#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Roland at Essence Fest 2022; Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in; KS Man sentence for hate crime

Episode Date: July 1, 2022

6.30.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Roland at Essence Fest 2022; Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as Supreme Court Justice; KS Man sentence for hate crime  We are continuing our coverage of the 2022 Essence Fest, live from New Orleans. Today, the festivities jumped off with an opening reception, we'll show you some of what took place at that event.  It's official, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is now sworn-in as the first black woman to ever serve in the nation's highest court, we'll show you the moment history was made. Speaking of the Supreme Court, Today, the court revealed its decision on a case that could cripple climate change reform efforts across the nation. But what does this mean for states, we will speak with Marc Morial, of the Greater Urban League to discuss what the ruling means the state of Louisiana. #BlackStarNetwork partners: General Motors,Verizon, Chevrolet Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.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. Thank you. I'm real revolutionary right now. 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 scape.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Today is Thursday, June 3rd, 2022. Coming up, I'm Roland Martin Onapilter broadcasting live here in New Orleans on the Black Star Network. For the first time, a black woman is officially a member of the Supreme Court. Today, Judge Tawny Brown Jackson was sworn in at noon today. We'll show you what took place and talk about again what that means as the Supreme Court's rulings play a huge role in upending our society. She walks into a very conservative Supreme Court in a crucial time

in American history. Speaking of the Supreme Court, they came down with the ruling on the issue of climate change, limiting federal authority and restoring a lot of that power back to the states. Mark Morial, CEO of the National Urban League, will join us. So many things are on the agenda. Speaking of the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade, that decision. Also, voting rights decisions as well. A new case that they're going to be taking up next year that will actually expand Republican legislatures when it comes to controlling outcomes of elections. This is based upon a crazy, narrow, weird legal theory.

Trust me, folks. When we talk about that, you're going to understand, again, how dangerous these times are when it comes to the Supreme Court. Also on today's show, we'll be joined by Ben Crump and some plaintiffs, black women who have filed lawsuits against Google alleging systemic racism and discrimination. And on today's show,

we'll have the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Essence Festival. We'll show you what took place and also go through and explain all the events that are happening here in the Crescent City. Folks, it is time to bring the funk. I'm Roland Martin on a filter on the Black Star Network.

Let's go. Let's go. 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, the best you know.

He's Roland Martin now. Martin! Hi, Katonji Brown. Do you solemnly swear that I will administer justice without respect to persons and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Under the Constitution. Under the Constitution. And laws of the United States. And laws of the United States. So help me God. So help me God. And now on behalf of all the members of the Court, I am pleased to welcome Justice Jackson to the Court and to our common calling. And with that, Judge Katonji Brown Jackson becomes the 116th Supreme Court Justice in

the United States history, the first African American woman to ascend to that position. She's, of course, 51 years old. That took place today at noon. Justice Stephen Breyer, who administered the oath, he announced yesterday that he was retired. First of all, he announced long ago that he was retiring at the end of this term, but he sent notice to President Joe Biden yesterday that he would be retiring after the final Supreme Court decision came out today,

and that certainly was the case. And then, of course course that ceremony took place and so uh the scotus of course they are done for the summer they will then reconvene in october she goes on the court at a perilous time where uh where liberal justices frankly are in the minority in a significant way conservatives holdatives hold a 6-3 majority on this court, even when Justice John Roberts, who is a conservative, even when he rules with the liberal justices, the reality is it's still 5-4.

And so her ascendance to the court comes at a crucial time, and where this battle is going on also for the integrity of the Supreme Court. Joining us right now is Melanie Campbell, convener of the Black Women's Roundtable National Coalition, Black Civic Participation. CEO, Melanie, glad to have you here. So, again, we were there when she was confirmed. And it was it was it was quite interesting because there were there were so many people there. But there were so many black women. There were older black women who were extremely emotional when she walked out with President Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris.

So just just talk about, again, what what seeing that being a part of seeing this history, what it means. I tell you, Roland, you know, we do down here in this stormy weather. Right. And in the midst of the stormy weather, you see a rainbow. And it felt like that today watching her. It's like we're going through so much and we're under such attack. Knowing that, yes, she's not going to be necessarily able to win the cases we want to see us win right now. But it was like a rainbow, that it's going to be all right. That's how I felt today. But I got a text from one of my nieces and folks are just texting and screaming just like we had just found out.

Like it was just like the emotion in the midst of knowing we're still in a fight. And so that was my initial response. It's just like, yeah, it's stormy, but here's a rainbow. And when she walked out there and saw her put her hand on that Bible, it was just, it was a great moment that I, that I remember for the rest of my life. You know, one of the things that, uh, that I've sort of said, and it is that when we've had these historic moments, uh, obviously president Barack Obama, uh, but then when Vice President Kamala Harris, when they actually became the vice president, I sort of looked at the reaction from different people. And it's not the same as when we think about other historic, historic first.

