#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Miss. Man's $400m Lawsuit,MO Gov. May Pardon Killer Cop, Honoring Henrietta Lacks, Child Care Crisis

Episode Date: June 15, 2023

6.14.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Miss. Man's $400m Lawsuit,MO Gov. May Pardon Killer Cop, Honoring Henrietta Lacks, Child Care Crisis A black man in Mississippi who was tortured and shot in the mouth by police conducting a drug raid files a $400 million federal lawsuit. We will speak to Michael Corey Jenkins, attorney, about the lawsuit and his recovery. Access to child care is becoming increasingly challenging. We'll speak to the Vice President of External Affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation about parents who are struggling to find affordable and safe care for their children. Today on Capitol Hill, The Congressional Black Caucus calls for Henrietta Lacks to receive the Congressional Medal, recognizing her contributions to science and medicine. We will show you what they had to say and why this is more than overdue. Missouri Governor Parsons is set to pardon the Kansas City Police Officer who shot and killed Cameron Lamb while sitting in his car. We'll discuss how this pardon could be detrimental to the residents of a city who already doesn't trust the police. In our Tech Talk segment, we'll speak with the creator of an online platform that connects people with culturally competent doctors and black-owned medical businesses. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. 6.14.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Miss. Man's $400m Lawsuit,MO Gov. May Pardon Killer Cop, Honoring Henrietta Lacks, Child Care Crisis A black man in Mississippi who was tortured and shot in the mouth by police conducting a drug raid files a $400 million federal lawsuit. We will speak to Michael Corey Jenkins, attorney, about the lawsuit and his recovery. Access to child care is becoming increasingly challenging. We'll speak to the Vice President of External Affairs at the Annie E. Casey Foundation about parents who are struggling to find affordable and safe care for their children. Today on Capitol Hill, The Congressional Black Caucus calls for Henrietta Lacks to receive the Congressional Medal, recognizing her contributions to science and medicine. We will show you what they had to say and why this is more than overdue. Missouri Governor Parsons is set to pardon the Kansas City Police Officer who shot and killed Cameron Lamb while sitting in his car. We'll discuss how this pardon could be detrimental to the residents of a city who already doesn't trust the police. In our Tech Talk segment, we'll speak with the creator of an online platform that connects people with culturally competent doctors and black-owned medical businesses. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersilling.org brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Today is Wednesday, June 14th, 2023, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. A black man in Mississippi who was tortured and shot in the mouth by police conducting a drug raid. His lawyers have filed a $400 million federal lawsuit. We'll talk with the attorney for Michael Corey Jenkins about this suit. Access to child care is becoming increasingly challenging.

We'll talk to the Vice President of External Affairs at the Anne Casey Foundation about parents who are struggling to find alternatives to raising their children. Today in Capitol Hill, the Congressional Black Caucus calls for Henrietta Lacks to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, recognizing her contributions to science and medicine.

Also, folks, Missouri governor is set to pardon, check this out, a Kansas City police officer who shot and killed a black man sitting in his car. We'll discuss how the pardon could be detrimental to the residents of a city where they already do not trust the police. In our Tech Talk segment, we'll speak with the creator of an online platform that connects people

with culturally competent doctors and black-owned medical businesses. It is time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered, on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's got whatever the piss he's on it. Whatever it is, let's go. He's rolling, yeah. It's Uncle Roro, yo. Yeah, yeah. It's rolling Martin, yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling Martin now. It pains us to have to lead this show on too many days with stories involving black men and black women who have been shot or killed by police. Unfortunately, that is the reality of our existence, but also it's the reality that mainstream media typically ignores many of these stories,

which is why black-owned media matters. Well, in Mississippi, that is the case where a black man was involved in a violent encounter with police. His lawyers have now filed a $400 million lawsuit. Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker Rankin are seeking those damages against the Rankin County Sheriff's Department. The lawsuit alleges that Jenkins was shot in the mouth by a deputy on January 24th, suffered a lacerated tongue and a broken jaw when deputies illegally entered the home where the men were living and tortured them for about an hour before Jenkins was shot.

The lawsuit alleges a pattern of excessive force against black folks by the department. Joining me now is the attorney for Michael Malik Shabazz. Malik, glad to have you here. So let's walk us through this here. And so we had you on before. Can you hear me? Malik, can you hear me? Now I can hear you.

All right. So we had you on before talking about this. First of all, what is the health status of your client? Michael Jenkins, the man shot in the mouth by Rankin County police while handcuffed, is suffering. He's suffering now from his tongue was almost shot out of his mouth so he can barely eat. Sometimes he eats through a straw. He is numb on the side of his mouth so he can barely eat. Sometimes he eats through a straw. He is numb on the side of his face. He experiences partial blindness.

He has a lot of suffering since the torture, the two-hour torture ordeal by Rankin County and its deputies. So that is, I mean, again, so it is just obviously difficult, traumatic. Obviously, that is, you know, the trauma from all of that as well. Has there been any response to this investigation from the Rankin Sheriff's Department? No. They are telling me that for the first time ever, the big bad sheriff,

Brian Bailey, who supervises a gang of rogue police officers in Rankin, who we accuse of in our $400 million lawsuit of being a roving gang of torture specialists, he has said nothing. For the first time ever, nothing, no response, because they've finally been caught in that somebody, Black Lawyers for Justice, has stood up to Rankin County. And it's the first time ever that Brian Bailey and Rankin County are totally silent because this lawsuit and what we're doing in Rankin County is the first step into bringing this house, this dirty house, down. There are a number of cases, but we've had other cases in Mississippi, and it continues to be, frankly, a very dangerous place for African-Americans. Absolutely. Mississippi is number one on the list for race and justice issues in America,

not only the Michael Jenkins case. We have throughout the state, you have the FedEx Demontario Gibson, who was attempted to be assassinated by two white supremacists in Brookhaven. They're facing first-degree murder trials. That trial starts on August the 8th. Over there in Lexington, Kentucky, there's a young freedom fighter attorney named Julian Jefferson. They're fighting Holmes County. They just locked that attorney up. That was all on the news. They're fighting the racism in Holmes County. You have Rasheem Carter, who had been butchered, beingworth, who are in this case, you know, Emmett Till,

it's Mississippi Vernon is accurate. And just like it was in the 60s, it's the number one battleground today. And Malik Shabazz, we certainly appreciate you joining us. Keep us abreast of what happens in this case. Thank you, sir.

I want to bring in my panel right now, talk Rebecca Carruthers, Vice President for Fair Elections at the Fair Elections Center, based out of D.C., Scott Bolden, attorney, also with the National Bar Association, D.C. Chamber of Commerce, PAC, and of course, Dr. Larry Walker, a professor out of Florida. Glad to have all three of you with us. You know, Scott, a lot of, it's very interesting because let me see, how should I put this?

I try to be as judicious as possible. It pisses me off with a lot of these asshole people on our channels who complain, who go, oh, here you got Ben Crump again, just screwing black people.

He don't win no cases. And you got all these folks who have no clue about what happens when you have a family member or you're the victim of police brutality. Not realizing that you, Scott Bolden, or Malik, or Ben Crump, or Justin Fairfax, or Lee Mayer or anybody else, you can't prosecute cases. And it really pisses me off when people act as if, oh, all they're doing is just stealing from these black people. Well, you need somebody who's representing you when you've got to sue on behalf of your family member. Luckily, this brother is still alive.

He's going to have medical bills for the rest of his life. Somebody has to pay for that. Crump was just on yesterday and I was shown with the largest settlement out of Connecticut, $45 million. People need to understand the role that lawyers and black lawyers play in these cases. Well, just think about all of those circumstances you just named, all the cases we've talked about over the last seven years or so, and think about what those families of those murdered victims or injured victims of police brutality, what would they be? What would they be doing without a lawyer, right? It's a civil setting. You argue, you fight, you prepare documents, and you put the family in a position of strength. And then you go to the government who's done the wrong

and not say we're not going to sue you. Those lawyers say we're going to sue you. Here's our evidence, and we're ready to go. If you want to settle like 90% of the civil cases do, that's no different than any other civil case, and they're getting multimillion-dollar judgments that indicate that the government whose agents committed those bad acts don't want to try the case, don't want to litigate the case. And those settlements that come out of the public funds serve as a deterrent, we'd like to think, although that's a question,

a deterrent to further bad acts by bad-acting police officers. It's called the civil justice system and really works better than the criminal justice system because in the civil justice system, you get discovery. It's on the civil side. And while, whether it's criminal or civil, you're not going to bring back the murdered victim, the family can certainly be compensated and made whole by a financial settlement. It's as old as the law itself in this country. So I don't understand those who complain about the civil justice system. You could take Ben Crump out and put anybody in his place, and they still have to go through the same civil justice process. I guess why it angers me so much, Rebecca, is

because, and I know this very well because I've had to talk to these families. And I'm not trying to disparage any of these people. But I can tell you based upon my experience,

none of these people asked to be put in front of cameras. A lot of these folks, they're not educated, meaning they're not college educated. A lot of folks are poor. They don't know the law. They don't know the ins and outs. And so we need to understand this is why you need black lawyers. People need to understand, for all the people who have stole Johnny Cochran, these are the cases that made Johnny Cochran before O.J. Simpson. And that's the thing.

It just drives me crazy when people don't understand why you have to have your black legal advocates fighting on behalf of the Breonna Taylors, of the Walter Scotts. And we could go on and on and on. And unfortunately, we see too many of these folks dying. That's not on us. But thank God we've got, again, black legal titans who are fighting the good fight. You know, white supremacy has a lot of people messed up. White supremacy has black people thinking that there is something wrong with black warriors in the law standing up for black communities.

God forbid any of our families get shot and killed by the state, i.e. the police. I actually have had a family member who got shot and killed by the Los Angeles Police Department. You want the band crumps of the world to show up and stand there as a vanguard on behalf of your family. Most people in this type of crisis situation do not know how to handle it, which is the reason why we need more black attorneys and we need more black civil rights attorneys. Because it's not just that attorney that's showing up, but it's that attorney's full team that's doing the media relations, that's actually talking to community members who actually have the experience to negotiate and find some type of justice. We know there is no monetary award that could bring someone back. But we do know in a country

like America that's rooted in capitalism, we show them the pain by demanding money for these murders that's carried out by state actors, i.e. law enforcement? You know, the thing here, Larry, I love, and the reason why I understand this, because I love these people who want to trash media. You ain't this, you ain't that. But I'll be happy to show all these haters the countless emails I get from black people who say they've been discriminated against, their family members have been locked up wrongfully, and they need help.

