#RolandMartinUnfiltered - OK Tulsa Race Riots Reparations, Hill Harper Senate Announcement, GA Mayor Arrested

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

7.10.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: OK Tulsa Race Riots Reparations, Hill Harper Senate Announcement, GA Mayor Arrested  An Oklahoma judge throws out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 "Tulsa Race Massacre".... killing any measure of legal justice for the last three survivors of the deadly racist rampage. Black farmers can FINALLY file claims for the "long-awaited" TWO-POINT-TWO BILLION DOLLAR U-S-D-A program.....The National Association of Black Farmers president will be here to explain why this program is CRUCIAL to addressing historical discrimination. Actor and activist Hill Harper is getting into politics as a candidate.  We'll tell you what he's running for and against.  The legal battle over Aretha Franklin's handwritten wills shows the importance of estate planning..... An expert estate planner will explain why you need to think about what happens after you die---no matter how much you have... It's Fibroids Awareness Month.... and we're shedding light on this condition that disproportionately affects women of color....In our '"FIT...LIVE...WIN" segment.... the Founder of "Advocating for My Uterus" will explain how to advocate for yourself--- and learn about your options. And hundreds gathered to say their final farewell to Howard University's Dr. Bill Spriggs.  We'll show you some of Saturday's memorial service.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves. We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers, but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves. A wrap-away, you got to pray for yourself as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself. Self-love made me a better dad because I realized my worth. Never stop being a dad. That's dedication.

Find out more at fatherhood.gov. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. It's Monday, July 10, 2023. I'm Candace Kelley filling in for Roland tonight. He'll be back Wednesday. Here's what's coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. An Oklahoma judge throws out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, killing any measure of legal justice for the last three survivors of the deadly racist rampage. Black farmers can finally file claims

for the long-awaited $2.2 billion USDA program. The National Association of Black Farmers president will be here to explain why this program is crucial to addressing historical discrimination. Actor and activist Hill Harper is getting into politics as a candidate. We'll tell you what he's running for and against. The legal battle over Aretha Franklin's handwritten wills shows the importance of estate planning. An expert estate planner will explain why you need to think about what happens after you die, no matter how much you have or think you may have. It's also Fibroids Awareness Month, and we're shedding light on this condition that has disproportionately affected women of color. In our Fit, Live, Win segment, the founder of Advocating for My Uterus will explain

how to advocate for yourself and learn about your options. And hundreds gathered to say their final farewell to Howard University's Dr. Bill Spriggs. We'll show you some of Saturday's memorial service. Well, it's time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Blackstar Network. Let's rolling. Best believe he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's Rolling Martin.

Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real professional. Yeah. Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martel. Martel. An Oklahoma judge dismisses the reparations lawsuit filed by the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. The three had been locked in a years-long court battle against the city of Tulsa and other groups and officials over the opportunities taken from them when the city's Greenwood neighborhood was burned to the ground, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. The city of Tulsa requested the lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice, noting in part saying that simply being connected to a historical event

does not provide a person with an unlimited rights to seek compensation from any project in any way related to that historical event. And apparently the judge agreed. Well, DeMario Solomon Simmons, he's the attorney representing the survivors, and he stood in the historic Vernon AME church, the only standing black-owned church structure from the riots. He says that he is not done fighting for justice so far. We didn't expect this because last year, Judge Wall said we could move forward. And so when I had to make that phone call to my clients on a Friday night because I didn't want them to hear about it through the news the way I did. And the question was, how can this happen?

She said we were moving forward. And we don't have a good decision a good reason for that because as of today as of this time we have not seen a written order it seems every time black people seek justice in this community in this nation the goalposts are moved. Because in May of last year when she said we could move forward, and then in August of last year when she wrote the order and kicked out some of our descendants and this great church, we felt like that was unjust,

but we decided to move forward based on what she wrote. And we conformed our case bill to what she told us to do, basing it on property, and yet we're still kicked out. But the good news, but the good news, but the good news but the good news is not over.

It's not over. It's not over. This is not a defeat. This is a hurdle. I grew up in a church like this. This is not a defeat. This is a hurdle. I grew up in a church like this. The battle is not won yet, but we're still on the battlefield. I can't sing, so I ain't going to be waiting on that.

So we will be moving forward with an appeal on this case to Oklahoma Supreme Court. Even here in Oklahoma, we know we have a conservative Supreme Court, but we believe the law and the facts are so clear that any lawyer, any judge that's actually looking at the documents will say, hey, you can let these people into court. This is what the law requires. This is America. And when we do our appeal,

we're going to appeal not only for our three survivors, but for those defendants, those descendants who were kicked out before, and to bring this church, Vernon and me, which is the only surviving structure from the massacre, to be put back into this case. And we're also calling upon once again the federal government, President Joe Biden,

who came here two years ago. And he stood right across the street and he acknowledged that the massacre was the worst race massacre in the history of this nation. He acknowledged that the pain, the destruction, the mayhem of 40 blocks being destroyed, planes dropping bombs, 12,000 people made homeless overnight. He acknowledged that and said there needs to be justice.

So we're calling on President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice to come in and do a federal investigation of the massacre pursuant to the Emmett Till Act, Cold Case Act of 2007, reauthorized in 2016. Thank you. That can be done today.

And if the last week has shown us what Ryan Walters, the Secretary of Education, saying the massacre has nothing to do with race, race massacre has nothing to do with race, with a judge kicking us out on a late night Friday night without any real understanding of why at this point. And just recently the mayor of this city, G.T. Bynum, saying that he's happy that this case was dismissed because he doesn't believe any Tulsans have gained from the massacre. It's not about what Tulsans gained, it's what people like Regina Goodwin's family and descendants and survivors lost during the massacre. Attorney and founder of Justice for Greenwood, Demario Solomon-Simmons, he's going to be joining us tomorrow to talk about what is next.

All right, we're going to go to our panel now. I want to welcome Dr. Omayo Kongo Dbinga, senior professional lecturer at School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C., and former Georgia State Representative Renita Shannon out of Atlanta, and political analyst Brittany Lee Lewis joins us from New Jersey, where I am from. Hello, all of you. Good to see you. I want to start with you, Dr. Dbingo. I want to ask you, what is your takeaway from this decision by the court? This has been a battle that has been going on for so long, seemed to have a

lot of meat on the bone to it. But legally, the court said this just couldn't be done. What is your takeaway? Well, first of all, I'm glad to hear him say that this is not over. He's been a guest on the show so many times and has educated us richly on this issue. But also we have to be mindful of the fact that there have been other cases across the world where people have received reparations right here in the United States alone. Rosewood in Florida, for example, or when you look at issues relating to the Holocaust in Canada, they've been doing some work as relates to indigenous communities there. We see California has come out with some recommendations. Places like Evanstown in Illinois have also been looking at this issue as well. Oklahoma has this MAGA mentality where in every way, shape, or form, they are trying to erase and

dismiss and disrespect the history of what happened during this time. Just last week, I believe, the superintendent of Oklahoma's school districts was talking about how we can't talk about the Tulsa massacre as something relating to race. It's literally called the Tulsa race riots. But he's saying we can't talk about that because that's critical race theory, which is a whole other conversation about what critical race theory actually is. But when I talk about this particular area of Oklahoma, this particular issue, in my book, Lies About Black People, this country has a history of trying to remove black people from their land. If they can't do it by violence, they will do it by legislation.

And throughout history, there's always been this game of back and forth or whatever effort doesn't work. So even the people who they couldn't fully remove from there, when you got into earlier years, the 60s and the 70s, the 80s, they had other policies to remove Black people from their land. And so this is a back and forth that we constantly see with our people in this country. What happened here with this particular decision is the greatest and latest example of it. But this is a pattern. But I'm so glad we have lawyers like Demario and others who are not giving up because our people, our elders, they deserve better than this. And like you said, how can you tell the story of the riots without telling a story of the riots? It just doesn't make any sense. Renita, I want to bring you into this conversation.

What's your takeaway from this decision? Because we are talking about telling a story without telling the story. And this will probably be erased more from history because of the fact that they did not get what they wanted so far in court. Well, my takeaway is that this is a truly shameful decision by the judge. There was absolutely no reason to toss this case out. As Dr. Domingo said, you know, we have seen periods in time where folks have been compensated by the U.S. government for poor treatment. So, for example, Japanese folks have been compensated by the U.S. government for poor treatment. So, for example, Japanese-Americans who were compensated for being placed in internment

camps. And so the Tulsa race riots, anybody who knows anything about the story knows that this area was demolished, mostly because it was a black, self-sufficient, well-to-do town that was completely operating, completely self-sufficient. And there were white folks in the area that just didn't like it. And so with this ruling, what I see is the state of Oklahoma deciding that they are going to shirk their responsibility to make these families whole and make those who were impacted by the Tulsa massacre, they're shirking their responsibility to make them whole. And it really is distasteful.

But this would be an easy layup for President Biden, for him to have the DOJ step in. The DOJ is there for exactly this. When you cannot fairly get justice from your local government, whether that be city, county, or state, that is when the DOJ is supposed to step in and sort of be a referee and also an enforcer of justice when you're not able to get justice. So I'm hoping the Biden administration is taking a look at this. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

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

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

I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

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

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling, the limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.

Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at TaylorPaperSealing.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Glad the attorney is going to appeal, but the DOJ really needs to step in and make Oklahoma do what is right. Yeah. And, you know, that seems like the logical next step. And as I said, we are going to have a guest on tomorrow, the attorney to talk about that. Hopefully we'll get into that specific and maybe there will be that follow up. Brittany, I want to turn the conversation to you because, you know, their legal argument in terms of of the plaintiffs, they said that this was a nuisance. This was the same argument that was made in the opioid cases.

