#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Journey to My Wildest Dream Luncheon: Conversation with Tamron Hall moderated by Roland Martin

Episode Date: August 9, 2019

Journey to Your Wildest Dreams Luncheon: Conversation with award winning journalist Tamron Hall moderated by Roland Martin | #NABJ19 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Today's luncheon, the journey to my wildest dream, was created by Toyota to empower, uplift, and inspire you. As the number one automaker brand for African Americans, Latinos, and Asians, Toyota is a company that encourages people to live their best, most authentic lives. Authenticity is key to fulfilling your wildest dream. It is important that we all embrace our greatest aspirations and pursue our passions to the fullest extent. With that said, be present and open today.

What are your wildest dreams? Be mindful of them. Make space in your head, in your heart, to explore new possibilities and reach for the stars. On behalf of the Toyota family, thank you for joining us and enjoy the rest of your experience at this convention. It's now my honor to introduce the moderator for today's fireside chat, Roland Martin. Roland Martin is no stranger to this audience. He's one of the nation's leading and most influential black voices in our country. You might know him from TV One, CNN, News One Now, Washington Unwatched with Roland S. Martin, Hashtag Roland Martin Unfiltered, or his social media.

Roland is the consummate professional well-respected for his educated, passionate, and honest approach to journalism. We are thrilled to have him here with us today to lead what will be truly an exciting discussion with our guest of honor Tamron Hall. With that I now turn it over to Roland. Thank you. All right. Thanks a lot. NABJ, what's up? First timers, raise your hand. Damn!

Where y'all been? Where y'all been? Glad to see everybody here. We're going to look forward to an absolutely great conversation. I have known Tamron Hall for a long time. Long, long, long forward to an absolutely great conversation. I have known Tammie Hall for a long time, a long, long, long, long time, long time. And we're going to really have an interesting conversation, again, talking about what is happening in terms of her career, her life. Do me a favor, folks. Can y'all come move this, please, so the folks on this side will be able to

see. We can come move this podium. And so I want to be able to bring her up now. You have seen her, of course, start a career in Texas. You've seen her in Chicago. Folks saw her on MSNBC Today Show. And, of course, now she is about to drop her own daytime syndicated talk show. And so without further ado, put your hands together for long-time NABJ member, Cameron Hall. Hi. Hey.

All right, I changed the rules. We got better light here, so I'm going to let you sit here. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I figured you wanted a better seat versus in the dark generous of you. We're sitting in the dark over here. You didn't know the king and queen of Zamunda were coming, did you? Wet them damn rosebearers. Rosebearers?

No, on one of those blogs, Bish stole my look. Not B-I-S-A. I never heard of it. Hi. Right, right. See, uh-huh. First off, we want to kick this thing off with showing you, getting a taste

of Tamara's new daytime talk show. Roll it. Press play. Oops. Turn it up. We want to talk about who we are. Turn it up. We want to talk about who we are. People are people. They want you to respect them.

They want you to be interested in their lives. We have more in common than we have different. I love what TV can do. The power of sharing your authentic journey. Give me something real, real. Something I can feel, feel. We have a chance to let you know that someone in Illinois is going through the same thing as somebody in Alabama.

That's life. We really want to emphasize the journey for people who can inspire us. We want you to talk about your life. So let's talk about it. All right, let's talk about it. Before we do so, do me a favor. Can y'all open those doors, please? There have been people who wanted to come in here to hear the conversation. They didn't know they were RSVP, but this is NABJ. Nothing we do is off the record, and so I'll just open the doors, and they hear the conversation. They can step in, because we've got enough room for standing room only. That's right. That's against the rules. But I'm a board member.

Deal with it. All right. Tamron. Yes. This is a long way from KBTX. KBTX. That was my first TV station. Bryan College Station.

Yes. I was right out of college. And this one was also in the same town. Well, I was going to Texas A&M where KBTX is. People talk about journey and Bishop Jakes and I talked about this one. People love talking about, man, Bishop Jakes preaching before millions in Africa and the Pilate's house, but nobody wants to talk about he was digging ditches in West Virginia. You can't deal with somebody's journey unless you actually deal with the journey.

You can't talk about their success unless you deal with what they had to go through to get there. Hey, Suzanne. Absolutely. I mean, I think even a part of my show, people keep asking who has been doing this tour, and they say, well, do you want to have celebrities on? And I said, listen, I don't want anybody on my show just to promote their movie. We often go to the end of the book and you don't read the pages and for our show for my life I think people kind of instantly do

that you go to where it is now and not the beginning which you know very well I mean my mother was a 19 year old single mother my grandfather was the first father that I had in the sense of someone there in my life. He was a sharecropper with a second grade education who signed his name with an X because he could not read or write. And that was the first people who brought me home. I was the only child born that day in Luling, Texas. My mother's name is Mary. Luli.

So therefore I am kind of Jesus. My baby's name is Mary so therefore I am kind of Jesus my baby's name is Moses but no I was the only child born that day and you know Luling we didn't get paved streets until the 90's my makeup artist and my hairstylist Johnny and Tenille are here I can walk on hot coal because my feet are like hard

we didn't have paved streets I ran on like hard rock on the middle of our pavement all the time. So that was my start. Those are the first people who brought me home, and those are the people that I think about when I was creating this show. Those are the people I thought about when two years ago I decided to make a big change in my career as well. I believe in visualization, and folks, it's always amazing when people say,

did you ever think you would be doing this? Like, yeah. I did. And so let's talk about that. Because again, some people say, well, that's arrogant for you to say that. But no, it's actually visualizing where you want to be and doing what's necessary to get there.

It's always funny. People will tell you to be proud of yourself. Then they're mad at you for being proud of yourself. And so it is something that I've always been aware of. Even in the last two years of me promoting this show, I would go into offices to talk about this show and pitch this show, and I finally said, listen, I'm 46 at the time, 47 years old, and I've got to shoot my shot.

I've got to do my Hamilton. I've got to do my Hamilton. I'm not giving away my shot. And so I would go into these meetings, and I wouldn't assume you knew anything about me, and I wouldn't care if you were bothered that I was talking too much about me. So I would go in and say, this is what I did. This is who I am. This is why I believe I should have a seat at the table. And I hadn't always been confident in doing that because being a black woman in this business, being a woman in this business, being a black person in this business, I don't want to.

Just being black. Period. As the city girls say, period. It is not easy. And you and I know, I mean, I we started out together in Texas A&M area, but I replaced the same black woman two times at two different stations. The first time I replaced her, I had no idea it was a KTVT, Channel 11, Dallas Fort Worth, which actually now, and I've never told this story publicly, they actually fired me and now they're carrying my TV show, which is genius. But,

but I did, I mean, I never told you i got fired that's what you go that's not my nature yeah right it's not it is yeah okay i let people like you do that for me you know i do it and i'll do it for you too yeah he does he does i love kbt at ktvt and then i went to wfld which is the affiliate in Chicago, and I remember seeing the woman again. We locked eyes, and it makes me emotional. I'm so sorry. This baby hormones, they get me when I tell certain stories. I saw her, and we locked eyes, and she knew she was gone, and I knew I was going to replace her.

I cry now at everything. It's so crazy. Don't have a baby. It's a side effect. Thank you, John. But the reality is there are other sisters who've had to deal with the exact same thing. And they're brothers as well. When we come in, it's like, okay, bullseye, because in many of these places, they don't want more than one or two.

