#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Massey verdict, Baltimore mayor, Stacey Abrams talks AI at Afrotech 2025

Episode Date: November 12, 2025

10.29.2025 #RolandMartinUnfilered: Massey verdict, Baltimore mayor, Stacey Abrams talks AI at Afrotech 2025 A verdict is in... The former Illinois deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey has been found guilty of second-degree murder. We'll explain why he may not spend any of his sentence behind bars.  Former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell will be here to explain why the Soul of Atlanta Coalition is working to preserve the successes of minority- and women-owned businesses despite MAGA attacks.  The twice-impeached, criminally convicted felon-in-chief, Donald "The Con" Trump, says he's ready to deploy federal troops, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, into U.S. cities if he believes it's "necessary."  #BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.  This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (https://bit.ly/3VDPKjD) and Risks (https://bit.ly/3ZQzHl0) related to this offering before investing. 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 I-Heart podcast. Michael Lewis here. My best-selling book, The Big Short, tells the story of the build-up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. A decade ago, the Big Short was made into an Academy Award-winning movie. Now I'm bringing it to you for the first time as an audiobook narrated by yours truly. The Big Short's story, what it means to bet against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial situation? system is as relevant today as it's ever been.

Get the big short now at Pushkin.fm slash audiobooks or wherever audiobooks are sold. Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey!

Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access. Awesome. Learn how to have the conversation at Agree2agree.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council. The NFL is rolling. That's right, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60.

It's in the name, NFL Daily. So you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all-star cast of co-hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends. Listen to NFL Daily on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Black Star Network is here. Hold no punch you. I'm real revolutionary right now.

I support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America rolling. Hey, Blake, I love y'all. All the momentum we have now. We have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, this is difference between Black Star Network

and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be skating. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hey, folks, today's Wednesday, October 29, 2025, coming up on rolling button on filter streaming live of the Black Star Network. We're live here at AfroTech 2025 in huge street. The Georgia Brown Convention Center, lots to talk about.

You'll hear from Stacey Abrams talking about the good and the bad of AI. Joteka Ed talks about while we need to be involved in tech companies and Silicon Valley. Ron Busby, who leads the U.S. Black Chamber, talks about black business in this day and age being able to own black businesses in technology as well. Plus, we'll hear from the Tennessee State students who are involved, Tennessee State University. those students are involved in some startup companies as well. Plus, the mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, he's actually here at Approtech in Houston trying to take some business from Houston.

What is wrong with him to go back to Baltimore? We'll talk to him. We'll also talk with the co-founder of Blavity about this conference. Plus, there's a jury verdict in the Sonia Massey trial. The white cop who shot and killed Sonia Massey will tell you what their jury has decided. Folks, it's time to bring the funk on Roland Unfiltered. On the Black Star Network, let's go.

He's got whatever the piss he's on it Whatever it is he's got the scoop the fat the fine And when it breaks he's right on time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics with entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling.

Yeah, yeah. It's Uncle Roel, y'all. Yeah, yeah. It's rolling Martin, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah. He's funky, fresh, he's real the best you know,

he's rolling martin now. Artie! Folks, we're here live at AfroTech in Houston to the AfroTech 2025. It's been a real busy day. It's a lot. We've got to talk about us, get right to it. Joining us right now is the Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott. Mayor, how you doing?

I'm good. Uncle Roland, how are you? I'm doing great. Talk about what you're doing here. Your development folks are here, talking to various folks here, selling your city as a destination for technology on the eastern seaboard. Yeah, listen, Baltimore has a very vibrant tech community. When you think about the universities that we have there with the startups that are starting

there with us, really being focused on trying to grow those black startups and make sure that they stay in Baltimore, a black city, that's why we're here, but also here to talk about all the renaissance that is happening in Baltimore City in many different ways, whether it's upsurge or tech stars. We have so much going on in the world of tech. And we wanted to remind people that Baltimore is a city that, yes, we're known for AIDS and Meds. Yes, we're known for our great port.

We also are a tech hub and want people to know that we're going to continue to invest in and grow that in our city. There are some core things that businesses look at, they look at crime, they look at education, they look at access. And so you really have been emphasizing the dramatic drop-in crime. and really the resurgence of Baltimore. Yeah, when you're talking, as you and I talking today, a role in Baltimore has the fewest amount of homicides on this day

in any year on record. And that's still too much for me. I want us to continue to drive that down. We're talking about a 40% reduction over the last four years, a 31% reduction from last year, which is a historic low. We're going to do that. But we're also making the investments into our education system. No city in the country has built or renovated more new schools

over this last past few years in Baltimore, right? 12 in my time and off as soon to be 13 and 14 in the months to come. That's what we're talking about, those historic amounts and investments that were making into our communities, in particular, black communities that were disinvested in on purpose. There has been no better time for people to get in on the black renaissance in Baltimore. And the point here is that if you invest in people, then you're going to see what happens. John Hope Bryant always says you don't see riots,

in neighborhoods with a credit score of 700 or higher. So when you invest in housing, when you invest in education, when you invest in resources, then you're going to see that decline in crime. Listen, yes. We know that when you look at any city, when you see where there's crime, you see disinvestment. And we have to be very important, importantly raised this. It was intentional disinvestment.

Folks didn't just wake up and say they don't want stuff in their neighborhood. Their neighborhoods were redlined. My city is the birthplace of housing redlining. And that's why we're going through legislative, and policy efforts to undo that as well by investing hundreds of millions of dollars into housing projects that will stall and we even have a $3 billion $15 year plan

to eliminate vacant housing in Baltimore City all while continuing to implement my comprehensive violence prevention plan to drive violence down in Baltimore. It's got to be driving your haters real bad because they were talking trash trying to term limit, all this sort of stuff. They were predicting you were going to get blown out,

blown out. You got some right-wing media. your folks always attacking you. And so clearly you must sit here saying, Mm-mm, God said, I would prepare a table in the presence of my enemies. Well, listen, there's nothing that I like better than pressure. And one thing a hater is going to do that is hate. But when you're working for the people, when you're working for the folks that have not, when you're working for the folks that have been ignored and put down upon and everything else,

those who have historically had the power, those who sat in rooms rolling and deciding who the mayor of Baltimore was and put their thumb on what that person can and can do, they're not just going to give that up. So for them to be attacking me every day, it's not about me. It's about attacking someone who does not owe them anything, someone who will not just say yes to them because of who they are and someone who's always going to do what's right by the people. And that's what people fear. They fear people who do not fear them and will not carry out. They will and will represent the masses of people in my city. So I weigh it as a of honor. And how does it feel to have a mayor from Baltimore, excuse me, have a governor

who's from Baltimore who cares for the city, who's a Democrat, supposed to have a Republican governor who's always attacking Baltimore? It's like night and day. It took about eight months for the former governor to actually meet with me. I talk to my governor every day on the phone at least, right? I don't have to worry about whether he's going to be a partner in the work or he's going to be attacking the city. He's going to be a partner at that table every day of how we can make Baltimore the most successful we can be. Because as he would say, if he were talking to you, in order for it to be Maryland's decade,

it has to be Baltimore's time. All right then. Well, Mayor, it's always good to see you. Keep doing your handling your business. And I hate the fact I could, I was not in town when my Texans played the Ravens. That's okay. Listen, that only happened once in a blue moon.

Just remind Texans, don't get out of hand. But Lamar is back. So hollered us in January when the weather breaks. We'll do that. We'll do that. Mayor Brandon Scott, I appreciate it. My brother. Thank you much. I appreciate it. All right, folks. We're going to slide the mayor out. We're going to slide in a couple of folks who I know very well. Native land pod. You've got Tiffany Cross. You got Angela Rye. They over there giving hugs to the mayor and everything. So go ahead. That's right. Go ahead and seat them.

Hi, Ro. Hey, what's happening? You look great. I'm just chilling. I love the outfit. You know, I'm just, you know, look. Look, I just, you know, look. check the weather. So the temperature dropped by 20 degrees from yesterday. So I said, let's go break out the Kintang. Thank you for welcome to us to your hometown of Houston. Going to raise here, baby. One thing we're going to have is a Dysheki outfit on. And this, of course, was custom-made in Ghana, so this ain't no regular Dysheki.

I love it. Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. All right, what y'all doing here? We had a panel. We partners with Google, and so we just had a great roundtable with them, and we also were on the main stage earlier talking about native land pod and how we're meeting the moments and just enjoying AfroTech really got to connect with some amazing young black folks doing amazing things so it's been great first time here first time at AfroTech your first this is not my first time at Afro Tech but it just feels good right now like this is energy that we're not feeling in the country so for them to descend on Houston in this way something you care very deeply about With all of this black melanin magic, I'm happy.

Well, yeah, I mean, first of all, listen, there's a whole lot going on. Of course, we know upwards of 400,000 black women who've lost their jobs. Black unemployment, especially for black men, is much higher under Trump than it was under Biden-Harris. You see that constant efforts to defund black America in every way. And we've always talked about this here in our group chats and personally that this is a moment where black folks must be unified, must be working together and must understand how he must organize and mobilize and conferences like this allow for the collaboration and the conversation back and forth to know who's doing what and how we can how we can partner well i want to say to you rolling on that note because something that we can celebrate you for is any place black folks gather Roland Martin unfiltered is there he is pulling up with his role mobile but it really does we we had an ABJ member pass away and Roe live streamed the funeral.

So it was just a moment. I don't think there's ever been a place where there's a large enough flat gathering and you have not met the moment. And I know it's exhausting. I know it's a lot of work. This setup, I don't know if the home audience can tell. But this is an expansive setup.

It costs money to do this. Let's get one of the remote cameras. A wide spot. And they shoot it from this side over here, Anthony. Anthony, get the remote camera shoot that way people can see the whole set up. And don't get my back. Or are we going to add.

So we add the new thing. This is an 18. for the crane we added. Beautiful. So let's go to that shot. Let's get a shot to the whole setup, but go ahead. This is expensive, y'all. Yeah, it costs a few coins.

But you do it because you meet the moment, and I think that's why black folks are so in debt to you bearing witness at this time. It's a very important time for journalism, an important time for black folks. And I just, in our group chat, I just feel fortunate to have access to you. Anytime I want, I get to text and call Uncle Ro.

See, y'all got to understand. Wait, Ro, the difference between you and 10, is you respond. Yes. Let me tell you how black the group chat is. Y'all telling all the business. Don't have them looking for this group chat. Angela had an Ethernet issue.

She was like... Michael Lewis here. My book The Big Short tells the story of the buildup and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception.

It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up. The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award-winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time.

The Big Short Story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, it is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the big short now at pushkin.fm. slash audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold.

Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey. Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home?

Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access. Awesome. Learn how to have the conversation at Agreetoagree.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it.

This week was like the defensive line stepping in getting a stop on fourth and goal. Get the old Mo back on your side. It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him.

Newsflash. It's not going to happen. I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football sickos, listen to NFL Daily on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Roland, I need you to give me a call. And then she was on the phone with somebody.

She's like, hey, the Genius Bar just called, so I got to call you back. You know what's crazy? I made two calls to Comcast and to Roe. And Roe had a better solution than Comcast. Then when I tell you, that man came out and said, you might need a backup provider. They were so mad because you know it was the little VIP line.

They were like, they told you to get a backup where? Like, can I ask you a question, Roe? Because I think this is a question that we've been asked so many times. At this moment where we are under attack, and on every level, it feels like there's no breathing room. I'm so happy that you made a point to point out the unemployment for black men being even higher than that of black women. What's your advice, one, to journalists,

because you are an officer with the next. National Association of Black Journalists, but also what is your charging order to black folks who are feeling destitute and looking to people like you to say, what do we do to meet this moment? So vice president of the race, she lost on Tuesday. And on Thursday, I was already on to the next thing. And folks were like, dude, what are you doing? I said, she lost.

He won. Now, attack mode. See, what happens is, and again, when you're a student of history, I think about Frederick Douglas, out of the Wales, Barnett, I think about all the black newspapers. I think about Robert Abbott, Chicago Defender, where you were. I think about AI Scott, Atlanta Daily World, Charlotta Bass, Louis Martin. I think about the work that they did. These were people who, in their lifetime, were denied the right to vote.

Ida B. Wells Barnett, the reason there is not a copy of her newspaper. Her paper was firebbed. They blew up her office, and there was a bounty on her head, and she was still writing about lynching. So when I see folk today, with all that we have, and even, Even though these are tough times, I go, wait, wait a minute, this is absolutely not the moment to quit. Because if some folk before us quit, we couldn't even be sitting right here. And so I've got two of my nieces who are running around here working with my show. And then my other little niece, she's sitting over there.

She just graduated from law school. She just passed the bar. Hey, congratulations. Chloe just passed the bar. Come on, your hair's half combs. I'm going to come to show you. So I showed her so, so the point is, so for me, the, get over here, get over here, shut up, get over here, shut up. Let me tell you what happened. Chloe was in law school, was begging me to buy her a bag. I was like, I ain't buying you, nothing, nothing else. So I put on my social media and my followers sent her some money to buy her a law bag. So, so, again, so what I'm trying to explain to people, okay, we know you're a Delta, we know. So here's what I explain to people. The fight is for my nine nieces and four nephews. So that's how. we have to be thinking and operating.

