#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Oct. Jobs; Powell Funeral; GA Civil War-Era Defense; 2 men exonerated; Philmore Academy; CAWP Racist

Episode Date: November 6, 2021

11.05.2021 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: October job numbers report is out, and apparently, it beat expectations and contends the country closer to full employment. So what's all this about a failing economy? I spoke with the Council of Economic Advisers Chair to break down the numbers and let us know if our economy is booming or not.Opening arguments have begun in the trial of the three men accused of hunting down Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through a south Georgia neighborhood. The defense laid down its case. Saying, Ahmaud could still be alive if he just answered the questions of the white men chasing him. We'll have a recap of what happened today.Friends, family, and former colleagues gathered today at Washington's National Cathedral to honor Colin L. Powell, the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later served as the first Black secretary of state.We'll tell you about two men who have been exonerated. One man spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. The other had his charges dismissed after his arresting officer was caught on tape planting evidence.Howard University President Dr. Wayne Fredrick just finished up his state of the university address calling for an end to the student protest.  We'll tell you about a Georgia school where students excel in academia through holistic and STEAM-related practices in our Education Matters segment.And a Crazy Ass White Person gets owned, thrown, and fired. You'll see what happened during San Diego's board of supervisors meeting, where an anti-vaxxer thought he would be able to get away with a racist, sexist rant. Well, one board supervisor was ready for all the smoke.#RolandMartinUnfiltered partners:Nissan | Check out the ALL NEW 2022 Nissan Frontier! As Efficient As It Is Powerful! 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3FqR7bPAmazon | Get 2-hour grocery delivery, set up you Amazon Day deliveries, watch Amazon Originals with Prime Video and save up to 80% on meds with Amazon Prime 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3ArwxEh+ Don’t miss Epic Daily Deals that rival Black Friday blockbuster sales 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iP9zkvBuick | It's ALL about you! The 2022 Envision has more than enough style, power and technology to make every day an occasion. 👉🏾 https://bit.ly/3iJ6ouPSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfilteredDownload the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com#RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Hey, fam, today is Friday, November 5th, 2021, and coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network from Humboldt, Texas, just outside of Houston. We'll talk with the economy. Jobs report came out today. Great news when it comes to jobs. We'll talk with Dr. Cecilia Rouse.

She is the head of the White House Council of Economic Advisors on the economy and what is being done to improve it. Also on today's show, opening arguments began in the trial of three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery. We'll tell you exactly what happened there. Also, retired General Colin Powell, the first black secretary of state, laid to rest today. They celebrated his life and legacy at the National Cathedral. We'll show you some of that as well. Also, we'll tell you about two men who have been exonerated. One spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

The other had his charges dismissed and his arresting officer was caught on tape planting evidence. Also, Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick just finished up his State of the University address calling for an end to the student protests. Students are calling for him to resign. Also, we'll tell you about a Georgia school where students excel in academia through holistic and STEAM-related practices

in our Education Matters segment. Folks, and yeah, we got a C-A-W-P our Education Matters segment, folks. And, yeah, we got a C-A-W-P segment. Y'all, I'm in a church, so I can't cuss. You can't wait to show y'all what happened in San Diego. Oh, makes no sense at all. It's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Let's go. He's whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine.

And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all Yeah, yeah, yeah It's Rollin' Martin, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rollin' Martin Now All right, folks, we're coming live from the Lighthouse Church here in Humboldt, Texas, where McDonald's, they've been shooting the Gospel Celebration, Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour. We have been doing a series of interviews with many of the folks who are here.

It's been some great time we've had having these conversations with them. And so we went a little long with our interview with Yolanda Adams. But trust me, when you see it, you're going to absolutely enjoy it. So that's why we're starting today's show late. So my apologies. All right, folks, the jobs report came out today. Great news with a number of jobs that were created in the American economy last month. Five hundred thirty one thousand new jobs were added. The unemployment rate fell to four point six percent.

Now, Republicans continue to say the economy is in tatters, but the evidence doesn't suggest that. I had a chance to talk to Dr. Cecilia Rouse. She is the head of President Joe Biden's White House Council of Economic Advisors, the highest ranking African-American on the economy in the country. And she walked us through why what's going on with the economy, why we've had challenges and also the outlook ahead. Here's our conversation. All right. So, Dr. Cecilia Rouse, look, I said, we're going to talk economics, what's happening with the economy. I said, I need to talk to you. You lead the White

House Council of Economic Advisors. It's always great talking to you. You have this narrative that's going on. We saw it coming out of Exit Post on Tuesday. The economy is doing so bad. You look at the job numbers released today. You look at the adjusted jobs report for August and September. Now, I don't measure the stock market, but you look at how that is doing as well. You look at wages going up. I'm just trying to understand where is this bad economy Republicans keep talking

about? Yeah, look, we, I don't like to focus on any one month of jobs data or economic data, any one particular point. But what we have seen, now we've had several months in a row of data that tell us that our economy is strong and recovering. The last, what we saw with today's job report was that we, the economy created over 500,000 jobs last month, that it was fairly widespread. We saw big gains in leisure and hospitality, which is a sector that's been particularly hard hit by this pandemic. We saw that the unemployment rate ticked down. So it was a strong report. You know, look, that said, we appreciate that this report also reminded us that the economy is at the mercy of the virus. And so what I think that part of the challenge that people are feeling is that we're

coming out, the economy is gaining, but we are just, you know, we're still in the middle of this virus. We're getting through it. What the president has been just a strong leader on, and which is so important, is that in order for us to truly get back to where we were economically, we're going to have to get past this pandemic, which is why it's just so important

for people to get vaccinated. It's been so important that now vaccines are going to be available for children 5 to 11 years old because we know that as we get through the pandemic, we will recover. This is why the mandates. There was a study done at the University of Chicago. They surveyed a group of economists, and economists never agree on anything, but it was unanimous in agreeing that mandates were going to again be important for having a strong recovery so this the economy is

is doing very well the part that is providing some pain is that as we're adjusting uh and coming out of this pandemic prices are elevated so we know people are feeling it at the grocery store we know they're feeling it at the gas pump but doc let's let's unpack that. And this is why I'm saying that. So for instance, we're hearing all of this supply chain, supply chain, but the supply chain issue today is rooted in last year. The average person, look, when you talk about making of goods, you had people who did not have people come into manufacturing places. They were coming into work. And so what now happens? Now when you have this uptick, people buying stuff, you didn't have folks making the products in the last year. So now you're trying to play catch up. That's why you're impacting the supply chain. Well, that certainly is part of it,

and then also part of it is that we gave people the resources to get through this pandemic, which has been unusual. Usually at this point in a recession, people would have been, you know, not having money to put food on the table. They would have been struggling to pay the rent. We gave people through the American Rescue Plan the resources to get through. People are still getting, those who have children are still getting checks in the form of the child tax credit.

And so people have had the resources to get through. So what they did, as they could not go to restaurants, they couldn't go to the cinema, they couldn't go to concerts, instead they bought goods. And so you're right, Roland, some of those goods weren't being made, but also people shifted what they were buying to buying stuff, to buying goods. And so we actually see coming through our ports, more goods coming through our ports than ever before. And our system just wasn't designed for that. As people feel confident that going out in public again, as people get vaccinated,

as we get to the other side of this pandemic, where they start to go to restaurants again, they go to the movie theaters, they're buying those services, we will also see some easing of the supply chain. It's pandemic economics. We massively disrupted how we buy, how we consume. We massively disrupted our chain, you know, how the economic system works and we're putting it back together. But our fundamentally, our economy is, it continues to grow, continues to heal. and it's on the mend. Well, it's sort of like when I hear these people complaining about empty store shelves. Again, if you did not have the infrastructure to churn out the products and the items in a timely basis, you're going to be running out because you're not replenishing.