Yeah, and it trains you in many ways to be unintentionally adversarial. I remember at another station I worked at. Well, it was at the WFLD station as well. There was an African-American woman who did the mornings. And she, through just the conditioning of how this business can work, instantly thought I was going to replace her. Here we are. And we're like, like we're friends but we're not friends you know and we all know those relationships because we're both trying we're ambitious appropriately right we're being put in a situation where we know there's only

going to be one of us well she thought it would be me it turned out they replaced her and this never happens they replaced her with a white guy and that whole month you know four years that we knew each other, we never really got to know each other because we were placed in this position to believe that it was like one of those Thunderdome things that only one of us was going to walk out of there with that job. And when that happens, I think for a lot of people,

they don't know how to deal with that. I mean, in 2012, I mean, I knew for a lot of people, they don't know how to deal with that. I mean, when, in 2012, I mean, I knew for a fact that was a meeting, and in the meeting it said, we need to hire us another Roland Martin. They said, well, we already have one. I said, no, no, we need to hire us another Roland Martin. So when they hired Van Jones, I called, me and Van talked about this publicly, y'all, and I called Van and said, first of all, they will not have two black men fighting each other. I said, so they're not going to use me in a political season. They're going to use you.

I said, but here's the deal. They're going to throw you on television, and you're unprepared. So I'm going to help you and train you how to do TV. Wow. I said, they will not have us fighting each other. So I wasn't tripping on that. But we have to take it upon ourselves not to fall into that trap where we are fighting one another and somebody else is watching it and gaining pleasure. Well, you know, listen, Joy Reid and I have always been very good friends from day one. And when I knew I was going to leave my prior job, I called her first, and I knew she was in the process of going through some changes, all positive.

But I knew I could provide her with some information of leverage and I called her first and I said this is what's going down. Because I wanted her to be as powerful and as strong as she needed to be for the journey that she's on. But I didn't always know that. When I was 27 starting out, there's this other black woman that's me. I don't know that we're really supposed to be having this meeting off to the side and saying to one another here's what's happening and here's what's not happening and I don't think that that is conspiring

I don't think that that is conspiratorial or a secret society of black journalists that are talking to each other it's just people protecting people who are going through a similar journey I strongly believe that we don't talk enough about to each other it's just people protecting people who are going through a similar journey i strongly believe that you know uh we don't talk enough about listen don lemon and i are on the shadiest text group ever you don't want let me tell you what i said dom's gonna publish this to be i'll be so rich um but it is important to be vulnerable jameel, when I left, we had our little secret girl lunch, and we talked, and she said, as black women, we're not allowed to be weak, especially on air. We have

to be strong. Suzanne and I are very, very close. And so we share these honest moments, and that's what I would encourage you to do as well. If there are other people at your job that are of color, they're going through this similar thing. And that has gotten me through this two-year break on this journey that I'm on was finally saying okay I don't have to suffer in silence I don't have to armor up I can be honest with my brothers and sisters in this business who are going through the same thing and if I can share and that's why I came here today and we just got back from we're on a 20 city tourcity tour and we're spending, I haven't seen my child in like five or six days, it's a long time. And these baby hormones. And so we were

just in LA and I wanted to come here because you are a part of my journey. And I know what it means when I saw Iola Johnson at WFAA, Channel 8, the first black woman to ever anchor the news in Dallas, Fort Worth. In Texas. In Texas, in the whole state. And I remember seeing her, and my dad said, that can be you. And I'm like, what? And then much later in life, Connie Chong. Ann Curry is a great friend of mine, another woman of color.

My dad was like, that can be you. And I'm like, Dad, she's Asian. He's like, you don't get the point, do you? This is why you're a C student. I'm like, yes. But that representation matters very much. I met a young girl. We were in L.A. yesterday. She has autism. She said to me, I want to be the first news anchor with autism because I want kids to see me do this. I'm like you know what do it do it and that's important as you know and as we grow in our numbers and representation on television but also having the network even beyond I think

internal because what happens is when we go through what I what I will call a traumatic experience the reality is here you were, first black woman, today's show, things are going great, ratings are awesome. I mean, you are, people are talking about you, it's all of a sudden, and then your entire world changes. And folks expected you to assume the position of just be happy, go sit down, be happy with what we gave you. But you also talk to people who are outside of your NBC family to also help in that because

those of us with other platforms could say things, especially when you own your own stuff, and you don't have to ask permission. That's also vital. Yeah, absolutely. A lot of us don't want to fight it by ourselves without saying, no, no, no, no. Let me share with you and do what you do. Absolutely. I mean, Roland knew as well what I was going through.

And, again, it's not an us against them. And I'm not saying I'm not running for office. And as you said, you own your own platform. I'm the executive producer of my show. And it's too late for Disney to cancel it. So they have to eat what I say right now. They'll be like, and that's their last season. But no, I do think it's important to talk about that because I was not being secretive about what was going on. I just needed to deal with it in a stronger way. I knew that I wanted to come back. I knew

it was important for me to make y'all proud. I knew I wanted to come back on my own terms. I had decided at 46, I was never, and I told you this, I was never going to go into a man's office and ask them for another contract. That was never going to happen to me. I'm 46. When I was 27, I did that. My theory was always, you're going to get me on the first contract, I'm going to rob you on the second one. So every time I stayed at a station, I knew eventually they were going to let me go because I was going to tap out. I was like, man, I'm going to get what I deserve.

And eventually they're going to say, okay, we can bring in someone cheaper than her. I didn't care, but I was going to get what I felt my value was. We hear so many, particularly white female anchors on air saying, know your value. Right. Know your worth. We have value too, and we should be able to say that very boldly and very proudly to any executive that is negotiating with us to stay. With that said, I didn't know exactly what form I wanted my return to be. I did not know if I would come back on a daytime talk show. I wouldn't say it didn't cross my mind, I just didn't know what the formula would be.

Roland and I talked about digital, all these things. And then Disney approached me for this show. We negotiated me being the executive producer. And now I'm so happy because, you know, the back story of what happened is less than, you know, they say the rearview mirror is smaller than the front windshield because your pass is supposed to be smaller. That is so far behind me because now you know half of my staff are people of color for my show my co-executive producer thank you my co-executive producer is talia parkinson she was on the wendy williams show for 10 years and she decided to come over to our show

she is a g and is amazing and we have you know our several producers and associate producers our creative team right now is working very hard half are people of color and i did not go in and say okay let's get the head count because i know how it felt when i joined msnbc and you know this story they call me token hall and it pisses me off still because I wasn't there for that reason. I am so sorry. I swear to God it's these hormones. But it does piss me off. But I knew I was there because I'd earned that spot.

And so I wanted to be able to have a team of people that had earned their stripes. So when I tweeted out that Talia Parkinson was my co-executive producer, I was low-key mad at some of y'all for not retweeting it. Come on. Because guess what? If someone had called out one of the networks for being all white, we would have all chimed in on that. But to elevate Talia Parkinson, one of two black women on daytime television,

was a misstep. So I've learned this from Roland. Yes, we can rally and say, where's the diversity? You have a black agenda show with no black people. And believe me, some of them have done that this week. But when you see like a Roland with his digital platform, you don't have to tweet about me. Y'all did, and you did your thing, and that's why I'm back on TV.