And so if we're sitting here just so frustrated and so sad, then you can't focus on work. And that's what the boils down to. But I do believe, too, that people are motivated by different things. Some people can get to optimism. Some folks are motivated by rage, by anger,

by frustration, by wrath, you know, in this moment. I'm trying not to be able by that. King said, you're the channel. He said, channel your rage. But go ahead. Go ahead. It's a flow.

It's not flowing right now. All I was going to say was, for some people, that rage is so destructive that they can't to get to anything productive. I'm one of those people. I had to, like, repurpose the energy into something more positive and spend more time around our community members who are solving these problems every day. And some of them in the South, like, where you're from here in Texas, are like, child, we've been in fascism.

Y'all just now joining, not even the party. but joining, you know, where we've been. The problem is, and I think that this is the one urging that I would have for people in the South, is to say you had some place where you could appeal, though, for cover. That's gone, right? It was fascism in the South, but you could appeal to the federal government,

even in some degrees of some Republican administrations. Right. It is now being handed down from the very top. That's different. But this is where also, this is where we have to remind people, this is what happens, when you check out. This is what happens when you are so frustrated

when you say, well, I don't like what you did in dealing with Gaza. And that's a huge issue. But the reality is that were black people who saw what America did in partnering with the races of apartheid regime in South Africa. And black folks said, oh, no, no, no. We're going to shut this down.

That's where the boycotts came from, the economic boycotts. So, to me, our folk have to understand is there's a way to shut them down. You can vote them out. What frustrates me, because y'all were talking to Gary Chambers, is Louisiana, one-third black. Texas, more registered, more eligible black voters in this state than any state in America. When you look at some of these other states, Georgia, a million black folks who didn't vote in November. 616,000 who didn't vote in North Carolina. And so we got to get folks to understand that if you check out, don't vote, you are guaranteeing they're going to be in power.

I want to make it hard as hell for them to win. Now, here's the only thing. And I'm not defending folks who have sat out at all. But we have to find a different approach. That approach is not working. We've been trying to shame people in the voting. No, not shaming. Not you, but I'm saying that has been a tactic.

But what I want us to do, though, is to say, if you don't like someone. so-and-so. Like, there's a black woman named Karen Witt said in Detroit. She's missed 76% of her votes. Cats running against her. What I keep saying is, if we don't like somebody, oh, primary them, run against them. But see, that's the other piece. There's a way. We don't have to accept that they're always going to be there. And I think a lot of times folks say, well, ain't nothing we can really do. I think that's the part. There has to be a conversation around telling people not to get comfortable when they're very elected official

has gotten comfortable to the point of Ms. Karen, right? Like, if they're so comfortable and complacent, how are we going to tell the voter to move in a different way? I'm just saying the way that we have the conversation I believe has to shift because all I'm watching is our results.

It has not been effective. And I'm like, I didn't need anything else but my point of privilege is I went to vote with my parents every election. Right. There are a lot of folks that didn't have that experience. Your mama was a poll worker. Yep, absolutely.

I'm not talking about a stripper. I'm talking about at the actual ballot process. Precene judge. I'm trying to make sure they clear. She was the judge. She was the judge. Oh, the judge. I'm sorry.

Your honor. So I did an interview a little bit earlier and somebody asked me about this and I, and I keep saying, and again, we're a technology conference. And this, I think, is the mistake that we made. We assumed that this and this can replace door to door. So the problem with this If somebody says I don't know what none of this stuff means I can't explain it to them

With the rope with the text blast I got to talk to him I said so we literally have to go back to where We are studying our precinct turnout To see who voted who didn't and it's public data And go do to door what I've said to alphas to AKs to deltas Let's stop having having these large get-out-to-vote campaigns, I said, no, have targeted focus where we're going

to hit these five precincts and these five precincts. I've said to Prince Hall-Mason, that was an event in D.C., where folk get dressed up, wearing black and white in the aprons, march. I said, where are we marching? I said, I'm not getting dressed up to walk in the sun just to walk outside. There has to be a game plan here, and the National PanLenic having the conference here, and Friday. I'm giving the keynote, and I'm letting them know. It's a whole bunch of y'all real comfortable. And so we've got to challenge folk and make them uncomfortable to say our people

are waiting on us. Black people are saying, who can we follow? And we got to be able to point them to somebody to follow. It's a lot of black people saying who can we follow, but there are also a lot of black people who have checked out, to your point. And the problem is, just like you say, we can't depend on these phones to reach people, I think so many people are distracted by these phones as well. And there's been so many people with misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, flooding our timelines and our communities, trying to keep people on the sideline. So people say you can never blame the voter or you can never blame the constituent.

But I do think we have to start challenging our community to take responsibility and go and get information because it is challenging. If you're running, Vice President Harris could not come to every single game. door and door knock on every single household and explain to them policy. On some level, it is up to you to make sure that you are disrupting this information, that you are sharing

responsibly. I would also add, Ro, I love how you put on and represent for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. And yes, shout out to the Panhellenic, but there are so many people who feel disconnected from that. They're not in a Greek organization, and that says something about black elitism

to them, which they feel triggered by. So we have to figure out how we can bridge that divide as well, challenge them to be more curious. What is? What I've said to Alpha and the other eight is if they never see you, they don't know you. But also, why are we talking at people and not listening? Yes. I spent more time over the last several months just listening.

It was hard sometimes, but I just wanted to hear where the breakdown was. We literally come to our folks and we're like, why are you only talking to black people about their buying power, they're being consumer. We do the same thing around elections. We're going to talk to the voter, not the person who has the issue, not the person that should be engaged in advocating at every level of government. I think that's another really significant breach. But you can't listen to people if you don't create the avenues where they can talk.

And so that's why I've been a huge advocate. We've got to get back to citizenship classes called City Hall 101, county government 101, school district 101, and walk folk through the whole deal. That's going to be on Black Star Network. Oh, no, look. I like it. Gary's doing that in Louisiana.

I said, Gary, make sure y'all record it. Y'all live stream it. And absolutely. But that's the stuff that I think we have to get back to. I say you can take new school, but old school stuff still work too. It still works. Y'all got to record your show. But I got one quick question.

Y'all didn't need a ride because the robot movie is right now right now. We might need one. We might need one. Just walk on out there and tap on the door. Deshaun will take you out. Thank you. We're going to do that for real. I want to ask you about your studio space in D.C.

It's as expansive and expensive as this that looks. You also have a wonderful studio space, and it is large enough to be able to host a town hall. When is it Roland Martin Town Hall going to happen? So we're working on that. I wasn't going to do an election night show next week. I am. Next Thursday, I am doing especially with Bishop Barber

on white Christian nationalism. And so we're working on that. But then, yeah, we can fit about 75 to 80 people in there. So that's the next thing that we're working on. We're working on it. Congratulations, Role. Roland is still true, y'all. Yes, and he was one of the first people to put Angela and I both on television,

and you have always poured back into the community. You don't ever want to be the only. You make avenues for all of us. So we just want to say we love you and thank you for all your work. Turning your essay, Roe. Bye. Okay, there you go again. All right.

All right, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back on Rollin Barton Unfiltered, we'll talk when one of the co-finals of Blavity talking about this conference and what it means. You're watching, Rolla Martin Unfiltered right here from AfroTech 2025 in my hometown of Houston. We'll be right back. In the military, I gave orders.

And they went a lot further than they do around here. If there's one thing I've learned as a mom and foster parent of more kids than I can count, investing in their future isn't a choice. In Richmond, I'll fight for Stafford's fair share for our schools. Smaller class sizes, better teacher pay, and more vocational training. I'm Stacey Carroll, and I'll fight to get our kids' future in order. Nicole Cole knows the cornerstone of a successful life starts here. Virginia Public Schools gave Nicole an excellent education.

They helped her become a small business owner, family financial planner, mother, and community leader. Now, after four years on the Spotsylvania School Board, Nicole is running for delegate to meet the needs of all students. As our delegate, Nicole will fully fund our schools, raise teacher salaries, and help graduating students stay in our communities. Nicole Cole for delegate, for us, for our future. As a pastor, Michael Lewis here. my book The Big Short tells the story of the build-up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception.

It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up. The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award-winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time. The Big Short Story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, is as relevant today as it's ever been,

offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the Big Short now at Pushkin.fm. or wherever audio books are sold. Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home

for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey! Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access.

Awesome. Learn how to have the conversation at Agree2agree.org, brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line, stepping in, getting a stop on fourth and goal. Get the old Mo back on your side.

It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback. in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much

to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him. Newsflash, it's not going to happen. I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football sickos listen to NFL Daily on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

I hear a lot about trips to the doctor. Bills piling up, jobs being lost. So as your delegate, I went to work, writing laws that protect families, helping parents care for their disabled children, capping insulin costs, lowering prescription prices, and investing in our police and schools. I'm Josh Cole, and as your delegate, I'm working to keep us strong and safe. Hello, I'm Bishop T.D. Jakes, and you're watching Roland Martin unfiltered. Thank you. Folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered of the Black Star Network.

We're live here at AfroTech 2025 here, the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Joining us right now, Jeff Nelson, co-founder, CEO of Blavity. Of course, the folks behind AfroTech. What's happening? Roland, thank you so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.

Happy to have you here. This is amazing. Glad to be here. It's a whole lot of blackness. around here, how many people have registered? So this year, we're expecting between 30 and 40,000 people here in Houston all week for Africa. 30 to 40,000 in Houston.

In Houston, across the city. Here at AfroTech, we've got about 15,000 at the convention center that are in sessions, getting certifications, learning labs, all that. So across the city, we're going to have even more. So she really asked that question. See, that's like when they say, oh, yeah, about 40,000 at the frat convention, only 8,000 registered. See, so, you know.

Well, I'm glad you asked that question, because let me say this. So what ends up happening is a lot of people say, I'm coming to AfroTech, and then they get their flight in their hotel to Houston. They don't buy a ticket to the conference, but then the $15,000 here, they say, oh, we're having a great time. Then the other $15,000 come at the last minute and say, hey, can we get a ticket? So we got $15,000 now. We're expecting the other $15,000 that are in the city to come here to the convention center. Yeah, but you need the other $15,000 to register on time and actually come to the conference. Buy your tickets early.

Yes, get your tickets early. For folks, now, we live stream a couple of sessions earlier. We've been doing other interviews, but give folks a sense. First of all, how many years has it been for this conference? So this is the ninth year of AfroTech. Got it. And you originally were in Oakland. We were originally in San Francisco.

San Francisco, then we went to Oakland. Went to Oakland. Then to Austin. Austin. And now we're here. And how many years you've been in Houston? So this is our second year in Houston. Gotcha.

And so you mentioned, what are we doing this year? The theme that this year's conference is building. what's next. So we're talking about AI, of course, AI is the great disruptor that is doing a lot of good, but it's also giving people a lot of pause, a lot of job loss because of AI. So a big focus of this year's conferences, not only how do we, not only how do we educate people on about what AI is, but how do we prepare them to use it to level up and prepare themselves for the future? Now, just get folks who don't understand the breadth and depth of the conversations that are taking

place here, main stage, and also breakout sessions? Yeah, so we were very excited earlier today to have Stacey Abrams help kick us off. I know you have Mayor Brandon Scott on earlier. He is going to be on stage tomorrow as well. We're going to have the CEO of Microsoft AI. Mustafa Sullyman is going to be here. Astro Teller from Alphabet X, their Moonshot Factory, is going to be here. We had John Walsh just put on a great session with the NBA and their partners as well.

So we have a range of great dynamic speakers, and all the conversations are very, very substantive. One of the things that is happening, obviously, we're seeing dramatic cutbacks all across the country. We see the attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion. How has that impacted this conference this year compared to last year? So that's a good point. And I will admit, I'll be very, very candid. At the beginning of the year, when all these rollbacks started to have, we were nervous and we have to have some conversations with our partners and our

sponsors about one would they show up and then two could they show up and could they do so in a way that felt authentic and we're excited that we've got over 150 sponsors that did show up many of them are here hiring we've got 30 companies that are interviewing on-site and the feedback that we got from a lot of them is that whether we call it DE and I whether we call it something else the fact still remains that the data suggests that we need a workforce that is representative that has people from all different kinds of backgrounds so they're here. But the second point I want to make is that we understand at AfroTech that this conference, while recruiting and hiring

is a big part of it, an even bigger part of it and what we're focused on this year is innovation. Because people come to AfroTech to be inspired to understand what's coming next. And so that's why the theme of this year's conference is building what's next. So while we've got the expo floor and their companies recruiting, we have so many conversations that are focused on innovation and what's coming next. Obviously, you want people here to connect. Yes. Do you have space where you're having the conversations of individuals that have actually

made connections here and have been able to merge, been able to partner, been able to grow business where they are able to tell that story so folk understand how they should be properly utilizing this conference? Yeah, those spaces are littered throughout the conference. So one of the cool things that we have, AfroTac has a membership program. So you can come to conference, but we also have a year-round membership program, and part of that is something we call Founder Circle. And Founder Circle is made up of entrepreneurs in our network that have come to AfroTech,

and they've met their co-founder, they've got venture capital funding, they've built connections, met mentors, and they are engaged all year-round, and they are here as part of the programming. So that's one example of how we build those spaces where people can say, hey, here's how AfroTech has helped to catapult me, and this is why I want to come back and why I want to continue to be a part of it. But when you talked about the sponsors,

this is what I've said, is that these attacks that we've seen also shows us who's real and who was it. Absolutely. Absolutely. So the folks who are really committed? Yeah. The ones who said, no, no, we see VAL. Exactly.