Yep. Well, and also people are buying more than they were before. And so it's, you know, it really is this mismatch of the demand for the goods and what, and the speed with which people are able to supply them. And let's face it, we need to get more people back to work, back employed. We understand that. And again, as people feel more confident that by going back to work, they're not going to be jeopardizing their health we feel very confident that more people will be getting back to work as well which will allow us to also be creating markets look explain for the audience when we talk about consumer

confidence when when you see when you see caught the narrative when you see these constant stories oh my god how bad is. I remember when the August and September jobs report came out, and it was doom and gloom, but then again, of course, we now see they've been adjusted upward. So part of this idea of consumer confidence is when you're constantly hearing that

it's bad, then it's like, oh my God, I feel like it's bad, as opposed to being able to hear, no, this is the actual facts. From your vantage point, isn't driving the narrative also important? Explain to people really in a much broader way how the economy works. Like, you know, look, Trump folks always focus on the stock market. But the reality is most Americans aren't even in the stock market, so that can't be the main driver of whether the economy is doing well.

That's right. At this moment, what we see the main driver of the economy being is the virus. As the virus, the employment numbers slowed down as the Delta variant picked up speed in the United States. Now that it's coming back down, people are feeling more confident about going back to work and to getting back in the marketplace. So it is very much about this pandemic. But again, the American Rescue Plan and the president's very effective vaccine team have made it possible for us to have the vaccination. So we know that something like 70 percent of the adult population now has had at least one shot. And as more people become fully vaccinated, as our children get vaccinated, we'll all be so much safer to be getting out of the house. I do want to make one last note here, which is that, you know, people are complaining about the prices and they're not sure where this economy is going. The bills that Congress is considering now, the president's economic vision

for Build Back Better, which is making investments in physical infrastructure. So that's our roads, bridges, ensuring we have broadband in every household, high-speed broadband. But importantly, investments in people, in our human infrastructure. So that is ensuring that families have affordable child care. That's ensuring that our child care workers are paid good wages, universal pre-K. So all of our children, three and four-year-olds, have access to a high-quality pre-K setting, which we know pays for itself several times over. And it's so important to our communities of color in particular to have a home health care system that actually works for families so that people

who want to both work in the outside of the home and can be assured that their loved ones are being taken care of. These are the kind of investments which we know are also really important for ensuring that we have continued economic growth. So we're getting through this pandemic. It will be a process, but we are making strong, steady progress. But we also know that that work is not done and that we have further investments we need to make in this economy. Cecilia Rouse is always good chatting with you. And thank you so very much for giving us this breakdown of the economy. It's always a pleasure, Roland. All right. See you soon. Bye. All right, folks, let's go to our panel. Joining us right now is Michael Imhotep. He is the host of the African History Network show, Kilibithia, communication strategist,

and also Ray Baker, host of the Public Agenda podcast. Ray, I'll start with you. This is the thing that I don't quite understand. Election was on Tuesday. You look at polling data, 70 percent of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction. You look at the economic numbers, you look at the jobs report, you look at the stock market, you look at wages going up. And the White House Democrats, to me, have a narrative problem. And frankly, I think they're not flooding the zone, Ray.

Here you have an African-American woman, brilliant economist. Why in the heck aren't they putting her everywhere? Look, after today's report, the Commerce Secretary should have been out there. The White House Chief of Staff should have been out there. Cecilia Rouse should have been out there. I sent the White House an email requesting her that's how that actually happened it wasn't like she was being offered up

basically flooding the zone putting their people everywhere we dealt with four years of Donald Trump and his folks lying hey Biden Harris y'all got the truth say something yeah I mean I don't have much to follow up on that with Say something. Yeah, I mean, I don't have much to follow up on that with.

I think that you're absolutely correct about the need to get the message out there in the narrative. One of the things that's important that people need to pay attention to, though, is that when there are Americans talking about the country is moving in the wrong direction, they are not making an honest faith-based argument. The conversation that those folks are having is that they feel like people not like them, black people, women, people from the LGBTQI community, all those folks, we're talking about those folks and they think that those folks are getting too much in this society, too much in their economy. But an economist that I know that all of your panelists and you are familiar with, Roland, Dr. Bill Spriggs, talks

about the fact that for black men, the unemployment rate went up. Now, he says it goes up for good reasons because we're talking about more black men are participating into the labor force. But for high school educated white men, the unemployment rate went down. And so again, the question is, even if they flood the market or flood the media landscape with folks who will tell the truth, the folks that they're trying to persuade or talking to or trying to counteract the narrative against are not dealing honestly. So truth in the matter of dishonesty cannot matter. And so the only goal that they can have at that point would be to drown out the dishonesty they would hope with more truth. But at that point, it just becomes the fuel to the fire for the adversaries they're looking to work against. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 are losing this argument on the economy. If you really want to break down, when did President Joe Biden's approval number start going down? With his Afghanistan decision.

In fact, just so I need people to understand how this thing has shifted. When we talk about the economy now, what happened was you had a couple of bad jobs reports in August and September. But guess what, Kelly? The initial numbers were not correct. The numbers were adjusted upward because what happens when they have the initial report, they then go back and they go, OK, let's now examine this. And so here's the deal. The initial August jobs report showed two hundred and thirty five thousand jobs. All of a sudden, folks were coming down on the White House and it's like, oh, my God, the sky's falling. Well, guess what? It was then adjusted where actually 483,000 jobs were created. That's 250,000 more. Then in September, that jobs report initially said 194,000. Every single month in 2021, there have been revisions of the jobs report

upward of 100,000 jobs per month. Well, the revised numbers don't get as much attention. If you're the White House, your job is to put the attention on the revised numbers. I believe what you're seeing is a as a communications failure of this White House. In fact, Stuart Stevens, a Republican who was with the Lincoln Project, I want to pull up a tweet that he sent out today that I think fully explains it. Let me find it right here. It came up this morning when the jobs report numbers came out. I saw it. I retweeted it because he was absolutely right. This is what, let's see here. Give me a second here. I'm going to pull up in a second. Let me just blow it up, folks. Don't go to my iPad just yet. This is what he tweeted this morning. And again, Republicans know how to message.

Dow is over 36,000 points. Y'all go to my iPad now. Unemployment has dropped from 6.3% in January to 4.8%. Over 5 million jobs added. A record. 220 million vaccines in 10 months. Only 30 percent of the country think U.S. is on the right track. The Democratic Party has a huge messaging problem. That's from a Republican. And they know how to message.

They do know how to message. And the reason why they know how to message is because they don't work in silos within their party. With the Democrats, they have this tendency, especially in the past four years under Trump, to have this victimhood mentality because, frankly, it worked for them. It's like, oh, see what Trump did. It's, you know, big bad dude. And, you know, look at how he's hurting us. We can't do anything because Trump is X, Trump is Z, what have you. Well, the Democrats need to get out of that victimhood mentality right now because we are the ones in power. Democrats and progressives are the ones in power and have the power to get things done. But now you have the narrative of the big tent that is so big that you have to work in silos in order to get anything done. It is very fragmented. But that is not how things move. The Republicans, you know, and you see this

by way of the Lincoln Project and other organizations that are conservative, there are many opinions within the Republican Party. But what they do very well is, frankly, ignore the voices that they don't want to drive forward. Democrats don't do that. They just let everything out there and whatever sticks is what they go with, as opposed to actually messaging what is going on and what they want to drive forward. The White House has one message regarding jobs. Congress has another message regarding infrastructure and how nobody's getting along. Even the Supreme Court justices have their own message, you know, basically forewarning us that, hey, we may not be able to get what we want as progressives this

time around because we have a majority of conservatives who don't know anything. And it's like no one is actually, you know, bringing in the reins for all of these messages and actually focusing on one thing. Republicans do that very well. Democrats and progressives, not so much. And they really need to get on the ball if they don't want to lose even more seats come 2022 and even elections beyond that. I don't understand, Michael. It's not actually that hard. It's really not. But the thing is, you have to be willing to actually flood the zone. You have to be willing to put out memes and things along those lines. You know, I've been tweeting all today trying to figure out, I'm sorry, Jamie Harrison, the Democrats, where are your viral videos?

