#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Mason, Tenn. & Comptroller Deal, 1st Black WH Press Secy, $7.5M Wrongful Conviction Settlement

Episode Date: May 6, 2022

5.5.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Mason, Tenn. & Comptroller Deal, 1st Black WH Press Secy, $7.5M Wrongful Conviction Settlement Karine Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki, becoming the first Black woman to serve as White House Press Secretary. There's a settlement between Mason, Tennessee leaders, and state officials preventing the takeover of the town's finances. The NAACP Memphis Branch President will give us the details about the deal. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham got all the smoke he was looking for at today's Senate hearing when he squared off with Amazon Labor Union founder Christian Smalls. A wrongly convicted Indiana man will receive $7.5 million, the largest settlement awarded to a wrongfully imprisoned plaintiff in Indiana. The conduct of a Maryland officer that has Prince George's County facing a $75 million lawsuit is not a convicted felon.   North Carolina's primary is less than two weeks away.  We'll talk to one of the candidates vying for a Congressional seat. The Poor People's Campaign is gearing up for next month's Moral March on Washington and the Polls. They'll tell you how you can get involved. Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ [e-mail] Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. The The The Să ne urmăm în următoarea mea rețetă. Thank you. The The Thank you. ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത്ത� The Thank you. The Thank you. The The The The The The The Thank you. The The The The

The The The Thank you. Thank you. The The The The The The The Thank you. The The Black Star Network is here.

Hold no punches! I'm real revolutionary right now. We support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. I love y'all. All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal.

See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scape. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? សូវបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា� I'm a black star network. Mason, Tennessee, they got help from the NAACP in Tennessee. They have now settled with Tennessee Comptroller with two ladies out of Tennessee, Karine Jean-Pierre. She replaces Jen Psaki, becoming the first black woman to serve as White House press secretary. Also, folks, there is a settlement. First of all, we'll make sure we got the audio.

You should be able to hear me. You're not able to hear me here? All right. How we got audio there? Are we there? All right, folks, let's go to the top of the show again. Today is Thursday, May 5th, 2022. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.

Mason, Tennessee, got help from the Tennessee NAACP. They have now settled their case with the state comptroller. We'll tell you exactly what has happened there. Also, for the first time, an African-American is going to be head. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was named at that post today. We'll tell you about who she is and the history she is setting. Also, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, well, he got all the smoke he was looking for today's Senate hearing when it came to testimony of Amazon

workers. Wait till we show you what Christian Smalls told a South Carolina senator. An unruly convicted Indiana man will receive $7.5 million, the largest settlement awarded to a wrongfully imprisoned plaintiff in Indiana. And the conduct of a Maryland officer that has Prince George's County facing a $7.75 million lawsuit is not a convicted felon. North Carolina, North Carolina's primary is less than two weeks away.

We're talking one of the candidates who was trying to replace Congressman G.K. Butterfield in Congress. And plus, continuing our discussion with members of the Poor People's Campaign about their mass march on Washington on June 18th. Folks, it's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Let's go. And when it breaks, he's right on time And it's rolling Best believe he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics

With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's Uncle Roro, y'all It's Rolling Martin, yeah Rolling with Roland now. Yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's Roland Martin now.

Martin. Martin! Să ne urmăm. All right, folks, we've been telling you about the story out of Mason, Tennessee, whether it's Texas, whether it's Tennessee control or one to take over the finances of the city because of misappropriation of funds. Well, they got sued while the Tennessee NAACP and now a settlement was reached today. Let's talk about that with one of the leaders there in Tennessee. NAACP also just a moment ago sent out a press release announcing this. The president of the NAACP in the state, Van Turner, joins us right now, representing Mason in their lawsuit.

Van, how you doing? Doing very well. All right. So tell us about this settlement between the state and Mason, Tennessee. Well, the lawsuit accomplished what it was set out to accomplish. The town of Mason still preserves its charter. As you know, the comptroller asked that the town relinquish its charter, and that's what started everything. So they preserved

the charter. Point two, the monthly obligations that they have to pay back to their water sewer fund was cut in half. We're talking about going from a $10,000 payment down to a $5,000 payment. The weekly obligation in which they had to report has now been pushed out to a monthly obligation, which is a lot more feasible and reasonable for the part-time CFO for the town of Mason. The $100 expenditure cap has now been pushed out to $1,000 because there was very little that any town or city could do that was under $100. And mind you, they had to ask to spend over $100. And that was them asking for $100. And which we thought was punitive, has now been reduced down to a four, a two-year plan has now been reduced down to a four-month plan. So all of this will end as far as the

corrective action measures. All of this will end on August 31, 2022. So we counted as a victory for the town of Mason, and we were happy that we were able to represent them in this manner. How have officials, how city officials responded to this news? They are elated. What we are doing on Monday is having a town hall meeting at the town of Mason that will take place at approximately 630. We will be in attendance to support the town. Mayor Gooden and Vice Mayor Rivers are very happy with the settlement. I think the town is happy and this allows the town to be in place for all the opportunities that the Ford Motor Company project will yield. And that of course was the most important thing because it was the economic impact this plan is going to bring and how Mason is going to benefit.

That's absolutely correct. So this is a $6 billion project for the Ford electric vehicles that's really coming to really four or five miles away from Mason. Mason is a key player as far as the economic development of this West Tennessee area. And so what is of importance is that they're going to have to run a pipeline from the Ford Motor Company to the Mississippi River to treat their water. As I stated before, for any project of this magnitude to take place, you have to bring in the good water and you have to take out the bad water. And the town of Mason had a very valuable sewer treatment permit. And so they are big players because of this permit that they hold

as far as what's going to happen with the development of the Ford Motor Project, as well as the development that will take place around the town of Mason and in these other areas. Contractors are moving in, real estate developers are moving in, they're looking at developing the land, and they're going to need the water treatment to be successful in their developments, and that's why Mason is so critical to what's about to take place there. All right then, well look, this is certainly good news, and we certainly appreciate the work that Tennessee NAACP has been doing to ensure Mason gets justice. And is it screwed by the state of Tennessee?

Thank you very much. Thanks for reporting on this story. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. I was going to bring him on my pound, Dr. Larry Walker, assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Greg Carr, Department of Afro-American Studies, Howard University, and Crystal Knight is a Democratic strategist. Greg, I'll start with you. Look, we've been covering this from day one.

This is why all the people, I love hearing people who say, oh, you know what, I don't see what the NAACP is doing. Well, this is an example of why supporting civil rights organizations matters, because Mason could not afford to fight the controller. They didn't have the resources. And so by having the Tennessee branch of the NWACP step in, that's what allowed them to be able to take the state to court to reach this settlement. That's absolutely right, Roland. And again, everybody, please, you hear Roland say this over and over again. You say you can't be black media and be scared. You've got to support independent media.

You've been covering this all along. This week, everybody's shocked, shocked to see the Supreme Court draft opinion in the abortion case. Well, guess what? That's what courts do. And the brother you just had on who leads the NAACP there was in court. They were in court in Davidson County, my hometown, Nashville, in Chancery Court. And I believe they scared the hell out of the comptroller's office because they filed an equal protection claim. There are two white little schools in the town, Jellicoe and

Van Buren, who are 93 and 96 percent white, whose finances weren't in as bad shape as you've been covering now for a couple of months now, who were not taking over, who were given different deals. But, you know, the thing that I'm interested in now, and I think we all are interested in, will be to see how the town of Mason will benefit without being disadvantaged. I hope they're at the table. Because one of the things, finally, that we see when you see these kind of takeovers often is that these little towns are put at risk. So if they've got to pump that water out, we've got environmental racism concerns. We've seen this happen with highway construction through these little towns when they're taking over by the counties. And I've got to believe that part of the reason they were trying to get their hands on Mason was so that they could run some of this stuff through there.

And it would disadvantage the town, but it would benefit the county. So I guess we'll see what happens next. And, Crystal, I talk a lot on this show about having strong black institutions. And when we have strong black institutions, then we're able to fund lawsuits, to be able to pay lawyers. We talk about it with black-owned media as well. And having that expertise is crucial to be able to assist, whether it's a Mason, Tennessee, whether it's a majority black school board, whether it's individual complainants.