And they won those cases. Billion dollars of money, billion dollars have been given to states across the country. But now we come to this, which certainly it was a nuisance that a whole town was burned down and people died, right?

A thousand homes burned. What is your takeaway on this Oklahoma decision and what it means for the future of how we regard this place in history? Yeah, you know, I absolutely agree with some of the other statements that were made, right? And I think to your point, a nuisance, this was more than a nuisance, right? We're talking about an estimated 1.5 million in damages during that period, which was around 20 million today. So these individuals deserve to be compensated. And I mean, it's the city of Tulsa. It's the Chamber of Commerce. It's the state of Oklahoma. They've really treated the people of Greenwood and North Tulsa, along with the descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, as second-class citizens,

really not worthy of respect, right, and the material that was taken away from them and that legacy. And it just amazes me how, you know, organizations like the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, for example, are able to provide monies to their survivors, but the state refuses to, right? And I think that's the really horrible aspect of it. But I do, you know, and I do want to draw us back to this point about what it means if we do, right, if they do decide to compensate. We know that the United States has, and I think it was mentioned a moment ago, the U.S. paid out $1.6 billion to more than 82,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were placed in the internment camps in World War II. So I would love for the DOJ to step in because we know it's high time for the government to really put the money where their mouth is in more ways than one. But, you know, if they continue to compensate us for the harm that they have done to us,

and this isn't just in Tulsa, because we know there's been massacres, and there's descendants of those individuals who have been victims of these massacres in New Orleans in 1866, in St. Bernard Parish in 1868, in Wilmington in 1989. We could go on. Springfield in 1929. That's right. We'll go in 1919. Don't even get me St. Bernard Parish in 1868, in Wilmington in 1989. We could go on, Springfield in 1869, we'll go in 1919. Don't even get me started. I think you're started. I think you're started. We can keep talking about just how many times, and just in general, right, in enslavement, right, it opens up, if they really start compensating us, continue to compensate us,

it's going to completely underpin the entire economic system because we are literally owed so much for the tragedies and things that we have been through as a people. Absolutely. Well, points made all over. And again, we're going to be talking about this tomorrow. This is Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We'll be right back.

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The Biden-Harris administration launches a $2.2 billion relief plan to address the historical discrimination against black farmers and other marginalized groups. Well, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for its discrimination financial assistance program through that program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. This program was created to give financial support to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who have experienced discrimination by the USDA in farm lending. Now, for decades, Black farmers have accused the USDA of denying them loans because they were Black

and that it prevented them from maintaining their farms. The Biden-Harris administration did create a $4 billion debt relief program, but while farmers filed a class, white farmers rather, filed a class action lawsuit and put a stop to it. Democrats in Congress then revised the requirements to remove race as an eligibility factor. However, the USDA emphasized that the program is still intended to support farmers who have been harmed by the agency. However, the USDA emphasized that the program is still intended to support farmers who have been harmed by the agency. Well, John Boyd is the president of the National Black Farmers Association, and he's here to explain what this historic move means for black farmers. John, thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you so much for having me. Yes, indeed. Now,

you know, this really is a long time coming. You have been a farmer for over four decades. And I want you to just catch people up who may not understand the battle that has been going on in terms of debt relief, as well as loans that have not been available to you. For someone who may not be on the same page as you, how would you explain the history of where you are to now? Well, you know, we've had a very egregious history against the United States Department of Agriculture and its farm lending program, farm subsidy program. All of its programs at USDA haven't treated black farmers fairly over the past, I would say, 40 years. I've been working on the issue.

Things really haven't improved much at the United States Department of Agriculture. And you mentioned the $4 billion in debt relief. We still didn't get it, and we're still in court. Ben Crump is leading the way on that charge to represent us in federal court, and I hope we will be victorious in that matter. The $2.2 billion, I've read some of the headlines out there that says it's just for black farmers. It's not just for black farmers. I wish it was. The whole $2.2 billion was for black farmers. It's for any person who's faced discrimination at USDA, Hispanics, Native American, Asian, veterans,

anyone who feels that they've been discriminated against could take part in this program, this fund. And there were three entities that were selected solely by USDA to do the outreach in this manner and process the claims. The National Black Farmers Association wasn't involved in that decision-making process. That's one of the things that have hurt us over the years in Capitol Hill, where these bills pass, and then they give the United States the Secretary of Agriculture full discretion on implementing them. And it hurt

groups like the National Black Farmers Association, who's trying to make things better for black farmers and other farmers of color. So we didn't pick those entities, and we're going to have to wait and see the final results and the final numbers to see who participated and who was found in favor of discrimination and who wasn't. So we're going to be holding the USDA's feet to the fire. And the three entities that was paid $100 million to process these claims and to do the outreach. So as you said, it's not just black farmers. So the application doesn't seem as, I guess, easy in terms of competition as people might be thinking and what's in the headlines. I went online. I looked at the application.

It seemed relatively short and to the point. What is your understanding about what will be taken into consideration in terms of the application that might allow a black farmer to gain access to money? Well, you know, many black farmers have already proven that they've been discriminated against, and many haven't had the opportunity to take part in either one of the black farmer settlements, the one in 1997 that was resolved in 1999, and the last settlement that we had for $1.25 billion under the Obama administration called the Claims Remedy Act of 2010. There was only 20,000 people who received compensation and 83,000 black farmers were

eligible to take part in that process. These are the numbers that are concerning to the National Black Farmers Association. And these are some of the things that I expressed to the Secretary of Agriculture to make sure that we are making every effort to make sure that every Black farmer and every farmer of color who's eligible to take part in this process is notified and understands the paperwork and make sure that they file those necessary documents on time within that 90-day window or so that USDA has given us that time period to get it in. Again, the National Black Farmers Association was not selected to be a cooperator with USDA to provide the contract. So we're going to be doing our own outreach on our own to our members and any other Black farmer or farmer of color who wants to take part in it. We're going to do what we do. And that's what the government has done to us historically. So here it is, this organization, the National

Black Farmers Association, that has laid the charge on this to raise these issues time and time again over the past 40 years. And then when it's time for the monies to be dispersed, the government finds other entities to fund and not fund the National Black Farmers Association. But I have a message for the secretary and those on Capitol Hill. All right. You know, God is still in charge. God is still in charge. He doesn't like ugly people. And I'm for the righteous. I'm for the right. And we're going to continue to do the right thing,

whether USDA participates at a dime or a million dollars. We don't care. We're going to get out here and do the work and notify every black farmer and every farmer of color about this sign-up period. John, you said God doesn't like ugly over the years. There have been so much ugly. I wanted to talk a little bit about, you know, in the early 1900s, there were about 14 percent of the farmers were black farmers. Now we're at about four or five percent.

When we talk about the history of black farmers and what happened in terms of not just they weren't able to get loans, but they weren't able to get equipment. People were not, you know, putting them in positions of bargaining power in order to be a part of the process. Besides the debt money, besides the loan money, what else do black farmers face in terms of just the trajectory of history? And are there things that we don't know about that you face today that we just couldn't imagine? Well, thank you for asking that important question. You know, as we speak, Ford, Ford, the motor company, is in Tennessee, western Tennessee, building a battery plant. And to this battery plant, they want to put in a new superhighway that runs primarily through black farm-owned land.

And now the state is taking that land by eminent domain and not compensating black farmers and landowners fairly for their property. This is another example of how we're being displaced. So if we're not getting the right compensation for our land people, that's what displacement is. And these things are quietly happening to us. We have farmers who are being terrorized in portions of the country that we've been fighting those battles. So time and time again, we have all of these issues that face black farmers from John Deere, who hasn't been treated as fairly and equitably over the years. We have Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, who hasn't issued one contract with the black farmer to grow a potato. These are real issues. McDonald's, we haven't been able to get a contract with McDonald's.

But many blacks go through that line every day and order a Happy Meal. These are things that black people should be understanding that these companies are just as guilty as the government by taking our land and not treating us with dignity and respect. The United States Department of Agriculture is at the core of the land loss issue for black farmers. We've lost millions of acres. At the turn of the century, we owned 20 million acres of land. Today, we're down to 4 million. At the turn of the century, there were 1 million Black farm families strong. One in 14 was a Black farmer. Today, we're less than 1 percent of the nation's farmers. And we're facing extinction. And we continue to give everybody a free pass to continue to mistreat us in this country. And I've been up here saying that we're sick of that. And I've been

taking a stand. And I got a mule. I named him Jesus. And I brought him to Washington, D.C. when I filed that lawsuit against the government for debt relief. And I'm going to take that meal all around the country during this election cycle and notify our people that we do have some choices and we have to make our voices heard that how badly we're being treated in our own country. Absolutely. We graduated from slavery to Jim Crow,

to sharecropping. And here we are, I'm talking to you in the year 2023, where we're just getting a discrimination fund approved, just getting it approved and having a sign-up period. Again, that we can't even have that name just for black people. We have to share it with everybody else. We're going backwards in this country. Yeah, affirmative action. We've lost affirmative action. And it's quietly hasn't been getting the attention on national media that it

deserves. Yeah. And I want to jump in because when we talk about affirmative action and the numbers, it really is all under the same umbrella. I want to bring our panel in. Renita, I want to start with you. I see you shaking your head vehemently there. When you think about what is going on with the black farmers, what do you make of the fact that a McDonald's would not be contracting with a black farmer? I mean, if you have a McDonald's contract, you're going to be all right. Well, white farmers have these contracts, and they've been have these contracts the whole time. I've been asking for contracts at PepsiCo, PepsiCo contracts with white potato growers and things of this nature. The other companies, John Deere services white farmers within an hour when they call about the equipment not operating properly. Black farmers, they tell us, we just get to you guys when we can. Right.