So and I think I'll dare say this, that this generation, and not meaning, okay, just millennials or Gen Z, I'm saying that folk today, I believe, are not as fully appreciative of what we are witnessing when we're talking about walls come tumbling down, this actually happening. When I look at the fact that eight black women have been appointed to the appeals court in the history of the United States, and 11 have been appointed by President Biden since he got in. And I hear people say, okay, fine, that's no big deal. And I'm going, no, that's a huge deal. And so I think there are times when this generation, I believe, should be far more appreciative of these historic firsts that we're actually witnessing. And I would say, in part, I do agree with you. And also, I think that there are those

who do. I think part of it for this generation, younger generation, is that they came up under seeing the first black president. But also things are very different in just how they want to see things happen more quickly in a different kind of way. But the response I got came from a lot of young women today. Right. They text me and whatever. But I i think as a whole there's also a civics lesson we have to do that's also being able to know that um how powerful it is to be able to have our folks who have lived experience who know where they came from to be on thomas uh clarence thomas reminds of where somebody who has forgotten where they came from, and now he's on steroids with it right now, but to be able to say that we want to have justice,

young people out here fighting for Black Lives Matter and all this, if you don't have the ability, the court system, the judicial system, is just as important as who's sitting at the White House, and sometimes even more important because these decisions. So I think it's a civics lesson and being able to understand and I said it to young people we've been talking for the last few days behind we have a Roe v Wade and in the response that maybe people in my generation go okay we get that we've got to do something with who who's going to be in the Congress and

they said well by not doing enough yeah but he can't do it if he didn't have the votes so part of it is just being able to understand and owning the power, but knowing that, yes, some things we've got to fight hard, but you've got to know how this works. And it's three levels of government. And so if one's not doing what you want to see happen, you've got to or influencing. There are three co-equal branches. And I think that that's the piece that I think a lot of people, you know, they don't quite accept that the presidency is one thing. Congress is another. But the courts are another.

They are co-equal branches. One actually isn't over the other. The other thing is that a lot of these issues that have been decided by the Supreme Court in terms of these rulings, Congress can actually pass laws where it now is codified. So, I mean, the reality is the Voting Rights Act doesn't have to be renewed every 25 years. They can actually create a whole new and make that just the law. And it's permanent. And so same thing with Roe v. Wade. When you talk about these environmental decisions, what that now means is,

it's now you begin, now, as I keep saying, now let's look at how we talk about power. Now let's look at how we talk about who's in control. Now it's a question of saying, okay, and again, we've already seen it, but President Biden today came out in Madrid, Spain, saying that he supports ending the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade, dealing with voting rights and some other issues.

Well, first of all, Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are made perfectly clear, we're not going to do that, which now means that if you're watching or listening, that's why it's critically important to win the seat in Wisconsin, to win the seat in Pennsylvania, to win the seat in North Carolina, to try to win the seat in Florida, to try to win the seat in Georgia, to hold look, it's 50-50. These two are saying no. If we get 53 or 55, we now negate those two, you can actually get it done. And then being able to really young people are going to have to get their peers, you know, to those who understand the system to educate. That's what we've been talking about with our Black You Vote program. Young people are going to have to convince young people to say, look, here's where it's happening.

The president's not on the ballot. You may be upset with him. You may be upset with him. But who's on the ballot? And who can do something about what just happened last week? Who can do something? Now, EPA, what happened today? What?

Now we're talking about, okay, now, okay, we're going to be out here and we already died. We in Louisiana, cancer alley is up the street, right? And so when you are worried about the environment, the Supreme Court just took, gutted the powers of the EPA. So that's one of those issues. So the Congress is what's up and we got to really bring that home because I'm hearing, and I am concerned because I hear this frustration and I get it. I'm frustrated too, but I also understand power. And so if you own your power, then you say, okay, this is not working over here.

How do we exert our power over here so we can move the ball and get to the things that you're concerned about? So that's where I am. I'm really, really concerned. And this summer, we've got to really be engaging our young people to say, own your power. You have the numbers to shift this thing. I had a young sister who tweeted me.

This could be earlier this week or could have been last week. And she was making that point. And I told her, she said, oh, we turned out in in 2020 and we're tired of these baby boomers, these octogenarians running. I said, actually, you didn't vote your numbers. I said, no, your numbers were up. Yeah, I said, but you didn't vote your numbers. I said, you vote your numbers. You can actually determine the election. Because, in fact, I was in fact, Gary, excuse me, Gary Chambers, Jr. sent out a tweet earlier where he said that in Louisiana, he said that the turnout. It was a very it was very interesting, which was this one issue that I was talking about with my guest on yesterday, where he said that the turnout in New Orleans, the black turnout in New Orleans in 2018, the midterm election in 2018, was 28%.

Then I think he said in Monroe or Shreveport or Baton Rouge, one of those, it was 32 and 36%. one of those it was 32 and 36 percent and I said folks you get that number from 28 to 50 you control to 32 36 to 50 55 60 I said you get what you want and you can elect who you want right if that's a peer you want to run yourself If that's a peer, you want to run yourself. And that's what I think. One thing I will say, and I think millennials didn't get the credit that they did turn out in much better numbers in 2018 because they saw the threat. Right. And so you had women vote 54%, men almost close to 50%.

And I think one of the things that we've been looking at is, like, I think if we don't have numbers to that level, or even in some cases even higher, then we're going to look at that it won't matter because we won't have a government system that we can influence through our vote. I mean, it comes down to that. Again, you can be frustrated. You can be upset, you can be angry, you can be mad, but at the end of the day, when it comes to this issue of power, the dynamics are changed based upon who turns out. And if somebody else is turning out more than you are they win Yeah, and I think the Supreme Court

Because it was always a thing that people didn't really pay attention to the one thing that I'm cautiously optimistic more people understand the power of that of what happens with those nine people sitting on that bench and the fact that you have Clarence Thomas, who is signaling that, hey, I'm going after LGBTQ rights next. I'm going to go after, we want to control what happens in your bedroom.

It gets down to that. When people say privacy, no. They tell you what you can do, how you can have your relationships with whoever you decide to have your relationship. I mean, it gets down to you're all in your business. The question becomes, what are you going to do about it? And the only thing you could do about it, I do believe it's time for reform, but you can't have reform and put more people on there so you have a balance without the Congress.

