strength of Latinos

in Congressional District 23, which stretches along the border with Mexico from San Antonio to just east of El Paso. Adds a majority Latino or majority Black Latino district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, creates another majority Latino or majority Black Latino district in the Houston area. Texas is just one of many states battling GOP-favored redistricting maps and stricter voting laws. Joining me now is the president and CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, Melanie Campbell.

How are you doing there, Melanie? Great. Great, sister. Glad to see you on the screen. Well, wonderful to see you, sister. I'm telling you, you are here, there, and everywhere fighting for our rights. I just want to thank you for all that you're doing, first of all. Thank you.

Now, this is the time to fight, is it not? Have you seen, I know you've been in this fight forever, you've been fighting for justice for many, many years, but in your history as an activist, have you seen the voting rights of black people under more stringent attack in the modern era than what we're experiencing right now? Not in the decades I've been out here, no. Yes, there's always been an attack on our voting rights, but it's so many layers and so many states at one time that have decided that holding on to power by any means necessary means the total annihilation of what voting rights is in this country. And so that's why we need the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. That's why we need the Freedom to Vote Act. That's why we're going to continue to protest,

as you well know, and keep pushing. And that's why we need a filibuster, carve out reform or whatever needs to happen, end it, amend it, so that voting rights can be passed on a federal level. Otherwise, what you see happening in Texas, also, you know, you have two congressional black caucus members whose right now, the way the lines have been drawn, at least the early maps, also pit them against each other. That's Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Al Green. When the population growth in Texas is because of more black and brown people. So really, at the end of the day, there should be districts that do expand for the opportunity for black and brown people to be elected in the state of Texas. But what you have are partisan gains that are just out of control. It certainly is out of control. And it's a very dire moment. You mentioned

that now is the time to have some sort of filibuster carve out, get rid of the filibuster, do something with it, because clearly how many times do the Republicans need to show us that they aren't willing to do anything to expand voting rights? In fact, they're trying to do everything that they can to suppress it with all of their might. What are your thoughts about the latest statement by President Biden, where he was at least now beginning to signal that he may be open to having some sort of movement, at least as it relates to a carve out specifically on this constitutional issue. Do you have faith in him that something like we're going to see some movement in this soon as it relates to this bill in the Senate? Well, I think it's moving in the right direction. Is it enough? No. What has to happen, it reminds me the

way that the, and I'm just being factual, not partisan, as far as where I stand, but the reality is it reminds me of how President Obama was treated by some of these same people and some of the newer ones that have come along since then. And that's, we're not, we're going to make sure that you fail, more so than getting anything for the people that voted even for them. And so you have that kind of a mentality that is very determined. And so the only way around that is to, what, the power you do have to maximize that power while you have it. Historically, the pendulum always swings. Whoever's in the White House, usually a lot of times the Congress changes. So while the 117th Congress is in place,

they need to find a way to get those who will hold out to find a way to get them to do the right thing at the end of the day. Indeed. And the Democrats will not win. This is factual, not partisan, without voting rights being passed in this country, reformed in this country. It won't happen. Yeah, that's not partisan. That's facts.

That's math, actually, if you ask me. So, you know, when you are thinking about the dire need of this for just plain democracy, and as you mentioned, just out of mere self-interest, honestly, if the Democrats were just thinking logically, they would know that this is absolutely necessary for them to have a chance moving forward. But, you know, many would say that there doesn't seem to be there doesn't seem to be any urgency or at least there's a lack of urgency. Let me put it that way. It seems when dealing with this issue, it's been pushed down the road. The can has been kicked down the road several times.

Here we are a month later after state after state after state has already passed lots of laws that are restricting opportunities for the ballot, specifically targeting the black community. And here we are again, still struggling to get this across the finish line. Do you believe that the Democratic Party, quite frankly, is taking this seriously enough, not just for their own interest in terms of the party itself, but as the only political party that it seems is out there right now that even gives a damn about democracy? I think there's more that has to be done.

I think that the administration must do more. It was good to hear the president even bring up the filibuster, the need for some kind of filibuster changes so that they can govern. At the end of the day, people elected this administration to be able to govern, which for the last four years prior, it was not a governing body. It was just a whatever it was. Another Medicaid disaster? Right. So they can do more. Use every tool in your toolbox. Go to call a session. Have Nancy Pelosi invite you over, Speaker Pelosi, and speak to the on and also get out there in the community, but push, push, push. You're the head of the party, so you got to find a way to get this party to come together

to get voting rights passed and other kinds of issues around justice that have been put by the wayside. We voted, Avis, you well know, we black women, we voted in record numbers along with others, and we know what we voted for. We voted because we wanted to see this administration and this Congress to deal with racial injustice in this country. And so we need to see that happen. And if it does not happen, the reality is the way these laws are being put on the books, it's not just the old-fashioned way we've seen in recent history with IDs and things like that.

We find a way to organize around some of those things, even though it still took away too many people's votes. But you can't organize your way when somebody is saying, well, we're going to change the rules about who controls the local boards of elections, which means you're going to control who counts the vote. Or if you don't like the results, then you're all in the state legislatures can change the rules and override. So this is setting up for not just the immediate, but for the long haul. And so without federal intervention, without legislative, a legislative agreement, we don't have a Supreme Court. That's why, you know, with the Black Women and Allies actions, we've been out here, Avis, for three months and longer. Many of our organizations, not just ours, have been out here fighting for voting rights and trying to connect the dots for people to understand the sense of urgency that we all should have. This democracy is in a really precarious moment.

And without voting rights, we can look and find ourselves in an autocracy or one-party rule and everyone else be down at the end of the day. Absolutely. So I'm going to let my panel ask questions that I'm sure they have on their mind at the moment. And I'll start with Mustafa. Do you have any questions for Melanie about all the hard work she's doing to protect our voting rights? Well, Melanie, thank you for everything that you do.

You know how much I love and respect you. Yeah, come on. You can't go to jail with us, man. Come on. Come on. I'll take this suit off. I'm right there with you. You know, what I see going on, Melanie, is that this has been a long-term strategy

by the Republicans, Heritage Foundation, the Koch brothers, so forth and so on. And what they're setting up is sort of an apartheid-esque system where they know that black and brown people will be the majority, but yet they want to hold on to power. How do we help our people to better understand that these are not things that are just happening, that there's real strategy behind them and be able to get our people engaged in the counter strategy to make sure we're doing things that benefit our community? I think that what has happened over the summer, the summer of activism, like I said, not just with what we did with the Black Lives Matter table, National Council of Negro Women, but what others did over the summer, what Black Voters Matter did over the summer, what Reverend Barber and all of us just really engaging our communities.

And I think people showed up, right, in that National Action Network, many, many others, Roland Martin being on the road. I think that helped to keep the issue on the forefront, because part of what was happening after the For the People Act, first time when you couldn't get 10 Republicans just to vote for a discussion, let alone a vote, back in late, I think late June, early July, it was on the sidelines. They put it on the back burner.