But there are so many other. That's why when I go to a station, I follow the anchors that are of color and the white ones, but you know why I'm following you, because we do need to root each other on extra. And I think that when I saw that that day and I tweeted out Talia and Corrine, two black women, one moved from L to join the show. I didn't want you to retweet it because of me, because of my show. What's going to happen to me is going to happen to me. But I did feel that there was a misstep, that we don't elevate each other enough

when there is good stuff to celebrate. Because if they see you support Talia, they're going to know how important it is to have another Talia in your newsroom. But if we just shrug it off and only complain, that's what it will be perceived as. And I'm just being honest with you on that. All right, folks, back to that Rolamark unfiltered video in just one moment. Hi, I'm Curtis Harmon of Pieces of a Dream, inviting you to join me and my partner, James Lloyd, in beautiful Cabo San Lucas for Life Lux Jazz. The dates are November 7th through the 11th, and we'll be in concert with people like Kurt Whalen, Shalaya, Donnie McClurkin, Average White Man, and many, many more. So you guys are going to want to save this date because this is going to be a blast.

Hope to see you there God bless now back to your Roland Martin I'm building there's also opportunity and I think what in 2013 when I got in a BJ journalist of the year I've made the point no no no no because I've never been named right you're right you're right yeah yeah I'm okay with it and it really not the I you're not doing when I said that I see it many of us have passed up great opportunities because the southern letters on the business card to your point when I lost the TV one show I could not get a single

african-americans at a major network to pop the executive producer and I said many of the AP's for 10 years ain't been promoted but it was like but I work at NBC I work at ABC and CBS I'm like yeah but you ain't been promoted and so it's a tough call it's a tough decision to make but it but it's it's it but it's seizing the opportunity the reason I'm saying it's easyizing the opportunity, you were in a position where you could have still worked there, taken the salary. But you said, no, I am not being treated well. I know there's something else for me, and I'm leaving. It's not like you were making Matt Lauer money.

I know there was somebody black in your family going, girl, how you going to leave that check? What's wrong with you? Somebody black. Did you know somebody black said, girl, that's a good check. Okay, let's be clear. I did not leave broke. I was going to get what was mine. Don't be mistaken.

But somebody black did tell you, what's wrong with you? Listen, here's the deal. I secured the bag and I left. Right. Which allowed you to be able to make that decision. Yes, absolutely. Listen, but I'm being very honest with you as well. I mean, we laugh and joke and I do feel like I'm with family.

And I can tell you, I don't know your names and I hope to meet many of you. If that were 10 years prior, I would not have been able to do that my father had just died my mother was now depending on me I had different responsibilities even now I have a child if this has happened now I would so I do appreciate the support and I appreciate that people are like yeah I mean as I said to somebody I live in Harlem I walk down the street every day like get on girl I'm like and we go do this, you know? And so I appreciate all of that, but I'm also a realist. We have bills to pay.

I don't have a backup plan. I don't have an estate. My name is not on any libraries. Nobody in my family has a library in their name up there. So I'm my backup plan. My mother said, you can do bad all by yourself. Well, I am by myself at that time. And so I had an opening, and there was a window.

And I went home that day. It was a Tuesday. And I decided, it's a sliver. Let me take that leap of faith. And that was also God. We both grew up in very, very spiritual and religious families. And I had to take that leap of faith and not worry about the financial part of it because I had the opening that God

provided for me not to have to worry about it but something else also happened anger your phone well I really wasn't but something else also happened that is your phone also didn't stop ringing well but what I mean by that is there there were things that you were still emceeing, which meant that you had put in the work and cultivated a relationship with your people. Absolutely. That when you were no longer on TV, you still got calls. Absolutely. Listen, it was also, you know, and many of you are young in the business as well, I took jobs that other people did not want, but I made them my own. You know, I remember getting a call.

They were like, we need somebody to host this show called The Sister Wives. It's a Mormon, and he's got five wives and 17 kids. And I'm like, how much they paying? And they said the number, and I'm like, hmm. They were like, done. I'm like, and I'm on the plane. And I hosted this show for six seasons, but I ended up getting an incredible advantage out of it. Here's the deal. They went on to win a Supreme Court decision on cohabitation. And so they went from being these reality people

to actually new story. So then they have all these ratings and now I'm associated with it boom that's something on my resume MSNBC okay we want to bring you in to do the today show but we don't have an opening right now we're gonna give you in the MSNBC some random out okay I'll take it fine boom the today show finally comes around and then they say okay we will only let you really do the weekends fill in at that time and you know so that, oh, it's the weekend today show. Really? It is unpaid labor, but it's awesome. So take it. I take it. Boom. And then deadline crime. I'm in a meeting. They wanted me to do something for the own network with Oprah, but we weren't sure what it was. They said deadline crime, this organic conversation about what happened to my sister. My sister was murdered. I have an

interest in talking to people who've gone through this boom we got that then there was Bear Grylls and they're like okay Bear Grylls this guy I don't know from Britain takes people out in the wild where they want you to jump out of plain sight I was I was like how much they pay am I gonna die no you're not gonna die food then they're like Macy's fourth of July parade I'm like I like being being off on Fourth of July. I'm like I want to go to Essence Fest. Essence ain't paying me. They are. Boom. So now I end up on four networks. Somebody's gonna make sure how much they pay you. And so you know all while I hope maintaining my journalistic integrity because I'm still a journalist but now I'm in infotainment because there is nothing journalistic about the Macy's Fourth of July parade.

So I'm not going to pretend there is, but I'm doing it. And so before you know it, here's what I was accumulating. Audiences from all different places that I did not realize. So just as I live in Harlem and women are walking past me saying, do it. Now I'm in Oklahoma in the middle of, I don't know where, woods, and a white woman straight from Central Cass and is like, Tamara, I love you, girl. Isn't that funny as hell? I just love you. That's a deep draw. Yeah. And then people are like, did you really go out in the wild? Yes. Did you do this? And so I have this organic following of diverse people that we then transfer in hopes of this show. I did not know that at the time. But I will tell you, take those openings.

Take those jobs. Take those appearances. And cultivate your own audience because if this were 15 years before I would leave the Today Show you would never heard of me again like oh whatever happened to Tamron Hall well I kept on social media I kept giving speeches I kept talking to you Susannah all my friends and we're just cultivating this brand because I knew the importance of my value. I knew that when I went to Chicago, my very first time on air,

I then went to a cafeteria because I had no money, and I went up to the water tower to get lunch, and this black woman said, you that new black girl on Fox, aren't you? I said, yeah. She said, get them. And that is the philosophy that I have in my life. And I would say wherever you work,

whatever newsroom you work in, don't turn it down. When they put you on an assignment, take the assignment and make it yours. I was at KTVT, and they put me on the crime beat with gangs. And I'm like, sir, I live in the country. I don't know anything about gangs. I owned it and got two huge exclusives with this Mexican gang cartel that everybody was talking about. My point is not to just keep spouting my resume off. My point is seize those moments when you're in the newsroom, when you are there,

and these are stories that you don't want to cover. Own them. Make them yours. And I promise you, at some point in this journey, that will be a reward. You will arm yourself with something that will get you the contract and the spot you want. You will not come back and tell me different. Let's talk about power. I have a former staffer who said,

I really want to be on air. I said, and she really could be a phenomenal EP one day. And I said, who has more power? I said, if you're only on air, I said, has more power I said if you only on air I said understand what limited power you have she said but you're on air I said no no no I'm the host and managing editor if I want a managing editor I don't want to be the host for you you were intentional you were not just going to be the host of this show no I would not I said I had to be the producer of the show, and then I had to pick the executive producer who would executive produce it with me, and it ended up being Bill Getty, and the reason why I picked Bill Getty, who created