And so I'm always trying to get people to understand why when we as African-Americans support our institutions with our dollars, when we are demanding our fair share of resources, when it comes to corporations, when it comes to government, the result is that we are then able to fight back when we have situations like this. Absolutely. And I think just for some greater context as well, it's important to share that Van is not only a lawyer and he's the president of the Memphis chapter of the NAACP, but he's also an elected official. And so he understands politics at its core.

And so that's just another nuanced thing that he's able to bring to the table when he's going to fight on behalf of this city. But the other thing that you mentioned is that, you know, the institutional knowledge and having strong black institutions, it is important. And a lot of times we, you know, complain about institutions, we complain about people being in charge, or that these organizations aren't doing anything until we absolutely need them. And so this town is 45 minutes outside of Memphis, which is where I'm from, and I'm thankful for the leadership of Van, who also was very instrumental in the Take Them Down 901 movement, which removed Confederate statues out of downtown in the city of Memphis, which

was also co-led by Tammy Sawyer, another county commissioner and activist in the city of Memphis. And so when we have our collective political power, legal power, and, you know, grassroot power combined, that absolutely helps in instances like this. And I like what Dr. Carr stated, that, you know, when Van and the NAACP showed up to represent this small town that was really being bullied by the comptroller's office, that set the tone for where the conversation could go and what, you know, the community needs. And one other thing that I wanted to add that he stated about just the environmental things that the city needs is, hopefully there's a group in the city that's able to negotiate a community benefits agreement.

What is something that Mason can receive on behalf of this forward project that will absolutely benefit the residents of the community, that will absolutely be a long-term project where this major corporation isn't just coming in and, you know, using resources that are, you know, located in the city. But what are things that they can partner with? Is there a local school? Is there a project? Is there a community center or a park or anything that's tangible that people can say, because this project has come to this city, our community has benefited from it and we have a better X or Y because of that. And so that's another thing that without that kind of leadership, people don't know what to ask for. And so I'm really just thankful that

this is at least heading in the right direction, and hopefully the outcome will be great. Larry. So congratulations to the folks at Mason. We covered this a few weeks ago and talked about this in great detail, Roland. So first, I want to give you a shout out because you talked about the importance and Dr. Carr talked about this, the importance of black media, because I don't remember really seeing this story anywhere else. And if you hadn't covered this story, the result that we've seen now may not have occurred. So this is once again the importance of your platform and speaking the truth when it comes to issues that impact the Black community.

One of the things I was pleased to see in this agreement is that there was an end date, because that's one of the things that I worried about, that this would go on for years and years and they would be watching the town with a microscope. But the fact that it has an end date, I think this is really great. Once again, congratulations to NAACP and all their work and efforts and all the grassroots folks. But once again, it shows the power of the Black community galvanizing around an issue. And listen, we have to take what happened at Mason, and this, I guess you can say, is certainly a win. And we have to continue to use this when it comes to other issues throughout the country in which states or even the federal government are trying to force Black folks, particularly Black communities,

to do things they shouldn't have to do, particularly when it comes to relinquished power. But once again, I was pleased to see this outcome. But I want to also say, Roman, that we need to keep a close eye on this situation because this kind of could be a bait and switch, right? So we see this agreement, we turn our heads, and the next thing we know, the state again, once again, is coming after the folks at Mason. So I would say that we need to continue to watch this issue over the next several weeks, several months, and several years. So I often talk about Dr. King's book, Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos or Community? And one of the things that he said in that particular book, there were four institutions that were positioned to liberate black people.

He said the Negro church, the Negro press, Negro fraternities and sororities, and Negro professional organizations. That's what he said. And he said all of our institutions have never fully committed themselves to black liberation. But what he said about the Negro, but about the Negro press, Greg, he says specifically,

he said, do not fall back towards the conservative, maintain a position of militancy. And there were a lot of people who were tweeting about Mason, Tennessee. There are people who were tweeting me saying, you should be talking about this here. And I'm like,

you didn't even watch the damn show. We are talking about it. We've had the vice mayor on the show multiple times. We had the NAACP State Conference, the Memphis chapter on as well. And when people yesterday, when I was talking about the SWAC conference, people like, man, why are you dogging the SWAC? I said, no, I'm not dogging the SWAC. What I want is I want strong black institutions. I want strong HBCUs.

I want strong conferences. The SWAC, the presidents, the MEAC announced today where they reaffirmed their commitment to eight schools to maintain the MEAC conference. But what's interesting to me is, Greg, we have way too many people who love to spend their time saying somebody needs to do something and we are the somebodies. We are the ones who can actually do that. Look, I get it. I totally understand systemic racism. I totally get all of those things, but we also got to be honest that a lot of times we are getting in our own sales way. We're getting in the way in terms of not supporting our institutions. And so I'm not wasting time talking about what this person ain't doing or this person, all these folks who call themselves new black media, but ain't covering nothing,

ain't sitting and advancing the ball. What we have to have is we've got to have strong black institutions because I am tired of black people talking about us surviving when we should be having thriving conversations. That's exactly right, Roland. And one thing no one can accuse you of doing is sitting still. We know we're in commencement season. You've, I think, well, I know I've lost count of how many HBCU commencements you've spoken, but you stress this over and over again. And, you know, there's going to be a lot of bright-eyed young graduates walking across the stages, across the country at our HBCUs. And I'm concerned, as somebody who was on a faculty at HBCU, that our institutions aren't doing enough to prepare these young people to understand that it isn't just about individual success. It is about that type of institutional strength that you're talking about. And when we talk about media, particularly, we're looking at the New York

Times, the LA Times, we're looking at the Washington Post, we're looking at The New York Times, The LA Times. We're looking at The Washington Post. We're looking at investigative journalism taking hits, hit after hit after hit, newsrooms shrinking, budgets shrinking, crack reporters being driven off of payrolls and finding themselves trying to start blogs or start websites. Meanwhile, what you've been doing, not as a one-man gang, but virtually a one-man gang for a very long time, but as you got that support from the community and now have begun to gain momentum in getting those advertising dollars and pushing forward, you're bringing on staff, and you talk about this over and over again, to do investigative journalism. I think what we just heard with this case with Mason is essential.

And Crystal, you're absolutely right. While these long established institutions like the NAACP and like the institutions that Dr. King talks about and where do we go from here are always going to be important, it really is going to take grassroots action. Because we know if they conceded this, as you say, Doc, as you say, Dr. Walker, if they conceded this, they've already put into motion the plan to do what they were going to do anyway. It would have been easier to run a pipeline through the middle of Mason if the county was in control.

But you better believe that Ford has already been in collusion with the state of Tennessee and everybody else to try to figure out how to get their agenda done. Now, who will stop that? Who will expose it? Who will give, in the words of Ida Wells, the light of truth? If not the black media, there will be no one. And so, you know, Roland, when you talk about the importance of black media and the importance of supporting our strong institutions, it isn't about that great internship. It isn't just about getting that shiny award at being the reporter

who gets to come in as an apprentice at one of these white institutions or linking up. No, it is about a black institution that isn't just black, but as you say, is not scared and has the requisite skills to stay after this story for, as you say, Larry, weeks, months, years necessary. And that takes resources and it takes somebody who knows what they're doing to train people to do investigative journalism, because this story is far from over. It is far from over. And Crystal, this is not just about us covering the story. But again, it's also why when I listen to people and I hear all the time, this group ain't doing this, not doing that.

I remember when I was in Chicago and people were often complaining about the South Side branch of the NAACP, and they sucked. They did, and I said it on the air. I said it to the leadership. But what I also told people was, go in and take it over. Literally, find out when the election is. Guess what? If the last election, if 75 folks vote, go recruit 100 people to give $30 to membership.

And guess what? Don't even tell anybody and walk in there and run your own slate and take it over. That's what Nakima Levy Pounds Armstrong did in Minneapolis when he took over that particular branch. What I'm saying is we have black institutions. Black institutions that are in need of black expertise. Right.

