#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Julius Jones' Mom Plea, Arbery dead before he hit the ground, Nat' Entrepreneurs Day, BMF Finale

Episode Date: November 17, 2021

11.16.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: An Oklahoma mother is pleading with Governor Kevin Stitt to spare her son's life, and a Virginia pastor has offered to take the condemned man's place. Julius Jones's execution is two days away, and the Governor has not met with the family as they wait outside his office.  The Oklahoma Black Caucus Chair who has been with the family will tell us what is and is not happening with Julius Jones.Black women leaders and allies lead a Freedom Walk and Voting Rally here in D.C.The hate is real when it comes to Vice President Kamala Harris. Glynda Carr, the President and CEO of Higher Heights will explain why the media is going so hard on Harris.It's one of the hottest shows on Starz. The season finale of BMF airs this weekend. We have the creator of the Randy Huggins here with a little sneak peek of Sunday's show.It's verdict watch in two cases. A Wisconsin jury is deciding Kyle Rittenhouse's fate. And the first white officer to be criminally charged for killing a black man is waiting for a Kansas City, Missouri judge to let him know if he'll spend time in prison.It's National Entrepreneurs Day, and in our Marketplace segment, we'll be highlighting a Dallas, Texas, entrepreneur who provides posh spaces for the who's who of the city. #RolandMartinUnfiltered partners:Verizon | Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, now available in 50+ cities, is the fastest 5G in the world.* That means that downloads that used to take minutes now take seconds. 👉🏾https://bit.ly/30j6z9INissan | 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/3iP9zkv👀 Manage your calendar, follow along with recipes, catch up on news and more with Alexa smart displays + Stream music, order a pizza, control your smart home and more with Alexa smart speakers 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ked4liBuick | 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. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend.

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Get a 5G phone on us with select plans. Every customer, current, new, or business. Because everyone deserves better. And with plans starting at just $35, better costs less than you think. Today is Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, live on the Black Star Network. An Oklahoma mother is pleading with Governor Kevin Stitt to spare her son's life. The Virginia pastor has offered

to take the condemned man's place. Julius Jones' execution is two days away. And the Republican governor still has not met with the family as they wait outside his office. The Oklahoma Black Caucus Chair, who has been with the family, will tell us what is happening in the case of Julius Jones. Black women leaders and allies lead a freedom walk and voting rally here in D.C.

Our cameras were there to capture it. Also, the hate is real when it comes to Vice President Kamala Harris. Glenda Carr, the president and CEO of Power Heights, which is focused on electing more black women to office, will explain why the media is going so hard on Harris. It is one of the hottest shows on Starz. And of course, I'll talk with the creator of BMF, Randy Huggins, with regards to the season finale. It's also verdict watch in two cases

of Wisconsin jurors decided Kyle Rittenhouse's fate. The first white officer to be criminally charged for killing a black man is waiting for a Kansas City, Missouri judge to let him know if he will spend time in prison. It's also National Entrepreneur's Day and our Marketplace segment brought to you by Verizon will be highlighting a Dallas entrepreneur

who provides pause spaces for folks who are looking for various events. Also, we'll talk with John Hope Bryant about an initiative he's doing with the city of Atlanta. It is time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered, right here on the Black Star Network. Let's go. Puttin' it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks

He's rollin' Yeah, yeah It's Uncle Roro, yo Yeah, yeah It's Rollin' Martin, yeah Yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah

He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martel. Now. Martel. What the hell has taken the governor of Oklahoma so damn long? Twice the pardoned parole's board has recommended clemency in the case of Julius Jones,

recommending that his sentence be reduced to life in prison. But he is still sitting on death row. His execution is two days away. Instead, has refused to actually make a decision in the case. Now, he's met with the family of the man that Jones was convicted of killing, the same case where the board said there are too many questions being raised. Even prominent conservatives like Matt Schlapp of CPAC has said that there are some issues with this case and that he should remove him from death row. So what is Stitt going? He also has not even met with the family of Julius Jones.

They've been sitting outside of his office waiting to meet with him, including Julius Jones' mother, Madeline Davis Jones. They've been waiting and waiting and waiting. Please send my baby boy home. He is innocent. And please send him home. In Jesus' name, I ask you. Thank you.

Earlier this month, Stitt had a short conversation with a local Oklahoma station. During the discussion, he mentioned he had plans to meet with the victim's family. However, the governor added he has no plans to meet with the victim's family. However, the governor added he has no plans to meet with Jones' family. Joining us now is Representative Jason Lowe, who serves as the Oklahoma Black Caucus Chair. Representative Lowe, glad to have you on the show.

I don't understand. The governor said not going to make a decision until there's a clemency hearing. Okay? Clemency hearing. Board votes three to one. And he's still waiting. And so you have all of this stress and the pressure.

Julius Jones is sitting on death row two days away. Has Stick talked with the Oklahoma Black Caucus? Has he talked with anyone? Well, first of all, thank you for having me here tonight. It's a very frustrating time for our community, for Mrs. Jones and her family. He has not reached out to us. He has not reached out to the Jones family. We attempted to have a meeting with him yesterday at his office. He refused. He did accept the letter that we had to give him from Mrs. Jones, but he has, at this point in time, refused to meet with the Jones family. It's unfortunate

he has met with the Howell family, and our heart goes out to the Howell family in regards to the death of Mr. Howell. But Mr. Jones, Julius Jones, has asserted his innocence on this case from day one, from 22 years ago, he has asserted his innocence. So what I don't understand is what is taking him so long? So is he drawing this out for attention? Oh, this last minute sort of situation. I mean, here you have Julius Jones, you know, another day, another day, another day, now 48 hours, the stress on the family and others. When again, his whole point was, hey, allow my parole board to do what they do. They voted twice, three to one. Yes, absolutely. They voted twice to allow Julius to get out with a life without with the possibility of parole. We ask that the

governor follow his board's recommendation. The board that he has appointed on two occasions, they have recommended Julius be released. So that's what we're asking for. We're hopeful that the governor is reviewing this case seriously, that the governor is doing a hearing from both sides. I know that Julius's attorneys on the federal level had an opportunity to talk to the governor. They indicated that the meeting went well. He's also talked to the prosecutors in this case. But we're hopeful that he reviews the evidence went well. He's also talked to the prosecutors in this case. But we're hopeful that he reviews the evidence. This young man's life is on the line.

He has two days before his execution date. Obviously, we're prayerful. We're hopeful that the governor makes the right decision in this case because this young man does not need to be executed. This young man needs to be released and be back home with his family. Yeah, it is just confusing as to what is taking so long, why this governor is drawing this decision out. And it just makes no sense to us at all. And so we certainly hope that he is going to make this decision fairly, fairly soon. So we'll see what happens. All right. We certainly appreciate your work, that of the others as well.

Representative Lowe, thanks a lot. Thank you. All right. Folks, the pastor of Sojourner United Church of Christ traveled from Charlottesville, Virginia, to make an in-person offer to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. He wants to exchange Julius Jones's life for his if Jones faces execution.

Because I've made an offer to Governor Stitt that if another black man is going to be killed under the guise of capital punishment, that it could be any black man. And so I would like the governor to allow me to lie on that table and to die in place of Julius Jones. That is an offer similar to one I made 10 years ago when the state of Georgia was about to kill Troy Davis. But in your situation here in Oklahoma, one person holds the key to life or death for Julius Jones. The governor holds that key. We're offering the governor a choice today

to allow Julius Jones to go free and I will die in his stead. If the governor will accept that offer, I believe we will see an end to capital punishment in this state of Oklahoma. Joining us, Georgia Fort, independent journalist, Mustafa Santiago Ali, former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA. Glad to have both of Oklahoma. Joining us, Georgia Ford, independent journalist, Mustafa Santego Ali, former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA.

Glad to have both of you. Georgia, I just don't understand the delay here. Again, look, if you're going to make a decision, make it. If you're going to allow Julius Jones to go ahead and die, make it. But to draw this thing out, to sit here and say, oh, my board, do what you do. Okay, fine. Okay. They voted twice. I mean, this is just nonsensical.

Yeah, no, I agree a hundred percent. And Roland, the case with this situation, you know, that really concerns me is when you start looking at the facts and the details and the evidence of this case, we should really be asking ourselves, why is Julius still in jail in the first place? Christopher Jordan is the individual who has actually admitted to more than three people that he is the one who committed this murder. And if you have that kind of evidence that's resurfaced, we should seriously be asking ourselves, why is Julius in jail? Why is the governor dragging his feet? And here, nonetheless, we're watching the clock tick. He has two days before his execution is set. And I believe that when you look at the evidence in this case, Julius should not be

in jail. Mustafa. November the 8th, 2022. That's when the governor is back up for re-election. So you have to understand the politics that often is a part of these processes. We also understand the history, the disparities that exist in relationship that there are more African Americans on death row than any other race. So we've seen these dynamics continue to play out. But when you have a parole board and others who are saying that this man should no longer be on death row, then it should be very clear. You cannot continue to move the goalpost. If you say

that you're waiting for that analysis to come back to you so that you can make a decision, and everyone is saying that this gentleman does not deserve to be on death row, many are saying he does not deserve to be in prison, as was just called out, then you have to begin to unpack these other variables of why someone has not moved forward, that being the governor. Now, just to make sure, no sense whatsoever. All right, folks, going to go to break. We come back. We'll talk about the March for Voting Rights here in D.C. Our cameras were there. Black women continue to press the case to the U.S. Senate to act on voting rights. That's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Blackstar Network. ДИНАМИЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon.

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Lana Well, and you are watching Rolling Martin Unfiltered. Several civil rights groups held a freedom walk to urge lawmakers to pass the landmark Freedom to Vote Act as well as the John Lewis Act. Organizers say that they will not rest until the bills are passed. Our cameras were live today as they walked in downtown D.C. In front of the historic Dorothy Irene Height building. Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was many things. She was the godmother of the civil rights movement. She was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And she is the person who inspires us to this day as President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women. I would say that we are delighted to have you here as our guest at 633 Pennsylvania

Avenue, the only black-owned building on Pennsylvania Avenue. But you can't be delighted about the loss and suppression of voting rights. You can't be delighted about unequal pay for black women. So it's not a day to be delighted. It's a day to act. And we are here because we are not content to sit by the sidelines and watch as history parades by. We insist on helping to move the axis of history toward justice. How did we get here, Cora?

