#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Kamala Harris' Economic Tour, Xavier Univ. Medical School, LA's Cancer Alley, Dymally Jazz Fest

Episode Date: April 30, 2024

4.29.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Kamala Harris' Economic Tour, Xavier Univ. Medical School, LA's Cancer Alley, Dymally Jazz Fest #BlackStarNetwork partner:Fanbase 👉🏾 https://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase Vice President Kamala Harris launched her "Economic Opportunity Tour" in Atlanta.  We'll share a little of her conversation with small business owners.  The Poor People Campaign announced its Mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. We'll share those details.  The family of the Black teenager shot in the head after ringing the doorbell of the wrong home is suing the White man who shot him and the neighborhood homeowners association. R. Kelly's attorney says the next step is to ask the Supreme Court to review the R&B singer's sentence for his Chicago conviction.  The EPA implemented new rules for companies in Louisna's Cancer Alley. I'll talk to an advocate about these new regulations and whether it's too late.  The Xavier University of Louisiana will have the nation's 5th HBCU Medical School.  The president of the university will join us to discuss this exciting news.  And Roland was in California Saturday at the "DIME-allee International Jazz and Arts Festival.  We'll share some sights and sounds from there.    Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. 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 starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches. We'll be right back. We have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? All right. It's Monday, April 29th, 2024. I'm Candace Kelly sitting in for Roland tonight. Here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. Today, Vice President Kamala Harris launched her Economic Opportunity Tour in Atlanta. We'll share a little of her conversation with small business owners. The Poor People campaign announced its mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. We'll share those details. The family of a black teenager shot in the head after ringing the doorbell of the wrong home

is suing the white man who shot him and the Neighborhood Homeowners Association. R. Kelly's attorney says the next step is to ask the Supreme Court to review the R&B singer's sentence for his Chicago conviction. The EPA implemented new rules for companies in Louisiana's Cancer Alley. I'll talk to an advocate about these new regulations, about whether it's too late.

The Xavier University of Louisiana will have the nation's fifth HBCU medical school. The president of the university will join us to discuss this exciting news. And Roland was in California Saturday at the Daimili International Jazz and Arts Festival. We'll share some sights and sounds from there. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. Let's go. With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's Uncle Roro, y'all It's Rolling Martin, yeah Rolling with rolling now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best

You know he's rolling, Martel. Martel. Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her economic opportunity tour in Atlanta today. Harris's nationwide campaign tour is to highlight the Biden administration's economic record with the recent $158 million Reconnecting Communities Award for the Stitch Project to reconnect Atlanta neighborhoods and drive economic growth. Harris had this to say about her efforts. How are you and the president building an economy that provides an opportunity for all? So let me start by one thanking Donald Boone for that introduction and being here.

He is one of the almost 50 entrepreneurs that I invited to my office at the White House last summer to talk about their work. And so I could listen to them and learn what we needed to do to get the word out about what we are doing. And this economic opportunity tour, as much as anything, was born out of that and then a dinner that the three of us had at my house. And is therefore about being on the road to let folks know what is available to them in the spirit of understanding we have so many entrepreneurs. We have so many people who have incredible ideas. They are innovative, hardworking, ambitious, have aspirations, have vision.

None of that we lack for in the community. But for most folks, we lack access to the resources that will feed those ambitions and those aspirations. I chose Atlanta to be the kickoff for this Economic Opportunity Tour for many reasons that include one of the leaders who is among us. And I would ask us to rise and applaud him, and that is Ambassador Andy Young. Who is here with his wife Caroline and I will tell you as a point of personal privilege Ambassador Young has been an advisor to me a mentor to me and a friend and has always talked about

his vision, his shared vision with Dr. King, about the vision for America that included a vision that was about fighting for civil rights and understanding that to achieve true equality, we have to also have an economic agenda. And that agenda must include speaking to people's ambitions. That yes, everybody wants a job, and President Joe Biden and I are very proud that in our administration we have brought black unemployment down to historic lows. But that's a baseline. We also are focused on something Ambassador Young has talked so much about, which is creating opportunity for people to build wealth

and to thereby not only strengthen their family, Donald Boone talked about that, but strengthen the economy of the community as a whole and everybody in society benefits. So that's why I'm here. And to talk about what we have done, whether it be an extension of the work I did in the United States Senate to get $12 billion more into community banks, or the work that we have done, and you heard the panel earlier today, that is about uplifting our capacity through the Treasury Department. I want to thank Secretary Yellen in her absence for what she has done to be a partner to me

around focusing on a number of issues that are about access to capital, but with a focus also on minority-owned businesses. And then what we did to create the Economic Opportunity Coalition, which is Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Google, and getting private equity to invest in community banks, some of the local community banks being represented here, to increase access to capital so that our entrepreneurs in the community have a place to go where the people who are doing the lending know the community, know the capacity of the community, know the mores of the community,

and can provide not only capital but the knowledge that so many need to understand how to run a business. You have a great idea, but you don't necessarily know how to run a payroll. Don't necessarily know what kind of system there is for business taxes in a way that allows you to maximize, right, your resources. Don't necessarily know how you're going to keep up your inventory. And don't necessarily know what is available in terms of creating access to markets. So you have a good product, but you need access to markets. So the work that we have been doing over the last three years has been focused on all of these areas and also

understanding the context in which we exist, which is the longstanding disparities and understanding that in spite of those who in certain parts of our country want to attack DEI, we understand that you can't truly invest in the strength of our nation if you don't pay attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are, for example, paying attention to the fact that in order for any family or individual to have economic well-being much less the opportunity to create wealth, we need to take into account

the history of, for example, the ability of black folks in America to own a home. Let's go far back enough, we can go even further, but let's go far back enough to remember the GI Bill that was promised by our nation to invest in who we called the greatest generation

who fought in that war. And so there was a policy that said, let us reward them for fighting for our nation and all that we hold sacred. And give them access to loans for home ownership. And the reality, however, of a well-intentioned plan is that it was not well-intentioned in the way it was implemented for a lot of people. In that, black veterans did not receive, in equal measure, those loans. And so whereas a whole population of people had public policy that was about federal investment on lifting people up, certain folks, and black folks in particular, veterans, did not receive the benefit. So now look at the disparity that's created even by that.

We look at the history of redlining. We look at the history of redlining. We look at the history of segregation. We remember what happened. I know we're going to talk about these urban plans and what that did to cut freeways across communities and limit their access to commerce. We look at what we've been dealing with as an administration around bias in home appraisals, even to this day, where it is well documented that when a black family in certain places

is trying to get an appraisal for their home, be it to get a second loan or to sell it, they're appraised at a lower value than a similarly situated white family. And so these are some of the areas that we are focused on through our economic policies. We've been dealing with student loan debt, understanding that black students are much more likely to take out a Pell Grant. We've seen an increase in tuition over the years, but the increase in Pell Grants has not been commensurate with that. We're working on that a bit. But student loan debt and the forgiveness of that as a way to allow people to have more assets that they can then put into buying a home or building a business. So these

are some of the examples of what we've been doing. We've been focused on medical debt. Let me just add that. Medical debt can be one of the fastest ways that somebody can go bankrupt. And often that medical debt is accrued because of some medical emergency that someone or someone in their family has experienced that they didn't have the savings or the anticipation for. And we have now put in place a rule that is in the process of being implemented where we have required that medical debt cannot be a part of your credit score. And medical debt cannot be considered when your credit is being evaluated for a car loan, a home loan, things of that nature. So these are some examples of what we've been doing. All right. When we come back on the other

side of this break, we're going to take a look and dive into some of the comments made by the vice president. Stay with us. We'll be right back here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. It's time for a new you. Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions at curlprep.com is an amazing organic line for curls, locks, braids, twists, and even those curly wigs and extensions. Women, men, and children are loving this line. People line up to see this product in action at hair shows, and when they take a seat and try it, they don't believe it's their hair.

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Before we jump into the vice president's remarks, I'm joined by Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist and author out of Washington, D.C. Dr. Omei Kongo-Dibinga, senior professional lecturer at the School of International Service at American University, also in D.C., and Renita Shannon is the former Georgia state representative out of Atlanta, Georgia. I want to thank all of you for being with us today. Dr. Melbaugh, I want to start with you. We know that this is the 12th trip that Kamala Harris has made to Atlanta. Do you think that she is doing and meeting the thresholds that she should be meeting? Because getting that black

vote, especially the blackmail vote, is a very difficult one. In Georgia, it absolutely is a difficult one. But it's really interesting. I think she was doing very well on stage. She's talking about economic issues. A lot of polling suggests that that's the lane where brothers especially feel that they need to be heard. I know that back here in Maryland, years ago when Michael Steele, Republican, ran for governor, he got a lot of Black male votes because he focused on Black economic development. And I don't think very much has changed around that. This is a great opportunity for Kamala to talk about the economic gains the administration has made. And from the clip that you showed, she was doing very well.

She's very well spoken. I'm getting tired of the haterators talking about how she doesn't speak well. She does speak well. And you just saw evidence of that. But Georgia is going to be a hard nut to crack. Rumor has it, and a lot of my pollster friends say it's just rumor, that black men did not vote for Stacey Abrams because of whatever hangups they had. I know Renita can probably speak to that more intelligently than I can. But a lot of folks are saying, you know, this polling is kind of whack. And I am in believe that. However, however, however, we can't leave a single stone unturned if we want to prevent the orange man for making it to the White House.

We'd have a creamsicle. We really don't want that. What we really want is to have someone in the White House who is aware of the challenges that the African-American community faces, aware of the history, which Kamala spoke to our vice president. I shouldn't call her by her first name, but I do know her from San Francisco days. But, you know, when she talked about the history of the GI Bill, we don't often hear that. Why is it that we have the home ownership gap that has widened as opposed to narrowed over the years? So the history is something that's so very critical. And again, I think that she's in the right place at the right time, speaking to the right issues, and I applaud her for it. Renita, do you agree, Dr. Melville mentioned you in terms of what

you might add to this conversation about getting that Black vote, which we know they are working to get? Well, first I'll say some of the things about this economic plan are very interesting. So the Stitch Project is supposed to right the wrongs that previous transportation developments displaced black folks and displaced a lot of folks in communities. And so this plan is supposed to make to right those wrongs. And then the second part is that from what I read, that it's supposed to make sure that it's easier for small businesses to get capital. As far as getting out the vote, I do think that we need to recenter the conversation, because a lot of conversation was focused on, and not just in this panel, but largely

with the last time that Stacey Abrams ran about where the black male vote went. But people are focusing on the black men that turned out and where they voted. The larger conversation is, there were both black men and black women who just did not turn out to vote at all. So that is the larger message as it relates to winning elections. Elections are about turnout. And so the way that you get people to turn out is that you have to be promising them something that they can see themselves in that agenda. So I think the things that she talked about in this clip that we saw are some good things that would be helpful to folks, for example, making sure that your medical debt doesn't go to lowering your credit score.