And we've got to also be honest. See, I love people who say, well, man, you always criticize. And look, we talked about yesterday what happened at Florida A&M. Florida A&M should be ashamed of themselves for running off that brother who was an athletic director. Here you had

a competent brother where they were running a deficit in the athletic department for a decade. They've had a balanced budget for the last three years. They ran them off. Why? Because he was sitting here making changes. They ain't never made that much

money in the history of the athletic department. We've got to have competent, strong African Americans. And let me say this here. One of the reasons why many of our black professionals don't want to fool with black organizations because they want to do a bullshit. And so here you have Van, an attorney, head of the State Conference of the NAACP. A brother just took over the Georgia branch of the NAACP. I see this all around the country. We've got to learn to put egos aside, and we've got to create strong black institutions, because Mason, they could not do this, and it was the NAACP that stepped in and able to help Mason bringing their firepower, legal power to stand with them.

And so for the people who say, well, I don't know why I should I should be supporting them. This is why. And if they do something you disagree with, feel free to say something. Right. No, I couldn't agree more with what you just stated. And one of the things that I love, you know, I always say this, I hear what you say, but I see what you do. And so a lot of people who complain about these longstanding institutions like the NAACP, like the Urban League, and like many of the others, they just complain, but they're not there putting in the work to actually make things better. We complain about, you know, quote unquote,

aging leadership or seasoned leadership, but the younger folks, these younger generations of people who have the time, the money, and the attention, they, you know, sometimes we just don't spend the time dedicating our volunteer hours or the time that we could volunteer to make our communities better. And so when we go out and vote, that's great that everyone is exercising their right to vote, but what are you actively doing beyond the vote? What are you actively doing to make your community better? And being a part of a historic black institution is an easy way. It's low-hanging fruit, as we say in politics, for you to get involved, you know, makes, you know,

real impact in a short amount of time or a long amount of time, depending on the project. But I couldn't agree with you more. HBCUs, black institutions, these are the places where people should be pouring their dollars and their talent into. I can't, you know, you raised that about people's talent. There are lawyers and doctors and, you know, professional people, and these institutions need those types of resources, and they need it at a pro bono basis, because if we're going to fight these systemic things and these systemic challenges that are happening across the country, not only in Mason, but just nationally, we need people to go into these institutions and say, I am willing to help, you know, move

this agenda forward so that it will better the community that I live in instead of trying to move out into suburbia areas and assimilate with folks who don't care about us and don't look like us. And so I just want to affirm what you stated, that we need to have more people volunteering, stepping up, being a part of these institutions. And that particular point right there, Larry, people have to understand that when you look at most of our black organizations,

these are volunteer organizations. There are 2,000 NAACP branches all across the country. These are not paid positions. They are volunteer positions. So when people are criticizing what folks are not doing, what they don't understand is these people are actually volunteering their time. Some of these people are volunteering 20, 30, 40 hours a week. It essentially is the equivalently full-time job. And so I just want people to understand that when we start saying, well, where are you, where are you, where are you, Larry,

people have to actually grab a mirror and say, where are you? So, Roland, in our conversation, I'm thinking about one of the principles of Kwanzaa, you know, collective work and responsibility, right? That's what we're talking about. And it's important, the point you're making about volunteer hours. I serve as chair of HBCU Foundation Board, and it's a lot of work. But you do the work because you love the institution. You want to see HBCU.

For me, as an HBCU alum, you want to see HBCUs thrive. And you talked about the NAACP and many of our other organizations. You're right. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of staying up in the evening. It's also about putting your hand in the soil and talking to folks in the community. Because we know, you know, we also have issues in terms of the class issues sometimes in the Black community. We need all, especially now, we need all hands on deck about what's happening with Black folks. And we obviously are talking about Mason. But once again, folks are always criticizing nonprofit organizations, particularly those, like you said, founded by Black folks. But there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and not, you know, getting on TV or not

to press conferences, et cetera. And the other thing I want to mention, Roland, you talked about Black, you talked about Black media, because I want to bring this full circle. From the crisis to what we're talking about on your platform, traditionally Black media has played a critical role in, once again, identifying key issues in the community that are happening, and we have to remember that. And so folks who are watching this need to make sure they support this show so we can talk about more issues relating to communities like Mason and various other Black communities to make sure we get the word out. And once again, the idea of collective work and responsibility so we can come together and make sure we fight on these issues. And again, we are looking. Here's the deal, y'all.

And I know the national office, they've already sent the appeal out. But give directly to the Tennessee branch. Right. Give directly to the Tennessee branch. They're the directly to the Tennessee branch. They're the ones who filed a lawsuit. They're the ones who let it give to them. And so, you know, I'm going to see I'm looking for their website right now. And again, folks, I want you all to understand this, because this is also part of the part of this thing. You know, just way too many of our folks, you know, we are expecting these folks to do all this work, and we expect them to do it for free.

And so that's not how it works. Okay, so this is what I want you to do. Pull it up, please. I want you all to go to T-N-N-A-A-C-P dot O-R-G. T-N-N-A-A-C-P dot O-R-D. You sit here and you see there are two banners. There's the Tennessee State Conference. There's the National Headquarters.

I want you to give to the Tennessee State Conference. There's a national headquarters. I want you to give to the Tennessee State Conference. If you are appreciative of the work that they did in this particular lawsuit to help Mason, Tennessee, I want you to donate to the Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP. That's what I want you to do. And so, again, the link is TNNAACP.org TNNAACP.org TNNAACP.org

Support that branch. They were the ones who filed a lawsuit against Mason, Tennessee. Support them in what they did. That's how we're able to build a collective and build and grow stronger. All right folks, gotta go to a quick break. We come back, we're gonna talk Poor People's Campaign,

Karine Jean-Pierre becoming the first black American to be White House Press Secretary and other issues. You're watching Roller Mark Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach. And on the next Get Wealthy, we're talking cryptocurrency. Does it scare you? Does it confuse you?

Well, Black Americans are investing in cryptocurrency more than anyone else. And on the next Get Wealthy, Professor Tanya Evans joins us to talk all things crypto. Crypto presents a really interesting opportunity for direct peer-to-peer access to the potential for extraordinary wealth. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Network. This week on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. Reparations. Is it finally time? Two of the country's foremost authorities on the subject will join me to try to answer that very question.

A powerful installment of The Black Table with me, Greg Carr, right here, only on The Black Star Network. I'm Angie Stone. Hi. I'm Teresa Griffin. Oh roll and. Hey Roland I am so disappointed that you are not here first of all. Where's our dance it's like we get a dance and every time I see you and so now you're not here for me to dance with Sir you and your ask your ascot. I need it.

I need that in my life right now. OK. I love you, Roland. What's up? I'm Lance Gross, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Today on Capitol Hill, there was a congressional hearing where they were talking about Amazon workers. And Christian Smalls, the brother who led the effort to unionize an Amazon location

in New York. Remember they were saying, they said, oh, please, we welcome him doing it. Well, they actually won. Well, there was an exchange on Capitol Hill between him and Senator Lindsey Graham. So here's what some of what Senator Graham said. Then we're going to show you what his response was. So play this. This committee is taking a very dangerous turn under your leadership, to be honest with you. You're singling out a single company because of your political agenda to socialize this country. Every time I turn around, you're having a hearing about anybody that makes money is bad. The government needs to grow beyond our ability to pay for it. And we're going to have an election on your ideas here soon. And I can't wait.

As to the process, there's a process in this country. If you feel like the law has been violated in your efforts to unionize the workforce, you can file a complaint. People will have a hearing. There's a process to debar companies who engage in illegal behavior. There is a process. This is a political process here. This is an effort to get an outcome you want using the United States Senate as your vehicle. This is very dangerous. You can have oversight hearings all you like,

but you've determined Amazon is a piece of crap company. That's your political bias. They're subject to the laws of the United States. They shouldn't be subject to this. If we get the committee back, we're not going to do this. We're going to talk about how to save Social Security, keep Medicare from becoming insolvent, how to change the structural problems of our debt. I'll talk to you about climate change. What happens if you electrify all the vehicles in the country? What does that mean for power producers? I'd like to work with unions.

