#RolandMartinUnfiltered - NAACP Sues Musk’s xAI, Emanuel 9 Remembered, League’s Unite & Rise, InBooze Spotlight

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

6.17.2025 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: NAACP Sues Musk’s xAI, Emanuel 9 Remembered, League’s Unite & Rise, InBooze Spotlight The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have put bi...llionaire Elon Musk's xAI on notice.  They plan to file a lawsuit against his Memphis, Tennessee, company over air pollution from the AI startup's data center.  We'll talk to the NAACP's Director of the Center for Environmental and Climate Justice about how xAI's methane gas turbines are polluting the air.  Ten years ago today, the 'Emanuel 9' were murdered in Charleston, South Carolina. We'll talk to a victim's family member about honoring their memory, uplifting their legacy, and reflecting on what's changed and what hasn't since that night shook the soul of America. Also tonight, a new wave of resistance is rising. The League of Women Voters has launched Unite & Rise 8.5, mobilizing 8.5 million Americans to push back against anti-democratic policies. CEO Celina Stewart is here to break it down and tell you how to plug in. And in tonight's Marketplace, we're drinking smarter! You'll meet the founder of InBooze, the all-natural cocktail kit company, shaking up your happy hour with flavor and wellness. #BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.  This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (https://bit.ly/3VDPKjD) and Risks (https://bit.ly/3ZQzHl0) related to this offering before investing. Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 17 2025 coming up on Roland Martin unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have put billionaires. This is an iHeart Podcast. 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. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated.
Starting point is 00:00:43 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. Here's the deal. We gotta set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We gotta make moves and make them early.
Starting point is 00:01:06 Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at ThisIsPretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime.
Starting point is 00:01:32 I'm Benedict Townsend and this is Vine, six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Capital One is coming back to Las Vegas. September 19th and 20th.
Starting point is 00:02:05 Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Adams and Sharon, Fade, Glorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogarty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrae, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at axs.com.
Starting point is 00:02:24 Get your tickets today, XS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS.com. Elon Musk XAI unnoticed. They are planning to file a lawsuit against his Memphis company over air pollution. We'll talk to a local leader about that issue. 10 years ago, the Emmanuel Nine were murdered in Charles of South Carolina.
Starting point is 00:02:42 We'll talk to a victim's family member about honoring their memory right here on the show. Also folks, tonight a new wave of resistance is rising. The League of Women Voters has launched Unite and Rise 8.5, mobilizing 8.5 million Americans to push back against anti-democratic policies. CEO Selena Stewart will join us. And tonight's Marketplace, we're drinking smarter.
Starting point is 00:03:04 You'll meet the founder of in booze, the all natural cocktail kit company, shaking up your happy hour with flavor and wellness. Also don't Trump craziness when it comes to the issue of Iran will take what's
Starting point is 00:03:16 happening there and a federal judge in Massachusetts makes it perfectly clear the Trump administration is flat out racist when it comes to getting rid of grants, people of color, and LGBTQ folks in the National Institutes of Health. Wait till I show you what this federal judge, a Reagan appointee, had to say.
Starting point is 00:03:37 It's time to bring the funk on Roller Mark Unfiltered on the Black Stud Network. Let's go. Just for kicks he's rolling It's Uncle Ro Ro yo It's rolling Martin yeah Rolling with rolling now He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best you, he's rolling Martell. Now. Martell. Folks, we've talked on this show about Memphis allowing Elon Musk, AI company, to put up these turbines. They claim they have the proper amount.
Starting point is 00:04:46 The others say, no, that's not the case. We've had representative Justin Pearson on about that. Well, clearly the NAACP agrees. They, NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center are going to sue Elon Musk AI Company, XAI, claiming it is polluting black neighborhoods in Memphis without permission. Joining us right now to discuss this law. First of all, there was a news conference earlier today. It is polluting black neighborhoods in Memphis without permission.
Starting point is 00:05:05 Joining us right now to discuss this, first of all, there was a news conference earlier today. We're gonna play the news conference and then we'll be joined by someone from the Memphis NAACP. So here's what we'll see today at the news conference. This morning, the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the NAACP sent a letter to XAI
Starting point is 00:05:23 and its affiliates, letting them know that we intend to file suit under the Clean Air Act in response to XAI's continued use of unpermitted methane gas turbines in southwest Memphis. For the last year, these turbines have been pumping hazardous and smog-forming pollution into the air in south Memphis, a community already overburdened with industrial pollution. These pollutants can cause increased rates of asthma, heart disease, respiratory illness, and even cancer.
Starting point is 00:05:54 The law is abundantly clear. XAI needed to get an air permit before installing and operating any of the turbines at their facility. Its failure to get a permit is an obvious violation of the Clean Air Act. Over the last year you've no doubt heard a lot about a 364 day exemption that supposedly allows XAI to run these dirty turbines without any permits or any oversight. I want to be clear there is no such exemption that applies to turbines and nobody, not the mayor, not the chamber of commerce, not XAI, not the Shelby County Health Department, have been able to point to a single
Starting point is 00:06:31 legal citation that would authorize these turbines to operate without a permit. This opens the floodgates for more data centers to drain our community, our resources, and further pollute it. Where is the impact study on the number of jobs this will bring and the effect on the environment? South and southwest Memphis have long been the dumping grounds for toxic corporations. Today is an extraordinary day in this movement for justice rooted in love as we demand that clean air is a human right.
Starting point is 00:07:19 And there is not a person, no matter how wealthy or how powerful, that can deny the fact that everybody has a right to breathe clean air. It's not a feeling, it's a fact. This notice to sue XAI is a clarion call for unity across our city and across our county to unite in the fight. There's no more time for political platitudes or to have leaders put their heads in the sand. Now is the time to stand on the side of the people. Mayor Young, Mayor Harris, Director Dr. Michelle Taylor, now is the time to stand on the side of the people.
Starting point is 00:08:03 I want to give special thanks to the president of the National NAACP, Derek Johnson, the NAACP. Joining us now is Abrey Connor, the NAACP director of the Center for Environmental and Climate Justice. Abrey, glad to have you here. So how long have y'all been looking at this? Folks, Representative Pearson has been talking about it for a very long time.
Starting point is 00:08:24 Other residents have been talking about it for a very long time. Other residents have been talking about it. And when did y'all decide that now was the time to launch this action? Well, thanks so much for having me this evening. The NAACP, as you know, because of our branches and our state conferences who have been a part of many environmental climate justice actions for a number of years. They were on the ground looking at these issues since XAI had started operating. They were asking questions, concerned about their health. They were concerned about what this would mean for the community.
Starting point is 00:09:02 And so our branches and our state conferences, which are a part of our larger national footprint, they realized that there was an issue that needed, that garnered the attention not only of just the residents in South Memphis, but also of the entire country that recognized that South Memphis was being seen as a sacrifice zone for this dirty data center.
Starting point is 00:09:28 What I'm still confused by is that if you build something in the city and the county, there is a process. There's a process and y'all have been saying that they have 30 plus turbines. They've been saying they have 15. I don't understand how hard this is. Doesn't the city or the county have the actual documents that show how many turbines they're using?
Starting point is 00:09:54 Well, your question is a great one. And the fact that the community had to uncover the extra turbines that were operating in South Memphis, it tells a larger story of the lack of transparency, the fact that the community themselves had to go out and uncover these methane gas turbines that have been operating in their communities. And these are the questions that we are asking. These are the questions that our branch leaders and our state conference president and those leadership members are also asking. Why is it that we have elected officials? Why is it that there is a county health department? Why is it that there are so many different entities who should be asking
Starting point is 00:10:42 these questions, who should have the answers to these questions, but it really has lied in the hands of the communities to actually come forward and say, we actually operated drones and were able to actually see that there were additional gas turbines that were operating at this data center. Well, see, what I don't understand is, why even have drones? I mean, I don't understand. If you build something in the city and the county, there's a permitting process. There are inspectors.
Starting point is 00:11:13 So no one from the city or the county has physically inspected this facility to confirm how many turbines are there? Well, what I can tell you is that these are the questions that community members are asking. There has been a lot of conversations that have happened without there being any transparency. That was something that we highlighted in the letter
Starting point is 00:11:38 that we sent even before this notice of the intent to sue, that the community members have been saying, why is there not more transparency? Why has there not been more public hearings? There's been a couple of flyers that don't have a lot of information about what's happened since the beginning, since they started operating back last June. And now the community is saying, we're demanding answers, because if the city and if the county is not going to do their job, then we're going to file this notice of intent to sue
Starting point is 00:12:10 under the Clean Air Act. Questions, I'm gonna introduce my panel right now. Joining us, Dr. Mustafa Santiago, lead former senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA. We also out of DC, Randy Bryan, entrepreneurial author of Never Say It, 25 Phrases You Should Never Ever Say
Starting point is 00:12:28 to Keep Your Jobs and Friends. Also DC, Joe Richardson, civil rights attorney out of LA. Mustafa, this is your lane, I'll start with you. Yeah, well, Brad, it's good to see you and continue the good fight. You know, it's curious. So there are, of course, there are the state environmental
Starting point is 00:12:46 regulations. On the federal side, we've got NEPA. You've got Title V permits. You've got a number of different things that folks have to go through to be able to, you know, legally run these types of things. What's the analysis look like in relationship? I'll just stay on the EPA side of the equation, the various environmental laws, statutes and regulations that folks have to be in compliance with. Abrey, did you hear Mustafa's question? I did not hear your question. Let's see if we can try it again.
Starting point is 00:13:29 Mustafa, see if you can ask it again. And then let's see if a break can hear. Okay. Well, Brand, first of all, I was saying it's good to see you. You know. I did. Yeah. So, let me put it in context.
Starting point is 00:13:44 So we know that we've got a couple hundred thousand people who are dying prematurely from air pollution. We know these turbines are going to be causing additional impacts. My question was, there are state regulations that folks have to follow. Then of course, on the federal side of the equation, we've got everything from NEPA to Title V permits, to a number of other laws, statutes and regulations that folks have to be in compliance with to even be able to get a permit. So my question is, staying on the EPA side of the equation,
Starting point is 00:14:22 how are folks able to move forward on these various sets of things that have to be in place before you can even start business? Yeah, well typically, I guess from the standpoint of the company themselves, they have to look at what the different standards are, for example, as it relates to clean air. And so if you have, for example, as it relates to clean air. And so if you have, for example, 35 gas turbines that are running and operating,
Starting point is 00:14:52 they have to apply for permits to ensure that they are actually able to run those turbines actually in a community. The community itself also has the ability to ask questions because these processes are supposed to be open to the public. So for example, if someone applies for a permit, that's information that the community should be able to find out.