Where are they? I went to their pages and they don't exist. They don't exist. And so I don't understand what they're doing. I'm sitting here looking on social media and I'm going, all right, I don't see any videos driving the issue of the economy. And I'm going, oh, so y'all just going to just let it flow? I mean, I don't get it. I just don't get it. Well, Roland, this is related to why Governor Terry McAuliffe lost, well, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, why he lost in Virginia. Back on, Roland, back on Friday, October 15th, I was on your show along with Kelly three weeks ago, and we talked about the governor's race. We talked about how, and one of the things I said was they should be running

on the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that has cut child poverty in half, that had money for HBCUs, are taking money, over 20 HBCUs used money from the American Rescue Plan and paid off student debt. You had another round of stimulus checks. You had PPP money for businesses. There was money for schools so schools can get better ventilation, so schools can reopen. That was a transformative bill, okay? Terry McAuliffe said he was putting pressure

on the White House and Congress to pass the infrastructure bill so he can run on that. But you got a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that no Republicans in the House or the Senate voted for. You should have been hammering the hell out of them on that. But see, so it's a huge messaging problem. OK, maybe they need to get more brothers like maybe they need to get more signals working for them or something like Ray and myself. I don't know. But, you know, it's a huge messaging problem. It's a huge messaging problem.

So and then when we look here at we look at the human infrastructure bill, OK, instead of and many people have been saying, well, look, instead of you keep talking about how much it is, why don't you talk about and educate people on what's in the bill? Lastly, Roland, another huge messaging problem. The American Rescue Plan was the third coronavirus bill. OK, it was passed in early March 2021, less than two months after Benedict Donald was evicted from the White House. OK, a lot of people don't associate this bill with Democrats because there were other coronavirus bills. This bill extended the federal unemployment insurance for a number of months. It reduced it down to $300 a month, thanks to Joe Manchin, but they still got it. They still got $1,200 a month. You have to brand this. You have to own it. No Republicans in the House or Senate voted for

this bill. So you have to separate this from what was done under Trump to let people know this is why you're getting the deposits in your bank account each month and cutting childhood poverty in half. This is why there's money for HBCUs. You have to brand this. And there's a huge messaging issue. Yep, that's exactly that. And so I don't understand it. But guess what? They better focus on it because if they don't change their messaging, they're going to it's going to be a wipe out in the 2022 midterm elections. Folks got to go to a break. We come back on Roland Martin unfiltered more. We're talking about we're talking about criminal justice reform. We talk about two African-American men who are now out of prison. Thank goodness. Who were wrongfully in prison. We're going to talk about that. We're

going to talk also about moving forward. We talk about these elections that have been taking place, not just a messaging issue, what's now happening on Capitol Hill. Are they actually going to pass these two bills? You've got this standoff between moderates in the House on one bill, and then you've got your progressives on another bill. So this whole thing is going back and forth. We're going to update what's happening with the trial of the three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery. And also we're going to talk with Allison Riggs. She's with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. I can't. She wrote this this particular Twitter thread that was really amazing. That's important for us to understand the context of what's happening in this country when it comes to voting rights as well.

And so, folks, we've got all of that coming up next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live from the Lighthouse Church here in Humboldt, Texas, on the Black Star Network. Back in a moment. I'm sorry. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become Bear Hug Betty. Settle in, kids. You'll be there a while. Ooh, where it going? It's your favorite funny girl, Amanda Seale.

Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What's up, Lana Well? And you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything

that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 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. All right, folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered, one of the worst states in America when it comes to voter suppression and gerrymandering is North Carolina. Now, folks have been fighting that state. Republicans have been doing some of those evil things. A federal court once ruled that that was laser-like precision of Republicans targeting black voters where they struck down the racial gerrymandering. Well, now you have a new group of districts that have been approved and North Carolina Republicans have truly lost their minds. We're talking about a state that's pretty much 50-50 Democrat and Republican. Okay. Well, they have passed new congressional maps that would give Republicans for the next decade, an almost 78 percent advantage in terms of they will control

78 percent of the congressional seats in the state. Ten of the 14 states will lean Republican, according to the nonpartisan Princeton gerrymandering project. Republicans currently have eight of 13 seats. Now, the legislature, of course, is responsible for redistricting, and they don't need approval from the governor for the maps to become law. Now, that means that Democratic Governor Roy Cooper cannot veto the bills as well. Joining us right now is the co-executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Allison Riggs. She joins us from Durham, North Carolina. Allison, glad to have you here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. You laid out yesterday in this Twitter thread really how devastating it is in North Carolina.

It caught my attention and I said, well, hey, let's get her on the show. So so wall people through this because, again, so much attention has been focused on Georgia and Texas and Arizona. But I dare say the most evil acts are taking place by Republicans in your state of North Carolina. It's a constant onslaught, and it has been since the Shelby County decision in 2013. This is the first redistricting cycle we've engaged in, though, in decades without the protections of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. And I felt like folks didn't understand how coordinated and aggressive the attacks were on Black representation. It's obvious at the congressional level, that map you just showed is one in which a longstanding African-American opportunity district in northeastern North Carolina is critically undermined.

It's essentially a toss-up district now. On the day the map passed, the National Redistricting Congressional Committee targeted the black incumbent, G.K. Butterfield, and deemed it a flippable district. So the risk of losing Black representation at the congressional level is very real. And if that district does flip, we're not talking about a 10-4 map. We're talking about an 11-3 map, 11 Republicans, three Democrats. But it's not just happening at the state level. And with the vote on the John Lewis Act yesterday, I felt it was so important to lift up some of the local cases that we're seeing in counties formerly covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. These are small counties, less economically advantaged counties. They're being threatened for doing anything that considers race, striving for anything

that approaches race equity. They're being threatened by prominent attorneys with suit. And this all would have been prevented if Congress had acted to restore the Voting Rights Act. And North Carolina continues to be the epicenter of redistricting, litigation, and attacks on Black representation. It's been that way since the 1980s. Because if they pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, it would prevent these states from doing that. And that's why Republicans don't want to support the bill. And that's why for the life of me, I'm sitting here looking at Christian Sinema and Joe Manchin going, what in the world are the two of you doing? Do you not see what they're doing?

And here's the crazy thing. There have been exceptions made in the past for the filibuster. There have been exceptions made in the past for the filibuster. There have been exceptions. So to act as if you cannot make an exception for voting rights is a lie. That's right. Politicizing the Voting Rights Act, particularly the John Lewis Act, is heinous. It's one thing, obviously, for Senator Manchin and for Senator Murkowski to support this bill. But supporting it when it won't go anywhere leaves millions of voters of color without protection. Congress did

the right thing. They proposed a new Voting Rights Act that addressed the concerns of the U.S. Supreme Court. It's Congress's job to push through this law that is absolutely necessary to effectuate the promises of the 14th and 15th Amendment. In fact, Democrats actually put this video out, folks. Let me know if y'all had that video queued up in the control room, because we talked about Congressman John Lewis, guys, do we have it? All right. When you talked about Congressman John Lewis, to me, there's nothing more offensive. Even when he was alive to watch these Republicans laud him and praise him and travel down to Selma with him and then come right back to the nation's capital and vote against these bills.

How embarrassing to have a black United States senator who's a Republican and Tim Scott vote against any of the filibuster when it comes to voting rights. And so this is what the Democrats put together, this particular video here that shows you what Republicans say and then what they do when it comes to Congressman, late Congressman John Lewis and voting rights. Our society has only marched toward justice because great figures like Congressman John Lewis took it upon themselves to lead the way. Yeah. All right. Yeah. That's my point, Allison. They love praising Congressman John Lewis. No, they love pimping Congressman John Lewis, putting out quotes, things like that. But again, you're voting against the bill the man wrote.

This is this is not. That's right. This is not ancient history that we're fighting for, the right of the franchise, access to the franchise for black and brown voters. This is in our lifetime. In so many of my clients' lifetimes, they experienced what Representative Lewis did, were beaten and bloodied fighting for the right to cast a ballot, the right to have a vote counted equally without regard to race. And it is enormously disrespectful and painful to see Representative Lewis's legacy being undermined by the failure to move these bills. Yeah, it's been shameful. And so we just want people to understand why we are going to continue to press this issue, Allison.

We appreciate an organization like yours out there on the forefront because it is very difficult when you have these Republicans who are funded by billionaires. When you take the Koch network, when you take what's going on here, they know exactly what they're doing. And so it's even more shameful when you have Democrats who are unwilling to stand up and lead. Yeah, there's still time to fix this. There's still time to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Act. There is time to provide relief during this redistricting cycle, but the time to act is now. Yep, absolutely agree. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you for having me. Go back to our panel here.