And the ones who are playing games are the ones who cut and ran. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, Roland, you said it. This Expo, Florida, I said there are 150 companies. There should be more, right? There should be 300. There should be 400.

There should be, this Expo Hall should be filled with companies who should see the value, but we see the ones who do and we see the ones who don't, and that speaks for itself. Listen, we're our black journalists convention. Normally we have more than 100. There were 37 this year. Wow. 37 that's insane that's how crazy it was and and and what what I keep talking about I need I need our people to understand and I and I frame it this way I said what we are seeing is a massive effort to defund black America yeah where every facet of black America is being attacked and a lot of people don't realize is because of these attacks nearly every black nonprofit has faced a massive drop in resources So it goes beyond just for property entities.

It's also impacting black nonprofit. Absolutely. Well, you know, one of the interesting conversations we had earlier was about AI. And all the data that is training AI. A lot of that is data that we are producing content that our community is putting on social media. Then you have companies that release new AI models where you can generate on-demand videos of MLK and all these kinds of things that are not only using our likeness, but are using what's trendy in our community. And to your point, we are not participating in the benefits of it. And furthermore, there is this concerted effort to erase what we benefit from.

And that's concerning it. That's why these spaces are so important. But also, I think, the ownership piece. Yeah. Because there's so many of us with massive talents that have been doing it for somebody else, realizing that, wait a minute, I could take my own ideas, now greenlight my own ideas, and not ask for permission. Well, that's what I love about AI.

AI is the great equalizer, right? AI gives us the opportunity where we're only limited by our imagination. And some of the most imaginative people I know are people in our community, our black people, our diverse people, our underrepresented people. And so if AfroTech can be a platform and continue to be a platform that educates, but not only does that gives the connections and the capital, the community, the funding that our community needs to take their imagination and make a reality. then that's how we can take back economic empowerment that we so desperately need. Well, and on that particular point, Stacy talked about it as well. When we speak about AI, we speak about chat beat GPT, and frankly, it's bias, if you will, that where we're devoid of it, when we are also utilizing these tools and infusing them with our information, we're also altering AI.

Yes. That's very, very true. And that's why it's so important to understand how it works, right? People can use it and they think they get some benefit from it, but when you use it, you are altering it, right? You are impacting those models in ways that you may understand or you may not understand. And it's important to understand those implications. And so that's why, you know, my background is in AI research and development. And I think that AI has a lot of benefits, but if we don't have some serious conversations about ethics and AI, about regulation,

about governance, but also about public policy. Because one of the things I'm passionate about is if AI is going to be displacing all these jobs, and we're talking about AI agents, which, you know, I'm passionate about. I think the idea that AI can help to automate a lot more of the work that we do, especially white-collar work, especially work that happens in an office setting. If we can reap that benefit,

we also have to have a conversation from a policy standpoint about what is the responsibility of government and public policy to ensure that people are made whole. And so that's why I'm excited why we, you know, Sacey Abrams, obviously she's known for her efforts with voting rights and many other things, but also having Mayor Brandon Scott, among other elected officials who are here

to talk about some of these things alongside business leaders like CEOs, Mustafa, Microsoft, AI. So it's important that we have these conversations because we have to have a 360 approach to this. Absolutely. Well, Jeff, is getting to. It's been fantastic thus far. Of course, we'll be broadcasting tomorrow as well.

Where are y'all next year? So we'll be back here in Houston next year. See, they ain't crazy. Next year is the 10-year anniversary of AfroTech. So we'll be back here again. I think we'll make an official announcement on stage. I don't know if I'm, I mean, the cats out of the back, but we will be back here.

Hey, there's more people watching who are going to be in that room. Go ahead and Meggin right now. You're good. You good. So we'll be back in Houston next year. to those, like we talked about earlier. We got the ones who are here at the convention center and the ones who come to the city

and then they get that ticket late. Buy your early bird ticket. Buy it as soon as they drop on Friday. Make sure you buy your ticket, reserve your spot. We'll be in Houston, AfroTech, 2026. 10 years will be celebrating and we're looking forward to it. And Jeff is not going to do this. I will.

To all of the sponsors this year, we appreciate y'all being sponsors. And I'll be looking at the list next year to see who's here and who is not. not, and I'll be calling names. Jeff, don't worry, but I got this here. You ain't got to worry about this here. You step out of here. I can handle that. But I believe in doing a

roll call because there are people who want our black dollars but then who don't want to give an ROI and invest in our black organizations and our black businesses. You're preaching now. So just I'm letting all y'all know I'm going to have a booklet.

I'm going to be checking to see, because you know I'm already going to go back and check to see who was here and who's here this year. Oh, tomorrow. Tomorrow was going to be a roll call. I'm going to let you know. I already know. All y'all who were here last year and you're not an AfroTech this year, I'm calling your name tomorrow.

I'm just letting y'all know. I love it. So Carol, everybody in the control room, look for my email to pull logos. I'm just letting y'all know. See, that's how I wrote. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. I appreciate it.

Thanks a bunch. Thank you. Folks, we're going to go to a break. We come back lots to hear from. We're going to hear from Stacey Abrams. We're here from Tennessee State University students who are here, get some advice for their projects. We'll be here from Ron Busby, the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc., and so many others. Some great conversations right here, Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network live at AfroTech here at the Georgia Brown Convention Center in my hometown of Houston.

Michael Lewis here. My book The Big Short tells the story of the buildup and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the budget. black hole it would become, and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception. It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up. The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award-winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time.

The big short story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, it is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the big short now at Pushkin.fm. slash audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold. Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life.

Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey! Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access. Awesome.

Learn how to have the conversation at Agreetoagree.org, brought to you by the ad council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily has fresh content in your field. feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line stepping in getting a stop on fourth and goal.

Get the old Mo back on your side. It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits

because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him. Newsflash. It's not going to happen. I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football sickos, listen to NFL Daily on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Back at a moment. If in this country right now, you have people get up in the morning and the only thing they can think about is how many people they can hurt and they've got the power, that's the time for mourning. For better or worse, what makes America special, it's that legal system that's supposed to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority. We are at a point of a moral emergency. We must raise a voice of ours. We must raise a voice of compassion, and we must raise a voice of unity.

We are not in a crisis of party versus party. We are in a crisis of civilization, a human rights crisis, and a crisis of democracy itself. And guess what? You've been chosen to make sure that those that would destroy, those that would hate, don't have the final say. say and they don't ultimately win. This is Eric Dickerson and you're watching Roland Martin unfiltered.

Go to the shot. All right, folks, welcome back to AfroTech here in Houston. Let's talk about a news story that we've been covering for some time. The white former deputy sheriff who shot and killed Sonia Massey was convicted today of second-degree murdering. The primarily white jury found Sean Grayson guilty of second-degree murder. Now, keep in mind, they had the option of first-degree murder and second-degree murder. That was given in jury instructions. He was found, he was acquitted on first-degree murder, but found guilty on second-degree murder.

on second-degree murder. Massey died on the same night. She called the police for help. She reported a possible prowler outside of her home. A body camera footage from Grace's partner captured the incident, but Grace's own camera was not activated from most of the encounter. It only turned on after he drew his weapon. Gracie testified that he feared for his life,

and Massey began acting erratically when she said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus as she walked toward a pot of water on her stove. His partner that night, in Foley testified that he was never afraid of Massey, but was instead fearful of Grayson's actions. A conviction for first-degree murder could have resulted in a life sentence for Grayson with a second-degree conviction he could face anywhere from four to 20 years in prison. There's also a possibility he could receive probation with no prison time, a sentencing date, has not been set. Attorneys for the Massey family, including Ben Crump, released this statement,

While we believe Grayson's actions deserve a first-degree conviction, today's verdict is still a measure of justice for Sonia Massey. Accountability has begun, and we now hope the court will impose a meaningful sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes and the life that was lost. We will continue to fight for Sonia's family and for reforms that protect everyone from unlawful use of force. The family extends deep gratitude to Singamon County State's attorney John C. Milheiser and his entire office that he handled the, the case with professionalism, transparency, and compassion. Prosecuting a police officer is never easy, but this team did it with courage and integrity. My panel right now is Dr. Niambe Carter, Associate Professor of School of Public Policy, the University of Maryland.

She's the author of American Wild Black, African Americans, Immigration, and the Limits of Citizenship, joining us from D.C., Andrew Clark, Esquire, Managing Partner with a district legal group there in D.C. Andrew, I'll start with you. it's a shame that this jury of 11 whites did not convict on first-degree murder. The prosecutors made clear that Grayson threatened to shoot Massey before he pulled his weapon and they said that constituted the proper action to say he was premeditated for what he did to Sonia Massey. Unfortunately, this jury saw otherwise.

Yeah, and in Illinois, you don't actually need. the intent for premeditation like you think about in other states. In Illinois, all you have to do is intend to kill someone. And the difference between the first degree and the second degree, aside from first degree carrying up to 60 years, we're talking about second degree being that they believe that there was some kind of provocation. They believe, the jury believed, that the boiling water

and the I rebuke you, was enough to carry the day to change it from first degree to second degree. And this just shows how the prosecution of officers, and we're talking about a, you know, a town in Illinois, the prosecution of officers is treated differently because you're right. They had all of the facts that they need to send a message for first degree murder, and they did not do it. Neambi, it really is a shame. We saw what took place here. And again, the prosecutors did a very good job.

And not only that, Gracie lied. He literally said on the stand that Sonia Massey threw the pot at him. We have video that never happened. And not only did she not throw the pot at him rolling. He told her to cut the pot of water. off. And I think that's the thing that really is so upsetting to so many of us. One, that didn't have to happen. But you hear him threatening to shoot her in the face. You know that he doesn't have his body camera on. Thankfully, his partner did because that's partly why we know what we do

know. Because had no one had any video evidence, his story would have likely carried the day. And we would have never gotten here and her family would have never been able to have anyone to answer for her untimely and unnecessary death. I mean, it's shocking. I mean, she says I rebuke and he shoots her. And it's like, for what? Absolutely. And unfortunately, when you see second degree murder 40 years to 20 years could get probation.

And I'm trying to remember the, well, remember the cop at Kilaquan McDonald. Look how little time he served. And I think it's Yeah, and that's something that is very concerning here because you're right, Roland. We're dealing with a crime that if he was convicted at first degree, the judge would have no

discretion on 20 years. We'd be looking at two decades. But now we have the fear that now this judge and this town in Illinois could give him four years. He could be back on the street in less than five years. And that is

disturbing, especially because the entire country has seen this video. And when I first watched the video, I was brought to tears because I just could not believe that this woman was killed in her home while holding a pot in her

kitchen. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead. And I was just going to say, you know, this is what happens far too often. The officer gets to say, I'm afraid. we become the collateral damage, as if their fear should trump our safety. Sonia Massey was obviously very afraid, which is why she reached out to the police. There was, to Andrew's point, she's in her kitchen.

There's a good deal of distance between them and her. And instead of maybe retreating out of the home, if you were so fearful, you say you pulled your weapon because you knew that she had on layers and so you couldn't tase her and it would have done nothing. So you could have done other things before shooting this woman. Maybe if you were so fearful, you should have asked her to stay on the couch as opposed to sending her into the kitchen and turn off the pot of water. If it was such a great threat, you go and turn off the pot of water. I think the part that is so infuriating and so saddening is there are always all of these things that could be done short of lethal force.

But those things never seem like viable alternatives for the police officers. And I know people say, well, it's easy in that moment to say this, but it's easy in that moment because you see how much space there was between Sonia Massey and this officer. There was clearly enough time to make an assessment. And as quickly as he pulled that trigger, he could have done something differently. Indeed, indeed. All right, got to go to break. We come back. We'll hear from Stacey Abrams, who spoke here at AfroTech, talking about AI.

how it can be used for good or evil in the role that African Americans should be playing in that. Folks, you're watching Rolla Martin Unfiltered here, the BlackSat Network at AfroTech here in Houston. Don't forget to support the work that we do. If you want to join our Brena Funk fan club, your contributions, make it possible

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rolling at rolling martin unfilter.com. Jackson Money Order and make it payable to rolling Martin unfiltered. P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 2.003-0196. Back in a moment. This week, on a balanced life for Dr. Jackie, we're continuing our series of putting in the work

a chef's journey. Are you an aspiring chef? Someone who already has a business, trying to figure out what your next steps will be, who to talk to and how to get there. Well, on this week's show, our great guests and wonderful chefs will talk to you about what means to

discover your purpose, your why of being in the kitchen, and then knowing how to put a business together. The menu controls everything. It determines, the menu determines everything. But the business plan is where you have to go back to it. When you get into the business, at the end of the day,

you know, social media and TV, all of that stuff is cool, but you still have to run a business. So you still have to be in relationship with people. That's all next on a balanced life with Dr. Jackie here on Black Star Network. This week on the other side of change. Book fans, anti-intellectualism, and Trump's continued war on wisdom. This is a coordinated backlash to progress.