How did we get here? We got here back when the Senate decided, the U.S. Senate decided that they didn't have time. At least 50 Democrats were there. And this is just fact, not partisan. You couldn't get 10 Republicans to come and allow for a discussion, let alone a vote on protecting our voting rights. And so sisters got together and say, we got to do something. So we pulled together this thing called Black Women and Allies and had our first action on July 15th. So here we are on November 16th. But we're in no ways tired.

We are at a point of crossroads. We are at a point of incredible emergency and urgency when it comes to voting rights, when it comes to democracy. And we want to send a message to friends, to friends and to frenemies and to foes alike today that we will not settle for the okey-doke. That's right. We will not settle for lip service. That's right. We will not settle for lip service. We will not settle for hollow words. And we will not settle for inaction. The walk was hosted by the Black Women's Roundtable and the National Congress of Negro Women.

Organizers continue to fight as states across the nation enact voter restriction laws. The thing here, Mustafa, that people have to understand what's going on here, you're already seeing Republicans in states like Wisconsin. You're already starting in Georgia. We're seeing it in Texas. We're seeing it in newsplaces where they are passing gerrymandered laws. You know, Wisconsin just passed a bill that would pretty much guarantee 70 percent of all of the congressional seats in the state go to republicans even though biden won the state uh the same same thing is happening in other places as well ari berman uh has been uh tweeting about this and the the bills that are that the democrats are pushing

uh would outlaw that type of gerrymandering and so when you look at uh senators christian cinema and joe manchin and other democrats who don't want to get rid of the filibuster that's exactly type of gerrymandering. And so when you look at Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin and other Democrats who don't want to get rid of the filibuster, that's exactly what's happening. Check this out. He posted this. Ohio Senate passes extreme gerrymandering congressional map, giving Republicans 80 percent of seats in the state and Trump won with 53 percent of the vote. Well, we all know what this is about. This is about power.

This is about being able to control the purse strings, to be able to create the legislation that continues to move resources into the communities that Republicans see value in, and then making sure that you can disinvest in others. And this is a part of a strategy that folks have been trying to implement for a couple of decades at least now, actually a little bit longer than that, and we continue to play games with folks. So Sinema and Manchin, they understand the immediacy of this moment. And if they are not willing to stand up and do the right thing to end the filibuster or to modify the filibuster, then you are also saying that these types of

activities that are happening across the country, that you sign off on them, that you believe that discrimination and racism and these biases that are a part of what these folks are putting together is OK. It's OK in the 21st century for these types of actions to take place. So they have responsibility in this moment. But, Roland, let's not also forget about a number of Republicans who like to label themselves as moderate Republicans, as those who are, you know, who care about what's happening in communities across the country and them also not standing up and making their voices heard. Here's what's interesting, Georgia. Ari Berman also tweeted this out.

This is how you want to understand. So check this out. He showed this particular state here, 50 precincts. And you see if they 60 percent blue, that's how they voted. Forty percent red. Well, if you if you just do basic districts, five districts. Well, you will see blue wins five. Red wins zero. Well, here's how the Republicans that want on the right, how they gerrymandered. They would sit here and basically create a deal where red would win three of those districts.

Blue would win two of those districts, even though it's 60 percent blue, 40 percent red. That's how, as he said, that's how you steal an election. Yeah. Yeah. And I think to just outline something Mustafa said, the strategy. Right. This is a strategy to maintain power. And so when you look at the fact that the Republicans could not get us to vote for them, they couldn't swing the vote the way that they wanted it to. And so now they're looking at different strategies in order to produce the outcomes that they're hoping for. And Sinema and Manchin, their inaction is complicity. So what we need to be very clear about here is that if we don't get a handle on voting rights,

if we don't protect our right to vote and we allow them to win that way, we are going to be up for some serious issues in the presidential election in 2024, because we know that Trump is going to throw his name back in the hat. And so if he can't get our votes, he can undo a system. He can take away our rights to vote and he can win that way. But here's what's so stupid here. When you listen to some of this stuff, frankly, from the White House, even from President Biden, that, you know, you hear people say, folks like Black Voters Matter say, we can't out-organize gerrymandering.

When you look at what they're doing, you can't. They are literally constructing districts, Mustafa, that you're not going to be able to win. And so they are, again, how they're utilizing the algorithm, it is to diminish the voting power of black folks and others to guarantee they win. And so they literally are on a path between Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, they are going to guarantee they will win the House potentially for the next decade if Democrats don't break the filibuster

and pass voting laws. This is the moment. You know, there really is no future if you are not willing to do the right thing right now. I mean, the midterms will be here before you know it. And you've got to make sure that you're doing the steps that are going to be necessary. Because if you don't, there are going to be huge ripples that

will go across our communities. And sometimes people don't get that. You know, here we talk about when you don't address this issue, you'll have all kinds of new judges that are going to end up being placed that have direct impacts on you. The dollars that are going to housing, the dollars that go to transportation, the dollars that go to worker training programs and all these other types of things that we often cry out and say that we need these things to make sure that our communities are stronger are all tied to your vote. So that's the reason that so many folks are coming continually to Capitol Hill to protest. And that's the reason that other people are

raising their voices. But it all comes back down to the decisions that folks have made in putting certain people in positions of power. Chuck Schumer decided to give, you know, Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema these opportunities, and they have not repaid the voters and the confidence that people put in them. So we now find ourselves in this moment where we have to continue to put pressure because, as you said at the beginning of this, mathematically, it will be impossible for folks to be able to make sure that their vote actually counts because of the way that these things are being structured. Georgia, perfect example. Again, this is what Ari Berman tweeted.

Georgia passed a gerrymandered state Senate map giving the GOP 59 percent of seats in the state that Biden won, 49.5. This is what he said. 100% of the population growth in the past decade in Georgia came from communities of color, but the maps create no new minority seats and, again, as he says, an entrenched white GOP power for the next decade. This is about maximizing maximizing white political power. Yeah. And as a good friend says, the math ain't math. And there's no way to make that math add up for outcomes that are equitable for people who look like us. And so I think it's imperative that we continue to organize and mobilize, that we continue to take stands at Capitol Hill, because if this continues,

we're going to be out of our votes or our votes are not going to have the same weight as they would. And, you know, it's just sad. It is. It's very disappointing. The state of our nation, especially when you reflect on someone like John Lewis, who dedicated his entire career for this issue. And here we are, another generation having to fight that same fight. Yeah. And it's just and and look, you've got to ratchet the pressure up. And this White House has got to do more. I mean, look, you can sit here ratchet the pressure up. And this White House has got to do more. I mean, look, you can sit here and tout all you want. The infrastructure bill, one point two trillion dollars important. You could talk about this next bill all you want to be trying to figure out a path to reconciliation. But you're guaranteeing Democrats, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi.

You're going to be in the minority when it comes to political power. If you don't address this issue now. And then, of course, Mustafa, time is also the essence as well, because if you don't do it early enough, the courts are going to say it's too late. The primary season has already started. That's right. And they're just going to let it run. We've seen it play out before. So this is it. You know, this is game time. You're in the fourth quarter. You need to stop acting like you got plenty of time.

You need to pull Joe Manchin in and cinema and have that hard conversation with them about what your expectations are. And you might say you did it before, but you need to reinforce it and to make sure that they understand the seriousness of this moment and also the ramifications of the lack of your action or if the actions are counter to what we need to have happen in this moment. So, you know, Roland, I've often said that we have to be very careful. You got to unpack this a little bit further because these situations that people are putting in place is very apartheid-esque. I'm not saying it's apartheid, but I'm saying it's very apartheid-esque, where you have a smaller group of folks, white folks, who are trying to hoard power so that they control the narrative, that they control the destiny, and that they control a number of these other power dynamics that continue to play out. So either we're going to address this and make sure that democracy is real and that that

democracy is real for everybody and that everybody's vote is actually going to count equally, or we're going to allow the disintegration of these values that we say that we stand on. So let's see how it actually plays out. All right, folks. Absolutely. And look, the pressure. So the protests are going to continue. The pressure has to continue. And we really, really, folks, have no choice because it needs to happen. I want to see President Biden. How about that summit at the White House? How about you call Sinema and Manchin down there and these other Democrats who don't want to get rid of this? How about you call Republicans? How about you actually show that you care? All right, folks, we come back. We're going to talk with the leader of an organization that's dedicated to electing more black women into higher office who is not

happy with the attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris. We'll explain when we talk with Glenda Car of Higher Heights next on Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to download the app on all platforms, Apple, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Samsung, as well as Xbox. Also, you can please join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support the show and what we do. Dollars, cash app is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered.

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I'm Chrisette Michelle. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, Vice President Kamala Harris has been the subject of withering criticism, scathing reports regarding her work in the White House. Now, Insiders report that Harris has a poor relationship with President Joe Biden, is left out of crucial meetings, and is ignored by staffers. Well, that's what folks have been putting out there. But Vice President Harris has made several international trips,

has been visible at significant bill signings like yesterday's infrastructure bill. Joining us right now is Glenda Carr. She's president and CEO of Higher Heights. Glenda, glad to have you here. What do you make of what we're seeing? Yeah, I mean, Roland, I watched you last night, and so you were passionately explaining how the media and critics should tread lightly on the way that they're representing their perception of how Vice President Harris her first 10 months in office has been. At the end of the day, this rumblings of tension between the vice president's office and president's office, frankly, has been a discussion you've heard in other presidencies, you know, the

potential tensions that may have happened in a Bush-Cheney administration, an Obama-Biden administration. So this one isn't par for course, but something that we've heard. At the end of the day, Kamala Harris is in uncharted territory as the first woman, woman of color, and Black woman to serve in this role. And I certainly do believe that she's being held to a higher standard. At the end of the day, I have no problems with having conversations with the Biden-Harris administration about policies that we want to push forward as a black community. We just have to check ourselves to determine, are we sitting at the intersection of criticism

because of race and gender. The thing here is that when you look at these stories and you look at the frequency by which they are coming, it's one after another. They tried the exact same stories when she was running for president. And it's pretty much a repeat over and over and over again. So who's actually scared of Kamala Harris? Because the stories just don't pop up. Oh, because these things are true. No, no, no, no. These are planet stories. Yeah. You will actually, if you go back and look at research, research that Center for American Women in Politics and various other research entities have done is Kamala Harris has actually been the target to this type of media and narrative building since she was the attorney general of California.