Kelly, I'll start with you. It is unconscionable to understand, for people to understand what's going on here. And it was literally right after the Republicans could not wait after the Supreme Court decision. They could not wait to attack voting rights. And if people don't understand why they're doing it, they're not paying attention. I feel like no one's really paying attention to this because they're taking voting rights for granted. And again, this actually kind of goes back to messaging regarding the democrats this is such an important issue and yet it is put on the back burner so many times for infrastructure for everything else and i'm like while those things are important i need to be able to vote for the bridge that you want to put up

you know i need to be able to vote for the initiatives that you want in place on my behalf because that's how this country works. And Democrats fail at bringing that home. And what's worse, it's not just about disparaging the legacy of John Lewis at this point. We're talking about Elijah Cummings. We're talking about Alcee Hastings. On the Republican side, you can even argue that McCain's legacy is being disparaged on the Republican side, because at least McCain listened. And Republicans aren't even listening, because they are so enamored with Trump and this just gutter level of conservatism that they're not even seeing the big picture of things outside of white supremacy. But on the other side, Democrats are just so inundated with victimhood that they

can't see the big picture of them literally losing power and seats and frankly, the party itself for the sake of their victimhood. So it's a cluster mess. It's a cluster mess all the way around at this point. Absolutely, Michael. I just think that, again, people who think this is no big deal have to understand if you are enjoying those checks that were passed by the by uh congress uh in that uh in that uh that particular bill that pandemic bill uh that don't happen unless democrats control the house and the senate and so there's a direct correlation uh to folks who who are in power to who they are able to elect you have republicans who control the majority of america's state legislatures if they control even more of that they're able to elect. You have Republicans who control a majority of the American state legislatures. If they control even more of that, they're going to be enacting policies

that are absolutely in complete disagreement with not just African Americans, but a lot of Americans. You know, Roland, what's taking place right now, it's the same thing that happened after Reconstruction ended. And in 1890, Mississippi changed their state constitution to institute poll taxes and literacy tests and to suppress the African-American vote in a state where African-Americans were the majority of the population. The other southern states followed this. South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, they followed this to suppress the African-American vote and lock us out of political power. And this is why you needed a Voting Rights Act in 1965 because of what happened after Reconstruction ended.

So we have to understand this history and understand this backlash that always happens when you have periods of time that African-Americans make advancements. OK. And lastly, this is why we have to put economic pressure on corporations as well. We have to use all those pressure points. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.

This is Absolute Season 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 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.

Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Ray. One thing I would just complicate our conversation with when Kelly, and I don't mean to be contentious, but when Kelly says that, you know, the Republicans are are not seeing the big picture beyond white supremacy, white supremacy is the big picture. Right. This is a matter. This is a fight for power. This is a fight for politics. This is a fight for resource. And so if the United States has demonstrated there is no honor, morality or nobility or principle among the dirty political power games that they play. Fred Hampton instructs us that war is politics with bloodshed and politics is war without bloodshed. documenting for your audience for years, dating back to your time at TV One and before, that these ways that Republicans are playing in dishonoring and discrediting the language of the United States project, the rhetoric of justice, the rhetoric of equality, that those things don't exist in real life. And it invites us as black people to not honor the United States' value

system, but rather what our core values are. And if our core values actually are liberty and justice, then let's live up to that, not because that's a part of the American Constitution or because that's language that our nation has espoused, but instead because that's language that we move forward with. And so ultimately, the ideology or the way to combat that, we cannot fight the American norms with tools from the American norms because we've seen that the opposition is not playing by the same set of rules, if we would, that we would be playing by. And so those who care for justice must find ways and think about ways to organize and create new voters, to create the people, the organizing, largely around the organizing. And that's very local that organizing will be done that can truly address what these issues are that we are bringing to fore. That's right, folks.

We come back. I'm going to go to a break now. We come back. We'll pay tribute to the life and legacy of retired General Colin Powell, who passed away a couple of weeks at the age of 84. His life was celebrated today in a national funeral taking place at the National Cathedral. We'll show you what was said when we come back right here on the Black Star Network. That spin class was brutal.

You can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's massaging seat. Ooh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password?

Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger that's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself.

Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision, an SUV built around you. All of you. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair who was waiting for a prince to come save her. But really, who has time for that?

Let's go. I'm feeling myself. I'm feeling myself. She ordered herself a ladder with prime one-day delivery, and she was out of there. I want some hood girls looking back at it and a good girl in my text break. Now, her hairdressing empire is killing it.

And the prince, well, who cares? Prime changes everything. Hey, I'm Deon Cole from Blackest. Hey, everybody. This your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. All right, folks. We are here at the Lighthouse Church in Humboldt, Texas, just outside of Houston.

We've been here for the McDonald's Gospel Inspiration Celebration Tour, and so we can't wait to bring you some of the interviews that we've been doing here in my hometown of Houston. Today in the nation's capital, retired General Colin Powell was laid to rest. The nation's first black secretary of state was feted. And the best, the closest you come to a state funeral, if you will.

Three former presidents were there. President Joe Biden was there. I'm sorry, two former presidents. President Joe Biden was there. Former President Barack Obama two former presidents. President Joe Biden was there. Former President Barack Obama, former President George H.W. Bush, excuse me, George W. Bush. They were all in attendance. Dictators from all across D.C., power brokers were there to pay their respects to General Colin Powell. Here's some of what took place today at the National Cathedral. And acknowledge Alma Powell, Michael and Jane Powell, Linda Powell, Anne Marie, and Francis Lyons and the grandchildren. We're here for your father, your husband, your granddaddy,

and quite a turnout it is. If I may, President Biden, Dr. Biden, thank you very much for your attendance, particularly after the arduous trip. President Obama, Mrs. Obama, thank you so much for being here. And thank you for leading our nation for eight years with wit, wisdom, and dignity.

And President and Mrs. Bush, thank you so much for being here. with wit, wisdom, and dignity. And President and Mrs. Bush, thank you so much for being here. You led our nation through the horror of 9-11, did not let us take counsel of our fears, and brought us out the other side on this war on terror. Thank you. And Mrs. Clinton,

so what do I say? Do I say First Lady? Or do I say Secretary Do I say First Lady or do I say Secretary Clinton or Senator Clinton? I think I just content myself by saying we thank you for your years of service to our nation. Heart is sad for I have lost a friend. Alma, Michael, Linda and Anne Marie, the remarkable Powell family. I'm grateful to you for inviting me to share my thoughts in this hour of celebration and remembrance. In 1993, when I began serving

as America's ambassador to the UN, General Colin Powell was already in his final months as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At White House meetings, I came equipped with a yellow pad. He brought a laser pointer and an array of multicolored slides. I wore a pin. He wore a lot of medals. I was a mere mortal female civilian. In the wake of Operation Desert Storm, he was the hero of the Western world. On policy, the general eye didn't always reach the same conclusions. And in fact, he would later recount that one of my comments almost gave him an aneurysm. Although we were the same age, he and I were shaped by different experiences and had different ideas and represented different departments. But over the past quarter century, we also became

very close friends, an experience I know that I have in common with many of you. The reason is that beneath that glossy exterior of warrior statesman was one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet. As I grew to know him, I came to view Colin Powell as a figure who almost transcended time, for his virtues were Homeric, honesty, dignity, loyalty, and an unshakable commitment to his calling and word. These were the same traits he sought tirelessly to instill in the soldiers under his command, the diplomats he sought tirelessly to instill in the soldiers under his command. The diplomats he led, the colleagues with whom he worked, the readers of his books,

the audiences that flocked to his speeches, the students of the Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, and the thousands of young people who benefited from the America's Promise Alliance that Ama and he championed. He relished the opportunity to connect with other generations. And it's always the right time, he told us, and I quote, to reach out to someone who's wanting to look up and to each in our own way to help put that fellow American on the road to success. We walk through this life holding hands with the ones we love. They guide us. They pull us out of harm's way.