At the end of the day, conservatives realized that they couldn't win a debate on facts. They started using our language against us, right? Remember when we were all woke and the woke movement and all the woke movement and all that kind of stuff, now everything is anti-woke, right? When we're talking about including diversity, equity, inclusion, higher education, now it's anti-D-EI. All this are efforts to suppress the truth because truth empowers people. You're watching the other side of change only on the Black Star Network.

Melanie Campbell, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Black Women's Roundtable. And we are watching Roland unfiltered all day every day, 24-7, spread the word. All right, folks, one of the major speakers today here at AfroTech was Stacey Abrams, of course, who ran twice for governor of Georgia. She's been involved in a number of voting rights groups as well. She and I sat down for a conversation. Check it out. Stacey, somebody's probably asking, what the hell are you doing here in Afro-Tec? Well, I am with my people.

I recently wrote a novel called Coded Justice that focuses on the intersection of AI, D-E-I, and Veterans Health Care. And I really wanted to explore the conversation about what does DEI mean for our communities. But what does it mean as part of the larger evolution of our society and what does it mean for democracy? And Afro-Tech is the place to be. where the idea come from? So it really started for me when I was watching the attacks on DEI, and at the same time we were hearing about how AI was evolving and how much it would mean to the future of society.

And I wanted to think of a way to connect the dots for people who see them as separate conversations, but we know that if DEI is not embedded in how we think about how we build the world, then too many of us are going to get left out and left behind. and AI as a technology has the ability to really revolutionize who we are and how we are served, but not if it can't see us, and worse, not if it is weaponized against us. And there is no community that more reflects the importance of both DEI, but also of a government and a society that takes care of its own

than thinking about our veterans and what happens with their health care. During the session we livestream that you talked about, there was an initiative that dealt with, that utilize AEI and DEI, and that frames it differently. Explain that. So I was referencing, on Labor Day, this administration announced that they are doing a pilot in nine states where they are going to let AI help make decisions about our health care for Medicare patients, meaning the elderly and the disabled.

The issue is that a few weeks later, the same administration said that it is unlawful to use AI to use DEI to train AI models, meaning you have the responsibility to serve a policy. Michael Lewis here. My book, The Big Short, tells the story of the buildup and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely, but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception. It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up.

The monster was exploding, yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award-winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time. The Big Short Story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the big short now at Pushkin.fm.fm. slash audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold. Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life.

Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey! Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access. Awesome.

Learn how to have the conversation at Agree2agree.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily, has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line, stepping in getting a stop on. fourth and goal. Get the old Mo back on your side.

It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him. Newsflash. It's not going to happen. I think they smoke them.

And so much more for all you football sickos, listen to NFL Daily on the IHeart radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Population, you can't understand. Because what we know is the folks who are creating this are largely white. And so therefore, it's being defined through a white prism. Well, most of our research. I mean, we know that in health care in particular. Wait a minute.

How the cameras on these devices are set and it's not built for our skin tone. It isn't. And so we know, so Joey Boulinweeney is this amazing doctor who wrote a book called a masking AI. And she really explored the issue of what they refer to as algorithmic justice. That might sound esoteric until you realize your grandmother may not get health care because the Medicare decision about whether she gets a certain treatment is being determined by someone who doesn't understand that black women have a higher likelihood of some type of medical issue, that Latino men face certain issues. If we can't understand the population

you're serving, how is that service going to be valuable, especially when it comes to health care. And so the work that I've been doing, especially using coded justice as a point of entry, is about how do we make sure we understand this isn't just sci-fi. This is our every day. Right. Well, it's sort of like when the NFL had racism embedded in how it provided coverage to former athletes who had injuries. They was literally, oh, well, the black athletes, they're not as smart. I mean, that was literally in the medical decision as to grant who gets coverage. The American Psychological Association recently, I think, apologized for its refusal for many years to understand that its pronouncements about mental health had a racial bias.

And we've got to remember, DEI is not just race. It is race. It is ethnicity, but it's also ability. It is whether or not you have mental illnesses. It's about whether you have physical disabilities. And if we aren't allowed to understand the majority of our population, if we can't navigate and, research and learn. If information is denied, then the services provided are wrong. And one of the things you kept emphasizing, we have to take it upon ourselves to educate our own

community about really how broad this is now being used. We did a story of a young man. They were utilizing AI. And the software thought that his bag of Doritos, was a weapon. Yeah. I mean, we're now talking about, my goodness, cops could have been dispatched, guns drawn, and now we've got another situation of a young brother shot and killed because he has some Doritos. Exactly.

Part of what we have to understand about the intersection of AI and DEI, AI is a technology. It is a tool. But the people who use the tools are what we have to be concerned about. You can use it for good. You can use it for evil. Exactly. Tools can be used to build or destroy.

And the information those tools possess determine the quality of the services they can provide. And when you live in a nation that right now is erasing information, is cutting research, is outlawing knowledge. I mean, just here in Texas, they just forced the ouster of the head of the Alamo, the National Association that was doing the Alamo Trust. The Alamo Trust. They forced her out because she said, we've got to consider the indigenous people, the enslaved who were part of what led to the Alamo when she was forced out, not because she said anything wrong, but because she told the truth. Right. She was forced out because Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is a MAGA idiot. He wants to deny the issue of race. Listen, Dan Patrick used to be a sportscaster at a KHOU TV here. Grew up watching him. I used to debate, used to debate him on debate show here. And he's even crazier today than he was

20 years ago, he's down to lieutenant governor and how our system works in this state, lieutenant governor is actually more powerful than the governor. And so that's what we're now dealing with. Yeah. And the reason I want us to think about these examples is that when you hear AI, it sometimes feels so remote or so much smarter than us. Sounds like Will Smith's eye robot. Exactly. And the thing of it is, it is every day, but it's also part of a system. I've been talking about the 10 steps to autocracy and authoritarianism. There are 10 things that autocrats do, that authoritarian do, to seize power from a democracy. And among those powers, among those steps is they gut government so it doesn't work.

They fire people who aren't loyalists. They expand powers they don't possess. They use powers they possess to do things that are wrong. And if AI is one of the technologies they can use to leverage this power, we lose democracy even faster. But one of the core pillars is that they go after communities that they consider vulnerable. DEI is the central pillar of a pluralistic democracy. It is no mistake that when this administration took power

and for the two years preceding it, DEI was under attack. They attacked it because DEI is the centerpiece that holds up all of our democracy because if you can remove access to the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment, if you can get rid of the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you can gut Title I education, if you can deny SNAP benefits and Medicaid to the vulnerable,

What you can do is collapse people's belief in democracy and replace it with authoritarianism that means that we never have freedom again but we've got to fight back and part of the way we can fight back includes the tools of AI. Well, the points you just made there many times in speeches that I give

I talk about how all of these groups should be thanking black people that if you're a disabled and you're talking about the Environmental Disabilities Act you should thank black people that's 64 Civil Rights Act. If you're a woman and you are engineer a doctor, and you went to one of these grad schools, Title IX.

Title IX. That's the Provision of Civil Rights Act. That's D.E.I. And what, unfortunately, when we talk about civil rights in this country, is so many people who want you to find it as black, and the reality is we know what we fought for, but also, if you gay and you have about same-sex marriage, you better think black folks are that 14th Amendment,

equal production clause. And so what we're up against is, and what I framed it, specifically for us, I said, this is a massive effort to completely defund black America. They are attacking business, academic, non-profits, social groups, the entire black infrastructure. That's what they want to take out or massively weaken. So I think you're absolutely right.

And the reason I use DEI as well as civil rights, civil rights is the way we describe it, but you also have to use the language and you have to understand those who are attacking you. The reason they say DEI is that they were able to demonize the language, to make us run away from it. But they know what they're talking about. Oh, Christopher, Christopher Russo, with Rufo, was very clear.

They said, first with CRT, we want to put anything dealing with diversity under that ban. Exactly. And the reality is... Then it was woke to next year, then it was DEI. Exactly. But DEI has always been expansive. DAI has always contained all of the laws and the rules and the regulations that have made this country accessible.

And you're right. Almost every one of those rules had to be created in order to cure America's original sin towards black people. But the reality for everyone else is to know that they start with us. They never stop with us. Right. They practice their harm on us. See, I practice their scandal on us.

Here's the mistake I think what happened with the DEI when the attack started. And I was trying to combat as much as I could. The problem was there are many, even many of us. We were framing it within, well, 75% of the DEI jobs are white folks. And I'm like, okay, those are DEI jobs. I'm like, first of all, guys, chief diversity officer was before. before that one, before that, it was a community of favor. I said, look, there's a long line coming from the 1960s.

I said, the problem that y'all understand is all of the programming, all of the investment falls under that banner. That's separate than that individual with a job type. Exactly. If you go to APR Network.org, we have an entire timeline of what is DEI. So if you rep-A-R Network. APR Network. So it stands for American Pride Rises because you're not going to take my pride from me.

and you're not going to tell me that I'm not American simply because I don't look like what you expect. So American Pride Rises Network, so APR Network.org. We've got two things there. One, we have a timeline that lays out, just as you did, the history of how DEI came to be. And we know that this is the history they're using because if you read Project 2025,

everything they attack is everything DEI built. Right. But the second part is that we have, and this is one of the reasons I'm excited about AfroTech, we have a chat bot called a D-EVA, E-D-I-V-A, and you can ask them any questions about DEI-EI-E-A, Because the reality is, as much as they may be railing against it, it's not illegal. You can't change the law with an executive order.

You can't repeal a constitutional amendment with a tantrum. Which is why it's shameful with all these corporations go, well, since he signed it, we can't do this. He doesn't, that's the, that's applied to the federal government. Not state, not county, not city, not school board, not corporations. And even his federal edicts don't work because he's covered by federal law. You can't repeal the 14th Amendment by saying, I don't like it. And so what we've got to recognize, and that's why we created APR Network.org, for people to understand what's under a text, you pointed it out.

When Chris Rufo started with CRT, and we apologized, when he went after Woke and we tried to defend or didn't defend it. We tried to pretend we didn't use it. We have to stop letting them demonize our language because when they can change your language, they can change your mind. And so that's our first job. And our second job is that if there are 10 steps to destroying democracy, there are 10 steps to freedom and power. And so the other website I'm going to give people is 10 StepsCampaign.org. That's the place where we are helping people understand what is our power and what can we do. And I want to thank you because you've been railing about this, but also educating folks about the fact that they may be on the attack, but we don't have to be on the defense.

We can be on the offense. And we can start pushing back and defending our democracy right now. We are here in Houston. I'm born and raised here. This state has the most eligible black voters of any state in the country. Next door is Louisiana, a third of that state's African American, yet we look at turnout numbers. They're not what they should be.

I have been, talking about railing, I've been saying our goal has to be a minimum 70% threshold. Because if we're voting at 70%, we're talking about tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of votes could make the difference. Turnout numbers of black folks were not, but they should have been in Georgia in 2014, in North Carolina, 20204. what I keep arguing to our people, we actually can win if we're maximizing that power at the ballot box. But people have to believe there's something that it's worth it.

And you and I both know, it's not voter apathy, it's voter despair. When you've seen generational poverty, you're from Texas, I grew up in Mississippi, came of age in Georgia. When things don't change, you've stopped believing that you can be a part of change. But we're in the moment of a crisis where now is the time where we remind people not just that our power has worked before, but that they're afraid of our power in a way they never have been.

In 17 years, this nation is majority-minority. That means if we start working now, not trying to change the mind of the 77 million or trying to remind the 75 million why they voted the right way, but the 90 million who didn't think their voices mattered, but you do that by proving that democracy can work. So in the midst of destroying democracy, when they gut snap, when they steal from our children to pay for wealthy people to get their tax cuts, now is the time for us to step in and use this moment to explain to people.

You may not be into politics, but politics is into. you and it is a stalker and hear all of the things about you. Here are all the things that you need that I'm not asking you to vote for this person you don't know or to believe that this person is going to be different. I'm asking you to vote for you. I'm asking you to say that I deserve better and I'm going to take this time out of my life to try to make things better for me and for mine. That's why democracy is so important.

We're dealing with the reality of groups also under attack. Recently, New Georgia Project shut down. Group you were very much involved with. And what I have been, and funding is being impacted as well. Black voters matter, 40% funding down 40% as well. A lot of people are running away from this fight. What I keep yelling as well is that, one, we can't be locked into election cycles. It has to be 365, 7 days a week.

But we also have to keep these voter groups intact when the election is over, because whether you win or lose, you still need those folks coming to the city council meeting, the school board meeting, the county commission, the state board meeting. And that's the thing that drives me crazy there

is that we act like, oh, that's the end of the process. I can go back to what I was doing. I'm like, no, no, no, no. We need you. You've got to stay in this thing. Exactly. So one of the steps and the 10 steps

to freedom and power. So step one is commit. Step two is share. We've got to share the knowledge that you have. We've got to tell people what we're learning. They've broken our ecosystem of media and knowledge. We've got to tell people what we know.