These are clear examples of what Ford is doing out in western Tennessee. 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. Add free at Lava for the War on Drugs podcast. We are back.

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

of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working

and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content,

subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Railroading and bullying Black farmers to take their land. John, I'm going to jump in. I'm going to jump in and have Renita jump in on this and get her take on it. I see she was shaking her head vehemently.

I know she wants to join in this conversation. Yes. Georgia with black farmers do face. And I've been shaking my head vehemently because I understand what he's talking about. And we've seen this in almost every industry when it comes to Black business owners, particularly speaking about the lack of contracts that are given to Black business owners. And so when you look at everything from state contracts to the type of contracts that Black farmers can receive, there's always these disparities of black folks not receiving the same. Additionally, what Mr. Boyd talked about and the fact that having to be seeing this

discrimination fund get knocked down and opened up to everybody really is problematic because we know that there are systems in this country that work to make it hard for black folks to be able to get ahead. And so whether you're talking about black farmers being able to get loans, or whether you're talking about black people being able to purchase homes, we know that there is disproportionate discrimination against black folks, but the government makes it very difficult to reserve any sort of resources. When you're talking about financial resources or restoration for a particular group, you have to almost prove that it is exclusively that group that was impacted. Even though we see that black people know what it is to try to own farms and try to

purchase a house, we know that we can see the statistics to see how often we are being denied over everybody else. And so my heart really goes out to the black farmers who are really fighting this good fight. I'm glad that the fund did not completely go away. But this just really also makes a case of why Black folks need reparations in this country, because it is, when you are trying to get anything from the federal government to make a community whole, you really have to essentially prove that one group was almost exclusively harmed over everyone else in order for it to stand up in court. Let's throw this to the good doctor. Do you have a question for John? I do. First of all, Mr. Boyd, it's really an honor to talk to you. I've been following your work for so long, you and listening to Joe Madison, and I just really appreciate it.

One of the things I heard you mention in a prior interview is that you feel like one of the challenges that you've had is the Secretary of agriculture himself, Bill Satt. And he's someone who you never hear talked about in the news. And when the part when you mentioned about your of who's going to decide where the funds are allocated, it kind of makes me feel like it's a dig at the work that you've been doing. Can you speak to that and his involvement in your efforts or against your efforts? Well, I've had some conversation with the secretary about this. And when they, USDA, I want everybody to understand, selected the three entities that will process all of the claims that come in. So you have that entity and you have two outreach entities that was funded $25 million apiece. And I was asking the secretary, why are we funding

these entities $25 million? And you have the National Black Farmers Association that's been around since the 80s and has over 100,000 members in 48 states. While we, the entity, doing the outreach and being compensated to do so, we have the trust of the farmers and we know where they are, and these farmers know me. That's how they hurt black leadership and black organizations. So when the money's come down, there's always a reason why you can't get it. But we still have to do the best that we can to make sure that our 120,000 black farmers and their families around the country get the right information, get it submitted on

time with the 90-day window and stamped and earmarked and all of those things before the deadline. They always get black people, no matter what kind of fund it is. They always get us on one, the deadline, and two, the paperwork. And I wanna make sure, I've had to turn up this thing a couple of times.

I wanna make sure that everybody who's eligible, everyone who's eligible, should be able to take part in this process, and I'm going to do my very, very best on that. Brittany, we have time for a quick question. Yeah, sure. I just wanted to say thank you so much, Mr. Boyd, for all of your work. Since we're getting ready to wrap up,

I'd really just like to know how we as the Black community can do more to support our Black farmers. Well, they can go to our website. We have a website, blackfarmers.org. They can make a financial contribution. And you heard me mention the regional meetings that I'm going to be having in the coming weeks to notify black farmers of their eligibility. We would like those persons to spread the word after they look on our website and see what locations we're going to be in, primarily around the southeastern corridor of the United States, and help us spread the word. Like I said, we didn't get funded, so

the community can support us. They can go right online and support us today at blackfarmers.org. All right. John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association. I want to thank you so much for being with us. I understand that those decisions on the application will be made by the end of the year. So I'm sure that we'll be having you back. Roland Martin and Filtered will be right back right here on the streets a horrific scene a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn minds there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what i call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result

of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this.

Here's all the Proud Boys guys. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is why I feel. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, we're going to be talking about common sense. We think that people have it, know how to use it, but it is something that people often have to learn. The truth is most of us are not born with it and we need to teach common sense, embrace it and give it to those who need it most, our kids. So I always tell teachers to listen out to what conversations the students are having

about what they're getting from social media, and then let's get ahead of it and have the appropriate conversations with them. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at 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, But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,

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

In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King,

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

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

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

Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I am Tommy Davidson. I play Oscar on Proud Family, louder and prouder. Right now I'm rolling with Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn-believable. You hear me? All right. Welcome back to Roland Martin. And we are being joined by Roland, actually. He's at the Jeff Osborne Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament.

Roland, how is it going down there? I'm not getting y'all back. Uh-oh. Roland? Hey, folks. Roland Martin here. there. I'm not getting y'all back. Uh-oh. Roland? Hey, folks. Roland Martin here. I am live in Rhode Island for the annual Jeffrey Osborne Celebrity Golf Classic. J.O. joins us.

What's up, man? Hey, man. It's you. Thank you for coming, Roland. You didn't miss one. No, no, no. If you tell me we're playing golf, I'm there. That ain't a problem for me. So, first of all, people keep asking me this. They're like, why the hell you going to Rhode Island? I'm like, that's where Jeffrey's from.

That's right. People say you from L.A. No, I was born and raised here in Rhode Island. Born and raised and left here when I was, what, 20 years old? Went out to L.A. with this group called LTD. Yeah, so. And all she wrote. And that was all she wrote. And that's what she 20 years old? Went out to L.A. with this group called LTD.

Yeah, so. And all she wrote. And that was all she wrote. But, again, you could have hosted this in L.A. You could have hosted it anywhere. Right. But why did you want to bring this golf tournament back to your home state? Well, you know, it's just beautiful to come back home and be able to contribute

and give something back to the community that I grew up in. I mean, anybody can do it in LA, you know. It's a little tougher here, because I got to fly people a long way to get here, but it means so much more. I always joke with Jeffrey, the black population of Rhode Island dramatically increases every year around this tournament.

All right, you're all right. Oh man, it was tough growing up. I had to play with most of the guys that were working their way through Berklee School of Music. There was no black musicians for me to play with when I was growing up. That was crazy. There's a few folk here, man, but it ain't that many here. No, no. It's less than when I was growing up.

Wow. Wow. It's a big Hispanic population here, so, it's less than when I was growing up. Wow. Yeah. Wow. It's a big Hispanic population here. So, you know, it is what it is. Now, a lot has changed because we used to have the annual softball tournament. Yeah. But then. That was fun. That was fun.

It was fun, but a whole bunch of them old geezers wouldn't pay attention. It's called stretching before you play. Oh, man. Oh, you remember all that. Oh. Johnny Gill, when he strained his butt muscle. James Worthy, when he blew his hamstring. That's right. Exactly.

It was something with the injuries, y'all. Jeff was like, yeah, we can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this.

We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this.

We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this.

We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this.

We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this.

We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. We can't do this. Hey stretching stretching out and then within it bowling we did bowling It's the first year second year. We did basketball tournament a magic game. We didn't want to Providence College Basketball thing and that was fun. And then we flipped over to softball. Okay. Okay. How they sold the stadium was the Pawtucket

Well used to be the Red Sox farm team they sold that stadium so they're no longer in there anymore. Oh, wow. That was always fun. That was fun. I got some great video. One of these, I hit a home run. You hit a home run? Oh, absolutely. Oh, no. I got the video.

Oh, you got it? Oh, I got the video. And I danced around all the bases. I remember that. I danced around the bases. We had Kareem on first base. He couldn't bend over to get him. Oh, my God.

I was like, why is his big ass on first base? That was hilarious. I was like, what? But then, of course, that wall's cracked. I remember y'all brought a basketball goal out. Maddie and Kareem had a free throw shooting contest. And they couldn't hit a damn thing. I'm like, they Hall of Famers?

And then Kareem did the sky hook. And he couldn't. They were thing. I'm like, they Hall of Famers? And then Kareem did the skyhook thing. And he couldn't. They were like, look, we retire. We retire. It was obvious they retire. Now, one of the highlights, and again, I got a lot of great stuff. One of the highlights is also the music battle that always happens. When the last time,

I think, when was the last time with Freddie Jackson? The whole back and forth with you and Eddie LaBert normally get into it. But the My Girl sing-off. Oh, that's wild. That was wild.

With Smokey. And then Chris Tucker got in. That boy can't sing. That boy can't sing. No, but he's funny. He is funny. Then Sid want to hop in too. Sid's always hopping.

It's always fun. Now, tell folks though about the charities that you support with the proceeds from the tournament. Well, we have like six charities we support. The big one is Boys and Girls Club. All of us came up with the Boys and Girls Club. So the Boys and Girls Club, the Amos House, they support people, take people off the streets, feed people every single day.

It's a great organization. St. Mary's Home for Children, another organization, they support abused children. So that's important for us. We have the Met Schools, an alternative high school where kids can go and learn a trade that they really want to move on to the next level. We have Buttonhole, which is a nine-hole, only nine-hole golf course in Rhode Island that kids can go and learn how to play golf. And they come to the public schools during recess and talk to the kids about golf and teach the kids how to play golf. So that's a real important one for us too. So we, in the Rhode Island, feel harmonious. We together try to put music back

into the public school systems. That's the first thing that they cut out, as long as, you know. So those are six genres. Well, that's all, that's crazy. Look, I played cornet in elementary school, bass, baritone, horn. Yeah.