But what I will say is, the majority of folks in Georgia are workers, not business owners. And so if you want to get folks out who don't always see themselves reflected in these agendas, Democrats need to start with the basics, at least in Georgia. And that means talking about raising the wage, because those—a lot of the things that she talked about are situations where the Biden administration can help you if you get in a certain situation, like if you end up having medical debt. But everyone has to pay for shelter, food, transportation, have to feed their family, take care of their families.

And so when you talk about raising the wage, which is what I really wish the economic agenda were centered on, that is something that hits everyone. It's basic. It's undeniable. You don't have to think about whether or not the elected official took care of you because you can literally see it in your paycheck. So that's what I would say. But I do think that there are a lot of things in the Stitch Project that will be interesting to see how they will come to fruition.

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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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

In California, you have restaurant workers, their minimum wage went up to $20. As you said, Renita, when you see it in the paycheck, you really can't argue that the economic plan of the administration is working. Dr. Dabinga, I want to bring you in on this. What's what are the black men talking about in your circles? Or are you hearing more about the fact that people just need to make more money in order to participate in this democratic society. Well, I found it interesting because, you know, all the Black men that I speak to are, you know, of course, very critical of, you know, Biden's agenda on several issues. But compared to Trump, I mean, I find that they're very supportive. And I feel like just that visual of Vice President Harris up there, you you know with those two brothers is really important where you have somebody like a donald trump who has to you know get ai generated photos around

black people or stage members from candace owens campaign or or campaign workers to get actual pictures of black people i think this is important and it's also just strategic i think that you know a lot of black men who i know who are involved in business are getting behind projects like this. I was just in Atlanta yesterday, have some good friends down there who talk about what's going on down there all the time. Obviously, no one knows more about that than Renita here. But I feel like, when it comes down to it, when Black men who are engaged in the political process look at Biden vs. the alternative, it's going to be a no-brainer. And I think what

Renita said is really true in terms of it's really going to come down to getting those people out who are not voting. As Clay Kane talks about in his book, The Grift, you know, the largest voting bloc is the non-voter in this country. And so the people who are in it, the people who are involved, the people who have the economic interest, when it comes down to it, they're going to cast that ballot for Harris and Biden for sure. But there's this larger group of people who don't really feel like they have full access to the system. And that's why I think what we're doing is important right now. The Black Star Network, Roland Martin, has a large group of Black men who follow. And we have to be part of the people putting out this agenda so that more people in our community

who are not directly involved in politics or the business community can see this agenda. You know what, I'm going to end on you, Dr. Malveaux, before we go to the break. The economist in the panel, tell me a little bit about what you would talk to Vice President Kamala Harris about in order to help her move the needle as she continues on this economic tour that she just kicked off? What should she be telling the people

in order to really get their attention? Well, Renita is absolutely right about the issue of wages. We have not raised a minimum wage in more than a decade, $7.25 an hour. She's in Atlanta, a state that's a right-to-work state, and so she could pump that up quite a bit. Again, I agree with Renita. The business piece is good, but most people are not entrepreneurs. Only 3% of African-American people own a business, so you're not speaking to the broad group of African-American people. I think the other things that I would lift up, of course, is student loan debt forgiveness. And again, that's a divisive issue around class lines. Everybody didn't go to college. And so a lot of people resent the notion that, you know, I didn't get to go to college because I didn't want the debt and now we're forgiving other

people's debt. And I think she needs to talk about pulling folks at some level together. The gender divide can be breached. She's an amazing leader. And when she's on point, she's really on point. I think the clip you showed showed her on point. But I would also talk about, you know, the orange man says that he wants to cut taxes. Well, who's taxes? Because people at the bottom haven't seen a tax cut, really. So who's taxes? So break that down. Whose taxes are you, are going to be cut off? What is your position on taxation? And sister, I think everybody is concerned about inflation.

And it has to be placed in context. A year ago now, inflation was 9%. Now it's down, it's under 4%. But it hasn't gone down as quickly as we'd like. And I don't think people understand presidents and vice presidents can't control inflation. And they can't control the Fed, the Federal Reserve, which is why the orange man throws shade at the Fed. You know, he'd like to get rid of it. He'd like to be in charge of everything.

He wants to be a dictator. But I think that she should mention inflation and talk about, you know, some of the counterbalances to inflation. You know, I go to, I don't like to go to the grocery store. I like to get my stuff delivered. But when I go, sometimes it's not sticker shock, but it's like, okay, last week, this was $4.99. Now it's $5.29. What happened? You know? And so frontally, yes. Right. Getting down to the nitty gritty. And I'll agree with you that the vice president, it really was a strong showing as she kicked off her tour for the 12th visit to Atlanta. All right. Stay with us on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.

We're going to be back after the break with more important issues that you need to hear about. First, President Barack Obama's road to the White House. We got about 500 copies of the book available. And so this actually is all of the coverage of the 2008 election. But the other thing is, is here I talked to folks like Malik Yoba, Hill Harper, Eric Alexander, Kevin Lowe, Spike Lee, Tatiana Ali. There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff in here as well, where I talked about some of the stuff that went down at CNN. Also, when you go through here, a lot of the photos that you see in here are photos that I actually shot, photos that were my time at CNN. And so what I decided to do, because one, I published the book and I own it myself, is that so I say, you know what? I'm going to slash the price to 10 bucks.

And so we're going to have shipping and handling $5.99. I'm going to personally autograph every copy. I'm not reprinting the book. So once we are sold out of these 500, that's it. They're gone. So you can go to RolandSMartin.com forward slash the first to get a copy of this book. Everybody who orders this book through the website, not on Amazon, only through RollinSMartin.com, I will personally autograph and mail you a copy of this book. It's all of the coverage, the actual interviews that I did with him.

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I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family Louder and Prouder. Right now I'm rolling with Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? We are here this morning to announce that on June the 29th at 10 o'clock on Pennsylvania and 3rd, we are calling for the mass poor people's low-wage assembly, low-wage workers assembly and moral march on Washington and to the polls, June 29th, 2024. On March the 2nd, we had simultaneous actions

in 35 states and the District of Columbia, where poor and low-wage persons, religious and moral leaders, and advocates joined at state capitals to launch a campaign to touch 15 million, 15 million poor and low-wage infrequent voters in this country. This is the most massive block where transformation can happen. Over 33 million infrequent voters, poor and low-wage voters, that can make a difference. In this season that we're in, our goal is to center, is to center the desires and the political policy agenda of poor and low-wage persons along with moral religious leaders and advocates. Too often poor and low-wage people are not talked about, even though in this country today there are 135 million poor and low-wage persons.

There's not a state in this country now where poor and low-wage persons do not make up at least 30 percent of the electorate. And in states that we call battleground, we really don't know what battleground states are because we've never seen a full mobilization. But in states that are called battleground, according to a study we did commissioned by Liz and myself that was done with professors from Columbia University and others, we now know that

in those states where the margin of victory was 3% or 5% in Texas that the number of poor and low-wage voters are between 35 and 40-plus percent of the electorate. We also know that there are numbers out there like these. Where Liz is from, Wisconsin, the margin of victory in the last election was about 20,000 votes, but the number of poor and low-wage voters that could have voted was over a million. In Michigan, 10,000 was the marginal victory in president. The number of votes, poor and low-wage voters that could have voted that

didn't was over a million. In Pennsylvania, 40,000, the number of poor and low-wage voters that could have voted was over 1.4 million. In North Carolina, the margin of victory was about 170,000, but the number of poor and low-wage voters was right at a million, just under a million, over 900,000. In other words, in those four states alone, which are states that are deeply concerned in the political structures, you had over 4 million poor and low-wage voters that could have voted that didn't, but the margin of victory was only 270,000 votes. Poor and low-wage voters are saying this season that our votes are demands and not merely support for candidates.

And what we're doing is mobilizing those votes and saying to candidates if you want these votes then talk to poor and low-wage folk the number one reason poor and low-wage folk do not vote according to the study is waking the sleeping giant is nobody talks to them we have debate after debate for Senate for president and the issues that affect poor and low-wage persons do not come up. We had in 2020 a bill come up to pass a living wage of $15 an hour in the union, which would have lifted 52 million poor and low-wage Americans out of poverty and low wage. Forty-three percent of African Americans alone, most of the persons would have been white and women.

And eight Democrats and 49 Republicans said no. percent of African-Americans alone. Most of the persons would have been white and women. And eight Democrats and 49 Republicans said no. Dr. Domingo, what he is saying is that low and poor wage workers, they're not being talked to. What would you say about what it takes to get down to the level of poor and low-wage workers for them to really understand the message, hear the message, and for all of the dots to be connected. Well, I mean, this kind of goes back to our last segment. We were talking about the fact that so many of us are not people who are voting or who are not business owners doing entrepreneurial things. And so we have, this is why we need

Reverend Barber and the Poor People's Campaign. We have to support the individuals and organizations across the country who are making the connection with a group that you're never going to hear talked about or fully engaged by our politicians, because they've already given up on them. And it's kind of like a self-enforcing cycle where the politicians have given up on the poor and the poor have given up on the politicians because they never see them as somebody who is going to be able to really meet their needs. And so from what I'm understanding to date, the White House still has not had a meeting with Reverend Barber and members of the Poor People Campaign, which he's been demanding. And so, but yeah, he's still pushing. He's still going, pushing forward because, you know, even though we're all critical of aspects of their Biden's economic agenda and things that it can do better.