See, folk love to crap on lawyers until your ass need one. People love to trash journalists until you need something exposed. And a lot of these people out here who love to run their mouths on social media, they can do so until they're the ones who are in trouble, and then they go, oh, damn, I'm sure glad there is somebody there to help me out. You hit it right on the nose, Roland. And what you do in terms of your show and your platform is really giving a voice to the voiceless.

Because we know we don't live in a fair and just society. Like you said, we want to show all the time discussing all these shootings from law enforcement throughout the country. Obviously, you highlighted the issues in Mississippi. But listen, a lot of folks out there are all about talking the talk and don't want to walk the walk. These issues have been going on for years and will continue to go, unfortunately, continue to happen if we don't address these issues. And part of that is in the cases when you need to sue these folks for millions of dollars, hopefully these police departments and jurisdictions will realize that it's not cost effective to let these police officers continue to be

rogue, going around and shooting and in some cases killing black folks. And this case in Mississippi, particularly rolling this, reminds me even what happened when we read years ago about what happened in Chicago in which they tortured black men for years. So we know that historically in this country, this is, you know, Mississippi is not the only jurisdiction, certainly not the only state where we've seen some of these, you know, allegations of black men being tortured. This is a horrific story. This should be a story to be running on all platforms everywhere in the United States. And once again, asking the question about what are folks prepared to do in terms of addressing this issue of police

reform? But we can't continue to stand by and let black folks be shot. And like I said, in some what are folks prepared to do in terms of addressing this issue of police reform. But we can't continue to stand by and let black folks be shot. And like I said, in some cases being killed. And once again, discussing these issues on your show is important because otherwise the voiceless go unheard. Absolutely. Hold tight one second.

I got to go to break. We'll be right back. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered on the Black Star Network. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that like button, y'all. Trust me, that impacts the YouTube algorithms, them being able to recommend our video. When our video gets recommended and we get more views, it increases the revenue, which is desperately needed because we're not getting the advertising contracts that we need. I've told y'all this before. I don't sit here and lie to y'all. It takes $195,000 a month to run the Blackstar Network. That's everything. And so

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we're covering the stuff other people simply will not do. Senior Checkout Money Orders, appeal box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal, RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zale, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Be sure to get a copy of my book, Proceeds. Go right back to the show, Why Fear How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Target.

Also download your copy on Audible. And folks, we will be in Houston on Saturday for our Juneteenth event sponsored by McDonald's. We thank you for partnering with us. It's called Juneteenth 2023 and the McDonald's. We thank you for partnering with us. It's called Juneteenth 2023 and the Future of Black Economic Freedom. I've got a number of entrepreneurs lined up. In addition, we're going to have a one-on-one with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. We'll be talking with County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,

Congressman Al Green, State Senator Boris Miles. And we have a huge announcement we'll be making with the mayor of Houston. So we look forward to that. Folks, it is free. We'll have food and drink there. But what we ask for you to do, if you're in Houston, just send us an email. That way, just saying, hey, me and two or three of those are coming. We've got space for 500.

We just want to make sure that we're fine with the food and the drink. We're not leaving anybody out. Very simple. Info, I-N-F-O at RolandSMartin.com to RSVP. It is free and open to the public. We would like for you to send an RSVP. We want to pack the house out. So we look forward to seeing y'all Saturday in Houston on June 17th, 12.

I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley

comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,

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

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

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper.

The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. ...at the Power Center, and yes,

the Power Center is Black-owned, and y'all know how we roll. I'll be back in a moment. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn mind there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance we have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black

folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white people. Bye bye, Coppa.

Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punch. I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of black America. All the momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be black-owned media and be scared.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Frank. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, in New York City, a grand jury has formally indicted the white man who killed a black man on a New York City subway station there.

Daniel Penny has been indicted. He's a former Marine. He's been indicted for killing of this young man, of course, Jordan Neely. Daniel Penny has been indicted. Now, we do not know the actual charges, okay? But we do know that Penny was facing second-degree manslaughter charges. And of course, the Manhattan DA's office believed that they had enough evidence to actually indict him on second-degree manslaughter charges that took place on May 1st. I want to go back to my panel here. Scott, you know, this is, I mean, so, you know, look,

you've been a prosecutor, defense attorney. All right, here you got this case here, Scott. We got video of it. They say, oh, we felt threatened. Some people thought this man had a gun. He did not. He literally gets choked to death on the train. At what point, frankly, do you go from, you know, detaining someone,

meaning just holding them down, to literally choking the life out of them? Well, what was he trying to do? A citizen's arrest of some kind, like it was Andy Griffith's show? I mean, think about it. I mean, you look at the video. This, this, this, the deceased was not fighting anyone. You ever rode the subway in New York,

rolling anybody on the show? I rode the subway for five years as a prosecutor. If I held down every individual that got on and started singing and dancing or performing or complaining about their life or giving a political or civil rights speech, thousands of us would be committed if we touched that individual or held them down and what have you. Look at this video. This person is not even resisting. And who is the defendant who decides to take it on himself to be the hero where no one is being injured whatsoever? Scott, his attorneys say, Scott, his attorneys say Mr. Neely had been aggressively threatening Daniel and he acted to protect others and

themselves as a result of this? But when he grabbed him, how come there wasn't a fight? And you walked up behind him from what the report says that I've read. And then when you grab him and take him down and he's not resisting. So now you made the first contact. Right. He hadn't done anything to you, hadn't said anything to you. And even if he had, he still hasn't touched you. Force must be met with force under New York law. This isn't stand your ground. This guy was homeless and had mental challenges, if you will. And I am telling you, they probably indicted him on second-degree manslaughter.

But New York has had this subway issue before, 30-plus years ago, when Bernie Getz shot some young toughs. He got off, actually, even though he was prosecuted. He shot some young toughs who were unarmed and who were just on the subway talking. So we've seen this in New York before. But in 2023, 2024, it's a new day. It'll be interesting to see whether this Army veteran, whether the jury in New York endorses this type of conduct and attacks on homeless and the mentally ill. Because it was clearly motivated in his own mind. That is, the defendant wasn't motivated by outside sources.

That's why Alvin Bragg's office has indicted him and going to try this case. Because if you don't try it, if you don't charge him, right, you'll have every vigilante out in New York thinking they can do the same thing. This is as much policy as it is righteousness in what the resources of the DA's office and prosecutors ought to be doing. The thing here, Larry, that is just outlandish to me. All of these folks, let me just go ahead and say it, it's a whole bunch of white conservative people. They have given upwards

of $2 million to this guy's defense fund. You've had some fools say, oh, the governor should pardon this man. These people, there's a segment of the population in this country who believes that you could just easily kill somebody

who's homeless. You could just kill somebody. It don't matter. I mean, the callous disregard that you see from a lot of these people is evident in this case. Anti-blackness. We talk about it all the time.

That's all it is. And we see that sediment increasing. So as an example, we saw this murder on a subway train. Let's compare that to somebody who was an insurrectionist, entered a U.S. Capitol and tried to break through a door or a window and was told to stop and was shot and killed. We see how people are treated differently. And this is just another example. And once again, you know, Black people, it's like we have to be perfect all the time. And even in those situations, our lives are on the line. Another thing, Roland, is, you know,

we've had to talk about this idea of Black Lives Matter. This is an example broader about that conversation about why Black Lives Matter, because we're unfairly treated. And in this case, this young brother's life was taken unnecessarily. The other thing is, who are the folks helping him hold him down while he's choking into death? I mean, you know, this other gentleman was holding his hands. This other guy is just standing around. The lady was standing around in the other video. I mean, this is unacceptable behavior. And look, I'm someone, I'm from Philadelphia, rode the trains, lived in D.C. for a number of years.

And listen, there are people who are, you know, who are unhoused and some of those, some people have mental health challenges. But listen, man, these are still people. And if we don't value individuals' lives regardless of their circumstances, then this country is going to face the challenges we're doing. And I hope that justice prevails and this gentleman is not only indicted, but he goes to jail and hopefully for the rest of his life, particularly his young brother's life. Rebecca. Jordan Neely should still be alive and Daniel Penney should have minded his business. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the subway in New York and I've seen people sing off key. And guess what I did? I just minded my business and got to my destination. This should not have happened. I believe Penny is a former Marine. I want to hear the U.S. Corps Marines actually denounce this behavior from current and former Marines,

that this is not acceptable behavior for anyone who has ever wore that uniform. Daniel Penning could have minded his own business. Jordan Neely should still be alive. Just because someone is unhoused or is dealing with a mental health crisis doesn't mean that that punishment should be death. And that's what happened here. And I'm glad that the indictment happened. And I will say, Florida Governor DeSantis actually helped fundraise with that GoFundMe. He pushed that out on his social media platforms as well, thinking that Daniel Penny needed needed help to raise money from other white supremacists who thought that the killing of Jordan Neely was justified. And that's a shame. Indeed, indeed. Speaking of a shame, when we come back, we're going to discuss the case out of Missouri

where white cop held accountable for killing a black man. The white Republican governor of Missouri wants to pardon him. For real. We'll discuss that next right here on Roland Martin martin unfiltered on the black star network download the black star network app apple phone android phone apple tv android tv roku amazon fire tv xbox one samsung smart tv support us by joining our brina funk fan club send your check

and money order to p.o box 57196 washington dc 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds,

available at bookstores nationwide, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target. Download your copy on Audible. And, of course, we'll see you in Houston on Saturday at the Power Center, 12 to 4, for the Juneteenth 2023 Future Black Economic Freedom Forum. Again, live from 12 to 4. Folks, it's free, open to the public. But we want you to register, send an RSVP to info, I-N-F-O, at RolandSMartin.com, I-N-F-O, at RolandSMartin.com. Back in a moment. That was a pivotal, pivotal time. I remember Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You got to stay on stage. And I was like, yeah, well, I don't know.

You know, y'all think I'm like, I'm good. And he was absolutely right. What show was the other time? This was one-on-one. Got it. During that time. And I was- So you're doing one-on-one. Going great. Yeah.