And so we had to all get out there. And we have to take it to another level at this point to really push. And I think the only way, based on what's been happening with these votes not moving, we're going to have to really all fight even harder and get our people and others, because it's not a black issue. It's a democracy issue. We know we, as black and brown people in this country, are more impacted because of the history of how racism shows its head, even in the voting, with how we're able to vote, but it's going to take all of us continuing and pushing

and demanding. When they say power concedes nothing without demand, that is real. And so I think that's what we have to keep doing and just get our folks to show up and make their demands along with us that this has to happen. There is no

alternative solution to our right to vote. The alternative means that we are going to allow ourselves to be marginalized, and that means our children's and our children's children's future is at stake because we won't have the ability to be elected people, and also politics impacts every aspect of our lives from birth to death, whether we want it to or not. Absolutely. Teresa. Yes. Thank you so much for your work. I'm always interested on how other organizations and grassroots individuals can help in your efforts. So is it letters? Is it, you know, making calls?

Please let us know what we can do outside of Texas. Texas is rough. I'm a Floridian too, so it's always crazy just going on in Florida and Texas, right? I will say this. If you go, if folks out there will go to blackwomentakeaction.org, blackwomentakeaction.org, we will plug people in to what we're doing. But folks need to call their U.S. senators.

If you're in West Virginia or Arizona, call those senators, Senators Manchin and Senator Sinema. But there are others, too. Find out where your senator stands on voting rights, where they stand on the filibuster, because I don't think it's just those two that have been holding it, holding it back to make necessary changes. We have three branches of government, And so far, nothing has happened. We've had these issues really since 2013 with Shelby versus Holder, when we first had the hard impact against our voting rights. But what's happened since the 2020 election that had one of the largest turnouts in history in the middle of a pandemic

is that there's a backlash to this. I think part of the backlash could be, I don't have any written data yet. Avis will help me get that done soon, right, Dr. Avis? But I think part of the backlash is having a Black woman vice president. I don't think we thought about that as much and talked about that, but backlash always happens when there's forward progress for our people. And so the reality and the fact that this country is headed to be a majority, quote-unquote minority population. And so you have people who have this fear that somehow they won't have any power if Black and brown people who will be the majority population

somehow that their future is at stake and they will do anything, including destroy this democracy that they claim to love so much to make sure that there is a hierarchy that keeps white, I believe, white males at the top, a certain white male. Absolutely. And Kelly?

Hi. Again, I echo the sentiments of the rest of the panel. Thank you so much for everything that you do and bringing this to the forefront of everyone's minds because it is very important. I already know the answer to this question, but I want to ask it anyway so that others can really get an understanding for it. But can you explain to the audience exactly how redistricting in this manner is racist? Because a lot of the rationale is, well, I'll just move to another district and my vote will count there or something of that nature. And it's that question is why Republicans and others are doing it in this way, because it is so covert and insidious and under the radar. So if you could explain exactly how this impacts Black and brown people

specifically and what we can do to combat that. Thank you for the question. At the end of the day, when it comes to redistricting, it gets in the sausage making of how you decide who you get to elect at the core. And when people, elected officials are able to draw those districts, right, to decide they're going to pack black people all in one area to make sure that they only can get one black person elected. Whereas if they had it where it was in some kind of orderly fashion, you may end up with two or three black people elected. Because the population is, we're not in one community. We're a quote-unquote integrated society. And so that has been used to minimize the ability for black people to get elected to Congress all the way down to your local school board, right?

So the ability for you to elect, be able to run for office, if you have a lot of black women, especially, are running for office. So how these lines are drawn will determine your ability to have a fair opportunity, called fair representation, right, is what you're looking for. And so historically, we've had to make sure, because you had the Voting Rights Act that had the enforcement that if certain states had to do something called, I hate to get into the weeds, but into something called preclearance, that the Justice Department had the power to review those changes, different types of changes, like redistricting, to make sure that it was a fair opportunity for us to have ability to win,

but also the ability to elect the candidates of our choice so that we're well represented. That doesn't mean just because you're black, you know, it's the only issue, but the ability to be able to do that, people who are from our communities, who understand our communities, who have lived experience, all of that matters. And so this redistricting thing people talk about really does impact our ability to do that. And so that's why we're fighting for the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act to be passed, because it will strengthen the power of the Voting Rights Act once again to monitor and enforce fair representation as one core part of the role that they play.

Right now, it's difficult to do that. Indeed. And I will just say, and I know you can't say it because you are an amazing leader of a nonprofit organization, but I can say whatever the hell I want. Listen, Democratic Party, listen, okay? You seem to be under this notion that you're going to work people, good people, like Melanie Campbell, to an early grave because you don't have the backbone to do what you need to do to pass this legislation.

I find it very insulting and actually racist that you expect Black people to organize their way around this concerted effort that has taken place all across this country to take away rights that our people fought and died for. And I think it's quite privileged of you to say, just organize around it. No, no, no. This is a fight that you have a stake in because you can't win without us. So you need to stop thinking

that you're going to work people, good people like that, all across this country to death to fight for rights that our people have already fought and died for over and over and over again, instead of doing what you need to do with getting your own people in line so that this can be passed as a federal action. Get it together. And any thoughts about that, Melanie? What can we do to really make some movement happen? We've been waiting for months while all these laws have been passed in state

after state after state after state. How can we let those people who claim that they care about democracy do what they know that they need to do more to protect our voting rights and they need to do it now? I think we have to keep challenging them, keep making the demands. And at the end of the day, if it doesn't get done, the reckoning is coming. There is no such thing as out-organizing somebody who can take over local boards of elections. There's just no way around that, right? There's no way around what's happening when a sister asks about redistricting without the ability to make sure that these lines are drawn fairly. And when it comes to the future of the party that gets the

majority of the Black vote, especially Black women's vote, I think you said it, you can count. So, you know, we've lived through a whole lot as a people. My prayer is that we don't have to live through continuously going backwards, but we've survived a lot. And so for me and for many of us and all of us, you know, we're going to keep making those demands. And for those who think they're smarter than everybody else and think that they've figured it out and we're going to, oh, they'll just show up, well, yeah, okay, let's go with that. You show up and then somebody overrides the vote. That's where this is headed. And it's in broad daylight.

In broad daylight. It's not Tuesday. And you can see the impact of indecision by the party in power by the polling numbers in Virginia and New Jersey for these governance races. So those of us who have been around politics a long time know just in general on a good day the pendulum swings back. But if you're not able to show that you all can fully govern, then we're going to see a backwards movement.

Absolutely. We are definitely on the precipice of moving way back, centuries back, if we don't get this right. Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us tonight, Melanie. Thank you, Agus. Talk to you soon. Absolutely. Quick shout out to our sponsors, Amazon and Buick. Go check them out by hitting the link in the description.

Roland Martin Unfiltered will be right back after this break. You're watching the Black Star Network. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Ooh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on.

What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey.

Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you. All of you. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her.

But really, who has time for a prince to come save her but really who has time for that she ordered herself a ladder with prime one day delivery and she was out of there now her hairdressing empire is killing it. And the prince, well, who cares? Prime changes everything. But I'm back at it, and I'm feeling myself. This is Judge Matthews. What's going on, everybody? It's your boy, Mack Wiles, and you are watching

Roland Martin Unfiltered. Zachariah Tyler disappeared from Indianapolis, Indiana on July 30th. Zachariah was driving a 2017 gray Nissan Versa with Indiana plate number ROI 108. He's 5'5", 180 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and he has braces. If anyone has information on Zachariah's whereabouts, call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477. Julius Jones's clemency hearing for Oklahoma's death row inmate, Julius Jones, has been delayed for a week while a federal court legal challenge is pending. The five-member Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board were set to hear Jones' request for clemency this morning. Jones and five other death row inmates want to be put back in a federal lawsuit challenging Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol. A federal district judge rejected the inmates' request, but their attorneys immediately appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Jones is scheduled to die by lethal injection on November 18th.