Number three, we've got to organize. Number four, we've got to mobilize. It's not enough to say, I'm mad, but you talk about the divine nine all the time. How are we using our organizations to mobilize to solve problems right now? Because asking someone to vote in two years doesn't matter if they're hungry today. And then the next step, we've got to litigate. We've got to keep fighting. It is okay if we lose lawsuits as long as we are fighting them, because you and I both know

Thurgood Marshall lost a lot before you won. Then we have to disrupt. We've got to do these protests, but protests aren't enough. We've got to know our rights. We've got to be out there. We've got to be filming everything. Then we've got to do the work of denying them the ability to change our language. That's why I use DEI everywhere I go.

But then, to your point, we've got to engage. If somebody has asked for your vote, they need to hear your voice. The day after they get elected, that's when they should be really, really afraid. Because you should be showing up everywhere. And it's not enough to go to your congressperson. Go to your city council member because one day they want another job too. And they have just as much of a stake in you getting your access to your services as anybody else does. So your school board members, your city council, your county commission, we can't let anyone off the hook.

When they are trying to take our rights, everyone is responsible. And then if they won't do the job, then you elect someone new. That's step nine. Because ultimately, and I think this is where you and I spend so much of our time, we've got to demand the nation we deserve. It's not about fixing and going back to getting what we had. Clearly what we had wasn't strong enough. We now have to demand what we deserve for the next round. And with this Calais decision coming out on voting rights in the next six months, it is more important than ever.

that we start understanding it's not just power in D.C., it's power in Houston, in Atlanta, in Montezuma, Georgia, in Gulfport, Mississippi. It is power at the local level that will determine our future. Last question. So let's do this here. That's your camera right there. There's somebody who is watching this. Yes.

And they're saying, Stacey, I hear all that. I stood out there in Georgia, you didn't win. And Kamla didn't win. this person for school district didn't win and I'm tired I want to go line dancing I want to do boots on the ground I want to sit let I want to rest

what do you say to that person brother or sister senior citizen middle age or somebody who's 18 to 35 what do you tell that person that we aren't guaranteed success but as long as we have democracy we are guaranteed access

and every time we let them tell us we're not enough, then we are giving them permission to take from us. The 10 StepsCampaign.org is about how we reclaim our freedom and our power. And the reason we have to do that, I didn't win an election, but not getting the title does not exempt me from the work, not getting what we want, does not change what we need. And in a democracy, the only way you get what you need is by showing up over and over again, outlasting those who think that if they hurt you enough, you'll just go away. I'm never going anywhere.

You can't get rid of me that easily. And they should not be able to tell any of us our voices don't matter. Our power isn't real. Because if it wasn't real, they wouldn't be fighting so hard to take it from us. Absolutely.

You gave a whole bunch of websites. Two, just two, just two. The two to know. Org to learn about DEI and what's under attack and then 10 Steps Campaign.org to learn how to fight back. There's only two things you need to know. All right.

Stacey, appreciate it. Good to see you. Roland, thanks for having me. Thanks a lot. Neil, ma'am, I'm going to you first. The point that she made there, the role that we have to play in terms of educating ourselves and our people regarding AI, it's one thing to just sit back and say, oh, my God. Michael Lewis here.

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Last week's games, we recapped him. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line, stepping in getting a stop on fourth and goal, get the old Mo back on your side. It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games,

we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on them.

Newsflash, it's not going to happen. I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football sickos, listen to NFL Daily on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. It's going to take us all out. But education, empowerment. Look, Kathy's law always said,

information is power. And so it's absolutely important that we are educating as many of our folks as possible about where we're going with this technology. Absolutely. And I think because it's such a wide open field, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by it. But part of, I think, being able to harness it is by understanding what it does, what its capabilities are, and what its limits are. And I think far too often, especially with the tech space, black people often find themselves behind the eight balls.

So we're late adopters, we're late comers to the field. And by the time we get in, you know, the technology has moved on. And I think at least right here, and of course with AfroTech, we are in the front of the movement and not behind it. And I think it's going to become a part of our regular everyday lives. And so the more we know and the more we can do to advance this technology for our own communities and for our good, the better off will be. Because technology, despite what many people think, is not neutral and it's certainly not race neutral. And so we have to think about how we can use these tools, because that's what it is at the end of the day for our community's betterment and development. Andrew, I got a text alert earlier.

Navidia is the first publicly traded company to reach $5 trillion in valuation. There's no guarantee that this is actually going to be, frankly, a profitable business. But it shows you really what's happening between Navidia. Open AI and so many other companies. Mute. Andrew, you on mute. If you think about 2008, when Apple came out with the first iPhone, everybody was amazed by it,

but then black people were scared about the whole screen and the capabilities, the complications of it. And we're seeing the same kind of phenomenon here with AI. AI is so powerful. And companies like Navidia who are publicly traded and are making trillions of dollars just on speculation are in the future when you're looking at five, ten years, when you're looking at cars that are using AI,

where you're looking at all these businesses that are using AI. And you're thinking about the whole, the death to DEI and how the entrepreneurship can be harnessed by AI. black people really have to embrace this because this is a new frontier. If you are a business owner, you have an idea and you place it into a chat GPT and you place it into a pilot,

they can create ideas for you. They create business models for you. So for us, we don't even need mainstream anymore. AI has taken that away. We don't even need the mainstream jobs anymore because we can create our own jobs, our own ecosystem. with AI. So AfroTech being around being able to educate people, because that's a lot of what it is with AI is educating people on how to use it. And something that Stacey Abrams said that was so powerful was putting it into the wrong hands and how dangerous it can be. And if we can educate our people on it, we can counter that dangerousness and that our entire race is not left behind simply because we're afraid or told to be afraid and something that's so powerful and can be so effective and so

positive for our community. Absolutely. All right then. Andrew and Nyambi, I appreciate y'all being on today's panel. Thank you so very much. Thank you, Roland. Thank you, Roland, as usual. Going to break, we come back.

We're going to hear from Ron Busby, here the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce. We'll also hear from some students at Tennessee State University who are here at AfroTech. Plus, we'll talk about health and the importance of use of technology when it comes to help as well.

We'll have that conversation. Lots to share with you as we're live from AfroTech 2025 here, the George R. Brown-Govitcher Center here in Houston, right here on Roller Market Unfiltered on the Black Stud Network. Back in a moment. In the military, I gave orders, and they went a lot further than they do around here. If there's one thing I've learned as a mom and foster parent of more kids than I can count investing in their future isn't a choice.

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This is Reggie Roth-Faifilett. You're watching. Ron Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and ungrubbed, and ungrossed. damn believable. You hear me? Martin. Folks, Black Business Matters, and the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., that's what their focus is. I talk with Ron Busby, the CEO of U.S. Black Chamber, Inc., about this very issue. And, of course, the expansion of black-owned businesses in tech.

All right, Ron, we're here at AfroTech in Houston, and this has been an extremely difficult year, economically. for African Americans, more than 300,000 black women out of jobs. Black unemployment has greatly increased for black men as well. And what is happening is you're seeing folk realize, hey, I have to do my own thing. And so we're seeing the changes. We're seeing how AI is changing things as well. Just your perspective of being here recognizing how we can actually build and expand black-owned businesses? Great question. And it's good to be here.

Sunnyside, Houston is where I was born, where I'm from. So it's great to be home. You know, a lot of people look at this economy and say, oh, my God, this is a terrible economy. I'm always seeing the glass is overflowing. I say that the biggest transfer that this country has seen in wealth will happen over the next 10 years.

And it's called the graying tsunami. Folk like you and myself that have been a business for ourselves for years who don't have necessarily a junior to pass it off to, a sibling, a spouse to pass it off to, they're now saying, what am I going to do with this business? We see Black Enterprise every year has their top 100 black-owned firms, and every year 10% of those fall off, and we always ask ourselves, well, what happened to those firms? And if we've surveyed those and found out that the majority of those firms didn't go out of business because they were in the wrong business or didn't have the right acumen,

they didn't have a succession plan. And so for many of the businesses and young entrepreneurs that are here today, I'm saying we should be looking at acquiring firms. When I talk to corporate America, the federal government, and just people in general, they say, well, I want to start a business. What do you think I should do? And I'm saying you should do something that is already being done. Right. I understand that this is a tech conference, but Technology runs in reference to everything that we do. Look, what you just said, so I can now, I can think back 20 years. I've spoken all around the world, and I've spoken at numerous Black Chambers of Commerce,

conferences, summits, and you name it. And whenever they ask me to speak, I get the program. and I go through the program and consistently M&A, murders and acquisitions, is not on the agenda. I remember speaking. This is when Obama was president, Ray LaHood was Secretary of the Transportation, Department of Transportation. And I gave a keynote speech. And a sister came up to me, she said, for the last three years, my partner and I were preparing our business to be sold. She said, after your speech, I called him and said, shut that down.

We need to be buying. They never thought about acquisitions. And I think that's one of the biggest issues that for so many black businesses, if you say, hey, yeah, I want to start something, no. How about I go buy something that already exist and now elevate it, change it, do whatever. And it just keeps happening over and over and over again. A couple of things, the reason why it's so much easier, and I talk to folk all the time, and they say, well, we don't have the size and the scale, and or we can't find you.

And so the U.S.BC is saying, well, one, we can create a platform that you can be found at buy black, buy black.us, but more importantly, as it relates to size and scale, our firms aren't going to be able to grow quick enough, organically enough, to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that exist today. You can't be a John A. Johnson and Ebony and have Negro Digest, Ebony, Jet, and you grow that over 65 years. You simply can't do it. And in fact, that's also a perfect example. Johnny Johnson also passed on a lot of passed on radio, was an early investor owner of a cable franchise, sold it.

And then we see then what happened when he passed away, what happened to the business? And so I have long said, I measure a great businessman or businesswoman, not based on how they ran the business when they were live, but how they left the business when they passed on. If we look at the billionaires in our community, the first one being my fraternity brother, Reginald Lewis, he didn't start a business. He bought a business. Right. We can even look at Levered buyout. Yeah. We can even look at Elon Musk.

He never started anything. He acquired things. And so for our community, I think, especially the audience that we have here today, it is much a better growth pattern to look at acquiring. The second thing is access to capital is the number one obstacle that we face. Well, if I'm trying to get capital from a bank and I'm trying to start a business with no revenue, no receivables, no history, it's going to be very difficult. But if I have a balance sheet from a previous company, I got history of revenue, I got employees, I got customers, a bank is going to look at that totally different than a startup. Yep. And those businesses that we're acquiring typically are going to be financed a lot easier. But we also have, we say we have these access to capital conversations. I also think that has to be broadened because when I'm talking to different folks,

they say, we need access to capital. I go, no, we also need access to contracts. Exactly. Because, so I talk about where we are in this media business, in the black-owned media business. The reality is built this one sponsor, $350,000 of my own money, seven years later, being profitable for the last five years.

But here's the biggest piece. I don't have debt. I don't owe anybody. And so I've had people say, well, you should do a raise. I said, okay, that's great. I can go out and raise money. The problem is if the advertising contracts don't come, if the agencies don't spend and the brands don't spend,

you're just going to burn that cash. And so that's where I also keep saying access to contracts to be able to grow a business. I think about Maynor Jackson when he said that, listen, they were providing city contracts, And they said to banks, you know they got a contract. I need you to give them a line of credit so they can actually float their business for six months. And so when we talk about access to capital, I think we have to add that piece.

Yeah, you can get capital, but you also need contracts to build and grow your business. But I understand this. We're in D.C. A lot of folk here are talking about trying to get government contracts or state and local government contracts. The federal government is notorious for being a terrible payer. Yeah. They pay six months typical. Right.

So if you're a small business and you don't have access to capital, but you get a contract. Let's assume you get the contract January 1st and you don't get paid until June 15th, you best believe you're going to need some capital to be able to carry the flow to the federal government. Yeah, absolutely. Right. So it's a combination we are going to need the contracts because after we talk about giving us all the access to information and technology, most people say the number one thing they want is an opportunity. Right.

And once I get that opportunity, now I got to go fund it. And I want to make sure that we give you kudos for understanding that the access to capital starts with the individual owner. And so, you know, it's very interesting. I've had people coming to me and they said, man, I think you being too aggressive, you know, in calling folk out who don't spend money on black on media. I said, well, the numbers don't lie.

I said that $350 billion is being spent every single year, and we're getting 0.5 to 1%. I said, I'm sorry, I'm not about to be ecstatic with that. And the reality is you can do the right thing, you can do the pitch, you can do all of the quiet stuff. But you know for a fact when companies and agencies are rewarding you in meetings. Ty Brown, a friend of my friend of my brother, Urban-Ans network, he said, we were on one call. and he said, y'all know that everybody in this meeting is being paid to be here except us. He said, all y'all being paid to be here.

He said, this is our fifth meeting. And I did with one company, I said, we're not meeting again. I said, this is the seventh meeting. I said, so the next meeting we have was either going to be a contract meeting or we're not meeting. And then the CMO called me and he said, I appreciate your lack of a poker face

because I saw you on the Zoom call. And the look on your face said, this whole meeting is bullshit. And I was like, you're correct. And so that's just one of those things that we have to also be willing to press. And some folk got to be called out who are freezing us out of the business or the deal flow. What happens now that the U.S. Black Chamber has acquired the National Association of Black Own Broadcasters, we too looked at our existing customer base at the U.S. Black Chamber. These were corporations that were funding us over the last 16 years.