And that's who's on the ballot in 2022. Well, not Biden and Harris, the Congress. building, in the streets of D.C., a lot of those LGBT folks were not there. A lot of those white activists were not there. I saw so many out there at the Supreme Court after the Roe v. Wade decision, and I was saying then, hey, y'all, this voting fight, this ain't just about us. I'm like, y'all, this voting fight, this ain't just about us. I'm like, y'all in this too. And so other folks are going to have to realize that when we're talking about fighting for this democracy, it doesn't mean that, oh, you can only fight for your little piece. No, no, no, no, no.

What's happening over here has an impact on you. What's happening over there has an impact. And that's one of the things that I think is critically important for folks to understand because black people are kind of like, now, see, we tried to tell y'all. We told y'all this was going to happen. And again, and so when Thomas said that, a whole bunch of gay folks all of a sudden was like, oh, my God. And we're like, we tried to tell you that this was going to happen. Just like, just like we're trying to tell Cinnamon and Manchin, y'all can be against any of the filibuster right now. If the Republicans get control of the House and a Senate and

a White House, they absolutely will make H.R. 1 and they will actually codify the ban on Roe v. Wade and say abortion is completely illegal in America and will not apologize for any of the filibusters to make it happen. And that's and that and when folks go after controlling women's bodies, that's how you wake up and you don't have a democracy. Look, and we think nothing can happen like what's happening in other countries. But when they go after women's control in our bodies, that is a sign where they're willing to go. There's a group of people in this country who have decided they would rather not have a democracy or the ability for folks to vote and have that vote mean anything, that only a minority type of white vote, not all white people. And I think that what we have seen through what's going on with the January 6th hearings,

what has happened over the last two years especially, folks are willing to give it up for it to be something else so that they have a minority rule power type type state and that's where we are and that's what i have a you know i stay up at night i can't sleep because i'm like i'm just praying that folks wake up enough to know if you got to stay in the fight all the way you can't fight fight today and say, well, I'm just tired of it. It don't matter, because it does. And we're at a crossroads.

And I look at it, and I know you've got, you know, you have raised nieces and nephews. Same here. I'm worried about their future, right, and how this, and because I know, have lived long enough to know who sits on that bench is a lifetime. And the kinds of decisions that that Clarence Thomas, who's, I think, the oldest, I think I'm right. Almost 30 years. And how well that now that Breyer's left. Yeah, he's the oldest. Yeah, right. And how that those some of those decisions that he helped to push over, how that damaged our community. And so I think it's important that folks see the Supreme Court and what it means and say, can I do something?

Yeah, you can vote. I'm not part of that. I can't go too far. But I'm just saying, pay attention to what needs to happen in this election. If you want to see change, we keep pressuring the executive branch, right? We're going to keep doing that. But understand, in this moment, in these next five months, I guess it is four or five months we got left, we better get busy. And we're also having to deal with voter suppression,

anyhow, in this election. So we've got to get our people ready now and take advantage of the few months that we have left to make change yeah uh i mean that's the only it's the only way uh it happens and so what i keep yelling hollering and screaming again you can yell holler scream cuss all you want to but if you're not uh mobilized and then you're not organized and none of that actually happens none of it happens all right melanie hold tight one second. Folks, we're going to go to break. We come back. We're also going to talk about

the Supreme Court decision dealing with the environment. Huge impact on black folks as well. Mark Morial of the National Urban League will be joining us. Plus, we'll be talking to Ben Crump about a group of black women at Google suing them for

discrimination. We have all of that right here on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, broadcasting live from New Orleans. We'll be right back. You just gave us all a brand new iPhone 13. We've been customers for years. We'll be right back. Of course I looked up to Spike Lee. Of course, who didn't? I mean, he's a genius. But then also, I was this kid from Brooklyn that felt like, you know. Give me my damn respect. You know, I made this, you know, this creative art, right, that people are responding to.

And it would have been great if we had the opportunity to sit one-on-one. Hold on one second. Okay. Spike. What's up, baby? So I'm inone. Hold on one second. OK. Spike. What's up, baby? So I'm in LA right now. I got a one-on-one series with my network, Black Star Network.

And I'm interviewing Matty Rich. I appreciate that, bro. That was a big moment, man. That was like, man, that was good. Got me all choked up. That's good. Well, I'm all about connecting. Appreciate that.

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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. How about sushi? I just had sushi for lunch yesterday. Yeah. How about tacos? Automatic emergency braking, one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 Chevy Equinox. Find new technology. Find new roads.

Chevrolet. Hi, I'm Gavin Houston. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy, Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! We'll be right back. Thank you. The White House announced today the Vice President Kamala Harris will be in New Orleans on Saturday, speaking from the main stage at Essence Fest. She made the request to do so because of these particular times. She and other administration officials are going to be here.

Melanie Campbell, I want to talk to you about that because she was last year in 2019. Obviously, this is a large venue, large crowd. But also, I think it is important because I've been saying this for, even if she was U.S. Senator. And when she and both Senator Cory Booker ran for president, I said that I thought both of them had made a grave mistake in that when they joined the United States Senate, they did not lock up a black base. And what I meant by that was they were not frequently on black radio. They were not frequently speaking to black organizations. And there was sort of this assumption that, oh, folks know who they are. And even now, when you look at polling numbers, that she's around 83%, 85% among African-Americans. No, that number needs to be 90 to 95.