The View of Barbara Walters, is because Bill Getty created the most diverse TV show in the history of television programming for women. Bill Getty put Star Jones on TV and then Whoopi Goldberg and then Sherri Shepard and a host of others, Lisa Ling. So Bill Getty saw something or at least was willing to take his shot or saw there's money in that diversity that now 25 years later, people are still copying his show. So Bill Getty was important for me as a component of that and then when Talia I've been courting Talia Parkinson and having lunch with her and saying I really want you on my team I really need you on my team and she decided she wanted a change in her life and she came on board but I did feel that it was important because I know what you're

getting at we've all been in those newsrooms where you're just like I I'm so old I remember when they used to still report suspects as just being a black male 6'4". And I remember being in a newsroom and being afraid to speak up. I'm not afraid of anything. Being cautious, not knowing how to speak up. And I remember finally saying, do you know that could be my brother and every black person I know? I'm not going to say it. I just refuse to say it my dad and mom or my backup plan so if they

fired me that day I was okay. Back to Lululemon Texas in the hard rocky road but no but throughout my career you have those little moments as well but those are hard I mean you can kill I can get up here and talk a good game now 30 days out from this new show but it's hard and I mean, I can get up here and talk a good game now, 30 days out from this new show, but it's hard and you're in that newsroom and you're like, are you crazy? What? And even now, I saw some tweets the other day

with all the coverage happening with the white supremacists and a couple of networks had complete all white, all white panels. That's incredible. Which meant that control room was virtually all white and that executive suite was all white, which is also why in ABJ we're putting folks on notice. You will get a phone call.

But at some point the phone calls have to turn to something else, though. Precisely. But it's putting a level of pressure. Yeah. And you apply pressure well. Just a little bit. When I talk about the intentional things, you're being intentional. You also didn't just say we're going to be intentional with top level. That is, you need next generation people. So they also, the folks you hire, have to be intentional. That's the only way you change the game. Absolutely. Spike Lee told folks in Hollywood, when the that he did, Malcolm X, when Teamster said, no, no, no, he said, no trucks are moving unless we drive the truck. He said, the fruit of Islam won't be here every day until y'all go hire some black people. I'm very lucky. I think that when I went into my partnership with Disney, they really kind

of had heard about me and they knew what my intentions were and I thought it was very very important for me to also bring to their attention and you know this is on when we talk about equality in the workplace it is often skewed toward white women mm-hmm what pay equity is often skewed toward white women and it was very important to me that I said that to the white women on my staff as well, that, look, you guys are talking about how you're being treated in the news business like we are not experiencing these same things. You know, we are being sexually harassed. We are being underpaid. So please don't make this a white woman's problem in the newsroom. It's a woman's problem

in the newsroom. And that was important for me when I was putting this staff together. It was also important for me to have a lot of young people. Many of you know I was very, very close to Prince. And Prince used to say, he doesn't hang out with anybody over 45. And I was like, that is age discrimination. But what he meant was he wanted to keep that young energy, that young flow, those young ideas in the system. And that's why you would see his last band, Third Eye Girl, they were all very young. And so I appreciated that as well, as I am old and being discriminated against somebody my age. But I want to make sure that there's a pipeline on our show as well, that we're not just hiring young people to be the also-rans,

that we're not just hiring young people to be the also-rans and we're not just hiring young people to be the lower level I want you in there actually in a position that matters talk about black love explain what it feels like when you're when you walk out in public and you're going through airports and people show you love but black people it's a different kind of love you know how I know y'all love me? Because I married a white guy and you still love me. That man over there was like, and scene. I didn't know that. And then she tells me five times in the green room, don't be sitting to get me in trouble saying stuff. And you over here. No, but that is something I will talk about on my show as well.

But no, black love is incredible. It is not lost on me. I have a hard time even looking around the room because I see all of these loving eyes looking back at me, and I don't deserve it because I'm just a person, but

it is important to me, and I am going to have to get some alcohol. I am emotional. I feel like I'm with family. You need to get home and see your baby. I know. It's been five days. It's been five days without little Moses.

But, no, you guys have, you ladies and gentlemen, I don't like to use it. Cicely Tyson said, remember, she said, don't you call anybody. God, she has a whole rant. You don't ever want to get hemmed up by Cicely Tyson said, remember she said, don't you call anybody, gosh, she has a whole rant, you don't ever want to get hemmed up by a Cicely Tyson guy. You do not. God. So you ladies and gentlemen have always been so supportive and rooting for me, and I told my mother one day, I said, they're rooting for me because we want someone to root for

us. We all do. You root for someone because you're like, if I'm down, I want you to root for me too. You know? And so for me, I think that's what it was. But absolutely, listen, the day I made the turn out of my career and I woke up the next morning, I didn't know what to expect. And the next day, you're texting me, and people are like, you're trending.

I'm like, oh, my God. I just wanted to sleep in late that day, you know? And it was because of you and because, you know, black women especially said we're not going to watch the show anymore and we're going to support her wherever she goes. And that is a big reason that Disney partnered with me. It is not lost on them that a large swath of the daytime audience are black women. They're not crazy. And they're black women who work hard. We have income to spend.

We will buy the Toyotas. Thank you. We will buy the products that are being sold. Put color aside, we are blue chip. We are a blue chip consumer.

They know that. And loyal. And loyal. Now, when you tick us off, it's a whole different conversation. It is. But we're loyal. It is. And that's why we also have to say what we want.

Because they do know that we have a loyal following. So I could go in and say, I want to be the executive producer of this show. I have earned it. And also, as Roland likes to do, the Malcolm X with the glove, I was like, and I got these people right here. And you don't want to make it like Chance the Rapper. You don't want no problems from me.

Right. That is, of course, the favorite scene when a guy's like, you came and got what you want. Oh, I'm not satisfied. No, no, it's not satisfied. And I'm not satisfied either with this. I mean, I want to push myself more. I want to have a show that represents

all of you. I want, when you watch the show, to see yourself. I want you to see your stories. And that's not a small task, but I think, I hope, that I've assembled a great team of producers and people and I've been very transparent with Disney about who I am and who I want to be.

Another short story, and Johnny and Tenille know this, they wanted me to do an article in a magazine. And they were having their own stylist. And they sent, like, a bunch of jeans and, like, plain square T-shirts. And I said, I don't dress like that. And I said, but more important, I'm not going to shrink myself for white women to like me. And I said that not to diss white women, but there's a stereotype that some of the magazine editors, we're going to have to shrink you down. You know, the hair can't be that spiky. Okay. Clothes too bright, Roland. And then, you know, then.

You know, I don't give a damn and sometimes people will try to assimilate you and make you palatable yep Disney did not try to do that because they said people like her the way she is black people like her the way she is white women like her the way she is she's aspirational she's now 48 year old mom she's from a small town they actually I found the right partners and that's also a big part of the journey you know finding the right networks the right newsrooms because obviously all white news directors are not bad they're not gonna all shuffle you out the door like I was. But I wasn't shuffled out the door. I left. That's a joke.

But when you show people who you are, they're either going to take you or leave you. Right. And if they leave you, you'll find somewhere else. We were in ABJ. We had a meeting with ABC News. They were like, you know, diversity is really important. I'm like, yeah, especially the Black Panther made $1.1 billion for y'all. They're looking at me like, well, I mean,

but it caused folks to say... I call BS on it because Waiting to Exhale was a blockbuster and we never saw that again. But first of all, what you had there was you had every 10 years of romantic comedy. What happened there was, what I'm saying is when someone tells me diversity matters, I'm like, yes, I'm a point of how

you made so much money and to go, now let's see it in other parts of the company. And that's the important follow up to it as well. We had one particular market that we were selling the show in. And it's a major market, a stereotypical liberal market. And I told you, I think I told you a story. And there was a general manager who said, well, this other black host didn't make it, so I don't think white people in this big city want to see a black host.