I've got an uncle who was a vice president of a union, paper mill union, to bring jobs back into America. I'd like to work with companies, unions, and the private sector to become energy independent again. All right, y'all. So that's Senator Lindsey Graham. Well, here's how the brother responded to Lindsey. First of all, I want to address Mr. Graham. First of all, you know, you're it sound like you was talking about more of the companies and the businesses and your speech. But you forgot that the people are the ones who make this. These companies operate and then we're not protected and then the process for when we hold these companies accountable

it's not working for us then that's not what that's the reason why we're here today that's the reason why I'm here to represent the workers who make these companies go and I think that it's in your best interest to realize that it's not a left or right thing. It's not a Democrat or Republican thing. It's a workers thing. It's a workers issue. And we're the ones that are suffering in the corporations that you're talking about, in the businesses that you're talking about, in the warehouses that you're talking about. So that's the reason why I think I was invited today to speak on that behalf and you should listen because we do represent your

constituents as well so just take that into consideration that the people are the ones that make these corporations go it's not the it's not the other way around. So as the current interim president of Amazon. Why is that important? Because you just saw the contrast. You saw Senator Lindsey Graham whining and complaining towards Senator Bernie Sanders about how he's leading this committee. And, oh, corporations are bad. And here you have workers, low wage workers sitting right there and Graham doesn't give a damn about them. He literally is more concerned about the hurt feelings of Amazon, which is owned by the world's richest person.

A company that does billions upon billions upon billions, and there are workers who literally are fighting for better wages and benefits. If you want to understand the contrast between today's Republican Party and some Democrats, because you got some Democrats who sound just like Lindsey Graham, then you saw it right there. That's one of the reasons why the Poor People Campaign, why they have been so aggressive in mobilizing and organizing over the last several years, and that's why they're going to have the mass march taking place in Washington, D.C. on June 18th. And a little bit later, some of those workers

went to the Oval Office to meet with President Joe Biden. But President Joe Biden has been unwilling thus far to meet with impacted, low-income, poor workers aligned with the Poor People's Campaign. And the White House needs to do a hell of a lot better and stop being afraid to meet with poor people. If you can meet with CEOs, if you can meet with industry leaders, if you can meet with the military-industrial complex, well, you damn sure President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris can meet with poor people in the White House, in the Oval Office,

discussing their issues. Joining us right now is Kelly Smith with the Poor People's Campaign out of New York. Kelly, glad to have you. I mean, that exchange right there, when I saw it, told me everything I need to know about the Republican Party and how they feel. They claim they are about the working class. And they literally have these white working class people in Ohio, in Pennsylvania, in Michigan, believe in the BS of Donald Trump and the rest of them when all they're doing is literally driving the agenda of the Chamber of Commerce. Yeah, I mean, absolutely. I mean, that exchange is shocking but not surprising. It's repetitive. It's what we see constantly from our elected officials, really on both sides of the aisle often. You know, I was struck in particular that Senator Graham, you know,

had to immediately point out some relative that is a union worker, as that somehow validates him or gives him more authenticity, and yet he's not willing to meet with or talk to or listen, more importantly, to the workers right in front of him. And yet this is what we see time and time and time again from officials. They don't want to be confronted with the folks who can actually present the solutions to the problems, the people who are being impacted and know the solutions and they don't want to meet with them because then they might have to change course on what they're doing. Absolutely. And again, when you're talking about 140 million low income

poor workers in this country, that is a constituency. And as we're seeing, as we're seeing so many the wealth increase, we're seeing the value and the worth of billionaires greatly increase, and we're seeing the bottom workers, we're seeing it decrease.

You know, I would think President Biden and Vice President Harris would be running to meet with the Poor People's Campaign because that literally can turn the tide in the next election if you're addressing those workers and their issues. Absolutely. And we saw it in the last election. You know, we did a huge mobilization campaign to get out more poor and low-income voters who are not being listened to, whose issues aren't being addressed. Again, as you so rightfully pointed out, that the 140 million of us, and we know those numbers are only growing, we know it's at least 43 percent of Americans. And, you know, small upticks in voting among that powerful, powerful group

changes elections. And so you would think if nothing for self-serving reasons, they would be wanting to reach out and talk to us and talk to folks. And yet there is just hesitancy across the board. You know, we never hear poverty truly talked about. We bring people before their committees and before them all the time. And it is so hard to get them to truly listen to what we have to say and to what our people have to say. Indeed. I want to bring in my panel here. And, Larry, I'll start with you, because when we're talking about what is happening, when we talk about the effort that's being put into place for June 18th,

I mean, this is a rekindling, if you will, or picking up where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left off with the Poor People's Campaign in 1968. The whole point of that was to bring poor people to the nation's capital to show political leaders, to put a face on it. And I know for a fact, again, look, I talk about my frat brother, Reverend Bar Barber all the time, our alpha brother, and the White House has been wanting to meet with him individually, but not him and the workers. And he said, no, if you go meet with me, you go meet with the poor folks, because you're going to have to look and listen to their stories. Yeah, Brother Barber is a man of the people. He's not worried about, you know, just an opportunity to go to White House and do, you know, have a press conference and, you know,

see it on CNN and some other platforms here and cover it. And then that it's forgotten. And it's really important that, you know, the chair of the New York state made a really important point about those who are not being listened to. There's their voters. We don't, you voters. We got an election coming up here in just a few months. And it's really important that we talk about issues relating to poverty. And the problem in this society is that it's criminalized. And let's just be clear about that. We talk about supporting those who are most in need, whether it comes to health care or child care or some of the other issues that are really important, folks don't want to talk about that.

And it's really important that we keep the pressure on people. And, you know, in June, I'll be there at the march because we need to make sure the voices of the voiceless are being heard. And, you know, this is, once again, we see another situation in which, you know, the federal government, particularly leaders of the White House, are ignoring the people who want to be voters. But, you know, like my colleague said, they're not being listened to. And we're all, let's be clear, this is not new. This has been going on for generations in terms of

not listening to the working class. The other thing that's important in terms of these issues relating to Amazon and unions, Amazon is a union buster. They've been actively, since the company was started, trying to prevent Amazon workers from unionizing. This is a huge victory. And I'm from Philadelphia, which is a big union town, and I recognize how important this victory is. But the White House has to listen to the voices of, you know, those underserved, marginalized populations in our community. And also, like I said, they have to stop trying to be playing safe and making sure they're inviting, you know, not only just Brother Barber, but, you know, the folks that he's working

with throughout the country to bring these issues to the forefront. And the reality is, Kelly, I mean, look, low income workers, they're American citizens, they're voters. And if you're talking about who you're more likely going to turn out, you are more likely to turn out low income, poor workers. If you're if you're Democrats, then trying to reach conservative suburban white women who I don't care how hard you try, they ain't voting for you. Absolutely. You know, the Black vote is critical to this Democratic president and this midterm election that's coming up. And we

remind our Black voters over and over again, do your part, go to the polls, make sure that we keep folks, you know, that vote like us in power. But we're asking, what have you done for us lately? If you won't meet with us to hear our demands, to hear why we want you to continue to serve us,

then why should we be motivated to go back into the polls? And so that's something over and over again that this president and this administration, quite frankly, continues to do, is to take our votes for granted. And so I think, you know, highlighting this story about the Poor People's Campaign, highlighting folks like Chris Smalls, who I think deserves an award for everything that he has done to

really reimagine what unionization looks like in this country, those are the voices that we need to be uplifting, not the voices of our elected officials who have not passed anything, who have not made the economic conditions for working people in this country better. The economic conditions over the last two years have gotten worse because of the pandemic. People, you know, the rich have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer. And so there is no greater time than right now to have this conversation about the Poor People's Campaign. There's no greater time than right now to really bring these folks, bring these coalitions to the

table to really listen and understand, because these are the same voters that this administration and that this party is going to depend on come November. And if we're unwilling to listen to the base of the people who vote for us or the base of the people who vote for you, why should they turn out in return to help your party stay in office? And so I think that that's something that the Poor People's Campaign will be highlighting when they come to Washington in June. And hopefully the administration is thinking about that when they're telling folks no. Kelly, again, you would think they'll be reaching out to you. They'll be trying to reach you. Go ahead.

Yes. I mean, you would. You would think. Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. No, no, no. Hold on. Go ahead, Kelly.