And we said there's not a lot of more money that we can get from them from corporate partnerships and sponsorships. But we can't talk to them about advertising. That has been difficult. And Roland, what they will tell us is, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going to advertise in black media, but they'll give that to a white advertising firm and then say, okay, go find some black media. To advertise. And then what the white ad firm then does, they only want to deal with the largest black-on-media entities.

They don't want to deal with the folks who are smaller, and they give you all the excuses. And we've, you know, we battle that sort of stuff. And I remember when Group Black was created, the whole premise of Group Black was literally, don't come talk to us while all y'all go to them. And again, my man, Todd said, he said, He said, can you show me group white? Can you show me group pink? He said, why is it that all of us have to go to one company because the agency, you don't want to deal with us?

And again, it's the freeze out of how they actually freeze us out of that economic pie. But you know, Roland, you have set the stage for everyone following you on how it to be done. And this show is being streamed across the country. Folk are watching it. I had an opportunity to be on stage a little earlier with a media personality who used to be on CNN

and that was a lady talking about we really miss you guys on CNN. And I was like, you can still find those same individuals just on different platforms but you've got to do a little bit of work. And when we do that work, mainstream America, mainstream media

is starting to lose that audience. Oh, big time. And so now they are starting to say, okay, well, this economy is definitely out there. How can we now make sure that we're not going to lose going forward? And so understand that we applaud you for what you're doing. Obviously, you know about the U.S. Black Chambers, now relationship with black radio, black TV, and black broadcasters. And so, man, again, thank you for what you're doing. You're making our lives a little bit easier to be

able to tell our story. Well, we're just in a situation now where I talk about the ecosystem because if you do not have a place to get your story told, to control your narrative, then you're hoping and begging somebody else covers you. And that ain't going to happen. Now, especially what we see happening with linear television, with these broadcast networks, these cable networks, we see the explosion of podcasting in digital media. And so all these things are happening.

But the last thing I want to talk to you about is, and I've been making this point as well, and I say this to black on media, even in other fields, We've also got to say we've got to stop operating in silos, meaning how do partnerships get formed? How do joint ventures get formed? When I started this, I went to every major black media company and not one wanted a partner. Now, what I'm doing, none of them do. So it wasn't like I was bringing something that you already do.

And I said, you already have relationships, you already have advertisers, you already have the entire back end, but you're not doing. Michael Lewis here. My book, The Big Short, tells the story of the build. up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely, but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception. It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up.

The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy award-winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time. The Big Short Story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the big short now at Pushkin.fm.com or wherever audiobooks are sold.

Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey! Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access.

Awesome. Learn how to have the conversation at Agree2agree.org, brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line, stepping in getting a stop on fourth and goal, get the old Mo back on your side.

It was a lot of good defense. of stops, including in the game of the date. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him.

Newsflash. It's not going to happen. I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football sickos, listen to NFL Daily on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. doing this. Here's an opportunity for you to be able to sell additional units. And it was a variety of things. Well, no, no, no, no. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do this. Letting y'all know. But the whole point was we could get there faster if we were partnered. And that to me is also an

issue that black firms have to recognize. You can still own your business, but you can create joint ventures. Because if you, you as a singular individual, can't compete. You as a single can't compete with the two of you together, or adding two more can actually compete for that much larger contract. The other thing I want to talk about in reference to contracts, I want your audience to understand this, because a lot of people are concerned now that the federal government is walking back a lot of this diversity, equity, and inclusion. And so for the folk that are watching, understand that the federal government spends $960 billion a year. Of that $960 billion, of that $960,000,

$60 billion, $640 billion, is available for businesses like yours, like mine, to be able to participate and compete for. But of that, historically, we've been able to compete for somewhere around 11%. What we have heard, though, is that is the minority spend. But when you start to disaggregate that spend, you'll find that black businesses in general get a very small piece of even that minority spend. Less to 2%? 1.5%.

But understand that that 1.5% represents about $10 billion. Right. So we've got to start to say, okay, if we can get from 1.5% to 3%, that's $20 billion. And that $10 billion that happened under Biden-Harris. So there was an upper trajectory of those contracts. Actually, when Obama was in office, his first term, the goal was 5% for minority spend, he surpassed that and did 7%. His second term...

That was minority spin. What was the black spin? I'm going to get there. See, I don't care about the M. I care about the B. But until... I'm the same way. And that's why I'm going to make this real clear to your audience.

His second term, the goal was 7%. He surpassed that and did 9%. Now you got Joe Biden running for office, and he said, hey, I'm going to increase the spin from 11% to 15%. And I said exactly what you said. Hey, Joe, that's great. But that's not what I'm interested. I think he made that, he said that when we're in Tulsa.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma. And so I put a tweet out. I got a phone call from one of the black folks in the White House who was mad as hell. And I said, why are you calling me? And I brought up black on media, federal government. I brought up several things. And oh, well, man, but I said, no, no, no. I said, I need you to understand here.

I am not talking about more contracts for minorities and women, because the W is actually white. is actually white women. I said, I'm talking about black people. You were in Tulsa. That was black people. That was black people. And they backed off. I said, I want you to be real clear who I'm talking about. You and I both. And what we heard is that under Biden, first year it was 1.5%. Second year is 1.51. Third year, 1.5. And before he left, it was at 1.61. So there was some movement under the previous administration, but it takes intentionality. Right.

It takes transparency, and most importantly, it takes accountability. And this is the problem we have right now? They're not tracking numbers. They won't track. So you don't even know if it goes up or if it goes down. What we have heard is that this current administration wants to move it back to the 5%. Total minority spend across all sectors. Total minority spend?

Total minority. As opposed to 11 to 15%. So they want to go from 11 to 15% minority spend down to 5. That's where it was when Obama was in office at first and that's what they said

that they'd love to see it stay there. So for all you, for all you punk-ass FBI B-1 folks who are running your mouth like that, I ran to this Iggy and As Omega on Sunday. I was at a golf tournament

and he came up to me and he said, man, he said, he had it all of it. He said, you know, I'm a brother. I'm an Omega. I'm one of the black men who voted for Trump. I never saw anything in my life change. On the Democrats, I said, why not give him a shot?

And I just started lighting his ass up. I start laying out this issue, this issue, this issue. I went all the anti-black stuff. I said, so then I hit the DBA stuff. I said, you do know. I said that first of all, the two white men out of Indiana filed a lawsuit, if the Trump folk told the judge, they want to completely get rid of the federal DBA program.

Instagram. That Omega got real quiet. I said, so I'm confused. What the hell then were you voting for if they want to wipe out all of the contracts? I think many people just are following trends. And if somebody says something that's slick or someone that says something a little bit controversial. He's like, well, this stuff I need to know. I said, if your ass watched the show every day, you would know what the hell I'm talking about. Exactly. And I think you got, I hate to say it, You got young people talking to young people and had not experienced many of the challenges and they say, well, nothing has changed in my life.

They weren't here when things were difficult, so they never saw things getting any better. Or, and they've never seen anything worse. Right. Many of them that are under 30 years old or under 40 years old have lived the majority of their lives under a Democratic president. So, yes, things have been good for them.

But now they're saying things disappear, that their parents and grandparents, parents have fought and worked for, and now they're gone, and they're saying what happened. Yeah, that means that they all have to fight for, too. And then they will say, well, where are the leaders, and what are the leaders doing? And we're saying, well, wait a minute, what were you doing November to 6th when it was time to vote? Yeah. Either you didn't vote or you voted incorrect.

Everybody has a role of play in this. Exactly. All right, Ron, we appreciate it. Thank you so much for having us, man. Thank you. Scott Bowden, look at that. See, Scott, I let a cap on my show. I told y'all, there's a couple of y'all I let it happen.

Appreciate you, Rowland. Appreciate it. All right. All right, folks. Next up, how do you go from the NAACP to involved in Silicon Valley? Well, to take an Edie will tell us how she did that next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltsured on the Black Star Network live from AfroTech 2025 here in Houston at the Georgia Brown Convention Center back in a moment. If in this country right now, you have people get up in the morning, and the only thing they can think about is how many people they can hurt,

and they've got the power, that's the time for mourning. For better or worse, what makes America special, it's that legal system that's supposed to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority. We are at a point of a moral emergency. We must raise a voice of outrage. We must raise a voice of compassion. And we must raise a voice of unity. We are not in a crisis of party versus party.

We are in a crisis of civilization, a human rights crisis, and a crisis of democracy itself. And guess what? You've been chosen to make sure that those that would destroy, those that would hate, don't have the final say, and they don't ultimately win. Hi, everybody. I'm Kim Colson. Hey, I'm Donnie Simpson. Yo, it's your man, Dionne Coe from Blackish, and you're watching... Roland Martin, unfiltered. All right, folks, we're live here at AfroTech 2025.

Joteka Edy worked at the NAACP, then all of a sudden she went to go work in Silicon Valley. How in the heck do you do that? Well, that was our conversation. Here it is. All right, y'all, so I had to go ahead and break my shades out because my next guest, Sheila Hollywood. Jotaika Eadie, of course. So that's why, let me go ahead and break this. shades out, you know, because whenever she

come around, it's glitz and glam and all that good stuff. What's happening? How you doing? You know, go GameCax? Girl, don't start. So y'all didn't understand. So we have a text message thread. And since my Texanian Agis have been

in the SEC, the school we have owned the most during football season of South Carolina Gamecox. So Joteka, Anton Gunn, Bacari, Sallors, Who else is in that text thread? Christina Q.

Christina Q is another brother who's in that thread. Oh, my God. She says he's an alpha. Oh, my God, what's his name? Oh, you're talking about Mike. So they all gamecocks. And so they've only beaten us twice in like 13 years. But an L is an L.

Like L is an L, but they've taken way more L's. And they talk a whole lot of trash in this thread. They've been real quiet this season, though. when you're three and five that's what happens well you know what rolling just watch the end of the season oh i'm just letting you know let's see where things go y'all let's see who's going to be in the sancy championship we know y'all not when they come to Kyle field we're going to handle that business so the thread is going to be probably a one-way thread that day we are ready for but you know now you know stop it well let's just put it here jesus today today on rolling martin unfiltered

you will wear a game cock full outfit once we beat you off because that ain't going to never happen that ain't going to never happen and I must okay y'all we're going to order his outfit you go ahead and order it and I'm gonna have my big Texas A&M foam hat but you do have to put on and a 12th man jersey now listen we don't beat y'all so much you might as well go ahead and just had that laid out every year so I just want y'all let y'all know it's the trash talking but And then, you know, Anton be running his mouth, but we just be beating the hell out of y'all. Y'all, they beat us last year the first time, I think, in like eight years. Yeah, we beat you. Yeah, hold up. And we will do it again this year. In the previous seven years, we won't.

You know what? People mostly remember. People remember the last game. Did we drop like 60 or 70 on y'all at child's stadium? You took an L. Did we, like, in y'all home stadium, we put like 70 on y'all. You took an L last year. They are two and 11.

Let me double check it. They are two and 11 since we joined the SEC. But you took an L last year. That's one of the two. But we know what's going to happen this year. We'll see. Are y'all ranked this year? No.

We will be. Are y'all ranked? We will be. Matter of fact, oh, we number three in the country. Y'all got three wins. Let's talk. Let's talk Afro tech. You don't want to want to start.

I mean, all the ails y'all have been taken. And I send them a text every week going, Womp, Womp, Womp, Womp, Womp, Womp. Roling just bad. He didn't go to the University of South Carolina. That's what it is. I can guarantee you. I did not want to go to high school twice.

We have the number one international business school in the country. Oh, y'all got something that's ranked? Yeah, we do. Okay. We got more Fortune 100 CEOs than any other country in America. I mean, we're home. I'm just... We're home.

Anton Gunn. We're home to Carrey Seller. Don't nobody know Anton Gun. We're home to Steve Benjamin. Don't nobody know that Campa? Girl, do you want me to start name? You want me to start naming. Roland, let's talk about tech. That little bit of school in South Carolina.

How are the students y'all got? We have a large number of students. Which I got about 20,000? No. Probably more like 30,000. Oh, that's a satellite campus for us. That's a little satellite campus. I love you, rolling.

That's a wing of Texas thing. You know what? We got my 78,000. Let's just see what happens. Joe Taker. Let's see what happens. Joe Taker, we're going to pick the hell out of y'all. And I promise you, we're all coming on your show.

And you're going to wear the game caught here. That's what's just going to happen. I'm letting you know. Okay. We're going to, it's going to be hashtag team with that ass to let y'all know. But y'all going to be two and 12 against us. All right. Let's go ahead and start this interview before you get cut.

Let's talk tech and activism. So you work for the NWACP for a long time, and then you made a switch. Why? Ooh, that's a good question. I know it's good. Of course, my friend. So you know what's interesting is that at the time when the switch, when I left, the NACP, this was 2013, 2014.