And I've said that, you know, what she should do, she should literally go to Biden and say, hey, what black convention is you not doing? And I really believe that if he's only going to do the NAACP National Urban League, hey, she needs to be the National Bar Association, National Association of Black Journalists, a black journalist, you know, National Bank Association, because the reality is it's going is going to be crucial for this administration when it comes to 2024. But also, I believe that black folks need to be hearing more of her. And so I think her coming here Saturday is important,

and they should be doing more of that. I see it, and just flat out, her absolute best speech, she said she's the vice president at the funeral in Buffalo. Wasn't written, no teleprompter spoke from the heart spoke spoke off the cuff uh and that needs to be more of that uh yes i think part of it um when we met with her when we were dealing with the voting rights uh issues and other issues with our Black women's collective group. One of the things that she said she wanted to do more of was to get out more, COVID, understanding the COVID

and how important it is to get out of that bubble. And so I'm glad she is coming. And I think she needs to, he needs to, every chance he gets because, I don't know who to talk to to get these polling numbers and, you know, and to say that they're never going to get above 50 percent. I don't believe that's the case. But you're right. You can't, if you need the black vote, which they do, the Democrats, not just them, then you have to be in those higher numbers.

And so I think the way to do that is to, as much as possible, be on the ground. People want to see and hear from you. They want to see you, hear you, touch you, feel you. That's the thing. And they're not on the ballot, so this is a good thing to show up when you're not on the ballot. So, okay, all right's so she's coming here. If if if her office called, I mean, what advice would you give them as to how what she should focus on, how she should approach speaking Saturday? I think for black women. right, we, yes, we're going to be excited to see her.

But I think the issues that she's speaking up more about that are impacting us, those are also economic issues as well as issues of justice. So I think just talk to us. Tell us what you're doing. Because we're not sure what the format is going to be. Yeah, I don't either. Whether she's being interviewed like when Michelle Obama was here or whether the format's going to be. Yeah, I don't either. Whether she's being interviewed, like when Michelle Obama was here, or whether she's simply going to be speaking from the stage. Either way, whether she's being interviewed or whether she's speaking from a podium.

Tell us what you've been doing and tell us what you're getting ready to do. And she's been on a lot of those things because the other thing that's happening after what happened with Roe v. Wade being struck down is that we know as black women that we're going to be over-criminalized, right? We know that we already... And she's already working on the issue of, you know, mortality issues when it comes to black women and maternal mortality, right?

And those kinds of issues. Talk to us about those things and what you're doing as a part of a Biden Harris administration. One president at a time. Right. And I say that. But I think she just needs to do that and be her authentic self. It will go a long way. And I think we're going to see. I think I think she should walk out there in some jeans and her tennis shoes. And she say, I came here and wore clothes i think i think i think what she has to do

is she has to give a charge message it can't be one where you're essentially reciting what we already know sure you can articulate what they've done what's the impact but it to me has to be a it has to be a charge has to be when you leave here this is what i need you doing in the next five months this is what i need you doing but not everybody does know though roland not everybody no no no no i'm not i'm saying what i'm saying is what i'm saying is that is what often happens is we hear oh how important this is it's a doggone shame here's the whole deal. Got it. But what I'm saying is, because I get this all around the country,

what I hear from people is, I don't know what to do. That's what I'm saying. That is the one thing that I get from flight attendants, from folk cutting hair, from folks who run to the convenience store. People say stuff, but they say, man, this is messed up. This is screwed up. Man, what's going on in this country? Man, I don't know what to do.

Yeah, yeah. And then that's when I then say, I need you to do this or this or this. And so people are waiting for that charge. And I think, look, if she if she's standing, look, she's going to be speaking the same night Dan Jackson is performing. It's going to be six, sixty five, seventy thousand people in there. And I would also hope they make it clear that that she says, hey, I'm in Louisiana. Y'all can beat Senator John Kennedy. If there are three hundred thousand unregistered black people in Louisiana, y'all can beat Senator John Kennedy if there are 300,000 unregistered black people

in Louisiana. If a Democratic governor won by 30,000 votes in 2020, you can actually do this. And so, again, to me, that charge is critically important that, hey, enjoy yourself here, enjoy the concerts and the food and everything else. But come July 5th, let's go. That's what I mean by being ready for the fight. She's got a role, and I hear

what you're saying. And of course, everybody has a role to play. And being able to say what's next, what she's getting ready to do, what the Biden-Harris administration is going to do to fight, what they can do. I agree with you on that. And part of why I was hesitant to come, because I'm like, oh my God, all these people are COVID, right? But I just said, no, we got to get in here and we got to have a good time

and organize while we're here. And a lot of that's going on this week. And I think that was really important. So, you know, we're doing our Black Women's Roundtable, as you know, and thank you for kind of covering us on that and really talking about what's going on and what we need to do in this midterm election and how it is on us, it's upon us, and we don't have a lot of time. Yeah. Yeah. And again, I think that's just one of those things. Look, you're going to be in that, you're going to be on that stage. You know, I've been talking to the SS people, you know, again, how are they going to allow other media to cover it, broadcast it live, be able to push it out. And to me, that's just going to be hugely, hugely, hugely important because just because just again, that that's just that what drives me crazy.

And I say this to people who are always heavily involved in the political piece. We live and breathe this every single day. What people are still looking for is where do I go? What do I do? And I try to make it as simple as possible in terms of the first thing is I need you to focus on whoever's in your family, on your street, on your block, in your house, whatever. I need you to get minimum 10 people registered. I need you to get those 10 to go. And be ready to vote. Go check your voter registration status.