Reverend Barber and others believe that obviously this is the main hope that we have to make any type of progress compared to if we have a Republican president. And so this is on this is the responsibility of all of us, all of us who are living in our communities, all of us who are connected. We need to not just leave it up to leaders like Barbara or Roland Martin or others. You know, we have to make the connections with our own family. We have to make the connections in our community centers, in our churches, in our mosques and synagogues to get people to understand the stakes, to understand that, yeah, the situation for you financially and economically may not be great right now, but it's about to get significantly worse. And in addition to that, you might be targeted. And depending on your background, you might even be rounded up for your religion. So we have to be very mindful of that. But

everybody doesn't live in a media sphere every single day. Everybody doesn't live in this political space. It's up to us, the teachers, the educators, the preachers, the pastors, everybody who has a connection to the community, we also have to speak up about these states. Because if we can get, again, that non-voting bloc, if we can get them mobilized, so many of these red states would at the very least be purple states. But it's that disconnect that we have to do our part in continuing to challenge. So, Renita, this is something that you're probably very familiar with, especially having run for political office. What were some of the considerations that you had when you ran for office to reach this group of

people? Sure. So I was a community organizer in my personal time before being elected, and economic justice was something that I spent a lot of time talking about. So I remember when Reverend Barber started the Moral Mondays in North Carolina, and that eventually got started here in Georgia, and I organized with them. Let me tell you this. Everything that he's saying is 100 percent correct. Every single campaign that I have run from the six years serving the Georgia House of Representatives to the last campaign I ran in 2022 running for lieutenant governor of Georgia, I always centered workers and talked very basically about raising the wage, because what he is saying is exactly what, you know, too far too often too few Democrats are talking about. And I say Democrats because Republicans have already just told everybody that all they

care about is businesses and giving tax breaks to the rich. They make it clear that they are not going to address workers and don't care about workers. On the Democrat side, you have got progressives like myself who talked a lot about centering workers and did center workers in policy. But the problem is, the majority of what Democrats are running on are not talking and addressing workers. And so, you know, to make—to put it very simply, here in Georgia, for so long, people talked so frequently about how we needed to register more voters to vote.

But in the last couple of years, people on the ground here in Georgia are already communicating, and people know, we don't even need to do voter registration anymore. Everyone's registered. It's just people aren't voting because they don't see themselves reflected in the campaigns that are being run. And so Democrats have got to get back to what Reverend Barber is saying, which is just pay people, because all these things we're talking about, whether it be inflation, medical debt, paying your student loans, all of that starts with having enough money in order, in your paycheck, in order for you to be paid. Workers, I mean, in order for you to

pay your bills. Workers are the majority in Georgia, and they are the majority in this country, and it's long past time that policy actually reflected that. And so the final thing I'll say, just to kind of close out my comments on this, is that we are seeing campaigns on the left more and more run on things that are important, like abortion, you know, civil rights, voting, and things that are very, very important. But what you've got to realize is that the average everyday person who is generally somebody who is not a business owner, but who is a worker, they are not thinking about any of those things that I just mentioned. If they are literally trying to figure out how not to become homeless, how to have food for their children, they're not

going to be thinking about abortion, voting rights, any of that. So you have got to start with the basics. And that just means paying people, not tax breaks. Tax breaks are good for families, but that cannot be your leading thing because at the end of the day, you can't turn tax breaks into a letter company. They want money. They want the bill paid. Dr. Malveaux, this really is kind of a conversation that we began last segment and that we're talking about a way to reach people who don't feel like they are being spoken to. And it really has to do kind of with marketing, right? We're talking about how do you get the message out to the masses so that they hear you? What would you say is the answer to

that question? And also just your input about this particular march, which he has marches every year. They do make a difference, but I guess that is what is necessary in this 2024. Well, you know, Reverend Barber is a dear friend, an esteemed colleague. I just think the world of him, the Moral Mondays really galvanize people, and he's continuing to galvanize people. But the issue is, the march sends a signal to politicians that there is a base here that cares about this. But the issue in terms of—the issue is, what happens after the march? What do people do when the march is over? Often Reverend Barber has state coalitions get together so that people can talk about

what's happening in Georgia or New York or California. He has organizers, I think, in most states in the country. And I think that's really great as well. But there has to be a structure past March. The second thing is that it's really important to do the marketing. The other side is relentless in their marketing, relentless. And this side is not. And in addition to that, I mean, this is one of the values of the Black Star Network. But who is the Democratic Party, the DNC, who are they marketing with? You know,

they go to, you know, one of my big beats with the DNC is the extent to which they go to the tried and true white boys to do their polling, to do their marketing, you know, their advertising. There are black agencies who do this who are uniquely qualified to speak to black people. So if you go to one of those mainstream advertising agencies, I'm looking for black people. Well, and it's really very interesting. I have a colleague now who has a book out and he called me up and said, how can I get this? How can I get that?

I said, why do you not have a black agency? He said, it's a publisher, these white folks. I said, well, you need to go back to your publisher and say, give me a slice of that budget to give to a black, you know, basically book expert. Don't just give me these white folks who don't know anybody. From the short conversation we had, the sister who he hired that I had recommended was able to get him on like four Black-oriented talk radio shows. But, you know, people don't understand how to market to us

and a lot of people well you know an old example but years ago when I was in San Francisco there's a black newspaper, a sister friend owns it the San Francisco Sun Reporter I appear in there occasionally and one of the major department stores

took the ad from her and their rationale was well black people read the San Francisco Chronicle also. Well, we may read it and we may not, but we don't necessarily pay attention to it. When you advertise, basically engage with black-owned media, guess what you're telling black people? We know you. We care about you. When you tell me, well, you go pick up the

Sun Reporter, not the Sun Reporter, the Chronicle anyway, you're going to pick up the New York Times anyway. That does not say anything to me about how you value me as a voter or as a consumer. So the Biden administration, they've done some very good things. I won't take anything away from them, but they've also been very clumsy in their marketing. Extraordinarily clumsy in their PR. They're not tooting their own horn. If they don't toot it, we're left to toot it.

And that's not what we do as opinionators and journalists. We're not going to go on the road with them to toot their horn. They need to get Kareem in play to do a better job when she's at the mic, or, you know, director of the White House, whatever. And we need to get her in gear. But we also need some dollars need to come to black media. And I promise you, they will see the ROI, but they have to be willing to do the I to get the R.

They have to invest to get a return. Right now, I'm not seeing it. Dr. Dabinga, what she's saying is that, listen, if you want to reach the people, you have to be the people, which is part of it. But what are your thoughts about the time that we have left? We have about six months. Can something really happen in terms of a change in reaching groups of people, millions, to get them to understand that they need to. I know a lot of cops and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1.

Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing. Benny the butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got be real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things.

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. And to hear episodes one week early

and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more.

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Go to the polls and that we are speaking to you if we are the Democratic Party. Absolutely. I mean, there's plenty of time. I mean, the Biden administration has been, you know, really building up on his ground game. You know, they've been hitting the road. There's always more to do. I think that they need to get involved in continual events like this. I think that these work better compared to many of the celebrity events and campaigns. Of course, those are needed. And of course, those are going to reach some people. But I feel like if they continue to stay focused, you know, Donald Trump's campaign is his

court trials, you know, as courting as campaigning. So, you know, they have that kind of balance as well in terms of he can't get out there as much as he would like. And so I think, you know, Biden is also hitting nontraditional sources in places like Howard Stern, but they also have to come on networks like what we're doing here to continue to speak to the people. So if they stay the course, if they continue to allow themselves to be challenged and respond to the challenges that are being placed towards them, I feel like they have a great opportunity. But like Dr. Malvo said, there has been a little bit of clumsiness, particularly as it relates to meeting communities who aren't regularly going to vote for them or who just might be skeptical. And so I feel like if they stay this course, continue to pick up some key endorsements, but keep doing the work on the ground in the

communities, I really do believe that they can make some strong headway in the next six months. But, you know, there are Black people who are concerned about so many other things outside of the economics, like, you know, Israel-Palestine and so many other things as well. You know, what, you know, South Africa, you know, what we're talking about, what we've, you know, we were part of that movement, part of that fight. I know that's coming later. But, you know, we've been involved in international struggles as well, and we're watching that as well. And so they have a lot of work to do, but I do believe that they are doing the work.

But lastly, as Dr. Malvo said, they got to get the hands, some money in the hands of Black pollsters, Black media organizations, Black publicists, all of those different types of marketing and the like, so they can specifically target the community that Biden said he'll never turn his back on. All right. Yeah. You get the message out. All right. We want more information about the mass Poor People's and Low Wage Wakers Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. You can log on to poorpeoplescampaign.org. It takes place on June 29th, 2024. Stay with us on the black star network on Roland Martin unfiltered.

We'll have more after the break. Fan base is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Debra Owens, America's Wealth Coach. The wealth gap has literally not changed in over 50 years, according to the Federal Reserve. On the next Get Wealthy, I'm excited to chat with Jim Castleberry, CEO of Known Holdings. They have created a platform,

an ecosystem to bring resources to Blacks and people of color so they can scale their business. Even though we've had several examples of African-Americans and other people of color being able to be successful, we still aren't seeing the mass level of us being lifted up. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. My name is Lena Charles, and I'm from Opelousas, Louisiana.

Yes, that is Zydeco capital of the world. My name is Margaret Chappelle. I'm from Dallas, Texas, representing the Urban Trivia Game. It's me, Sherri Shepherd, and you know what you're watching. Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Zara Reid has been missing for Mammel, Arkansas since April 24th, 2024. The 17-year-old is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Zara Reid should call the Little Rock, Arkansas Police Department at 501-371-4829. All right, the family of Ralph Yarl,

the Black Missouri teen who got shot for ringing the wrong doorbell, filed a lawsuit against the white man who shot him and the Homeowners Association. The seven-page lawsuit accuses shooter Andrew Lester and the Highland Acres Home Association, Inc., of careless and negligent conduct for last year's April 13 shooting. Jarl went to the wrong home to pick up his younger siblings. After ringing the doorbell, Lester shot the teen in the head and in the arm.

Lester pled not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He is out on bond. His trial is set to begin on October 7th. Renita, I want to start with you here in saying we're not surprised, are we, that this happened. I think it was just a matter of time before this lawsuit came.