They touch and caress us with love and kindness. One of my most powerful memories comes from holding my dad's hand. I was hurt very badly and lying in an ICU bed following a bad accident. It was the middle of the night, yet my father was by my side after a long day of work. I was squirming in pain and anguish. Without a word, he just took my hand and squeezed it with a father's love. It instantly relaxed and put me at peace. The last night of his life, I walked in to see him. Now he was the one lying in ICU bed. He could not see or speak to

me, so I took his hand. Just as he had taken mine decades before, I knew everything was not going to be okay. I wanted him to be at peace. But again, I felt my father's love in that hand. That hand that took my mother's hand in matrimony. That hand that held me as a baby. That hand that signed report cards, tossed baseballs and fixed old cars. That hand that signed treaties and war orders, saluted service members and gestured joyfully whilst telling a story.

That hand is still now. But it left a deep imprint on the lives of family and dear friends, soldiers and sailors, presidents and prime ministers, and a generation of aspiring young people. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, it is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. My father made a monumental difference. He lived.

He lived well. I've heard it asked, are we still making his kind? I believe the answer to that question is up to us. To honor his legacy, I hope we do more than consign him to the history books. I hope we recommit ourselves to being a nation where we are still making his kind. For as he said in his autobiography, his journey was an American journey. Colin Powell was a great lion with a big heart. We will miss him terribly. You know, Michael, a couple of weeks ago, we were in Atlanta with the Global Hope Forum,

and I interviewed Ambassador Andrew Young, and I posed the question to him about Colin Powell. There were some who criticized saying that he was not fully in touch with his blackness and was not really identifying with African-Americans. And Ambassador Andrew Young cussed, I'm going to pass his office. I'm not going to say what he said. But he said he said B.S. He said Colin Powell was a black man. Colin Powell was an African-American and he was somebody who was proud of who he was and who his people were. Yeah, yeah. And having never met Colin Powell, you know, I'll take

Ambassador Young's word for that. And we saw that with, I think one of the ways we saw that was with, you know, first of all, we've always had African-Americans who were conservatives, who still identified

with their blackness, but they were conservatives. OK, Number one. Two, when he left the Republican party as well. And then I remember, you know, I played on my show in 2008 when he endorsed then Senator Obama and went through the reasons he was on Meet the Press. And he went through the reasons why as well. He endorsed Senator Obama. So, yeah, you know, we've always had African-American men who were in touch with that blackness who may have been conservative, okay?

So that's, yeah, I believe that. We may disagree with certain stances he took or what have you, but, yeah, he was in touch with his blackness. Ray Baker, this is, you know, it's one of those things is very interesting. When you are someone like a general Colin Powell, you rise to the ranks, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor, working for largely Republicans. And so that sort of colors people's view. He was the one who served in the military. People have been critical of him saying that he's responsible for the deaths of people, war and destruction.

But the reality is you can apply that attack to anybody who served in the military. Your assessment of who he was, and again, to see the nation's power brokers turn out, pay their respects to such a man. Like Michael, I also don't know General Powell, never met General Powell, and I don't think it would be fair to make any type of an assessment of what type of man he was or who he was. We can only observe his political character, that which was in the public. And as you said, quite honestly, any person involved in the United States military industrial complex will have to wear the accusations of the crimes of the United States military complex. And he separates himself no differently from anyone else who would, like you pointed out,

would rightly receive that criticism. Now, the idea of all of the power brokers and the people, the who's who's of the United States, the various presidents of the United States that came to acknowledge him, I think it invites us to call back to history because those in history who were always well regarded, who were always given a statesman's funeral, if you will, were the soldiers. And it shows how important soldiers are to empire and the vitality of soldiers to empire. And that even when we see a change of transitional power between one leader to another, and we're talking about nations that lack the more what we would call stability of the United States. It's often because the military has turned on the leader. And so one way to truly understand what is empire, the function of empire,

is the reverence that empire and leaders of empires give to the soldiers who've done some of the most important work. Kelly. important work. Kelly? I actually did have the pleasure of meeting Colin Powell. I was 12 years old and he went to my elementary school for some type of assembly photo opportunity with Gilbert Arenas, of all people. So that kind of dates, you know, when I was 12. Nevertheless, when his son talked about his hand, that got to me today because I shook that hand. And while I can't speak on his character on a professional level. For someone who was 12 years old to meet her biggest hero at the time, because this was Obama before Obama, right? This was the black man, so to speak. For me to have met him and for him to have shaken my hand and actually encouraged me in the 30 seconds I was able to converse with him on a mature level, so to speak. That shows you how much reverence he gave

to everyone, not just national leaders or international leaders, but children as well, because he really did think that children were the future. And here I am now, no longer 12 years old, witnessing everyone worth a grain of salt honoring a man who really served his country to the best of his ability well. For his son to also say not to emulate his resume, but to emulate his character, that is the legacy that Colin Powell left on me, because I certainly cannot emulate his resume, but I sure hope that in my time on this earth, and certainly in my own career,

that I can emulate a modicum of his character. Well, absolutely. I had the pleasure of meeting General Colin Powell on many occasions, sitting down and talking with him. And I can tell you, he absolutely was an authentic African American. You cannot like the fact that he was a Republican, but the bottom line is he was a brother, pure and simple. And so we certainly appreciate his service. Certainly condolences go out to his wife Alma. I had a chance to meet with her.

Of course, a lot of time I've spent with his son, Michael Powell, as well, and his other children as well. So certainly our condolences. All right, folks, got to go to break. When we come back, we'll give you an update on the trial of three white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery. Opening statements have begun in that trial in Georgia. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

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

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА I'm going to go get some food. Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Marrier.

Food is her love language. And she really loves her grandson. Like, really loves. Hey, I'm Donnie Simpson. What's up? I'm Lance Gross, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Team Black and Missing, Black and Missing. All right, folks, every day here on the show, we feature an African-American who is missing. Unfortunately, these stories do not get the kind of attention they richly deserve.

And so what we have been doing is showcasing someone, again, who is missing every day. There's too many African-Americans across the country who fall into this category where their stories do not get the attention that they deserve. So therefore, we're going to keep continuing to do this. 17-year-old Antija Sturgis hasn't been seen since September 27th. She was reported missing from Salisbury, Maryland. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall and 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. If you have seen Auntie Jo or know her whereabouts, please call the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3165, 410-548-3165.

Folks, in Illinois, Jelani Day's family is not giving up on finding out how he died. Of course, an Illinois State student was found in a river there, but his family say he didn't commit suicide. Today was the March for Justice for Jelani Day that was attended by the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. and others. They were chanting justice for Jelani to Bloomington, Indiana, and to demand answers about the death of an Illinois State University. I'm sorry, Bloomington, Illinois. of illinois state university i started bloomington illinois now jelani's mother cameron carmen bolden day is just wanting answers about how and why her son died i'm asking i just need information on my son that's it i just want to know what happened to him i know y'all want to know now because i've made it your business to know what happened to him.

So we all want to know what happened to him. So please help me in this journey to find out what happened to Jelani. I need the Bloomington Police Department not to think that they are exempt from following what happened to Jelani because his car was in Peru. This is where it started. This is where it started. This is where it started. And so the Bloomington police should be on their job. They should be wanting to know what happened to Jelani as well. Not because I done made all this noise, but because Jelani was important.

Jelani was somebody. Just because he wasn't white, it don't matter what color you are. it don't matter what color you are. It don't matter what color you are. Everybody is important. He needed just as much attention looking for him as anybody else. So that is why we are here today, and I thank you all again for joining me in this march, for joining me, because I want justice for Jelani, because whoever did this won't be unto you, because you are going to be held accountable for what you did to my son.

Let's now go to Georgia, where opening arguments began in the murder trial of three white men accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Disproportionate white jury is hearing the case 11 to 1, 11 whites, 1 African-American. Prosecutor Linda Dunachowski says the 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was killed based on the defendant's assumptions, not on evidence that he was a burglar it was difficult to see but what you just saw was travis mcmichael raising up his shotgun the remington 12 gauge for absolutely no reason

because where's Mr. Arbery? Look how far Mr. Arbery is. Mr. Arbery's under attack. He's being driven forward by Mr. Bryan in his pickup truck. He's running away from this pickup truck that's already tried to hit him four times toward the McMichaels. Yet the defense at the defense said that no, they believe the burglary was taking place and they were simply trying to stop it. Face to face for the first time in Larry at Larry English' house and then in Larry Ings' house. He's had a first-hand encounter. He knows that Ahmaud Arbery has been lurking around that house

for no legitimate reason. Not authorized to be there. He's not working on the house. Not doing anything but plundering around the house. He knows stuff has been stolen. It's probably the power. These things have a mind of their own. I just want to make sure. He knows stuff has been stolen because Larry English

has told everybody that. He knows this guy has the audacity to go in the house despite knowing people are around and watching him. He knows he's possibly armed because he made that move to his left-hand pocket waist. He has probable cause to believe a burglary has been committed. Defense team is simple, and that is they want to use Georgia's Civil War era law of citizens arrest to justify Aubrey's killing. Now, it is a father and son, Greg and Travis McMichael. They armed themselves in pursuit of Aubrey after spotting him running in their neighborhood.