I played cornet in elementary school, bass, baritone, horn in middle school and high school. Brother played trumpet. One sister played flute. One played clarinet. I got one sister, she ain't played nothing. She the black sheep of the family. I don't know what the hell she was thinking.

You're just laughing at y'all. We all do what a side eye like. Yo ass didn't play no instrument. Right. Be like, I don't know what's wrong with you. But one of the things, and I've long maintained this, that the reality of playing music, for me, was huge when it came to education.

Yeah. Because, again, exercising that creative side and also discipline. Right. You know, reading music. Right. And so, to me, it is a shame that we do not have the arts in a huge way in our schools.

Yeah, and it's a proven fact that it actually helps with education, having a music system in the schools. I remember back in the day, they used to give us instruments. Right. You didn't have to have your own instruments. There you go. That's why I went, yeah. Yeah, exactly.

So we're trying to bring that back, and hopefully we can help get some of these young kids back into really playing music instead of sampling everything. Absolutely, absolutely. Now, we talked, so y'all look forward to our rolling with rolling interview with a great conversation with jeffrey right you can actually go to actually do our season one you go to our black start network app you go to youtube channel you can actually watch it uh and one thing that we talked about was how during covet uh you you went you were doing we went took voice lessons and went back

to playing drums. I did. I ain't got nothing else to do. Because this is the first tournament since COVID. So, how crazy was that experience, again, you going back to the basics of music?

It was important. It was very important because, you know, you forget that over the years. I take things for granted. And I was working all the time, so I never really took time to sit down and do exercises. And I was like, wow, this is so important. It just opened me up. So,

it was great. We got back to my creative self. Things that you kind of, you know, just don't do anymore. And I actually got behind the drums. I said, that took me about six weeks, and then I dropped that one real quick. Wow, what happened? So that's how you started?

Oh, man, it's just, you know, you got to do it every day. You know, especially when you haven't done it in years. Right. It's a whole different muscle reaction playing drums. So, you know, I did it for a minute. I'm going to get back. You're like, yeah, I'm good. Yeah, I'm good.

You're like, I'm going to go back out to that microphone and ascend the stage. Like, that's your job back there. That's your job back there. Yeah, but, hey, but it was fun, definitely. Talk about some of the folks who are here and one of your longtime buddies over there in his pink or red seersucker suit, Smokey Robinson. Smokey Robinson is a miracle. You know what I mean? He really is. He's amazing. He's in incredible shape. He still sounds incredible. He's just one of the nicest people I've

met and gave me one of my first jobs when I went to L.A. struggling with LTD. I ended up playing drums with Smokey. Wow. So, you know, we've been close for so many years. Great friend. Played golf with him all the time. And he always supports me. He's always here every single time.

Yep. I love Smokey, man. Now, so that's interesting. So you played with Smokey, but wasn't your first major gig? Was it with the OJs? It was the OJs, right. 15 years old, played in a little nightclub here. 15? 15.

How'd your ass get in a nightclub? I used to have my local band, so I could play in a nightclub. I just couldn't hang out. You had to go through the back door, really. They're like, you can't come through the front door. That's how I got to big with them, I'm going to say come on see the old days I went up and the problem with the drugs. So I talked to any of the show said want to come up to the audition, you know,

but bring some older guys up one of you guys and I ended up getting a job. So that was the greatest experience and they want you to tour. They wanted to watch a. My mama said, not now. Not now. Not at 15. Not at 15. I was like, okay.

Hey, Smokey. We're going to bring Smokey over here. I need to see if Smokey got a good Jeffrey Osborne story. So, Smokey, we're live on my show. Slide over here. You're going to stay in the middle. You're going to stay in the middle. All right.

So, Jeffrey's just telling me that you gave the middle, you gonna stay in the middle. All right, so Jeff was just telling me you gave him an opportunity when he was broke as hell and he came to LA, said he had no money, he said Smokey had mercy and he hired me. Oh, man. He was a great drummer. Jeff is a great, Jeff can play a lot of instruments, man.

And the last time I saw him, we were talking about him playing, he plays the trumpet. And I told him he should do that in his act, man. He said he was in it. Oh, yeah. I was a trumpet man. Played the trumpet. A little trumpet.

Yeah, he said, yeah. I mean, it was about that big. No. No, he plays a lot of instruments, man. So yeah, he was my drummer. He was great, man. But did he ever get out of line and you had to like, hey, come out?

He never got out of line about anything. I don't even think he did. I didn't know. No, you didn't. I didn't know he could sing. You had no idea. Then they started LTD. You were like, Otis Redd, you carrying the bags.

The next thing you know, hey, come here. He and Henry. Henry was a bass player. And they started LTD, man. That's when I found out he could sing. You know? And he could really sing. I think that singing thing has worked out a little bit. I think so.

I think it worked out just a little bit. Yes, indeed. Speaking of that singing thing working out a little bit, folk been making fun of you because they posted a video of you in your red leather suit and your new album, Gasm. And I was like, why y'all hating? If you ain't 82? I said, if you 82? I said, hell, if you 82 and you can still groove, shut the hell up. I agree with you.

Well, wait. Did you say he can still groove? Yeah. He was working it. And he was like, look, I still got this. Well, I mean. Have you seen him on stage? No one has seen him.

Yeah. He kind of has a gasm up there. No, baby. Exactly. Jim was trying to sell the album. Thank you, baby. There you go. That's my brother.

Yes, indeed. But how does it feel, again, at this age, and to look out in that crowd and stand, and for both of you to still see that loyal fan base supporting real music, real singers, and no auto-tune? You know what, man? One of my joys when I'm doing concerts, I see people there who have kids in their laps.

Lap kids, you know? And the first time I ever saw them, they were in their parents' laps. You know what I mean? So that's... Generational. I love that. It is. I love that.

I mean, I love to see youth at my concert. That's the greatest thing to see. All races, all creeds, all colors, all everything. Right. All we get is people coming up and saying, my mama loves you. Yeah. How about my grandma? Right.

That's true. She's young. I don't mind that. So look, it happens a lot when I'm traveling. Somebody will say, well, I just didn't answer. They were like, hey, can I get a photo? Because my mama, my grandmama loved me. One of my guys, he was like, yo, man, you know, but they old.

I said, let me explain something to you. When the grandmama like you, they make the children watch. And then the mama make their kids watch. I said, so I ain't got a problem with the grandmama than the mamas. I said, because that's how they keep. Because the kids ain't got no choice. Like, shut up. We watching Roland.

Right. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. And so now the kids, they adults like, hell, we watching Roland too. And they're going to make their kids watch. So I'm perfectly fine with it. There you go.

I feel you. I feel you. That's a blessing. That's it on down, baby. Last question. How's your golf game? Well, I guess the interview just ended. Well, I guess you got that in. Yeah, I guess the interview just ended.

Oh, well. Just ended. Just ended. Well, look, we're excited to be here. Candace, thanks for filling in for me. We, of course, we were supposed to have a practice round today. Massive amount of rain came through.

We're going to be car-path only tomorrow. Watch. No, I think we're going to be good. Oh, really? I think it dried out pretty well. Good. Well, good. It's going to be a sunny day tomorrow. Thank goodness, because I remember the one year we got washed out, but we still went out and played. Oh, my God. We had like a 17-some.

That was crazy. It was crazy. And that was the last time Moses was with us. Right. Moses Malone. And so that was absolutely crazy. I got videos and photos. See, they always dogging me.

Someone's got my camera. Man, why you always shooting? Then I was like, say, can I get some of that? 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 the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

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

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.

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

quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working,

and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

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

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Video, because, you know, wasn't nobody else shooting. So I'm like, see what happens when you always shoot? That's how we do it.

That's right. But Jeffrey, I always appreciate being invited. It's always good to be here. Oh, you're kidding, man. For the folks who are watching and listening, if they want to support your foundation, tell them where to go where they can make a donation. Well, you can go to Jeffrey Osborne Foundation.

You can go to JeffreyOsborneFoundation.com. You can go to JeffreyOsborneClassic.com, and you can make a donation, without a doubt. And we welcome the donation because we're doing so many things with these great charities here. So, yay. All right, folks. So we're about to start the pairing party.

Looking forward to that. And I'll have some video for y'all tomorrow about us out there in the golf tournament. You know we will. And I fully expect in the VIP gift bag, each one of the golfers will likely have a signature Jeffrey Osborne sheer shirt. Oh, my God. Oh, you thought I knew. I wasn't getting sheer shirt. Oh, my God. Oh, you thought I knew.

I wasn't getting it. Oh, you thought I was going to get it. I knew it. I knew it. So just so y'all know, for a long time, like by 30, 35 years, every time I saw Jeff, I'm like, why his ass got a sheer shirt on? So when he turned 70, he retired to sheer shirts.

And he was like, so every year, he's like, man, I only wear it a few times. I was like, you in sheer shirts like Frankie Beverly in white. I wore sheer shirt maybe one time and you saw it. No, I'm joking. No, I'm joking. Every time you were on a Joyner Cruise, you had a black sheer shirt. I was only on a Joyner Cruise one time. And I've seen you five other places in a sheer shirt.

Because you keep looking at that video. Nuh-uh, no. So I'm sure he got sheer shirts for all of us. We ain't wearing them. You're right. I got them. I got them specially for you. Baby, always good to see you.