But I need to get them registered first before I can even talk about getting to the polls. Because what happens is a lot of people talk about all the issues, what's important, and they totally bypass those registration deadlines. And so if you're watching or listening, check your state. What is the deadline to be registered? Because, again, you can be tweeting and Facebooking and Instagramming and TikToking. It don't mean nothing. If the deadline passes, you go, oh, dang, I didn't know. Well, you know how we did.

We're going to do the are you vote ready. Also, if you're registered now, check it now. Yeah, absolutely. Because of the purging that's being done indiscriminately now because of all these voter suppression laws. So these are the months that we have to do it in July and August and make sure that you need to change your registration status

check your registration. Make sure even if you've been voting all your life, make sure they haven't purged you for the poll because that's the other trick. We did a lot of that in 2020 and there were people who sent me emails and said, man, I'm glad you kept hitting that. People said they knew they were registered and they went there and they double checked and they realized they'd be encouraged. Yep. Absolutely. Melody, we appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Thanks a bunch. All right,

folks. We will come back. We'll chat with Mark Morial, CEO of the National Urban League, about climate change, Supreme Court decision, but also politics here in louisiana when it comes to that u.s senate race you're watching roland martin unfiltered on the black star network don't forget to support us in what we do download the black star network app available on all platforms apple phone android phone apple tv android tv uh roku uh amazon fire tv uh no don't go back y'all that's too too fast. Thank you very much. Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Now, of course, you can support our Bring the Funk fan club.

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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. Of course I looked up to Spike Lee. Of course, who didn't? I mean, he's a genius.

But then also, I was this kid from Brooklyn that felt like, you know... Give me my damn respect. You know, I made this, you know, this creative art, right, that people are responding to. And it would have been great if we had the opportunity to sit one-on-one. Hold on one second. Okay. Spike.

What's up, baby? So I'm in L.A. right now. I got a one-on-one series with my network, Black Star Network. And I'm interviewing Matty Rich. I appreciate that, bro. That was a big moment, man. That was like, man,

that was good. Got me all choked up. That's good. Well, I'm all about connecting. Appreciate that, bro. that road. This is Sherri Shepherd. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. And while he's doing Unfiltered, I'm practicing the wobble. Yes, I am. Because Roland Martin is the one, he will do it backwards, he will do it on the side.

He messes everybody up when he gets into the wobble because he doesn't know how to do it, so he does it backwards. And it just messes me up every single time. So I'm working on it. I got it. You got Roland Martin. Hi, my name is Latoya Luckett and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. What's going on everybody? It's your boy Mack Wiles and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered.

What's up y'all? It's Ryan Destiny and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. What up Lana Well and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. What's up y'all? It's Ryan Destiny and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network here in New Orleans for the Essence Fest 2022. In this state, in this city, this black city, we call it Chocolate City, African-Americans play a huge role when it comes to politics, when it comes to this state. This event is actually the largest economic generator for the annual event for the state of Louisiana. It's also the largest live event in the country. Yes, bigger than Indianapolis 500 or even Super Bowl in terms of people who are coming into a city. But the question is, and we'll talk about that and some other stuff with Mark

Morial, CEO of the National Urban League. Mark, glad to have you here. Yeah, really great. The thing that I want to first deal with is Dr. King on April 3rd, 68, in his speech in Memphis at Mason Temple, he said black people individually were poor but collectively we represent one of the largest economies in the world and he talked about collective economics and you know this is an example of collective economics in that this was a festival that was losing money. The deal that they cut in terms of getting pieces of hotel rooms and things along those lines saying, hey, we bring

in money to your city, we got to make sure that it's coming back to us. I have been helped to birth this festival in 1995. This is 27 years. It was my first year as mayor. This festival was created to be a one-year event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence Magazine. And the first year, it almost broke even. The second year, they decided to come back. We worked with them to re-engineer the relationship with the hotels, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the city and ultimately the city, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the hotels contributed and invested in the

Essence Festival and that is sort of what I call phase one, getting this stood up in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Obviously, when Essence sold to Time Warner Cable, or Time Warner, I should say, there was a question of whether the commitment would remain. Michelle Ebanks, I think, was a driving force behind ensuring that this festival would continue to survive and thrive. And now under Richelieu's leadership, it has now come back for what I consider to be a third phase, which is now the post-COVID. Now, you are absolutely right that this is an example of the power of African-American consumers,

the power of African-American women as consumers, and as cultural trendsetters in this country. I was just over... And black political leaders and how all working together to ensure it continues. And it happens in a city where we've had African-American mayors, or mayors who were supported by the African-American community. Right. And that has been the case. A hotel general manager just told me an hour ago that they're going to have the best weekend that they've had since this hotel is opened. So it is absolutely an example of black political and economic power merging, coming together to create this tremendous event.

But I think it's also an opportunity, Roland, to query how we ensure continuously, because it was one of my dogged fights, that black vendors and black musicians and black companies could participate in what the Essence Festival was all about and what it creates. So I encourage people while they're here to patronize a black-owned restaurant, to patronize black-owned retailers, to spend money with those community-based businesses for whom Essence is really a significant part, because this is what this is all about. It is about culture, but it's about empowerment. And, you know, I want to congratulate you on the Black Star Network because you staked out on an independent course of action

to build something that is authentically black, that tells the news about us, for us, and by us. And that should be noted that in this time, in this period, building economic institutions, businesses, building a special event. So Essence is enormously successful and popular. But I want people to know that when we created this, we were in the face of doubters, in the face of player haters, in the face of people who said, well, it'll last three to five years. Now almost 30 years, now 27 years, it is not only going strong, but it can be better than ever there may be a half a million people here in New Orleans

Black people from all over the world just met a delegation of people from Ghana to celebrate To network and to empower ourselves It's interesting When you talked about supporting those businesses, so here we have this black-owned media entity. We're out here fighting for our fair share of advertising dollars. I've taken our crew out now. We got here Monday. Last three different outlets specifically went to black-owned restaurants. And I think what today's bill was about $720.