And they passed on our show. Well, we were picked up by a better station in that market, it turns out. But, you know, even ‑‑ and I said to the team at that time, I said, well, so then does that mean if a white show fails, we'll never see white people on TV again? That is ridiculous. Because Jennifer Aniston being in 10 romantic comedies, they all suck. And she's going to get another one. No, I'm just saying that. No, I've got a problem saying it.

Because to that point, you mentioned Wigging to Exile. When Just Right came out, it didn't make enough money, a certain amount of money, and literally every romantic comedy that involved black people that was in the pipeline got stopped because of that one movie. And what I think is the point is even though you find a black panther that makes huge success, don't just rely on that, though, as the template because not everybody appreciates that money. They find ways to say, well, yeah, it did well, but but that was a unicorn or that did well and that's an anomaly so there are many fronts at which you're going to face questions about your value none of it is valuable it means nothing it's talking about how fun how much fun you're now having because I get to actually create something and you're not asking somebody's permission. Oh, listen, I'm asking permission still.

I have partners. Right. I'm not saying that, but you're now really on, you're not just on this side. You get to be a part of the creative process and shaping and molding. Absolutely. You know what? And that's important, again, and it's funny, Disney, because they did Black Panther, so maybe they are on to something with my show. But it's also speaking up. The other day we were at a photo shoot with Talia, myself, and Bill Getty. The photographer, unbeknownst to him, had

Bill Getty sit down and me and Talia stand up. And was like this and Talia and I like this and I said we're not gonna have the two black women standing in the white guy's city like Tony Orlando and Don and he had a room see I know and don't I actually said something worse but I won't say what I said but the guy said oh my gosh I'm so sorry and he then had me and Tali, and if you go on my social media, you see a picture with partners. We're locked arms. We're all smiling. He is not sitting there in a power pose.

Like he's the king of y'all. And poor Bill was like, what just happened? I don't know. He's like hitting a Mack truck. But those are the kind of victories that I'm able to take and able to speak up because those visuals matter as well. Oh, boy, question time. I was trying to run out of here before y'all got here. No, no, no, no. That's going to be questions. All right. So they initially had some rules where they're going to have mic runners, but no, that's not going to happen because, you know, folks want to give a sermonette

and then we'll be here all day. So I got the microphone. So here's the deal. We got rules. Okay. First of all, I don't need you holding the microphone. I got it. you hold the microphone I don't need you hold it run everything tamron all right so I got rules I'll meet you grabbing the microphone keep your hands to your side and you grab my palm and hit your hand all right so we're gonna start on this side of the room Center and other side and I'm gonna come back so got a question over here stand up where are you am I got a question come on stand up all right name where you're from then your question oh my god all right folks back to that roadmark unfiltered video in just one moment all right folks you've heard me talk a lot about marijuana stock.org why because i want

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Get in the game and get in the game now. Now back to your Roland Martin Unfiltered video. My old school Phil Donahue. My hands are right here. Put them behind your back. Suit in the position. Go ahead. Go ahead. Hi Tamron. I'm Jessica Larche. I'm at the CBS

Affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia, and we are running your show. Yay, thank you. So excited. I have a question. We talk a lot about identity and how we define ourselves, and especially in TV, sometimes we identify ourselves by the role that we have.

Yeah. In that two-year period, what type of soul-searching did you do to define who you are separate from what you do? I traveled the country for about two years giving speeches and attending conferences and just really listening to people. I've always, I've been raised by a very, very strong black woman.

And so my identity was clear. My job and how I would mesh who I am in my heart with what I was doing in a career wasn't always clear. So those two years, I kind of got back to my reporter roots, which is also going back to what Disney saw as a value in me. I've been in local news for 20 years. I was in Chicago for 10, 4 in Dallas. There was almost 15 years of local news. And so I really just wanted to get back to talking to people and reminding myself of why I came to do this job, which is I love people. I love reporting. I love being a journalist. So that was the soul searching in the process. Obviously, I was trying to have a baby. I had gotten married and all those things were happening

as well. But for me, professionally, it was important to get back to the roots of me being a local reporter, because above all else, I know there are a lot of people who want to be on air, and they want to be pundits, and your local news roots, if you're in local news in this room, are invaluable at any level of this game of journalism that we're in. Question? Yes, ma'am. Hi, I'm Kirsten. I'm in Sacramento. You know, starting off in my career, I think in the smaller markets, us black girls and probably the black guys too, we would all get together and be friends and there wasn't that competition. The further I go in my career, the bigger the market, I'm not finding that camaraderie. I find the adversarial relationship with other black women where it's like we have to compete for the job. When you recognize that

that is what's going on, what's your tips for addressing that so that we can try to build that camaraderie? Girl, can we have a drink? Please, girl. No, I'm saying what you're saying to them. Can we have a drink? Let's talk. Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a.

No, just say can we have coffee, can we have a drink, and then just what Joy Reed and I did, we just started talking. And as I said, Joy and I had always been very close, but we were always not really talking about work. And then I started to say, this is how I'm feeling. And she started to say, when I called Jamil Hill, I didn't know Jamil. I DM'd her. I think we both DM'd each other or something. And then I said, you're going to be in New York. Let's have drinks. Kari, I was in L.A. She saw on Twitter, on Instagram, I was in L.A. She was like, you're in L in LA, let's have a drink. So that's kind of how those relationships,

but yeah, it's the same with anything else. The minute you talk to someone, I tell people, once you rip off the mask, they rip off the mask, and you can actually have a conversation. That applies in any part of your life, and that was a very, I wish I had known that at 27. Because that would have made the journey in this business a lot easier, because there were times I did feel alone. And when I left that day at the old show that I was on, I remember telling Roland and some other people, I said, I have to leave, because I don't want the young women who are journalists to look and say, if it can happen to Tamron Hall, I don't stand a chance. And that's why I left.

And I told all of them that. I said, I can't live with myself. If they see me eat this, what will I do? And so as a result, I have my own talk show now, and I have this future that I hope is so bright. I'm not upset about the past, and I don't say that to be, you know, what would Jesus do moment, because I'm not that great. If I'm mad at you, I'm mad at you usually for life. But I wasn't mad. And he will tell you that.

I'm with you on that one. Yeah, I left there with God telling me that there was something else. And so for me, I think it's important for you to just open up because you can't do it alone. What also has to happen when someone goes through that similar experience, you've got to have people around you who are out of the blue. How are you doing today? Yes, absolutely. Because every now and then I'm like, damn, are you good? He's like, you're good? Because there were people who called me and they'd be like,

oh my God. And I said, who died? Nobody died. I mean, listen, I had lost the spot, but I didn't lose my soul. And so I can, I can fight again. I can live to fight another day and it's okay. Let's just move forward. Let's look ahead. And looking ahead again, to 9 9 19 I sound like Herman Cain 9 9 9 that's the day September 9th is the day that I will be in a sense born again question good afternoon Miss Tamron Paul my name is Malia and I am a freelance entertainment journalist so my question is a very simple question because I admire the way you compose yourself as a woman and my question is what books have you read along your journey to get to where you are today I'm not that smart I'm sorry read a couple I am more no brother and Oprah I'm more magazine the book no I have a book

that I read is called the path of light it's called The Path of Light. It's called The Path of Light. And it talks about the universe conspiring to give you exactly what you want. You know, when they say, ask God and you shall receive, there are things you ask and you don't get it, usually because you really didn't want it. But the universe will conspire. And it also talks about, and this is one of the things that I've shared, when there's no title beneath your name on your card,

are you still you? And I decided some years ago, I got this book when I was 18, and I'd read it every time, you know, sits on the nightstand of my bed right now. But when I was 46, I decided that I would implement what I had been reading in that book. And I'm me, no matter what.