So a mistrial has been granted in the case of three former Georgia sheriff deputies accused of murdering a black man they had repeatedly shocked with stun guns during a 2017 arrest. Senior Judge H. Phibbs Flanders Jr. granted the defense motions for mistrial on the charges against Henry Lee Copeland, Michael Howell, and Rhett Scott in the death of Uri Martin. The jury foreman informed the court no juror had changed their mind since they began deliberating on Friday. Muwalee Davis, the Martin family attorney, says they are disappointed in the outcome of this case. No word if they will be retried. Jury selection in the trial of three men charged with chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery crawled into its second week.

Last night, Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley deemed the nine additional prospective jurors fair-minded enough to remain in the jury pool. That means 32 total potential jurors have been qualified to advance since jury selection began a week ago. Defendants Gregory and Travis McMillan, McMichael and William Bryan Jr. are charged with murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. The trio chased and killed Arbery on February 23rd, 2020, while he was jogging in a South Georgia neighborhood.

Eric Garner judicial inquiry. A judicial inquiry has begun into the death of Eric Garner. Advocates, including Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, requested the inquiry with hopes of finding out the circumstances surrounding Garner's death in 2014. None of the officers were ever charged with Garner's death. Officer Daniel Pantelio was fired five years later. Authorities say Pantelio used a band chokehold to restrain Garner. Well, and before we go to the break, I just wanna bring the actual panel up to talk about that last case, because the Garner family has been through so much.

And I think about the fact that the only person that went to jail that is in any way related to this case was the person who actually took the video of Garner's murder. You know, what does that tell us about what's supposedly the land of the free and the home of the brave? Kelly, I'll start with you. It tells us that our country is racist as hell. I mean, and that's just kind of the long of the short of it. The fact that, you know, and I'll never have that video out of my mind ever.

The fact that you had someone who, yes, was doing something, you know, illegal, but not to the extent of dying for it. And the cops didn't care. It felt like no one cared until too many people were protesting in the streets about it. And I feel like that's the case with every single black body that has been put in the spotlight regarding death at the hands of law enforcement. Our country is racist and we have a long way to go before we are truly land of the free and home of the brave.

Absolutely. And Mustafa, you know, what are we to make of the fact that, you know, the impact that it makes on the general public to know that the only person that went to jail was the person who took the footage of that murder. What message do you think is being sent when that's the only quote-unquote justice that comes out of this atrocity? Well, it sends a message to don't get involved, to look the other way. You know, W.E.B. Du Bois once shared with us that, uh, a system cannot fail those that it was never meant to protect. So when folks see these types of, uh,

really egregious behaviors that are going on, it-it reinforces that. And that's why so many of us have worked to-to dismantle, um, you know, those aspects of the legal system, of the enforcement system that are not helpful in the 21st century to our communities, and to rebuild that so that it is actually reflective of what the needs are of people inside of their communities. So if we continue to allow these types of things to go on, people lose less and less faith in the system.

And, you know, it's hard right now because most people don't have much faith in it. So when you continue to reinforce that, then it moves people further and further away and it creates all kinds of very negative dynamics. Absolutely. And when you think, Teresa, of where we are now as opposed to where we were then with this particular case, which at that time was famously sort of shared around this notion of I can't breathe, I can't breathe. And we see many years later a very similar occurrence. Right. You know, but with different outcomes, you know, what can we take from that? Is that progress or is it just that we happen to have a black attorney general that in that case that took that case seriously while this case is one that is still searching for justice? I think we actually are seeing progress and part

of it is it might not be as fast as we want it to be. I know it's not for me personally, but we are seeing progress when we start to see attorney generals be in a position and they're starting to make those type of decisions that actually can change the outcome of the case. So that's one instance. I think there are other instances where we're starting to see police reform and commissions and hearings that are being held inside of local municipalities that are saying change does need to happen. We weren't getting that before. We weren't getting anyone saying we want to hold somebody accountable. We weren't taking the necessary actions or needs in order to actually find justice. I think there's a lot of areas of probably change that

actually needs to happen in order for us to see it move swiftly. But I am encouraged by, again, the educators, the advocates, the organizations, and essentially some of these nuanced lawmakers who are saying enough is enough. And those who are currently lawmakers who have been in positions for over 10 and 20 years who are now utilizing their platforms and utilizing their voice a little bit more than just staying on the sidelines. So progress is happening. It's just not happening as fast as we wanted to. Well, I think that's a good point. But Kelly, what do you think about what's going on right down the street from us in terms of, we thought we were gonna get a Justice in Policing Act passed, it was sort of dangled in front of us there for a few months only to have it all fall apart at the end.

Where's the hope in that? I wanna be optimistic, but I'm a little pertur know, where's the hope in that? I want to be optimistic, but I'm a little perturbed. Let's just say that. I mean, I don't want to think of myself as a pessimist, but realistically, this has been incredibly discouraging. The fact that as Black women and Black people who have voted for Biden, we put our hope in the fact that these bills are going to get passed on our behalf. We put hope in the fact that things were going to change for our benefit and in the right direction. And it just feels like everything that we went through with Trump and the election, insurrection and the like, it was kind of all for naught because it just feels like to me that Biden is appearing weak, considering that we have two senators holding up all the progress in this country, it seems like. Um, I don't want to say that there is no hope, but right now, it-it is fleeting

because there's no one truly standing up for us in the way that we thought we were going to be represented. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And-and just to sort of loop this around to Mustafa, as-as the brother on the panel, you know, you know, obviously, Black women also suffer abuses by the police as well. But we know that there is a special target that seems to be on the back of black men. How does this make you feel to see that over the years,

we've continued to see this injustice time after time after time after time? We can't even get an anti-lynching bill passed in this country, much less this issue of justice in policing. What needs to happen to actually bring police departments in line so that they will stop this all-out assault against the Black body? Well, you know, we got to really actually implement the strategy. And that means that, yes, there is a senator from West Virginia

and a senator also from Arizona who've been slowing down, or actually stopping, much of this. But there are also, you know, a handful of folks who call themselves moderate Republicans, who still have not stood up on any of these issues as well. So we have to begin to really take a deeper look at where are they getting their money from. And we have to then work and hold those corporations and others accountable who continue to fund them. We also got to call out the fact that we had a whole bunch of corporations a year ago,

a year and a half ago, who were standing up with their right hand in the air, talking about Black Lives Matter, and that they were down for what was happening inside of our communities. And now we hear a lot of crickets. Mm-hmm. So we've got to make sure that we're holding all of these people accountable. And for me, a lot of it comes back to the economics. You can't seem to get anybody to do the right thing unless you start hitting them in the pocket, unless you start taking away, you know, the resources that they need to be able to go back to their shareholders.

So I think that that is a part of pushing folks on Capitol Hill to do the right thing, pushing folks in the corporate space to do the right thing. And of course, people are going to continue to sue these police departments when these types of actions happen, but that's not going to fully move the needle. There has to be substantive action happening on Capitol Hill, and there has to be a Department of Justice that is going to continue to lean in when we see these types of things happening.