I appreciate it, man. Oh, my pleasure. Looking forward to it. I'm good to the working on it. Oh, ain't no problem. Ain't no problem. Look, I know how to raise you. I appreciate it, man. Oh, my pleasure. Looking forward to it. I'll put you to work tonight. Oh, ain't no problem. Ain't no problem. Look, I know how to raise money. I know.

I do. In the words of Frank Lucas from American Gangster, I'm going to get that money. Oh, yeah. I like that. I like that. All right, baby. Your wife is calling. You got to go.

All right. She calling. You got to go. All right, y'all. That's it for me. Again, look for some video tomorrow for the golf tournament. We were talking to some other people here as well, and so we look forward to that.

So it's always great to be here with Jeffrey Osborne and everyone here. We live. We live. So Jeffrey's talking about his video. We live. The governor of Rhode Island right now. Well, step on in here, Governor. How you doing?

I don't know. I'm rolling my eyes at you. Have you screened your question yet? I don't know. Trust me, I don't even know what they asked. Yeah. So, first of all, Governor, let me ask you this here. A native son here, and he's bringing his golf tournament here to the back hall.

Well, first of all, having a native son care about Rhode Island that has such a, you know, had such a great career is really good for Rhode Island. So in all seriousness, Jeffrey, thank you so much. And one of the things that I really, and I've shared this with Jeffrey, is that our roots go real deep in Boys and Girls Club. So when I hear that, you know, one of the sponsorships that you're providing is in that area. And then the other area we have roots on is in education. So we're starting a strategy in Rhode Island to add a million extra hours of learning time out of school. And we're engaging with municipalities all around the state to make that happen. So when you see a person like this, right, of his stature, willing to be in Rhode Island, invest in Rhode Island,

you know, there's not words that can express that appreciation on behalf of the people of the state of Rhode Island. So when Jeffrey starts singing, do you get up and dance in a little groove? Well, you know, I'm not really that good of a dancer. My wife Susan has put up with me. I'll find out tonight.

My wife Susan has put up with me for a long time. She's a good dancer. I'm not really there, so I enjoy the music. See, Governor, this is real simple. I don't think you would want to follow my lead. Governor, to grooving or dancing? Governor, keep it real simple. All you got to do is do this here.

That's it. I get that. That's not what I just did. No, you got to have like a little dip. You got to, you know, here, then here. You know, I've had friends that have tried to make it, get through those things for a long time. They've given up on me. I think you would too in about another 10 minutes.

So we'll leave it, we'll leave it right there, right now. Appreciate it. Thanks for coming out and supporting the foundation. Glad to be here. Yeah, and let everybody out there know, look, this is the classic here, the Jeffrey Osborne classic is something really worth investing in and contributing to. All right. Well, appreciate it. Thanks so much.

All right, folks. That is it. That was a surprise. That is it here. So glad that y'all could join us as well. So, again, we'll have stuff tomorrow. We start in the morning tomorrow. We start, I forgot the morning time we start. So I'll see you guys tomorrow right here

on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. And so Candace, back to you. All right, all right. Listen, I would say have a good time, but I don't think I have to do that. He's clearly having a good time. I want to see some of that video of the governor dancing. We'll look for that.

Jeffrey Osborne and Smokey Robinson and Roland. We'll be back after a break with more Roland Martin Unfiltered. Early days in the road, I learned, well, first of all, as a musician, I studied not only piano, but I was also drummer and percussion. I was all city percussion as well. So I was all city percussionist as well. So I was one of the best in the city on percussion. There you go. Also studied trumpet, cello, violin, and bass,

and any other instrument I could get my hand on. And with that study, I learned again what was for me. I learned what it meant to do what the instruments in the orchestra meant to each other in the relationships. So that prepared me to be a leader. It prepared me to lead orchestras and to conduct orchestras. It prepared me to know, to be a leader of men, they have to respect you and know that you know the music. You have to be the teacher of the music. You have to be the teacher of the music. You have to know the music better than anybody.

There you go. Right? So you can't walk in unprepared. For decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately targeted black communities and kids with marketing for menthol cigarettes. It's had a devastating impact on black health. Tobacco use claims 45,000 black lives every year. It's the number one cause of preventable death. In the 1950s, less than 10% of black smokers used menthol cigarettes.

Today, it's 85%. Banned menthol cigarettes save lives. Hi, I'm Jo Marie Payton, voice of Sugar Mama on Disney's Louder and Prouder Disney+. And I'm with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Well, the ongoing battle over the late Aretha Franklin's estate continues as her sons dispute two handwritten wills five years after her passing. Now, when we take a look at this, you're going to find that a Michigan court will decide which handwritten document will determine the distribution of her assets. Her four sons are divided, each supporting a different version of the will, of course. Ted White, the second, he believes the 2010 document should guide the estate's handwritten will, while Kekoff Franklin and Edward Franklin favored the 2014 will.

The documents discovered they were in Franklin's Detroit home months after her passing. Well, they contain conflicting instructions on the distribution of the assets, of course, and of course, the role of the executors, executors rather. And here's another twist. Despite the lack of a formal typewritten will, Michigan law allows any handwritten documents to be considered, adding complexity to this high stakes legal showdown. Well, we're now going to be talking about the importance of estate planning, of course, because according to Caring.com, one out of every three Americans is without a will. And they say that it's because they have nothing to leave behind, but they probably do. In the 2002 Wills in Estates Planning study, procrastination was the number one reason that Americans don't have a will,

with 40% saying they just haven't gotten around to it. Other reasons for people not having a will, not knowing what to include or how to get a will, or they think that estate planning is, the process is just too expensive, expensive, which sometimes it is. Well, to discuss the importance of all of this in estate planning is the president of the Association of Black Estate Planning Professionals Incorporated, Amy Griffith. She joins me here from D.C. also. Hello. Good to see you. Amy. Yes, indeed. I want to start, first of all, by saying that this whole thing with Aretha Franklin is really an eye opener for a lot of

people. We're talking five years later and there are people who are watching right now with their sons and daughters. They don't want to look at each other because they don't have a will. What advice do you have for them? Because things get tricky after people die. You know, I tell people just take that first step. Call a professional person. Have a conversation. Oftentimes people say it's too expensive. They don't really even know what it costs. But take the steps. I tell you what costs to not have it is so much greater. Yes. Now, when we talk about the first steps to getting a will, when we look at what's going on with Aretha Franklin, Michigan has specific laws,

but across the country, I guess the first advice maybe would be to look at the laws of the state to understand what's going on there. Because from what I understand, these were handwritten wills, even scribbles in the side of margins, all of that count in Michigan. So would your advice to be to someone, even if they didn't have an attorney, to at least, at the very least, type one copy of the will and have it signed and notarized? So I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to co-sign the do-it-yourself without getting advice, especially in Aretha Franklin's case, because she had a child who had special needs.

So sometimes it's a greater detriment. When we look at that's what she did, and although it's legal in Michigan, look at all that it cost folks. So it's like she saved money by doing it herself. How much did she really cost by having so many other people, so many other lawyers contribute? Right. We get they're getting paid much greater than if she had employed someone with the with the true authority and advice and guidance to do it correctly. Absolutely. So what would you advise someone to do if they say, but it's just too expensive? I'm just living check to check. I can't worry about a well. Where might be the first place that they go to get some assistance? So there are so many pro bonos. There are so many law schools that have

clinics. There are so many opportunities if indeed really, really, really you don't have the money because sometimes we just choose not to prioritize that expense. But if it's truly the case, there's often there are opportunities for a low or pro bono or low bono services. So you see them again. Many times the law school is all for that. Many times, you know, there are legal services for the elderly or there are just quite a few pro bono organizations that are there to serve the community. Yeah. So basically you got to get to Googling, right? Just look for that pro bono service in your area. Even if people, even if you don't think you have anything, you might want to know

where your watch is going, or maybe your child won't want to know where a watch is going. It may not be millions, but anything that you have, it is worth putting in writing. Because what we know is sometimes you don't know what you'll have at that time, right? So, but if you create that initial plan, I also think about those all those folks who have minor children. You should be planning who's going to be that guardian to step in to take care of that child. If something happens to you, we need to be thinking about not just what we have today, but what we could have tomorrow. When do we talk about an executor and putting things in a trust as we close? Because there are a lot of people who want to know exactly how that works to have someone who's watching over everything that goes on after somebody passes on.

Well, I think there are many times that we should be thinking about. Oftentimes, unfortunately, people think it's just for the mega rich. But I think of it many times when you have real property, that's something that you want to protect. We know that so many times there are people who are losing property because of the heir property, because there's so many heirs who receive it that's lost. But if we have real property, I encourage people to be thinking definitely about getting a trust. If you have minor children, I encourage people to get a trust because we want to make sure that the assets are distributed over time. One of the things that we often just think about is just sort of how do we pass it, but how do we grow it? So,

especially being in the Black community, if we're thoughtful about how do we enhance our estate for future generations, we have to do that by strategic planning. And there are so many opportunities that we can use and tools that we can employ if we create a trust and if we're thinking and if we have the conversation with that trusted professional, we can make it happen. All right. Well, we're going to talk more about estate planning with our panelists after the break. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, and we'll be right back. Up next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. She's known as the Angela Davis of hip hop. Monet Smith, better known as Medusa, the gangsta goddess, the undisputed queen of West Coast underground hip hop. Pop locking is really what indoctrinated me in hip hop.

I don't think I don't even think I realized it was hip hop at that time. Right. You know, it was a happening. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. 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 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

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

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me.

Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at tearthepaperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.