No matter what the card says beneath it. I think about the actor from the Cosby show. Remember, he was at the Home Depot, and the woman took the picture, and everyone was like, and he said, I'm making a living, and I'm okay. And that's the sensation I had that day when the next chapter of my life was to start. I was going to be okay, whether

it said reporter, anchor, whether it said back to KTVT, any of that, I was going to be able to live with myself. But the book is called The Path of Light. Here we go. I think I'm going to hold it in the chair. Hi, Tamron. I'm Keisha Lopez. I'm the weekend anchor, reporter, producer for KWTX. And I'm just curious. I know you said you've had between 15 and 20 years in local news. How long were you, like what was the longest stint that you had in local news? And at what point did you decide it was time to move on? I have been fired from every job.

Absolutely. And here's why. When I got fired at WFLD, I told a producer that I was being interviewed by NBC. The producer, I thought, was a friend who then told the general manager, who then came to me and said, you must sign a new contract today or we're going to let you go. You have to stay here. And I said, I'm out of here. And I left. And so technically, I guess I quit. I don't know.

But it didn't end well. The same thing happened at KTVT. I'd been there for four years. And they were like, okay, we want you to sign this contract. And I said, well, I think I've been offered a job in San Francisco and Miami and Chicago. Steve Pickett, my darling friend that we know, Steve said, take the job in Chicago. Chicago will have your back forever. And I decided I was going to maybe take the job. I went in to talk to the news director thinking that, you know, I'm just going to have a heart to heart. And they were like, sign the contract or, you know, it's done. I said, okay. And I left and went to Chicago. But Chicago was for 10 years. And I had been at NBC for 10 years.

And right after I left, I ran into Lawrence Fishburne, whom I don't know only from, you know, Lawrence Fishburne, the famous Lawrence Fishburne. I don't know him as a friend. I have no idea how I ended up crying on his shoulder. And we're at this event. And I, I get this point because I'm just giving advice to everybody. That was pre-baby. You were crying then. I'm just, no, not like that. I was just asking everybody, anybody for advice. I truly was.

I was like, give me some insight. How did you make it through? And I wasn't ashamed because I was embarrassed that I had lost my position. But I was okay. But I needed advice. And Lawrence Fishburne said to me, how long have you been there? And I said, 10 years. He said, that's time. He said, it was time. You're you either gonna move on to the next thing are you going

to find a way to make where you are the best possible it is you know the math is there and usually when you're on air you know you can get pigeonholed people will see you as just a reporter when you want to do this or just entertainment when you want to do that. And so you have to be careful of that, particularly when there are news directors who see us as a monolith, who see us as a number. You've got to make sure you're always marketing yourself for exactly what you want. And it's okay, by the way, to stay in local news for 25 years if that is what you want to do, but get the maximum of it that you want out of it. Because I didn't know if I wanted to go to national. That was something that happened. But I would have been just A-OK in Chicago with a great

life and a great newscast in really cold winters. Sorry. I remember Monique had a show on BET. She said, you say stuff on TV, I'm afraid you're going to get fired. I said, Monique, I start every job with the premise, I'm going to get fired anyway. So just do what you got to do while you're there and move the hell on when it's time to go. Question. Tamron, my name is Jody Kenny, and I'm a news anchor for Spectrum News in upstate New York. And I'm a veteran journalist. I've been doing this for over 25 years.

And I now have branched into podcasting as well. I do a podcast called Success with Jodi Kenny, and I talk with people about their journey to success. So I'm very fascinated with you, and I want to get your advice on how women can continue to pivot and what steps we should take to remain relevant as we mature in our careers. It's a tough one. Ann Curry and I have talked about this a lot. I mean, Ann Curry and I probably stayed relevant because people were upset with what happened to us.

And we both, though, had done multiple types of jobs. Remember it now. Ann Curry was on Dateline. Remember what I said. Take the gig. Ann Curry was on Dateline. Remember what I said. Take the gig. Ann Curry's on Dateline. Then she's doing this. So we had a unique opportunity to take these different jobs.

I do think the social media platform clearly is a game changer. Having a podcast is a game changer. In this business, especially on air, you're either going to quit them or they're going to quit you. That is just it. Very rarely do you see, I hope there comes a time where we can turn on the air and see a newswoman on for 40 years. It doesn't happen often. It doesn't mean it can't, but it hasn't. What's the NBC affiliate in new york she was on for a very long time sue simmons so simmons i mean susan is amazing and she was probably the longest running that i'd ever seen so for me personally i concluded you either quit them or they're going to quit you at some point but i think that right now, especially the power of black Twitter,

the power of black podcasts, we have an opportunity to have our voices heard in such an important way in digital. And as Roland has pointed out, you can own it. Do I have a perfect answer? I do not. I cannot give you a tidy answer, and I wish I could come up with some great Maya Angelou quote. But what I can tell you is through experience in this last two years people want to read our stories they want our perspective in this journey as female journalists as black journalists and I think these podcasts I think keeping current with blogs it's we are underestimating how much people want to hear our voices digitally they just don't want to have us clap back on Twitter.

I would dare say, while you have your primary, create your secondary, which is your passion, and your secondary may one day equal your primary, and then you have a choice to make. Bill Douglas is here. He worked at McClatchy. He had a hockey blog. And then all of a sudden NHL said, we want to hire you. And now he's licensing his blog to NHL, and he left McClatchy. Even when you look at some of the, you know, I remember being on the Today Show and wondering, like, why are all of the YouTubers that were coming on, like, young white guys? And I'm like, that's interesting. And I'm not technologically savvy in that way with the YouTube channels, but I figure if Logan Paul or whatever can have 90 million, that's his name, right?

Logan Paul. By 30 million, making 15 million a year. 30 million people, then why can't the counter to him representing a diverse voice have that? So I think that for me, just on the outside looking in and even booking my show now, we're in the process of booking the show, and we start our rehearsals in August, that's been something I've pushed my team. Like, who is the relevant black blogger out there? Who is the podcast voice that people are gravitating around? There was that crime series called Serial that everyone, you know, there have been like four or five from a white point of view of those. You know,

Lorenz Tate and his brother tried to launch one with Lawrence Fishburne with Spotify on, it was like a black crime novel set in Chicago. But these creative ways that we should be exploring that people are making millions of dollars doing. So I think that's a way

especially as an aging anchor that I am I guess, to stay relevant. Question right here. Put your hand up. Oh, gosh. Y'all got to lighten up. Oh, you missed that part? No, I'm just used to it. But not right today. Okay.

Hello. Hi. Casey Jones. I am a reporter in Rochester, New York. First of all, thank you so much for sharing your journey. Absolutely. It means so much to hear it. And it sounds like you've been through a lot to get to where you are. We all have.