Their neighbor, William Roddy Bryant, joined the chase and recorded the cell phone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery at close range. This, Kelly, is going to be, again, first of all, you would think this is going to be a slam dunk for the prosecution, but the reality is you have these folks who believe in this stand-your-ground notion, and that can be very problematic when it goes to the jury. But I would dare say the prosecution has started off on a very good note. I would think so, too, especially when you heard defense's opening statements about what their theory of the case is. Like you said, the antiquated law regarding how private citizens' arrest is concerned, I just don't think it'll hold much weight, if any,

especially when you're using terminology that is actually catered and really reserved for law enforcement, such as probable cause and, you know, things like that. I mean, you're talking about private citizens. Probable cause isn't necessarily applicable to private citizens. It's applicable to police and their rationale as to why they can engage with a private citizen as opposed to private citizens engaging with other private citizens. The fact of the matter is, had they just minded their own business, Aubrey would still be alive today. But another note that I just wanted to say, after looking at the footage of the trial today,

and correct me if I'm wrong, I have yet to see a defense attorney for cases like this not be a white man. And I just feel like that's telling in cases like this where the only representation that remotely can ascribe to that kind of rationale can get into the head of a defendant in cases such as this is white men. I have yet to see a white woman. I certainly haven't seen black men or black women or any other person of color, uh, or any other gender represent people like the defendants in this case, uh, even Chauvin and the like. And I feel like that should show you just how biased the rationale is

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

comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. You know, it is interesting to watch this play out, Ray Baker,

because what they're trying to lay out, this whole idea that he was stealing, that they have no evidence, that they have no evidence that he stole anything. As the prosecutor said said they are assuming that's what led them to do what they did they saw him and said oh we had burglaries gotta be him yeah i mean that i think the obvious point here is the belief in the inferiority of black people right and if we're thinking about whether or not justice will be adjudicated, again, we cannot apply reason or ration to this because white supremacy is irrational, yet it's still pervasive. Because the idea of the people of Glynn County will look at, the defense attorney is, I think, brilliant. And the reason I say the defense attorney is brilliant

is because the defense attorney is making this case and is saying this subtly. You don't trust black people either. You don't believe black people either. So will you put these folks who don't trust and don't believe black people, but had the audacity to take justice into their own hands in jail for doing what exactly you would do if you were in this position? And this is why when we get verdicts of not guilty and for things that, as Kelly accurately says, looks very, very obvious and guilty, we black folks should not be surprised because this is not an impartial jury that is weighing both sets of case facts as though they are all legitimate and then going to come to a reasonable or rational conclusion. We assume Americans are rational, but again, we know we live in a white supremacist nation and we know that white supremacy is irrational, so why would we ascribe rationality to a community

of people who have built the bedrock of their human value on something that is irrational? Michael? You know, Roland, I've been covering this pretty much every day on my show, and the citizens arrest law that they're citing, they're using this as grounds for chasing Ahmaud down. It wasn't just from 1863 in Georgia. It was when Georgia was part of the Confederacy and had committed treason against the U.S. And the law was targeting runaway slaves running away from Georgia plantations to run behind union lines. That's where the law originates from, 1863. Now, there have been, we know the law has been repealed since after Ahmaud's killing, but there have been exceptions in that law regarding business owners, retail, okay, things like this.

But you have to have either witness a crime, witness a theft, or have some type of knowledge of a theft, okay, reasonable knowledge of a theft. Here, they didn't have, there was no evidence that he stole anything, committed a crime, anything like this. So, and something very important in the opening statements that lead prosecutor Linda Donikowski pointed out, is that when they confronted Ahmad, they didn't say citizen's arrest. They didn't say you're under arrest or anything like that. That wasn't said. So if you're claiming that you were making a citizen's arrest, why wouldn't you say citizen's arrest?

Kind of basic. Real basic. Got to go to a break. When we come back, we'll give you an update of a case of a black woman shot and killed in Fort Worth. The status of the trial of the officer who shot her. That's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Oh, that spin class was brutal.

Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure. It's wireless. Pick something we all like.

Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. Oh, you should pick something stronger. That's really predictable. That's a really tight spot.

Don't worry. I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision. Once upon a time, there lived a princess with really long hair

who was waiting for a prince to come save her. But really, who has time for that? She ordered herself a ladder with prime one day delivery and she was out of there. Now her hairdressing empire is killing it. And the prince, well who cares? Prime changes everything. Hi I'm Vivian Green. Hey everybody this is your man Fred Hammond and you're watching Roland Martin, my man Vivian Green. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. All right, folks, here in Texas, a trial of a Fort Worth police officer

accused of shooting a black woman through the back window of her home while responding to a wellness check. In 2019, that trial has been postponed. Erin Dean's trial was scheduled to begin on November 16th, but Tarrant County court officials now say that date will only be a scheduling hearing and Dean's case will not go to trial before November 29th. It's been more than two years since Dean shot 28-year-old Tiana Jefferson during a late-night wellness check at her mother's home, entering her backyard unannounced.

If convicted of murder, Dean could get life in prison. Also, we want to talk about, you know, this other story that that we found to be very interesting in terms of the state of black men who were, you know, frankly, exonerated. And again, spending years in prison. Let's go to Maryland where a man, frankly exonerated and again, spending years in prison. Let's go to Maryland where a man has been exonerated. He spent nearly 17 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. David Morris was convicted when he was just 18 years old with the 2004 murder of Mustafa Carter. Following review of the evidence, a judge threw out Morris's conviction after determining Morris should have never been charged in the murder. The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project brought the case to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit in 2018.

And it was Attorney Marilyn Mosby who agreed with that. And so he is free. A New York man has been exonerated after body cam footage shows police officers planning drugs on another person. A Staten Island judge threw out Jason Serrano's guilty plea to charges stemming from his March 2018 arrest. The judge cited body camera footage, which appears to show former NYPD officer Kyle Erickson planning drugs during a traffic stop. According to an NYPD spokesperson, Erickson has since retired from the force. It's amazing how quickly they will leave the force. Retiring versus getting fired, huh? All right, folks, real quick break. When we come back, we're going to talk Education Matters.

Don't want to miss this, what a Georgia school is doing to get our students excelling. That's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the black star network ДИНАМИЧНАЯ МУЗЫКА Maureen is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now she's free to become Maureen the Marrier. Food is her love language. And she really loves her grandson. Like, really loves. All right, folks. Fillmore Academy is a place where students can excel in holistic learning in the area of STEAM. Located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the academy was founded in 2016 and is centered around

excellence in every aspect and exposure to career pathways in STEM and the arts. Sherry Falon, founder and principal of Fieldmore Academy for Science and Arts, she joins us now from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Certainly glad you're here. All right, Sherry, so what specifically are y'all doing there to achieve the kind of results where students are learning and getting interested in STEAM and the arts? Well, good evening. I am so honored to be on your show and share what we consider one of the best private schools in the state of Georgia. At our school, our focus, as you stated, was STEAM and performing arts. And what I found as a mathematics major and teacher is that

quite a few of the students that I encountered did not believe that they could excel in math and science. And I'm a firm believer that if they see it, they can achieve it. So my goal is to allow our students to see African-Americans that are doing great things in the fields of science, mathematics, technology, as well as the performing arts, with the hopes that they will then go on and believe that they can be the future scientists, doctors, producers, the Tyler Perrys, and give them that push that our students, quite frankly, don't necessarily get in a public school setting where the focus is only on testing. Got questions from our panel.