So it is a comprehensive strategy, but it begins with each and every one of us holding, you know, these folks who only understand the dollar being accountable. I completely agree. And Teresa, you know, I think Kelly makes a point that I think a lot of people were thinking that, you know, we went through all of this. We went through hell and high water to get this administration in office. And this is one of those points that we expected to be able to get movement on. And here we are, one of many that we've not seen movement on. I think for a lot of people, that is discouraging.

Do you think that's actually a strategy though, by the Republican Party, in terms of their just all out sort of wall against any movement? Is the ultimate chess game to make people like us so discouraged that between that and all of the voting rights legislation that they're passing in states across the nation, they will not only undermine the black vote, they will suppress the black vote because of sort of a lack of belief in the system. So in both ways, they end up advantaged. Do you think that's really part of a grander strategy? I think that's a very good point to bring up because when we have the fear of doubt,

and that's honestly what we've been seeing probably in the last two years in terms of media, in terms of propaganda, in terms of, you know, misinformation, fake news, that has been the strategy, it seems like, for the last two years is to cast out where, you know, again, we have people who don't already believe in the system. We have poor people in communities of color, black and brown communities are saying, you know, the government assistance just is not working for them. So there has been a lot of issues that I think, again, will also continue to cast out that I think the administration has

been trying to get a handle on. I'm talking about Biden's administration. But I do believe as they try to figure out a grander plan, I think there is room for this bill and many others, at least to come to the forefront. But before, I think there were bills that were just kind of there, but there was no progress. I think at least we saw progress, but I think we've been seeing more and more voices. We've been seeing more advocates. So I'm not sure if their strategy is working because we're seeing a whole nuance of people, nuanced strategies, nuanced organizations, and more funding that is helping these people in their efforts.

But I hope that's not their grander strategy because if it is, I think they already lost their queen. Well, thanks, panel. As usual, you give us much to think about, and I'm hoping that we make some movement on this in some way, shape, or form. Big thanks to Nissan and Amazon for partnering with Roland Martin Unfiltered

and the Black Star Network. You can check them out by hitting the link in the description. Roland Martin Unfiltered will be right back, right here on the Black Star Network. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА I'm sorry. Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Marrier. Food is her love language. And she really loves her grandson.

Like, really loves. Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. Hi, I'm B.B. Winans. Like, really loves. Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. Hi, I'm B.B. Winans. Hey, I'm Donnie Simpson. What's up? I'm Lance Gross, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. President Biden is hopeful his legislation for two major spending bills will pass. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Democrats plan to agree on the spending bill and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill this week. And members of the Congressional Black Caucus are advocating for funding and resources

in the Build Back Better agenda to aid black Americans. Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beattie, said, today is a good day for the Congressional Black Caucus, for the 3rd District, and the nation. Over the past two years, during COVID and the destructive Trump administration, we fought for Black families, and we did not give up. We now have a transformative president

who heard our voices and took action alongside us. We diligently championed three issues and are proud to see their inclusion in this reconciliation package. In the past several weeks alone, I have met with the White House more than five times to demand that black families be prioritized in his final package. This is an important start and it demonstrates progress. We've marched and we've raised our fists throughout our nation's history. Courageous Black Americans and members of the CBC have fought and been arrested and died for progress. We know the stakes have always been high in defense of Black lives. So we pushed hard for HBCU funding, housing vouchers,

and enhanced child tax credit and others. And while voting rights and criminal justice reform were not part of the Build Back Better agenda, we continue to bring these up because these are non-negotiable for the CBC's standpoint. We fought for real issues that are important to real people.

The Congressional Black Caucus remains committed to ensuring Black families have a seat at the table as the sessions conclude. We will continue to work with the president to meet the uniqueness and urgency of this moment. We will not waver in our commitment to Black families across this nation. Democratic leaders are urging progressive and moderate party members to unite to get the bills passed. Panel, where do you think we are with this? Teresa, I'll start with you.

Now, this has been, I think, a lot harder than the Democrats probably anticipated, okay, when they started going down this road, okay? And it seems like it's not even, we can't even blame the Republicans that much for this one. It's a whole lot going on inside the Democratic Party that has been roadblocks. You know, we've been telling we've been hearing we're going to vote, we're going to vote, we're going to vote. And then it hasn't happened. Do you think that something is really going to move forward now in the, you know, in the, in the eighth hour?

Absolutely. You know, as long as there are ticking times on the clock, I do believe there, there is always opportunity, but you look, I was encouraged, you know, by Biden's president, Biden's town hall on CNN and, and many others were, and he seemed very excited. You know, his team, you know, probably, you know, during the special was literally talking about their, you know, ways to get out of this, and it's going to look better, and it's going to be better. So I think I'm very excited. I am wondering if, you know, the next steps like everyone else is, but I am very hopeful because, again, I just don't think that we've come this far to really kind of leave it behind.

So I think it's happening. It's just a matter of time. I hear you. So, Mustafa, you know, there was a little bit of a hiccup when it had to do with the environmental components of this bill. And, you know, what are your thoughts around what's apparently been negotiated out and what's left? Like, is it enough? Do we have enough meat on the bones, per se, in order to address environmental issues when reconciliation comes about? Well, I'm over here rubbing my hands

because I'm trying to figure out exactly how I want to break it down. I mean, it's a good first step. I mean, that's just real talk. You know, there are some foundational elements. This is transformational if it plays out the way that folks hope it plays out. Because when dollars leave the feds and go to the states and the counties and the local governments, you got to make sure that resources are actually making it to the communities that

need them the most. The ones are often unseen and unheard. The Justice 40 initiative, which means 40 percent of the benefits are supposed to go into communities of color who've been carrying the burden. We'll see how that actually plays out. You know, there are dollars that are in there for both child care and elder care, for housing, for education, of course, job creation and addressing the climate crisis. And we've got COP26 coming up. So I'm pretty sure that they're going to get something done so that when President Biden actually gets to Scotland, that he'll be able to talk about many of the things that are going to be necessary for the United States to continue to lead. You know, we see what's going on right now in Benton Harbor, Michigan, which has higher levels of lead in its water than Flint, Michigan did and a number of other locations across our country. So the bipartisan infrastructure bill

dealt with a third of those lead pipes. Now the reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better, is the other two-thirds that are needed to actually make sure that we no longer have that type of lead poisoning happening across our country. So that's why I say that it is a good first step in making sure that our communities are no longer sacrifice zones,

that we're cleaning them up. But for me, Avis, one of the other important parts, um, is that we also got to make sure that these hundreds of billions of dollars... There's trillions of dollars, but there's really hundreds of billions that are actually gonna move. That Black folks and brown folks finally got a chance to start their own businesses in this space.