Starting point is 00:15:21 And that's how, for example, the community found out that these turbines were operating without any permits at all. There's also the way that this can move forward from a community standpoint as well, is that they also look at, for example, their county department of health, or depending on the state, there's other potential regulating agencies who are part of that process. In this situation, we have the Shelby County Department of Health who should be saying
Starting point is 00:15:54 whether or not operating this many gas turbines at a particular time, whether or not that is detrimental to people's health. And in this situation, the Shelby County Department of Health has also dropped the ball by not actually making that recommendation, by not actually making that clear to XAI as well. But XAI also is supposed to be running
Starting point is 00:16:19 a permitted operation, which they're not. All right, Joe. I surmise, I understand why you're suing, why you're suing the company, but given that the city is at the very least complicit, is there any thought to possibly now or at some other point actually bringing something or involving the city and or what are supposed to be the regulating agencies related to this
Starting point is 00:16:55 on top of bringing claims against the company? Well, we absolutely have continued to say that we believe that there are a lot of individuals and agencies who have been a part of failing South Memphis. And so we are keeping our options open as to additional ways to ensure that we're fighting with the community in South Memphis, and we have not taken any potential legal actions off the table. Andy? Has anybody been to XAI to actually evaluate what is happening right now? I mean, it seems as if there is like a dark mystery and we don't even know what's happening
Starting point is 00:17:43 there. Has anybody actually been able to tour the plant? Have any inspections happened? I mean, at all, are they just allowed to run with no regulation? The community is doing what they can and they're asking questions when they can. Unfortunately, there have not been many opportunities for the community to ask the regulating agencies and bodies what they've actually done in order to ensure their health, in order to ensure their safety. And so a lot of the information, it's either bits and pieces of information of just knowing
Starting point is 00:18:20 the clear violations of the law or the community having to take matters into their own hand to figure out, for example, how many gas turbines are operating at a particular time, unpermitted in their community. But I agree. This is something where, this is where your elected officials should be standing on behalf of the communit
Starting point is 00:18:46 there's more transparency. regulating agency bodies on behalf of the communit sure that there's transpa that have been created ab uncovered in their convers a lot of that information has not been made public.
Starting point is 00:19:07 All right then. Bray, we appreciate it. Thanks so much. Keep us abreast of what happens in this story next. All right, thank you. All right then, folks. Gotta go to Bray. We come back more on Roller Mark, None, Filtered,
Starting point is 00:19:20 including we'll talk about this case out of Massachusetts where a Reagan appointed federal judge rips Donald Trump's administration for their blatant discrimination. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. This week on the other side of change. State of the Democratic Party. What are the barriers preventing us from seeking true liberation and including more voices in that process? They overlook black organizers, young black people,
Starting point is 00:19:51 the work that we do all throughout the year, but then when the election cycle comes around, now all of a sudden they wanna listen to us. Listen, infultation marks. Now all of a sudden they want our labor and our contributions. And it's just like for me, I'm at the point where it's like, no, we're not doing that.
Starting point is 00:20:06 Tune in only on the other side of change on the Black Star Network. Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carlton. Dr. Kwesi Kanadu, author, scholar, and healer. He is one of the truly representative thinkers and activists of our generation. I had a dream, you know, a particular night and when I woke up several ancestors came to me and they came to me and said, we really like what you're doing but you have to do more. His writing provides a deep and unique dive into African history through the eyes of some of the interesting characters who
Starting point is 00:20:45 have lived in it, including some in his own family. The multi-talented, always fascinating Dr. Kweese Kanadu on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. Hello, I'm Isaac Hayes III, founder and CEO of Fanbase. Listen to what I'm about to tell you. The window to invest in Fanbase is closing to what I'm about to tell you. The window to invest in Fanbase is closing. We've raised over 10.6 million of our $17 million goal. That means there's room for less than 6,370 people to invest in Fanbase for the average amount.
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Starting point is 00:22:05 and your future. Go to startengine.com slash fan base and own the next generation of social media. Now streaming on the Black Star Network. In France, me and Tony, and accidentally went to the Louvre, right, but I had never been and I saw a side door. And we got off the little bus, I said, we're coming Tony, let's go to the Louvre. I mean, I'm just like, let's go to the Louvre.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Right, we're here. This black girl is at the door with this white guy, black African girl. And she says, oh my God, Vanessa B. Calloway. And I'm like this, you know me? And come to find out we were at the wrong door. But she said, I'm gonna let you in, just go in here. But I was in Paris, France.
Starting point is 00:22:52 And that shocked me. She knew my name, she knew me. She's my movie. You know, so it's like, you just gotta, as they say, build and they will come. But it happened, people will find it. They will come. People will find it. They will come. They will. They will.
Starting point is 00:23:06 They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will.
Starting point is 00:23:14 They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will.
Starting point is 00:23:22 They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. They will. a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. Blood and soil, you will not be white people are losing their minds. There's an angry pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol with some shouts. 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.
Starting point is 00:23:50 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. Here'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.
Starting point is 00:24:16 The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women, this is Whitefield. This week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie, we're talking faith, family, fatherhood, and the pathway to reentry. Most of us, in some way, shape, form, or fashion have had someone in our lives, whether it was a grandfather, a father, a uncle, a brother, or a cousin,
Starting point is 00:24:53 who has been incarcerated or justice impacted. What does that look like in rebuilding family and relationships? What does it look like for us to be able to have substantive conversations come to the table, love on each other, while at the same time, get it all out in the open so that we can begin a new journey together? You know, the last thing you want is in the midst of trying to piece your life back together
Starting point is 00:25:18 or home to not be a comfortable place. That's all next on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie here on Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's wealth coach, Dexter Jenkins is a faith-based financial mentor with more than 20 years in the financial services industry. He's passionate about helping families
Starting point is 00:25:44 build generational wealth. Even though I'm talking about things like prayer, I'm talking about things about reading the word, I'm talking about things like fellowship, I'm talking to members who are dealing with losing their houses or I'm talking to members who because of a lack of the handling of finances, they're working two or three jobs and so what I'm finding is that they're not coming to church because they don't have a handle on their finances. We're talking how to get wealthy through faith and our finances on the next Get Wealthy,
Starting point is 00:26:14 right here, only on Black Star Network. We begin tonight with the people who are really running the country right now. Trump is often wrong and misleading about a lot of things things but especially about history. Donald Trump falling in line with President Elon Musk. In the wake of the unsettling news that MSNBC has canceled Joy and Reve prime time show The Readout, Roland Martin and the Black Star Network would like to extend an invitation for all of the fans of Joy and Reve MSNBC show to join us every night to watch Roland Martin unfiltered streaming on the Black Star Network
Starting point is 00:26:50 for news discussion of the issues that matter to you and the latest updates on the twice impeached criminally convicted felon in chief, Donald Trump and his unprecedented assault on democracy, as well as co-president Elon Musk takeover of the federal government. The Black Star Network stands with Joy and Reed and all folks who understand the power of black voices in media.
Starting point is 00:27:12 We must come together and never forget that information is power. Be sure to watch Roland Martin Unfiltered weeknights 6 p.m. Eastern at youtube.com forward slash Roland S. Martin or download the Black Star Network app. How you doing? My name is Mark Curry and you're watching Roland Martin. Unfiltered, deep into it like pasteurized milk without the 2%, we getting deep. You wanna turn that shit off?
Starting point is 00:27:40 We're doing an interview motherfucker. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! We're doing an interview, motherfucker. ["The Daily Show Theme"] ["The Daily Show Theme"] ["The Daily Show Theme"] Folks, ten years ago today, Charleston, South Carolina,
Starting point is 00:27:52 and the nation were shocked when a white racist at a Bible study shot and killed non-black people at Mother Emanuel AME Church. Folks, it was absolutely stunning what Dylann Roof did. Of course, he was found guilty and sentenced to death.
Starting point is 00:28:10 Reverend Clementa Pickney, who also served as a state senator, was gunned down along with Cynthia Graham Heard, Ethel Lance, Reverend DePayne Middleton, Dr. Reverend Daniel Simmons, Myra Thompson, Reverend Sharonda Coleman Singleton, Susie Jackson, Tawanza Sanders, five others survived that horrific shooting. A decade later, Mother Emanuel still stands strong in their faith and spirit.
Starting point is 00:28:36 However, South Carolina still lacks a state hate crime law. It's one of only two states without one. Reverend Sharon Risher joins us right now. Her mother and two cousins were killed that day. There's a reception taking place at the International Slavery Museum there in Charleston, South Carolina. And so she is walking there.
Starting point is 00:28:54 Reverend, can you hear me? I can hear you, Roland. Do me a favor, remove your thumb from your camera screen so we can see you. There we go, we got you. Yeah. Stay as steady as you can. Or if some, and actually if somebody's standing next to you, just ask them to hold your camera screen so we can see you. There we go, we got you. Yeah. Stand steady as you can. Or actually if somebody's standing next to you,
Starting point is 00:29:08 just ask them to hold your camera. If somebody- Nobody stand there. We got you. This obviously was shocking, it was horrific. And I don't care how much time passes, no one, whether you're a family member or a church member, can get over what took place 10 years ago at Mother Emanuel.
Starting point is 00:29:33 No. 10 years, though, seems like a week ago, the actual day. This big hole in my heart will remain there forever. But I must say, the city of Charleston and all of us here will continue to advocate for them. We will not let anybody forget them and why they were killed in that church. One of the things Reverend I remember,
Starting point is 00:30:13 I was what MSNBC all these networks like, oh my goodness, look at this, how, how they forgiven the shooter, they forgiven and I was actually angry at that. And the reason I was angry They forgiven this shooter, they forgiven it. And I was actually angry at that. And the reason I was angry, because all too often, white America wants us to immediately forgive. And I said, man, I said, 9-11 took place a long time ago,
Starting point is 00:30:35 these white folks still ain't forgiven. And I think that people misunderstand the Christian ethos of forgiveness. Forgiveness don't mean we forgot. Forgiveness does not mean that we don't stop fighting. Exactly. Roland, I was with you. I was very angry and upset.
Starting point is 00:31:00 My sister was the first one to say, I forgive you. I hadn't even gotten out of Dallas, Texas yet, cause that's where I was living when all of this happened. And I just couldn't believe my ears. I'm hearing this on TV and all I could do was scream and holler. It took me approximately two years to work out in my soul and in my heart about forgiveness. I'm an ordained minister and all of that, but God allowed me to work through this process the best way I knew how. And
Starting point is 00:31:39 it was a God thing about the forgiveness. everybody that I have talked to said that that was not on their mind, but God stepped in and gave them an understanding of why they needed to forgive. Cause we know if Charleston hadn't forgiven like they did, it could have easily been another Ferguson or another place. So we thank God that they had the courage
Starting point is 00:32:08 to know what God was nudging them to do. Yes, forgiveness was given, but that doesn't mean that we didn't want justice. And of course, that's a whole nother ball game when it comes to my advocacy work and what I've been trying to do. I think people miss that. Forgiveness doesn't mean we don't want you to go to jail.
Starting point is 00:32:35 Now, folk may say, we don't believe in the death penalty. We don't want you put to death, even though you shot and killed nine black folk, but it don't mean we want to see you get out Doesn't mean we weren't ticked off those cops took him to burger king after he got arrested It doesn't mean that like for instance, I was adding to you I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 00:33:01 Sometimes the answer is yes But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated.
Starting point is 00:33:34 I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio 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.