She also, there is research that points to that she is one of the top political figures in our country that have been targeted towards disinformation and misinformation that has been funded not only by interest groups here in the U.S., but frankly has been targeted by international funding to try to discredit her as a leader. At the end of the day, they're threatened by her power. Here is a black woman who has served on the local level as a prosecutor, on the statewide executive level as an attorney general, on the federal level as a U.S. senator, on the national level as a vice president. She literally, Roland, sits at the door of the Oval Office.

This is not just about her as vice president, serving as vice president right now. People are threatened by the potential changing face of what the leader of the free world may look like if she chooses to run, may it be in a 2024 election cycle or a 2028 election cycle. This is about discrediting her to put roadblocks in her way if she decides to run for president. This is bigger than this moment right now. Absolutely it is. And again, it was also interesting

because I still have, when you talk about the misinformation campaign, I still got black folks who hit me on social media. Ooh, Kamala Harris threw all these black folks in jail. Okay, well that's been factually knocked down. They continue to repeat this sort of stuff. And so

all of those attacks on her, they certainly made a mark. And I'm telling you right now, I keep telling people, if the White House lets this go on another six months, she cannot recover from this. She cannot.

It is hard to recover from this misinformation. Being able to say this notion that she's not done anything. Reporting coming out when she took one of the most significant foreign trips in this administration. She has been to Europe, France. She's been to an Asia tour, a Central America tour. America is trying to rebuild their national reputation from four years of strained relationships. That is a significant role for the vice president to play, to ensure that our allies are truly ready to be in our global partnership. And that is the work. She's also the vice president, which means at the end of the day, she is here to support President Biden. And that's what she's done over the last 10 months. On every piece of priorities that have come out of the

Biden-Harris administration. She's been there lobbying her former colleagues in Congress. She's been meeting with mayors from across the country. She continues to host convenings in the White House with groups that sometimes have historically not been at the decision-making tables at the White House. She's hosted Black women leaders around voting rights. That is the work of the vice president. And certainly, like I said, we should be holding our elected officials accountable. We should be having the tough conversations, but it should be apples to apples, and that we should not be fueling this discussion that she is not

a prepared leader for this moment and that she's not, you know, holding up her ability to lead this country forward. Again, it's very interesting when you keep seeing the story and the same story repeatedly and how it all plays out. Glenda Carver, certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Georgia, I want to start with you. And I keep raising this point because, again, when you hear, oh, she's disappeared, she hasn't, you're like, what the hell are y'all talking about? I mean, literally, if you follow her Twitter feed, she's posting where she's having meetings. You're seeing the videos. You're seeing the speeches. And here's the other deal. I'm trying to figure out when the hell was the vice president so visible?

Wasn't nobody asking where Joe Biden, when Obama was president? Wasn't nobody asking where't nobody, hell, wasn't nobody asking where Mike Pence when that fool was in the Oval Office? Wasn't nobody asking where Dick Cheney with Bush?

So all of a sudden, it's, oh, Vice President Kamala Harris needs to be omnipresent in everywhere? Get the hell out of here. Yeah.

Well, you know, in fairness, I think Kamala's a lot more interesting than Biden, and so folks want to see her. No, no, no, no. That ain't got shit to do with interesting. No, no, no, no. It has been used as a weapon. It has been...

But again, though, forget her being interesting don't don't nobody focus on the vice president i'm trying to make light out of the matter here roland but you're right and it goes back to that strategy piece that we talked about earlier when we were breaking down the attack against voting rights and so when you start thinking about who who would want to invest in a smear campaign against Harris, it would definitely be someone who's going to be throwing their name in the hat for the 2024 presidential election, because Harris is a strong candidate and she is doing a good job.

On the other side of this issue, you know, where my curiosity as a journalist takes me, however, is what have been some of the issues that Harris has brought to Biden that maybe Biden hasn't been fully in support of? And I think a lot back to the George Floyd Policing Act, which didn't pass. And I'd love to believe that Harris was an advocate for that. And so I'm curious behind the veil, you know, outside of the smear campaign, outside of these allegations to try to make her look bad. I am very curious about what is the real workings of their relationship. Has Biden been 100% supportive of the issues that Harris has brought to him to move forward

for the black community? Yeah, but here's the deal though. Okay, I get that. And I want to bring Misha Cross in here. But when Obama was president, what nobody's sitting there asking the same of Biden. The reality is the vice president's job is to support the president, is to offer advice and counsel privately and go where the president directs them.

Oh, look, Biden disagreed with the Obama White House when it came to the contraception and the Affordable Care Act because of his Catholic upbringing. He was like, yo, look, this is not a good way to go. What happened? They got sued with the Supreme Court. They actually lost. There were other areas where he disagreed. In fact, remember, he got involved in negotiations in one of those deals, pissed off Harry Reid

to the point where he said the next bill, tell Biden he can't get involved in it. But again, the role of vice president is to do stuff quietly. Why? Because the president gets all the attention. So they're trying to use this. They're weaponizing this against Vice President Kamala Harris to portray her, Amisha, as aloof, as clueless, as unable to do the job. And so, again, it's the exact same story every two to three months. No, you're absolutely right, Roland. And I can't speak to everyone on this panel, but I personally served in the Obama-Biden administration. What I know about vice presidents and what I know from his experience as a vice president is that it is never your job to overshadow the president.

You serve as a conduit when it comes to conversations and leading engagement in community and being sent to deliver messaging around specific policy arenas. You serve as someone who has a policy goals that are diplomatic efforts that assist with the president's overall agenda. But this is a very different role than Kamala Harris as a senator. So when I see some of these attacks against her and against her role as a vice president, it makes me question if the American public and if the American media actually understands what vice presidents are actually supposed to do.

No, no, no, they are. She's not here to carve out her own agenda at all. She is here to work at the pleasure of the president. She does not have her own agenda or her own status. When you talk about criminal justice reform, she's only able to go as far as the president is able to take it. When you talk about health care, she's only able to go as far as the president is willing to take it. She does not sing from a different page. And I think that, you know, when you are to juxtapose BBC coverage, when you are to juxtapose newspapers from Europe or newspapers from the Northern Triangle countries,

from her visits there and the comments from leaders of both of those areas to what we see the coverage of Kamala Harris here in the United States, it is starkly different. Our press, whether it is the mainstream media on the liberal side or the mainstream media on the conservative side, have taken it upon themselves to destroy Kamala Harris. And partially, I think that the administration needs to be more full-throated in terms of how they basically, you know, throw this out. trying to set up a all-out battle royale between Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the Transportation Pete Buttigieg because people see him as having a rising star and really being able to take control because of the recently passed infrastructure legislation. But I think that what we're seeing is something that Kamala Harris honestly has been going through almost her entire career but got ratcheted up because she is the highest ranking black woman this country has ever seen. And I don't think that this pressure is going to go away anytime too soon.

And it has nothing to do with her role as as vice president in terms of her doing anything that she should not be doing. She is playing her part. And anyone who doesn't understand what the vice president's role is needs to go back and read our Constitution. The thing here, Mustafa, that I think is important is when these things happen, you kind of got to respond. And as far as I'm concerned, the vice president's team is not doing a good enough job. They're not. I believe that there are moments to take advantage of. Sure, she had the high-profile appearance on The View that went awry. But what I'm trying to understand is how are you not doing a much better media offensive? I'll give a perfect example. When they had the meetings and heard the Divine Nine, okay, that was weak coverage there. I don't understand how you didn't blanket black media when that actually took place.

I don't understand how they're not doing that. Sure. I'll sit here and I'll look at certain things that might be on her Twitter feed, you know, and I sort of get this email, which is like this, you know, you know, weekly roundup of things that she she she does. But, you know, frankly, their outreach on that is weak as hell. And she was, I mean, let me be clear, Senator Kamala Harris was far more aggressive in coming on this show and other outlets when she was, frankly, trying to get the nomination, then she has been since getting the nomination and since winning. And so my deal to her team is, what the hell are y'all doing? Well, hopefully folks have heard you. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

I text them directly. Still waiting. Well, hopefully they I text them directly. Still waiting. Well, hopefully they're about to pick up the phone and make the call or hit you back. Because, I mean, you know, part of the game, of course, is marketing and highlighting the things that folks are working on. And, yes, you can do that as you are supporting the president because he has certain agenda items that he wants you to lead. So folks have to do a better job. And you also always got to come back home. You got to make sure that you're supporting black media, who was so incredibly supportive as you ran. But there's also these other parts that we got to call out also. You know, I've spent enough time in and around the White House to understand that if there is something that's not supposed to be discussed, then it is not going to be discussed. So that means that the president has to continue to have those conversations with his inner circle about what his sets of

expectations are. We also got to call out the chief of staff because the chief of staff also plays a significant role in this by making sure that folks understand that if you are caught doing these types of things, if it is literally coming out of the White House, that you will no longer have a job. And a great chief of staff can run things down and find out exactly where it came from or have a good idea to make sure that that doesn't happen in the future. We all know how incredibly talent Vice President Harris is. I was blessed to be able to work with her on some pieces of legislation when she was a senator. So she's incredible when it comes to actually trying to

make sure that real change is happening on the ground. So we just got to make sure that that incredibleness and all those amazing things that she's doing is actually being highlighted. Again, part of the deal here, when you're getting pillared in the media, Georgia, then you kind of got to have a response. You can't go into hiding. You can't allow that to play out. And again, there should be a recalibration of whatever the hell their media plan is, because clearly what you're doing ain't working. Yeah, yeah, I think you have a point there. And what I saw this morning, even from CNN, was that Harris's team tried to brush it off as though it was just gossip, that it wasn't true. But in terms of optics and controlling the narrative, there definitely needs to be some push for controlling her narrative and showcasing all of the work that she's doing. My concern is that regardless, though, whatever she does,

no matter how great of work she's doing, and even if she has the perfect PR team to put it all out there, she is a Black woman. And so I'm concerned'm concerned that regardless of what she she does, she's going to continue to be pigeonholed in this place where she's criticized because she's a woman and because she's black. I mean, we saw it happen when Michelle Obama was the first lady. People always found something about her to criticize, no matter how great of work she did in that position. And so I kind of feel like in some cases it comes with the territory. But to your point, Roland, they're not really doing anything to try to combat it. This is just a perfect example to me. This is a perfect example. So I was just going through the Twitter feed of Vice President Kamala Harris. Okay? And so here's a video from September 24th of Vice President Kamala Harris. And they posted this 30-second video of her

after she met with the president of Ghana. Watch this. We have deep and historical ties. Our official bilateral relationship began in 1957. But, of course, there are longer and longer standing ties that connect the people of our nations. Over the years, many Americans have traveled States, including my home state of California, is significant and our nation is stronger for it. We have deep. That was September 24th. I'm going through my email. Nothing. I'm just saying if if that's just one of those to me, that's just one of those items that, you know, you might not think it's a big deal.