That the contracting and subcontracting opportunities actually go to our communities, and we make sure that the contracting and subcontracting opportunities actually go to our communities and we make sure that the capacity is there for folks to actually compete for these dollars. If we do that, then I think we're moving in the right direction. And if we are not willing to lean in and make sure that that accountability and intentionality is in place, then we're just doing the same old, same old. I hear you on that. Now, when you think about this, though, Kelly, is the real deadline here not necessarily Scotland,

but the Virginia governor's race or what's going on in terms of politics and the fact that, you know, we've seen President Biden's approval ratings go down, down, down, like he's playing limbo in the past few months. And I think a lot of it harkens back to a point that you raised previously. I think people are just kind of very discouraged with the lack of progress that's happening right now. Do you think that that actually is providing the incentive that's necessary for the two sides of the Democratic Party to come together, to come to some level of agreement so that we can push something across the finish line

before these two upcoming governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey? I think that it's a combination of both the governor's races and the trip to Scotland, right? Because on the national side of things, you want the Democrats to look like they're a united front. Right. But on the international side of things, you want to look like you have your country under control. Unfortunately, neither of those things appear to be true right now because everything is a cluster mess. And it's because of the fact that Biden is so old fashioned in his ways and bless his heart. He thinks that, you know, once Trump was out of office, things would go back to normal as far as cooperation and bipartisanship and et cetera, et cetera. But not to give him credit, but it is kind of his fault in the fact that Trump really redefined political culture in this country and that the gut a voice in politics with the biggest megaphone in the country.

And Biden is trying to go back to normalcy when that has been obliterated. We need to go back to the drawing board as Democrats and really think about what needs to be done, how we need to strategize, how things need to be delivered to the people who voted for you in the first place. And on the international side of things, frankly, he just needs something to make it look like he's got everything under control, because right now it's a mess. It certainly is a mess. And when you think about this, Teresa, in terms of just Democratic strategy, I mean, I think Kelly makes a good point. I don't know whether Biden was just, I don't know, living under some fairytale illusion that, you know, he could go back to his days in the Senate

and bring the parties together as if he wasn't vice president to Barack Obama, where he saw the same obstructionist activity that he's seeing right now. At what point will the Democratic Party stop getting stuck on stupid in terms of this, you know, hope for bipartisanship, which to me, I've described it before, and to me, it's just like Lucy

pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. They fall for it every time and instead understand that when you are in power, you take that power and move. The other side seems to have that down, and we're the only ones wasting time, doing nothing on these, you know, you know, fateful runs trying to get bipartisanship

that never happens. What is it going to take to get the Democratic Party to change its strategy around what it really takes to govern in the modern era? I think the National Democratic Party needs to really start paying attention to some of these elections that are happening in some of these states, because I believe that they start really, and I mean like a real investment into some of these resources that are also helping to, again, build up the agenda of the Democratic Party. And some of those resources could be, you know, the right individual that's running for office. That could be the agenda of that person running for office. But I think stepping in a little bit more than probably just waiting on the latter end of when somebody's

getting elected, I think will also change the outcome of that individual getting in office and doing exactly what's happening now. So I think a different type of approach, even for the if we're again, we're I love chess. I would always, you know, probably again, and I've worked on many campaigns. Right. So local, statewide, and federal, but it just seems that when it comes to getting some of the support, early support, on a candidate that really believes in the values of the Democratic Party, they always, unfortunately, don't get the position that is due to them. So they kind of go to party favorite. So I think they need to get on the page there. If they can do that, maybe a different type of outcome can happen. And we don't have to have these type of conversations where it's holding up budgets

and billions of dollars where it can reinvest and grow our economy. Well, when you're thinking about what's really on the platter now, if this goes through, as you rightfully pointed out, Mustafa, this is a lot of money. This is a lot of money. And if we can be positioned correctly, this could make a big difference in the lives of people all across the country and specifically within the Black community on some of those key issues that the CBC fought for and others. You know, when you think about the opportunity that exists, when this go through, I I'm gonna just be optimistic about it, when it goes through, if you think about the opportunity that exists there,

what needs to be happening right now with, for example, community organizations, small businesses, those elements in our community that could take advantage of an infusion of billions and literally trillions of dollars, you know, what do we need to do now to make sure that we are not left out of the money distribution side of the coin? One, make sure that you're working with the Small Business Administration. If you're thinking about starting your own business, to make sure that you've got everything that you need in place. If you're going to be operating with the federal government, you need to make sure that you have the certifications that are in place and all these other, you know, pieces of the puzzle that don't kind of catch you

up while other people are moving very quickly because they've already had the capacity and had the access to go on. We also got to make sure that you are also getting kind of focused. So if your issue is housing, then you need to understand what the requirements are from HUD around contracting and subcontracting opportunities. If your thing is healthcare, there needs to be conversations and training and learning that's going on through HHS or CDC or one of the other health agencies that are out there. So it really depends on what your area of focus is and making sure that you're in alignment with what those sets of requirements are going to be. And then, of course, also working with your state agencies

to make sure that you got it in place as well. Because here's the reality of the situation, Avis. There are a number of studies that are out there, even when we look at federal contracting and subcontracting opportunities. And when we get past that category of women and minority business owners, and we get down to the minority business owners, we see the number of people who are in that pool shrink considerably, and we got to make sure that we're actually expanding that

to make sure that everybody who has an interest in being in this space has that opportunity. The last part that I'll raise real quickly is on the corporate side of the equation. We know there's going to be, you know, trillions of dollars that are going to move around this new climate economy, but yet less than 2% of the businesses are owned by African-American and Latinx and indigenous folks. So we got to make sure that there's some changes that are happening there. If federal dollars are going to them through public-private partnerships, then they got to change some things that are happening there, if federal dollars are going to them through public-private partnerships,

then they got to change some things that are going on. And if it's just a corporate to your entity relationship, we got to make sure that the right types of criteria are in place so that you have a fair opportunity in that space as well. Completely agree. Great advice there in every respect. So, Pham, please check out our partners, Amazon and Buick. You can hit the link in the description for more information. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We'll be right back. Oh, that spin class was brutal.

Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password?

Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself.

Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision, an SUV built around you. All of you. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her. But really, who has time for that? Let's go.

Feeling myself. I'm feeling myself. She ordered herself a ladder with prime one-day delivery. And she was out of there. I want some hood girls looking back at it I'm spilling myself. She ordered herself a ladder with Prime one day delivery. And she was out of there. Now, her hairdressing empire is killing it. And the prince, well, who cares? Prime changes everything.

What's up, what's up? I'm Dr. Ricky Doolittle, the choir master. Hey, yo, peace, world. What's going on? It's? I'm Dr. Ricky Dillard, the choir master. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. We are one step closer to getting vaccines for children under age 12. The Food and Drug Administration advisors

voted in favor of Pfizer's children's vaccine for those aged 5 to 11. The FDA isn't bound by the panel's recommendation and is expected to make its own decision within days. If the FDA authorizes the kid-sized doses, there's still another step. Next week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide whether to recommend the shots and which youngsters should get them. High-speed chase officer charged in Minneapolis. A Minneapolis police officer faces two felony charges after a crash that killed 40-year-old Leniel Frazier. Officer Brian Cummings is charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicle homicide. Cummings was chasing a stolen vehicle just after midnight on July 6th

when he ran a red light and crashed into Frazier's car. Frazier died of his injuries. The county attorney said the situation did not call for the risks taken. Cummings' first court appearance has not yet been scheduled. Claudette Colvin expungements. The first who refused to give up her seat on Montgomery, Alabama bus Claudette Colvin is now asking for her record to be expunged. Colvin gave up her seat months before Rosa Parks and was charged with assaulting a police officer.