It was a moment of release. We're going to be getting into her career, knowing her whole story, and breaking down all the elements of hip-hop. This week on The Frequency, only on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach. The wealth gap has literally not changed in over 50 years, according to the Federal Reserve. On the next Get Wealthy, I'm excited to chat with Jim Castleberry, CEO of Known Holdings.

They have created a platform, an ecosystem, to bring resources to Blacks and people of color so they can scale their business. Even though we've had several examples of African-Americans and other people of color being able to be successful, we still aren't seeing the mass level of us being lifted up. That's right here on Get Wealthy,

only on Black Star Network. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it when you spread the word.

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We want to hit 2,000 people. $50 this month. Weigh it to $100,000. We're behind $100,000. So we want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, rates $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is $RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is R.M. Unfiltered. is roland at rolandsmartin.com. Hi, my name is Brady Ricks.

I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams. I'm from Dallas, Texas. Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. You hear me? All right, so before the break, we were talking about Aretha Franklin and the fact that her whole

estate is under scrutiny and in court right now because she did not have a will that her four sons could decide upon. One of the wills was found in her cushion of her couch. Her state is worth about 80 to 100 million dollars. So with that in mind, we're talking about wills. We have an expert and

I'm going to turn to the panel now. I know that we probably all have our stories of someone who passed away and there was a will in question, whether you have 80 million dollars or 800 dollars. There might be some infighting if there is no will. I want to start with you, Brittany. What is a question that you have for our expert tonight? Yeah. So I would love for you to just speak to the four foundational documents of estate planning, because I think sometimes folks get up in just the term will, but they don't recognize the fact that there's other important pieces of paper that need to be drawn up as someone potentially ages or gets sick. Actually, I would suggest that it's

not even just when you get sick or when you get on your age, because I said 18 is when you become an adult. 18 is when you should have the foundational documents that include the power of attorney, which gives somebody capacity to act on your behalf for financial matters, and that's as broad or as limited as you choose it to be, the health care powers of attorney and proxy, as well as that last will and testament. Those are the three things that you should have at 18, let alone not just when you become a senior. Dr. Dabinga, I want to turn to you. Question. One of the questions I had, and I really

appreciate this, the talk that you're giving tonight and this information because we really need it. What are your thoughts about online WELLS templates, things like LegalZoom and the like? Do you recommend those for people who might be tech savvy somewhat as a way to get started? So again, I would suggest that's great for an 18-year-old who doesn't really have a whole lot of assets or people who wouldn't be negatively impacted. But I think for those people, like for example, Aretha Franklin, and so legally what she did was correct, but she didn't get any advice. And so for those people where advice matters, even Chadwick Boseman didn't have a comprehensive plan. We look at, you know, Prince.

So those folks, there's far more greater questions that should be asked. And you don't know the questions to ask or the questions that should move you forward. What's going to protect taxes? What's going to mitigate taxes? How do you plan for somebody with special needs? You don't know those questions to ask independently. And if the computer doesn't pose it, you don't know to present it. Renita.

So just to further lay out the case of what you're saying about needing to involve a professional to help you with your estate planning, using the Aretha Franklin case, can you tell us, because, you know, Michigan's not the only state that allows a handwritten will to be considered in court. So what is the reason that they wouldn't just, in this case, they're not just going with the most recently dated handwritten will? Like talk to us about some of the problems that can come up with doing that. So some of the times, you know, people find reasons to contest a will because if they think that the person isn't of sound mind, or if there was undue influence, those are two of the reasons that people typically contest a will, right? And so, but one of the things that we think about is we don't know what the position was, who was for, or who drafted it. And so one of the things that

typically, because it's handwritten, it looks like you can judge somebody's handwriting and say, who is it? But did it really have undue influence? We don't know that. So I would say the sooner the better, too, right, Amy, in terms of having someone do a will who's a parent or not at 40 or 50, as opposed to 70 or 80, because then that opens the door for contesting because people may not be of sound mind or have more of the opportunity to be under an undue influence. So the sooner the better, I think, is a good lesson here. Well, I think the sooner better because we don't know when it's too late. Right. Because if we don't know, you know, tomorrow's not promised, especially being

black in America, tomorrow is definitely not promised. And so, you know, I've had people who were in their 30s all of a sudden be falling into sort of significant catastrophic illness because it's not just planning for death, but it's also planning for incapacity. So we're able to be able to make sure that we have the right people in place to identify who's going to care for us when we can't care for ourselves. So we have about 20 seconds left,

and I want to get this last question in. This is a case of Aretha Franklin that has gone to court today. What do you think is going to be the outcome of this? You're the expert. You know, you've got two wills. You've read the facts. What is your feeling one way or the other? So the greater probability is that the most recent, as long as it cannot be determined as invalid. But the problem is, again, what we should be trying to do is avoid probate in general. And so I know we didn't get a chance to talk about what a trust is in great length, but the trust avoids probate while the will directs probate. And

that's one of those things that costs, that costs the family, that costs in so many different ways. So I encourage people to again, have that advisor so that you know that again, the goal isn't to get through probate, but to avoid it. Absolutely. And you know know what happens is that once you have a will that's not in place, not only do you waste time, but you are wasting money in order to try to get the will to kind of make sense, and you're fighting for that. So many reasons to have a will. I want to thank you so much for being with us today, and good to see you. More of Roland Martin Unfiltered when we come back after a break.

Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr. Succession. We're hearing that word pop up a lot these days as our country continues to fracture and divide. But did you know that that idea, essentially a breaking up of the USA, has been part of the public debate since long before and long after the Civil War, right up to today.

On our next show, you'll meet Richard Crichton, the author of this book, who says breaking up this great experiment called America might not be such a bad thing. That's on the next Black Table, right here on the Black Star Network. I'm Faraiq Muhammad, live from L.A., and this is The Culture.

The Culture is a two-way conversation. You and me, we talk about the stories, politics, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So join our community every day at 3 p.m. Eastern and let your voice be heard. Hey, we're all in this together.

So let's talk about it and see what kind of trouble we can get into. It's the culture. Weekdays at 3, only on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. White people not replace us. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting.

I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys, guys.

This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white beat. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, we're going to be talking about common sense. We think that people have it, know how to use it, but it is something that people often have to learn. The truth is most of us are not born with it and we need to teach common sense, embrace it, and give it to those who need it most, our kids. So I always

tell teachers to listen out to what conversations the students are having about what they're getting from social media and then let's get ahead of it and have the appropriate conversations with them on a next A Balanced Life with me Dr. Jackie here at Black Star Network. Early days in the road I learned well first of all as musician, I studied not only piano, but I was also drummer and percussion. I was all city percussion as well. So I was one of the best in the city on percussion. There you go. Also studied trumpet, cello, violin, and bass,

and any other instrument I could get my hand on. And with that study, I learned again what was for me. I learned what it meant to do what the instruments in the orchestra meant to each other in the relationships. So that prepared me to be a leader. That prepared me to lead orchestras and to conduct orchestras. That prepared me to know, to be a leader of men, they have to respect you and know that you know the music.

You have to be the teacher of the music. You have to know the music better than anybody. There you go. Right, so you can't walk in unprepared. My name is Lena Charles, and I'm from Opelousas, Louisiana. Yes, that is Zydeco capital of the world. My name is Margaret Chappelle. I'm from Dallas, Texas, representing the Urban Trivia Game.

It's me, Sherri Shepherd, and you know what you're watching. Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Delasia Burton has been missing from Birmingham, Alabama since June 2nd, 2023. The 16-year-old is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 210 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Delasia Burton is urged to call the Birmingham, Alabama Police Department at 205-328-9311. Saturday, hundreds gathered on Howard University's campus to bid farewell to one of their own, Dr. Bill Spriggs. Dr. Spriggs was a friend of this show. Here's some of Saturday's memorial service.

His transition, I think, probably has us all thinking about eternity. The ancient Egyptians had a couple of words for eternity, nehehe, and jet, but ultimately they mean, in a sense, being everywhere. We're all in time and space as far as our limited perception of it but we exist everywhere at once and Bill Spriggs was everywhere as he walked on top of the earth and during COVID as all of my colleagues Terry Adams sitting there Jules Harrell so many others would tell you he was always on social media but then in COVID he was always in a square box somewhere sometimes five or ten times a day, and he literally went everywhere

during that period. So, a lot more people found out what I got to find out in person, like many of us. This is the guy we should be listening to. He clowned me for missing this year's recognition ceremony. He said, I'll see you next time, but in many ways I didn't miss it. I didn't miss it at all, because Bill Spriggs is now no longer on top of the earth. He's everywhere. It was just four months ago that Bill Spriggs sat right across from me when we had our State of the Union coverage.

We had a number of people who were in the studio talking about the State of the Union Address. And it was electrifying because we had so many different people with different perspectives. And Bill was one of those voices. When Dr. Greg Carr reached out to me to tell me that Bill had passed away, I was shocked and stunned. The first thing that came to mind was, who am I now going to call when I want to talk about economics? It reminded me, when I got the phone call about the passing of Dr. Ron Walters, I was giving a speech in San Antonio, and I got a text message that he had passed,

and that literally was the first thing that I thought as well. Thought about the family, thought about him, thought about prayers for the family. But man, also, who will we now call? I think back to, my goodness, Washington Watch on TV One, which was a Sunday morning show I hosted then. And we often had Doc on the show talking about economics, talking about the unemployment numbers. That show ran for four years on TV One.

Then, of course, when we had News One Now on TV One as well, and he was a frequent guest. And obviously when I started this show, this digital show, my network absolutely wanted him on. And I always appreciated every month when the jobs report would come out that Dr. Spriggs would be posting, he would be giving his thoughts and perspective because he centered blackness. That was the reason why, for me, I always wanted him on because in every way,

we center blackness. Having him on the Tom's Run a Morning show. So literally, every platform that I've had since 2009, TV One, Tom's Run a Morning Show, this one, I would call Doc. I would not be at Howard if it was not for Bill.