The other bill yesterday was about $450. And then the day before that was about $400. And, again, so for the person who's listening, so money that we're receiving for our fan base also from advertising, building the show. We're sitting here going to black communities. So it's paying for folks who are in this room, paying for waitstaff. But that's also being intentional.

Intentional. My whole deal is, no, no, no, we're going to these restaurants and to ensure the money is going there. But that's part of the collective piece. It has to be intentional piece it has to be intentional it has to be intentional so when we're talking about uh like we've had these fierce fights with people and some people have gotten upset with us when we've said look we have not we have nothing against our friends at bt but that money is going to sherry redstone we said we have nothing against uh you know complex but that money that money is going to BuzzFeed.

You're right. And our deal is our media will always be small as long as we don't get a piece of that larger pie. Yeah. And that has to be this constant refrain because people say, well, man, why can't y'all be like them? Because we don't have their money. Well, you're not a New York Stock Exchange company yet. Yet. And I think you're absolutely right.

And, you know, this advertiser issue is one we're going to have to work more closely on because in this post-George Floyd time period, Roland, it is about social justice, but it is about economic justice. And economic justice means our businesses, our institutions, our historic institutions need to be supported. I raised with many in this moment the question of whether we're at a period, and this is the test, where the philanthropic red line, for those of us who run organizations like mine or HBCUs, we rely on donations significantly. We don't sell anything. We don't produce anything.

We provide free services to people. We do advocacy on behalf of people. Has this meant the end of philanthropic redlining? Because I assert, like you and the media business and black-owned media have not had a fair shake from advertisers, we've not necessarily, and I thank everybody who supports us, right? We've not had an equivalent investment from philanthropy, given the difficult issues of racial justice and poverty that we're called on to confront. And so that's when we have authentic conversations. To me, authentic conversations also have to be about economic power. See, what I keep saying, I've had people hit me.

They're like, man, why are you always bringing up the money? I said, if you ain't talking about money, you ain't discussing America. We should not be afraid to discuss money and economic justice because we're in a free enterprise system. And to our peril, we don't discuss economic institutions, resources, and money. And I say to people, it is not about an obsession with money, but it is about economic justice and fairness and empowerment. And building, you know, like you, I grew up reading Ebony Jet and BET, I mean, and Black Enterprise. I mean, I couldn't wait to get my hands on those magazines

to look and see what was happening in the community. And Black Enterprise was always that Bible where you learned about black-owned business enterprises all across the nation. Well, even today, we have a handful of black-owned business enterprises that exceed a billion in gross sales. But when you look at the whole... 95%. 95%, 5 million or less. And that's not even... And even, like, we keep saying, and I had somebody got mad at me

when I said, pre-COVID, we had 2.6 million black-owned businesses, 2.5 million had one employee. I said, those are not businesses. One was like, no, they are businesses. I'm like, no, I'm sorry. They're not. They're sole proprietors. And I said, those are not business. One was like, no, they are business. I'm like, no. I'm sorry. They're not. They're sole proprietors. And I said, and the problem is, when you only have one

person. I said, no. We've got to create capacity. But imagine the power if those two and a half million one person enterprises each just hide one more person. Right. That's two and.5 million jobs.

And so we've got to recognize the power of building many of these small enterprises. And, look, I've watched we have a big initiative around black restaurants now. And what's been fascinating to me is to learn that in this new era, we have black-owned restaurants that are serving Chinese food, vegan food, in addition to traditional black, Caribbean, or African food. Don't mean we can't own those restaurants. Exactly. That's the point. We can do whatever we can, and we should not have any limitations on what we can do.

You mentioned George Floyd. What I've been articulating, Reverend Barber has been doing this. I told John O'Brien this. I believe that we have to be using the language that we're operating in the third reconstruction. And you look at the first two reconstructions last 12, 14 years, second one last 20 years. And you consider the second a civil rights era. Absolutely. And both of those, actually the biggest components of those were changing laws. Changing policy. But

where they came short was the money. And King, last five years of his life, was talking about the money. And so I think in this period here, you look at the $50 billion that all these corporations pledged in the wake of George Floyd's death. This is where for us it's like, oh, it's check due. You made announcements. You made billion-dollar announcements. No, no, no. What are you doing?

So you put them out there. You got lauded for it. I think our pressure has to be on every single one of these companies. What are you doing with that $50 billion commitment? And secondly, is that commitment going to be a multi-year commitment? Right. Not just a one-time commitment. Right.

Let's talk in terms of scale. This number $50 billion came up. But let me say this to you, Roland. $50 billion. So what does that mean? The budget for one year, the operating budget for the city of New York, is $100 billion. Number two, African-American spending power is at $1.415 trillion. So I'll never sneeze at any amount of money that's going to be used for good purpose, but $50 billion in context is not a monumental commitment.

No. But look, take someone, when we had Ron Busby on and he talked about that black businesses get $9 billion in federal contracts. And somebody's probably like, oh god we're getting nine billion it's 1.67 they spend the power at 560 billion you know and that and that's the piece none of a sudden if you start saying no if we were getting 10 and look annually i'm glad 56 i'm glad you raise the black business in a federal contracting arena because i just had a conversation earlier today about that. And so here's a place where unless we can change the law. So the law is structurally discriminatory. It imposes on black businesses caps.