You making money. You like- I'm like, I don't need to leave. I don't need to leave from, you know, Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday. I, you know, I just, I didn't wanna do that. You know, need to leave from Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday. I just didn't want to do that. You know, it was just like, I'm going to stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday.

I was like, I don't have to do that. And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. You know, sometimes me and Chappelle or me and this one or that one, we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn,

go to Queens, go to Jersey. And I kind of just, I got complacent. I was like, I got this money, I'm good, I don't need to go chase that because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making. But what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money. You know, it was that, that's what I needed. Coming up next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick.

We're breaking it down. The stereotype of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of honor. Like you even hear black women like aspiring to be this ride or die chick, aspiring to be this strong black woman at their own expense. Next on the frequency right here on the Black Star Network.

Hello, I'm Jamea Pugh. I am from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, just an hour right outside of Philadelphia. My name is Jasmine Pugh. I'm also from Coatesville, Pennsylvania. You are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Stay right here. All right, folks. We've told you about law enforcement in Missouri

where the governor is in control of the police commission that oversees the Kansas City Police Department. They're trying to also now take control of the St. Louis Police Department. Well, there's a new controversy happening in the show-me state there where a white Kansas City police officer who faintly shot a black man in 2019

could be pardoned by the governor. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Let me say that again, y'all. He was convicted. This is who he is right here, okay? This is him, okay? Eric DeValcovere. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in November 2021 for the death of Cameron Lamb. He fatally shot Lamb on December 3rd, 2019, while sitting in his pickup truck and backing into his garage. DeValcamere and another officer approached him

after receiving a call about a traffic incident. Now, the Governor of Missouri, Republican Mike Parsons, is expected to issue a pardon. Jackson County Prosecutor, Gene Petersor Jean Peters Baker has written a letter to the governor not to pardon the officer. Quote, pardons are political actions by design, not devised for the innocent but for the guilty. I'm writing because of numerous reports that suggest you are going to soon pardon former Kansas City

detective Eric DeValcone. I'm writing to request that you do not pardon him. This is the prosecutor. DeValcone was fairly convicted and sentenced under Missouri law to involuntary manslaughter of Cameron Lamb

and armed criminal action. Your pardon would preempt Attorney General Bailey's defense of this conviction and subvert the rule of law. But this is the so-called law and order crowd. But you notice they only like law and order when it applies to everybody but cops. Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. Gwen, glad to have you here. This has obviously caused a lot of drama there in Kansas City. Absolutely. And it's really unconscionable to think that the governor would

pardon Duval Kinnear. He has not served one day in jail. He was sentenced. I mean, he was found guilty by a judge. He requested and received a bench trial. The judge found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. And then he filed an appeal and this same judge granted him to bail. If he were a black defendant, we know if he had been convicted of a crime as a black man, he would not have. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed

everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the war on drugs. We are back in a big way, in a very big way,

real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star studded a little bit, man. We got a Ricky Williams, NFL player, Hasman trophy winner. It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette.

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. He's been allowed to remain free on bail pending his appeal. So let's be clear. This happened in 2019. He's convicted in November 2021. He's sentenced to six years in prison in March of 2022. This is now June 2023. Okay, 15 months later. He has spent a day in jail.

Normally when cops ask for a bench trial, a lot of times they win because the judge is, it happened in Baltimore, the death of Freddie Gray. This bench judge convicted him. Right, exactly. And the governor wants to step in with a pardon? Yes. So, yeah, we were really excited about the verdict. This is the first time that a cop has been convicted of a crime of murder, manslaughter, anything against a black person in Kansas City in the history.

We can't find any proof that any conviction has been achieved prior to now. So we, the governor, will subvert justice, and we expect that he will probably issue this pardon within the next week or so before the attorney general is forced, has to file his appellate brief. So this is all tied to the political optics here. This Republican governor, the current attorney general, was appointed by Parson to fill the vacancy after Eric Schmidt, our former attorney general, was elected to the U.S. Senate. So this guy is serving in an appointed term. He's now being challenged by another far right wing conservative to be elected in 2024 to officially hold the office of attorney general. All right. This was crazy right here. This was crazy. I'm looking at this story here.

Go to my iPad, Henry. It says the timeline for the Western District Court of Appeals to hear DeValconeer's case is uncertain. The attorney general, Andrew Bailey, has missed six deadlines for filing the state's brief in defense of the conviction. So you've got the attorney general of Missouri who's like, yeah, we're not going to defend the conviction of this cop, even though the prosecutors there convicted him. Absolutely. So he has, he filed yet another appeal last week and was granted another appeal. He has until June 26th to file the appellate brief. We learned through a number of sources that the governor is planning to pardon DeVauquen here so that Bailey won't have to file the brief because there's no political upside for Bailey to file the brief, to do his job as the attorney general, which is to fight

to uphold the conviction on behalf of the victim. Also, neither the governor nor the attorney general has reached out to Cameron Lamb's family to ask for their input to say anything to them about this case. All of this is also being pushed and championed by the very powerful lobby of the FOP. So this governor is term limited out. There's no political downside for him. He's not running again. And he's going to do this pardon to protect his to protect his protege so that his protege won't have to deal with the backlash from the Republican base for sending a cop to jail, a white cop to jail for killing a black man, an innocent black man in Kansas City. Is it also because this prosecutor, she's a Democrat?

Could be. I mean, you know, could be that she's a Democrat, but I think it has a whole lot more to do with this governor protecting his protege, with us being in a very right-wing, hostile state and very pro-police, pro-law enforcement, and with no respect for Black lives. I mean, this is very similar to your previous segment. This same attorney general's office fought with all kind of vigor to uphold the conviction of Kevin Strickland, who was wrongfully convicted of a crime, spent four decades, more than four decades in jail, and the attorney general's office fought and fought and fought not to overturn that conviction when the Jackson County prosecutor and others came forward that said there was proof that this man was not guilty of the crime and he should be released. So I sent a message to the AG, hey, fight to uphold this conviction for this, the murder of

this black victim with the same amount of energy and passion that you fought to try to keep an innocent black man in jail. Wow. That is absolutely crazy. Gwen, we appreciate you joining us. Thanks a lot. Thank you. I, you sit here, Larry, and you just go, this is nuts. But this shows you again, how many of these Republicans are operating in this country. They have no problem. They have no problem letting this cop go free. Just like Abbott, Greg Abbott in Texas, said he was going, because Tucker Carlson pushed him,

was going to pardon this racist white man who was convicted of killing a white Black Lives Matter protester. Jury found him guilty. Convicted, sentenced him. Governor goes, oh, I'm going to pardon him. Well, listen, these stories are crazier and crazier. I mean, the audacity to even consider, like I said, it hasn't even gone to the appeals process, the audacity to say, I'm going to pardon this murderer, because that's what he is, and not even, obviously, we talk about, you and her representative from the Urban League talk about not even contacting the family. But, Roland, this is once again part of this right-wing pattern of not caring about Black folks. Once again,

when they talk about law and order, they're not talking about Black lives. They want to uphold white supremacy. So it's not even just like the person from the Urban League said about protecting his protege. It is not just that. It is upholding white supremacy in the state and other states and jurisdictions throughout the united states it also says the message to the black community is if you get shot and shot and killed by law enforcement you're on your own and that's why when the previous segment we talked about in terms of suing these jurisdictions to hold them accountable so important but what's the governor, I mean, what's he doing?

I mean, this is inexcusable. And once again, it shows a lack of understanding in terms of how other individuals who don't look like you, how their humanity is just as important as the right-wingers he would fight tooth and nail to defend. Rebecca. You know, just like my colleague said, this is the very reason why you sue and you sue for the $400 million. You sue for the $100 million because we know in order to get justice, it's not just on the criminal side, but it's also on the civil side as well. But this is something that I would tell Missouri, our Missouri viewers. Look, we know

that the current governor's term limited. He's not on the ballot next year. But there are other folks, including the secretary of state, Ashcroft, who's on the ballot there. And there's other people who've already declared that they're going to run for governor. Make this a voting issue. Make every single candidate that's saying that they want to be the next governor of Missouri, make them justify, make them talk about this. Every single forum that's there, every single public forum, ask them this question. Hold them accountable. Do not let this go. Put pressure on them because I'm telling you, at some point, we're going to get a resolution with this um but it's going to take everybody it's going to take voters showing up and saying hey this is what's

important to me and my community so this is how we're going to use our voice we're going to use our vote to make sure that we're getting the folks in office who are doing the right thing instead of folks who are looking the other way when the state judiciously kills somebody. Scott? Yeah, you know, I agree with my colleagues on all of this. The question is, is there a pardon board? I was looking this up earlier today. I couldn't figure out whether it was a pardon board or the governor could do this. But when we run into cases like this, it really drives home the thought process of Black Lives Matter and that there are some white right-wing extremists or even GOP members that simply don't think the value of my life and your life is the same for people that don't look like us, for white Americans, that their life is far more

important than any of our brothers and sisters, black brothers and sisters out here, who may be part of the least lost and left out. And then, you know, white Republicans will push back on that statement I just gave and defend this conduct. The video shows where the police officers on the stand crying. I guess he's either apologizing or trying to explain what happened because this kid was innocent, didn't have a gun, and was backing into his own garage. Why on earth would you shoot him? I just can't think of a good reason for it. And yet there's white sympathy. You know, you wrote a book on white fear and white craziness and stuff. Well, you know, there's white sympathy out here for those who get caught shooting black and brown people. And, you know, it's just very

sad. And what's worse is that in 2043, 2046, when black people and brown people will be the majority, the question is their white fear is rooted in them believing that we're going to treat them the way they've treated us for 400 years. I don't believe that's the case, but this is a great example, I think, of white privilege and white sympathy for this cop. All right. Hold tight. One second, folks. Got to go to a break. We'll be back. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Download our app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV.

Be sure to join our Brain to Funk fan club. Your resources absolutely matter. Please send your check-in mailing orders to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. If you want to do so, cash out. Dollar sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it.

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PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle r martin unfiltered venmo is rm unfiltered zell is rolling at rolling s martin.com on a next a balanced life with me dr jackie owning your energy and how to use it trust me it impacts the people on your job who you attract and even your love life. What you give out is what comes back to you. So like attracts like, right? So if you come in with a negative space and I match that negative energy, then two seconds later, somebody else coming with more negative energy.