When I finished my PhD, I didn't get any job offers, so I had decided to stay at Duke and do a post-doc. But Bill called me late in April and asked me if I was interested to come teach at Howard. I told him I wasn't sure and that I had to talk to my wife. My wife told me that we weren't going to stay in Durham, so we moved to D.C. Bill supported my career greatly early on. My first major presentation that I gave was due to Bill sending me in his place. Bill encouraged me and believed greatly in my research on HBCUs. One of my first publications

was with Bill and Greg Price in the review of black political economy. Then Bill left Howard and went to the Department of Labor. The department took over students to talk to him, and he expressed such joy in his work that I was amazed. He more or less told me that he enjoyed his work so much that he never realized that it was the end of the day. 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 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott.

And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice

to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

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

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

I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. He left. He was excited to get back to work, improving people's lives by helping them. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 Up next on The Frequency with me, Dee Barnes. She's known as the Angela Davis of hip-hop.

Monet Smith, better known as Medusa the Gangsta Goddess, the undisputed queen of West Coast underground hip-hop. Pop-locking is really what indoctrinated me in hip-hop. I don't even think I realized it was hip hop at that time. It was a happening. It was a moment of release. We're going to be getting into her career, knowing her whole

story, and breaking down all the elements of hip hop. This week on The Frequency, only on the Blackstar Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach. The wealth gap has literally not changed in over 50 years, according to the Federal Reserve. On the next Get Wealthy, I'm excited to chat with Jim Castleberry, CEO of Known Holdings. They have created a platform, an ecosystem to bring resources to blacks and people of

color so they can scale their business. Even though we've had several examples of African Americans and other people of color being able to be successful, we still aren't seeing the mass level of us being lifted up. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. Hey, what's up? Keith Toney in a place where we got kicked out of your mama's university,

creator and executive producer of Fat Tuesdays, an air hip-hop comedy. But right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin, unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? Did you know that about 90% of all black women will be diagnosed with fibroids by the age of 50? Yes, 90%. 90%. Fibroids are usually benign, muscular tumors that grow in the uterus wall.

And there can be one single tumor or often there are many, many tumors. They can be small as an apple seed or as big as a grapefruit. Well, my next guest experience motivated her to ensure that young black women have the tools to advocate for their reproductive health. I am joined by Jovina K. Evans. She is an assistant professor at Howard University and founder of Advocating for My Uterus. She joins me here in the studio. So good to see you. Thank you. I appreciate the invitation. Oh, absolutely. You know, I think that your story is so interesting because you went down the road that so many black women go down in that you spoke to a doctor, you were in your 30s,

and he said, just have a hysterectomy how did you go and veer off from that advice to going ahead to getting advice that was good for you and ultimately I guess removing what was about 20 fibroids right yes how did that happen so I will tell you that it was my second surgery so I actually had two surgeries to remove the fibroids so one surgery was about 10 years prior was about 2011 and so that particular, he's the one that did that surgery. The surgery was actually minimally invasive. So it was only like a couple, maybe like three small cuts in the abdomen area. And so he removed some fibroids, but he told me that he kept some in because they

were too small and it would have caused more issues if he tried to remove them. So there's always a chance of fibroids growing back. And I knew that growing back as well as growing larger if you leave some in you. So in 2019, that was when it wasn't I didn't have like major issues in terms of like cramps. I never had cramps or anything like that. However, I did notice that I started feeling really fatigued and then I ended up realizing that my iron, my iron levels, my anemia was actually coming back.

And so with that, that was when I ended up going to a hematologist and he said, you know what, you are definitely anemic. And I dealt with it before when I had fibroids and he was like, okay, what's going on here? And I said, you know what, I think my fibroids may have grown back Wow so with that I went to the physician who did the surgery previously and so he did a 3d ultrasound in the office and so

he was like yeah you know they're they're growing you know they're larger what do you want to do and so I said well you know I don't have children and so I would like to preserve my uterus. And so at the time, he had a conversation with me about egg freezing. He did recommend that I go see a physician at University of Michigan in terms of egg freezing. And I did go see the physician. But it was, honestly, it wasn't a good rapport

with that particular physician. Right, and you need that, because you have to trust the doctor. Exactly. And I did not feel it with that particular doctor. So fast forward, I went back to him about a year later. And so he checked the fibroids again and he said, you know what, just get a hysterectomy. And he was very nonchalant with it. Now, mind you, this is someone not only that did my surgery, but we also worked together professionally.

He was a specialist that I actually worked with on different projects. And so with that, I left the office and I called my primary gynecologist, who was one of my sorority sisters. And I actually called her and I bust out crying. And she's like, what's wrong? You know, and I told her what was going on. And she's like, no, we're not there yet. There are options. Yeah, you're not there yet. And, you know, that's one of the reasons, I'm sure, why you started your organization. What are some of the things that you continue to find women are going through today in 2023? Because there is a lot of awareness about it. There are a lot of options in terms of an ablation or things of that nature, radiation. There's so many things.

But are there still people who are getting caught up in getting the wrong advice and you find that they come to you? Absolutely. So I will say this, they don't necessarily come to me, but I will say that I do get some questions as well as other friends. So like usually they're online trying to find information. The issue is, the primary issue is that a lot of people, they don't really have that trust in their actual physician.

There's a mistrust with the healthcare system as a whole. So then you go to the doctor and if their first inclination is get a hysterectomy or have a procedure that is very invasive, that's not the route that you want to take. At least you want to make sure that you actually trust the physician, that you actually have some options and that you know what your options are. You know, even in the research and the literature, it actually shows that black women, black African-American women are three times more likely to actually have a hysterectomy than white women. Even though, again, there are other options, primarily invasive options, uterine artery embolization, radiofrequency. And so

why is that? So then the question becomes, and it's one of my research focus areas, the question becomes, is it a health literacy issue? Is it that women are not aware of their options? Are the physicians telling them of all their options? Right. And there are many options. Ultimately, what happened to you? What did you get? Yeah. So eventually I ended up, I did some research. I found an actual physician who specialized in uterine fibroids. So she was actually, she moved from Northwestern University, University of Michigan. And I actually, I made an appointment with her. When I went into the appointment, she was like, you don't need a hysterectomy.

What? And so she was very shocked, you know, about the fact that the physician recommended a hysterectomy when it was not warranted. So it's important to note that you have to know the size of the fibroid, the location of the fibroid, the number of fibroids, and then all of that combined, you know, actually will help you make an informed decision with your physician. So eventually she did send me to an actual surgeon. Fast forward, the pandemic hit. Oh boy. Yes. And then after that, I moved from Michigan to the DMV. So I went to a physician here and she actually did an open myomectomy to remove the fibroids.

And what with the open is that it's a large cut. It's a very large cut. She said, you know what? You are prone to fibroids. So I just want to take them all. And so eventually, she actually went in, did the surgery, and when she went in, she removed over 20 fibroids. The interesting thing is that the ultrasounds never showed.

Didn't show up. Yeah, that there were over 20 fibroids. Wow, wow. Alright, we're going to talk more about your journey and your fibroids. We're going to get some questions from the panel when we come back. More with Roland Martin on Filtered after the break. Black Star Network News. Oh, no punch. A real revolution right now.

Thank you for being the voice of black America. All the momentum we have have now we have to keep this going the video looks phenomenal see this difference between black star network and black owned media and something like cnn you can't be black owned media and be scared it's time to be smart bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial.

This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherri Shepard Talk Show.

You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, we are back with Roland Martin Unfiltered, and I'm talking with the founder of Advocating for My Uterus right here in the studio. Thank you again for being with us. I wanted to know what you might advise someone who might have a friend who you see physically is avoiding the symptoms. There are some women who do look like they are with child. There are some women who have the pains. I've heard some women, they want to deal with it naturally. How would you respond to all of those things? So I would say here's the pains. I've heard some women, they want to deal with it naturally. How would you

respond to all of those things? So I would say, here's the thing. Number one is all of our symptoms are completely different. Two, when you think about one of the main symptoms is usually like heavy menses or a heavy cycle. A lot of times we don't talk about that in our family. So I think about with my family, we didn't necessarily talk about how's your cycle? How many pads are you going through? How many tampons are you going through? So number one is to be aware of our own body as it pertains to your cycle, the cramps. I would even consider keeping some form of a diary, keeping track of the symptoms that you actually have, and then making sure that you do go to a doctor. I completely understand that it, you know, again, that there is mistrust. I completely understand that it, you know, again, that there is mistrust. I

completely understand how someone could be scared, but avoiding is never the answer. Because here's the thing. If the longer you wait, the potential your fibroids are growing larger and larger, and then you limit the options that you have. Because if it gets too large, the only option that you will have may actually be a hysterectomy. As you said, the fibroids tend to come back. They can actually typically grow within, what, six months? I mean, within months, right? So I do know. Potentially. Yes, yes, potentially. Mine actually took actually closer to like 10 years to get to the point, you know, where they were at. Right. But I will say that lifestyle changes actually helped. All right. Let's talk about those lifestyle changes, though though right now before I go to the panel. What would you say are some lifestyle changes that would help someone deal with their fibroids? So I would say number one, I'm going to be very honest.