But, you know, you might want to sit here, you know, and I guess share with black media. OK, matter of fact, here's another video the day before, September 23rd. Video dropped and here is Vice President Kamala Harris talking with the president of Zambia. We recognize, of course, that in addition to the great ties between our people, we both share common values and a common vision of what is possible in the midst of the challenges that we all face. And today, of course, we share a commitment to democracy. And we understand and know that to strengthen democratic institutions means to respect and uphold the rule of law and to lead understanding the significance and importance of fighting for all people and

their rights. We recognize, of course, that in a different way. OK, I'm just saying that here's the deal. The White House press corps, they're focusing on the president covering them. You have to create your own strategy when you're the vice president. And if you do that, then you're not going to hear people saying, oh, my God, she's missing in action. Amisha. Part of this, Roland, is an adaptation and adoption of conservative media tropes. They've been pushing where's

Kamala Harris for since basically she became vice president. They've created memes about it every time they don't see her on cable news, which, as you know and have talked about earlier, is not the job of the vice president. She's never going to get the same level of mainstream media attention as the president, and she shouldn't. Unless there's some major gaffe or something crazy that happens, she's typically not going to have the press corps following her every single step of the day. With that being said, I agree with you. There is a positioning that her communications team has to take, specifically even outside of the communications teams of VPs in the past, because she is being pummeled every single day by media on all sides of the political spectrum,

where they're going to have to advance the work that she is doing, advance and reorchestrate, reillustrate to people exactly what a vice president's roles are and how she's fulfilling them. Because what we're seeing right now is a reiteration time and time again of what the right-wing media has perpetuated about Kamala Harris. Now those exact same tropes, that exact same language is being repeated and parroted by CNN. It's being parroted by the Washington Post. We're seeing it everywhere. In the beginning, a few months ago, after she became the nominee, we saw that it literally was basically Fox News, OAN and the like. Now it is everybody. And to ignore it or to act like she is going to be able to rise above it

without anybody ever pressing go and actually, you know, pushing a full scale assault against it is completely ridiculous to me because come 2024, come, you know, whether Joe Biden decides to run again for a second term or not, at the end of the day, Kamala Harris is here to stay. And I think that when you're a heartbeat away from the presidency and you are a Black woman and you are up against all of the things that she is up against, there has to be a dedicated team to ensure her safety and protection and her image out here in the public. Right now, it's basically go for what you know. I hope you survive. And that's not a place that Kamala should want to be. And it's definitely not a place that her staff should leave her.

Look, again, I don't know what I don't know what the hell they're doing. Yes, your vice president doesn't overshadow the president, but there still is having a smart strategy to counter what this narrative is. And as far as I'm concerned, that is not happening. So I'm just sort of waiting to see when that happens, waiting to see when they're going to do that. But I'm going to say it again. And I don't care if they don't like me saying it. And but but I'm just going to I'm just going to put this one here again. That that to me, I think is just is is is idiotic. This is just me. OK. And because I was, again, I'm going through

the feed. September 18th, okay? September 18th. That was the day of the Howard Hampton game. And she's a graduate of Howard University.

And she threw out the, she did the coin toss. And this is the video that they posted on her feed. Okay. Got it. All right. So what is confusing to me, and again, this is just how I sort of think. This is just me, Mustafa. Okay. If I have a black female vice president who is a graduate of one of the schools that's playing in the game, and so she's there. Probably what I'm going to do

this just wrote probably what I'm going to do is I'm going to have her maybe while the media was gathered there say a few words about the importance of HBCUs. maybe, while the media was gathered there,

say a few words about the importance of HBCUs, about the importance to fund these institutions, about the importance of the graduates that they turn out and what they mean to the university. That's what I'ma do, okay? Now, I'm not saying even have a full-blown news conference. What I am saying is you take advantage of the moment

and just for everybody to understand, this is just the 15th. Look, this is the crowd that was there. I was on the field. Okay? That's what you do. In fact, in fact, what I would have done this just wrote because she was at the game she stayed for the whole first half

the Howard band paid tribute to her at halftime what I would have done this is just wrote this is just me I would have had her say a few words to the thousands in attendance,

which would have been covered, which would have generated your attention, and you would have been speaking to a critical constituency. Wasted moment. Sure, you had the photo op of her waving, but you used the moment to speak to why HBCUs matter, why we must fund them, what is important about it. And you could also talk about the historical fundraising, the historical amount of money that has been provided to HBCUs by the Biden administration and the Congress in the past 18 months.

I'm just saying, to me, that's call on freedom. Yeah, it's definitely a missed opportunity. When I was the communications director, whomever I was working for at the time, you know, there were a couple of things. You know, the first one was to speak to the issues that people care about. So there's a prime opportunity there to hit number those different items that you just raised. And the second part is to make sure that you're being humanized, that you are actually connecting with the folks and that you have the content so that

people can see it who maybe hadn't been there. And then you continue to repeat that cycle time and time again everywhere you go. And you continue to push out that because there are going to be slow media days. There are going to be days when the president may not be in the news cycle, but she should be in the news cycle. So you just got to take advantage of those opportunities. But that means that you have to have a real communication strategy that is actually connected to everyday people. And this to me, y'all, is really a no-brainer. It ain't that damn hard. It's not like it's heavy lifting.

I'm just saying you take advantage of it. But when you're getting hit like this here, when your approval number is at 28%, like I said, I need everybody listening, if you allow the perception to then become reality, you will never recover from a 28% approval number. Just saying. Go into a break.

You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Back in a moment. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Alexa, play our favorite song again.

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Hi, I'm Gavin Houston. Hey, what's up y'all? It's your boy Jacob Lattimore and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee. now. All right, folks, we do this every single day. Bring your attention to cases you may not hear about. 13-year-old Jada Blackwell has been missing from Philadelphia since October 10, 2021. She is 5'2", weighs 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. Anyone with information on Jada's whereabouts, please call the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-3353, 215, 686-3353.

All right, folks. In Georgia, a medical examiner says that Ahmaud Arbery was dead before his body even hit the ground. This is testimony from today's trial of the three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery. Described the basis for the adrenaline dump and cortisol running through his veins as caused by stress? Or fear. Or fear? Yes. Anger? Anger too, yes. Okay. And you have no idea what he was afraid of at that point in time, correct? Well, there's a man holding a shotgun I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't understand. Do you know if Mr. Arbery was afraid of being caught? I don't. Right. You don't know what you don't know? Well, yes. I don't know what I don't know. Okay.

You testified that there was nothing that could be done on scene that could save Mr. Arbery's life. Is that correct? I think that's correct, yes. The phrase you used when you talked to us in March is he was essentially dead before he hit the ground. Yes. Dr. Edmund Donahue said Arbery was hit by two of the three shotgun blasts fired at him. He said both gunshots caused severe bleeding and either wound could have killed the 25-year-old man. Jurors also saw autopsy photos that showed Arbery's white T-shirt stained entirely. They also saw close-up photos of his injuries,

including several large cuts to Aubrey's face from when he fell face down in the street. According to Dr. Donahue, 13 shotgun pellets exited Aubrey's back, and 11 more were recovered from his wounds. Now, folks, tomorrow I'll be broadcasting from Brunswick, Georgia, as well as on Thursday where nearly 200 black pastors will be there because of

one of the attorneys for one of these three white men on trial had the audacity to say that they should be barred, black pastors, from the courtroom, not even attending the trial. Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, and others have sat with the Arbery family. And so this lawyer said, hey, keep them black pastors out.

So they're going to show up in mass come Thursday. They'll be mobilizing tomorrow. So again, we'll be on the ground tomorrow in Brunswick, Georgia, broadcasting there. And then that Black Pastors event is going to take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and we'll be live on the Black Star Network from Brunswick, Georgia, to show you what takes place there. And so Amisha, that attorney, if he thought that he saw a couple of black pastors in the courtroom over the last few days, he's going to see a few more on Thursday. Well, one of the things that seems to always happen is when white supremacists try to ban black people, the mobilization efforts seem to happen with the quickness. So it's interesting that that was a statement that was actually used in the courtroom and one that he stood behind because he said it more than once, but also that he actually talked about the presence of black pastors being akin to the presence of mob bosses

being in the room and being intrinsically a distraction and a motivator to push jurors to make a hasty decision in another direction and to actually make them afraid. This is very interesting just because there are literally murders in that courtroom. None of them were Jesse Jackson. So I feel like what we're seeing here is white supremacy on trial and people who just definitely don't want to see black organizing, don't want to see black civic engagement, don't want to see the hand of one of the strongest civil rights leaders offer support to a, in mourning, Ahmaud Arbery's mother, who let out sighs and pleas and was literally, you know, crying in the courtroom

today. This was the first time she as well saw some of those images. I think that at this point, there has to be something said about the fact that how many black moms does it take to have their sons taken, their sons, their daughters, whomever, taken in this type of brutal way to shed those types of tears and for white supremacy to remain in the same spot that it has always been.