Starting point is 00:34:23 It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at tearthepapersceiling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend and this is Vine, six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic.
Starting point is 00:34:56 Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our iHeartRadio music festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hello, Concha. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar. Tate McCrae. The Off-Sprint. Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS.com.
Starting point is 00:35:34 Event was an off the record event. And the question came up and I sat there and Nikki Haley was talking about all the work that she did and how difficult it was and how she got this hate crimes law passed. And I was pissed off. In fact, her family was sitting next to me
Starting point is 00:35:51 and I was mad as hell. I was like, whoa, whoa, let me be real clear. That bill got passed because the blood of nine black people got shed. That's what happened. And all too often in this country, it has taken black blood being shed for this country to move That's the only reason that confederate flag came down from the state Capitol
Starting point is 00:36:13 Actually, it came down on July 10th 2015 which just happened to be my birthday July 10th and that day I looked at the picture of my mother and I said, mom, look what your blood, your debt has caused to happen. We will always remember them. Things have been done in South Carolina, but there's still a lot to be done. We are still steadily trying to get the South Carolina
Starting point is 00:36:53 hate bill passed, which they, it's been stalled. You'd think the state of South Carolina would all of this that had happened that they would do this, but they're not. So we will continue to fight to get this law named after Clemente Pinkney, the Senator and pastor that died in that church. Me for one, will never stop advocating, will never stop calling my mother's name,
Starting point is 00:37:32 Epel Lee Lance, and I will continue to advocate and say their names, talk against hate, racism, gun violence, all of the things that God has put on my heart to be an advocate for. Well, I tell you that the fight does continue. And I have to remind people that it was South Carolina that was the first states to secede from the union that led the Confederacy. And the reality is, and those folks had to be dragged kicking to actually take that flag down
Starting point is 00:38:02 even after those non-black folks have been shot and killed. And they want to hold on to that confederate viewpoint for so long, they don't believe in hate crime laws, which says that they don't want to punish the folk who commit hate crimes against black folks and other folk. And that to me is an absolute shame. Yes, very much. Reverend, we with you, our prayers are with you and the survivors and the family members and we do not want this day to pass without remembering them because all too often our folks are forgotten in history and again blood was shed, black blood was shed to make changes. And unfortunately, as a long,
Starting point is 00:38:49 the manual nine joins a long line of African-Americans in American history that have had to die, had to die in order for this nation to wake the hell up and do what's right. Thank you so much, Roland, for having me to continue to put our history out there, to talk about things that nobody else wanna talk about. God bless you.
Starting point is 00:39:15 God bless you. Appreciate it. I have yet to be to the museum, but I will get there soon to check it out. Thanks a lot. Thank you. I wanna go to my panel here. Randy, I wanna start with you.
Starting point is 00:39:27 But that point that we just can't deny, that again, too often, I mean, look at all of the stuff that happened after the death of George Floyd. It took George Floyd's life being snuffed out for this nation to say, yeah, we kinda gotta fix this stuff. That literally is the history of black people in America.
Starting point is 00:39:49 Sadly, and it's not just that we have to die. It's that we have to die in such a public, brutal way. You think about those nine people who were in their home, their home of worship, which you would think would be the safest place to be. nine people who were in their home, their home of worship, which you would think would be the safest place to be and are shot down by a young, and they welcomed him in. You know, they welcomed him in. And then what was so just,
Starting point is 00:40:21 that blew me away as you brought up the Burger King, when they took this white young boy murderer to Burger King afterwards to feed him a meal, they could still see his humanity, still were worried about if he wanted something to eat. Whereas black people every day are fighting for people to see our humanity. So stark contrast to the way that we're treated.
Starting point is 00:40:46 So yes, like you remember that day back in 2015, I absolutely do too. And again, it's almost like a wake up call, but we stay woke. We don't get an opportunity to ever rest and relax because if we can't be safe in our homes of worship, then where are we safe? Oh. in our homes of worship, then where are we safe?
Starting point is 00:41:10 Did you say my name? I'm sorry. So it's interesting in South Carolina, I pay a little bit more attention to South Carolina because my daughter's been there, been working there. We all remember where we were 10 years ago. And interestingly, all these years later, there's still no hate crime bill passed. And in Conway, which is the next town over from Myrtle Beach
Starting point is 00:41:30 that has a black mayor, they've dealt with racists doing cross burnings. And then you can't really prosecute them the way that you need to because there is no hate crimes bill. And they've gone out of their way saying, in this particular instance, that the reason why they're doing this, doing these hate crimes, what are hate crimes, is because they hate black people.
Starting point is 00:41:55 People were actually hard to evict. And they were really hard to exact justice against when you know for a fact that these are hate crimes. And so it is important for us to understand and realize, for society to understand and realize that the only way that this is often, there's often progress, ever progress on these things, is that somebody has to die and too often it is a victim of a hate crime which can be people of color in this particular instance, Pastor Pinkney and nine others. I believe it was 10 total or nine total.
Starting point is 00:42:34 And so it's a shame that we're still there. South Carolina still has moves to make and things that it can do. But we just have to continue along the road. Speak truth to power. Call it what it is. The reason anything got done here is because black folks died in a situation where they shouldn't have. And even then, you're still not dealing with gun safety issues at the level that we need to.
Starting point is 00:43:02 We're still acting like there should have been a consensus to do a hate crime bill. Hate crime bills should have come quickly and soon after, but we're still here in some of those ways, but remaining hopeful and remaining optimistic, we can forgive, like you say, but still seek justice. People wanna say forgive and forget, but you're supposed to do justice. It's biblical that you're supposed to seek justice. People want to say forgive and forget, but you're supposed to do justice.
Starting point is 00:43:26 It's biblical that you're supposed to do justice. Just like it's biblical, you're supposed to forgive. They're not mutually exclusive. You don't have to do one in lieu of the other. You don't have to pick your poison, as it were. You can still do both and do the right thing. So we have to continue along their route and continue to do that.
Starting point is 00:43:43 Mustafa. I mean, this was a tough conversation for me because I knew Reverend Pickney because of all the amazing folks I had worked with in South Carolina. I mean, let's just be honest. We are considered sacrificeable people in many places across this country.
Starting point is 00:43:59 And as long as that dynamic continues to play out, we are going to see black brothers and sisters die through all types of horrific actions. And that means, yes, we have to, one, put our arms around each other, build community, but we also got to hold people responsible. We got to let folks know that, if you take a life in our community, that there is a price to pay. Now, you know, I'm all for the legal system, but I also understand that we have to protect
Starting point is 00:44:29 our communities because nobody's coming to save us. If somebody was going to come to save us, that would have happened a long time ago. And that's why we have a responsibility to do all that we need to do to keep our community safe. When I'm going through these traumatic situations and thinking about what happened 10 years ago, I write because it helps me to deal both on the mental health side
Starting point is 00:44:52 of the equation, but also to give clarity into the moment and the things that we want, need to do. And I wrote this piece this morning and it just take me 30 seconds here around, Holy ground got blood in it. 10 years ain't healed the pews, still whispering Psalms through smoke. Some Sundays the choir don't sing.
Starting point is 00:45:12 They moan in key. Grief stuck in their throats like gunfires echo. A man walked in with skin that the law don't fear, carried hate like scripture and made a sanctuary bleed. Nine names carved into air, ain't no wind strong enough to forget them. They were prayer and porch light, hallelujah and hush, black and beloved.
Starting point is 00:45:35 But America got blind spot where his heart should be, calls it history, calls it mental illness, never calls it what it is. We ain't just mourning, we fighting. Lighting candles while building barricades, loving God while watching our backs. We know peace don't come without a reckoning. So we hold hands, say their names like Armour,
Starting point is 00:45:57 Cynthia, Susie, Torwanza, Daniels, Sharanda, Myra, Ethel, DePayne, and yes, Clementa. This ain't just an eulogy. It's a war cry wrapped in a hymn, a vow made with tear stained mouths. We gonna turn this grief into something holy that fights back. All right then.
Starting point is 00:46:18 We certainly appreciate that. And Randy and Joe, don't be getting no ideas of writing poems and then y'all gonna read them on the show. So that's the one time only thing. All right. All right. Great job Mustafa. Good job, Frat.
Starting point is 00:46:31 Folks, we come back. A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan says the Trump administration's ban on National Institutes of Health grants. It's the most blatant discrimination he has witnessed from the federal bench in 40 years. We will discuss next on the show.
Starting point is 00:46:51 Don't forget folks, you wanna support this show and this network. Join our Bring the Funk Fan Club. The goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing, or more, contributing on average 50 bucks each a year. Y'all, that's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. Now here's the deal. I purposely don't charge people 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
Starting point is 00:47:37 be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.
Starting point is 00:48:07 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 4st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts.
Starting point is 00:48:32 Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as. A wrap away, you gotta pray for yourself, as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.
Starting point is 00:48:56 Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime. and Human Services and the Ad Council. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. September 19th and 20th.
Starting point is 00:49:41 Streaming live only on Hulu. Brian Adams and Sheeran. Fade. Gllorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogarty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCray, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today, AXS.com. YouTube, on Facebook, we post our content stuff on instagram and fan base and tiktok and snapchat all social platforms also a black star network app. And so that's what our goal is
Starting point is 00:50:19 that's one of the reasons why we want to top 100 podcast on youtube but your support is, because we don't have millionaires and billionaires cutting us checks. They're not sending us money every single month. These ad agencies out here, they're not sitting here, including us. I've met with several of them. We have one meeting, haven't heard from them since.