Yes, and I'm really glad to see this lawsuit because when this incident first know, a lot, when this incident first happened, a lot of folks focused on the criminal penalties that the shooter would have, which was very important because that does send a message, um, that you cannot just shoot someone and say, Oh, it was a mistake. And there's absolutely no, um, accountability, uh, towards that, but this is really important. file the civil lawsuit, because in addition to sending a message about, you know, with the criminal penalties, this—Ralph Harlan will have a, you know, substantial bills and substantial costs in repairing, I'm sure, his mental

health from being shot as a child. The trauma that he faced is something that probably will take years and years and years to resolve. So this absolutely will have a lasting impact on his life. Now, what impact? We obviously don't know, but he is going to need resources to make sure the impact of this event is as minimal as possible. And that is not free. And so I'm glad to see this civil lawsuit. I hope that he has awarded him and his family enough money because the trauma also extends to his family as well. So, you know, I think that this is an important step.

And I really hope that they are successful in getting the necessary resources from the civil lawsuit. So, Dr. Dabinga, I want to toss this to you. Listen, this young man, he's about to go to college. He's a senior now. Certainly, he has had some serious traumatic brain injury. His attorney said this is really necessary. We have to go down this route for civil lawsuit in order to bring attention to something like this, of course. What are your thoughts about what this says

to homeowners across America when it comes to a simple process of opening the door for someone who you may think was not invited to your home? Be on notice. You know, you got to be on notice that there could be consequences and penalties like this. I mean, there were several instances of this that was happening across the country during this time that that Raphael Rashad and I've heard of some recent events as well. And everybody just kind of has this mindset of, you know, people have shot at people driving into their driveway by mistake or just to turn around and do like a three point turn. And this type of entitlement that we're seeing in this country where people have shot at people driving into their driveway by mistake or just to turn around and do like a three-point turn. And this type of entitlement that we're seeing in this country, where people feel like they can just blast somebody for the smallest offenses, or these are not even offenses.

They're mistakes or just people trying to move a little bit faster in where they're going. Now, you know, you're all knocked on the wrong door. But I mean, seriously, this also has me think about that court case where the two parents finally, you know, where they got convicted for the gun that they gave to their child at the school. There has to be more accountability like this, because if not, people are just going to feel like they're living in the wild, wild west. But even back in the wild, wild west days, there were more regulations as it relates to guns and what's happening in our society. And lastly, I also want to say it's really important that we continue to give y'all and

so many of the other survivors of situations like this the attention, the love and the support that they need, because unfortunately in too many of our communities, we say Black Lives Matter, but forgive what I'm saying about to say, but it really has been about Black Corpses Matter. We've paid more attention, rightfully so, to the slayings that have happened in our community. And we haven't paid as much attention to the survivors of many of these instances. And they are also deserving attention. It's not either or, it's both and. And so I'm so glad that we are doing this story because he and his family continues to need our support, as well as so many others across this country. Yeah, and his mother was very grateful for the support and the GoFundMe.

Over $3 million was raised for, listen, as you said, medical bills from anything on. You know, Dr. Malveaux, when I look at this lawsuit, I think what's really interesting is that the homeowners association was also named in this lawsuit. And I think that that, too, will open up a lot of eyes. Absolutely. I mean, the homeowners association is partially culpable. What kind of rules do they have? What kind of monitoring was there? I mean, I just hope this young brother and his family are made whole.

And by made whole, I mean there are still physical reverberations from what I understand. He is headed to college. They're physical reverberations. They're probably look at that sweet face. Just look at that sweet face. Just look at that sweet face. And can you imagine somebody, he mistakenly went to the wrong house. But the mistake was an understandable mistake. It was like something, something road versus something, something alley. The same numbers were available. So it was an honest mistake.

The young brother wasn't trying to do anything, pull anything over on anybody. This guy is a racist. He saw a black face and he shot. And there should be consequences for that, both criminal but also civil. And so I applaud the civil lawsuit. Now, the disadvantage we're going to have is that this is an 85-year-old white man. Look at him. He looks all broken down. Uh, and he's going to, he will probably use age as his excuse, you know, and you know, clearly I don't know if he needs that cane or not. I'm just saying, um, nevermind. I'm not going to go there. Well, that's a model. We, we do, we do know how people do. I mean,

I'm thinking, you know, Harvey Weinstein comes to mind, and people do what they need to do in the courts in order to make their point. Let me tell you, I have to use a cane sometimes because I took this fall. But the other day, I praised the Lord for that cane because I was about to pulverize this white boy in the juggles with my cane. He said something smart to me, and then he said it again. I said, do you want me to pulverize you? And I picked up the cane. He said, no, no, no, no, no. I said, do you want me to pulverize you? And I picked up the cane. He said, no, no, no, no, no. I said, mm-hmm, going back.

Going very good. I use mine when I have to, but I carry it all the time just because my gait is uneven. But it's also an advantage. I will knock you next week with my cane. A dual purpose there. All right. We're learning a lot about you, doctor. We are learning a lot about you.

I want to move on to R. Kelly. All right. A federal appeals court ruled that R. Kelly received the appropriate sentence for his child sex conviction in Illinois. A Chicago jury convicted the three charges of enticement. I know a lot of cops and 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.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch.

What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content,

subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care.

Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Of minors for Sex. The three-judge panel disagreed with Kelly's attorneys that Illinois' former and shorter statute of limitations on the child sex crime prosecutions should have applied to a Chicago case rather than current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive. Kelly's attorney said she plans to take the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Dr. Dabinga, what do you think about this journey? You know, every time I look at R. Kelly, I get so frustrated about the permission structure that allowed him to do what he did from everything from

marrying Aaliyah when she was 14 and and all of us who are out here in this world who are unsuspecting fans not realizing that we were singing along to lyrics that were about you know child molestation and and predatory behavior and and the like And how he was able to get away with it for 30 years or plus. And all of the people who enabled him. And of course, there has been no trial yet for Diddy. But, you know, we're seeing some of these things, you know, come out and play out in certain ways. I'm going online and I'm reading stories about how, you know, like Diddy, you know,

his crew used to have drinks that had stuff in it on one side and other drinks that didn't have on the other. Like this permission structure, I just wonder what hip hop would look like, what R&B would look like if it respected black women. And everything that R. Kelly is getting, he deserves 10 times over. But he has not been the only one. We have allowed this and sustained this for too long. I don't care what people say happens in other genres. I don't care about people, whether it's Russell Simmons. I don't care what people say happens in other genres. I don't care about people, whether it's Russell Simmons. I don't care what people say, oh,

it was a different time. No, we cannot condemn child molestation, child rape. We cannot condemn rape culture to adult women and men. We have to take a stand. Everybody on this group right now, we are hip hop. Regardless of our age, whatever it is, we are the community. We are responsible now. We got ownership of different things. We have to claim our music. We have to claim our community for these next generations. And that is the only reason why I want the R. Kelly story to stay in the news. All these convictions, take it all the way up to the Supreme Court so they can keep throwing it down. Although I don't know about some of these cats on the Supreme Court, the Kavanaughs of the world. I get a little nervous if it gets up there. But all of these other guys, like keep so we can keep

it in people's faces, keep people on blast. So these other artists know that we're not going to tolerate this anymore. We've tolerated it for too long. And it's just frustrating to see. You know, Renita, his attorney said, listen, the prosecutors really didn't make the case. And I'm wondering from you, what do you think about him continuing to try? Because I've heard a lot of people say, listen, there are murderers who did not get the sentence that R. Kelly got. This was just one sentence of 20 years. He'll deal with another sentence, I'm sure, on another appeal. not get the sentence that R. Kelly got. This was just one sentence of 20 years. He'll deal with another sentence, I'm sure, on another appeal. But what are your thoughts about this and that there perhaps is an imbalance in a sentence when we look at other people

who have done crimes that we think deserve the same amount of time? Well, I think that this is going to be very interesting. And I think that he's going to have a tough road in trying to get the conviction overturned. And the reason why I think that this is going to be very interesting. And I think that he's going to have a tough road in trying to get the conviction overturned. And the reason why I say that is because from what I read and y'all can correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I read about this appeal that he's trying to do, his lawyers are arguing that at the time that the crimes took place, there was a 10 year statute of limitations in Illinois. But now when he actually was convicted, Illinois changed its law to say that survivors have a lifetime to basically bring charges.

And so they're trying to say, well, the crimes happened at a time where there was a 10-year statute, a 10-year statute of limitations. And so nobody is arguing that this would have been outside of those limitations. But at the time that he was convicted, the law had already changed. So the reason why I think this is going to be a very uphill battle is because, generally, people convictions and the criminal—the criminal legal system responds to whatever the current law is at the time. So Illinois is not the only state that has brought about laws to support survivors of

sexual assault in much better ways. So, for example, in Georgia, we've had a bill that has continued to come up in previous years to say that if you are an institution that's covering up sexual assault, you can be held civilly liable, for example, like what we saw with the Olympics and the Catholic Church. So the point I'm making is that if he were successful in getting this conviction overturned, it would have larger ramifications. They would have ramifications that are larger than him.

It would have ramifications for other states who now have similar laws to Illinois that say that there is no statute of limitations. So because of that, I think that it's going to be really difficult. And in addition, you know, I think that this the case, you know, with so many of the sexual assault complaints being thrown out and him only being convicted on a portion of what we strongly believe happened, this is one of those situations where prosecutors understand they can't get you for all that we're pretty sure that you did. And we saw videotape evidence of because the statute of limitations ran out. So you will be got for

what we can actually nail you down for. So I think that this is probably a lost cause. And we need to make a good point. And that's what the judge said, too. They said, listen, there were seven counts that were thrown out. You know, this was a boring behavior. And so you really got lucky that you got this particular sentence. Dr. Malveaux, I mean, it also makes a good point in that these laws have been put on the book in order for survivors of sexual assault or assault to come forward, extending the time. We've seen this in Sean Combs' case,

as Dr. Dabingo was talking about. And there are some parallels. People are talking about it in the same breath. I know a lot of cops, and 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.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1,

Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this

quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter.

Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. What's your takeaway from what R. Kelly is trying to do and just how you feel about him as

well you know i don't know we may be having time okay you know first of all yeah can you hear me now yes i'm fine thank you he's the face, if you will. You know, I can do whatever I want to to a woman. You know, I don't have to bear any consequences. So he looks real good. That orange jumpsuit look just like his twin. But what I would say is New York state opened a window and said, if you have past sexual assaults, you have this much time to bring it up. And we saw people bring it up. And it has made a difference for some people in terms of them being able to get fiscal satisfaction for what often is a life-shattering experience. I don't have much love for R. Kelly for any number of reasons, but especially because of the predatory nature of his relationship, as Wakango mentioned, with Aaliyah.

Who marries a 14-year-old? Well, you marry the 14-year-old to cover up the sexual assault that you visited on her. That's the only reason that a grown man marries a 14-year-old. So if the Supreme Court was smart, they'd stay out of this. I mean, I don't think that comes to the Supreme Court was smart. They stay out of this. I mean, I don't think that it comes to the Supreme Court level. So if he wants to waste his little money, which is dwindling, but you can't

put all those millions in your prison commissary account. But if you want to waste your little money spending lawyers' fees to appeal, go for it. But I think the Supreme Court should not even touch this. It doesn't come to the Supreme Court level. He's gone to the supreme court should not even touch this it doesn't come to the supreme court level he's gone to the appeals court they've said no um but again like his twin the other

orange man um he wants to prolong this and hopefully i mean i think he probably hopes that at some point that he may get some kind of say or something but there are too many convictions there's too much truth the community knows about it. Other people know about it. It's repugnant. But it's part of, again, rape culture and the devaluation of women. And then the fact that black men can devalue black women in that way. I mean, men devalue women, but it's especially painful when black men make the choice to devalue black women in that way. I mean, men devalue women, but it's especially painful when black men make the choice to devalue black women, their mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, cousins, godmoms. Anytime a man does that, they're saying, none of y'all women are spit.

And I said spit. I'm not cursing. I'm rolling the show. Let him, let him. Yeah. Listen, you know, Dr. Dabinga brought up Sean Combs. And I think really Cassie was the tipping point there in terms of everybody's attention, Dr. Dabinga. But what do you say about what type of precedent this sets for Sean Combs in terms of what he should be thinking right now in looking at R. Kelly? Because, again, we know that a lot of people are talking about them in the same breath. Yeah, I mean, Sean Kelly, Sean Kelly, Sean Kelly. Wow. Goodness. Diddy should be doing what he's doing right now, which is being very quiet,

because the more he speaks out, the more people are going to, you know, speak out against him. There are definitely going to be more cases to come. And I'm talking about when I brought up that thing about the drinks and the, that was like, you know, Mark Curry, you know, who was right there, bad boys for life, like people who are in the know and talks about eventually, you know, leaving that life, you know, stories his bodyguard, you know, were have told as well. And it bothers me because they're telling all of these stories now, but they were all part of it at the time, which is one thing. But as Dr. King said, the there is a larger social penalty that he faces from us,

because we're finally going, you know, I'm thinking of the songs I grew up on, and I'm thinking of like Belle Biv DeVoe, you know, Do Me Baby, you know, Backstage, Underage, Adolescent, How You Doing, like all of these particular songs that just glorify, just talked about this stuff like it was nothing. And we're young and consuming these things. And now that we're older, we have to be the ones to take a stance. And so again, and for me, I don't care if I was your biggest fan,

if you get convicted or found guilty or in any way, shape or form of these types of things, like I just can't message you. There's enough good music, there's enough artists who respect the law and respect our community that we can support. So all of this loyalty to people you've been listening to for 20, 30, 40 years or whatever, they don't deserve that.

They don't deserve that in any way, shape, or form. Let's make a bigger platform for people who will respect our women and respect our community and respect our children. Yes. All right, Dr. Dabinga, you get the last word on that. And certainly we're going to be following R. Kelly and Sean Combs,

whatever they do next. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Stay with us. We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back. A lot of y'all have been asking me about the pocket squares that are available on our website. You see me rocking the Chibori pocket square right here. It's all about looking different. And look, summertime is coming up.

Y'all know, I keep trying to tell fellas, change your look, please. You can't wear athletic shoes every damn wear. So if you're putting on linen suits if you're putting on some summer suits have a whole different look uh the reason i like this particular pocket square these shibori's because it's sort of like uh like a flower and looks pretty cool here versus the traditional boring silk pocket squares uh but also i like being a little different as well uh so this is why we have these custom made feather pocket squares on the website as well. My sister actually designed these after a few years ago. I was in this battle with Steve Harvey at Essence and I saw this at a St. Jude fundraiser.

I saw this feather pocket square and I said, well, I got some ideas. So I hit her and she sent me about 30 different ones. And so this completely changes your look. Now, some of you men out there, I had some dudes say, oh, man, I can't wear that. Well, if you ain't got swagger, that's not my problem. But if you're looking for something different to spruce up your look, fellas, ladies, if y'all looking to get your man a good a gift I've had I've run into brothers all across the country with the feather pocket squares saying see check mine out and so it's always good to see them and so this is what you do go to rolling this martin.com forward slash pocket squares you can order shibori pocket squares or the custom-made pocket squares now for the shiboris

we're out of a lot of the different colors and and I think we're down to about 200 or 300. So you want to get your order in as soon as you can because here's what happened. I got these several years ago, and the Japanese company signed a deal with another company, and I bought them before they signed that deal. And so I can't get access to any more from the company in Japan that makes them. And so get yours now. So come summertime when I see y'all at Essence, y'all could be looking fly with the Shibori pocket square or the custom-made pocket square.

Again, rollingnismartin.com forward slash pocket squares. Go there now. Next on The Black Tape with me, Greg Carr. We welcome a towering intellect, activist, master theorist, prolific author, and unstoppable firebrand for change. The one and only Dr. Errol Henderson joins us to talk about his new book, The Revolution Will Not Be Theorized, Cultural Revolution in the Black Power Era. And this is what's going on in so much of academia and in some movement circles. It's an anti-black national. It's an hour of power that you don't want to miss.

That's right here on The Black Table on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. All right. Louisiana residents living along Cancer Alley have a breakthrough with a new federal rule

expected to reduce the pollution from chemical plants and refineries. Cancer Alley is a corridor along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge of more than 150 industrial facilities that produce a quarter of the nation's petrochemicals. The new rule is designed to reduce the risk of cancer. Now, take a look here to see the petrochemicals produced in Cancer Alley that's heavily populated by Black people. Cheryl Levin, she's the founder and president of Rise St. James. She joins me now to talk about this particular ruling as well as Cancer Alley.

Thank you so much, Sharon, for being with us today. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. You know, for people who don't understand before we get to this rule, kind of the what's going on in Cancer Alley, how would you explain what is going on today? It is a story that has been out for years, but when you describe what's going on today, how would you assess it? It's like a death sentence. To me, it's a death sentence because we are being polluted.

And our politicians allow these industries to come into our community. And they're receiving some type of money under the table. And one of our neighbors just died this morning with lung cancer, and it's heartbreaking because we're dying like flies. We are in the middle of this so-called Cancer Alley. Cancer Alley is an 85-mile stretch between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. St. James Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish is smack in the middle of Cancer Alley. And we have seven districts in St. James Parish. I live in the fifth district where there are 12 industries within a 10-mile radius. It's over 100 storage tanks within a 10-mile radius. No other area in St. James have these storage tanks. The 4th District have about seven or eight industries over there, but we are the ones that are suffering the most from the air pollution, from the water, and the soil.

We cannot plant a garden anymore. We cannot breathe the air without getting sick and without consuming chemicals in our bodies. And so the water comes from our river, our drinking water, and there's benzene in that drinking water. And there's also other chemicals in the drinking water. So we have to use bottled water to cook with and to drink with. I know a lot of cops, and 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.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice

to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. 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 iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids,

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Drink with. And we are living in a death sentence. And from what I understand, there are facilities that might be 500 feet from somebody's front door. People who get sick and spit up on the side of the road because of the effects of this. Let's talk about this new guideline. What do you think about what is on the table for Cancer Alley?

I think that it's a help to us. I think that the rules are, they are not strict enough for some areas. For example, like chloroprene. That's where the plant in St. John the Baptist Parish, they've been fighting that for years. And chloroprene is one of the biggest ones on the list with the Hans rules. They have to, within 90 days, they have to comply. And if not, they're going to have fines. And ethylene oxide would be the one in St. James that we are breathing.

And it's going to be about two years before they really put that into effect. So I think that it's going to affect immediately because people are dying immediately. People are not waiting years to die. We are dying right now. With these guidelines, did you have say or input in making them happen? Did someone on an official level come to you as a leader to say, what is it that we need to be concerned about? Well, when Administrator Michael Regan came to St. James on his Justice to Journey tour, he asked us what we wanted, and we told him. And Concerned Citizen of St. John also told him what we wanted. And when he came here, he saw for himself. Then me and my daughter went back to his

office in D.C. and spoke with him again. And he assured us that he's working on something to help us. And he said it really touched his heart to see what we're living in. So these guidelines in particular, how would you explain them in terms of it sounds like it's giving you some hope. But what do they say exactly? It's giving me hope because Formosa Plastics is a plastic plant that want to be built in St. James, two miles from my home. With this rule, they cannot build with the emissions that low. So if they don't comply with the EPA HONS rules, they will not be able to build. And I know they won't be able to build because they can't function with that low emissions. And a whole lot of industry can't function with these new harms rules.

That's why so many people are angry with Administrator Regan. But it's too bad. He's working for the people. He's trying to save our lives. And this is the beginning of him working to save our lives. As you mentioned, someone died just this morning. I have read many accounts of meetings about this issue where when there was a vote as to who has lost someone in their family to cancer, it's 100% that everybody in these meetings, everybody who lives in this community has lost someone to

cancer. That's right. And people right now have cancer. A lot of people. My friend Melvin, he has colon cancer. Some of my friends have breast cancer. My two brothers have prostate cancer. And it's a whole bunch of people with cancer. Peacemailing along the way, how have officials or the government helped up until this point, if at all? Has there been any moving of the needle, or is this really the first breakthrough of hope that you guys have experienced? This is the first breakthrough of hope. Breakthrough of hope, breakthrough of hope, because our public officials, our seven council members voted for Famosa Placid to come in here. And the council person that lives not far from me, I could walk to his house, he voted for Famosa Placid to be built

in the fifth district where he lived also. So I don't have any faith in our parish councils. I don't have any faith in our public officials, our leaders. Not one of them came to the rescue to help save the lives of the people in St. James Parish. If it wouldn't have been for Rise St. James, we still wouldn't have these Hans rules. All right. I want you to hold on for a moment. We have to go to a break, but on the other side of the break, we're going to have our panel ask you some questions.