Oh, sorry. Yeah, you would totally think that they would. You would think that they would want to hear from their constituents. You would think you would want to hear from their—and yet we know that this is strategic. We know that this is a strategic response. They've been told over and over again. So we know that this is an intentional, just like they're trying to stifle the voices of organizers and union workers and folks fighting for a union. They're trying to stifle the very powerful voice of poor and low wealth people all across this country,

because they know that they can see the shift is coming and the change is coming. And what they are maybe not fully aware of is that we are not going anywhere. We are getting stronger and we are uniting and we are fighting and we are not going to sit in our anger and our frustration and allow things to continue as they are when the system is broken. The system is keeping people poor. It is keeping people marginalized. It is keeping people divided. And it is keeping them from voting.

And we will be there in force in D.C. on June 18th. And this will be just the beginning. This is not a day. It's a declaration. We will be saying that we are a force to be reckoned with and you will listen to us and we're not going anywhere. And I think, Greg, for the people out there who are utterly confused, this is not a day of just having a march. No. of just having a march. No, this is literally an opportunity to speak to the issues,

but serve really as the kickoff for the campaign from June going through November. Yes, yes. And again, the importance of black media in general and the importance of the Black Star Network and Roland Martin and Filter in particular. This has been a daily drumbeat of coverage that you've been providing in tandem with the Poor People's Campaign.

And I was watching the question and answer the other night. And all the information we need is right here. You know, W.B. Du Bois, when he was addressing the first SNCC, the Southern Negro Youth Conference in South Carolina back in the 30s. He gave a talk entitled Behold the Land. He said the future of black folk is in the South. But that also extends to the future of poor folk. When we see this draft opinion that leaked and the white nationalist party is now quiet as a church mouth because it was a little premature. I think they're worried

about a potential event horizon. When we saw that, we know that the people who are going to be affected, the women who are going to be affected are the poor, are going to be black and brown women, are going to be women without resources to be able to protect themselves and to even get basic health care. And we see all those forces converge in South Carolina. Lil' Len Graham is a wholly owned subsidiary of Home Depot and Pfizer and Amazon, who are among his big campaign donors in South Carolina. Over the last decade, we've seen South Carolina expand mightily into South Carolina with their

distribution centers, huge tax breaks that the South Carolina legislature controlled by the White Nationalist Party has given them. And to see that brother today, Chris Smalls, in his fitted and grills, refer to Len Graham as Mr. and not Senator Graham. I like that kind of contempt, because that man should be held in contempt. And what we have to understand is that the Poor People's Campaign is extending the trajectory of Dr. King, who said over and over again that he was not a politician, that he was called to this work. And they were coming, as we know, and as you've talked about many times, Resurrection City, they were going to come here and stay. This wasn't a one-day event like 1963. They put a bullet in Dr. King, in part to try to slow that movement down. But out of what happened

in 1968, we see strong unions. We see civil rights legislation. We see organization. And finally, and this is what I love listening even now, Sister Smith, Kelly, and listening over the nights that you've been covering this, Roland, the level of organization in this poor people's campaign is unmatched. I was looking at the bus schedule, the routes that are coming, the ride share buses that have come from all over the country. And correct me if I'm wrong, I think that if you're going to get on one of those buses around the country, you got to get to get the best rate. And the rates are already low, but they say they go up after the 19th of May. So make sure you all get the seats. We're all going to meet here in Washington and we're not going to go anywhere. The reason the poor are ignored in this country is because the people who think they can buy elections and break the back of the poor have bought the politicians who are under firm instructions to ignore them.

But guess what? You get enough people together and you cannot be ignored. Kelly, final comment. Oh, I'm just so grateful for all the things that are being shared here. No, it is absolutely true. We are well organized. We are continuing to organize. We are mobilizing. We are across all sectors, all communities. These are, so many of us have been called to this movement. It is not just an action or something that we do, but it is a true calling. And we will be coming out in force across every line of intended division. We will be breaking down those lines of division and we will be organizing together. And it is going to be a mighty, beautiful day in D.C., but it will be

a declaration of our force. And then as we've been as organizers, as we've been saying, and then the work really begins on the 19th. So we just want folks to come out and to join us and to contact their state campaigns. And we have a strong, strong, strong campaign in New York. And we just welcome everyone to join us. Kelly, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Keep the fight up. Thank you. All right, folks, don't forget to join us. Kelly, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a bunch. Keep the fight up. Thank you. All right, folks. Don't forget to support us in what we do. Download the Black Star Network app on all available platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV.

And, of course, support our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support this show. So if you have a check or money order, send to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash App is dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. We got two Zelle emails,

Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. When I first moved to L.A., me and Joe lived together, right? Right. And that was a big blessing because I didn't have to worry about paying rent. Right. I was out here struggling, doing my thing, and that was a big, big help.

And then I think when I moved out, I think that's when I saw the division because I think Joe felt like I didn't need him anymore. And I wasn't that. I was like, I'm a grown-ass man. Two grown-ass men. But actually, that is true. You don't need me anymore. Right.

When you grow up, first of all, when you grow up, it's like, hey, you help. And this time you get your ass out of the house and go do your own thing. Right. He didn't want me to move out. But I'm like, you know what? At the time when I moved out. I mean, what? Were you paying the didn't want me to move out. But I'm like, you know what? At the time when I moved down. I mean, what? Were you paying the light bill?

I wasn't paying anything. And I said, you know what? I need this responsibility. It's going to make me work harder in my career if I know I got rent to pay. I got bills to pay. I was paying the cell phone bill. That was it. But Joe was treating me like a little butler.

So I'm telling you, I was like Benson. I'm telling you, man. Please fetch me some water. He was using Jedi mind tricks. Yo man, you still make them good grilled cheese sandwiches you made when you were little? No, you don't. Next thing you know, I'm at the stove.

Flip it, and then it dawned on me. Trick me again, got me again. We welcome you to the launch of the Mass Poor People's Low Wage Assembly assembly at Mara March on Washington, D.C., June 18, 2022. We are a new unsettling force and we are powerful. A new unsettling force and we are here. We're rising up to demonstrate the compelling power that we poor and low-income people have to reconstruct society from the bottom up. And we need to do it with the loudest voices possible, the biggest actions possible. Because we know that there is no scarcity in this land. The only scarcity is the moral will to do what's right. Hold on just a little while longer.

We are those with sub-minimum wage jobs who can't afford sky-high rent. People with disabilities are the fastest-growing minority group. It's crazy to me that in 2021, it's still legal for workplaces to pay a sub-minimum wage to people with disabilities. There are still so much trial and tribulations that we go through as indigenous people. We can't get a decent wage to sustain ourselves, nor can we get adequate housing. Veterans across this nation say enough is enough. We can't pat essential workers on the back on one day and then cut their health care the next day. Health is a political choice.

What more do I need to do to prove that my voice is just as valuable as anyone else's? There are still forces in denial that would try to slow walk our transition to a clean economy and a just future for us all. We have an immoral system run by immoral people. But together we walk and we walk and we fight. It's time for a change. See, we are people of resilience as we fight these interlocking injustices together. When we work together, mobilize together, and rise together,

we become a voice for the voiceless, and we become an agent of change in a time where great change is needed. We need the third reconstruction to ensure that deaf people, people with disabilities, and all people can have the right to live and to thrive. We know what they are doing, but the question is, what are we going to do? Reconstruction begins when we change our mentality and say it's time for you to get your foot off of my neck.

I know justice is coming soon. Hey! Do you believe that or today? Hi, I'm Vivian Green. Hey, everybody. This your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. All right, folks. Of course, we have our black and missing of the day.

Torian Oten left his Detroit, Michigan home on April 28th and has not been seen since. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, black shoes, and carrying a red backpack. Anyone with information about Torian Oten should call the Detroit Michigan Police Department at 313-596-1240. 313-596-1240. Folks, history was made today when President Joe Biden named Corrine Jean-Pierre as the next White House press secretary. She becomes the first black American and the first out LGBTQ person to hold the position.