Starting point is 00:50:37 So your support is critical to us at building this show into something larger. I told you before, I'm literally having BlackStarNetwork. com being rebuilt as we speak as a portal for news and information that is happening right now. We hope it will be done in the next 30 days. We have written stories in addition to video stories. We're adding new shows and so we shot a business pilot show looking at a health show of the shows as well. the specialized content that we're
Starting point is 00:51:06 doing to be traveling on the road broadcast across the country. All of this happens with resources and so when you join you join one of the 35,000 people that have supported us as we lost this show on September 4th 2018 it's a relaunched his network on September 4th 2021 2018. And since we lost this network on September 4th, 2021. So to do so, please contribute via Cash App. Use the Stripe QR code. Cash App changed their rules, so we don't have direct accounts, so we got to use Stripe QR code. You see it right here on the screen. Of course, you can click the Cash App button to continue to contribute. Also, if you want to send
Starting point is 00:51:42 a check and money order, make it payable to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Again, Roland Martin Unfiltered, send it to P.O. Box 57196, Washington D.C. 20037-0196. You got to give us four to six weeks when you send it folks because we get coming here in the mail, then we got to deposit it by mobile or we may have to actually mail it to the bank when sometimes it can't read your check or the money order You can contribute via PayPal our Martin unfiltered PayPal that emmy for slash our Martin unfiltered You're gonna see it says new vision media. That's our parent company Venmo is Venmo comm for slash RM unfiltered Zell rolling at Roland s Martin comm rolling that rolling Martin unfiltered comm When you get my book white fear how the How the Browning of America's Making White Folks
Starting point is 00:52:26 Lose Their Minds, available at bookstores nationwide, or get the audio version of Audible, that money comes back into the show as well. When you buy our swag, of course, our shirts and hats and other things, at rolandmartin.craderdashbrain.com, CuraCo's there as well. We get a pro cut of that, it comes back into the show. When you shop the black products at shopblackstarnetwork.com, we also get a cut of that and comes back into the show when you shop the black products and shop black start network.com
Starting point is 00:52:46 We also get a cut of that. That's another way to support the show. That's shop black start network comm So there are multiple ways that you can support us here at Roland Martin unfiltered and the black start network And so please do so and we appreciate all of that. I'll be right back Next on the black Table with me, Greg Carl. Dr. Kwesi Kanadu, author, scholar, and healer. He's one of the truly representative thinkers and activists of our generation. I had a dream, you know, a particular night. And when I woke up, several ancestors came to me and they came to me and said, we really like what you're doing, but you have to do more. His writing provides a deep and unique dive into African history through the eyes of some
Starting point is 00:53:34 of the interesting characters who have lived in it, including some in his own family. The multi-talented, always-fastening Dr. Kwesi Kenadu on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. This week on the other side of change. State of the Democratic Party. What are the barriers preventing us from seeking true liberation and including more voices in that process? They overlook Black organizers, young Black people,
Starting point is 00:54:02 the work that we do all throughout the year. But then when the election cycle comes around, now all of a sudden they want to listen to us. Listen, infultation marks. Now all of a sudden they want our labor and our contributions. And it's just like for me, I'm at the point where it's like, no,
Starting point is 00:54:17 we're not doing that. Tune in only on the other side of change on the Black Star Network. Martin than to be unfiltered. Of course he's unfiltered. Would you expect anything less? Watch what happens next. Across the country, women are building a powerful movement to resist what many see as a fallen democracy. Unite and Rise 8.5 is mobilizing 8.5 million people to stand up against the anti-democratic actions of the Trump administration. This of course was launched in May of this year.
Starting point is 00:55:17 And so this is of course a critical effort because we've always talked about the importance of again, mobilizing and organizing, mobilizing and organizing. It runs through the 2026 midterm elections. The initiative is really important because people keep saying, yo, who's doing, what are they doing? What's happening? It's part of the women defend democracy campaign led by the legal women of voters. Selena Stewart is the CEO of the legal women voters of the United States. She joins us right now. Selena, glad to have you on the show.
Starting point is 00:55:47 First and foremost, when we say to stand up against the anti-democratic actions, what does it actually mean? That means being out here in these streets. And it also means, I mean, for black people, that means something a little different, right? Because I think black people are having to be more strategic about how we raise our voice to be protest, right? And so the economic boycott,
Starting point is 00:56:11 the economic protest has been something that I think black communities have leaned into more. But when it comes to the League, one of the things that we are talking about is participating in the streets, understanding that when you are white in this country, that the crime against you during a protest is probably going to be less. And so it means showing up.
Starting point is 00:56:32 It means withholding your dollars. It means going out to protests like the ones that happened this weekend with the No Kings action. But it's really about leveraging not only our voice, but our bodies to push back and show that this country is still about the people and a democracy. One of the things that I'm actually working on the book about this here is that one of the things that I keep seeing is that, and I keep hearing, is that people in this country don't believe that their vote matters. So how do you walk people through that and explain to them that
Starting point is 00:57:05 their vote does indeed matter but to be a part of change it takes more than just voting? Yeah so I think that you're exactly right and when we were touring during this last election cycle we did hear from people who were just like in Arizona in Nevada who are like, our vote doesn't matter. And I think what we have to impress upon people is, one, we need to get to the core of why you feel that way, because it's likely more than voting. But why do you feel like you are not valued? But the second piece of that is that you have to sometimes you have to show people data. I was just in Indiana and Tennessee the last couple of weeks, and we were going through,
Starting point is 00:57:43 and we know both Indiana and Tennessee have one of of weeks. And we were going through, and we know both Indiana and Tennessee have one of the lowest turnout rates in the country in terms of voters showing up on election day. But one of the things we went through and we saw is that some of these elections were won or lost by 23 or so votes. That's wild. I think if we're able to communicate with people
Starting point is 00:58:02 about how slim some of these margins are and how critical these roles play when these people are in charge of your life, whether that is the reading that your kids have in school, whether or not the pothole gets fixed, whether it takes five minutes or 15 minutes to get to your house if a crime is committed or if you need support or help from the police or fire, I think we have to drill it down to just regular people. And I think that that's one thing that has been missed in recent communication and messaging that has been done.
Starting point is 00:58:31 We have to reach people where they are and let them know just how critical it is to their everyday lives and not just this one time thing that we do for midterms or for the presidential election. You know, I'm glad you said that. I was having a conversation in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday after my speech there in the town hall we had, and we were at dinner, and I was literally saying,
Starting point is 00:58:52 I was talking about what Joe Madison, my good buddy, used to always say, you gotta put it where the ghost can get it. And I said, you can't talk about this in a 30,000 feet way. You have to literally explain to people, and there's no disrespect, in a fourth,000 feet way. You have to literally explain to people and there's no disrespect in a fourth grade reading level. News, people understand newspapers are written on a fourth grade level.
Starting point is 00:59:14 We have to also connect the dots. We have to be very mindful of the words that we use, the language that we use. We can't use, if I really wanna go there, as they always say, highfalutin' words. You shouldn't be using words that force somebody to go to a dictionary. And I know people might say,
Starting point is 00:59:31 dang bro, why you gotta be that cold? But that's just the reality. We have to be, really understand that folk need you to make it plain for them to really understand what we're trying to get them to do. That's right. And rest in peace, Joe Madison. Love, love, love.
Starting point is 00:59:48 He's one of the stalwarts of, I think, civil rights and just an activist. And we really, I miss him a lot. But I think you're absolutely right. I think that we have to drill this down to regular people speak, because the reality is that people care about things that they do every day. And I think that when we are talking about things
Starting point is 01:00:08 that affect everybody and their lives, you just have to connect with people. This is about connecting with communities and connecting with people and not getting out of politics. Because when you get out of D.C., you start to hear real conversations, farmers. You hear from people who are trying to hold it down with two jobs. We are trying to hold it down
Starting point is 01:00:25 with two jobs. We're trying to talk to people who are having a hard time paying $6 for eggs. And so when you are talking about political lingo, like what you're saying, these highfalutin language, don't nobody care about that. Don't nobody understand that. So you just have to speak plain language to people.
Starting point is 01:00:43 But I think that's how you connect the dots for people, which is bring it down to what matters to people every day, their kids, their family, their houses, the taxes that they're gonna pay, how much they're gonna pay for gas and eggs. And that's what gets people to understand. And when you layer on that, the 23 votes that some counties or some people won by,
Starting point is 01:01:02 it really makes it plain. But one of the things that stood out to me after this past election is there were a couple million, I think it was almost two million people who searched on Google, how do I change my vote for president? That's a problem. That's a problem that people don't understand how civics and how government works in this country. And this means that it's also an opportunity on platforms like this and also for the League of Women Voters to truly educate people about
Starting point is 01:01:29 the impact of their decisions. Because there's a lot of people hurting right now who voted for this president or who didn't vote for this president, and we're all having to suffer from the consequences. Questions from the panel. Randi, you first. I really, I love what you're saying here about taking the conversation, like not dumbing it down, but making it where everybody can relate to it. But I also wonder how you how do you feel about asking why and listening some? It seems like we do a lot of talking to people, but I often feel like we don't talk, ask them questions like what matters to you?
Starting point is 01:02:05 So they can find a reason and we could find a reason why voting all of a sudden should matter to them. Because sometimes voting seems like something and democracy seems like something so separate from our daily lives. But if we say what matters to you, I mean, we talk about the eggs and things, but if you say, you know, I see that your,
Starting point is 01:02:26 your, you know, wife is pregnant, you know, do you, what about Medicaid? You know, since 41% of births come are covered by Medicaid. Like I, it just, where we set up town halls again, I mean, I just remember the olden days of town halls where we really got to hear people's opinions and not just the same people we hear from all of the time, but really getting a cross section of citizens and listen to their voices, particularly the
Starting point is 01:02:52 people's voices that don't feel like they have a voice. I just wanted to know your thoughts about that. No, I think that's true. And earlier when I was saying, you know, having conversations with people and asking, you know, why don't you feel like you matter? Like, that's a deep question. When I'm talking to young people in particular, it may be because, you know, when I go into court, the judge doesn't care about me. And I'm like, well, do you know that in this state that you elect those people? So when you're talking about going before a judge and either it's for child support
Starting point is 01:03:24 or whatever the case may be, do you understand the power that you have to actually elect the person who has the right to make decisions over your life? And so I think it is a conversation. And I think that we do, I think you're absolutely right that we have to listen to what people are saying and what is gonna motivate them to vote
Starting point is 01:03:40 because it's gonna be something different for each person. But when we talk to one person, it may reach multiple people because they may go back and talk to their family members and talk about why it's important to vote, because it's going to be something different for each person. But when we talk to one person, it may reach multiple people, because they may go back and talk to their family members and talk about why it's important to vote. But I think you're absolutely right, asking more questions, being intentional about listening, but also using that as an opportunity to connect the dots with the power that they have over their own lives to stop whatever problem that they raise and why they feel like they don't matter.
Starting point is 01:04:14 I think this, I may be next. So sister, first of all, thank you. Thank you for everything that you're doing. Thank you for being a leader who understands how important it is to make sure that the unseen and unheard, you know, have a platform and have a place where they can go, where folks actually care about them. For you to be successful, what does it look
Starting point is 01:04:31 like? What does it take for your organization to be able to hit the goals that you put forward for yourselves? I'll start with Coach Royce said, what's up? That's the first. And then second, I will say that right now I'm deep in prayer. Because I think a lot about, we don't talk about this. It's not always acceptable to talk about this in spaces, but we're in spiritual warfare right now. This is a fight between light and darkness. And so when I think about what it
Starting point is 01:05:05 takes for me to be successful, just as a woman, as a black woman leading a primarily white organization, it really means leaning into my faith and my gut and my intuition about what I think is the right thing to do. And sometimes doing the right thing is hard because it may put you in jeopardy. I know for myself, it puts me at risk in some ways, the risk goes up. But the reality is that if you're living in your purpose, it's always gonna come with risk,
Starting point is 01:05:38 but you just have to pray that that protection is coming based on how you walk in your walk. coming based on how you walk in your walk. All right, Joe, batter up. You're up. Okay. I know that in the legal women voters versus Trump case, you've gotten a preliminary ruling for TRO to hold off some of these terrible provisions in his executive order from coming to fruition, at least for the time being. Talk about how you're using or if you're using things that are very real, like what they're trying to do with this SAVE Act, like what he's trying to do with this executive order to help explain to folks why voting is important. Are there ways that you can use those things to show very, very real examples of why votes count
Starting point is 01:06:35 and matter and how this attempt at undercutting the right to vote in so many ways could be so devastating. So I think about the league's origin story and how, you know, the founder of our organization had a goal of enfranchising half of the female population at the time, which represented about 10 million women in this country. And when I fast forward to today, the SAVE Act is one of the most, if not the most egregious pieces of—this isn't even legislation.