We have a defense in this case that is basically trying to take race out of the cognizance of the general public. Meanwhile, that is the main reason, that is the impetus that the McMichaels and their third idiotic friend jumped in pickup trucks, grabbed a gun, and chased down an innocent black man and murdered him in the street and brought open daylight like a dog. So I don't think that you can remove race from this at all. I think that it is definitely one of the major factors in this case. Plus, we know from the footage that's been seen at the trial thus far that several people walked through that construction site. I grew up, I'm from Chicago, but I grew up in Mississippi. I walked through a whole bunch of construction

sites and construction homes. People do it. Specifically, young people do it. Black people, white people, brown people. And we saw that in that video footage that was shown in the courtroom. There was no chasing behind. There was no rifle loaded. There was nothing when young white kids went through that home at all. And multiple ones did it on a regular basis. They saw Ahmaud Arbery. They queued in, keyed in on Ahmaud Arbery, chased this man, drove their trucks behind this man, cornered him and shot him at point blank range. That's sheer murder. And there's no other way we can, you know, try to argue against it.

It is, look, it is one of the trials that we are following. Obviously, we get the Kyle Rittenhouse trial as well, and that particular trial has gone to the jury. They have left for the day, have not reached any verdict. People have been talking about Mustafa. They've been talking about what happened in this trial, whether the judge allowed Rittenhouse to pull these slips, if you will, for the 18 jurors. People found it to be very strange as well. This entire trial, the whole Rittenhouse trial has been strange from day one, especially with this crazy ass judge.

Yeah, bizarre would be the only word to actually be able to frame it out properly. You know, not only the judge, but also, you know, some of the defense attorneys and some of the things that they've been saying and doing. And just the whole situation has been sort of baffling of how you allow this to move forward in the way that they have. And also sort of the coddling of Rittenhouse as well. You know, a person who takes, you know, this weapon to a protest and starts murdering people. And then folks call the individuals who were there, you know, who are standing up for rights, you know, calling them rioters and all these other types of things so that you're framing them in a very

negative light and lifting him up in a more positive light just speaks to the journey that we still have to go through to find justice for individuals in our country and also address, you know, the privilege that unfortunately, you know, that some folks still have. Georgia? In both of these trials, we have seen the system in the way in which it has been designed to uphold white supremacy and protect people like Rittenhouse and the McMichaels. And so, I mean, when you think about the caucasity you have to have in order to hunt a man down, in which they did in the case of Aubrey or in the case of Rittenhouse, to cross state lines at the age of 17 with a gun and shoot people.

You have to have a lot of confidence that you're going to be protected. And that's exactly what we've seen happen in both of these trials. When you look at the way in the Rittenhouse trial that the judge has dismissed charges, that has framed language that can and cannot be used, to Mustafa's point, to craft a specific narrative that is more favorable for Rittenhouse, you see, you know, a system that has been designed to look at white perpetrators as though they are truly innocent until proven guilty. But in these same systems, when people who look like us are going through these systems,

it's the exact opposite treatment. We're guilty until proven innocent. And so I think a lot of us in our community, we are not surprised in the same way our white colleagues are, but just disappointed that here we are in 2021 still having to navigate these systems that are upholding and were designed to uphold white supremacy. Of course, we're also watching this case out of Kansas City, where the first white Kansas City

police officer criminally accused of killing a black man is taking place. Officer Eric J. DeValcone is charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of 2019 of Cameron Lamb. The officer said he shot Lamb after Lamb pointed a gun at another detective. However, his partner told a grand jury he did not see Lamb with a weapon. DeValconeer waived his rights to a jury trial. A judge will determine the fate of the former officer. In June, Lamb's family filed a civil suit against the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners. That's one of those that, first of all, what's interesting about that is to see, in this case, the partner counter what he actually had to say. You know, one of the things that we have said repeatedly, Georgia, is that in order to change what happens in these cases, they've got to

change the rules and the law to make it clear to officers, if you lie to protect your partner, you could lose your job and be charged yourself. That has to be in every single one of these city contracts. Absolutely. There has to be an entire overhaul of the policing culture, which has broadly cultivated this notion that when you get that badge, you get a badge to kill. Because this officer in his city, he's the first officer to be ever charged for an on-duty shooting. And so we are, I believe and hope, at a turning point when it comes to policing in this nation. But we still have a long ways to go because this system, again, has been designed to value blue lives and blue lives aren't even a thing over the lives of black individuals. And so in this case, what we saw as well, Roland, is a manipulation of evidence. And we know oftentimes police departments, they have that communication strategy in place. And so they're

to the press first. They beat the family or the victim to the press. And then they'll share that narrative with the public as though it's facts. And then you have the public opinion who then now starts to believe this man Cameron had a gun and he was pointing it at the officer, despite the fact that the officer's partner is disputing those claims. And so it's imperative that we continue to press for that legislation that was presented, the George Floyd Policing Act, ending qualified immunity, and really demanding that this society, this post-George Floyd society, is a society that has a policing structure that produces equitable outcomes and keeps everybody in our community safe, particularly people who look like us. Well, absolutely.

You know, Mustafa, you want to jump in on that? Well, the blue wall of silence has to end. You know, and if you want folks to be able to trust the police, then that means that you have to tell the truth. And I'm glad that the partner is actually telling the truth because we know that Brother Lamb, at least from reporting, you know, he had actually injured his left hand. And supposedly the gun was left next to his left hand. So we know that there's some real serious inconsistencies. And we also know that they wouldn't even allow the emergency folks to come in for like 14 minutes or 15 minutes. So that also brings up, you know, that suspicion that something strange is going on here. So if you want folks to trust the police,

if you want folks to honor the police, if you want folks to honor the police, then the police have to make sure that they're actually telling the truth and they have to earn that respect. I keep saying if they lie, they should automatically lose their job, Amisha. Absolutely. And they should automatically be investigated in their reporting. Because as you pointed out on this show several times, Roland, a lot of the police reports after the fact have been filled with inconsistencies and quite frankly filled with lies. So it's good when there is another officer on board who sees wrongdoing and reports said wrongdoing, and it goes against what was reported by one of his pals in blue. But for those instances where there is not somebody who's standing right next to him or where there is not someone who is going to come out and report,

there still always needs to be a secondary follow-up from within policing entities themselves when it comes to these reports. Because we know that in many of these cases, particularly where there's been brutality against an African-American or death of an African-American, the reports that are given from the police themselves are often, quite frankly, lies. All right, folks, hold tight one second. When we come back, we'll talk about this being National Entrepreneurs Day. We'll talk with an entrepreneur in Dallas in our Marketplace segment brought to you by Verizon, who is creating a unique way for people to have events. It's an idea that some of y'all may like.

So hold tight. That is next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. We'll also talk with a brother who is the creator of BMF, one of the hit shows on Starz. I ran to Randy Huggins when I was at the Dave Chappelle show at the Hollywood Bowl. He's like, man, look, I got to come on your show. I was like, all right, Randy. Now, you know I got issues because Starz ain't spending no advertising money. They keep one of them black eyeballs, but they need to go in and spend some dollars. So I said, Randy, I'm going to put you on. Only because you asked me.

So we'll talk to him next. Rolling Mark and Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Black on. Unfiltered. Back in a moment. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the P.O.X. massaging seat. Oh, yeah, class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice.

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Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What up, Lana Well, and you are watching Rolling Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks. BMF is a real-life story that entails the rise and fall of the notorious Detroit gang known as the Black Mafia Family, led by Demetrius Big Meech Flannery and his brother Terry. But here's the kicker.

His son, Demetrius Flannery Jr., is actually playing Big Meech in the show. It's quickly become one of Starz' top shows. And, of course, with one episode left in its first season, folks are looking forward to the season finale. Joining us right now, first of all, before we go to my guest, here's a sneak peek of the season finale. Here we go.

Ah! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. One time I had us on some bullshit. Oh, they know. They know. That's why they had to let our asses go. And we stepping out this bitch with some straight up mafioso. Yeah.

Why we letting them go? Because we didn't bust any of them with drugs and got nothing for the DA to make a case on Lopez's murder. Then why did we pull them off the street? Because one of our own was killed. Like watching a shitty-ass toilet overflow. Thanks for the visual. I don't want any of these assholes

moving so much as a nickel bag without us raining down on them. That entire area stays on lockdown until one of them comes forward. Dublin, Paul, I want you on the rec center. You got it. Okay, so what am I doing? I'm still not sure what side of the field you're playing,

so until further notice, you're on desk duty. Oh, yeah. I need you to call me. That, of course, there's a great actor, Steve Harris, who you saw there with the stare down. Joining us right now is Randy Huggins, executive producer and showrunner of BMF. Joins us from Detroit. Randy, glad to have you on the show. So, y'all, it is a true story.

Randy rolled up on me at the Day Chapel, so like, yo, man, you got to show a brother some love. I was like, for what? He's like, dude, BMF is my show. I was like, and I thought, I was like, look, Randy. I said, I've been making it clear to these folk, you know, these networks. I'm like, I said, Lionsgate and Stars. And look, I told the board member, I said, look, man, y'all are doing black eyeballs. Y'all got to be spending some advertising money.

I said, I'm going to put you on as a favor. It's all good. So, man, so let's talk about this here. You have these real-life individuals, but y'all have this disclaimer at the front that a lot of stuff may not have happened, but a lot of shit, this is a quote, but a lot of shit may actually have happened. A lot of shit did happen, yeah. So talk about how did you put this show together dealing with real-life characters? What was their actual involvement in the development of this show?

Well, first of all, let me just say thank you for having me on your show. First of all, let me also say to you for having me on your show first of all let me also say to you uh you were in my episode of the quad you know what i mean so that's why i came at you like that like man come on now we took pictures together on the quad and just so everybody know okay everybody okay people may not remember that the quad was a show that was on BET. It was in season two. Felicia Henderson had hit me up and said, hey, I want you on. And she wanted me on in season one.

But you had some folks at BET who were tripping. And I was supposed to, actually, Mar Brock Akil wanted me to do an appearance on Being Mary Jane. But Stephen Hill was a hater who blocked me. Yeah, I called names.

I ain't got a problem saying it. Stephen Hill was hating, blocked me from being Mary Jane. He blocked me from doing the game. When they fired Stephen Hill and opened the door and Felicia called, I said, Felicia, I'm already on the time during the morning show. Let's integrate that into the show. And also, everybody, just so y'all know, haters, that episode of season two of the quad

was the highest rated episode of that season. But that's just, I'm just saying. But go ahead. It was fine. Anyway, brother, it's so good to see you again. And thank you for having me on my show. Much like your story where you weren't selected first, but you were selected at the right time when you came on on on my episode. I felt you were the right person for that. My journey on this show was very similar.