Yep. Gross receipts, meaning you can only get so big. Right. To get a contract pursuant to, quote, a disadvantaged business program. Number two, it places caps on the net worth of owners. And so what it places a many black owned businesses who do business in the federal sector is you're too big to be small and you're too small to be big. And they graduate out and they can't take... This is something that can't be changed

by presidential executive action. It needs an act of Congress. And so when you talk about the third reconstruction and changing public policy, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, the only person who can propose a change in public policy is an elected official. There you go.

Okay? I can call for one, but when I was a mayor, I could sign an executive order. When I was a state legislator here, I could pull a bill, write it up, and introduce it, and make sure it's heard and voted on. So we've got to make this connection between policy change and elected officials and the necessity of participating in voting. And that voting and using our First Amendment right to protest are not in tension with each other.

They are strategies. They are approaches that we have to use for our own liberation and empowerment. What is going on now when you look at this Supreme Court decision on basically gutting the EPA and saying, look, states, federal government, they can't impose these mandates under Obama. States can do what they want to do. It is a right-wing political coup being carried out by an unelected Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a political agenda unlike any court in the last 70 years, Roland.

What they've done in less than a week is narrow the power of a co-equal branch of government, the executive branch, by limiting the powers of the EPA. On the other hand, they have limited the right of women to make decisions with respect to their own health by reinterpreting the Constitution. On the third hand, they have slapped the hands of states, not a states' rights decision, when it comes to guns and gun ownership. So on one hand, they're in favor of their gang's state action. On the other hand, they're saying, we'll leave it to the states. Now they've taken this new case out of North Carolina where they want, where the Republicans are arguing,

the state Supreme Court shouldn't be telling us how to govern elections. We, the legislature, should be deciding that because they know they've gerrymandered themselves into the majority in places. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court, conservative Supreme Court, just said, oh, yeah, we agree with the Republican legislature that here you have people whose term has expired, but they get to stay in these positions until the person is confirmed. Oh, by the way, we won't confirm the Democratic governor's appointment. Roland, this is a twist and a turn in the interpretation of the law that is very dangerous. Today a poll says that only one in four Americans have confidence in the United States Supreme Court.

In its decisions, the United States Supreme Court has basically turned its back on the American people and decided to carry out a political agenda, it's important that these decisions are reinterpretations of the Constitution to achieve a particular outcome. And, you know, I'm a lawyer who taught constitutional law, who's been involved in Supreme Court cases and who is a close follower of the Supreme Court. And these decisions, many of them are twisted in their logic, inconsistent with the way the Constitution is historically built. Usually what the Supreme Court does is give great deference to the executive branch to do its duty.

And in this case, they're doing to the Environmental Protection Act the same thing they did to the Voting Rights Act. They're rewriting the law by judicial fiat. Look what they just did with the Louisiana, the second black district. They literally jumped over. First of all, it was a district decision, which is the Fifth Circuit. They literally didn't kick it back. No, no, we're going to stay it. And and they did not hold a hearing. Right. They said that shadow docket.

Let me tell you something. It is it. This Supreme Court is a clear and present danger. Yes. To the civil, human and individual rights of the American people. And we have to call this court out. Rolling the 2016 election damaged us in ways that are indescribable. And there were a lot of people who were like, man, I'm not feeling Hillary.

And I was one of the people who was saying, listen, I'm telling y'all, don't fall for that. And the Russians at the same time were running a campaign online telling our people not to vote, posing as black activists. So, you know, the 16th election, that's why it is so important. I've told people, people have said to me, you know, I'm frustrated. And I said, frustration is not a strategy. Since when is frustration? So you're frustrated. I'm frustrated, and I said frustration is not a strategy. Since when is frustration? So you're frustrated. It's an emotion. I'm frustrated, too, but I'm not going to act and not vote out of frustration and surrender our power.

And so we vote, and I vote. As a voter, I sometimes have to make a choice between two people I'm not necessarily in love with. But what we will not do, I will never as a voter vote for someone whose agenda is out completely inconsistent with my survival and our survival as a community. And that to me is what is shaping up, which is why I am, I keep telling people, if you are in North Carolina, if you are in Wisconsin, if you are in Pennsylvania, if you're in Florida, or Georgia, or even Louisiana, and again, I had Gary Chambers on, I know there are a bunch of people running, and I had somebody say, yeah, man, but you can write Louisiana off.

I said, no, you can't. John Bel Edwards is a governor. He won by 30,000 votes. And he won twice. I'm like, guys, Kennedy can be defeated. I said, but it's who shows up. Who votes. It's who shows up.

Who is registered, then who votes. Mark, always a pleasure. Hey, brother, brother, appreciate Black Star Network. Yes, sir. I look forward to working with you, brother. I appreciate it. Yeah, it's going to be great. Always glad to be back in New Orleans.

And so I'm sure I'll see you down front dancing. You know it, brother. Mesmerized by Nicki Minaj and Janet Jackson. And, of course, old school Dazzle Brothers. You got it, baby. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back on Roland Martin on a filter on the Black Star Network. We were chatting with Ben Crump and some black employees with Google.