Starting point is 01:07:13 We have an EO from a president who's overreaching the bounds of his own authority. But we have, you know, an attack on women. The SAVE Act is an anti-marriage bill. It's an anti-female bill, it's an anti-female bill, it's an anti-trans bill, because this bill will have the impact of disenfranchising 80% of women who have taken the surnames of their partner. And if we want to put the math on that, lawyers don't really do math, but I have some math here for you anyway. 69 million. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 01:07:50 Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Inc. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
Starting point is 01:08:31 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 four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts. Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap away, you gotta pray for yourself
Starting point is 01:09:05 as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council.
Starting point is 01:09:22 Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime. and Human Services and the Ad Council. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas! September 19th and 20th.
Starting point is 01:10:00 On your feet! Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams, Sharon fade. Glorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogarty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrae, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today, AXS.com. Million women would be impacted. 69 million women could show up in 2026 and not be able to vote.
Starting point is 01:10:32 And if we think about that in context of what this last election, how many people showed up, it's about 156 million people. That's half the election. And so we have to think about it that concretely, that 69 million people, women in particular, will be disenfranchised from voting. And when you have worked for—I mean, not me, I'm not 105, but the organization is
Starting point is 01:10:53 105 years old. When the organization, the work that we have been doing for more than 105 years has been to enfranchise women, to make sure women understand, you know, what's on their ballot, educated about who they're voting for, et cetera. And now that work has gone beyond women to anyone in the country who wants to understand how to effectively cast their ballot. And if we think about the reasons why people change their name, not only marriage, if people are changing their identity, but sometimes it's just for safety reasons.
Starting point is 01:11:22 You may have to change your name because of a domestic dispute. So now, because you have changed your name, and that has been historically something that women have done in this country and other countries alike, now you're being penalized by a single effort by the president and Congress with the Save Act that, and they're just not being honest about the real impact it's going to have.
Starting point is 01:11:44 And this is not conjecture. We have in New Hampshire where this is already passed, and just this past primary, women had issues voting. So this is not pretend, it's not made up. This is real challenges that people are gonna play. That was just an example, a very small example of how this will affect across the country. Hey, Thane, we'll keep up the good fight.
Starting point is 01:12:11 We certainly appreciate you joining us, and hopefully y'all will hit that 8.5 million and wake folks up to what's happening in this country. Thank you, Roland. All right, folks, we'll come back from this break. We're gonna talk about this ruling out of Massachusetts where a conservative-appointed federal judge said a Trump administration's ban on national institutes of health
Starting point is 01:12:34 grants for people of color and LGBTQ folks is the most blatant form of discrimination he has witnessed from the federal bench in the last four decades. Yes, we'll talk about that next right here. Roller Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. This week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie we're talking faith, family, fatherhood, and the pathway to re-entry. Most of us in some way, shape, form, or fashion, and the pathway to reentry. Most of us, in some way, shape, form, or fashion have had someone in our lives, whether it
Starting point is 01:13:09 was a grandfather, a father, an uncle, a brother, or a cousin, who has been incarcerated or justice impacted. What does that look like in rebuilding family and relationships? What does it look like for us to be able to have substantive conversations come to the table, love on each other, while at the same time get it all out in the open so that we can begin a new journey together? You know, the last thing you want is in the midst of trying to piece your life back together for home to not be a comfortable place. That's all next on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie here on Black Star Network.
Starting point is 01:13:48 This week on the other side of change. State of the Democratic Party. What are the barriers preventing us from seeking true liberation and including more voices in that process? They overlook black organizers, young black people, the work that we do all throughout the year, but then when the election cycle comes around, now all of a sudden they want to listen to us. Listen, in quotation marks. Now all of a
Starting point is 01:14:10 sudden they want our labor and our contributions. And it's just like for me, I'm at the point where it's like, no, we're not doing that. Tune in only on the other side of change on the Black Star Network. Y'all look, fan base is more than a platform. It's a movement to empower creators, offering to the digital age. Look, fan base is more than a platform. It's a movement to empower creators offering a unique opportunity for everyday people
Starting point is 01:14:35 to invest in black-owned tech infrastructure and help shape the future of social media. Investing in technology is essential for creating long-term wealth and influence in the digital age. The black community must not only consume tech, we must own it. Discover how equity crowdfunding can serve
Starting point is 01:14:48 as a powerful tool for funding black businesses, allowing entrepreneurs to raise capital directly through their community, through the jobs ad. This is Tamela Maine. And this is David Mann. And you're watching Roland Martin. Unfiltered. This is Tamela Maine. And this is David Mann. And you're watching Roland Martin. I'm Fila Tute.
Starting point is 01:15:21 How many times have I told y'all that Donald Trump, JD Vance, and this MAGA Republican administration is absolutely racist? That they are anti-black. Now we know they anti-LGBTQ. We know that. But they anti-black. Okay? And here you have a federal judge in Massachusetts, appointed by Republican conservative Ronald Reagan.
Starting point is 01:15:48 Now, Reagan didn't like black people. We all know that too. This federal judge, in ruling in a lawsuit regarding the canceling of grants in the National Institutes of Health, literally said that this is the most blatant discrimination that he has seen in 40 years on the bench. Folks, this is crazy. This here is a New York Times article.
Starting point is 01:16:22 And the ruling from the bench, Judge William G. Young of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts blasted the Trump administration, ordering them to restore much of the funding, pending an appeal. Look at this quote, y'all. This represents racial discrimination
Starting point is 01:16:43 and discrimination against America's LGBTQ community. That's what this is. He said, look at this here, Judge Young, a Reagan appointee with 40 years of experience as a federal judge, said the government's rationale for canceling some of the grants, which also supported research into topics such as gender identity and equity in all healthcare, appear to be rooted in prejudice. He cited the administration's very public efforts to eliminate any trace of diversity and equity initiatives from the federal government, as well as its attacks on transgender people. Now when you go through reading this article, he said that over the course of his career,
Starting point is 01:17:31 he had quote, never seen government racial discrimination like this and felt duty bound to state his conclusion about the government's intent. Quote, I would be blind not to call it out. Folks, this is crazy. It's unbelievable. Now see, this is not, oh, that's y'all just saying this stuff. No, now when they had the trial, he was grilling Trump's lawyers, okay?
Starting point is 01:18:07 Hitting them up, blasting them about their decision making. Now, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas. That's what he calls it, ideological agendas. Look at this, leading up to the ruling on Monday,
Starting point is 01:18:29 Judge Young repeatedly pressed for details about the government's decision making in terminating the grant, expressing deep skepticism that it had followed normal dispassionate processes. On several occasions, he expressed dismay that much of the publicly available information about the cancellations had to be gleaned from GrantWatch, an independent database put together
Starting point is 01:18:56 by a small team of academics who worked to piece together the extent of the Trump administration's cuts through their crowdsourcing. The way that, y'all, this is crazy. This is literally what the judge said. Can you imagine, can you imagine this whole deal? I mean, and looking at this story, I mean, ProPublica also had their breakdown right here.
Starting point is 01:19:24 It says, in Monday's ruling, the judge determined that the directives that led to the grant terminations were, quote, arbitrary and capricious, and said they had, quote, no force and effect. Now, his ruling only covers the grants that the plaintiffs identified. But it was absolutely crazy. Absolutely crazy what he said.
Starting point is 01:19:51 Come back, Republican story. He also noted the administration's targeting of LGBTQ plus research. Quote, it is palpably clear these directives and the set of terminated grants here also are designed to frustrate, to stop research that may bear on the health. We are talking about health here, the health of Americans of our LGBTQ community.
Starting point is 01:20:16 That's appalling. Folks, this is a Reagan appointed federal judge. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, this is how they responded, quote, it was appalling that a federal judge would use court proceedings to express his political views and preferences, adding that quote, justice ceases to be administered
Starting point is 01:20:40 when a judge clearly rules on the basis of his political ideologies. Desai also defended the administration's policies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion calling it quote a flawed and racist logic. He also said that the administration was committed to quote restoring the gold standard of science which he claimed involved a recognition of the biological reality of the male and female sexes. The NIH he said is shifting quote research spending to address our chronic disease crisis instead not to validate ideological activism. Joe, you're the attorney. Can you recall
Starting point is 01:21:18 a federal judge, a conservative judge appointed by a Republican excoriating the government in such stark racial language? No, is the short answer. Even some of Bush 1 and Bush 2's appointees were more moderate. They were conservative, but this guy is, he's a conservative, he's a conservative's conservative, it seems like. And to the extent that the government wants to allege that he's stating his political ideology,
Starting point is 01:21:55 well, maybe so if his political ideology is actually pro-constitution. You know, there are some conservatives out here who believe in the constitution, and arbitrary and capricious is a big problem. Clearly this is, you know, project 2025 and it's ilk and it's spirit. So you just go and you just slash everything
Starting point is 01:22:15 having to do with DEI, having to do with LGBTQ plus, you know, then incidentally, of course, next door to that, having to do with trans issues, et cetera, and you just get rid of all of it just because. And you just can't do it that way, particularly at this level. And so it ought to say something that a judge with this political leaning,
Starting point is 01:22:39 how he's been, who appointed him, and how long he's been on the bench, it's not his first rodeo. He's been doing this longer than a lot of these guys in the administration, or puppies have been alive. So when he says something, it ought to resonate in that if someone has any shred of believing in the constitution,
Starting point is 01:23:02 they should know that they got it wrong here in terms of how they did what they did. However, it's just like anything else. You don't even have to be in the law. You don't even have to be dealing with legal issues and constitutional issues to understand what they're doing. Politically, they often accuse someone, whether it's a judge, whether it's another politician, or whether it's certain people, whether it's Democrats, whether it's a judge, whether it's another politician, or whether it's certain people, whether it's Democrats, whether it's independents, whoever it is, of doing exactly what they're doing. So what they're doing is blaming the judge for being political when in fact the judge is being constitutional and they're the ones that are being political, which is why the
Starting point is 01:23:40 things that they're trying to cut are the things that they're trying to cut. And so I'm glad that he pointed that out. He pointed out also that this only applies to the things that have been named. Maybe that means hint, hint, hint. You should bring a couple more of these other people, other agencies as to other things that have been cut as arbitrarily and as capriciously. But yeah, in answer to your question, no, I haven't seen it like this. And in another world, hopefully with someone,
Starting point is 01:24:08 it resonates to show, to demonstrate that the administration has a problem with the way they're doing what it is that they're doing and that this can be a template to allow us and to remind us to keep going as it pertains to the courts because a lot of this is so blatantly racist, so blatantly fill in the blank, et cetera, that we may be able to come in under a standard like this,
Starting point is 01:24:36 bring funding back in, make some things happen in the meantime, hopefully win this election coming up, so that some of these things can potentially change permanently and or some of these things can potentially change permanently and or some of this ridiculous legislation doesn't get passed. Mustafa, here's what's quite interesting here. I'm just pulling up, give me one second,
Starting point is 01:24:57 I wanna pull this up here. This is from the Federal Judiciary Center. This judge, 85 years old, nominated by Ronald Reagan on March 8th, 1985, confirmed by the Senate on April 3rd, 1985. First of all, that's real quick, one month. He assumed senior status on July 1st, 2021. Undergrad, Harvard University,, law school Harvard Law.