I remember I was working with 50 Cent on Power, season three, and he came to me and I was about to leave, and he says, yo, I got BMF. Now, me being from Detroit, I'm thinking he's telling me this so that I could do it, but he was just telling me he's got it. He got two other writers to do it. So I felt like you did

back then. You know what I mean? And then, you know, two years went by. I went and did The Quiet. I did Rebel. And then I did Star. And then he called me back and he says, hey, man, do you want to do the show? And I'm like, absolutely. I mean, I'm from Detroit. You know what I mean? To tell a story about two of them. Yeah, I mean, that's like a personal affront. Agreed. Agreed. But it's all good because this is my brother. And again, things happen when they were supposed to happen. So the first thing he did was turn me on, you know, big meets.

And, you know, I speak to me like every day. And I went to prison like three or four times to see him. But what was crazy is that when you're talking to him on the phone, it's only 10 minute phone conversations that are being interrupted by by your speaking with someone at the Bureau of Federal Prisons. And when you go see him, you can't take a recorder and you can't take a pen or pad. So he talks to you for six hours and I got to run to my car and, you know, try to recall everything that he said. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know.

So hold on, hold on, hold on. So you couldn't just interview him just like back and forth. No. You're talking to him through a window, and you said in 10-minute intervals? Well, when we talk on the phone, it's in 10-minute intervals. Oh, on the phone? Yeah. In person?

You get a six-hour window, but you can't have a recorder, no pen, no pad. So he tells me six hours worth of stuff and i run to my car and i scribble down everything i can remember okay but i bet you sitting here like okay i didn't remember that okay okay hold on let me remember that okay let me remember that i i bet you were going paranoid okay damn i want to forget that one i want to no it was tough but when i would whenever i would really forget you know i would go back and you know ask him again on the phone calls but that was a difficult process and then you know eventually he turned me on to his sister

and his best friend who helped nicole flinter and roland west who helped me spell out the story even more and you know during this process, he got thrown in the hole. So then I didn't have him at all. You know what I mean? But Starz is like, yeah, we need this script. We need these pages. So that's what made this whole process a little difficult.

And then, but we were still able to sell it, still able to get the writer's room going. And then Terry gets out. You know what I mean? And I hadn't talked to Terry. So I had already had scripts scripts written and then I had to go back and get his input so this entire process has been a labor of love and all credit go to Meech and Terry for sticking there in there with me helping me bring this to fruition wow that that is quite different there. So you talked about Terry getting out. There have been a lot of people who've been trying to get Meech out.

But Terry got out. How did Terry get out before Meech did? I mean, he's not done with jail. He's on a compassionate release because of COVID. You know what I mean? I mean, like, that's one of the interesting things about this. Like, now we're in an interesting place with COVID. I mean, even when you talk about the making of our show, we shot pre-vaccination. You know what I mean? We shot this show with three Q-tips up the nose, like, three, four times a week. We shot when you can't go to no restaurants.

You know what I mean? Like, so, remember, it times a week. We shot when you can't go to no restaurants. You know what I mean? Like, so remember, it was really bad. And remember when they were letting a lot of people out of prison because of compassionate release. And they may need to start doing that again, the way this thing looks like it's swinging. But, you know, so Terry is out, but it's not like he's free. You know what I mean?

And, you know, we're trying to get me to him as well. Wait, wait, wait. But he's still out. He damn's not like he's free. You know what I mean? We're trying to get me to him as well. Wait, but he's still out. Damn sure not in. Damn sure not in. Look, how do you also deal with folks who will say,

you know what, he has a show that is glorifying gangsters. It's glorifying criminals. How do you answer that? Absolutely, he is a show that is glorifying gangsters, that's glorifying criminals. So how do you answer that? It absolutely is not. I mean, this show isn't a show about drug dealing. It's a show about love. It's a show about community.

It's a show about brotherhood. It really is a show about family, because one of the things that Big Meats told me when I first came on this project, he was like, most people would see what him and his brother did and think they came from a broken home. They didn't come from a broken home. They came from a two-parent household that was, you know, really firmly backdrop in Christianity. The Bible on their front table was open on the same page every day. They just made some choices

because of the economic situation in the 80s in Detroit caused them to go out and fend for themselves. So and then I think it's also interesting for anybody to see the show. You know, we're telling the story about two guys who ultimately are still incarcerated. So it's not like we're glorifying. Look where you can end up. Yes. Look where you can end up. But this really is their story. You know what I mean? And it's not a documentary. It is a drama. So, you know, in a documentary,

it's all about you have to get the facts straight. On a drama, my job is to entertain. You know what I mean? So I take the facts. You know what I mean? And I take the story. But here and there, if it's more entertaining for me to bend left or bend right, I have to bend left and bend right so that I can keep people jumping out of their

seats. I've got questions for my panel. Let's see. First, we'll go with Mustafa since he's wearing a hat that likely a lot of brothers in Detroit wore. Mustafa, go ahead.

You got jokes, but I will give a shout out to freeland street in detroit where i spent no doubt baby there it is there you go roll it um brother i'm just curious first of all thank you so much for the creative work that you're doing you know out of the series what do you hope folks learn about the d that maybe they didn't know? I mean, first of all, I'm trying to make Detroit a culture, make Detroit a character in this piece, the same way Los Angeles is a character in Snowfall, the same way Baltimore was a character in The Wire, you know what I mean? Or any other shows where the city is a character, because Detroit is a very underrepresented place in our country. Like, one of the interesting things about us is we have our own culture. You know what I

mean? Specifically music. And I'm not talking just about Motown and Eminem. You know what I mean? Especially in the 1980s, you have to pay homage to techno music. You know what I mean? Most people think the EDM, which is one of the largest music forums in the world, came from Europe. It absolutely did not. It came from three dudes in Detroit, the Belleville Three, Juan Atkins, Derek May, and Kevin Sanderson. So to be able to give them that, we speak different in Detroit. We have our own language. We don't say, hello, how are you doing?

We say, what up, though? You know what I mean? We don't say, hey, I want a soda. We say, I want some pop? You know what I mean? We don't say, hey, I want a soda. We say, I want some pop. You know what I mean? We don't say, I want a hot dog. We say, I want a Coney. And also, you've got to recognize our fashion.

You know, we don't dress like nobody else. Look, I see you with the hat right there. And that was one of the biggest things that Meats really wanted me to emphasize is the fashion. He was like, if you don't get nothing right, you have to get the fashion correct because we dress different. We talk different. We walk different. You know what I mean?

So yeah, yeah. Yeah, we know. Y'all them damn gators. All right, Georgia. Yeah, well, first of all, my husband loves the show. He's been binging the show um so thank you for your work i'm curious to know if you feel like there's any parts of the show that can inform community leaders who are currently trying to combat gang violence and gun violence in the

black community um yeah and i think we're gonna delve a little bit more into that in season two. Um, you know, um... Yeah, I think we get into that more about the police responsibility, about parents' responsibility, because we all know it takes a village to raise a kid. I mean, specifically in 1980s Detroit, when Detroit was the murder capital of the world. That's when our series is set. That's when I was coming up. That's when Meech was coming up. And that's when Terry was coming up.

And what was happening was all of our schools, all of the structures that should have been supporting the community were actually falling down. You know what I mean? So, yeah, I think there will be something to that in our series. Amisha. What would you want the lasting impact of your series to be in terms of youth? Obviously you're shedding a light on and illuminating Detroit as you spoke of, a place that is not often highlighted in media, especially not in terms of series focus. focus, what is some of the messages or what are some of the longstanding things that you would like to be left in viewers' minds while they're going through this series? I think there are a couple of different things. First of all, I think there are so many similarities between that time

period in which they were going through and the time periods that we're going through now. And I think there's some parallels that we can look at. Like at the beginning, at year one of my show, hip-hop is not even really breaking through yet. When you look at hip-hop now, it's the most dominant culture in the world. I mean, I remember in those days, like the 1980s, Run-D.M.C. went to the Grammys for the first time. You know what I mean? I was like, oh, my God.

Now you look at any award show, hip-hop is dominant. If you also look at, like, the issue with the black family, I think there are some parallels that can be seen, as well as just the community structure as a whole, how things fall apart. So I think ultimately those are things that we can look at that can create more discussion. Specifically, crack cocaine was the dominant drug there, which was destroying, you know, the black community, which I mean, look at now with meth, how that's ravaging our country as well.

So I think looking at those parallels, I think that can generate some interesting conversations with people on how we move forward from where we're at. All right, then. Well, look, Randy Huggins, what time is the season finale this Sunday? It's 8 o'clock on Starz on all platforms. But I'm sure most of your audience knows and does tune in at 12.01 midnight to start watching then. I don't. I don't like... I like to actually watch...

I was one of the folks who sort of started the live tweeting when I did Scandal. So I actually like to watch it when most people watch it because that way it's sort of a communal sort of thing versus watching it by yourself. So I never... Even when they send me the press copy, I never watch that one.

So I got to watch with everybody else. But look forward to it. I certainly appreciate it, man. It was great to see you at the Chappelle Show. Thanks for stopping me. I told you I was going to have you on. I told you I was going to have you on. I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

I appreciate that. Can I give a shout-out? I see you got that Aggies vest on. But let me give a shout-out to my alma mater, Gremlin State University, representing, you know what I mean, HBCU love. Oh, I see you. I see you. But y'all just fired y'all football coach today.

It don't matter. It don't matter. Every now and then, you know. No, I see you. I see you. But y'all just fired y'all football coach today. It don't matter. It don't matter. Every now and then, you know. No, I'm just saying. No, because we're going to be in New Orleans for the Bayou Classic. So, you know, that's the brother that man led y'all to a national title a few years ago. But, you know, I hate to say he's gone. But, look, we're going to be in New Orleans for the Bayou Classic, Grambling Southern.

I'm trying to figure out, though, you know, because the president of Grambling gave me a jacket, made me an honorary drum major, and the Southern people keep getting mad. I'm like, look, I just spoke to y'all two, three times. Y'all didn't give me no jacket. So I might go here and wear that Grambling jacket to New Orleans. You know, like I said.