Lower microphone a little bit. There you go. 2013, 2014, and I was very hesitant. And it was a time when Mitch K. Poor, Frida K. Poore, and Ben, Ben, had left the NAACP and went in Silicon Valley. Been jealous. And they called me and they said, look, we think you should come into tech. We have companies that market to black and brown communities have no black employees. They're in a highly regulated or about to be highly regulated industry, which was financial technology.

and I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm doing just fine, I'm doing important work, I'm working on voting rights, I'm doing all this work at the NAACP, and I remember having conversations with Frida K-Poor Klein, and she was like, you could do good and do well, and that the industry could use someone like yourself with your skill set, and I still felt like I didn't know how to code, I was much older, I didn't see a reflection of myself. So when you were thinking of tech, you were thinking the engineering jobs, stuff along the else. Reverend Jackson always made a point to say that folks didn't realize 60% of the jobs are not in STEM. Absolutely. And that's what I learned. And so when I got out of my own way and I went into the industry, what I realized was that not only was there a need for me, there was a demand for people like myself, people with my skill set. particularly in financial technology where the regulatory framework was not even developed. This is at the very launch of the CFPB.

And so they needed people who had relationship and understanding of how policy was developed to go in and help guide the policy that was going to dictate the product. You can't have a steady and a reliable product roadmap if you don't have a reliable government or regulatory framework in which you can build your product. It's always going to be back and forth, which is not good for business. But then you also saw how the sausage was made and how folk became millionaires and billionaires. And all of a sudden, how investments here and investments here

and learning about this new company about the launch and folk getting in early as well. So you saw a side of Silicon Valley of Tech that most African-Americans don't see. They never see. And that's what I learned. A very important word. deal flow.

Bob Johnson always said you have to be in the deal flow. You've got to be in the deal flow. If you're in the room and conversations are happening, that's the deal flow that you may not be aware of if you're not at the table in the room. Absolutely. And that's what I learned.

And so when I went into tech, I remember having dinner with Tanya Lombard. I remember having dinner with Mignon. Lombard, AT&T. Yes, and Mignon Moore. And what they said to me, They said, look, because I went to Tanya, because Tanya, I believe, is a real model for how you can be in corporate America. Because this was new for me to go into corporate America, and I always talked to Mignon.

And what they said was first learn how to do your job, then understand how the industry works. And then once you learn how the industry works, then you go back and you make sure that others can understand and you open as many doors as Donna Brazile always says, remove the hinges from the door. And so it was very important for me when I went into tech to go back. tell all my friends that were on the hill in the White House that was in other civil rights organizations, here, this is an opportunity for us. They need us. They need us not just for the regulatory of government affairs aspect. They need us for going into these markets, understanding the market. Just imagine a company that entirely they are marketing to black

and brown people, and there is no black or brown people at any decision-making table, whether or not the marketing, the strategy for how they're going to go to market, the development of the technology, the algorithms, the research so that your products are culturally competent. All of those things matter for you to do well in business. But then also, I began to understand deal flow. And I began to have invitations into conversations about deal flow, about investments. And so I started earlier. In other companies. And so I started investing. I learned about how you can become a limited partner in funds and how you can take money and you can give that money to a trust. Michael Lewis here. My book The Big Short tells the story of

the buildup and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception. It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up. The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award-winning movie,

I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time. The Big Short Story, what it means when people start betting against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked financial system, it is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the big short now

at pushkin.fm.com slash audiobooks or wherever audiobooks are sold. Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable, but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time.

How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey. Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access. Awesome.

Learn how to have the conversation at Agree2agree.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily, has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line stepping in getting a stop on fourth and goal. Get the old Mo back on your side.

It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day. This week's games, we previewed him. He is the best quarterback in the league this year. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in his later years, and this is a compliment. He's no longer hanging in quite as much to take those big hits because he's playing the long game. They're not going to get pressure on him. Newsflash. It's not going to happen.

I think they smoke them. And so much more for all you football. It goes, listen to NFL Daily on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And the problem is for many of us, we're thinking, oh, my God, it's a million to $5 million, not realizing there are people who made millions of dollars in investment for $5,000, $25,000. I mean, small amounts of money. Again, when you don't know, you don't know. When you don't know, you don't know. And I think that's what's important that when we get into these spaces, that is important for us to share information about investment.

There have been many of times when I've had investment opportunities, investment deals that I've been involved in. And I go to as many people as possible and say, hey, I've gone to you and say, hey, this is a really good deal. Here's their debt. I really believe in this company. Minimum check is $10,000. A minimum check is $25,000.

And I think we often think that we've got to have a million dollars. Now, you do have to be an accredited investor in order to be an accredited investor in the United States by law, you have to have an income, I believe it's at least $250,000 a year as an individual, or you have to have a net worth, I believe, outside of any homes that you own, a $5 million. But there are many Black Americans in this country that meet that threshold, particularly of making $250,000 a more a year. And that gives you the opportunity. If you think about some of us walk around and we look at our closet, we might have $20,000 in shoes, bags, and clothes that we might have bought in one year.

When we could have taken that and put it in an investment, and not only when we invest in companies that otherwise don't get the capital, we are doing multiples. Like, one, it's an opportunity for us. Second, what it also does, it puts capital and in a flow of capital, particularly the founders who have just as much agency, just as much. talent, but often are overlooked and underfunded and just need the opportunity and the capital backing. Last question I want to ask you, and by being in those rooms, when you talk about deal flow, also understanding there's hiring going on, meaning that marketing agency, that ad agency, that audiovisual firm, that PR firm. So we're talking millions upon billions of contracts that we're also not being aware of.

someone like you was there, you could say, hey, did you consider this firm, this firm, this firm? And so even if you're not in the tech company, your company could be a beneficiary of those tech dollars. Yes, I have had the opportunity. And I think a lot of people, they mostly see my advocacy work, which is very important. It's my heart work. It is my volunteer work that I do. The work that I do that allow me to have the flexibility to do that is my investing, and it is the work that I have done to advise tech companies.

I'm on a board of a private tech company, even.biz. I am an investor in a multitude of companies. I'm an LP in multiple funds. And what that allows me is to have a seat at the table to all of these companies because they will often ask, what do you think? When you are an investor in a company, you get what's called an investor update. And often they would tell you these are our next hires that we want to make. And then what I have the opportunity is to say, hey, here's a really great.

person if you're not thinking about them or no of them happy to make an introduction or here's a really great media agency for you to think about to help you accomplish the goal that you're that that that that you have and so i think we have to think about the holistic nature of being in these tech industries and i think that's why conferences like afro tech is so important because i think it's not just important for us to have a seat at the table as employees but we need to be investors in these companies we need to be on the board of these companies we need to be on the management team of these companies. When I sat on the executive management team

of the financial technology company that I sat at, only two people in the room knew how to code. Everybody else was a financial CFO, general counsel, myself, others. We didn't know how to tech. We knew how to market. We knew how to build businesses, how to market a business, how to protect a business.

And that's mostly what companies are doing. And I think the last thing that I'll say, is that in this conversation of around artificial intelligence and AI, it is absolutely imperative that we as a community dive deep into this, not only in the protections around the regulatory framework so that it is not weaponized against us, but it is very important for us to understand how it works because the next great divide in America will happen as a result of AI.

And either we will be on the train or the train will run over us. Absolutely. The take, always good to see you. And next time we chat, I have a box of tissue for you with my Aggies hand. But I will have a T-shirt and a hat. Won't need it. You know, I'm going to get, you know, I'm going to have a special order. I'm going to call Don Staley and ask her to get you a special order.

That's fine. Yeah, that's what happened. But it ain't going to happen to football. All right. Love you, my friend. All right. All right, y'all, before I go to break, earlier today, that was a sister. I was going back to the hotel to pick up something, and she saw me.

She sprinted across the street. She said her grandmother watches me every day and later. She FaceTime my grandmother, and I had a chance to talk with her. And so check this out. Miss Nord, your granddaughter, first brother, lens was dirty, so she's going to be sending you a very fuzzy, foggy video, trying to clean that thing off. Granny, you see how you doing me? So I didn't, my niece is right there.

They'll tell you that ain't no different. So I had to sit here and, you know, go ahead and get this straight so you can have a clean video. So I appreciate you watching the show. Every night, she said he'd be telling the real news. And she's right. She absolutely right. She absolutely right. So that's how, yeah, you got to start watching.

Yeah. We only want to go every night, five days a week for seven years. Yeah. So just saying. Should have known. All right. So we live, doing a show live. over there.

Granny, too then. So you could watch the show live. She said, you ain't never watched the show. She'd be telling me you gotta watch, because he'd be doing the real news. Yes. Unfiltered. Listen to your grandmama.

All right, Granny. I did this for you. I ran across the street because I saw him. When she's trying to say she almost got hit, run across the street. Now you take care, keep watching. Her name was Jovi, so good time. be so good to meet you when we come back. We'll talk about technology and health. We'll also hear

from some students from Tennessee State University who are here at Afro Tech 2025. You're watching Roland Martin on Filchin on the Black Star Network. We're going to be able to be. Thank you. Hi, I'm Joe Marie Payton. Voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney Plus. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiljured. To the center, we're here at AfroTech 2025.

Lots of great conversations going on in so many different areas. And the reality is when we talk about. technology. It impacts every facet of our life. We can talk about automotive, we can talk about finance, we can talk about, I don't care what the subject is. Health is also a part of that.

And so joining us right now are three folks who work with NWACP in this particular area. And so glad to have y'all here. First and foremost, give us a sense, first of where you're from? Dr. Tony Price, where you're from? Good old Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia.

Tanisha Sullivan? Boston, Massachusetts. All right, then. Chris Pernett, Dr. Chris Pernel. Born and raised, East Orange, New Jersey. All right then. And so what is this NAACP effort called Asia Health? So ASEAR Health is an opportunity to put partnership and collaboration directly in the core of health and health equity. So NAACP is partner with Sanofi, and it's our opportunity to gather community insights through traditional surveys, focus groups, to understand, community assets and how they impact public policy, and to see how emerging technologies,

when done through a gender and racially inclusive lens, can really begin to solve disparities and center health equity and adjust an inclusive way. All right. So explain that. Joe Madison used to always say, you've got to put it what a ghost can get in. So explain that in a way, what an everyday person can understand what you just said. What an everyday person can take away from what I just said. That was the very thing corporate outside.

No, no, but listen, what an everyday person can take away from what I said is you have an opinion about what influences and shapes your health in your community. We're gathering and collecting those opinions. You also can identify and name the things that are working and the things that are not working. Those are those assets. And we all interface and interact with technology, whether it's that phone, whether when you go to the doctor, office and they collect your vitals, we want to make sure through this partnership that all of those things are done in a way that black and brown communities are not continually disproportionately impacted, but are made whole and better. Today she's called, is it called Sanofi? All right, first

of all, what is that? Sanofi is a global biopharmaceutical company. We're based in Paris. Obviously, have a significant presence here in the U.S., and for us, this partnership means helping to ensure that innovative science actually reaches all people. All too often, we know that science is helping to transform people's lives, extending life in many instances, but also all too often there are communities around the world who don't have access. And so this partnership is about helping to ensure that all people have. So what is the partnership doing? Is it collecting data? And if it's collecting data, then how many folks are you trying to reach? Give me a sense of that. Great question. So the data piece is just a piece of it. Certainly, we're collecting insights.

We have a report that will be coming out at the end of this year, probably one of the largest of its kind, over 22,000 respondents here in the U.S. We look forward to releasing the insights from that report. But the other piece of it, one of the reasons why we're really excited about being here at AfroTech, is around technology and the intersection of technology and health, specifically how AI and machine learning can help improve health outcomes, can help close health disparities, and really empower people. That's what Dr. Chris was getting to. All too often when it comes to our health, our health care, it's the control, the power is put in someone else's hands.

This is really about helping to ensure that everyday people have access to the information we need to take control of our own health care. But how does that happen, Doc? So, okay, fine. So they're partnered with the NWACP. Okay, so somebody out there, okay, they've, you know, so what is happening with, again, how many people are you trying to reach, how long, what's the total number, and then once that report is then done, what's next?

Right. Awesome question. So we have reached over 22,000 people in this national survey that we've done. 22,000 people in the national survey? Yes, sir. Do you want to reach more, or is that where you're capping it at? So we are having continuous conversations. We are going coast to coast having conversations with these different people in the communities where they live, learn, work, and play to understand what is important to them, right?

When we think about health assets, we think about what is making people healthier in their communities. We think about health disparities. What are some things that can be done in other communities to keep people from being disenfranchised where they live, right? All right. So once you, once you gather all the, first of all, again, what number are you trying to reach? That's it. The survey is closed. The survey is closed, but the conversation is still going, right? So with the survey, you have that. Okay, now, what then happens with that data? And then what is the next piece to impact the folks who you talk to? So what's next? So as Tanisha was sharing, we're going to take that information and form a comprehensive report. The report will allow, Americans to see how did people who live in certain geographic regions answer what is important

to their health? Whether it was a question around access to healthy and affordable food, whether it was a question around access to green space so you could walk or health care facilities, they'll be able to read what the findings and the insights from those findings, and they'll be able to see that data mapped out. They'll be able to go to a website, put in a different zip code, and say, where I live, here, in Houston, this is how people are experiencing or understanding the conditions on the ground that are impacting their health. But it goes further, right?