Starting point is 01:25:27 U.S. Army Captain, law clerk for Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Private practice, special assistant attorney general for Massachusetts. Chief counsel for the governor of Massachusetts. Associate justice, the Massachusetts Superior Court, and he's lectured at Boston College Law School, Boston University Law School, and Harvard Law School.
Starting point is 01:25:49 We talked a lot on this show about how judges were so important. And a lot of people, ah, yeah, I don't care, I don't wanna hear about no Biden-Harris judges. I hope all these simple Simon Yahoos now understand with all of these judges ruling against Trump according to the law, I hope they now understand why federal judges matter. A lot of these judges ruling against Trump are appointed by Republican presidents, even some of Trump's own appointees, not that fool Judge Cannon in Florida,
Starting point is 01:26:34 ruling against him on the rule of law. And what these judges are saying is, I don't give a damn if you're MAGA, I don't give a damn if you're MAGA. I don't give a damn if you believe in a theocracy. In this country, you are to abide not by your Bible, not by Project 2025, not by the Heritage Foundation, not by the Federalist Society, but by the United States Constitution. And that's exactly what it should be and you can always tell who's real, right? Judges that are actually living up to the level of the law, but also bringing into
Starting point is 01:27:17 their you know, their analysis. What are the public health impacts, right? So when you see these these other judges who you know are not doing the right thing, they often don't want to talk about the public health impacts, right? They don't want to talk about the public health impacts to the LGBTQIA community. They definitely don't want to talk about the health impacts that are going on in relationship to black communities.
Starting point is 01:27:39 And I'm sure that this judge took that into consideration. He understood based upon the folks that he talked to, that we die at twice the rate from cardiovascular disease. So if you're a real judge, you're going to make sure that you're pulling that information in or that we have the highest death rates from cancer, whether it is prostate, colorectal, or breast cancer. Black folks are dying from that higher than anyone else inside of our country. So as you're interpreting the law, you're looking at these grants that are out there,
Starting point is 01:28:09 then you've got to take that into consideration and asking, are you intentionally trying to kill these people by taking away the research, by taking away the training, by taking away the dollars that are necessary, whether it is in colleges and universities or in community organizations or whoever it might be. He probably took into consideration also that the infant mortality rate is two times for our communities, twice as likely our babies are to die or mom's mortality is three to four times higher
Starting point is 01:28:36 or for both the LGBT community and the black community as a whole, 42% of the new cases that are out there are caught up into that. Or diabetes was 60% more likely to have that and then leads to other types of diseases. So a good judge is taking all this information and then asking the question to the folks who are trying to take these things away. 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.
Starting point is 01:29:11 But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser, Incorporated.
Starting point is 01:29:42 I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad free at 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.
Starting point is 01:30:29 Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptUSkids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUS Kids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend and this is Vine. Six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas.
Starting point is 01:31:17 September 19th and 20th. On your feet! Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams, Ed Sheeran, Fade, Chlorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogerty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrack, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com.
Starting point is 01:31:38 Get your tickets today. AXS.com. How does this help? How does this actually help to move the needle in a positive way? And how does it line up with the law? Randy, I am reading the political story here. The judge says, come on, goodbye, Patty and Anthony. I'm hesitant to draw this conclusion, but I have an unflinching obligation to draw it.
Starting point is 01:32:07 That this represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America's LGBT community. That's what this is. I will be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out. Go down further in the story. This is crazy. He says, you are bearing down on people of color
Starting point is 01:32:28 because of their color. The constitution will not permit that. Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame? Then, then, Young's civil administration made virtually no effort to push back on claims that the cuts were discriminatory. We're talking about health here, the health of Americans of our LGBT community at Sepollah.
Starting point is 01:32:54 Now check this out. Department of Justice, which defended, this is a political story, which defended NIH, argued the terminations align with congressional mandates to improve research. Quote, research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return on investment, and do nothing to enhance the health of many Americans. Many such studies ignore rather than seriously examine biological realities, it is an improvement to eliminate these, DOJ lawyer Thomas Ports Jr. said during the hearing.
Starting point is 01:33:32 Young pressed the DOJ for an explanation. Where is the support for that? I'm asking you to just explain to me, often used to support unlawful discrimination, I see no evidence of that. A federal judge, a conservative judge appointed by a hardcore Republican, Ronald Reagan, issues this type of ruling.
Starting point is 01:34:02 And you know who's real quiet, Randy? All them Negroes who were skinning and grinning at the White House. I don't hear nothing from Pastor Darrell Scott. Oh, he was tweeting yesterday about how, uh, they, they should bomb MSNBC and CNN. And I tweeted his ass, blasting him. Oh, they ain't even sitting here. I ain't heard nothing from Michaela Montgomery.
Starting point is 01:34:31 Little loud mouth out of Atlanta, who was with Trump at Chick-fil-A. Where Angela Stanton King? She ain't said nothing. She was on Willie Dean's podcast. She ain't talked about this here. Where you at Joseph Pignon? Where you at King Randall? Where you at? At little, at little elf, uh,
Starting point is 01:34:54 Tans Williams. Where y'all at? Where you at Davis Harris Jr.? It's amazing how these happy gogo-lucky Negroes, where you at, Paris Denard? Where you at? Oh, where you at, a little child with a fat Florida A&M, Cherice Lane, where you at? It's amazing, see, they get mad, I call them to help. Because that's all y'all are.
Starting point is 01:35:20 Where your ass at, Tiger Woods? You rolled up in the black history book reception, draped in your consent, Cause that's all y'all are. Where y'all ass at Tiger Woods? You rolled up in the black history month reception, draped in your congressional medal of honor. I'm sorry, your presidential medal of freedom. But y'all don't say nothing about the racism coming from these folks. Oh, I know what it is. Where you at Alveda King?
Starting point is 01:35:47 Where you at Byron Donalds? Where you at Tim Scott? Where you at Burgess Owens? Where you at at little one from Texas, the Conn, Wesley Hunt? Where you at We all that it's amazing how silent they are They they don't say nothing about all of the racial discriminatory stuff that goes down Where you at Bruce Lavelle? Where you at? That's why I call y'all to help.
Starting point is 01:36:27 They only call y'all to help them look diverse. Y'all are the help, pure and simple. Randy, go ahead. They are the absolute help, and they have no room in this conversation because it's so refreshing to see integrity because we haven't seen that lately. And I appreciate that the judge said,
Starting point is 01:36:50 my duty, my duty is to call it out. Your duty is not like the people you just listed to kiss butt, to shuck and jive, to gain favor. That's not the duty. The duty is to serve the Constitution of the United States of America. And that's what that judge did. And he recognizes that what they are doing, what they are trying to do, attempting to do, these executive orders, is honestly orders to kill us. Honestly orders to kill us, because it wasn't until recently that black people
Starting point is 01:37:27 willingly were able to participate in studies that they did at the NIH. We weren't even considered when they came out with statistics or came out with health recommendations. It wasn't about us. They didn't care about us. They weren't looking at diseases like sickle cell anemia that affects us to a higher rate. Just like Brother Mustafa just said, they weren't talking about the health disparities when we have children. It wasn't anything that was considered.
Starting point is 01:37:56 And so that's what they wanna go back to, that the only people's health that are considered and studied and paid attention to, again, are white, male, and heterosexual. And those are the people they care about. So, but it is so refreshing to see someone who is basing his decisions and has some integrity
Starting point is 01:38:19 and basing his decisions on how the constitution bids him to and not on trying to please a wannabe dictator. All right, folks, let's talk about a true legend in American history, Robert Smalls. Too many black folks don't even know about Robert Smalls. He, of course, was a South Carolina legislator. But more importantly, this man commandeered a ship, took it over, and led him and others to freedom. Well, there's a new book out, it's called Defiant,
Starting point is 01:38:51 the story of Robert Smalls, it's an illustrated book. Some call it a graphic novel, but again, slavery, to me, was the most graphic things. I don't necessarily think that this is as graphic as it is. And so, and again, as opposed to a traditional book, there are great books on Robert Small. This is all illustrated. Joining us right now is the illustrator of the book
Starting point is 01:39:15 and glad to have him join us right now. Rob Edwards, Rob, how you doing? Great, thanks for having me. Why'd you pick Robert Smalls as the subject? Well, you know, there's so many stories that just get lost in history. You know, it wasn't until recently that we found out about, you know, the 12 years of slave story. And Robert Smalls is one of these things, a friend of mine who worked at Lee Janami
Starting point is 01:39:44 told me about. And as he told me about it, I consider myself a pretty well read guy. I did not know his story. So I had to kind of go through. Fortunately, I got a lot of research. Dr. Maisha Eatman at Harvard helped me out with a lot of the context. And Michael Boulware-Moore, who's great great grandson of Robert Smalls, helped me out with some lot of the context. And Michael Boulware-Moore, who was a great, great grandson of Robert Smalls, helped me out with some of the details.
Starting point is 01:40:09 So when did you first learn about him? Man, I tell you, it was on this project. There was a meme that somebody had sent in to Legion M, and it said, man, we make all these movies about all these other people, but here's a guy from history that we've made no movies about. And why is that? It's such a huge tragedy. And I agree, I think that every kid in high school should be wearing a Robert Smalls t-shirt.
Starting point is 01:40:35 Hopefully we'll fix that. Again, I mean, when you look at his story, I mean, even after, I mean, just, I mean, first of all, it's crazy there's not been a movie about Robert Smalls. Exactly. We make movies about everything. I mean, I've written, you know, Black Princess, you know, Captain America, Black Captain America, and no, you know, actual genuine, you know, heroes from history.
Starting point is 01:41:05 So, and- I wanna stop you right there because you just used the key word. You said heroes. And I think part of the problem here is that, and I remember when Snoop Dogg and I went at it when the Roots remake took place and he was complaining about these slave movies.
Starting point is 01:41:20 I saw this clip the other day and I blasted that fool. Some black Canadian sister was on Adam Carolla's podcast and she was pitching him on about, all they do is make slave movies. When Will Smith's movie came out, Emancipation, I said the problem that black folk have, they keep looking at these as slave movies, but they're not looking at these folks as black superheroes.