She will take over after the current press secretary, Jen Psaki, leaves for a job at MSNBC. Her last day is next Friday on May 13th. Jean-Pierre has served as President Biden's principal deputy press secretary since his inauguration. She also worked on the campaign, has been very much involved in Democratic politics for quite some time. I want to go to our panel and talk about this because it is indeed history being made. And it's very interesting. You already have these people who, first of all,

you got stuck on stupid people who aren't even worthy of being named. And what they do is they run their mouths saying, oh, this means nothing. This is symbolism. Well, first of all, somebody's got to do the job. So somebody's going to do the job. And so to act as if we should not celebrate the reality of a black American getting this job, Jean-Pierre, Karine Jean-Pierre, of course, is of Haitian descent as well. And so

to have one of us standing at that podium speaking to the country is critically important. Let's go to our panel. Your thoughts? Well, I'll jump out there first on this. I mean, it's critically important, right? And so President Biden talked a lot about, you know, doing this campaign and the things that he would do. And so one of them, obviously, is seeing a Black woman out in the forefront every day speaking to the press. This is going to be critically important. One of the things I think when we talk about, you know, make sure we continue to support her throughout this process is keep an eye out for those in the right, those right wingers that without a doubt are going to be criticizing her for whatever reasons over the, you know, throughout the president's term. We know that's coming. But I think, like I said, particularly the folks that I know that are of Haitian American descent, they're extremely excited about this as they should. And I'm looking forward to it. And like I said, we just have to make sure we continue to support her when she has to deal with a lot of the nonsense.

Some of the platforms we don't have to name, we already know. But this is, once again, this is really important. And like you said, Rowan, the folks who are stuck on stupid or suggest this kind of symbolic thing, this is the spokesperson for the president of the United States. And I know as a former congressional staffer, this is of symbolic thing. This is the spokesperson for the president of the United States. And I know as a former congressional staffer, this is a big deal. So to see all the black girls out there who aspire to do great things, you know, as they get older, when they see her on television, it's going to be really important. It's like when black women see VP Harris.

This is important. It's not just symbolic. This is a person who holds the – who is essentially the voice for the president of the United States. So congratulations and look forward to supporting you throughout the tenure. So, Crystal, when President Obama was in the White House, I wrote a column shortly thereafter criticizing the lack of black people in his press office. And I got a call from Valerie Jarrett, and she said, just left the Oval Office, and the president is not happy. I said, what's the problem? She said, well, Robert Gibbs came in,

you know, waving your article, and he said that attack on his press office is an attack on him. And I said, no, come back. Go back to seven. No, boxes. Leave it like it was, please. So here's what I found to be interesting, Crystal.

So they called me up talking about it. And I said, well, didn't I tell y'all it was going to be a problem? Before y'all got in the White House, if the White House press secretary office looked as white as it was in the campaign, yeah. So why y'all calling me? Didn't I not tell y'all I was going to say something? Yes. So why y'all mad because I said something?

Well, what should we do? I said, go hire some black people. Now I got a phone, so I get a phone call from Corey Elons. And I knew what his job was. He was over black media. And I'll never forget, I was at my townhouse in Chicago. And I said, he called. I said, stop.

First of all, I know why you called. But you're going to listen. You can put on your little notepad, we talked, but you're going to listen. I said, Corey, do you know why I wrote that column? I said, because see, you're going to be stuck in the director of African American media position if somebody like me doesn't say anything.

I said, but see, I also wrote the column not because of the current job. It's the job you're going gonna get after you leave the White House See for everybody who's watching. I just need y'all to understand Robert Gibbs when he left the White House He became the global communications director for McDonald's That means that he was responsible for the entire team.

When you look at the other press secretaries, they left, and I forgot one of them who was with Obama, I think Jay Carney, he may have gone to run the communications team at Uber. I mean, we can go on and on and on. Everybody listen to me, listen to how I think. When you are seen to be deputy press secretary or White House press secretary, it's the job you get after where you can literally change the face of a company's communications apparatus.

Folk leave that job and they become executive vice presidents. They become, they run multinational corporations. So when you say, well, it's not that really important, this is how you also break the glass ceiling in corporate America because you transition from a position of power to a position of power. When you leave the White House, you're not even making $200,000. You then are going and you're going to go. So Corrine is going to go from this position, no matter how long she has it, to a major position in corporate America where she then will be making significant dollars, stock options,

be able to hire other people, do the exact same thing. So for all the fools out there who are simply saying, oh, this is just symbolism, that tells me you know nothing about power. That tells me you've never sat at the table of power and you have no idea how power works. Crystal. I, you know, agree with you, Roland, because, you know, one of the things that we love to talk about when it's, you know, a white person in the position is how great of a job they do and how, you know, they've they've, you know, broken major milestones. But when it's a black person, we automatically diminish the role. Well, it's not that important. It's not that big of a deal. You know, why is this administration focusing on another black woman? You know, even talking about Katandre Brown Jackson. But what people don't

realize is that when you have a black person that is in a position like this, not only is it representation, right? It's aspirational for people like me and other black women in this country who may only dream about working in a White House, being the spokesperson for a president of the free world. But also, she will help shape the narrative wherever she goes after the White House. And that's what's really important. And you brought that up when you're talking about, you know, Robert Gibbs and others who've gone on to these major corporations, because we've seen corporations make really bad mistakes as it relates to marketing for black people in this country.

We've seen them have terrible campaigns, quite frankly, as it relates to black people and brown people in this country. And so I'm excited about her being in this position, because you're right, it's not about it is about right now, because it's important that we have a person of color, a black woman, representing, being the voice of this administration in this moment in time. But wherever she goes next, she will literally be able to shape that narrative. And that is really, really important when we're thinking about, as consumers, how we spend our money, what we hear and see and feel in products, in companies. If we know that someone black is there shaping the narrative, making sure that other black creators and influencers and people who are in decision-making positions come in to spend their

dollars, that means there will be other glass ceilings that can be broken because she has been in that position. And so I agree that people should not diminish the significance of this moment and what it means right now, because we don't know who she's elevating beneath her. She could be elevating another black woman. She could be elevating a black male. And I hope that she's thinking about just her own, the weight of what she's doing while she's in this role and the doors that she's able to open up for others. But absolutely, when you talk about the post-job experience and going into corporate America, it becomes really critical when we think about everything that we see and hear on TV and in radio and in media, if there is a black person helping to shape that narrative, how many more of our stories can get told from a lens that is, you know, obstructive and not just a white lens. The white lens in America is literally imprinted all across

everything that we do. And so when we have the opportunity to have a black person in charge, making those decisions, those final decisions, then that becomes really critical and important to the country. See, Greg, the thing that also jumps out, and I see it, Robert's getting left, y'all go to my next screen, please. Jay Carney, leader of global communications for Amazon.

So it's amazing. What I'm trying to get folk to understand, Greg, is we can't be so simple and think in terms of, well, that thing doesn't matter, when in fact it does matter when you talk about who is going to be at that podium every single day. What I also hope, and trust me, is that like she does not hear from me. She does. She gets text messages from me. I would also hope that Corrine being in the job is going to actually bring the work of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to the podium,

be able to speak to some other issues out there, because also she's now in the room. She's now communicating directly with the president before she goes out. And we always talk about having a seat at the table. Oftentimes we're on the outside. This is also what happens when you're actually at the table. She is the last voice. His voice will be the last one because when she communicates, she's literally speaking for the president of the United States. That's absolutely right.

She is speaking for the president of the United States of America. And we have to remember. To the world! And that is exactly right. But this is. And we have to remember. To the world. And that is exactly right. But this is the thing we have to remember. One of the most difficult things I think we faced in the last 50 years or so has been an increasing confusion over the nature of representation and collective progress for our people. We all know that the president of the United States and presidential administrations obsess over discipline messaging. And Sister Jean-Pierre, congratulations.

I think she's the second black woman to stand behind that podium, if I'm not mistaken. The first one was Judy Smith in George H.W. Bush's administration in 1991. Judy Smith didn't speak for Judy Smith, and Karine Jean-Pierre does not speak for Karine Jean-Pierre. They speak for an administration. So it can matter. It should matter. But will it matter?

That is an open question. And of course, your relationship with her goes back far. And you know this better than any of us, who she calls on in the room, who she allows to have information, even as the White House press pool lobbies and jockeys. We need to see if it's going to matter, Black folk who are not just Black, but who are messaging, who are asking questions, who are getting information to our people, advance. And she certainly wasn't alone in the White House. This time last year, The New York Times was reporting, for example, that she was being prepared as a possible replacement.