She was placed on probation and wants her record clear. Calvin never received notification her probation was over and has lived in fear of retaliation by police officers since. Let's hope she can get that cleared up. Billions, billions of dollars, experts say that's the price point on the goods currently floating outside of California's largest ports. The supply chain crisis continues as we head into the holiday season. And extreme port congestion has become a major nuisance that won't go away this year. The most glaring evidence of the supply chain crisis is the dozens of container ships floating outside of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, just waiting to be

offloaded. Experts warn that backlogged orders and high shipping numbers may continue into next year, adding that there is no immediate solution for the ongoing crisis. Quick shout out to our sponsors, Nissan and Amazon. Go check them out by hitting this link in the description. Stay with us. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Nå er det en av de flesterelsen av støtdelen. 2. Skruva av støtdelen. Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Marrier. Food is her love language.

And she really loves her grandson. Like, really loves. My name is Charlie Wilson. Hi, I'm Sally Richardson-Whitfield. And I'm Dodger Whitfield. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, unfiltered. A new Pew survey says 9-1-1 dispatchers are ill-prepared to handle behavioral health crises.

The survey highlights the lack of resources these dispatchers have to aid callers suffering from mental health illnesses, drug overdoses, and homelessness. 37 call centers in 27 states responded to the survey. Most call centers do not have a standard training model to help those experiencing a behavioral crisis, and most dispatchers do not have the tools to respond appropriately. Most urban and rural crisis centers surveyed did not have access to a behavioral health clinician. Having trained staff to deal with crises is critical to saving the lives of those in vulnerable states. We have seen many instances where someone dies at the hands of an officer who, in actuality, needed a clinician to assist them with their crises.

Teresa, starting with you, I mean, this is such an important issue. As, you know, we just said, we have seen many instances where someone is facing a mental health crisis, people call the police, and unfortunately the person who needs help ends up getting murdered by the police. How important is it that we find a way to make sure that we are able to address these mental health crises by people who are actually qualified to address those issues? Yeah, we actually had a situation earlier this year right here in Philadelphia where that same exact issue happened. And it was so unfortunate because, again, it's almost like inhumane that people just don't understand that everybody functions different. And so the handling of every person in every situation in any conversation needs to be handled with care. And so for those, again, who are supposed to be suited with the right information, with the right tools that are being

trained, that are receiving pensions, are supposed to be suited and equipped by their districts and their police commissioners. So there has to be some sort of training that happens in order to assist in the behavioral health crisis, because again, we will start seeing more bodies in the ground versus more help. And again, I think as much as we have a 911 call, maybe there is another number. Maybe there is a 511 call that is for emergency behavioral health crisis. So we have to take it as serious as we do when we call 911 for the, you know, any type of crisis, but maybe there needs to be a mental, a nationwide mental health hotline that people can use to help in their, that situation. And, you know, what I found very interesting about the survey, it just seems like no one's getting the help that they need.

There is a dearth of services available in urban areas. There is a dearth of services available in rural areas. I guess maybe the suburban people, maybe they have access to it. I don't know. But that to me sounds like you're talking about most of the country. You know, why do you think, Mustafa, this seems to be an issue where we have just generally failed to make the investments that we need to as a nation in order to make sure that we have the infrastructure that we need to provide services to people who are facing behavioral health crises. Well, we still see mental health issues as taboo, even though we're finally starting to evolve and grow in our country. And we know in our communities, you know, how many times folks often have to, you know, suffer in silence in many instances. In 2019, we had 51 million people in the United States of America who were suffering from mental health-related illnesses. And one in five of those

folks had a serious mental health crisis that was going on. If we know the numbers, then we know that we should be making the investments to make sure that, in these initial sets of encounters, when someone is first picking up that phone for the 911 call, that's an opportunity to actually help someone. They are reaching out, because there is a serious situation that's going on. So it goes back to what do we see as a priority in our country? And it has to be, you know, it starts with the mental health. It can no longer be taboo. We've got to make the investments and we've got to understand that there's all these additional stressors that folks are now dealing with. I mean, you know,

folks used to keep systemic racism in the closet or in the background. We know that now we're pulling it out. We're putting a spotlight on it. So when you put a spotlight on stuff, then people, you know, they're going to actually have to work through that. You know, the climate crisis is another example of an additional stressor. So we've got all these additional stressors that are going on. So we need to make sure that we're actually putting in place the resources to help folks so that doesn't escalate into something that's even more serious and more costly, whether in lives or resources. Absolutely. Kelly, Mustafa makes an excellent point here about the times that we're living in that has led to additional stressors. Everything from spending a year in pretty much isolation,

which has led to stressors for a lot of folk, to people being economically sort of fragile as a result of that, which is also obviously a stressor, to all the sort of behaviors, all of the issues that we've seen with our climate that has led to a lot of turmoil and dislocation from people's homes. I mean, there is stressor after stressor after stretcher that people are dealing with right now in this very heightened and very unique moment.

You would think that with that being the case, there would be some desire to do more to address this issue. But still, I mean, what do you think it will take? Because I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that there is a desire to really go forth and do something big as it relates to making sure that we have support for people who have behavioral challenges. Honestly, and again, I'm not trying to be a pessimist. I do feel like I am a realist in this matter and many others. But I think what it's going to take is a white person dealing with a mental health crisis on a massive scale to the extent that it gains national attention. Like I said in a previous segment, this country is racist. And a lot of the times, nine times out of 10, the way that things get

done in this country is when a white person is actually disenfranchised. So we saw that with the opioid crisis. We're seeing it with even the prison industry complex issues. We see it in every facet of our society in which Black people were affected first, but white people got affected to the point where it mattered. So when it comes to mental health, I applaud the Black community for taking it seriously after many years of thinking that we can pray it away. But for a national thing to happen, for something, you know, nationwide to happen, for this initiative to gain any significant traction, it's going to have to take a white person unless we as a people and a community use our own megaphones to scream even louder. Man, you know, I have to say, unfortunately, I kind of agree.

When you look at what happened with the opioid crisis, all of a sudden people discussed, you know, discovered that drug addiction was a sickness and not a criminal activity. So it's a sad repeat of history. Unfortunately, it sounds like with that. With that said, we have to toss to a break, but we'll be right back. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice.

Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger.

That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did.

The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you. All of you. Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become Bear Hug Betty. Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, where you going?

Hi, I'm Eldie Barge. Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. More in Music's mission is to educate and empower about careers and opportunities in the music industry. Their various programs give insight into the music business and allow participants to learn from peers and experts. Joining us from Los Angeles is Noel Chestnut Whitmore, founder of More In Music. How are you doing there?

Great to see you. Hello, how are you Dr. Avis? I am doing great. Now I love the fact, Noel, that you have an organization here that's about, I would call it the business side of the music industry. Can you tell me more about what you're doing with More in Music? Yeah. So I started More in Music in 2019 after reflecting and spending some time with God and really asking him how I can be more impactful. I've been blessed to be in this business since I was very young.