And then I was just always just matching negative stuff. And here's the kicker. If you're not careful, that energy can even be stolen. That's all next on A Balanced Life on Blackstar Network. You're watching Roland Martin. Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

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

It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at lava for good. Plus on Apple podcasts.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the war on drugs. We are back in a big way, in a very big way, real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star studded a little bit,

man. We got a Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

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

What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves.

Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Maryland Congressman Kwaizem Fumey led the Congressional Black Caucus News Conference today in calling for a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the late Henrietta Lacks. She is the Baltimore woman whose unbelievable, some scientists call magical tissue, has led to dramatic improvements in science and medicine. Her cells were taken without her consent and, again, used for scientific research. The news conference was held this morning to award her the highest civilian award in the United States. I'm here for another reason, and that is to commemorate and to recognize the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

and to do so in a way that I think sets her apart from so many, many others. It's to be able to award Ms. Lacks the Congressional Medal of Honor. that I think sets her apart from so many, many others. It's to be able to award Ms. Lacks the Congressional Medal of Honor. In just a few moments, I'm going to go to the floor of the House and formally introduce this bill. And I would urge all of my colleagues in the House and the Senate to move forthwith toward its passage as a real statement of where we are.

It's been said, but I will be redundant for just a moment. Her cells, the HeLa cells, which are still very much alive, have contributed to the polio vaccine and a number of drugs used to treat cancer, HIV, hemophilia, leukemia and Parkinson's disease. There are a lot of people in this country and indeed around the world that are walking today benefiting from the research and from the further development of those cells. And all these great cures and vaccines that have been developed all go back to the Lacks family and Mrs. Lacks family and

Mrs. Lacks and her sacrifice. She was never compensated for that. Her family found out years later that was the case. HBO did a movie that was executive produced and starred Oprah Winfrey and Renee Goldsberry in it as well. It is a remarkable, remarkable, remarkable story. Among the others that received the Congressional Gold Medal include Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, as well as the Tuskegee Airmen. You know, I dare say America, Rebecca owes Henrietta Lacks a hell of a lot more. This to me is a no-brainer. They owe her. They owe her family. And there's many other black folks who are experimented on and never received any of the intellectual property for their advancements to medicine. So while this is a great first step in making sure that this is

in the congressional record, there's a lot of money that's owed to her family. Scott? And Johns Hopkins as well. Somebody's supposed to get paid off this and not the lawyers. My goodness. Every country in the world ought to be compensating this family on top of the congressional award. But, you know, when I hear white supremacists talk about our land, our blood, or our soil and what have you, as if they built America, as if they built our professions of medical and legal and architectural and business, you know, I just shake my head at their ignorance because this is an incredible example. You couple this with the Tuskegee syphilis test that black people just aren't valued, weren't valued, but despite all of that, contribute

mightily to the development of our communities, our societies, and our country. And this is really a sad case, and I certainly think she ought to get the medal, but we ought to be moving or even suing after the fact for some compensation for the wrong that this woman went through. Beautiful lady, too, by the way. Beautiful pictures. And of course, Larry and Rhonda Sanders' world, students would never learn about this history. Ah, good point. So those are facts, though.

So let me say that about the point you made is that I lived in Baltimore. And fortunately, Roland, the students in the public school system are taught about Mrs. Lacks. And I would say her contribution, involuntary contribution, but obviously saved the lives in terms of what scientists have been able to utilize from ourselves, saved the lives of millions of individuals throughout the world. But it's a really good point you talk about with DeSantis and his focus on not having conversations about racism. The other point I want to make, and this is another example in which in terms of the medical community, in terms of how it is used, Black women, whether we talk about LACs or gynecologists in terms of experimentation on black women.

It's a long history of black women being their bodies, not giving the kind of autonomy they deserve in terms of research. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. All right, folks. Hold on one second. We come back. We're going to talk about child care and the tremendous cost of child care. How it damn near costs as much as having a house mortgage. A lot of folks say this is holding a number of black and brown families back. We'll discuss that next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to support us in what we do. Send your check and money order to PO Box 57196,

Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM unfiltered. PayPal, RMartin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back.

Question for you. Are you stuck? Do you feel like you're hitting a wall and it's keeping you from achieving prosperity? Well, you're not alone. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, you're going to learn what you need to do to become unstuck and unstoppable. The fabulous author, Janine K. Brown, will be with us sharing with you exactly that you have to take a risk, to go after what you want, to speak up when others are not. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Black Star Network. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. The Supreme Court is back in session. God help us all.

It is no exaggeration to say that this current session could completely reshape this country and redirect our future for generations to come. And not in a good way. We invite Dr. Valetia Watkins and Professor Angela Porter, our legal roundtable, back to the show to put it all in perspective. That's on the next Black Table. Please don't miss it right here on the Black Star Network. Hi, my name is Brady Ricks.

I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams. I'm from Dallas, Texas. Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. You hear me? Să ne vedem la următoarea mea rețetă! All right. I ain't got no kids. I ain't never had no kids.

But my wife and I have raised six of my nieces on numerous occasions. And, man, let me tell y'all something. When my twin nieces came to live with us in Chicago, they were a year and a half, a year and a half. They're 18 now. They just turned 19. I can't keep up. So the twins were a year and a half when they came to live with us. Damn is how I responded when I found out how much child care costs.

So we're talking, so again, y'all, we're talking at least 17 years ago. And it was $1,502,000 a month for twins and child care. Other folks are paying a ridiculous amount more and child care. Other folks are paying a ridiculous amount more of child care. It's crazy. Before I go to my guests, Larry, Rebecca,

Scott, y'all got any child care cause horror stories? I personally do not, but... Larry first. Go ahead, Larry. Go ahead. So when my son was young, we were living in D.C., so you already know about the cost of living. But you just highlighted how much money it cost, but I remember we had to move my son

from one daycare center to the other, and they were all full. So we had to figure out who was going to watch our son during the day. But at the time, I was working on Capitol Hill, it was an absolute nightmare. Rebecca? My friends in D.C. pay about $2,000 a month per child. Scott?

Not kids. Per child. When you're a single father, years ago I was a single father, I was not only paying a bunch of child support, not complaining, but when I had the girls 50% of the time, the twins, I had to have child care because I was building my law practice and traveling all the time. So on top of child support, I was paying two, three, sometimes four grand a month for people to keep the girls. So I knew that on top of that, I had to have them with

somebody that was safe and responsible because Lord knows if something happened to them, their mama and the court was going to have nothing to do with it and were going to slam me. So more stress and money goes into child care, good child care. The Andy Casey Foundation dropped a new report dealing with this here. Leslie Bossier, the vice president of external affairs, she joins us right now. And Leslie, this is, I mean, the cost is no joke and it's only gotten worse. Roland, in fact, since we started looking at this in 1990, we've seen a 220% increase in the cost of child care. So many families are just completely priced out.

On average in the United States, it's $10,000 per year for one child. For a two-parent household, that's like 10% of their income. For a single parent, it's as much as 35%. And in a place like DC, you're talking 70%. So it's a real crisis and families are struggling to make choices between how can I afford childcare so that I can go to work to provide for my family and at the same time pay my rent, buy clothing, buy diapers.

So it is a real crisis. I remember when Bill Clinton signed the welfare requirements for folk to seek employment. And all these Republicans, and even just what just happened in the debt limit

battle, all these Republicans want to increase work requirements. But they never want to factor in the fact that it's a bunch of folks have no problem working, but the issue, but it's two big issues that always come up when it comes to them trying to go find a job, transportation and child care. Absolutely right. And they're related because in many cases, child care requires transportation just to get the children to the center. Most parents, even working parents, are struggling with the issue. Work requirements have significantly reduced the number of people

who get welfare assistance. And yet the cost to have quality child care to leave your children with continues to grow. So it's a growing problem. It's not a new problem. And in addition to that, child care workers are among the lowest paid of any profession. Ninety-eight percent of all industries pay more. Retail workers, customer service representatives, all get paid more than child care workers. And these are the people that we're trusting are youngest and most vulnerable children at a time when their brains are growing and developing. The stat that jumps out,

folks are spending more on child care than in-state tuition for college? That's absolutely true. In 34 states, it costs more to put your infant or toddler in daycare than it would cost you to send your child to pay for in-state tuition for your child. And that's in 34 different states. So the cost continues to grow. And the other issue, which someone highlighted, is just the supply. There are wait lists everywhere. There aren't enough seats for the families who are looking for care for their children. And as a result of that, we're seeing more and more women, more and more parents who are being forced to leave the workplace or to change jobs because they just don't have the child care that they need in order to work and provide for their families. I mean, yeah, if you're somebody, if you're making, okay, I'm just throwing out,

if you're making $30,000 a year before taxes, I mean, when you start factoring in, it's economically, and again, this is where a lot of these, I get ticked off of these Republicans who don't understand this. It's actually more economical for you to actually stay at home because of increasing child care. But then now you have the loss of income. And so it's a catch 22 for many people. Absolutely true. And it's a it's a loss of income. Right. And so that affects your family. It affects your family's financial stability, your overall ability to provide for yourselves, your ability to grow wealth over time. But it's also a developmental loss for the children. Remember, early care, the early ages of a child's life is when their brains are growing

the most. It's when they're absorbing the most and developing. Those are the years that are preparing them to be ready for kindergarten and to be ready for school. So if they're not getting those quality interactions early on in their life, they're already falling behind. And that's a huge factor to consider as well. Well, I can tell you, I remember when my nieces were, again, when they went back, and it was probably about a year and a half, when they went back to Texas, they were literally three

to four levels ahead of the other children in their same class because of the environment that we created. Absolutely true. And one of the programs that the government provides, the Head Start program, is one of the best early education systems that are out there. And it is a public system available particularly for low-income families. But only one in six of the children who qualify for the program actually receive the subsidies that are needed to attend. So we know that we need more investment. We need more seats. We need more families to receive subsidies so that they can afford to send their children to early care. And at the end of the day, we need to come up with different strategies for how the child care system is going to work because it's broken and it's been broken and families are making some really difficult choices as a result of it.