I mean, first up is Ray Baker. Ray Baker, your question for Sherry. Oops, sorry, Ray's not there. So let's go to Kelly Bethea. Kelly, your question for Sherry. Sure. Thank you for joining us today. When I was growing up, the word, the acronym was just STEM.

And I understand that STEM is still something that is commonly used. But the fact that it is now STEAM and A standing for the arts, I would like your opinion on how you think the arts actually helps those who like STEM as well. And I ask that because I was inundated in the arts as a kid, and I still am to an extent. And people don't really understand how people in STEM kind of sort of need the A that is in STEAM to make sure that, you know, they can do STEM well. So I just wanted your thoughts on that. Definitely. I totally agree. Definitely in the A, which being the performing arts, our students are naturally gifted. We're naturally talented.

And so what the arts allow them to do is to actually build that self-confidence, being able to speak in front of people. For us, a lot of it is not only teaching them academically, but building them holistically. So they have to be able to present themselves in front of people. It could be a crowd of one. It could be, I mean, a one person or a hundred people. But in the arts, it allows them to actually speak articulately in front of, you know, whomever. A lot of what we do, too, is access to etiquette. And so those things play a huge role in their representation as well, because

unfortunately, you know, you are who you present yourself to be. So, you know, we make sure that they're able to articulate who they are in front of people at all times. Michael Imhotep, your question. All right. Thank you, sister. This is great what you're doing. When I was in middle school, I was in what's called DAPSEP, Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program. And I remember having science fair projects in middle school. I did one dealing with static electricity. Can you talk about some of the science fair projects some of the students have done, some of the creative things? You know, our children are naturally drawn to technology. Can you talk about some of the creative things that your children have done dealing with science fair projects, things of that nature? Sure. So our science program is one that is hands-on. So they actually start taking hands-on science beginning at pre-K.

So weekly, they're doing those experiments. They're doing nature walks. They're actually learning science through doing. And I can recall when I was a child, I wasn't as amazing as a science student as I was a math student, because they didn't bring the science to life for me. And so for our students, they are required to do science fair projects. This allows them to, you know, go through the scientific method. And, of course, you know, the higher up they get in grade, the more is expected, you know, of them through these science fair projects. We have local people from the community that come in and judge the projects. And they learn so much from

it because they're, again, they're able to actually present their projects, which is something that they've done to someone else. And I'm a firm believer as a 22-year educator that if you're able to teach someone else, then you've truly internalized it. Right, right. Thank you. All right, then. Look, we certainly appreciate the great work that y'all are doing. Certainly, we hope that the students are getting the best that they can. Look, and I do believe the arts is a critical component. It needs to be in every single school. It played a huge role for me growing up. And so I'm glad to see that is certainly of importance at your school. Thank you so much. All right, folks, we come back from the break.

HBCU Connect, how university students, they want Wayne Frederick out as president. He wants the students to end their protest. We'll give you that update on what's happening on the campus of HU when we come back on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Oh, that spin class was brutal. Well, you can try using the Buick's massaging seat. Oh, yeah, that's nice. Can I use Apple CarPlay to put some music on? Sure.

It's wireless. Pick something we all like. Okay, hold on. What's your Buick's Wi-Fi password? Buick Envision 2021. You should pick something stronger that's really predictable. That's a really tight spot. Don't worry.

I used to hate parallel parking. Me too. Hey. Really outdid yourself. Yes, we did. The all-new Buick Envision. An SUV built around you. All of you.

Betty is saving big holiday shopping at Amazon. So now, she's free to become bear hug betty settle in kids you'll be there a while where you going hi i'm eric nolan what's up y'all i'm will packer i'm chris at michelle hi i'm chaley rose and you're watching roland mart Martin Unfiltered. The Blackbird takeover continues at Howard University. The students there continue to demand changes. Now, today, during the State of the University Address, President Wayne Frederick called for the students to end the protest. He said while he hears the demands of the students, he's doing his best to make sure

that Howard is being taken care of for current and future students. Let me start by saying the current events that are taking place on campus are very important. And I hear the concerns. I want to be absolutely clear about that. I also, I'm empathetic with the students who have concerns. Whether one student had mole in his or her room or one student was affected by Wi-Fi, that's more than enough. And certainly we apologize for anybody who was inconvenienced in any way, shape, or form. I do want to emphasize that the team has been working diligently to rectify those circumstances as well, and

rather than continue to put out a counter narrative through the media and social media, which I know has been frustrating for alum and others, what we have tried to do is to focus on the issues at hand and to manage those issues as well as we can. We have a responsibility as a community, who are primarily of the university, to make sure that we do the work that has to be done, because while people may join the caravan, while we have difficulty, they will go away soon after, and we will be left to do what has to be done to do that. Now, this afternoon, the students of the news conference, well, they called for the resignation of Frederick as president of Howard University since October 12th. The students have been occupying the Blackburn

Student Center, making several demands, which includes dealing with the issue of housing, as well as other issues as well. Now let's talk about Tuskegee. Well, they are making changes there after the band announced they were not going to perform because of issues with the band. They have replaced a band director, John Leonard, with Warren Duncan as the acting band director and hired an assistant to manage the band's day-to-day operations. Since last month, band members have been protesting by refusing to participate in university-sponsored and organized social events, citing a lack of resources and leadership. I think what this says here, Michael, is that students understand the power.

If they know the value of bands, they're saying, hey, no band? Who will be at halftime? And so what you're seeing is the leveraging of their sort of influence. You see what's happening on Howard University's campus as well. I think, look, these HBCUs and other universities are going to have to deal with a reckoning when it comes to students making demands when they want things to be better on their campuses. Absolutely. You know, the students are realizing the power that they have. They realize the university is making money off of them. And this is this reminds me of when you had surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests and sports NBA, what has you, what have you. This reminds me of NBA players, NFL players leveraging their power to make money for these white team

owners, leveraging their power to push their agendas also. And this is what they're realizing here as well with the HBCU ban. So yeah, definitely, definitely. We need more. Yeah. And Kelly, what you have here, the university is trying to also strike this balance of wanting to listen to the students, but not give in to their every whim. This standoff that's happening at Howard University looks like it's going to continue. And the students are making it clear they're not going to go anywhere. And they shouldn't, right? I don't really speak too much on Howard University because I did not go to that institution, but I am an HBCU grad.

What I will say is that considering the money that is poured into that school year in, year out, either by way of endowment or straight up tuition, the conditions in which these students have been under for years. And I want to make that clear. This is not a new occurrence with Howard University. I have had friends there. I've had family members go there. And the complaints that are coming out of the students now have been there for decades in some capacity. So the fact that it is ongoing as the school's reputation is becoming even more solidified on the national scale, it is really disappointing. And I understand the students' frustration with it all. This is not something that can be swept under the rug by way of a president basically dismissing the concerns as, you know, just a student protest. That is not what this is. The students understand their power lies within

the students and the faculty at large there. As for the incident at Tuskegee, again, I can't think of an HBCU football game that I went to solely because of the football team itself. As wonderful as the football team is, I go for the band, I go for the camaraderie, and I go for the entertainment. So the fact that you have band members, again, complaining about conditions of their instruments, which are vital for that entertainment, when you are talking about students who are not getting the money that they need to stay in the band by way of lack of scholarship money and the like, you really have to take a good look at the structure in which these students are under so that, frankly, things can just get better because they deserve that. Absolutely. All right, folks, real quick break. We come back.

Oh, crazy as white person. I got to show you what happened. It's a role of Martin Unfiltered. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution.

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on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. ТРЕВОЕННАЯ МУЗЫКА I'm Bishop T.D.J. Hi, how are you doing? It's your favorite funny girl, Amanda Seales. Hi, I'm Anthony Brown from Anthony Brown and Group Therapy. What's up? I'm Lonnie Wells and you are watching rolling Martin on my property Jason Robo decided to show up for a discussion about coronavirus vaccines at a San Diego Board of Supervisors meeting. He decided to go on a vile racist rant, calling some of the members names and even wishing death upon them.

But Supervisor Nora Vargas was like, yo, we ain't having that. Watch this. Traders, we showed you guys pandemic indoctrination and you know it's a premeditated scam and you voted for it. It shows that you are traitors. I mean, it's suppressed on the internet

because trying to find the truth in this world is like trying to find a kid at John Wayne Gacy's house. You got to dig for it. You act like you care, but all you care about is the CARES Act money. You are minions of the pharmaceutical industry. The health care workers, you don't care about them. You care about the owners. And you don't handle crap.