Well, is it a replacement when MSNBC is basically the revolving door for Democratic administrations? Because Jen Psaki is headed over there and Karine Jean-Pierre came from there here. But Simone Sanders was there. They were saying, well, maybe Simone Sanders. Ned Price at the State Department was potentially mentioned. But Karne Jean-Pierre has outlasted them all. That is indeed an achievement. But here's where I think we have to always remember, the Biden administration must be pushed. And if Corinne Jean-Pierre gets up in the morning and says, boy, I wish I could say this, She's going to be limited by what that administration sends her out there to say.

And that administration will only be pushed if we push it. So a lot of her potential success is going to be directly connected to what we do outside of elected people and politicians to press this administration to do some things on our behalf that they up until now have proven either unwilling or incapable to do. And that includes messaging, by the way, Roland, which you keep telling them over and over again. Oh, absolutely. And I just and again, I mean, you got the usual fools out there. Oh, she ain't one of us. She's Haitian American. First of all, y'all fools don't even realize that when Obama was in there, it was a guy named Patrick Gaspard who was the political director.

Haitian American. See, he was sitting here advocating for issues, and your dumb ass didn't even realize it. See, that's why I keep trying to tell people, y'all got to watch some stupid people who some of y'all follow because they know nothing about politics, and all they do is just bump their gums and literally are leading y'all astray because they know nothing. And so we absolutely celebrate Corrine getting the top job of the White House press secretary.

Look forward to her doing some great things in that position. But remember, y'all, it's not always the job you have today. It's the one you're going to have next week. So you've got to be thinking broader and playing chess. Some of y'all can't even play. Hell, y'all can't even play marbles. We come back. We'll talk to a sister who's running for Congress to represent North Carolina. That's next on Rolling Mark and Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. So do me a favor and think for one second about your mother. What comes to mind?

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From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. Hey, fam, Patrol Grooming is a men's grooming company that delivers on this promise every day to men everywhere. Everything we do, every product we make is designed to help you to present your best self. It's a promise they've kept since 1991 when they first introduced the Bump Patrol brand, the number one men's product for smooth, bump-free, shaven, silky skin. Moves of customers count on their exceptional skincare products, which can be found at more

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This week on the Black Table... God, you did that wrong. ...reparations. Is it finally time? Two of the country's foremost authorities on the subject will join me to try to answer that very question. A powerful installment of The Black Table with me, Greg Carr, right here, only on the Black Star Network.

Hi, I'm Gavin Houston. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy, Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. All right, folks, Republicans have been doing all they can to stop Democrats from getting elected to Congress. They tried to rig the congressional districts in North Carolina, but was stopped by the courts. They severely broke up the districts of Congresswoman Alma Adams, as well as Congressman G.K. Butterfield. Congressman G.K. Butterfield announced that he is retiring.

And so one of the folks who wants to head to Congress when the polls open on May 17th in North Carolina for the primaries is my next guest, Erica Smith. She's a former state senator, and she is running against current state Senator Don Davis for this position. Both are vying, again, to be on the Democratic ticket for the second congressional district in North Carolina. Glad to have you here, Erica. Now, you initially were going to run for United States Senate, but then when Butterfield announced his decision, you shifted. Why? I shifted because it's so important that we understand that North Carolina is one of the states that's ground zero. I endorsed my former fellow contestant in that race, Justice, former

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Sherri Beasley. We know that there are no Black women currently serving in the U.S. Senate. And two of the reasons why I shifted is because, first and foremost, we need to have a strong Black woman representing in the U.S. Senate. And so I'm certainly tipping my head off to her. Secondly, when Congressman Butterfield announced that he would be retiring upon the release of the gerrymandered districts, I knew that this was a district that I love and this district needed somebody to step up, someone to step up who could win, someone who had a demonstrated record of beating every Republican and outperforming Democrats in this rigged congressional district. For this district, it is 41 percent African-American, black and brown people. And we know that we are not going to let Republicans steal our voices, steal our votes and steal this district from us. And I'm

the strongest candidate who can keep blue. One of the issues that has come up in the last couple of days, obviously, it's gotten heightened, is you going after your opponent for his position on Roe v. Wade. Absolutely. Roland, reproductive health care is on the ballot in North Carolina's first congressional district. I served with my opponent in the state Senate when I watched him with such appall vote with Republicans to block women's reproductive health care. He voted to defund Planned Parenthood. He also voted to criminalize doctors who provide abortion services. I know that this is a decision that must be left only to a woman, her doctor, and her God. What also is critically important for the 2nd Congressional

District? What is it that you are going to deliver if you elect it? I'm running on a real new deal. Historically, this district has been one of the most impoverished in the country, and because of my skills as an engineer, I understand reengineering policies to make them work just as well in our rural centers as they do in our urban centers. I represented 11 of the 19 counties in the first congressional district. Every last county that I represented under my tenure for three terms in the state Senate became less economically distressed because of the historic appropriations, investments, making sure that small businesses could grow and thrive, running on universal broadband, universal health care, making sure that we have clean air and clean water. This is a district that is the birthplace of the environmental justice movement.

This is the congressional district that was first represented by Congresswoman Eva Clayton, the first black woman to serve this since Reconstruction. And she is supporting me in this campaign. She's voting for me in this campaign because she knows I am the best on the issues. Another critical issue is that my opponent voted for a racist voter ID bill. He was one of only two Democrats to vote on that racist voter ID bill to rob African-Americans of their vote. The court ultimately struck down the bill as unfairly targeting African-Americans. But yet we know that this is a district that's 41 percent African-American and it is critical for us to have a voice and to have a true Democrat who's going to fight hard

on the issues that matter most to us. Questions from our panelists. Crystal, you first. For one, thank you for running and thank you for serving in the state Senate. You talked about just, you know, serving 11 of the 19 districts. And once you were, you know, as you were serving as a state senator, they became less economically distressed. Oftentimes, when people run for office, they create legacy projects.

And so just staying on the thread of the economic challenges or things that you want to improve in the district, what is one thing that would stretch across the 19 counties that your district represents that you could see as a legacy project that even after you're gone from the seat, your tenure would render this district, you know, better off because you had served? Definitely, it is my work with farmers as well as my work with small business owners. I am a Main Street Democrat that understands the importance of keeping our rural communities revitalized. And so through my work, we worked on an initiative called Ramp East, and it was rural advanced manufacturing projects, which is a legacy project to bring those jobs

back to the 19 counties that have been shipped over to China. I'm also running on the legacy of a rule new deal, the right to repair for farmers. And this rule new deal is historic investments in infrastructure, historic investments in universal broadband. Believe it or not, the broadband connectivity in this district is atrocious. It's about 21 percent. And so we know that that disenfranchises students from online learning. It disfranchises patients who need the access for telemedicine care. It disfranchises small businesses who need to grow. We deserve more than a dollar store economy and a GoFundMe health care system. So I am definitely fighting to keep these rural hospitals open.

I am the candidate in this race who started the legacy of Medicaid expansion, filing bills for North Carolinians who expand Medicaid, and that would help us bring in revenue, create jobs, and cover hundreds of thousands of working adults in this race. There's a lot of money pouring in from a Republican super PAC, and it's pouring into our race, trying to steal the election from the people. But we know that the people, we have dreams, and our dreams are bigger than their money. So I am running on that legacy of historic appropriations and growing rural economies, and that's so critical for this nation to continue to be the strong nation that it is. Larry? Yeah, so you talked about you represented many, you know, in terms of many people who are already currently in the district. Can you talk a little bit, and you

talked about how your policy positions differentiate from your colleague, and obviously we've had this week the issues relating to Roe v. Wade. Can you talk specifically about how, when you're out campaigning, how you plan on talking about that issue in terms of your position when it comes to Roe v. Wade compared to your colleague who you're running against? My colleague, of course, is paying lip service to this. Not only did he vote with Republicans to block women's reproductive health care freedom and to criminalize doctors who provide abortions, but he doubled down on that by voting against our Democratic governor. And he voted with Republicans to overturn the veto on this. And so when I'm talking about this issue, I'm coming from the perspective of being a woman who had to make a difficult decision. I gave birth to a one-pound, one-half-ounce baby boy at about 23, 24 weeks gestation. And before I delivered Elias, my family and I had to make a decision on priority of life.