Questions from our panel. Rebecca, you first. During the pandemic, when a lot of the child care providers were shut down, I had friends who were still paying child care providers. So once the pandemic was over, they weren't waitlisted. What can states and cities do to increase the number of child care providers? That's a great question. We know that during the pandemic, there were some $40 billion in resources that were made available to states to bolster the child care industry, to increase the capacity, to provide subsidies for families so they could support it. A lot of that money is still out there. And so it's really important that states

and communities make sure that they're drawing down all those federal funds that are available to them and using them in a way that's going to increase the capacity of child care in their states and increase the affordability for families who need it. Larry? Yeah, sure. Are there any, you know, is there a state or states that you saw particular programs that should be a template and replicated in other states throughout the country in your research? Well, we know that some states invest more in children than others. And if you look at the rankings in the Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book, you'll see the ones that rise to the top. Some states invest more in early education. In some states, early care, kindergarten and pre-K is paid for by the state. In other states, it's not, right?

There's not a seat for every child. And so it varies a lot from state to state. Again, the Head Start model is the best, the most robust, and the most evidence-based model that we've seen. And so if you were going to replicate that, that would be the model I would point to to replicate. So we know what works. We just don't have enough of it. Scott? So thank you for this report. You certainly identified the issue, but how do we solve this issue? What are the top three recommendations you have to resolve the cost and high cost for child care in America, whether you're rich, poor, or middle class? It's a great point because whether

you have kids or not, and no matter where you are, a good child care system is important to a functioning economy. And so it's imperative for all of us that we lean in on the issue. And there are some things that we know work, right? We know that when the federal government and when state governments provide resources, we saw during the pandemic that we were able to save 3 million seats that would have gone away had those resources not been invested. So one of the things we need to make sure is that the states are doing the best that they can and really drawing down the funds that are out there and putting them to work.

There's also federal legislation. It's called the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act that allows funding to go to the states that they can draw down to use for child care to build capacity, to provide subsidies to low-income families, to fund pre-K and Head Start seats. There's just not enough of it. We need that act. We need it reauthorized. We need more money invested in it. And we need to make sure that every family that needs access to child care has access to affordable, accessible child care. And then the last thing that I would say is this is a public-private issue, right? And that child care is a workforce support that families need child care not only for as an early education system but so that they can go to work. And so therefore we need both the public sector, the elected officials,

and we also need the private sector to get involved in the issue and to think about things like how do we increase the number of home-based care providers that are out there? The largest number of toddlers and infants are served in home-based care. We just don't have enough centers. And the licensing regulations make it almost cost prohibitive for new home-based providers to get in. And so we need the public and private sector to come together and really think about how do we increase the number of home-based seats that are out there because it is a more affordable option. It employs the largest number of child

care providers, and it also provides services to the largest number of children. Well, I'll say this here. You mentioned the block grant funds. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company

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

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

In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means

to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

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

it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids,

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I would say for those who are lobbying on this issue that the money not be sent in block grant funds to the state because that's being blocked by, I'll be perfectly clear, a lot of these red states. Governors, this is where the money should be going directly to mayors of cities because the money is not trickling down. When it goes to these states, these governors decide to use it for other purposes. It really is important that the cities are working together and holding the state accountable to making sure that the funds are used in the way it's supposed to be and that it's getting actually not only allocated toward child care but getting to the communities and local level and holding officials accountable to make sure that the money that's out there is used in the way that it's supposed to be used.

And it's also getting to the communities that need it the most. All right, then, Leslie. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Where can we begin if they want to see the full report? Where can they go? Absolutely. You can go to AECF.org and the report is available online. All right. Thanks so online. All right. Thanks so much. All right. Thank you for having me, Roland.

All right, folks. Got to go to a break. We come back more on Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. In a bit, we're going to show you a little bit what took place last night at the Juneteenth concert at the White House. I was in attendance there as well. And over the weekend, our panelist Scott Bolden turned 60-ish. I don't know why he's scared to tell his age. He know really he by 70, but I don't know why he try to tell him by a 60-ish birthday. You know he really in that seventh decade of life, but I don't know why he tripping.

All right, y'all. We'll be back. Roland Martin, Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Ha ha! I'm Faraiji Muhammad, live from L.A., and this is The Culture. The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard.

Hey, we're all in this together. So let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's The Culture, weekdays at 3, only on the Blackstar Network. Hatred on the streets. A horrific scene. A white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not be black.

White people are losing their damn minds. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash.

This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys, guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Joshua Andrew Greer was last seen on May 29 near the Ranger Hole Trail in Brennan, Washington. He was hiking with his dog when he went missing. According to his family, his dog was tied to a tree at the scene, and his clothing, shoes, backpack, and wallet were found nearby.

Joshua is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 220 pounds, with blonde, highlighted, twisted hair and brown eyes. He has roses tattooed on the back of his neck and sleeve tattoos on both arms. Anyone with information about Joshua is urged to call the Jefferson County Washington Sheriff's Office at 360-344-9762. 360-344-9762. We open the show talking about a case in Mississippi where attorneys are suing a sheriff's department for $400 million for a black man who was shot and they say tortured. Well, in another case, a Mississippi police officer who shot an unarmed 11-year-old black

boy in his home has been suspended without pay. The Indianola Board of Aldermen voted to stop paying Sergeant Greg Capers immediately. Capers shot Adirian Murray in the chest on May 20th when Adirian's mother, Nicola Murray, asked him to call the police. When Capers arrived at the home, he directed everyone to come out with their hands up. Adirian walked into the living room. Capers fired a shot, hitting the boy in the chest. He was hospitalized for five days with a collapsed lung, lacerated liver, and fractured rib. Murray's family is pushing for Capers' termination and prosecution.

The family has filed a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit against Indianola, the police chief, and Capers. The suit alleges Capers used excessive force and was improperly trained. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining the case. Capers have not been charged with any crime. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for October 2nd in the Sunflower County Circuit Court. Scott,

this is Mississippi, but explain how the hell you have a shooting? Okay, well, we'll get to Scott in a second, but it's crazy to me, Larry, you have a shooting in May and you get a probable cause hearing in October? Yeah, this entire case is another sad example. We talk about it on your show a lot, Roland. I mean, I just when I first heard the story and obviously talking about it this evening, it really just troubles me.

Once again, this is kind of an example. It reminds me of public enemy. And Chuck D. says, every brother ain't a brother. You know, this is a black cop shooting a black 11-year-old young brother who is doing the right thing in terms of how to protect his mother and calling law enforcement to provide her with the kind of protection and support she needed. And it's a miracle, Roland, that he wasn't killed. I mean, to be shot in the chest and survive, obviously he has to do a lot of lifetime worth of trauma. But the fact that he survived is a blessing. And this officer should be fired.

And once again, our point about these civil cases in terms of, you know, following lawsuits. I'm glad they're filing a lawsuit. And hopefully the lawsuit not only will, you know, they receive the kind of compensation they deserve, but maybe this will force the jurisdiction to make the changes that are necessary. It is absolutely crazy. Again, Scott, the shooting took place, you know, in May and probable cause hearing October 2nd. They don't want to deal with this case. They don't want to deal with this case. Did you see that young boy, that young, that young kid? And they shot him after his mother called.

He called the police because his mother had a friend who was being abusive to her. He calls the police to protect his mother. And when the police get there, she tells them the aggressor, the potential defendant, is no longer there. And the only people in the house are her children. She tells the police that. And so he says, I want everybody to come out of the house, probably because they want to search the house. I'm not sure why, because the mother is the one being abused. And when the kids come out, their hands are up, just like your video is showing, he gets shot on his left, right, on his right, which is just away from his heart and above his breast because that's what saved him.

Because he shot him on the left where his heart was. That kid be dead probably. And so, again, white America, white people, white cops do not value our life. No, no, this was a black cop. This was a black cop. But again, it's the blue line. It's the blue. It's the blue.

Let me supplement. Okay. The blue line does not support, does not value the life of black people compared to white people. You've shown videos of white people with guns pushing the police and ignoring police orders and running from the police and the police chase them. Not one of your videos has ever shown white cops or black cops shooting a white person that needs to be arrested. I dare you to show me one video on this show. One video where white people and black and white cops have shot a white assailant who is running or struggling with them or fighting them or not listening to them, ignoring them. Show me one video.

It just doesn't happen. Hey, man, it is crazy to me. All right, y'all. Let's talk about this. The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement with the Kentucky County School District addressing complaints of racial harassment of black and multiracial students. The department's investigation uncovered numerous incidents of race-based harassment. Black and multiracial students were called derogatory racial comments, including the N-word, disproportionate discipline for black students at some district schools and subjected to other derogatory racial comments by their peers.

The school district failed to consistently or reasonably address the harassment, including racial taunts and intimidation, and was sometimes reinforced using Confederate flags and imagery. No shock there. The settlement agreement will create institutional changes in Madison County schools with the undertaking of significant institutional reforms, including retaining a consultant to review and revise anti-discrimination policies and procedures and support the school district in implementing the agreement creating three new central office

positions to oversee effective handling of complaints of racial discrimination, updating its racial harassment and discipline policies to more accurately track and consistently respond to complaints of race-based harassment and training staff on how to identify, investigate, and respond to complaints of racial harassment and discriminatory discipline practices. And for those folks, Rebecca, who say there's no racism in America in 2023. You know what? So watch, rinse, and repeat. There's many other districts across the country that we also need to see this done as well.

I remember a couple of months ago on the show, there was a parent at one of who had children in Manhattan. His kids were going through the same thing to where they were being racially harassed. And he was trying to figure out, does he keep his kids in that school district, or does he send his kids somewhere else to stop the harassment? This is something that's common, unfortunately, across the country. We're going to see this more in Florida and some of the other states where they don't want, or even South Carolina, where we now have teachers who are actively being fired if they mention anything about race. As long as there's racism in this country, we need to talk about it. We need to do something about it. And great for the DOJ for doing something in Madison County.

If this was the run of Santa's Donald Trump, Department of Justice, Larry, they'll be like, no big deal. Those are our supporters. Yeah, unfortunately right now I'm in the belly of the beast when it comes to these issues. But, you know, Roman, these instances of racism really impact Black folks long term. And a colleague and I wrote about, created a term about race-based trauma, particularly in education settings. It's an example of that. These children will be traumatized for the rest of their lives. I'm glad DOJ came in and, you know, they're going to force them to make the necessary changes.