A lot of people are not going to like this. Okay. Cut out what? I became a vegetarian. Ah, okay. I became a vegetarian. There is some research that shows the link between red meat or beef and actual fibroids. So I did become a vegetarian. Now is some research that shows the link between red meat or beef and actual fibroids. So I did become a vegetarian. Now, this was this was not because of the fibroids, but it did actually help a lot. Right. Still, in terms of eliminating the stress, walking, doing whatever you have to do as it pertains to protecting your peace and eliminating stress. Also, in terms of exercise as a whole and, you know, eating more fruits, vegetables, fruits of exercise as a whole, and, you know, eating more fruits and vegetables as a whole. Right, right. And you listen, there's some vegan ribs out there, you know, you can find replacements. 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-illion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

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

MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early.

Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispreetirement.org, brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. You just have to kind of stick to your gun and have an open mind about it. Let's go to the panel now. Renita, what is your question for our guest today?

Yes, well, thank you so much for being here today. I'm glad you're uplifting what is a very important issue. And by that, I mean doctors quickly moving to the hysterectomy for folks when they do have fibroids and not really take into account what people's goals are around, you know, if they still want to have kids, if they haven't even had kids yet, things like that. But I guess my question would be, if someone decides that they do not want to have a hysterectomy because maybe they are not sure that they are done having kids, or maybe they

haven't even had the opportunity to have kids and they know that they want to, what does the track look like for continuously dealing with fibroids if kids and they know that they want to, what does the track look like for continuously dealing with fibroids if you are a person that is prone to getting them? So I will tell you this, in terms of myself, I actually, again, I opted for the myomectomy, which is the removal of the fibroids. The only way to completely get rid of fibroids,

like completely where they're just not gonna grow back, is actually a hysterectomy. So I even, even now after having two surgeries, there's the possibility that I may end up needing a third surgery in the future, but I was willing to take that risk. And I am willing to take that risk because I just want my uterus, you know, right now I'm not in a space where it's warranted, where that was the only option. And so I want to protect my reproductive organs as much as possible. So for me, and I would share with other individuals, is that again, if you want to preserve your uterus, the best option is going to be an actual myomectomy, especially depending on the symptoms that you have.

All right, Dr. Dabingo, what is your question? I have, as you talked a lot about the medical industry, and we've seen so many stories with stories like what you're talking about today and black women and the black community in general to listen to us as we speak about our pain and other challenges, particularly as it relates to black women's health? Honestly, no. And the reason why I say no is because we still are dealing with a very, very high rate of maternal mortality. So we even saw a couple of weeks ago when the actual athlete actually died. So I would say no, that right now that there's still a lot of inequities as it pertains to black individuals, minorities as a whole. And that's where I feel like health policies, different policies are going to come

into play and they're needed. That's where I feel like more education and advocacy are actually important and needed. I do think some physicians are getting better, but there's still a lot of work that can be done. Brittany. Thank you so much. The work that you're doing is just so important. I guess my question is really, what would you say to individuals who don't want to get a second and third opinion. I know this is something we as black women experience. I've had something similar happen to me where a physician recommended I get a procedure that would have affected my ability to reproduce.

I got a second opinion and they said, that's really dated medicine. So I guess what would be your response to that if folks said it's too expensive? I would ask the question how expensive or what's the dollar amount or what cost can you actually put on your health, right, and your health and your uterus. And to me, it was invaluable.

So, therefore, I did get a second opinion. I did talk to my primary care. I talked to a specialist. And then when I moved to the DMV, I actually talked to actually two physicians before I even had the actual surgery. The issue is that a lot of people don't have access. And so that's where that was my issue when I actually had the surgery, is that when I woke up and the doctor was like, you still have your uterus, we were able to take out all the fibroids. You know, I was really happy.

But at the same time, there was a level of sadness that came on me because of my privilege, because of my education, because of my socioeconomic status, I was able to save my uterus. But what about those who don't have the type of insurance that I have? What about people who don't have the transportation that I have? What about the individuals who don't have access to pick up the phone and call their sorority sister that's a doctor and say, hey, I need some assistance? And so that's the thing, is that some people don't actually have the money to get the second and third opinion. So in terms of your process, what was that like?

And, you know, how expensive was it? Because people will want to know that. And I know it was COVID, so that presented a lot of problems. But kind of outside of that, what was the time involved and how long were you down after the surgery? So the surgery, I actually had the surgery in September 2021 and the doctor actually told me, she said, you're an anomaly. So I actually

have a picture. I took a selfie when I was in the hospital and I was literally sitting in the hospital bed and it was probably three hours after surgery, no pain or nothing. Really? Yeah, you are an anomaly. Wait, that cannot be the takeaway from this, that there's no pain. That is not the takeaway. That is not the takeaway. That was my story. And I do want to go

back to the importance of diet, nutrition, and lifestyle before the surgery. Because I'm an avid walker. I tend to try to walk five miles a day. Again, I'm a vegetarian. I try to make sure that I'm intaking vitamins, water, all those different things that I'm supposed to. And so that actually helped with the recovery process as well. And so at any rate, so when I actually was discharged, now let me share this. The one issue is, so I do want to share this. The one issue is that the myomectomy, I actually lost a lot of blood, in which it was already noted. I already knew that that was going to happen. The doctor knew that it was going to happen as well.

So beforehand, I had to go through all these different procedures in case they needed to give me blood. Now, you mentioned myomectomy, and there are different levels of invasive and less invasive procedures. Where does myomectomy fall in that level of invasiveness scale? So myomectomy is not, it's right above a hysterectomy, but there are still two types of myomectomy. So there is like a less invasive one where they can go in with almost like a scope. Okay. So that one is considered less invasive. And then there's an open where they literally physically cut you open and then go in and take out the fibroids. So I actually had both of them. Wow. So yeah, I had both. Does obesity play into this and how much someone weighs? I have not read anything about that, but it very well

could. But I will say, I don't know. I have not read that in the, but it very well could. But I will say I don't know. I have not read that in the literature. Okay, so what type of conversation would you want somebody to have with their mother or siblings about fibroids and kind of entering into this discussion? And does it make a difference if your mom has had them? Is that something that's passed along? So I will tell you that genetics is definitely, definitely plays a part. So I am the youngest of five.

Four girls, one boy. And three of us, between three girls, we've had six surgeries. Wow. Wow. Yep, six surgeries between three of us. So when you think about three or four girls in a family, that's 75%.

And it really sort of equates to the actual literature that says about between 80, 90% of black women will end up being impacted by fibroids. Your organization specifically, what do you do? What's your mission? Essentially to ensure that we are educating women and those who love them to actually ensure that they are equipped with the education needed

so that they can make an informed decision. So again, everyone's walk is not going to be the same. Everyone's process is not going to be the same with fibroids, but we at least want them to have as much information as possible so that they can make the best decision for them and their family. And in terms of expense, I do want to make sure that people understand what's involved. And are there other options for people? What would you say someone who doesn't have insurance and is fearful just of that whole financial burden that's associated with it? So I will say that I did not have a financial burden

in terms of from the surgery, the doctor's appointments, the pre- and post-op appointments, I didn't have an actual because of the insurance that I did have. Now, I'm going to go outside of what you asked just a little bit. The expense came in because I did end up going through egg preservation. So I did have my eggs frozen during the process and that was a massive expense. And that's a whole nother thing that we can talk about is that when you're talking about fibroids and potentially women who have to have a hysterectomy, their chances of having a biological child are eliminated.

Right, yes. Right, and so there are not a lot of black women who even know about egg freezing or, right, who are educated about it, know about it, or that have the resources to do it. Absolutely. And so that's where the financial piece came in at. And so the lessons learned,

what would you say are your major takeaways from your whole experience? I would say ensuring that you advocate for yourself, even when you don't want to get that first opinion, the second opinion, the third opinion, if you have to, because you have to be comfortable with the physician that you're actually going to essentially have potentially cut you open. You want to ensure that you're comfortable with them. Ask questions. Read and read. We don't want fake news. We want to make sure that you're reading from reputable sources. Go to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins. Ensure that you're reading and that you're equipping yourself and that you're asking questions to the physician.

Make sure that you're actually even having the appropriate diagnostic testing. Make sure you're getting an even having the appropriate diagnostic testing. Make sure you're getting an ultrasound, MRIs, you know, everything so that they can determine the size, the location, the severity of your particular case as well. And beyond all of that, talk to your family. I feel like as a whole, again, not all, but as a whole, a lot of times in black communities and black families, we don't talk about talking about our cycle. It's sort of like a taboo.

We don't necessarily talk about, you know, our cycle or cramps or anything like that. But we need to know our family history. It's imperative that we know our family history. Absolutely. Well, I want to thank you so much for being with us today. Very, very informative, especially during this month that recognizes fibroids. Your website before we go, if you could just say that. Absolutely. It is www.advocating if you could just say that. Absolutely.

It is www.advocatingformyuterus.com. All right. Very good to see you and meet you. Thank you. All right. That is going to do it for us tonight. I want to thank my panelists, Dr. Omikongo Dbinga. I'm going to get it.

Renita Shannon and Brittany Lee Lewis. And I definitely want to thank Roland for allowing me to sit in for him tonight. I'll be back tomorrow while Roland is out be sure to download the black star network app until tomorrow. I'm real revolutionary right now. Black power. Support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roller. I love y'all.

All momentum we have now, we have to keep this going. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Pull up a chair.

Take your seat. The Black Tape. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world is consistently on your shoulders? Let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy.

Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for a balanced life with Dr. Jackie. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives. And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. I'm Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, and my new show, Get Wealthy, focuses on the things that your financial advisor and bank isn't telling you, but you absolutely need to know. So watch Get Wealthy on the Blackstar Network. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer I get right back there and it's bad.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. Hazer Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes.

We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Here's the deal.

We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position. Pre-game to greater things.

Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.