That's my guy, President Gallo. Yeah, you know who to represent. Yeah, but he a capper. He a capper. So, you know, I'll excuse that. I'll excuse that. You know, it's an alpha thing here. I hate you. I hate you.

Randy, I appreciate it. And so, tell them stars, people. Yeah, I got you. You got this. Yeah, I got you. You got this. I appreciate you having me on. Thank you so much. I, I got you. You got this. Thank you so much. I appreciate it, man. Good luck with the season finale. And again, y'all, they got renewed in season. They got renewed in season for season two after one episode.

So that's what happened. Four days. Yeah. It looks like our it looks like. Well, it looks like the folks said, okay, also, yeah, also let stars know because it looks like we got knocked off of Facebook because we showed the clip of the show. They probably hit us with a copyright strike. So let them know to clear us on that one. Randy, I appreciate it, man. Good luck. Keep handling your business and churning out some great shows. Thank you.

Yeah, I'll send you an idea about doing something about a crazy black media show. There you go. I'm with it. Let's do it. Let's follow up BMF with that. Let's follow up BMF with that. And you know what we should do? We should have You Can't Stop the Rain playing.

Alright, my brother. Talk to you. Alright, dad. I appreciate it. Take care. All right, y'all. BMF. BMF again. Season finale this Sunday on Starz. Coming up next, Marketplace segment brought to you by Verizon.

We'll talk with a sister who is doing an innovative thing when it comes to putting on events, renting them out, creating some unique spaces. You don't want to miss this conversation next right here at Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. ¶¶ ¶¶ Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay.

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1 kg of meat 1 kg of meat 1 kg of meat 1 kg of meat Nå er vi på Norske Norske. I'm out. 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. You know how some carriers give you so little

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We upgrade it. Get a 5G phone on us with select plans. Every customer, current, new, or business. Because everyone deserves better. And with plans starting at just $35, better costs less than you think. All right, folks. Every Tuesday we have our Marketplace segment where we feature black-owned businesses doing some quite interesting things. We have a new sponsor for this segment. We want to give a thanks to the folks at Verizon for sponsoring this.

And, again, this is really about showcasing some amazing things that folks are doing. And so today I want to talk about, talk about with this sister, Leland Sawyer. She has this amazing business out of Dallas, okay, where she is renting out these unique spaces for various events. I mean, they could be parties, they could be weddings, they could be anything. And I follow her on Instagram, and I was following what she was doing,

and I said, you know what, this is interesting and different because of how she's doing it, and somebody else may get the idea to do it where they are. She joins us right now from Dallas. Hey, how you doing? Hey, how are you? Good afternoon, good evening. God bless, depending on where you are in this blessed and beautiful world. Well, it's always good to see you,

see the great smile of yours. So let's talk about, you were helping other entrepreneurs unblock their brains. Yep. And helping them. Then all of a sudden you're like, you know what? I'm going to do my, I got an idea. I'm going to do this as well. Talk about that.

How did you arrive at this concept? Of course, it's called L-A-Y-D Spaces. So how'd you arrive at it? Laid Spaces stands for Live All Your Dreams. It is a vision that manifested that I created. Basically, I was doing these really unique concepts or spaces, always looking for an opportunity to create, take pictures. As an influencer, you're always looking for like a different backdrop or something. And then people started asking me to actually rent my space out. So I was like, well, you don't have to rent it. You don't have to pay for it. You can just use it. Well, then people kept asking. So finally I decided to turn it into a business.

And it basically just grew from there very organically, word of mouth spread pretty quickly. And then I started just finding great spaces for people to, like you said, do birthday parties, engagements, proposals, a little bit of everything, pop-up shops, brand launches. And it's just grown tremendously. I'm really grateful for my community and all of the amazing clients who have spread the word. Now, the reason I find this to be interesting, my grandmother had a catering business. I worked with this as I was seven years old. So I'm sort of used to events and catering and stuff along those lines. And what you did is you went after a very interesting space in the marketplace where we talk about events. I mean, it's typically, well, rent an Airbnb, rent the large room in a restaurant, or do it at a hotel.

But those prices are so unwieldy for some people. So you said, hmm, I got a different idea. It was actually birthed out of my loft in Los Angeles. So I started it there. And then people started wanting to do like office parties and gatherings and intimate dinners. And much like you said, you have the opportunity to pay a restaurant, you know, thousands of dollars in order to hit a minimum, or you could come to my location and spend a couple hundred dollars an hour. And the unique thing that I did is I quickly

understood that people want a one-stop shop. So I have vendors and people in-house where they can do your balloon decor. We're able to do your table decor. We can actually coordinate the whole event. I have chefs. I'm in Dallas' top chefs. DJs. So everything literally is under one roof, which makes it extremely convenient for the client who's throwing her husband the 50th birthday. I had a client this weekend who's like, I have no idea where to begin. I was able to come

in and bring all my vendors together under one roof and bring her vision to life. And he was blown away. And speaking of that, when I was visiting, I was in Dallas area, giving a speech at the University of Texas at Arlington. And I stayed the weekend, and I stopped by your place. And actually, this was one of the events. Y'all go to my iPad, please. Please go to my iPad right now. Thank you. And so this was one of the events,

and you had this chef who put together this very unique menu based upon the life of this woman. And then, of course, folks, you had the open there, you had the food there. And again, the thing for people out there, your customers, again, they're

looking for places that can fit their budget that's not unwieldy. And again, you're looking at different, so you have two places in Dallas now? I do, yes. I have two places ranging anywhere from 10 or 15 people to 30 or 35.

And it's really just a niche. I don't need to serve everyone. I want to create an intimate environment for you, somewhere that doesn't seem too large. You know, when you're in a big banquet hall, it's a space or a location that's too large, where with mine, it's very intimate. And in this experience, he actually was holding an experience for a young lady, and he was giving her whole life story through food. So Rufari experiences, he created an evening where each course actually talked about her life. And then he came out and he shared her experience and how it applied to the meal. And then he paired

it with a drink. It was absolutely incredible. Honestly, how many events are you doing? First of all, are you six days a week, seven days a week? How many, how many bits are you doing per month? Well well the really unique thing about my venue is that we also can do documentaries photo shoots we had uh the perot museum do a meeting here so during the week it's very intimate if we do something during the day it's 10 12 maybe four or five people depending on the event. And then on the weekends, it's usually a Friday night, sometimes one to two events on a Saturday. And then people like to do that Sunday brunch for their birthday. That's a very popular or typical theme for my guests.

So on average, anywhere from two to four, two to five. And did you realize you were going to be this busy? I did not. And actually in the pandemic, I was more busy than anything. People were just looking for a place to come together because all of a sudden there were all these restrictions with COVID and all these limitations. And with us, we gave them a safe space because after each booking, we do a full clean, wipe, disinfect, sweep, mop of all the high touch areas. And so thank God we haven thank God we've never had a situation occur,

and it gave people a safe place to still come together and still be able to create experiences. Questions from my panel. First up, Amisha Cross. Absolutely. I love that your location is built for the more micro crowd. My question relates to we are obviously in a pandemic setting. Have you seen growth specifically around micro weddings or smaller events,

just with that backdrop in mind, but also this style of organizing that you represent, kind of getting a lot more attention these days? Absolutely. People don't have that big budget. Obviously, income has been cut and different things have taken place. And so now people are, the biggest thing I get is I'm looking for an intimate place to host this, but I don't have a big budget. That's the number one conversation that I have with people. So especially with the micro weddings, I was so busy. People were, I had a young lady who did like a wedding of like six people she's like I just need a place with beautiful pictures with my mom and dad my husband-to-be and ended up creating this beautiful experience so it is extremely popular and it is very much growing

Mustafa yeah first of all congratulations I'm curious what's the most you what's the most unique event that you've done to date that's really memorable probably that rufari experience honestly i was blown away and a lot of people don't understand with my events i'm here pretty much every event so i get to meet a diverse group of people but i actually pitch pitch in. I put on my gloves. I'm like, what do you need help with? And most chefs are like, what? Wait, you're the owner. Why are you helping me?

And so I get to learn. I roll my sleeves up. But with that experience, I've never seen someone actually tell a story with food where he researched her whole life and then presented it as her birthday gift to her group of friends. It was absolutely incredible. Georgia. As a businesswoman, what would you say is the most valuable lesson you've learned about business? Processes, systems, and protecting yourselves. Because with events, and as she stated, in a

pandemic, things do happen. And so you have to make sure that you have systems and processes and things in place in case someone does reschedule or in case, heaven forbid, a death comes up or things of that nature that are not only fair for you and the customer, but also protect you as a business owner. Because obviously if that date is booked and the client cancels or is unable to make it in a short period of time, it's very difficult for you to replace that booking. And so therefore you're out of money. And so it just created a lot of opportunity for me to really focus on, on my systems and my processes and how I run the back

end of the business. All right, last question I have for you, Lailin, and that is you got two spots there in Dallas. How are you looking to expand? Five years from now, what do you want this to look like? So actually what I do is I teach people. I'm also in property management. So I actually take your Airbnb and I give you the ability to do both the events as well as your Airbnb. So if anyone's interested in me managing their event venue or managing their Airbnb or both, I'm doing this in multiple cities. So I'm now taking on clients in Los Angeles. I have properties in Houston as well as Dallas.

And so it is quickly expanding once again by word of mouth. And so that's where I see myself, just giving people the ability for multi-use and multi-purpose for their spaces. All right. Well, folks in the chat are asking, how do they reach you? You can reach me on Instagram at Leland, L-A-Y-L-L-E-N, or at Layspaces.com, L-A-Y-D spaces.com. All right, then. Looks like I think Georgia is following you right now. She's on her phone. I see you, Georgia. I see you. All right. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot for joining us on The Marketplace brought to you by Verizon. Thank you. All right. You're welcome.