Starting point is 01:41:54 Yeah. See, that's where I started with these things, is that my problem is you always see the same movie. My problem is you always see the same movie, you know, it's always okay. There's a slave. He's You know, he's there for whatever, you know good or you know, either he was free before or he wasn't He escapes and the entire movie is about the escape and then in the end Oh boy, he's free and that's the end of the movie and Robert Smalls his move his start his story began Begins with his freedom. He started a bunch of businesses. Because of the bounty on the weapons that were on the planter, the ship that he commandeered,
Starting point is 01:42:35 he became wealthy. He bought the house that he was enslaved in. He ran for Congress successfully five times. I made Jim Crow in attempts to frame him for bribery. And what I think is most heroic, you know, most deserving of superhero status, is that he died of old age because there was a bounty on his head the entire time. Now, think about this, that here's a guy whose—his story, if it had gotten out at the time, would have been truly inspirational to people. Think about what happened during the Haitian rebellion, right? They dragged people through the streets, through black neighborhoods, to warn them that if they ever did anything like this, this is what would happen to
Starting point is 01:43:16 them. And here's a guy who not only escapes, but he meets Lincoln. He convinces Lincoln to allow black people to fight for the union, which is downstream from what you see in the movie Glory. And he fights 17 battles. He's an amazing, amazing guy. This story is inspirational, whether he's white, black, or whatever. A quote here, it says, my race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of any people anywhere.
Starting point is 01:43:46 All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life. Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, think about it. This guy, among other things, what he did was he disguised himself as the captain, mirrored the captain's mannerisms, got past all the military checkpoints, and then surrendered the ship to the Union Army. So he out-marted the entire Confederate Navy.
Starting point is 01:44:12 And so bravely, they lined the ship with gunpowder so that in case things went wrong, they were gonna blow up the ship. All of these things, and that was basically the case that he made to Lincoln. So I look at this as a story that we absolutely have to tell, that kids need to hear it, kids need to be inspired by it, you know, that here's a guy who came from the lowest to the low and went to the highest points of government.
Starting point is 01:44:39 You know, it's a shame that we don't know him more about him right now. I love this here. He participated in one of America's first mass boycotts of segregated public transportation. And streetcars in Philadelphia were integrated in 1867. And again, when you're serving in the state legislature, serving in the US Congress, did amazing work, and of course, also tried to lead an anti-discrimination amendment to the US Army. Go to my, come on, go to my iPad.
Starting point is 01:45:16 This is history.house.gov, and it lays out all of these different things. Look at this, he argued against transferring federal troops stationed in South Carolina, warning that without the military's presence, private redshirt militias, all white paramilitaries who back the Democratic Party's effort to win control of the state, would make war on both the state government and the state's freed people. That is exactly what happened in the Compromise of 1877. And that's what, that was a result of that compromise,
Starting point is 01:45:47 which also reinstated Jim Crow. Yep. Yep. And one thing that I love about it is that he drafted the legislation that gave us public schools. That he was, it was so important to him that he couldn't read. He was very well-spoken guy. He was basically raised by a slave master as kind of a rich white boy. And so he was very well-spoken. P.G. Barnum had him giving speeches everywhere. And so when he was free, he had two tutors, one in the morning, one at night, to teach
Starting point is 01:46:22 him how to read. So when he got to Congress, one of the first things he did was public schools. And it's a shame to me that in public schools, we don't teach Robert Smalls. It's a tragedy. Questions for our panel. Joe, you're first. This is a really interesting project. And I wonder what you would see as the takeaway,
Starting point is 01:46:45 I wonder what you would see as the takeaway, the lesson. Is there some 15,000 foot view that you would, in addition to of course the obvious, the idea you hadn't even known about this and you consider yourself learning and looking at those things, that this undiscovered story of this man, that's a big thing as well. But what is the piece that you'd like people to take out of the story that they
Starting point is 01:47:10 can turn around and apply in their own lives and be encouraged and inspired? Yes, two things actually. One is that here is a man who, he's never in his brain, was he a slave, in my mind. That he had a vision of what he thought the world should be and he made the world kind of conform to his vision. One of the reasons why he stole a planner on the night that he did was that he was afraid that his son was gonna get sold by his wife's owner.
Starting point is 01:47:43 That he was very bad with money, and he had just had this child, and black boys on the market would have bailed him out of a lot of his financial jams. So here was a guy willing to do whatever it took to make the world a better place for his family. So that's one. The second is we have to tell our own stories.
Starting point is 01:48:01 You know, that this story, there's a reason why you don't hear it. I mean, you know, you guys have been talking about it. There is a convolut, you know, an effort right now. Pete Hexeth is renaming, you know, all kinds of, you know, bases and military ships. And, you know, it's all but being erased. I think what's going on in Florida,
Starting point is 01:48:25 I'm not expecting to do any book signings there anytime soon, but there is an attempt to stop telling our history and we have to find a way to tell it. See, also, I have two sons and if I gave them a book on history, who knows what would happen to it? But a comic book, you know, if I gave them a book on history, who knows what would happen to it. But a comic book, a graphic novel, I think that, you know, you got to meet people
Starting point is 01:48:50 where they are, and I think this is a great way to tell it. Now, first of all, how old are your sons? Now they're old. Now they're 32 and 27. But they... Bruh, see, you... See, they's real simple. You want to eat, you want to read. See, I would look, it would have been like, hey, you got to take your pick.
Starting point is 01:49:13 You want to be clothed and fed. What you want to do? I understand. I'm a hardcore reader. I remember, look, my niece, my oldest niece, Atlantis, she not work for me. She came to one me one day. She's like, my oldest niece, Atlantis, she not work for me. She came to one day, one day, she's like, Uncle Ror, can I watch TV? I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time,
Starting point is 01:49:32 have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley
Starting point is 01:49:56 comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app,
Starting point is 01:50:21 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st, and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We gotta set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We gotta make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.
Starting point is 01:50:56 Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend and this is Vine. Six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic.
Starting point is 01:51:29 Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Festival presented by Capital One is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas! September 19th and 20th. On your feet! Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams, Ed Sheeran, Fade, Chlorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogerty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrae, The Offspring, Tim McGraw.
Starting point is 01:52:02 Tickets are on sale now at AX.com get your tickets today axs.com I shot her look she went read a book I said that's a good choice no they're they're good kids my oldest my oldest kid was an ivy league uh uh he went to the ivy league and my little kid played division One lacrosse. So I... I'm reading. But when they were little, forget about bringing a book into their bedrooms. It would not get read. I'll tell you what, thank God this is the case, and a lot of Black people out there, y'all probably have this here. Matter of fact, I'm gonna pull this up here.
Starting point is 01:52:41 A lot of black people out there, y'all probably have this here. Matter of fact, I'm gonna pull this up here. Well, let me ask you, did you have this? And actually, pull up my guests and pull up my three panelists. I wanna know that they all have this here. Did y'all have Ebony Magazine's brown leather-bound editions
Starting point is 01:53:02 of the history of black America. So that were like four of them. I think we only had three of them. Like you had to buy each one. You had to buy each one. And we had, that's why for me with the story of Robert Smalls, we had three of them. And so I remember being five, six, seven, eight, going through that.
Starting point is 01:53:27 So part of the reason why I am the way in when it comes to history is because being able to have those books in the house and just reading them and seeing the pictures at that early of an age impacted in terms of sort of how I see things today. So when they say reading is fundamental, they're absolutely right. Mustafa.
Starting point is 01:53:49 Yeah, well, thank you, brother. And you know, we do live right now in a society that doesn't like to read or a big percentage of it. So anytime we can create bridges to deeper, you know, points of information, I think that that's important. And I think graphic novels play that role along with other types of things
Starting point is 01:54:09 to get people to actually read more. I'm curious about the illustrations that you have. How did you come up with those and how do those help to bring, sort of pull people in to the story? Yeah, well, yeah, that's a great question because the artists that we have are just amazing. The cover is by Nicholas Draper Ivy,
Starting point is 01:54:33 who draws a static shock. The interiors are Sean Damien Hill, who draws a Black Panther. The covers, interior covers are Ray Anthony Haight, who also does, you know, a Black Panther. It's beautiful, it's gorgeous, it's published by Sebastian Jones and Stranger Comics, a Black independent comic book maker.
Starting point is 01:54:58 So, yeah, we had an embarrassment of riches, which is everybody that I asked, all the great comic book artists,, which is everybody that I asked, all the great comic book artists, black comic book artists that I asked said yes. So it was, the artwork that you'll see in it is just amazing. The other thing we were trying to do with it
Starting point is 01:55:15 is do a movie on paper. You know, make a comic book, graphic novel that if you read through it, you would have a good sense of what the movie was, and you would have a good sense too, that it wasn't gonna be your average everyday, you know, slave narrative. Randy.
Starting point is 01:55:34 Slogan that you hear often thrown away, thrown around, and I also see it on T-shirts, and it says, we are not our ancestors. How do you feel about that slogan? See, that's when people don't know, right? You know, it's like, it's like there are heroic ancestors. I think we're kind of, you know, our history has been whitewashed to the point where we don't really have a connection to our history.
Starting point is 01:55:58 And, you know, there were, all these stories would normally get passed down verbally. You know, we write it on quilts. We sing songs about our history and that. And that's pretty much gone. You know, in the information age, well, the one piece of information that doesn't get carried over is our history. Most people don't know their grandfather's first name. So you know, I mean, that's where we are.
Starting point is 01:56:22 And you know, we need to fix it ourselves, because I don't think anybody else is going to come to our rescue. And just so folks understand, this literally, I'm on here, I'm on Amazon. Here's how crazy this is. So go to my iPad. If you wanted to buy the full volume box set
Starting point is 01:56:45 of Ebony's Pictorial History of Black America, used all fours, 940 bucks. I mean, but I'm telling you, these books were the staple in many black households and absolutely Robert Small's, his story was a part of that. And so folks, if y'all want to check out this illustrated book,
Starting point is 01:57:07 you definitely want to get it. So again, the book is called, pull it up, Defiant, the story of Robert Smalls. It is again, his story is an amazing story. It is one that we often don't talk about and And author Rob Edwards, we sure appreciate it, man. Thank you so very much. And what are the book sales for? Wreck-It-Force, first of all, get the book. Yes.
Starting point is 01:57:33 Yes. It's available on Amazon. Basically, wherever books are sold, were sold out at Barnes and Noble. But you can also get it on the Legion M website, and you can get it at the Stranger Comics website. So the Legion M website, what is that? So you can order direct from them. So some people are bought on Amazon. So what's the Legion M website?
Starting point is 01:57:56 LegionM.com. That's the place that we're hoping will make the movie. And I would go to Amazon. We are, you know, there's two versions. There's a comic book. We were releasing it as issues of comic book. And then there's a graphic novel. So make sure you go to the graphic novel page. We are a best seller in two categories on that. We were number one best, we were the top new graphic novel. And so that's great.
Starting point is 01:58:27 We sold out everywhere and we are in a reprint, but it will be available again in about a week. So, a question I have for you. All right, so you have this as a book and a graphic novel. What's the difference? There's a comic book. There's a couple of comic books. The graphic novel.
Starting point is 01:58:45 This. Is basically four graphic novels, right? So yeah, when you get to a page like that, that's the beginning of a new, the new chapters are all individual comic books. So this is all in one? Yes, this is all in one. Hey, got it. So it's the grad. Okay, got it. Okay. Okay, that's what I one. Hey, got it. So it's the grant.
Starting point is 01:59:05 Okay, got it. Okay. Okay. That's what I was. Okay, got it. Okay. All right, then. Well, folks check it out.