But once again, this is in terms of education context and how black children and also not only pre-K through 12, but also in college settings, how black folks in terms of their racial identity, how they are treated by those in power. So once again, this is a great step. This happens across America on a daily basis in urban and rural school districts. But we have to continue to fight on the front lines to make sure our students, Black students, feel safe. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

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

Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives.

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Safe and protected. Scott? Yeah, real quick, Roland. I'm a victim of this type of racism in a high school. I went to an all-white Catholic high school in New Lenox, Illinois.

I was called the N-word regularly, daily, weekly. My parents were civil rights activists. I went through stages of fighting, making people laugh, ignoring, going back to fighting and arguing. I stayed in school. And it was one of the main reasons, other than Martin Luther King Jr., that I went to Morehouse College. And I've been fighting white folks and racism ever since them country fed white boys I went to school with called me the N-word. True story. Well, they are always here.

All right, y'all. A Western Louisiana U.S. Army base, which used to be named after one of these Confederates, is now going to be named after a black World War I hero who also received the Medal of Honor. The base, formerly known as Fort Polk, was named after Confederate Commander Leonidas Polk, now bears the name of Sergeant William Henry Johnson. Sergeant William Henry Johnson fought off a German night raid near the Argonne Forest in 1918 while serving on the front lines in France. He was wounded 21 times while beating back the attacking forces, preventing a wounded black comrade from being taken a prisoner. Johnson's brave actions were recognized nearly a century later when he was possibly awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2015 for

conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. The renaming of Fort Polk to Fort Johnson marks the first time a U.S. Army base has been named after a black soldier. The renaming is part of the U.S. military's efforts to address historic racial injustice, including changing the names of nine Army posts commemorating Confederate officers. Yo, controller, who was the brother that Obama presented the award to? Who was the brother? All right, let's look it up. Right.

I mean, was this a family member or something on those lines? Let me know. I want to go to my panel here. You said you were in the belly of the beast there, Larry. And the reality is this here, that Grand Wizard, I'm sorry, Governor Ron DeSantis. Yeah, get that clip ready as well. He already has said that he wants to keep the Confederate name. This man is doing all he can to appease to appease all the racists in America.

Yeah, you know, Roland, I saw when he complained about Fort Bragg being, you know, changed, you know, Fort Liberty. And it just, I mean, he's going as far right as you possibly, he's getting so far right, he's coming off the page. So, but you're right, his recent comments are part of an ongoing pattern of anti-blackness. And look, this story you just highlighted, this is one military hero among numerous black military heroes we'll never even know about. And also, you coincide the fact that he was doing this during Jim Crow, with certain rights that he didn't have when he came back to the United States. But you're right, Roland. You know, the governor of Florida continues on his trajectory to make sure he finds any way possible to eliminate black folks. And this issue, he's another bone he found in terms of the renaming of these, many of these bases after former Confederate traitors to the United States.

I just, it shows you these folk clearly don't give a damn about us, Rebecca. But for DeSantis to literally go, I'm going to overturn this. First of all, you dumbass, you can't overturn it. Why? Because Congress actually passed the law renaming. You just can't just decide on your own, I'm just going to change the law. It doesn't work that way. But again, it shows you this appeal to the racist in the Republican Party. That's who Ron DeSantis is saying, I'm your guy. I just want to know, why does DeSantis hate America so much? Why would he want military installations to be named after traitors, after those who committed treason, after those who

wanted to dissolve the union? Why would he support that? You know, why would he be against so many pro-democracy ideas? Why is he anti-democracy? Like, I really want to know, like, does DeSantis actually really love America? If he doesn't love America, just like he tells other people, you could go back where you came from. Here in the United States, we support those who actually support the country, who actually support democracy, and who are actually pushing to support the ideals of this country and make sure that every single person actually has the opportunity to self-actualize and be whoever or whatever they want to be in this country. That's what this country is about. And it doesn't sound

like DeSantis actually likes America. I mean, it's a great thing, Scott, to have a base named after a Medal of Honor winner, but these Republicans like DeSantis, they prefer them to continue to be named after white domestic terrorists. You know, like in Germany, you can't have a swastika or any swastika stuff. It's illegal. You go to jail for it. We're the only country that had a civil war, and we still honor the Confederate flag in many states and stuff. But Pope wasn't just a war hero. I read up on this guy.

He got shot 20 times, probably on 20 different occasions. 21 times. Right. At least on 10 occasions. Hell, I would have left the military after one shot. He went back for more. He was shot 20 times.

This was a bad boy. President Taft called him one of the five bravest Americans in the history of America at the time. I mean, this dude was a bad dude. The Nazis, as well as the German soldiers in World War I, because Nazis were in World War II, but we fought Germany and Russia in World War I, they didn't want to see this man coming because he wasn't stopping coming across for them. Now, that's not just because he's a great American. It just happens to be black. And shot 20 times, none of us would keep going back for more body abuse like that.

And lived, by the way. Lived. He didn't even die. Well, first of all, when it actually happened, he got the French Croix de Paume, which is, of course, France's highest honor for valor,

when he came back to the United States because, yeah, after being shot 21 times, he literally could not even return to his job. He was a Pullman porter and died in July of 1929, and he's buried at Arlington National Cemetery. And, again, it wasn't until, it wasn't until, his was crazy, okay? Black man is shot 21 times in World War I. Y'all, it took place, he enlisted in 1917. This stuff went down in 1918.

He didn't get the Purple Heart until 1996. The Purple Heart is supposed to be if your ass get wounded. Hell, he should have got 21 Purple Hearts. This was a bad boy, bro. This was a bad boy. Possibly, he gets

the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, and it wasn't until, and to your point, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. You said Taft. It was Roosevelt, Jr. Sergeant Henry Johnson is one of the five bravest American soldiers in the war, which he wrote in his book, Rank and File, True Stories of the Great War. But again, y'all, that's just, it's just absolutely crazy.

But again, this is America. And by the way, this is one of those stories that you would not be able to read and run to say this is America because you have to bring up racism and Jim Crow as to why it took all these years for him to get the Medal of Freedom. I'm just saying. Going to a break. We'll be back. I'm Roland Martin, unfiltered, right here on the Black Star Network.

Black Star Network is here. Oh, no punch! I'm real revolutionary right now. Thank you for being the voice of Black America. All the momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? That was a pivotal, pivotal time. Kevin Hart telling me that. He's like, man, what you doing, man? You gotta stay on stage. And I was like, ah, well, I'm like, ah, I ain't got, you know, y'all think I'm like, ah, I'm good.

And he was absolutely right. What show was the other time? This was one- was absolutely right. What showed you at that time? This was one on one. Got it. During that time. And I was so you so you doing one on one. Going great. Yeah. You making money. You like. I'm like, I don't need to leave. I only leave from, you know, Wednesday, Thursday to Sunday.

You know, I just want to do that. You know, it was just like, I'm a stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like,, I'm going to stay here. Oh, I didn't want to finish work Friday, fly out, go do a gig Saturday, Sunday. I was like, I don't have to do that. And I lost a little bit of that hunger that I had in New York. I would hit all the clubs and run around. You know, sometimes me and Chappelle or me and this one or that one,

we'd go to the Comedy Cellar at one in the morning. I mean, that was our life. We loved it. You know, you do two shows in Manhattan, go to Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn, go to Queens, go to Jersey and I kinda just, I got complacent. I was like, I got this money, I'm good, I don't need to go, I don't need to go chase that

because that money wasn't at the same level that I was making but what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money, you know, it was that, that's what I was missing was that training. Yes. Was that, was that. And it wasn't the money. It was the money. You know, it was that, that's what I needed. My name is Lena Charles, and I'm from Opelousas, Louisiana.

Yes, that is Zydeco capital of the world. My name is Margaret Chappelle. I'm from Dallas, Texas, representing the Urban Trivia Game. It's me, Sherri Shepherd, and you know what you're watching. Roland Martin on Unfiltered. All right, folks, last night at the White House, they had their first ever Juneteenth concert. Also took place during Black Music Month. Folks from all over the country were there on the south lawn of the White House.

We were there. Of course, we went live during the show. From the procedure, you've got to roll the video. Vice President Kamala Harris opened the whole ceremony up. One of the folks who also spoke was Opal Lee, of course, the black woman from Fort Worth, Texas, who walked from Texas to Washington, D.C., championing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

But let me also say this here, and this is not taken away from her, but there were a number of people who had been calling for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday. A number of folks, and I must say this here, y'all pull the photo up, get it ready after we play what Opal Lee has to say. I want to give a special shout-out to someone in particular, and that is the late state representative Al Edwards.

He is considered the godfather of Juneteenth because he was the one who carried the torch and got it to be a state holiday. And that's all, just so Scott will know, that's one of those

important alpha historical moments. Because, yes, Representative Al Edwards was indeed a man of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. Larry, you know, I know it pains Scott, but that's how alphas do. Here's Opal Lee speaking last night on the South Lawn of the White House. Hello, young people.

And know you are all young people if you're not 96. Please, could I just say this to you, young folk? Make yourself a committee of one to change somebody's mind. If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. And it's up to you to do it. We are the most powerful country in the whole United States. And we must get together and get rid of the disparities, the joblessness and homelessness and health care that some people can get and others can't.

And climate change that we are responsible for. And if we don't do something about it, we're all going to hell in a handbasket. And with that. And with that... Well, that was a drop the mic moment. A number of people performed, Tennessee State Band, Morgan State Band, Audra McDonald, but also first of all, the Fist Jubilee Singers, the Hampton Choir, so many others as well. And, of course, my homegirl, Lettucey.

She sang. We'll play some of this. She honored Tina Turner with Let's Stay Together. It's R&B time, y'all. Y'all ready? Here we go. I I'm so in love with you

Whatever you want to do Is alright with me You make me feel so brand new I wanna spend my life with you Let me say since, babe Since we've been together Oh, loving you forever is all I need.