So stay with us. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered, and we'll be back. It's time for a new you. Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions at CurlPrep.com is an amazing organic line for curls, locks, braids, twists, and even those curly wigs and extensions. Women, men, and children are loving this line. People line up to see this product in action at hair shows, and when they take a seat

and try it, they don't believe it's their hair. Remove the ouch factor for your child too. Buy at CurlPrep.com. Next on A Balanced Life, we're talking everything from prayer to exercise to positive affirmations and everything that's needed to keep you strong and along your way. That's on a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, on Blackstar Network. Farquhar, executive producer of Proud Family. Bruce Smith, creator and executive producer of the Proud Family.

Louder and Prouder. You're watching Roland Martin. All right, we are back talking to the founder and president of Rise St. James. I'm going to go to the panel right now. I want to start with you, Dr. Malbeau. You have a question for Sharon. Absolutely, Sharon. First of all, thank you for your work. My folks are from Opelousas, so familiar territory. Black folks are more likely to have cancer than other people. Black women, 41 percent more. We have higher death rates and lower survival rates. And I guess that's what you're living right now. Environmental factors are a really big part of what's going on. You've been really active for a very long time. And the EPA does have the ability to

find. So this is the first time you've really seen any pushback to these corporations. And the second part of this question is, I've been doing a little bit of research and people, all those companies talk about, well, if we have to do this, there'll be less jobs. What do you say to that? Oh, I'd rather have less jobs and live a long, healthy life than to have these jobs and my life is cut short by 25 years. And the jobs that comes to St. James, we don't get the jobs. They hire people outside of our area. People come from Texas, different states, Mississippi, Tennessee, and they house them at this hotel right next to the Sunshine Bridge. They have about four hotels over there that's built to house these workers.

So getting these jobs is not for St. James. It's for the outsiders. All we're getting is sickness and death. And that's a fact. We want to live. I'm sorry for your loss. Very sorry for your loss, Ms. Levine, what you talked about with your friend this morning. And I really appreciate your powerful work in this space.

I'm wondering, how long will it be before what Regan promised? Will your community start to see effects from what their policies are going to, from the policies that they're going to implement? How long would it take? All right, with chloroprene, they have not 90 days. So we want to see that. And I want to be there when they are not complying.

I want to be there when the EPA come to slap a fine on them or whatever they want to do to them. Because LDEQ is not on our side. LDEQ is not helping us at all. They approve these permits for these companies to pollute us. LDEQ know what chemicals are being emitted in the air, and they allow these things.

We called LDEQ to complain. They give us a deaf ear. They say they're going to look at it, might come out here two or three days later or maybe weeks later. And they call me and tell me they didn't find anything. Of course you didn't find anything. You didn't look for anything. And we are tired of LDEQ not helping us. They're supposed to protect the citizens, not the industry.

They are with the industry. They're helping to kill us, to poison us. We don't need LDEQ if they're not going to help the people that live here. Thank you. Renita. Miss Levine, thank you so much for all the work that you're doing. I mean, the work that you are doing, you should not have to do because it is common sense that, you know, the not having a job will mean nothing. If you've died from cancer, not having car parts, which I saw that some of the chemicals, neoprene, one of the chemicals that's giving people cancer is used in car parts, but you won't need a car if you are not alive to be able to drive. So you're pointing out the obvious,

and I just really appreciate that. I just want to say thank you so much for your work. My question is, I have seen this happen before where the EPA finally decides to get serious about enforcement, and they come out with a ruling and then everybody kind of relaxes and just says, okay, great. Now that is handled. My question is, what is your, does RISE, your organization have plans to make sure that you continue to show community support and keep the pressure to say, hey, listen, EPA, you made this ruling. Do not go back on it. I don't care what these leaders say. People want to live. Do put in their rulings that we can evaluate these industries ourselves. We don't need LDEQ to tell us we want to have first access to this data and to these emissions.

We're going to keep an eye on this monitor, and we're going to keep an eye on what LDEQ is saying about these monitors. When so-and-so go over the limit, we want to see if LDEQ is going to do something about it. And if they don't do something about it, we're going to do something about it. We as the citizens, the people, we're going to come together and do something about it. And we will report every little detail to EPA. That's the only thing we have. But we as citizens, we have to do the work ourselves. Just like you said, I shouldn't have to do this. But I'm taking my life to do the work to save the lives of the people in my community and save my life also.

So LDQ, we're going to hold them accountable. We are tired. We're tired of being sick and tired of what they are doing to us. It looked like they want this whole area wiped out. We were told that centuries ago that this area where I live is going to be all industrial. But 2018, that brought a change. No, it's not going to be all industrial. We want our town back and we are fighting. And we're going to seek to make sure that these industries are held accountable. And if they can't follow the rules, we're going to get on LDEQ.

And if LDEQ is not doing it, we're going to EPA. Well, ma'am, you deserve every accolade. You deserve every single accolade possible for the work that you're doing. And I do want to catch just the end of that question again. What can we do to support RISE, your organization? We have a petition out to President Biden. We already had 96,000 signatures. And we want you all to bring awareness to what's going on. Help us to get the word out. We want the world to know that we are being poisoned. We want the world to know that we want to live and we want to live a happy, productive life. When my community children might wind up dying in their teens and their early 20s because of all this pollution if it don't stop. And we have a 200-foot mound on the east bank.

And just like they said, if a hurricane would come, it would knock that mound over. The field is called a Jemson stack pile with radioactive water, wastewater from mosaic. It's been there. It leaks into the soil, and it's there. If a hurricane comes and knocks it down, it's going to go into the river, into our drinking water. Our river is already polluted with chemicals, and it's going to be more chemicals. It's going to affect New Orleans area also. So we have issues all around us about these industries. They're still polluting us, but we need help by getting the word out. We want to do an action.

We want to make more people aware, and we want people to help us to clean up this air so we can breathe clean air and go back to planting our garden again. But there's a petition on our website. You can go to

risestjames.org and you can sign a petition. All right. Renita, thank you for following up on that question. And like she said, you shouldn't have to be a trailblazer, but you are. And we thank you for your work. And we will continue to follow up

to see if this is the breakthrough and hope that you have indeed been looking for. Sharon, thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you, too, for having me. Absolutely. We will be following up with that. And you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We're going to go to a commercial break, so stay with us. Now streaming on the Black Star Network.

I was just in my backyard. I just said I was manifesting about life. I said I would love to come back because it was a great time. And these kids need that right now. They need that male role model in the schools, I think. Even on TV. People are scared of going to the high school. You know, the high school.

You know what I mean? I would love to bring it back. and I think we can bring it back. You know, what do you think? I think we'll ask the people. We'll ask your people. We'll do a poll. Y'all want to hang a Mr. Cooper? Yeah, I say let's go.

We all look good. You know, Ali look good. You know, Raven look the same. Marquise, Don Lewis. It'd be funnier than half the bullshit you see out there on TV now. God damn. What the fuck? What happened to TV?

Yeah, yeah. It's some... I'm like, oh my God. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator of comedy. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher.

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million, and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits.

It's time for a new you. Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions at curlprep.com is an amazing organic line for curls, locks, braids, twists, and even those curly wigs and extensions. Women, men, and children are loving this line. People line up to see this product in action at hair shows, and when they take a seat and try it, they don't believe it's their hair. Remove the ouch factor for your child, too. Buy at CurlPrep.com. Hey, yo, what's up?

It's Mr. Dalvin right here. What's up? This is KC. Sitting here representing the J-O-D-E-C-I, that's Jodeci, right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. New Orleans Xavier University becomes the home of the fifth HBCU medical school in the country. Today, the school officially announced the details of its new medical school, the Xavier Oxnard College of Medicine, which will open in 2027 in partnership with Oxnard Health. Xavier University President Dr. Reynolds Barrett joins me now. I want to thank

you so much for being with us today. This certainly is an exciting time for you, I'm sure. It is indeed an exciting time for you, I'm sure. It is indeed an exciting time. Yes. Tell me a little bit about how all of this came to be. As I said, this is the fifth school, no small feat. I know that this has been years in the making. What can we expect when this is actually completed? Well, when this is actually completed, we'll begin, we'll have a medical school that is focused on educating the underrepresented students of color who are underrepresented in the medical profession. We'll contribute to the diversification of the medical practice, but also we'll be contributing to biomedical research and also making sure that there is representation both in the clinics and the laboratories.

And from what I understand, this is an osteopathic school. Explain to people... No, no, it is an allopathic school. Allopathic school. What exactly does that mean for people who may not know? Well, there are two types, two approaches to medical education. The one that is more traditional is the allopathic medical schools, which you'll have to see, for example, at Howard, at Bahari, at Harvard as well. But osteopathic medical schools have a training that

is more focused upon diagnosis and clinical treatment. There are different pathways of training. Both lead to residencies and licenses to practice. Osteopathic physicians are referred to as DO, doctors of osteopathic medicines, while allopathic physicians are referred to as MDs. So when this school is complete, how many people will you be able to serve? And what are your expectations about the numbers that you hope to get in terms of applicants? The numbers of applicants, we expect that the application will be, given our analysis of the pool of applicants, it will be rather robust. But we expect to see the class. Our goal is to reach a maximum probably of 100 students per class.