I started as an artist first. And I'm a firm believer that you can give back at any point in your career. So I wanted to be very intentional about setting a clear example for myself as well as for other industry peers to create opportunities for us to be more communicative and inspire change and support for one another. So I decided to start more in music as in partnership initially with the Covenant House, which is a homeless shelter here in Los Angeles. And then the demand and the support that we received from the community created an opportunity for us to build a partnership with the Grammy Museum, where we have been

hosting panel conversations on a monthly basis with a variety of different music industry professionals with the goal and focus of, one, allowing people who are interested in the music industry to see opportunities that they may not know. Majority of the aspects of when people know about music, it's based on consumption, what they see and what they hear. And they don't necessarily know that there's all these opportunities behind the scenes and all these jobs. And I wanted to create an opportunity for people who look like me or communities of color who don't normally have access to this information to be able to not only know that there's more for them,

but for them to see themselves in the people who are represented on the stages that I host panel conversations. I absolutely love this. And this makes actually the name of your organization even more beautiful, more pun, no pun intended, because you're exactly right. Most people, our interaction with music is based in our love of music. We love to hear it. We love to see the performances, but we don't really get about what happens around the scenes

to make all of that possible. And that boils down to jobs. You know, what have you found in terms of you opening up this sort of previously behind-the-scenes aspect of the industry to individuals? What have you seen in terms of reactions

to all the opportunities that actually are there but that most people just don't know about? You know, I've seen so many people be inspired and more importantly, come out of those conversations with opportunities.

I think there is a, you know, perspective that people see when you think about the music industry that is extremely glamorous, which don't get me wrong. There is a lot of perks and there's a lot of beautiful components of, you know, being able to be in the entertainment industry, but there's a lot of hard work that goes into this business. And I think we give a really, really unique perspective and a real perspective of what the day-to-day aspects of what it's like to be in the music industry. And it gives a real life experience and connectivity to executives in this business that where, you know, potential mentorships are coming from these conversations and job shadowing opportunities are coming from these conversations, or it's a giving people an opportunity to dive a little bit deeper and explore opportunities that they didn't know that maybe they were interested in.

As I think about my career, I stumbled. I've been in the music industry and the live experiential space for the past 12, 13 years, but I stumbled into that at 19 years old. Imagine if I was nine years old or 10 years old and I knew that I could do what I do now, how that would change the trajectory of my career and how it would create opportunities for generational wealth and increase for my family. So my goal and my focus is to create those opportunities for communities that normally don't have access

to that information and give them the opportunity to know that there's more for themselves outside of the traditional workspace. And everyone loves music, but there's opportunities for you behind the scenes as well. I really love that because, you know, it's my thought that, you know, we are, as I mentioned, we're used to seeing what's in front of the camera. But as you mentioned, behind the microphone slash behind the camera, behind the stage,

there is so much that goes into that. Would I be wrong in assuming that typically those off the stage sort of opportunities are well paying and are largely not represented by people who look like us? Correct. Yeah. I think it really traditionally

depends on what aspect of the music industry that you're in. So like for example, for me, as a woman as a black woman in the live space, I'm usually one of, if not the only or one of the few. And again, not only is it important for me to create opportunities for people who look like me, I need people to understand, especially communities of color, especially black people to understand that this culture and this music is traditionally built or is built off of our oil, especially black people, to understand that this culture and this music is

traditionally built or is built off of our oil, like my friend Crystal would say, and our heritage and our roots. And it's a time for us to not only understand the opportunities and being in positions of power where we're making decisions based off of our art, but also to be able to inform and kind of be involved in a lot of the decision-making at a higher level, which is the day-to-day business aspects of how this business works. Nothing, you know, I'm fully supportive of collaboration within communities, but I think that there needs to be a larger representation of communities of color and the communities in which we are mostly represented

in high population and most of the success within this business, which is Black music. You know, you said a couple of things there that really resonated with me. You talked about power and you talked about business and having the ability to make your own decisions about your own art. I think all of those are such important concepts. But as you well know, unless you are in the position, in those decision-making positions, you can have as much talent in the world, but if there are other people somewhere else making decisions, they can in many ways undermine or undercut your success.

So it's important that we have representation everywhere. Wouldn't you agree? Absolutely. And I think, you know, from a cultural perspective, we all have a very unique lens and background that I think is extremely important for us to bring to these work settings. When we're coming to these board meetings

or coming to these, you know, positions where we're able to have diverse voices from not only, again, culturally, but even from like as a woman, like I have a very different perspective than a black male in this business. And I think it's extremely important for us to think about not only representation within all aspects of the business, but diverse voices across the industry. I hear you. I'm going to let my panel jump in because I'm sure they'd like to ask you a few questions as well. Mustafa, what questions do you have for Noel? Well, Noel, thank you for everything that you're doing. I spent a couple of years at the Hip Hop Caucus, so I had a chance to

work with a number of just amazing creatives throughout the whole sort of the hierarchy of all the various opportunities. I'm curious, when you are focusing on mentorships or internships, how far does that go down? Does that go down to high school or junior high school and is a part of it, which I'm hoping the answer is yes, also about teaching folks about ownership in this space? Yeah, so since we are still relatively small and new, so we were founded in 2019, my main priority going into 2022 and 2023 is to build strategic partnerships with high schools and with elementary schools.

What I learned in when we first started and we built the partnership with the Grammy Museum is like, OK, cool. We found an organization that does a lot of this community building and development work. But the biggest issue is accessibility. I, being able to get a middle school or a high school student to come to me at the Grammy Museum, we realized shortly after was not necessarily the easily accessible from a transportation perspective. So it's my goal and my mission to be, to meet them where they are. And not only to meet them where they are, but to create opportunities for them to, again, see themselves. By putting a variety of different panelists from a variety of different backgrounds so that they can connect with them in a way that, oh, that person is from where I'm from. And they might be interested in something that I didn't know that was possible for me

until I saw them. Teresa, your thoughts. One, congratulations on the organization. I actually have been in your shoes as it relates to not being a music artist, but I've worked behind the scenes with production companies that handle music artists. So believe me, when I tell you

there are not many black and brown people behind the scenes, you're absolutely right. There is more, and actually you probably get more access being behind the scenes and maybe humming or something and somebody catches you and you get that opportunity. So my question for you is, is your target audience maybe, because I feel like there has been this outpour of junior high and high school students, have you maybe target some of your efforts towards the youth? Because i believe their you know talent is is

starting on social media and i feel like we don't want it to end on social media so i think your program would be a good segue yeah and i'm sorry you said to the youth i just want to make sure i understand the high school and junior high kids yes yes. Yeah, that is definitely the goal. When I first thought about creating more music, the people that I had in mind, the young people I had in mind were young people, were the 9, 10, 11, 12 to when you have access and creating opportunities and knowing that there's something outside of, again, consumption, what do you think about, again, I listen to music and the only thing that I might have exposure to is the fact that I can be a rapper and maybe I'll know that a music video or visually. And then I might again, OK, I can be in the video or maybe I might ask the question that, oh, who created this video? But even still, a lot of kids, a lot of young people are not asking those questions because they don't know to ask a question. They're only thinking about it from a passive consumption perspective. So my goal is to, to your point, to target them and have them explore a little bit more of like, hmm, let me ask the question of who, who created this video? I don't want to just watch this video. I want to understand who created this and what goes behind that.

And how do I explore career paths in there? Like, is that something I can kind of target for going to school? So my goal, especially with the diminishing art programs, is to try to create a gap where there is still some level of exposure to music and entertainment through that, since you can't traditionally get to know the music industry anymore through performing. Like my introduction to the music industry was through performing and singing and being in the band. And with that not necessarily being a priority in the school system now, I'm concerned about the future of the music industry and being more focused on creativity and being from a creative perspective.