Let me be the one you come running to. I'll never be untrue Oh, baby, let's Let's stay together Yeah, loving you and I They pulled a good part. Lettuce was doing her thing. All right, Jennifer Hudson, the youngest person ever to win an Oscar,

a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy'll be ours, oh, one day when all is one we will be sure we will be sure Oh, glory I was way back forever In the little tents Oh, and just like the river I've been running Ever since It's been a long, long, long time. I got a long time coming, but I know

change gonna come. Oh, yes, it will. It's been too hard living But I'm afraid to die I don't know what's up, baby Beyond the sky Now earlier, President Joe Biden spoke. My Lord, he was so fired up by Jennifer Hudson.

He went on stage, embraced her, spoke to her privately, then went back to the microphone. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

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

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

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

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up.

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Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Imagine what this fight for the last 300 or more years, and other parts of the world, would have been like without the voice of the community. Imagine, imagine how we would have gotten even this far without the black church. No, no, no, I'm not joking. I used to go in the morning. I'd go to 730 Mass, I happened to be a Catholic,

and then I'd go to a 10 o'clock service. No, I think I'm kidding, I'm not. In Delaware, playing a small part in the civil rights movement. And I listened. I listened. I listened to the police. I remember when I was a kid, I lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania. When the jobs dried up, my dad moved us to Delaware, where there were some jobs.

And I went to a little school in a place called Claymont, Delaware. And I used to, it was on what used to be I-95, it was a four-lane highway, but it was access. And so we only lived about three-quarters of a mile from a school. I was in third grade. We had to be driven there because it was too dangerous to walk up the street. And I remember walking by and one day turned in the parking lot of this Holy Rosary school, and I saw a bus going by.

There were all African-American kids in it. I turned to my mom, I said, because there weren't many African-Americans in Scranton. I said, what's that about, Mom? Why are they all, they used to say, colored kids on that bus? And my mom said, they're not allowed to go to school in any of the public schools here. I thought to myself, how can that be? And I had a father who used to say to me, Joey, as I later learned,

it was an expression that wasn't original to him, that silence is complicity. Silence is complicity. So I want you all to know, I want you all to know, we must not remain silent. If we continue to speak out, this will change. As I said, I think the single most consequential thing the black church has done is give people hope.

Give people hope, really and truly. So thank you all for being here. I made a commitment when I ran for president that I'd have an administration that looked like America. We have more African Americans in high positions, starting with the vice president of the United States of America. We have more federal appellate judges than every other president in the history of the United States combined.

We have an administration that will begin to look like America. When that happens, we're going to finally put this to an end. God willing, I'm just so pleased, so pleased to be able to have this celebration on the South Lawn on Juneteenth. And again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You fill my heart in a way you don't, Merrick. Love you, young man! Love you, young man! You know, what interests me, and actually kind of pisses me off, Larry, Rebecca, and Scott, since it became a federal holiday, there are a lot of people who go did nobody ask for this

one that's a lie two there are those who say oh this is irrelevant well first as a native texan take great offense to that y'all got al edwards photo um Al Edwards photo. I've celebrated Juneteenth my entire life. It originated in Texas. This man here literally fought for years to get it signed to become a state holiday. Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday.

This is the only federal event, Larry, the only federal event. That even speaks to slavery in the United States. So when I hear people, so when I hear people complain, this is not important what they don't understand is you cannot have a discussion now forever about June 19th and not bring up the institution of slavery and not bring up

what actually happened. Second point that we have to understand is that Juneteenth was not about concerts and celebrations. It was indeed the celebration of freedom, but it was about the continuing quest for freedom. So I want people to understand how this has been celebrated in Texas all these years to serve as the framework for how it should be commemorated now across the country. And Roland, I'm glad you were able to apply the context as a native Texan about, you know, the history, you know, and certainly how the holiday, what the holiday has meant to you and other Texans, particularly Black Texans. But you're right. You can't have a conversation about, in any context, especially in this one,

about Juneteenth, where I'm talking about our ancestors, enslaved Africans that were brought here against their will, and also the economic impact that had on the country and the connection to its wealth, also in terms of disenfranchisement of black folks politically, socially, and economically. So this is all, you know, this particular event, like you said, from a historical perspective, you have to unpack all of this. Unfortunately, in certain states that go nameless, they want to prevent us from having these conversations and talk about this nation's history. And particularly, like I said, enslaving Africans, the importance of Juneteenth, what it means to black folks, and also more importantly, Roland, what does it mean for

Americans moving forward? And let me be clear, Rebecca, I totally understand policy. I understand, you know, all of that. But the mistake that these critics are making is not using Juneteenth as a way to advance the policy. Just like I think it's idiotic that we have allowed MLK Day to turn into a day of service. No! That's a day of protest! Which is what he was about and so we need to, when we talk about Juneteenth, you cannot

and if anybody missed Vice President Kamala Harris speaking, when she talked last night about Juneteenth, she kept saying freedom. freedom, freedom. We bet not lose the aspect. We are in a continual quest for freedom. So by great, great, great, great grandfather, Henry Carruthers ended slavery in Navarro

County, Texas. After the proclamation happened, they had to wait until the end of the harvest season for them to actually become free. He was given land, and he founded a Black town in Texas, Pelham, Texas, which is still around today. It was one of the first Black towns in Texas that was historically recognized by the state of Texas. And so for me and my family, what Juneteenth means, it is a celebration, but I want to remind the viewers that some of the early Juneteenth celebrations that happened during Reconstruction going up to post-Reconstruction, they were registering people to vote. They were having civic engagement.

They were helping the newly freed Black folks learn how to, hey, this is now how we form society. This is how we do economic empowerment. This is how we have active participation in government. To me and for me and my family, that's the story of Juneteenth. And that right there, Scott, is what I need people to understand what it should be. And it wasn't just the early Juneteenth. We always made sure that there were voter registration drives. We talked about the importance of having Juneteenth events and using black vendors, utilizing black food trucks, catering companies. And so I just want folks, because this is now the second year we've now had what's a

federal holiday, that we don't allow Juneteenth to turn into another mattress-selling holiday like we had with other holidays, that we make sure that, first of all, we own it, we control it, and then we determine how own it, we control it, and then we determine how we're going to celebrate it. Yeah, it's a state of consciousness is what you're talking about. And I completely agree with you. And remember, by the time news got to Texas about that slavery had ended, the Emancipation Proclamation, it had been months because the

news had not traveled fast. The slaves were still slaves even after they were freed, because there was no way to communicate that to them in the hinterlands, if you will, or all across the South. And so they had to wait on their freedom. So they had to wait on their freedom. They finally got to celebrate it. And then they continued to fight for freedom. In fact, we're fighting for freedom today. Some of us think we're free, but ain't nobody on this phone or on this program free completely.

And so it is an evolving process as this country seeks a more perfect union. So that is the case, folks. We're going to be in Houston on Saturday at the Power Center for an event 12 to 4 p.m. That's right, the Future of Black Economic Freedom. It is free,

open to the public. You see the various folks we're going to have there, black entrepreneurs as well as political figures. We'll be talking with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congressman and Representative Al Green, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, State Senator Boris Miles about what is happening on the city. Also, County Commissioner Rodney Ellis is going to drop by.

We'll be hearing from them what's happening on the city, county, state, and federal level to improve economic opportunities, contracting for black-owned businesses. And then we're going to have black entrepreneurs there. Sonny Masai-Jowes, publisher, CEO of the Houston Defender. Lynn and Nakia Price, who own Turkey Leg Hut. Reginald Martin, of course, Lamont Events. Ashley Ray, who's a new entrepreneur with her company. We'll be live streaming it on Black Star Network.

We want you to RSVP, folks. It's real simple. Just send an email just saying, hey, how many people are you going to have bringing you? We just want to make sure we have a proper headcount for food and drinks. Info at RolandSMartin.com. Info at RolandSMartin.com. Again, we're going to be at the Power Center on Saturday in Houston from 12 to 4. So please come on out.

Look forward to seeing you there. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. Our tech talk segment right here. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Coming up next on The Frequency right here on the Black Star Network, Shanita Hubbard. We're talking about the ride or die chick. We're breaking it down. The stereotype of the strong black woman. Some of us are operating with it as if it's a badge of honor. Like you even hear black women like aspiring to be this ride or die chick.

Aspiring to be this strong black woman. At their own expense. Next on The Frequency, right here on the Black Star Network. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it and you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it.

This is about covering us. Invest in black-owned media. Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Waits $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, raise $100,000.

We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is

Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at Rolandunfiltered. Venmo is rmunfiltered. Zelle is roland at rolandsmartin.com. Hey, what's up? Keith Turney in a place to be. Got kicked out your mama's university. Creator and executive producer of Fat Tuesdays,

an air hip-hop comedy. But right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. You hear me? Fam, yesterday, earlier this week, we talked about the Olympic sprinter who died and she was actually having a child. And we talked about the importance of having, you know, competent doctors that understand African-Americans.

Well, there's a new app.com, to actually find folks who can understand you and your needs. She joins us right now. Melanie, glad to have you here. She joins us from Henrico, Virginia. I mean, this really is critically important because, look, as we discussed when it came to Tori Bowe, that the issue that we see all too often, black folks, when they have white doctors, they're not being looked after, treated the way they should be.

And so black doctors historically, even present day, treat black patients in a different way. I agree. And so you created this. Was it an experience that you had? I did it out of my own frustration. I moved from one county to the next,

and I looked online to try to find two black doctors in my area. And I got frustrated because it took two days to find black doctors. I won't call out any health systems, but when you went to their websites where there's no pictures, you have to kind of filter out through the names to see if there was a black person's name to try to figure out whether they're black. And I kept searching and searching. I went to other directories, but they were maybe in California or for Texas. Nothing where we can just go to a mecca and find Black doctors, Black-owned medical businesses where we can support dollars in the medical field outside of food and restaurants, books, makeup. We need to also fund our doctors so they can keep their practices open

and not be monopolized by the giants that are taking over these and they have to go back to the medical systems or just bow down to not having a practice at all. So that was the goal, is to be a nationwide platform where we can find us and be treated by us so our well-being of health can sustain itself. So you launched it. How has it gone so far? There are challenges. I'm looking for associations to join in so their doctors can create profiles so we're able to be a little bit more robust. The challenge is trying to find the doctors because there's no software that I can use right now to actually find them. So I'm doing like the Henpeck thing, sending out postcards, calling, doing emails to get them to that place. Let's got a question from our panel. Let's see here. I'll start first with Scott.