And so the doctors asked, do you want us to save you or save your unborn child? Because we don't believe that we're going to be able to save both of save your unborn child? Because we don't believe that we're going to be able to save both of you. I had pregnancy-induced hypertension. Black women's maternal mortality rates in this nation are worse than in developing countries. In North Carolina, it's almost twice the average of the national average. So when I talk about this issue, no one had the right to make that decision. Yes, my husband had an opinion. Yes, my male sons who were 12 and 14, they had an opinion on whose life they wanted to be saved. But I, as the woman, had the sole right to make a decision about my life, to make that decision about what I'm going to do with my body and when. And so I firmly, as a faith-based leader, I talk about this issue from the perspective of understanding what it is to be pro-life choices. And that takes into account the life of the mother, the life of the

unborn child, and the people that I pray with, my neighbors that I go to church with, they all believe that that decision should be left to the woman, her doctor, and her God. It's plain and simple. Greg Carr. Thank you, Roland, and thank you, Cynthia Smith. It is rather absurd for your opponent to now say that he would certainly vote to enshrine a woman's right to choose and reproductive health when the record speaks for itself. So clearly he's desperate. And so thank you for answering that Walker's question the way you did. With an eye toward the general

election, let's claim that you're going to win this primary and go forward. Davis has been out here telling people that his brand of, I suppose you might call it, conservative Democrat, whatever that is, would be more electable in the general election. What is your strategy? And you've mentioned the money flooding in to try to stop you, of course. But what would be your strategy in the general election and what is being projected, if I understand correctly, as the most competitive district in the state, thanks to this terrible gerrymander. Thanks to this terrible gerrymander. But I was under a similar gerrymander in 2018,

and Republicans threw everything they could at me. I am the only Democrat in this race who has defeated every Republican on the ballot. And that is because I have spent 20 years building a broad working class coalition with my strong relationship with farmers, my strong relationship with people of color in this district, with indigenous people. So that's what I know will get me through the general election, as it has done every time. When you run on the economic populism, understanding what can be done for rural investments to make this an area that our children don't have to just be able to grow up in, but they go off to college, they get a degree, and they can't even come back because there are no jobs. And so it has been that strong record of delivering historic appropriations, more appropriations than any other Democratic senator for their district.

And with this rural district, this was the only rural district that Governor Roy Cooper organized, and we have brought communities together on economic development, on delivering jobs, on health care, keeping our rural hospitals open, expanding Medicaid, because there is a lot of support on all sides for expanding Medicaid in this rural district to save our rural hospitals and create jobs. So that is the path for victory to us. I've never lost a general election, and I don't plan to start now. I am the only Democrat, and that's what internal polls are showing that has the best chance of winning in November. Do we want to send to Congress another obstructionist? I mean, we need to ask ourselves these questions. I am so tired of us supporting these Democrats that get to Washington, D.C. and they block Biden's agenda. Senator Joe Manchin or, you know, in this case, it will be Don Davis.

He stood against our Democratic governor more than any other Democratic and Democrat in this state. And with the critical issue of Roe v. Wade and women's reproductive freedom, we cannot allow the election of the most anti-choice Democrat in the entire General Assembly. All right, then, Erica Smith, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much for joining us here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Thank you for having me. All right. Thank you so very much. All right, folks, our final item here, as I was coming into the office today, a lot of folks had been commenting on social media, various reports that YouTube star, social media influencer Kevin Samuels had passed away. We made phone calls to the Fulton.

He lives in Atlanta now. We made phone calls to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office. We were told moments ago that they could not confirm nor deny that they have someone named Kevin Samuels there in the medical examiner's office. And so all these people who are saying this confirm we have not gotten any confirmation, nothing from him or his family or the folks he works with. And so just want to let you folks know this is why, folks. Look, Twitter is excellent at killing people off. OK, we saw before before people that they say somebody has passed away. Somebody is cheating on somebody. Somebody has gotten fired. Folks, we don't run with that

nonsense. We don't run with any of that. And so our job is to correct that. I remember when Tina Marie, when people were commenting left and right, no one had actually confirmed whether or not she had passed away. And I remember I was, Kim Whitley had posted something. I called Kim Whitley. We were talking about it. And she said, we called her publicist. We called her publicist and said, hey, Roland, I talked to Tina yesterday.

And I immediately was like, well, that was yesterday. And so she gave me the number to Tina Marie's manager. And mind you, I wasn't even working on the story. I was actually just following social media. I called Tina Marie's manager. He said, Roland, hold on one second. Came back to the phone. He said, it's true.

She's gone. But that's what reporters do. And this is why y'all heard us discuss at the top of the show. This is what journalists do. And that is we don't run to say somebody is dead, somebody has gotten fired. No, we actually verify first. And so there is a process, a procedure that we go through where we make phone calls, finding out people know. First thing I did was check.

Kevin and I had DM'd back in December of 2020. I was checking to see if I had a number for him. I did not. That's what we do. We verify things. We double check things. This is why I keep telling y'all, stop listening to these fake ass so-called people calling themselves black media. They're not journalists. They're not credible. And so what we have to have are more people, more media outlets that target African Americans, that actually bring you verifiable information that has been vetted.

We don't do rumors. We don't do those things because that simply is shameful to the individual and to the family as well. Now, I saw somebody sitting here saying, I don't care about this person. Well, that's your opinion. The reality is, okay, he's got 1.42 million YouTube followers, more than 1.1 million on Instagram, thousands who actually watch and listen to him. And so the fact of the matter is, is still a person who is a newsmaker, whether you like it or not. But again, I just want people, trust real journalists. Everybody with a YouTube channel and a camera and a phone

ain't a journalist. So don't sit here and just believe whatever they say unless they check stuff. And so that's what we're doing. And so hopefully whether it's true or not, we'll actually hopefully we'll have information for you later tonight. Just watch our social media

or on tomorrow's show. That is it. Let me thank Larry. Let me thank Crystal. Let me thank Greg. Reese's child was under the weather, so that's why she wasn't with us today. And so we appreciate all three of you being with us. Folks, I got to get out of here. Our good

friend Zane, she has a new movie coming out. She invited me to the screening. It started at 7. I'm going to obviously miss it, but I told her I would still come by and say hey. And so we'll tell you more about that as well. Don't forget to support us in what we do. Let me double check YouTube.

Why y'all got me sitting here having to tell y'all this here? It don't make no sense. More than 2,000 of y'all have been watching and we haven't even hit 1,000 likes. So y'all 836. So y'all got about one minute to knock out the additional 164 likes so we can hit 1,000 likes. Please download the Black Star Network app.

This, of course, you know, look, our whole goal is simple. Do we want to always be on YouTube and Facebook? Absolutely not. We've got to build the numbers up. This is our platform. We own it. So we don't have to ask anybody permission on what we run. So Facebook and YouTube got all of their algorithms and things that they knock, that they take down. Well, when you own your own platform, you don't have to go through that. And so we want you to download the Blackstar Network

app. You can download it multiple times if you want. Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One and Samsung Smart TV. And if you want to support us with your dollars, your dollars make it possible for us to travel. In fact, I'll be traveling to Miami tomorrow invited for the F1 Grand Prix in Miami. Willie T. Ribbs, the first African-American to race in the Indianapolis 500 invited me to the race.

And so we'll be there this weekend, F1. So hopefully we'll bring back an interview with Lewis Hamilton, the top driver in F1, African-American. First of all, he's not African-American. He's from the U.K., but he's black. The top driver of all time in F1, and so hopefully that happens. And so PO Box, check your money orders. And y'all did, let me tell you something. I spent today sitting here signing, taking, endorsing, and depositing,

taking a picture with about 100 checks I ain't even done yet. So, and I told y'all I'll do it, but I got to actually sign each one. So PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 200370196. Cash App is Dallas Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And, yeah, I am rocking the black and gold today.

I'm wearing my 25-year Alpha Phi Alpha pin. But this year, I've been the black and gold today. I'm wearing my 25 year Alpha Phi Alpha pin. But this year I've been a member for 33 years. And so Larry and Greg, you know, we gotta, we always gotta let them know. So y'all can holler the bros, who the magus. Y'all know, the real brothers. That's right. It's 06.

I'mma see, I'll holler at y'all later. Holler! Come on. This is an iHeart Podcast.