So our goal and our mission is definitely to target the youth for sure. Great. Kelly. Again, thank you for this. I feel like I've heard you on Clubhouse a couple of times regarding this matter and the input and the advice that you have given me

and so many others, it's really profound because you don't hear it. And certainly you don't get to hear from someone who looks and sounds like you. I guess my question for you would be, what roles do you think, and I preface this by saying, I know we need representation in every facet outside of just outward facing artistry,

but what roles do you think are needed the most and specifically most immediately that is lacking black and brown faces within the music industry? If I'm being honest, there's been so many studies that have been done more recently that just talks about the representation across different aspects of the business. And my answer would be every aspect, from managers to record executives to live executives to executives in the publishing side and the streaming side. There needs to be more

representation across the board that the that's just the fact it is literally we as a community as a whole just need to to do better and I'm looking forward to um us doing better and my goal and my mission is that creating a solution, which is more music, to try to hope to create a pipeline where there's more exposure so that people can know that there's, again, these opportunities for them, even though they didn't know it was before. Now, I so love the fact that you saw this problem. You said yourself, hey, if I would have known about this when I was nine, I wonder what else I could have been able to accomplish. And so you sat there and you created something to be able to reach children when they are nine, 10, 11, 12. First of all, kudos on that.

But I am curious, when you start to open the minds of those young people, what do they learn about that they're most surprised to learn that they never heard of before until they got in contact with your organization? So majority of the younger people that we've connected with have been actually no, it was it was I remember. So we had a partnership with AG and BET for the BET Experience Youth Program. And I think that was probably the youngest students that we've ever been able to reach so far. And we had one of my really good friends, Rolex, who is an amazing photographer who has shot the album covers for some amazing artists from Summer Walker to YG and hearing her story and for people to find the kids to find out like oh she's the one who created who shot that uh that album cover and seeing the light in their eyes and excitement was probably one of the most fulfilling and exciting things and again they left out of there knowing

that, hey, when I look at this album cover, I don't have to just look at this from a passive perspective. I know that there's now someone who is responsible or multiple people who are responsible to make this happen. Every aspect of any product that they touch now, they know, oh, there was an A&R who worked on the music. There was a creative director, a photographer, or a videographer who worked on the packaging or the imagery. There was a sound engineer.

And there was, you know, all these executives that are responsible for any and every aspect of the music that you consume. So that was amazing to see. I bet that was amazing to you. And the fact that you've opened that up to these young people, you've really given them the opportunity to see themselves not only as artists, but as executives, right? Not only as singers, but as people who literally call the shots behind the scenes. So thank you for everything that you're doing in that space. Is there any information you'd like to share about your organization and how people

can find out more about what you do and maybe get involved in some way? Yeah. So we are, because of the pandemic, we have not been doing any public in-person programming, but you can go to moreinmusic.org to kind of keep track of all the programming that we have been doing. We've been doing a lot of programming on Clubhouse right now, and then we have a partnership with Vivo where we are streaming some of our podcast series, and then I'm working on a new series right now that is focused on songwriting that we are hoping to launch in the new year and then hopefully the Grammy Museum will open back up and we'll be able to get back

and do more programming. So you can go to moremusic.org or moremusic on Instagram for more information to follow the programming that we have. Well, thank you so much for all you do. What an incredible idea and thanks for all of the young people. Well, thank you so much for all you do. What an incredible idea. And thanks for all of the young people. I'll thank you for them. All the wonderful opportunities that you are exposing to them that otherwise they'd never

have any idea about. Thanks for joining us tonight. Thank you for having me. You are welcome. A bust of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Percy Newton was unveiled this weekend in Oakland, California, for the organization's 55th anniversary. This is the first permanent public art piece honoring the party in the city of its founding. Many love him to this day, revering him as a man who sought to unite all black, impoverished and oppressed people against racism. Newton was killed in 1989.

Quickly from the panel, I would love to get your reaction on, I think, a long overdue honor for Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party. Any quick takes from any of you around this day, really being able to recognize the 55th anniversary of this amazing organization? Yeah, I'm honored. You know, unfortunately, I was born exactly at 89, so I did not have the opportunity to meet Huey and some of the members of the Black Panther Party. But I have to tell you, in my 32 years of living, I have been inspired about their movement, about their passion,

and about the strategy that really took place upon its foundation in 1966. Because I think that's important as we all talk about advocacy and grassroots organizing and understanding our rights and understanding civil liberties and understanding that our rights as just humans and Americans under this country. So again, I think this is, again, the one step towards something else greater. But again, it's also so inspiring and also very, just a humbling experience to happen, especially in 2021. Absolutely. Mustafa, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I mean, this is an amazing moment. It's a historical moment for our country to actually honor both our brother and, you know, the broader Black Panther movement, which still plays out today. If you look at what folks are still fighting for, the Panthers are already doing it around education and housing and healthcare and jobs, which was four of those foundational elements.

And, of course, Black liberation as well. So, you know, I'm just honored to still be around to be able to see something like this happen and for us to begin the long process of honoring so many of the folks who were in the Panther Party who gave so much and still continue to to this day. You are exactly right. And, you know, you point to, I think, a very important thing that we all remember is the longstanding contributions of this organization, not only for our liberation, but how they institutionalize things that we take for granted today. So, for example, the school breakfast program. Most of us don't even realize

that that really was an emulation of what the Black Panther Party started, making sure that kids went to school not hungry, but with a full belly of food. What are your thoughts about this particular long overdue honor? Kellyanne, I'm sorry. Yeah, no, it's fine. Again, it's long overdue. I'm incredibly happy that he's finally being recognized in the way that he deserves to be recognized. It's unfortunate that he is not around to see how far we've come and honestly how far we still have to go. I think that people forget that, you know, we still do have a long way to go and that is okay. At least we aren't

where we were. And I feel like Huey P. Newton, if he were alive today, would still be striving for the greatness that he was, that the Black Panther Party was. And honestly, just lighting a fight under everyone's butt, making sure that we are moving towards the freedom that he envisioned. I think you are exactly right. Thanks so much, panel. It's been great talking with you this evening. And thanks to all of you for joining us here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. If you would like to support us so we can continue bringing you the stories that matter to us, you can donate to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Be sure to download the Black Star Network app.

It's available on all platforms. I'm Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeaver, and it's been fun to be with you here tonight. Thank you, Roland, for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing you guys next time. Roland will be back tomorrow. Have a wonderful evening, and to imitate Roland, holla. See you later. НАПРЯЖЕННАЯ МУЗЫКА I am to be smart.

Roland Martin's doing this every day oh no punches thank you roland martin for always giving voice to the issues look for roland martin in the whirlwind to quote marcus garvey again the video looks phenomenal so i'm really excited to see it on my big screen support this man black media he makes sure that our stories are told. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. I gotta defer to the brilliance of Dr. Carr and to the brilliance of the Black Star Network. I am rolling with

rolling all the way. I'm gonna be on a show that you own. A Black man owns the show. Folks, Black Star Network is here. I'm real revolutionary right now. Rolling was amazing on that. Hey, Black, I love y is here. I'm real revolutionary right now. Like, wow. Roland was amazing on that. Hey, Black, I love y'all.

I can't commend you enough about this platform that you've created for us to be able to share who we are, what we're doing in the world, and the impact that we're having. Let's be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You can't be Black on media and be scared. You dig? this is an iHeart podcast