Everybody in this room, you are black, you've been through a lot. Of course. So what advice do you give as you're on your journey, going through a lot, how do you stay focused, stay positive, keep visualizing yourself living your wildest dreams despite every every challenge that's being thrown at you because I know nothing is perfect I'm not seeking perfection I know it's not I know that I may leave here in a minute be in the corner cry my eyes out because something didn't go the way it was supposed to I'm not trying to pretend that it's perfect and I'm not

going to sell you you know I could come up with some really great quotes and come in here and just start dropping them and writing them down all day. Tamron Hall once said, that's not who I am. I remember there was a blog, and very few things get under my skin, but there was an article in a black female blog. It really hurt me. It was a couple of years ago. I did an interview, and they said something about when young black girls come in and talk to me about how hard it is being black. And I said, I turn them around, and I say, come back. Let's not talk about that.

I want to know who you are and what you want to do. Because I know the roadblocks in front of you, but if we keep looking at the bump, we will never see the road. And I don't want you just to see the road. I want you to own the road. And there were several black bloggers who then said, Tamron Hall said she just turned people around. I'm like, look, dummy. Obviously you know that I did not. I bet you tweeted that too. Look, dummy.

I said it to you and I just flipped up and said it out loud. But I'm thinking you know very well that I'm not going to turn around a young black woman and say go back out. It's a figure of speech. What I meant by that was, I don't want to hold you back. I know the bumps. We know the bumps. And we can sit here all day, and I can name every network and name something that happened to someone that looks like you and me there. But I want you not just to be on the road.

I want you to own the road. And that's why I said that. I don't want to sit there and you and I talk about how hard it is I want us to talk about how you are going to run that station you're at and that's important to me because the best advice I have ever received in my life did not include all right girl we down it included how we don't get the hell up question my name is Gloria Brown Marshall. I actually have been on your show a couple of times. I cover the U.S. Supreme Court. I'm a legal correspondent, but I'm also a legal historian, and this year is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Africans in Virginia,

and I just wanted to know, when it comes to these race issues and other, how are you going to handle that on your show? Do you have, like, in your mind what you're going to do to these race issues and other how are you going to handle that on your show do you have like in your mind um what you're going to do around these race issues i know but people have handled them different ways on different shows but i also want to ask can you do something around the 400th on your show you know first of all i don't know if i can do something on the show about it not because it's not interesting and not compelling i want to talk to you more about how we can bring it to a wider audience. Because one of the things that I think is important for my show, like Mixish, we're going to have hopefully the cast of Mixish on. And I said, we're not going to, we're going to talk

about what it's like when somebody wrote on my blog, you're a white baby. And how I felt when someone said, you're a white baby Moses. And I said to myself, and Roland knows this is very dicey territory, but I said, wait a minute, Barack Obama's I said to myself, and Roland knows this is very dicey territory, but I said, wait a minute, Barack Obama's mom is white, but he's our first black president, and I'm black and Moses is white. Help me understand that. And so I'm willing to go out on a limb and talk about anything as it relates to race because that's my journey, and Disney has not in one way, shape shape or form said you can't do that I

do also believe what William Barber the famous minister that I love and we love so much said if we tell our children that this is the worst that we've seen we're doing a disservice to our children because we did watch as black people on television while it wasn't live it was taped in our family's watch, sprayed with water hoses, beaten. We watched Eric Garner killed on tape. So I don't shy away from talking about anything as it relates to our journey. Because I do ultimately want the white woman in Iowa to cry for Tamir Rice just like we did. And I think with my voice and my platform, I can say, listen, you should be as outraged about Tamir as I

am no matter the color of your skin so for me it's about finding a way to bring our voices our conversations to my show not just because I'm black but because I'm black and I know it's important ten more minutes of questions gonna get as many as possible my brother what's up? What's going on? Question time. All right. Hi, Tamara. My name is. You can stand up.

I got you. Well, it's kind of. You were ranting out. I appreciate it. My name is Maurice Johnson, and I teach journalism and public relations at the Florida A&M University School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. All right, Rad, let's calm down.

My question is, like, even my upbringing, socioeconomically, my parents having locks, it's very easy for me to resonate and create cultural capital with my young male students. My question to you is just based off your experiences that you've told us about today, how can I encourage and empower the young black women in my classroom knowing both the racial politics and sexual politics that they'll face once they get into the industry? The way you just talked to me. I mean, I think that that's the thing. Roland did something that I thought was incredible, and I rarely use the word incredible and Roland together.

Don't hate the swagger, baby. There was a conversation about the paid speaking circuit, and a lot of us give speeches now. I wasn't when I was a journalist on air, but now I get paid for certain speeches that I do. And Roland went on his social media and he called out some of the black churches. I have never had this experience, but he said, y'all are paying the black men more to speak at these conferences than you are black women. I didn't see one black guy retweet Roland in that.

Don't worry about it. I got more followers than they do. But he did, and he stood on his own because he said, wait a minute, I can make this money giving speeches, but y'all are doing my sisters wrong, and this is terrible. So I think, again, just as we were talking about relating to each other woman to woman in these newsrooms, it's the same conversation. We just have to start talking to each other and not talking at each other. I like social media, but I'm very cautious of it because I think it's the only time in our history that we cage ourselves and we have thrown away the key. I grew up in an environment where we would talk to each other in a neighborhood and my mother and they would

come over and play spades, and people just communicated in a way that I feel that we don't, including when we have a position of power. So I think, you know, listen, you seem like a great guy, a cool guy. I think some of the best shots I've gotten in my life were because a man invested in my career, first starting with Clarence Newton Sr., my stepfather, who was the only dad I've known. So I have a great respect of the relationship that we can have as men and women together, and what we can do together is powerful for us. And I think that that's important for you to feel appreciated by those young women in your class, but also to let them know you see a deficit that can be filled, just as you've worked with the young men. Question?

Hello, my name is Kyla Wright. I'm a graduate student at Syracuse University. And my question is, how do you know as a black woman when it's time to take that leap of faith to make that pitch and to be different and not a carbon copy of other shows and other women? I've never been a carbon copy of anyone. And not because I've had the confidence not to be.

I just really had no choice. My mother didn't play that. My mother was like, we are the Joneses. That's who we keep up with. I was like, okay. So the environment I was raised in. But I know it's hard. I mean, I remember when I first cut my hair on air.

I now know many women have gone into newsrooms and news directors have said, you should cut your hair like Tamron Hall. But when I first cut my hair like Tamron Hall, it was no bueno. So it's hard to find your identity. I remember I wore my hair natural on air. Two of my white co-workers pretended they did not see that my hair was different because they simply did not know in 2018 what to say. It was phenomenal. But I didn't get mad at them for it. I still know that there are challenges. My makeup artist and my hairstylist are black because they know how to do my hair and my makeup. And I know I was going in newsrooms

where, in particular, one station had a white makeup artist. I was filling in. She didn't know I was on my way to become the host, and I overheard her say something really negative about me and not be bothered with finding my color. She was the first person I had fired because I didn't fire her to flex on her. I fired her because she chose to try to flex on me. And so that's what happened there. So I think that finding your lane, finding who you are is important, both on the outside and the inside. I love your braids and I love that your

cultural identity is clear. As far as the leap of faith, only you and God in your heart can determine that. I had no idea, as I said, the day that I took that leap that it was coming. I had some suspicions. There had been some things. You know, they say, stay woke, steady creeping. I knew that there were things creeping around. But a leap of faith is so personal. It's so hard. As I said, if it was 10 years prior, I could not have done it. And I have been in the bathroom in my house crying my eyes out saying, these people at KTVT didn't appreciate me. What am I going to do, God?