But initially, we'll probably be getting somewhere around half that. But that is still in the planning work because we are working on the accreditation documents right now. Yes. And this is no small feat, as I said. It is quite a process to get any program approved, let alone a medical school. What has the buildup and leadup been like so far to this point? Well, the buildup has been, first, it began in conversations that began several years ago, even before the pandemic, where we contemplated a partnership with Oxsner, but then the pandemic interfered

and other things interfered. We began sitting down seriously to do the formal planning for an agreement about a year, a year and a half ago. And that work included a master affiliation agreement where basically Ochsner brought to us the availability of guaranteed clinical sites for the education of our students. The clinical sites are an essential determinant. And what we have to create is an agreement of how we fund the medical school and also

how we would actually make sure that the structure of the medical school is one that would survive my presidency and the leadership at Oxford, so that we have something that will survive and be of longstanding. So we were meeting almost, I'd say almost weekly, the team, the planning team, that included both a small group of Xavier and Oxford talent, and also a consultant that we brought around the table to help us draw and basically craft the structures in your medical school. Yeah, you know, from what I understand, you already graduate a high number of people who go off to medical schools. I guess your goal also would be to keep those students there, undergrad, go right into your own medical school? Actually, not exactly, because our thinking is not to just maintain the numbers of students,

especially students of color, becoming physicians at the same level. Our goal, we have been also working at the undergraduate level, and part of that is that pipeline to double, at least double, the numbers of students who leave our institution ready, well-qualified to go to medical school. It is our expectation that the large fraction of those students, at least half of those, will be going to other medical schools, not to our school. So it is our goal to not have zero-sum game, but actually to increase the pathways. We

have experience in what we do in educating young people to become, to be highly qualified and attractive to most medical schools in the country. That is our hope to show that and also to partner with others in order to help them understand how to do that as well. All right. Great day for you. I want to turn over to our panel right now. I'm sure they have some questions for the, about this exciting news. I'm going to start with you, Dr. Dabenga. Questions? Well, first of all, congratulations on this event. This is really amazing. I am concerned about what type of backlash you might be dealing with from Republicans in the state. You know, they're going after Howard Medical School and

other places and their attacks on anything relating to DEI. Have you experienced any backlash on that or are you even concerned about that? I apologize. The fire engine going back. No, we have not experienced any backlash in our state at this point that we're aware of. Our medical school and our undergraduate programs are easily within the law because we have not been, we have admitted any students who qualify. What we do do as an HBCU, we have a pool of students who come to us because they wish to, and the majority of the students

are from the underrepresented groups. But Xavier and also many of the HBCUs, including Hal, have not excluded students on the basis of race. So we are not in violation of even the term ruling from the Supreme Court. Renita? Well, congratulations on the newly coming medical school in 2027. My question is, is this the first effort to get a medical school of this sort? Is this the first effort in the state for this? In the state, yes. And in the Gulf region. Yes, it is the first in our region. All right, Dr. Malvo, a question for Dr. Barrett.

Brother President, first of all, congratulations and thank you for the work you're doing in expanding the pool of African-American physicians now with like 2 percent, 2.2 percent. It really needs to expand. I was a dear friend of Dr. Francis, your former president. He was my mom's classmate at Xavier a bazillion years ago. I want to just drill down. Xavier is well known, very well known for producing doctors, pharmacists and all of that. And so that's been a noted accomplishment. Now with the new school, the question is, I mean, there's going to be pushback. There are going to be challenges. But what kind of innovations do you think these young people who will matriculate,

what kind of innovations will they come up with in the medical field, number one? Number two, is there any consideration to naming the school after Dr. Francis? And number three, are there going to be corporate influences that may cause Black people to be used as guinea pigs or something? Corporate people want research, but is that research going to benefit us? I'm just a devil's advocate. Where are the fireworks? And I'm going to ask you to come back to me because there are several questions there. And I want to greet you as my fellow sister from MIT. It's good to meet you again. See you again. Thank you.

The first piece is that the innovations that we have, given that we have, we are beginning with a blank slate, we are able to innovate on curriculum and to make sure that our students, for example, understand what health equity means, what are the challenges to health disparities, also how to practice as empathic physicians in a number of settings, because that's an important piece, because we want physicians who can only practice but also play an important role in shaping American medicine to respond and serve all Americans, not just some Americans, if you understand what I mean. It is important that we do that.

I do not—the notion that corporate sectors could use Blackpool as guinea pigs, I think, is speculative as best because, essentially, I think it is the clinicians and the faculty themselves who are the ones who determine what could be included within their research and also to have important human subjects protections that actually make sure that people not only understand, have informed consent, and that populations are not used. And I can say that the only protection against that is to have robust human protections

that did not exist in the 1950s, and that only came into being in the late 60s and 70s, after Tastigi, after Patuxent, after many places where human beings were being used without their knowledge or their dignity not respected. All right. Dr. Varick, congratulations. There was another question.

I'm not sure what it was. Go ahead. Oh, what was that third question? Part three? I was wondering if there's any consideration in naming something at the new medical school after Dr. Francis. Yes. Well, that is premature because clearly the naming of the medical school is a fundraising consideration. I think that's a piece that we have to actually think about

because it's important that we have resources to make the medical school affordable for students who are not the wealthiest students but have talent and ability. And so therefore the considerations actually of what resources are brought to bear and that's the naming opportunity. So I would not venture to that space at this point. It's important that we raise funds to support the students who deserve to be at the medical school. All right, Dr. Barrett, congratulations. 2027, I know, can't come soon enough for you. We will look forward to that.

Very good to see you. Thanks for being with us. You're quite welcome. All right, more with Roland Martin Unfiltered. When we come back, stay with us. Go right to a commercial, and we'll see you on the other side. First, President Barack Obama's road to the White House.

We got about 500 copies of the book available. And so this actually is all of the coverage of the 2008 election. But the other thing is, is here I talk to folks like Malik Yoba, Hill Harper, Eric Alexander, Kevin Lowe, Spike Lee, Tatiana Ali. There's a lot of behind the scenes-scenes stuff in here as well, where I talked about some of the stuff that went down at CNN. Also, when you go through here, a lot of the photos that you see in here, photos that I actually shot, photos that were my time at CNN.

And so what I decided to do, because, one, I published the book and I own it myself, is that so I said, you know what? I'm going to slash the price to $10. And so we're going to have shipping and handling $5.99. I'm going to personally autograph every copy. I'm not reprinting the book. So once we are sold out of these $500, that's it. They're gone.

So you can go to RollerLessMartin.com forward slash the first to get a copy of this book. Everybody who orders this book through the website, not on Amazon, only through Roller West Martin dot com. I will personally autograph and mail you a copy of this book. It's all of the coverage, the actual interviews that I did with him. And just to show you, of course, when it came out, there's actually even in here the interviews that I did with him and Michelle Obama, which won TV One Cable Network's first two NAACP Image Awards. And so all of that for $10.

Shipping and handling is $5.99. So go to RolandSMartin.com the first and order your copy today. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million, and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. What's up, y'all? This is Wendell Haskins, a.k.a.

Wynn Hogan at the Original Cheek Golf Classic. And you know I watch Roland Martin unfiltered. All right. So on Saturday, Roland was at the 2024 Diamond League International Jazz and Arts Festival. I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. In Carson, California, the festival is named after the state's first Black Lieutenant Governor, Mervyn M. Dimely. Roland caught up with Dr. Anthony Samad, the Executive Director of the Mervyn Dimely African-American Political and Economic Institute, to discuss the importance of the

festival. In my country. All right, Anthony, so this is the fifth annual Dimely Jazz Festival. What is the purpose of this? What does it do? Who is it helping? Well, it helps the students of California State University, Dominguez Hills,

four programs in particular, the Presidential Scholars, which gives students full rides, the Diamond League Fellows, which helps travel students internationally to gain a global view. Our Sisters United did help Sisters complete, you know,

programming that allows us to move in a way where they finish school, okay? And then we have a program that basically invites high schoolers, puts them on a track to feed into, and that's our African American Leadership Summit, feed into the university from high schools around the state, sponsored by the California Legislative Black Caucus. So what this does, since we have a professional entertainment venue on our campus, that historically we haven't been able to use, we began to bring in jazz, build the music department, and we

were able to do this for five years. And as the president said a little bit earlier, this campus here has the largest concentration of black students out of all the universities in the state. Out of 23 state universities, Dominguez Hills at 12% has the largest population. And this university was started out of a social justice mission. It was supposed to be California State University Palace Verdes or California State College Palace Verdes and after Watts riots they moved it to the city of Carson which is located in close proximity to Watts, Compton, Landward Garden, and the second right. So the expectation was that community folk would come here and they would make it happen.

Gotcha. And again, for all the folks who don't know, it's named after a history maker. That's correct. Mervyn Diverly was the first black lieutenant governor of California, and then he was the first black lieutenant governor of California, and then he was the first Afro-Caribbean native born out of Trinidad and Tobago to go to Congress. And then at the age of 76, he went back to the California Assembly and started this institute in 2002.

And you run it for how long? I've run it for the last six years. Gotcha. Gotcha. And so the idea to do this here, many different fundraisers, who decided, you know what, we're going to make it a jazz festival? Well, we heavily rely on state funding. California's funding cycles go up and down, up and down, like no state. So we had to create an alternative stream. And we said, well,

while times is good, let's get this festival up so that it can break even and then eventually become a subsidy for the Institute. for those who don't know what the institute is it's a flat speech tank for us to basically study the history of african america california since 1850 and then to build a digital archive you know so people will remember who came through there right and they prepare for the next generation of leaders. Well, it's always good to be here. Jonathan Butler's on stage, so let's go enjoy the show. All right, Mark. I appreciate it.

Thank you for coming. Roland also spoke to Dr. Thomas A. Parham, the president of California State University, Dominguez Hills, about how the university attracts Black students. Hi, Mr. President. You said something on stage that was interesting. You said that this is the largest concentration of black students out of all the state universities in California.

Right. We have the largest percentage of African-American students of any public university in the entire state of California. So we have a campus that's about 14,000 big, about 11,000 FTE. Percentage-wise, we have the largest percentage. Everybody else is sitting on 3, 4, 5, maybe 6% black folk. We got 12%. But people understand that we have always been connected, not just in the community,

but of the community. And a lot of folk like to be in the community, but they put gates and borders around their folk. We are open to the community. This is the people's house. And the people have really responded to it, so we love it. And the fact that we have 12% black folk, along with the other ethnic demographics we have,

we have 91% students of color. It is literally a multicultural record. We are trying to show America what it is like to live in harmony with diverse peoples of the world. That's what we do at Dominguez Hills. But it's also about making it clear to staff and others that you have to have open arms and you have to be inclusive. Other folk want to run from that.