Starting point is 01:59:12 The defiant the story of Robert Smalls and keep us abreast about that book. Oh, you got it. You got it and hope. Keep us abreast about the making of the movie. Got it, will do. Thanks a lot. Thanks man. Folks, going to a quick break. We come back and we're gonna talk about
Starting point is 01:59:33 our new shop, Black Star Network products. You don't wanna miss it. That's next. This week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie, we're talking faith, family, and fatherhood from rebellion to rebuilding. Each of us has different things in our toolkit that we need to look at to determine how to establish a way forward. I know going forward is not easy and most of you, like some people, don't like change.
Starting point is 02:00:03 But as we talk about it, we grow together, we love together, we live together, and we laugh together. It gives us an opportunity to discover how to set the pace for what comes next for a healthy, happy, and whole life. There has to be consistency in their lives that show that you care for them to know that you're listening and then that builds trust and then once you build the trust they'll begin to open up because you have become their
Starting point is 02:00:31 safe place that they have to see. That's all this week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie here on Black Star Network. I'm Russell L. Honore, Lieutenant General, United States Army Retired, and you're watching Roller Martin on Viltage. All right, folks, your newest product in our shop, BlackstarNetwork.com site is InBooz. That's right. It's a product that allows you to mix all natural cocktails, all that good stuff. Joining us is Ashley Evans.
Starting point is 02:01:19 She's the bold woman behind InBooz. They're an all natural cocktail and mocktails infused kits that are shaking up drinks in a healthy way. All right, so break us down, Ashley. What the heck is in booze? So it's a line of cocktail infusion kits, or you can use it for mocktails. So it's a little pouch of dehydrated fruits and herbs,
Starting point is 02:01:40 and then you just put it in a mason jar, and then you let it sit for about three days with alcohol. One day if you put water in there, and then you get a cocktail or mocktail from it. You want to mix it with some sort of mixture afterwards but it's all natural. We dehydrate everything in-house and it's just it's very clean and easy to drink. So you mix this with alcohol? Do you mix it with water? What do you mix it with? Yeah, so normally we say mix it with alcohol, but yes, of course you can mix it with water and make cocktails as well.
Starting point is 02:02:10 So you wanna do about two or three cups of alcohol with it and let it sit for three days and it'll rehydrate all the fruit in there and it'll add the flavor for you. So it's just all natural, most of them are sugar free. So it's just a really easy way to have nice and light cocktails at home that are bar style,
Starting point is 02:02:25 tap shop style. Yeah. And so how'd you come up with this? Where did it start? So I, in 2018, I just was looking for an easier way to have good cocktails at home. And I noticed when I would make videos, and I was a food writer before this, so when I would make videos, people couldn't find the ingredients that they were looking for.
Starting point is 02:02:47 So then I just kind of dehydrating everything in sight and then putting it in little pouches and it just in booths just kind of came there. I came up with the word and then I was like, oh, what are we doing? We're putting things in booths. So that's just where the word came from and then I just ran with it.
Starting point is 02:03:00 So we started with three flavors and now we have over 40. So it's just one of those things that keeps growing and growing over time. Question from the panel. Let's see who would I say the biggest drinker on this panel? That would be Randy. I knew it. I knew you were gonna come to me and you're right.
Starting point is 02:03:24 Cause I wanna know where you get these because I'm ready. Would they be considered healthier than when you buy mixes from the bar mixes they have? Yes. We do have a website, it's inboos.com. Then yes, they are much healthier because it's just sliced fruit and we don't add any sugars or anything like that. So it is much healthier. It's very straightforward. What you see is what you get.
Starting point is 02:03:48 There's not any additives. And we have all the flavors on our website and you can also order off of the Etsy as well. So we have quite a few different options. We also have garnishes, cocktail salts, and then there's also sugar cubes too. All right then, Joe. So tell us about the next frontier. So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so,
Starting point is 02:04:14 so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, So we're in a lot of boutiques and sort of flower stores, but I really think that there's a whole on top market with the bars and restaurants. We have a really great product that also could be used behind the bar at airports and things like that too. So we're trying to look at like a larger scale and so like larger cocktail infusion kits and just different ways to help people have great kind of healthier drinks and restaurants also.
Starting point is 02:04:49 Mustafa. Yeah, I'm out my depth on this one. I'm the mocktail person, but I'm curious what flavors are the most popular? What do what it seems to sell out the most? So I would say for sure year-round Berry Lavender Lemonade has been a great one that we love to sell out the most. So I would say for sure year round, Berry Lavender Lemonade has been a great one, but we love to sell. Spicy Margarita, that was featured by Oprah in 2020. So that was a big one. That's always a pat-fella for us.
Starting point is 02:05:15 And we love the Blackberry Smash too. And all these are also great as mocktails. So some cocktails are mocktails, you're really having an elevated drink. First of all, when did you start this and how sales been going since you launched? So we launched in 2018 and once COVID hit, I was really, really nervous to be honest. And with the whole drinking at home, it really kind of helped us kind of skyrocket. But it was one of those things where it's like, what am I doing?
Starting point is 02:05:47 You know, it's one of those things where it's like it's a blessing and a curse at the same time. So from 2020 on, we've been really scaling pretty quickly. We are handmade, though, so we do have some limitations. But we're just really working with it and just having so much fun. And that's the biggest thing. Obviously, right now, with the economy how it is, there's always going to be some hurdles that we have to get from packaging or just even with produce and things like that but we're just kind of hitting those barriers whenever we get to them and trying to work through it but it's been great. All right then folks if you all want to try out
Starting point is 02:06:18 in booze go to uh so I'm looking do I have I don't have the product I do have the product here's a product right here. So hold on, let me just go ahead and grab this, y'all. All right, let's see here. Let me read this here. So, all right, we got En-Bouz Alcohol Infusion Kit. I don't drink, so it's gonna be the mocktail. So we've got Miami Vice Strawberry Coconut Infusion.
Starting point is 02:06:44 It says each infusion makes eight to 10 cocktails. We've got Citrus Grove Margarita, an orange twist on our classic margarita. So that's one right here. We got here, Randy getting so excited me reading this here. We got Red Wine Sangria. Okay, that's we got this one right here. I'm telling y'all, I know Randy,
Starting point is 02:07:05 they're like, yo, can you slide them to the crib? It says, it says old fashioned, old fashioned. We got that right there. We got a blackberry smash. Lemon and blackberry paired with a hint of sweetness, a refreshing flavor, all right? And then the final one is a berry lavender lemonade, triple berry infusion with a lemony lavender kick.
Starting point is 02:07:32 And so those are the six different in-boozers they have there. So Ashley, great job. We appreciate it folks. Y'all can go to shopblackstarnetwork.com to check out the in-booz products. Go to shopblackstarnetwork.com to check out the InBoos products. Go to shopblackstarnetwork.com. Control room, come on with the graphic. Shop, can y'all come on. Thank you, come on, faster. Thank you.
Starting point is 02:07:52 Shopblackstarnetwork.com. You can check out the InBoos products. You can get the other products. Give me a shot of the other products that we have. We have folks on the show. Give me a shot of the other products. We get the shot of the we should we supposed to have like you know a tight shot of the product y'all over there. That's too wide. Y'all can't see nothing over there. So anyway, let's get that fixed for the next segment. So again, we got a number of black owned products on shopblackstartnetwork.com. Please check it out. Ashley, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Yeah, thank you so much.
Starting point is 02:08:25 Alright folks, let me thank Joe, Mustafa and Randall for being on today's show. Thank you so very much. I appreciate y'all being here. Folks, uh, don't forget, uh, lots of what we want you to focus on. First of all, uh, do we have the graphic on Saturday? All right. We sold a shoulder. We're going to be Saturday. We're going to live broadcast y'all. Virginia Democrats have their Blue Commonwealth Gala. We're gonna be live there.
Starting point is 02:08:49 Oh my God, that graphic is way too busy. We gonna have to change that. That's a lot of stuff on that. That's way too much, way too much. But we're gonna be live on Saturday, June 21st, again, for the Blue Commonwealth Gala, broadcasted from there. Lots of top Democrats are gonna be there from across the country, and so y'all will only catch the live broadcast right here
Starting point is 02:09:12 on the Black Star Network. Folks, support the work that we do. Join our Breanifunk fan club. If you want to join us via Cash App, use the Stripe QR code, you see it right here. If you're listening, go to blackstarnetwork.com or go to rollermarknetfilter.com to be able to see the graphic. If you wanna support us go to BlackstudyNetwork.com or go to RolandMartinunfiltered.com to be able to see the graphic.
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Starting point is 02:09:45 blasted network at Apple phone and read a phone Apple TV Android TV Roku Amazon fire TV Xbox one Samsung smart TV should get a cup of my book white fear of the browning of America's making my folks lose their minds available at bookstores nationwide get the audio version I read on audible of course also get out gear our black star network rolling much unfiltered gear you could do so by going to Roland Martin dot crater that spring calm get our shirts especially we try to tell you FAFO 22 product 225
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Starting point is 02:10:40 I think that is it. I will be, matter of fact, Hold on. I got one more. I'm going to be so Thursday. We are not going to be live on Thursday. It is Juneteenth. I am going to be speaking in Charleston, South Carolina. I will be we will have that speech live right here on a rolling mark on filtered during that time time so that's why we're not having a show so I'll be given the Juneteenth speech in Charleston not South Carolina Charleston, I'm sorry West Virginia. I'll be in Charleston West Virginia on on Thursday
Starting point is 02:11:19 June 19th in Saint Louis on June 20th I have a graphic for you tomorrow. So if you're all in Charleston, West Virginia, tell your friends folks to come on out. I'm going to be pulling it up here. I'm going to be at the Charleston Coliseum Little Theater. It's 537. It's free registration. Again, go to again, Fireside Chat, Charleston Coliseum, Little Theater. I'm going to ask Tonya on my team, it says free registration, but the graphic don't tell you how to register. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your
Starting point is 02:11:58 gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley
Starting point is 02:12:21 comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Inc. 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st, and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Starting point is 02:12:59 Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.
Starting point is 02:13:25 Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever, and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend, and this is Vine. Six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming,
Starting point is 02:13:52 we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. wherever you listen to podcasts. Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrae, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today AXS.com. Register. Y'all got to have stuff on point please. So we will tell y'all tomorrow how you can actually register for this. I look forward to seeing y'all in Charleston, West Virginia on Thursday and in st Louis over the Julie project on Friday folks. That's it. I'll see y'all tomorrow right here rolling Martin unfiltered on the black stud network Let's now go to true talks. 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.
Starting point is 02:15:55 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 One, Taser, Inc. on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend.
Starting point is 02:16:31 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. the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Starting point is 02:17:17 Our iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. September 19th and 20th., streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Adams, Ed Sheeran, Fade, Glorilla, Jelly Roll, John Fogerty, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Sammy Hagar, Tate McCrae, The Offspring, Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com. Get your tickets today AXS.com.
Starting point is 02:17:49 This is an iHeart Podcast.

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