All right. Take care. All right, folks. Again, every Tuesday we have this segment. And again, our goal is to provide a platform for black-owned businesses to not just talk about their business, but also spur many of you who want to be an entrepreneur. Today is also National Entrepreneur's Day. And it's important that we talk about that because the reality is when we think about there are many of us who, let's just be perfectly honest, we've grown up in our families, people

say, get a good job, get a good job, as opposed to creating jobs. Or as I always say, I don't want someone to give me a check. I want to be the person who is endorsing the check. And so on this National Entrepreneur's Day, one of the things that I think is critically important, Amisha, is that 95% of black-owned businesses do less than $5 million in revenue. When you talk about, this is pre-COVID, there were 2.6 million black owned businesses in America, 2.5 million had one employee. And so the reality is, so to hear that, to think that only 100,000 of our businesses have more than one

employee, and we talk about average revenue, the average revenue of black owned businesses. This is pre-COVID again with fifty four thousand dollars a year. And so part of the reason to have this segment, again, we appreciate Verizon for stepping up and becoming a sponsor of this, is to begin to get people to think differently when it comes to entrepreneurship. And the point that Leiland said there, and that is system and processes, it's not just because you have a great idea. You still have to execute. Absolutely correct. And I think that those numbers are extremely important. And if we drill it down even further, we look at the fact that the majority of businesses owned in the black community are owned by black women. And of those black women, the majority make $35,000 a year off of those

businesses. So they're businesses that are largely supported by whatever that female's full-time job is outside of her entrepreneurial venture. With that being said, I think that it's extremely important to highlight and uplift our entrepreneurs who have discovered that secret sauce to making things work, but have also expanded their businesses and have found ways, even throughout this pandemic, to meet the needs of a changing economy and a changing society, specifically as it relates to people getting a little closer to the purse in terms of holding on to the coins that they do have, but also meeting the needs as it relates to our pandemic response. Black consumers, consumers in general, but black consumers specifically are spending money differently today than they did pre-pandemic.

There's less money to go around. We know that inflation matters. We know that, you know, having your children at home and not being able to support the cost of child care assistance and things like that matter. We know that there are several people who are, quite quite frankly underemployed or unemployed right now. And understanding just what it takes to not only be an entrepreneur, but having the entrepreneurs like you highlight here who kind of give steps towards not only how they got to what they were doing,

but also provide insights for people who might be thinking about going down that similar path and telling them the good, the bad, and the ugly along the way. Because we also have to be real. Entrepreneurship is not easy. It's not just about being your own boss and having nobody to report to. It's also about investment. It's also about knowing how to hire. It's about knowing how to have a plan of action that actually makes sense for the consumers you're seeking. And I think that

a lot of those things are often highlighted by the people that you so skillfully choose to have these conversations. Mustafa, it's very interesting when I talk about the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses when it comes to advertising and those in media. When we talk about government contracts, when we talk about state, federal level, state level, city level as well, all of that is about creating opportunities. And then when we are building capacity, because see, it's one thing to talk about the businesses, people starting businesses. And people have gotten mad at me when I said, I'm not going to have a conversation how, oh, we need to start more black businesses. I said, part of the problem is we've started a lot of black businesses, but they're still small. There's still one person. No, we need to be building capacity,

where it's 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 employees. And now you're having not only an economic impact because you're providing jobs, but you're also transforming communities as a result. Yeah. And you're also building generational wealth. You know, if we want to address this wealth divide that exists inside of our country, then this is a part of the equation of you as an entrepreneur being able to not only start your business, as we talked about, but expanding it and being able to take advantage of, you know, we've got trillions of dollars that are going to flow through these infrastructure bills and all the contracting and subcontracting that's going to be a part of that. If you have an established business and you have a strong business plan and the right access, you can actually grow your business out in this moment, whether we're talking about on the media side or we're talking on the product side or whatever it might be. This is the moment for our folks to get extremely focused and to make sure that they're building strong foundations underneath of their businesses. That may also mean that two folks may come together with their businesses to actually grow it out and have the capacity that's necessary. Each and every one of us will have to make decisions about how we want to do that.

But if we're serious about building generational wealth and actually building stronger foundations underneath of our communities, then we have to act. Georgia? You know, the one thing that I would like to point out, I think Misha brings up a great point about needing people who are skilled and specialized in their areas in order for you to scale your business. But in order to do that, you you need investment. And so when you look at the statistics, I think less than three percent of capital investment is going to black women owned businesses. How how are our businesses supposed to scale and grow? Georgia, that ain't just black women owned businesses. Black business, period. Period. It gets even less when you look at Black women-owned businesses. But how are we supposed to scale? How are we supposed to hire those experts so that we can delegate HR, that we can delegate accounting, we can delegate communications and really focus on visioning as founders and maximizing profitability.

We need those investment dollars. And so I think that, you know, when I think about business and how Black businesses have been stagnant, the elephant in the room is the lack of capital investment. These corporations, these investors, they are willing to take a chance on white-owned companies, and they're just not willing to take that same chance. And outside of the investment world, you can look even at the lending aspect of this. If you're a small business, you're looking to scale, you want to delegate out, and you want to hire employees, you can't get the investors, then go get a loan. But the same discriminatory practices are embedded in the banking industry as well. A report just came out here in Minnesota that Black families are three times more likely to be declined for a loan

even when their debt-to-income ratio is the same as white counterparts, their income and their credit score is the same. And so economic justice is a real thing, and it's not just because businesses don't have good ideas. It's not just because, oh, we're not working. All of these stereotypes that get thrown out there about black-owned businesses, some of it is the actual system. Got it. Well, it is the actual system. Got it. Well, and here's the piece.

When we talk about investment, investment can come in many forms. One of the things that we have seen, and we feature folks on here, they're individuals who are utilizing the crowdfunding platforms to do that, going outside the traditional platforms. That's what Isaac Hayes III did with Fanbase, raising $3.5 million via crowdsourcing. What you also have when you talk about investment, it's also, look, when we talk about advertising dollars, I mean, look, when you have folks who are providing the advertising dollars, then we then don't have to go out and sell half of the company and giving away equity to be able to raise money as well.

And so part of the reason for this segment is to teach people what it means to be an entrepreneur, what it means to be in business, and there's no one way of doing it. And I think, unfortunately, when we hear the phrase, when you don't know, you don't know, that absolutely applies. And so that's it for us for the marketplace segment let me thank our panel uh georgia amicia as well as mustafa thank you so very much folks i'll be back with uh final thoughts here on roller martin unfiltered on the black star network oh that spin class was brutal well you can try using the puke'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 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. 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 B.B. Winans.

Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Carl Painting. Heyans. Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Carl Painting. Hey, everybody, this is Sherri Shepherd. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered, and while he's doing Unfiltered, I'm practicing the wobble. All right, folks, as I said earlier, we're going to be on the road tomorrow broadcasting live from Brunswick, Georgia.

That's where the trial is happening of the three white men who are on trial for killing Ahmaud Arbery. And so the robomobile is going to be hitting the road. And so we will be there. And so we'll hit the road probably around one o'clock. We'll be live tomorrow, p.m. Eastern, from Brunswick, Georgia. And then, of course, we are going to then hit the road, be there on Thursday as well. And again, of course, it is on Thursday, folks. It is on Thursday that more than 200 pastors have already signed up to hold a vigil on the courthouse steps on Thursday, 11 a.m. Eastern. We'll be live streaming that particular event.

And so we look forward to that. And so you want to stay tuned. And one of the other reasons why we want you to stay tuned and why we want you to download our Black Star Network app, because of just what happened today on Facebook. So many of you who are watching on Facebook, what happens is when we are live on the show, we can play a video clip. We can play something like that. Well, somebody may automatically do it. It's just by the algorithm, they'll do a strike. And so what happens is on Facebook, when you get a strike, they will stop your live broadcast. And so that's what happened. We were live on Facebook.

Then all of a sudden we played that clip from stars. So probably the algorithm of Lionsgate or someone, of course, said, oh, this is our content. They immediately stop you. That's why you've got to get the Black Star Network app because no one can put a strike on our video that we play there. And so we want you to download it. We have exceeded 20,000 downloads. Our goal by December 31st is to hit 50,000 downloads on the app.

And so if you are one of our folks who watch it on Facebook, and I'll say this as well, Facebook, they've been screwing with us. And I've notified them of this. A lot of you who watch us on Facebook, perfect example, I've got 1.3 million people who follow me on Facebook. Today, the most people we had watching on Facebook was 261. When we started this show, we used to have two and three and 4,000 people watching live on Facebook. And we know for a fact that they are limiting, listen to me clearly, they are limiting who receives our live notifications. In fact, what happens is y'all, our digital director, Kenan White, he doesn't get the notification

and he presses the button when we go live. Three years ago, we notified Facebook. We were told then it was a glitch in their system. Two months ago, we notified them of the same problem. We were told that was a glitch in the system. No, what they're doing is they're trying to force us to actually pay to boost, pay for ads, to boost to our own followers who already follow us, who already,

who already have signed up for live notifications. And so, all my Facebook people, hey, here's the deal. Y'all wanna watch our show, go to the Black Star Network app, download it. iPhone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox, as well as Samsung Smart TV. And again, please support us as well, folks. The app is not, look, you sign up for free.

I'm not charging any of you for it, no monthly subscription fee. But I do want you to understand, the app costs us $160,000 a year. Let me say it again. The app costs us $160,000 a year. Let me say it again. The app cost us $160,000 a year. So when you join our Bring the Funk fan club, when we ask for 20,000 of our fans to contribute a minimum of 50 bucks each, that's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day to support what we do. That's what your money is going to. It's going to, give me a shot, it's going to the control room. The people who are sitting in there right now, our employees in there, it's going to director, producer, booker, folks who are running the video playback and audio.

And so we talk about a black-owned business. That's exactly what this is. And so really, we're doing the parade wave, Carol? Really? Really? Is that what we're doing? That was trifling. That was really trifling. All right, y'all. And so again, so when you support us, when you give via Cash App, Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal, this is what you're supporting. Cash App

is dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zell is rmartinunfiltered. Venmo is rmunfiltered. Zell is roland at rolandsmartin.com. Roland at rolandmartinunfiltered.com. And so there you go. Thanks a lot, folks. I will see you tomorrow from Brunswick, Georgia. Ho! ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Shit. Alexa, play our favorite song again. Okay. I only have

eyes for you. Time 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 going to 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'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? I I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at tayPaperCeiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios.

Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.