But bottom line is, there ain't no future if you're not educating people of color. That's pretty clear. But the issue is not even as deep as that, I should say. For me, most people judge diversity and equity and inclusion by demographics. I got 5 percent more, 10 percent more, 15 percent more. I remind folk every day. True diversity is a question. And the question is not how many percentage of folk do I have, but rather do the policies

and practices of our institutions and agencies change as a function of the changes in the demographics? So part of what my people understand is it's about those policies and practices and the way in which we handle servingness to the context of what it is that we try to do with on the campus with all the demographics that we have. Is it also understanding that you can't wait until they are juniors and seniors, that you've got to be creating the relationships when they are in middle school as well? We have early academic outreach that does exactly that. So we're trying to not only go out and outreach to people to let them know in kind of a marketing center

to say this is your campus, but also we're trying to have our outreach teams out in schools working to create opportunities so those kids can better their academic skills so that they can better manage the rigors of university curriculum once they get here. We also have, for example, a Young Males of Color program here. We have a Male Success Alliance here. They aren't just supporting the students here. They're supporting and doing outreach

to students out in the community. And that's why we do that important work here. And so when you see the attacks on DEI, when you see the attacks on CRT, when you see the attacks

on affirmative action, what I keep saying is, which my book is called White Fear, the Browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. Bottom line is,

they got to understand, we ain't going nowhere. The numbers are going to be what they are. And if you don't understand educating black folks, Latinos, Asian, Native Americans, America ain't going to be America in the future. The problem is that a lot of the political pundits and folk on the news get it twisted. They keep debating issues and whether or not the voter is about the issue. What folk don't understand is, I think, this is just one president's opinion, not that I'm a psychologist or I write books on black psychology like I understand the black psyche, but this is about people arguing against, right, having a black president in the White House and the idea that they're still reacting to that. And this is about reactions of white supremacy and why you can have 53 percent of the women still vote for a presidential

candidate that wants to grab them by the prowess of sexually assaulting. It's not about issues. It's about white supremacy. And we have to stand up with all of our wokeness and challenge that. All right. I appreciate it. My pleasure. Thank you. Keep doing what you do. Thanks a bunch. April 27th was the 30th anniversary of South Africa's Freedom Day. It's the day that the country commemorates the first democratic election in 1994 that officially ended the racial segregation and the oppression of apartheid. Nelson Mandela became president. Well, South African singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jonathan Butler took a moment to reflect on that historic moment at the festival. So today is a significant day for South Africa, April 27th.

Yeah. What does that mean for you today? Well, I mean, think about it. Thirty years, the anniversary of democracy. Thirty years ago, me, I could not enter into white places. I couldn't marry somebody that was of a different color. I couldn't live on the side of the street. It was thirty years ago. It wasn't, you know, we're talking about a hundred years. It was about thirty years ago.

Right. So, so much has happened in our country that, to me, has made me even more proud. Because there's a lot of issues that we still face, you know, in our townships and in our democracy. But what we've accomplished in 30 years is amazing. It's amazing. It really is a rainbow nation. And it's due to, you know, for me, it's due to Desmond Tutu. It's due to Tata Mandela. It's due to Walter Sassoon, Thabo Mbeki. These guys have just been tremendous in how we've become a society that in ways I can't explain it, can exist with his child,

whether he's Muslim or Christian, whether he's Jewish or, you know. But the joy of knowing that in 30 years we've accomplished so much, it's been a struggle. Right. It's been a struggle. A few years ago, I interviewed Winnie Mandela. And one of the things that she had to remind folks,

she said, people keep talking about, well, you know, educationally, economically. She said, but people forget, the young people, she said, the literacy talking about, well, you know, educationally, economically. She said, but people forget the young people, she said the literacy rates are so high because the young folk, they were fighting apartheid. They were in the streets. They were not in the class. No, no. I mean, if you were fighting, I mean, think about 30 years ago again, you know,

the police were shooting kids who were going to school and coming out of school. So when you are fighting in the struggle, I think about my own life in that way. Since I was five years old, I was working for my parents who were poor. My wife asked me today, if you had to think about what would you change in your life? I said, well, I would probably like to have an education. I would have liked to have an education because it would have done so much for me

in so many other ways, but it's passed on to my children. I've been, through God's blessing, I was able to educate my kids. And so to hear them talk about the political situations in America and South Africa is a deep thing for me. It's a fulfillment that they were listening. You know, they were watching what was happening to me as their father in South Africa.

They were watching, they sing it now with George Floyd. They sing it in America. They sing like, wow, dad, you know, this was when you were growing up. I said, yeah, that's why it's such an impact and a trigger. Gotta ask you this here. Afrobeats is now huge in this country. And it's not just Nigerian.

It's the sound of Nigerian, it's Kenya, it's Ghana, it's South Africa, Zimbabwe. Just talk about for you, you know, that just how that sound now is now global and people are now celebrating African artists from different countries and that music. Hey my brother, I'm gonna tell you, Africa is the new world. It's the new world when it comes to music, culture, fashion. Because we, I mean I've been tapping into this since I came to the country like 30 years ago, but to hear it coming full circle and full blast, whether you're Beyonce or whoever you are, they want that. They want to come home. And I think it says so much about what we had to go through during the

COVID period. Because during COVID, the lockdown, the DJs had to create and sign a house. So the house party was where this music was created. So it's amazing. I'm very proud. My brother's always good to see you. You too, man. I appreciate it. And I love that golf game. Look, we gotta get out and hit it again. You're the only brother that plays

your music as loud as you can. And I'm like, is your brother crazy? Listen, I'm gonna have my music on the golf course. I can't do quiet golf And I'm like, is this brother crazy? Hey, listen, I'm going to have my, listen, I'm going to have my music on the golf course. I can't do quiet golf. I'm like, they were jailed right at the end. He was playing it. I mean, we'd be kicked off the stage.

No, my stuff ain't, I don't play it low. No, no, no, I believe in maximum volume. I love it. We got to do it again. Yes, I would. I'm my brother, I appreciate it. All right, all right, good to see you. You too, my brother.

I just want to take a couple of minutes before we end the show to talk about Freedom Day. You know, 1994, Nelson Mandela being elected the president is really one of those times that I think we probably all have fond memories of. I can remember going throngs of thousands of people just to get a peek at him speak, and it was worth all of it. Dr. Malveaux, what do you remember about that time of apartheid when it came to an end and just really the joy that people felt during that time? ...legislation in San Francisco, Proposition J, named after me, to divest city... I know a lot of cops, and 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. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back.

In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing.

Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. 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.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple 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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it.

I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Some companies doing business with South Africa. It was controversial, but it did pass. And many of us who worked on Prop J were able to go. I think he was at the Oakland Coliseum and just being able to shake his hand.

I mean, we were grinning, we were dancing. At some point, somebody handed me a press pass, which I didn't have. And I was able to get into the VIP tent for a few minutes and somebody else put me out, but that's okay. And just to be close to the man and to really, that was power. And San Francisco had enormous momentum. The ambassador came a couple of times before Prop J was on the ballot to try to discourage us from doing it. It was a victory, a political victory moment, just really a political victory moment. And just how sweet it is, how sweet it is. And the group of economists who did some work, it was a very exhilarating time. It was.

Renita, take me back to that time. Do you have a thought, a reflection? I do. So I was just entering high school when South Africa actually had its first democratic election in 1994. And I remember being excited because it was exciting to, you know, to have heard so much about the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa, people globally feeling like they were a part of it, and then getting to see the good part of the organizing, which is when organizing actually wins out. And so getting to see that and live through that in real time in

history definitely was a big deal for me because so often the really big events in history you mostly get to read about, but then there are times where you're lucky enough to be alive to watch them firsthand. Now, I will say looking back as an older adult now, I'll be 45 at the end of the year, this is still important to me because a lot of the things that were not written about apartheid coming to an end and how glamorous people sort of talk about, you know, being excited about apartheid coming to an end, a lot of what does not get translated is what we're still seeing today, which is kind of what Dr. Malveaux just mentioned, you know, the divestment campaigns that were not popular at the time. I'm sure people

were calling the leaders of those campaigns, people who were stirring up trouble and forcing people to have uncomfortable conversations. And so I look at it this way as an organizer, which is that it's not long from when people go from calling something controversial, unpopular, you're stirring up trouble, to the point where you actually win. And then people seem to, you know, act like they were in favor of it the whole time. And so that helps me as someone who always considers themselves to be an organizer, even looking at the current struggles today. And much of what is happening with Palestine is very similar in that a lot of the folks who have been speaking up are being cast in a certain light, but in the future will be looked at very differently by history. Dr. Dabingo, I want to wrap with you, your reflections about Freedom Day, your memories.

Well, fighting for Nelson Mandela's freedom is my earliest recollection of being an activist. Seven, eight years old, my parents had me out there in a community hanging off posters to demand an end to apartheid. And so I've always been connected. I've been in South Africa eight times as a performer, as a student, as many different ways, just because I've always had that connection. I remember when Mandela was released and Richard Desmond Tutu dancing in the street, you know, being so excited. And I remember when Mandela was giving a speech and my sister was actually concerned that he didn't have enough of a security bubble around him and that he was going to be assassinated. So watching that during a time, there was a certain level of terror that we had, but it didn't overshadow the joy that we were

feeling, you know, seeing a nation of Black people, you know, by Black people and for Black people being able to emerge. And of course, there are many challenges that we can talk about that South Africa is dealing with today. But this was a great moment. You know, he came to Boston, you know, to speak and it's where I'm from and, you know, packed the stadium. And it was just a joyous international moment for many people around the world, but an international Black moment that I think that is going to carry anyone who lived it and experienced it. We're going to carry it with us for the rest of our lives. Yeah, absolutely. It brings a smile, I think, to all of our faces. You know, in South Africa, when you ask someone how they are doing and they respond, the response translates into, I us today. I want to thank, let's see, Dr. Julianne Malveaux,

Dr. Okongo Dabinga, and Renita Shannon, because that is it on Roland Martin Unfiltered. I also want to thank Roland Martin for allowing me to keep his seat a little bit warm. He'll be back tomorrow. We're going to close out the show with sounds from the Daimili Jazz Festival. Thanks for being with us.

Hala! show with sounds from the Daimler Lee Jazz Festival. Thanks for being with us. Música Thank you. 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is Season 2 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 starts that 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 2 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. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more.

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.