Good evening. You know, one of the things I've represented doctors and medical practices over the years, and one of the things that makes it difficult for them is that if their marketing strategy is not to let people know that they're African American doctors because they have fear that they may not develop a white patient base, that's one challenge. What do we do about that? And then secondly, word of mouth in our black professional communities is pretty powerful, whether through the fraternities or the boule or any other professional association. That's how I find my black doctors, black vendors, black businesses, black real estate brokers, black bankers, so forth and so on. So you have a comment on either one of those? Yeah, I do. So when I did finally find the doctors, I went to a friend's Facebook post and everyone was telling the people to go to the

same doctors. One of the ladies, it was a six-month waiting list, and that becomes a problem because if we're sending everybody to the same doctor, what happens to the doctor that no one is telling about or a health me can sustain waiting six months to be seen we may need to be seen right away so that becomes a problem if all the people that were filtering to the same doctor there's no way for her to see all those patients or him. So this is where the platform is important because it distributes the doctors all around. So we can all be seen and we get to a better health standpoint. Rebecca. One of my sisters is a PA, a physician assistant, and she teaches in the program at Meharry College of Medicine.

Are you reaching out to HBCUs that have PA programs, that have medical schools, and other allied health professions to ask them to help partner with your platform? I have. Some people are waiting to get back to me. I don't know if it's a thing where they have to make sure that they can do that. So I'm having a little drawback because they're waiting, I guess, the approval to do this. I've even reached out to health care systems where there's the diversity and equity officers. And I'm reaching out to them saying, hey, can we get your doctors on here? Because on your platform, they may not be a pitcher. That person may be right down the block from you, but they would never know that there's a black doctor in walking distance to them because

on their platform, they don't have it set up where you can see who the doctor actually is, or there's no filtration system within the platform that you can check. I want an African-American doctor, or I want a black doctor, or I want a male-female black doctor. So that's been a challenge as well, getting them to respond to the emails. Larry? to the emails. Larry. This is a really important service and an issue that a lot of Black folks I talk to on a daily basis deal with. I'm fortunate because I have a Black physician,

but I wanted to ask you, say if someone's saying, hey, I need an oncologist as an example, and they go onto your website, what steps, is it a fee for service? I know a lot of cops cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called

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

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

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

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

Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family.

They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Can I look up my zip code in? How does this, how does this website exactly work? Yeah, so on the homepage, you can put in your insurance,

you put in your zip code and what type of doctor you're looking for. If there isn't a doctor on right now, we have a form where you can fill it out because doctors are joining practically every day. What we do is we will lend them the information to the doctor for them to reach out to them. So we're trying to keep up with those leads. So as soon as that doctor comes with us in their mile radius, we can say, hey, here are some leads that we already have for you because they're waiting patiently to be seen by an African-American doctor. All right, then. Melanin-Rx.com. Look, we appreciate it. Good luck with the website, with the app, and congratulations on it.

You can also go follow on YouTube, melanin-rxtv, or facebook, melanin-rx.com. Marcia, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much, and I appreciate you. I'm fanning out right now, trying to calm down, but I love you, Roland. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. And I appreciate you. I'm fanning out right now, trying to like calm down, but I love you, Roland. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Folks, on Saturday, a number of people came out to wish Scott Bolden a happy birthday. I don't know what we were thinking. I mean, I don't know. I don't know what we were doing. So we all came out. And of course, I got the photos. He caught a 60th, a 60th. No, y'all got the photos. Show the photos. He caught a 60th, no, I sent y'all the photos and grouped me. A 60th birthday. Stop tripping, Scott. What's your actual birthday?

60 plus. I mean, we know you vain and egotistical, you know, but those of us— A pretty caperman. Say it again? A pretty caperman. So pretty. Well, first of all, if somebody was really and truly that pretty, they wouldn't be afraid to say they age. Because, see, those of us who are alphas,

you know, look, we know black don't crack. So we ain't got a problem saying our age. Larry, how old are you? 51. I'm 54. And we look better than your ass, and we're going to look better than you ass, 60-ish. Let's ask the lady on the program what she thinks.

Now, just tell her. Just tell her. She gonna pick two Alphas over Kappa. You know that. Just tell her, baby girl. Just tell her. Scott, are you asking me if I think you're pretty? Is that what you're asking me? Well, no. I'm asking

you, of the three men on this panel, who's the best looking? Just tell me. I'll wait. Just tell me. It ain't you. Well, I mean, today is my mama's birthday. Happy heavenly birthday to my mom, and she taught me not to tell a lie. So Scott, unfortunately. What that means, Scott, she ain't picking your ass. That means she ain't picking you. All right, y'all.

So that was several people, y'all, who spoke at Scott's birthday. And it was a quasi salute roast of Scott. But I say the absolute Best person who spoke Was one of his twin daughters And at first Scott was like Don't you show that video Don't you show that video

I'm like okay alright bro I got you He's like okay go ahead and show it I know you're going to show it anyway I wasn't going to show it You said you didn't want to show it I said I got you But then he said go ahead and show it So I ain't going to show it. I wasn't going to show it. You said you didn't want to show it. I said, I got you. But then he said, go ahead and show it.

So I ain't going to ask his ass twice if you want me to actually show it. So, y'all, here's one of his daughters. Go ahead and check it out. But I think they've decided McKay is going to say a few words. Go right ahead. Hi, everyone. Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate my dad. I knew he knew a lot of people, but, my God, you all really showed up for him.

And I know that once... Boom, right there, right there. Lord, even she was shocked. Even she was shocked we all showed up. She thought it was going to be a party of three. All right, let's go back to the video. Heart, and of course, his ego. All right, let's run that back. Hold up, hold up. Let's run back to the video. Heart and, of course, his ego. So... Hold up. Hold up. Let's run that back.

Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate my dad. I knew he knew a lot of people, but, my God, you all really showed up for him. And I know that warms his heart and, of course, his ego. So... Boom! Boom ha ha! Boom! Boom! There you go! There you go!

She knows her daddy. We disagree. I told you not to do that. I'm putting that on the show Monday. But no, seriously, we really do appreciate you all for coming. For those of you all who don't know me, as he said, I'm McKay, his youngest twin daughter. I'm so happy to be with you all to celebrate my dad in his prime. You would think that he would be slowing down by now, but it feels like he's just getting started. When I talk to my dad these days, there's new vigor for life.

He's focusing on his health, more wealth, and of course, himself. I promise this isn't a roast ad, I promise. You see him on Fox News every week just to hear himself speak because we know damn well their audience is not listening to him. It also seems like he's aging backwards and it's probably from walking up and down all these steps in this house.

I mean, I don't know if you all have been up and down, but there are a lot of steps in here. I know I lost a few inches when he let me live here last summer for free. Thank you. He won't ever admit it, but I know he misses me being here despite him cussing me out every weekend from not coming home until 3 in the morning. I am almost 30, so... She'll be able to do whatever she wants. No, but seriously, the time that I was able to spend with my dad last summer is a part of my life that I will forever cherish.

As an adult, we all know it can be hard to spend time with our parents, so I've been grateful to not only live off you for a brief period of time, but have the opportunity to be around the best storyteller of all time and the best person to get advice from, even though he would make sure he told me about myself while he was at it. Dad, I want you to know that despite you being a hard ass,

you truly are my rock of confidant. You always say, I'm the best to ever do it, and you've shown us in more ways than one, but the best way you've shown me is by being my dad. Cheers to 60-ish. Good luck, my kids. Somebody, here you go. So somebody put it in the YouTube chat.

They said, did I hear Roland say, give me the mic? Hell yeah. When she said, it's not a roast, I was like, yeah, give me that damn microphone. I'll roast his ass. Somebody else said this here. This is probably the best one. They said, damn, Scott, your's not a roast. I was like, yeah, give me that damn microphone. I'll roast his ass. Somebody else said this here. This is probably the best one. They said, damn, Scott, your daughter taller than you.

That's just, that's one of your haters. But let me just say this. My daughters, all three of them, and my granddaughter and my son, they're our greatest creation. And McKay and McKenzie both spoke. It's hard to think about them being grown and having raised them. And all of our kids are our greatest creation. And I said that that night. Well, indeed.

And so I don't have time to show both. The daughter who's speaking right now, just go ahead and show y'all. Go ahead and speak it right now. Look at Scott over there shedding tears. Look at him. The one who's speaking right now, when I walked in, she said, thank you for giving my dad a hell. She said, and knocking him down a few pegs every Wednesday. I absolutely, she said, I absolutely enjoy you putting my dad in his place

every Wednesday. And I said, and I get maximum joy, I said, out of abusing that Kappa every single week as well. You're lying. She didn't say that, but it's a funny story. I get, you going to call her when we get off, and she's going to be like, hell yeah, I told him that. I'm not going to do that, but when they want some money,

I'm going to send them to you then. Go ahead and send them to me. I'm going to send them back to your ass. All right. Happy 60-ish birthday, Scott. I was scared to tell his age. 61, dog. 61.

Yeah, okay. All right. You know you 69. All right. You know you knocking on 70. All right. That's it. Scott, Rebecca, Larry, I appreciate it.

Hey, y'all. Tomorrow I'm broadcasting live from Clearwater, Florida. I'm speaking to a group of community development banks there. Looking forward to that. Houston, I'll be broadcasting from there on Friday. Don't forget, we're going to be in Houston Saturday with our Juneteenth 2023 event dealing with the future of black economic freedom. Sponsored by McDonald's.

We've got a great lineup of folks who are gonna be there. It is free, open to the public. Point your phone to that QR code in the top right hand corner or simply send us an email just to register your spot, info at RolandSMartin.com. Got 500 seats, so we wanna fill all of them up. We just wanna make sure we got enough food and drink for everybody and so we look forward to seeing y'all

in my hometown of H-town. We got a huge announcement that we're making with the mayor of Houston on Saturday as well. So you want to be there for that announcement. That's it, folks. I'll see y'all later right here on The Blackest Show. Don't forget, download the Blackstone Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can also, of course, support our Bring the Funk fan club by, of course, sending your check and money order to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, or Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered.

Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Barnes & Noble, Amazon. Download your copy on Audible. I'll see y'all tomorrow, folks, from Florida.

We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care.

Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.

This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two This is an iHeart Podcast.