How do I rise above this? How do I find my lane when I know that back in 1998, there were probably three other places that I could have worked because nobody was really looking at black female reporters to come into their shops. But you just got to have that confidence and know that as confident as I appear right now, inside I was nervous walking in here, worried I'd be judged even though y'all rooted for me, worried I wouldn't have the right words, worried I wouldn't have the right food for

your soul. But I decided by the second step, I was just going to be myself. And wherever that lays is where it stays. So I'm going to go to a question here in a second. See it right now. But I got to, are you going to say something here? So first, no, you're going to say something. Stop it. So I am a firm, as Tamara knows very well, I'm all about history. I'm all about the folks who made it possible for us to get here. And the reality is you're looking at one of the legendary figures in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Charles Cobb.

He is. No, no, no, no, no, no, hell no. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was responsible for most of the most important civil rights actions between 1960 and 1968. I'm going to say that one more time because y'all didn't hear what I said. SNCC made it possible for us to sit in this hotel room. So I just wanted Charles to say something wishing Tamron good luck on her show. And Charles, get the hold of Mike. I'm not prepared to ask a question.

I'm thinking furiously. I'm curious, now that I am thinking, about which way you see media going these days. In this era of Trump, where we've seen an upsurge of white supremacists, nationalism, we've seen an upsurge of racial prejudice being publicly articulated. It's not clear to me, given it took the media a long time to even call Donald Trump a racist. So I'm curious as to what your thoughts are about where the media is going these days. Good question Charles. It's a great

question. A couple of things I'll tell you. First of all, thank you for everything you did to provide for a path for me and everybody in here. It's not lost on you, Congressman Lewis, and all of the wonderful men and women who put your lives on the line for us. As far as it relates to the current world order that we are in, I believe a couple of things. I covered Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma City bombing. I'm stunned in this past week how few people have made reference to the young, well-off white man who walked in and blew up that building. So the clock did not start, as you know, because you've been on the clock way longer than me, with the last two weeks. Janet Napolitano commissioned a report on the rise of white supremacists well before Donald Trump ever ran for office.

So if we trick ourselves, I believe, into believing that the clock started two weeks ago, then we are then denying that the whole country watched as the biggest and most deadly act of terrorism carried out on domestic soil. We're pretending Oklahoma did not exist? Timothy McVeigh did a legendary interview where he said of the children, many of them were brown,

they were just collateral damage. So for me, the clock doesn't start yesterday. And it's clear that many people haven't heard the message that the media is not run by black people, not mainstream media. So why are we having these conversations with so few of color anchors? And I mean Latino brothers and sisters as well.

So the solution is not in my words. The solutions are in the actions that we demand of them. That's how I see it. And we're 24 years away from are in the actions that we demand of them. That's how I see it. And we're 24 years away from America being the nation majority of people of color. And then to white fears was really driving a lot of this. Yeah, but it is. And I just, I'm shocked by how few people are like, wait a minute. Are they having to Google Timothy McVeigh? We were there. This guy, I was the first, I believe the

only black reporter that the Texas militia allowed into their campsite. And this was in 1995, right around after the Oklahoma City bombing. And everyone was talking about the Texas, they weren't paying taxes, they were living on their

own land, and they were ready to fight, they were armored up. That's what we're seeing now. It's never went away, and I know that rhetoric can inflame, but if that's your agenda, you will find your savior in anyone, because that's what you want to do anyway. Got literally two minutes, question. I'm Daniel Jerkins, I'm from Gainesville, Florida.

I host and produce radio there, I'm also a student. Go Rattlers. Congratulations first on your new show. I'll be graduating in about a year and a half. Congratulations. I had questions about negotiating. You seem like you're very good at it. We have 90 seconds. Just some tips, general tips on negotiating that first contract, not just taking something. You know, I think, well, first of all, there is a theory that especially amongst people of color, we should start telling our salaries more to each other.

I struggle with that because that's your personal wealth and that's your personal business. But there is a theory that if we talk more about what we make with each other, that then we can make more. So that's a personal choice you have to make my job my first job on air i made fourteen thousand dollars i remember because i remember my paycheck and it was a lot of money to me then because that was a hundred years ago i see you struggling like they've been off me fourteen thousand um that was a hundred thousand years ago uh the next job i made forty five thousand next job i made a hundred and fifteen thousand after that it went up a lot more. And I'm grateful for that. I think you have to know going in, they're probably going to have the advantage.

Any job, any job you go, because you're getting the experience, you're the newbie. And so I think going in, establishing yourself, and keeping track of what you're doing. So that when it is time to get a new contract at that place or somewhere else, you've kept. I would always go into, I would go in my ratings and they would often pretend they didn't know. And I'm like, well that's funny because you're a marketing department. I always prefer the people in the marketing. I was like this. There you go.

And so we weren't going to talk anecdotally about my ratings. I knew my ratings. And I had someone say to me, what do you think the ratings are up because of you? I said, if they were down, you'd say it was because of me. So that's how I... Can I get a witness? Yeah, so... But that grew with time over confidence

because I knew I had the experience. But I knew going in at the first job at KVTX, where I made $14,000, what negotiating power did I have? The best I could do was negotiate with my talent and my hard work and my work ethic once I got the job and use that as leverage. But keep your ratings, keep track of what you're doing. I also encourage if you're in local news, do community service in your, that's how you build a relationship. Don't just go in and report in that news, do community service that's how you build a relationship don't just go in and report in that town, become a part of it

Meals on Wheels, whatever it is if there's a domestic violence shelter something that is a passion because that also makes you valuable to that town you're reporting in and that gives you leverage when you go in and you say I have been actively involved with this organization

that take the speeches when they ask you to host events, because they will come to you and say, hey, we have the NAACP thing happening now. You say, yes, I'm doing it, A, because it's my responsibility, B, it's my community, but also it's going to give me leverage to show that I'm not just checking in and checking out. I'm a part of this community, and that's what you're supposed to be compensating me for. I'm ingrained in this community as a journalist and as a citizen of this community and that's what you're supposed to be compensating me for i'm ingrained in this community as a journalist and as a citizen of this community but please make sure you do your community service work just don't be the reporter anchor there get involved in something in that

town that you're in tomorrow find someone and call them like hey i had heard about you guys doing something at the y with kids let me show show up. You look at my resume, every town I was in, including KVTX when I left, they declared a Tamron Hall day because I had done, I was in there the whole six months. They declared a Tamron Hall day. I have the plaque in my office because I had done so much community service in that town. And it's also good for your soul. You said it real quick, though, but a lot of journalists don't do this. They don't talk to other departments in the building because you can get information about your bosses and your job from other folks.

Yeah, befriend them, people. Yes, the human resource. Buy that one person. Like, girl, what happened? Anybody. Right, right. Anybody black else in the building. What you doing?

Yeah, I need to holler at you. But build relationships and don't, you know, you don't have to assimilate, but you don't also have to isolate yourself. And that's important as well. And the leverage piece is obviously critically important because, again, when they can put you in a very small box, and then when they have no idea, I remember when we signed with CNN, they're like, we don't know what you're getting paid on time, Jonah, what you're getting paid over here. And then that's why it was like, yes, we're going to do a contributing deal that's going to be about knowing your worth is not limited to one gender one race it's our journey too we can talk about it all day long but when you go in

there to negotiate I don't care if your news director is black I don't care the background of that person you walk in armored up with your resume with who you are what you've done and your value September 9th 2019 Tamron Hall debuts across the country on This is an iHeart Podcast.