Would you say that we can't handle our crap and you basically legislate as laxatives? You say you care, but you make us sick. It's all about fear. You're obsessed with the fear and then the closure of businesses and beaches by the way vitamin D 80% of people have died or found to be deficient so you're killing people basically when you close the beaches and then you mandate the Vax you're a Vax murderer basically and we are your adverse reaction you should resign Vargas I can't wait for your arteries to clog they're not doing it And we are your adverse reaction. You should resign.

Vargas, I can't wait for your arteries to clog. They're not doing it fast enough. And Nathan, you should kill yourself. I don't know where you are. But a dishonorable discharge would be you blowing your brains out. Let's see you tweet that, blowing your bird brains out. And then lemurs, I like to call you, Lawson Reamer. You're a little monkey.

I'd like to see you hang from a tree. And then Wooten, you call you loss and reamer your little monkey. I'd like to see you hang from a tree And then wooden your fucking aunt Jemima and yeah syrup won't sweeten and cause your diet You are not allowed to say that to her you are not I can't say that you're No The chair is not here I'm'm going to ask you to apologize to her. You are not allowed to talk to her that way. Fuck you, you're a piece of furniture. You're a chair. You are not allowed to talk to her that way.

A chair has more intelligence than you. Ooh, you're so angry. You are not allowed. Can you please turn it off? No, you're garbage. You are not allowed to talk to her that way. You are not allowed to talk to her that way. No. Absolutely not. Not under my fucking way. No. Absolutely not. Not under my fucking watch.

No. Absolutely not. No. No. Your time has expired. Please take a seat. Next speaker, please. Your time has expired.

Sit down. Next speaker. So, Michael, what trips me out, they get mad because she cussed, but he cussed everybody out. Yeah, well, you know, this is maybe the people who were upset that she was cussing, maybe that was maybe they agree with Jason Robo. of white grievance combined with anti-vaxxers, combined with people against wearing masks,

mask mandates, all of this, school closings, trying to save lives, you know? So, and then he talks about closing beaches, lack of vitamin D, things like that. Some of that is true with coronavirus, but also white people are dying because of skin cancer. So maybe he should go lay on the beach. I don't know. But so we just have to realize that this has to be combated. This is all tied to critical race theory, attacks on

critical race theory and critical race theory not being taught through K uh through k2 uh k through 12 so this is what these are going to be um uh uh talking points during the 2022 midterm election so so we have to be prepared for this well kelly jason got fired from his job after this rant went viral as well as he should if i'm surprised he had a job he sounded so ignorant. I'm glad that he got fired because you don't need to be in any type of situation in which you're interacting with anyone with that kind of attitude. But more to his rant in general, white people want to be oppressed so bad. I mean, I don't get it. I really don't get it. Like, if you're already at the top of the food chain, according to y'all, why would you want to be oppressed?

I don't understand. There's nothing glamorous about oppression. There's nothing, you know, cool about being disenfranchised. And it's like they try so hard. It's beyond grasping at straws at this point. They really just put themselves through the wringer in order to look like they're oppressed. And they're not oppressed. They're not.

So the vitriol coming out of this man's mouth and his aura in general is just baffling to me because he really has nothing to complain about. The fact that he like when he was talking about the vitamin D deficiency, I felt like he was more upset about the fact that the beach closed down more so than him not getting a vitamin enough vitamin D. I mean, take a pill for that. But again, that's not oppression. It's not. Look, you've got some crazy deranged people. And the bottom line is he's nuts. And I'm glad he lost his job.

And hopefully somebody black will replace him. All right, folks, programming note. I'm going to be on Tiffany Cross' show, The Cross Connection, tomorrow on MSNBC at 11 a.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Central. So be sure to set your DVRs. Monday, special time. We'll be live at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific. I'll be in San Diego for the Anthony Anderson Celebrity Golf Tournament. Looking forward to having Anthony on the show and a bunch of his other buddies there.

So it's going to be a great show for us. And we'll be broadcasting from Los Angeles all next week. We're shooting more episodes of our show, Rolling with Roland, for the Black Star Network. So we'll be in LA, San Diego, Monday, Los Angeles, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And looking forward to that. Folks, if y'all want to support us, be sure to download the Black Star Network app. Our goals, we have 50,000 downloads by December 31st of this year. And so all platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Roku, as well as Amazon Fire Stick, Samsung TV, Xbox as well,

as well as, of course, Apple TV and Android TV as well. If you want to join our Bring the Funk fan club, every dollar you give goes to support this show. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com, rolling at rollingmartinunfiltered.com. Shout out to Amazon, Nissan, Buick for being partners with us here at

Rolling Martin Unfiltered. And of course, I cannot wait for us to show you some of the interviews that we've been doing here for the McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour. We're here at the Lighthouse Church here in Humboldt, Texas. I'll set it here soon. So it's going to be great. We're going to be streaming this concert live on BET on December 12th. We'll have a lot of our coverage and break it down for you. It's going to be great. Trust me, you're going to enjoy it. I got to go.

We always end the show every Friday showing those who contribute to our show. We'll do that right now. To Pastor Keon, thank you very much for allowing us to use your office as our grounds here. And so we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. And all the people here who have made our life a lot easier. And to all the folks at McDonald's for hanging with us as well. That's you, Jasmine. That's you. I'm looking at somebody right. You know what? I don't know if I want to give a hundred. If y'all go to my YouTube channel hundred if y'all go to my youtube channel y'all go to my youtube channel and see the video i posted of these unbelievably awful snacks that were uh that were uh purchased you know what i didn't put a photo i didn't put her photo up there i really didn't i should have uh but you know she's a little special she's a howard university graduate

i don't know where she got them snacks from y'all. But all I'm saying is, oh my God, ain't nobody black eating them snacks. And so I'm just saying, I'm just saying, I don't wanna call no names. I'm trying not, I told her I wasn't gonna call her name. Okay, I'm not gonna give her a shout out. So Heather, good to see you.

Heather didn't buy the snacks. Jasmine didn't buy the snacks. Jasmine didn't buy the snacks. I ain't going to say who bought them snacks. All I know is she's a Howard University graduate. Lord have mercy. And so I'm just saying. But, ooh, Lordy, Miss Claudia. Y'all, go watch the video.

I want y'all to go watch the video, please. Go watch the video, y'all. I'm telling you. Y'all want to see some off-brand snacks? Remember how you grew up and your parents would come home and they couldn't afford Lay's and they bought them other chips? She bought some cauliflower snacks. And I'm like, girl, what's wrong with you?

Oh, my God. Y'all don't understand. Y'all don't understand. I've been, y'all, it's been hilarious as we've been here. And so we've been having lots of fun. So I said I wasn't going to call. So I'm not. So I promise, Alexia, I'm not going to gonna call. So I promise Alexia, I'm not gonna call your name. I promise.

Alexia, I promise I'm not gonna tell. Oh my bad. Oh my bad, did I just call Alexia's name? Yeah, Alexia at McDonald's. Alexia, come here. Alexia's sitting over there. Come on, Alexia, come on over here. Come on, Alexia.

Come on. First of all, I wanna everybody, I'm gonna try to see Alexia got sitting over there. Come on, Alexia. Come on over here. Come on, Alexia. Come on. First, I want everybody to see Alexia got these shoes on. Come on, Alexia. Come on. Come on. I told you. Alexia with McDonald's. She's absolutely wonderful.

She's great. But Alexia will never go shopping again. Alexia, I promise you, we will never let you go shopping again after you bought those snacks. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. It's not gonna happen. But I love the color. I love the shoes. I love the, yes, you're coordinated.

She got, like she went to Baskin Robbins. She got all the flavors. All 31. She wearing all the colors right now. And so, look at how chic in your leather jacket. But we can't let you buy snacks anymore. Not gonna happen. I told I wasn't gonna do it, but I changed my mind.

All right, y'all, I'm gonna see y'all on Monday, San Diego. Y'all take care, ho! Thank you. this is an iHeart podcast