We're not only going to have this national report, but we're going to say, how do you tie those assets to solutions, whether it's policy at the local level, policy at the state and federal level, whether it's convening and understanding the assets, the players, the structures, the institutions, that matter to your health and well-being, people are going to have their literacy improved, increased, and their advocacy, their advocacy strengthened. So who's then, who's doing that? Very good. So, again, I get reports. There's a lot of reports.

And with the report, after that, then what's that next piece then being organized? Because at the end of the day, how does the report impact that first person who's watching or listening, regular ordinary person, who never took the survey? And so, again, what's that next thing? So I think there are a couple of things.

I mean, one is certainly an individual agency. Again, helping people community understand what's working, whether what's working in your community or what might be working in Detroit for someone who's in Flint and being able to, one, scale the solutions that are working. The other piece, and I think this is a key lever in this relationship, is around the systemic change, the public policy. All too often, our communities are surveyed, to your point, and then reports sit on a shelf. One of the things that we are committed to doing

is working together to identify public policy solutions that can help drive systemic and structural change. What does it look like for an organization, for a company like Sanofi, to partner with an organization like the NAACP to drive meaningful, lasting, sustainable change within communities. From a health care system, our health care system is one of the most complex in the world. And we know that here in the U.S., we are among some of the sickest in the world.

I know Dr. Chris and Dr. Tony, as public health leaders, know this all too well. So the question for us with these insights is, how can we use them to inform and drive? public policy change, to inform and drive organizational change, and to inform and drive the solutions that are really making a difference. So how are you, so from a company standpoint, we know in terms of media buying and communicating. So as relates to Sanofi, when it comes to black-owned media, what does that spin annually? How are you, you on the report, how are you communicating? with African-American community.

What's that, spin? Who are the folks you are partnering with on the Black on media side? So I can't speak to the exact numbers, Roland, but what I can say is one of the insights that I know I'm particularly interested in seeing is getting a better understanding of how folks are actually receiving their information about health and health care. Once we have access to that type of data, then that not only informs kind of where we are sharing information,

information to help empower people as it relates to their health and health care. But it also informs who we're partnering with. It's one of the reasons why I'm really excited about being able to have this conversation with you today. See, what we know, what we know is that for African Americans, we get our information for multiple sources, but there's a greater trust from Black-owned media sources because the type of information. and one of the things that we've experienced,

especially specifically in the pharmaceutical area, that the spin in that... Michael Lewis here. My book The Big Short tells the story of the build-up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely, but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception.

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Brought to you by the Ad Council. Hey, it's Greg Rosenthal, host of NFL Daily. No matter of the day, NFL Daily, has fresh content in your feed. Last week's games, we recapped them. The unexpected happened in so many in these games, and I love it. This week was like the defensive line, stepping in getting a stop on. fourth and goal. Get the old Mo back on your side. It was a lot of good defensive stops, including in the game of the day.

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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Area is almost virtually non-existent. And we're talking about we can run the companies down, whether it's J&J, we could talk about Gilead, we could talk about, I mean, numerous pharmaceutical companies. And so when I'm watching ABC, NBC, CBAs, I'm seeing the ads, I'm seeing all these different things. And so that's also, I think, a part of this,

beyond survey piece, also where dollars are being spent. So often, and then, of course, we know with health, health outcome is a whole bunch of us we're spending on medicine, but then where is that communication piece coming in? That's another part of that. Go ahead. I want to lean into that because I think you're raising an important point that this partnership, and specifically in the NAACP, that we've been advocating around, right? So let's put the citizen, the community member, back in the center of that. one, we're sharing information back with community so that they can have the power to hold the structures accountable in their local neighborhoods. Right.

But who's doing that? Yes. Because that's the individual group. Let me finish that. That's where NAACP local branches are working with national offices. That's where we're working with other community partners. That's where we're sitting at tables with municipalities, sitting at tables with state legislators, sitting at table with congresspersons.

We are deep in that mix, right? This is not just random information, and we see that right now. There is the public erasure of public health data, right? So we have been very integral to ensure that data relating to black lives, black and brown lives, historically marginalized groups, stays in those communities, and communities have access and can understand it. So we're creating a health literacy toolkit. What does all of this mean?

What does it mean for me? What does it mean for us collectively? And then we're taking that message to all media, inclusive of black media. NACP has deep relationships across media, right? I myself have spoken to a host of media about the opportunities that the Center for Health Equity is doing. That's why we're having this conversation with you today. That's why we're at AfroTech. We're going to continue to take this to where the people are, where community culture is happening, and say, this is what you need to know

about health and well-being, and let's advocate together. You think, Dr. Price, again, we were talking about on this very issue. The reality is you cannot achieve public policy outcomes unless there is an organized and mobilized effort. And so having data is one thing, but doing something with it is another. Right. So one thing that I think we can all agree on is that it's really important to do science with community and not to community.

So when we think about this Asher Health National Report, one thing that we are doing, and Dr. Chris alluded to this, is we are putting the information back into the hands of the people. When you think about what Tanisha said about whether we're in L.A., we're in Detroit, we're in Atlanta, we're in Houston, wherever it is that we are, we are going to make sure that the people have access to the information so they can go to their policymakers, their stakeholders, their shareholders to get this information to have a voice to make change in their local communities. So when is this report going to be ready? The report will be published as of early 2026. We will have all of the data and the insights ready to share with the communities that participated, first and foremost, right? Because you never survey people and not take information back to them. And then two, to critical stakeholders, whether that's stakeholders in black community, whether that stakeholders who are in policy and elected spaces, whether that stakeholders in industry, right? And so we have a very well-thought plan and strategy how to ensure that we don't widen gaps.

And there are huge gaps around data. And that's why we're here today. We believe that AfroTech in and of itself is an engine, right? It is a vehicle by which to access doers in this space, the health and technology space, to help us shuttle out information and think about how we use this information more effectively. But then how do we build? How do we share power? How do we co-design?

How do we collaborate? And how do we partner in a way that at the end of the day is going to save lives? Look, I'm a public health physician. I can quote the stats for you. Black people live sicker and die sooner than many other people in this nation. And the only way that we're ever going to solve that is when black people are at the center of owning the operations, owning the structures, owning the process to create the policy. And this is what this partnership is exemplifying.

You put the NAACP, a historic, cultural, civic institution with a powerful global health care company that said that people are priority and change happens. All right. Well, we'll look forward to the report. Thank you very much. Folks, we'll be right back. Rolla mark unfiltered right here in the Black Sudden Network live from AfroTech here in Houston. Back at a moment. This week, on A Balanced Life for Dr. Jackie,

we're continuing our series of putting in the work, a chef's journey. Are you an aspiring chef, someone who already has a business, trying to figure out what your next steps will be, who to talk to, and how to get there? Well, on this week's show, our great guests and wonderful chefs will talk to you about what means to discover your purpose, your why of being in the kitchen, and then knowing how to put a business together.

The menu controls everything. It determines, the menu determines everything. but the business plan is where you have to go back to when you get into the business at the end of the day you know social media and TV all of that stuff is cool but you still have to run a business so you still have to be in relationship with people that's all next on a balanced life with dr jacky here on black star network hey what's up y'all i'm devon franklin it is always a pleasure to be in the house you are watching roland martin unfiltered stay right here Hey, folks. And they were walking around, took a couple of selfies with them. That's why I said, hey, why don't y'all come on back and let's chat about why y'all are here at AfroTech. All right, folks, all sorts of folks here at AfroTech, 2025 here in Houston, including a group from Tennessee State University.

That's the other TSU. Look, y'all in Houston. Y'all in Houston. So in Houston, TSU is Texas Southern University. Let y'all know. Let y'all know. So, first of all, what do y'all do? First of all, give me your name.

What are y'all doing here? What's your group? My name is Alaincia Weeks. In our group, it's called Innovator Entrepreneurship Boot Camp. And what we do is we create, well, I incubate specifically. We help tech developers validate their business model, based it off evidence. So when you go out into the economy, they can say, well, this is what it's going to do and not what it could do. And it's also giving them a chance to de-risk because, you know, it's not a lot of money for product development

and to skip the Valley of Death. All right, so all of y'all got different products? I have my own thing. What you got? Well, what you got? Talking to the microphone. Just talk, baby. Okay, I'm Jani Nichols from Tennessee State.

I'm working on a dental device for preventative care and rebuilding anemal. Okay, dental device that does what? It's for preventative care and it rebuilds enamel. Rebuilds enamel? Yes. Okay? And so what, is it like a guard or something?

What is it? It's a toothbrush. It's a toothbrush. It's not on the market yet, though. Got it. And how long have you been working on that? Since August. Okay.

All right. Perfect. And my name is Joaqua Karas Kilo, current senior at Tennessee State University. I'm also joined with my teammates, Cameron and Maria. And we're working on basically helping identify, you know, what's all those panels that need to be rebuild and refixed and market on the market. Gotcha. How's that been going?

Going well, honestly. We've been at it for about a month. and to see the results that have come and actually been pretty amazing. Okay, and so being here, what does being here help you with what you're working on? So being here helps our customer discovery, which is a huge portion of our program,

is learning to do essentially kind of like a user research of who our market is, what they're looking for, and what they need. And I'm Maria Wilbur. I'm a senior at Tennessee State University. This is also my team, so I'm a part of analytics, but I also have my own personal virtue. which is combating tobacco and nicotine used by creating holistic smoking experiences using herbal remedies.

All right, now about you. My name's Cameron Shaw, senior computer science major at Tennessee State University. And I just wanted to share some wise words, you know, always be a sense. You ain't working on nothing. You just got to share some wise words. Oh, yeah, oh, no, I'm with, I'm with, I'm going to share some wise words. I ain't working on nothing. Man, you already heard, you already heard the product.

Yeah, I'm with landlidics, GIS monitoring system, you know. Okay, see? Yeah, and DeWi's words was really just to be obsessed with the problem and not the solution, you know. And that's basically what I-Corps is about. Customer discovery, going out there, seeing the problem, really digesting it, you know, and adapting from there and learning what the customer truly wants. How long has the boot camp been around? The boot camp's been around for two years now.

Got it? It's been around for two years, and our goal with the program is to create a new. revenue model for a HBCU and I live off of financial aid, right? So you look at schools like Yale, Harvard, prestige schools, right? They don't live off of attendees, right? They live off of development,

IPs, licensing degrees. So you try and do what Stanford did. So Stanford gets a cut of all those products that come out of their technology lab. Exactly. And there's no reason we shouldn't have that because in every Fortune 500 company, you have a Tennessee State University alumni. And all of them? You checked?

Yeah. The real TSU. It's the other TSU. Don't get cut in Houston. All right. Well, all right. Well, good luck with it. I hope y'all enjoy the conference. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity as well. All right, folks. Great conversations here at AfroTech in Houston. So we're going to be broadcasting here live tomorrow. We can be live streaming several events from the main state. So you don't want to miss that.

And then, of course, we're talking tomorrow. folks here as well. And so that's it for us today. Folks, don't forget if you want to support the work that we do, join our Brena Funk fan club. If you want to give you a cash app, we use the Stripe Cure Code, you see it right here in the bound left-hand corner. PayPal's R Martin Unfiltered, Vemos R.M. Unfiltered, Rolin at RolinSmartin.com, rolling at rolling at Rolingartonfilture.com.

Download, we can also, of course, checks and money order, make them out to Roland Martin unfiltered, P.O. Box 5-7196, Washington, D.C., 203, 7196. Download on the Blastart Network app, Apple Phone, Android, TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox 1, Samsung, Smart TV. Be sure to get a copy in my book, White Fear. Browning of America is making white folks lose their minds available at bookstores nationwide. Get the audio version on Audible. Be sure to get our Blackstar Network, rolling on filter swag, by going to shop blackstar network.com. T-shirts, mugs, you name it, we got it all there. Also, you see the Blackstone products that are on my news desk in D.C.

All of those products, you can get at Shop Blackstar Network.com. Skin care products, you got relishes, sauces, crossword puzzles, backpacks, all sorts of things. Go to Shop Blackstar Network.com. Shop blackstar network.com. Also, download the app fanbase. Get the app fan base. They've raised now $13.5 million. Only $3.5 million left to finish off their Series A fundraise.

To get more information to invest in fanbase, go to startengin.com forward slash fanbase. StartEngin.com forward slash fanbase. Folks, that's it. I'll see y'all tomorrow right here. Roller Mart Unfilter of the Black Start. Network live at AfroTech 2025, the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Hala! Hello! My bestselling book, the big short, tells the story of the build-up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. A decade ago, the Big Short, was made into an Academy Award-winning movie.

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but it could save a life. Here's a way to start a conversation. Your family is going over to your neighbor's home for dinner for the first time. How would you ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home? Hey! Hey, we're so excited for tonight. Before we come over, though, may I ask if there are any unlocked guns in your home? Our guns are stored securely, locked in a safe that the kids can't access.

Awesome. Learn how to have the conversation at Agreetoagree.org, brought to you by the Ad Council. The NFL is rolling. That's right, and you should be listening to NFL. Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. It's in the name, NFL Daily, so you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all-star cast of co-hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends.

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