They lay out some damning accusations against that company when it comes to discrimination. That is next right here. We'll be back in a moment. Love our new Alexa. it's a buick yeah alexa buick alexa it's a buick it's an alexa it's a buick it's an alexa coach that's a buick that's an alexa the buick enclave with available alexa built in 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. How about sushi? I just had sushi for lunch yesterday how about tacos automatic emergency braking one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 chevy equinox find new technology find new roads chevrolet i'm deborbra Owens, America's Wealth Coach. And on the next Get Wealthy,

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This is the most important news show on television of any racial background. Y'all put $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, $15, $20, $30 on this and keep this going. What you've done, Roland, since this crisis came out in full bloom. Anybody watching this, tell your friends. Go back and look at the last two weeks, especially of Roland Martin and Filkey. I mean, hell, go back and look at the last two weeks, especially of Roland Martin unfiltered. I mean, hell, go back and look at the last two days. You've had sitting United States senators today, Klobuchar and Harris. Whatever you have that you have, you can bring to Roland Martin unfiltered to support it. Please do, because this information

may literally save your life. Watch Roland Martin unfiltered daily at 6 p.m. Eastern on YouTube, Facebook, or Periscope, or go to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Support the Roland Martin Unfiltered daily digital show by going to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans contributing 50 bucks each for the whole year. You can make this possible. Roland Martin on Filtric.com. Of course I looked up to Spike Lee. Of course we didn't.

I mean, he's a genius. But then also, I was this kid from Brooklyn that felt like, you know. Give me my damn respect. You know, I made this, you know, this creative art, right, that people are responding to. And it would have been great if we had the opportunity to sit one-on-one. Hold on one second. Okay. Spike.

Love, babe. So I'm in L.A. right now. I got a one-on-one series with my network, Black Star Network. And I'm interviewing Maddie Rich. I appreciate that, broon-one series with my network, Blackstar Network, and I'm interviewing Maddie Rich. I appreciate that, bro. That was, that's a big moment, man. That was like, man, that was good. Got me all choked up. That's good. Well, I'm all about connecting. Appreciate that. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. Hi, this is Essence Atkins, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered.

Hey, yo, peace world. What's going on? It's the love king of R&B, Raheem Devon, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. Hi, my name is Bresha Webb, and you're watching Roland Martin, Unfiltered. And, well, I like a nice filter usually, but we can be unfiltered. What's going on? This is Tobias Cavillian. If you're ready, you are listening to and you are watching Roland Martin, unfiltered. What's going on? This is Tobias Trevelyan. If you're ready, you are listening to and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered.

What's up? I'm Lance Gross, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I mean, could it be any other way? Really. It's Roland Martin. All right, folks. When you want sheer stupidity, all you got to use the word involuntary relocation in second grade social research instruction. These are nine educators and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley professor. They are one of many teams advising the state education board on changes to

the curriculum. Okay. Now they're literally contemplating updating the social research instruction 12 months after republicans in texas led this effort to pass a bill that uh wanted students not to quote feel discomfort in texas school rooms Joining us now is Jasmine Crockett, a member of the Texas legislature. And of course, also, she won the Democratic primary to replace Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson in Congress. Representative Crockett, glad to have you on the show. I'm sorry. Involuntary relocation? Really? I mean... Listen, you know what?

I guess if I was somewhere sane, it really would be a joke, right? But we had a conversation about this with a local NAACP chapter last week where State Board of Education member Aisha Davis brought this up and I looked at her and I was like, you're kidding, right? Like, she's like, no, this is what these people

are doing. So it's important that we have these conversations because it's too late when they've changed the curriculum, right? And most people don't show up, don't testify. And frankly, most people don't know that it's going on, but like like they literally don't want us to know our history. And that's how and why we end up in situations that we're facing now with a ridiculous radical Supreme Court. Right. Because we don't have a great appreciation for what all our forefathers went through just so that we could have an opportunity to do something like vote. See, this is this is one of those things. So when they were acting, the fool became the critical race theory. When they were changing these laws, we were saying this was what was coming.

This type of thing that this whole we don't want people to feel discomfort. I don't understand. To me, I think if you're talking about slavery, the Holocaust, I don't know how you can feel, not feel discomfort when you talk about heinous acts that were taken against or crimes against humanity. Yeah, no, I mean, but that's the whole point, though, right? Like, we all know that they were wrong. But then when we start looking at, say, Trumpers and the fact that they always seemingly have some love for, like, neo-Nazism, right? Like, it's like, well, maybe we should start to change what history looks like. And it's a problem, right? Like they want, first of all, you and I both know that white folk are becoming the minority in this country. And that's what's scary. And so they're like, well, wait a

minute, wait a minute. We don't want them to think that we did all these bad things in the past. No, you did bad things then and you're doing bad things now. And to think that you're going to teach our children that this was involuntary relocation and you think it's okay because you use the word involuntary they're like yeah yeah it wasn't voluntary right but like literally like people died like you stole people's bodies and you brought them over strictly for profit that is exactly what you did and then you basically decided that they weren't full humans when you got them here. So we need to have a real conversation because that better explains why it's so difficult

for us to break these barriers, why we've only had one black president, why today we only are just now seeing our first black female Supreme Court justice. Like, we need little black kids to better understand so that they understand that, listen, just for you to be in this classroom sitting here with these little white kids, let me tell you something. There was a struggle to get there. They need to understand that so that they can value their education and they can decide that they want to do more for the generations coming behind them. And to be perfectly honest, even when we're starting to talk about our Caucasian kids, they need to understand this negative and ugly history as well and have a better appreciation for what some of their brown and black little friends have had to go through. The systemic issues that we start to talk about consistently.

So what's next? And so what role do lawmakers play in this to hopefully stop this asinine change from actually happening? Yeah, we need people to testify. And so the State Board of Education is having hearings. Now, granted, when we look at the state legislature, it seems like you testify and it falls on deaf ears. And that may be the case, but it seems like you testify and it falls on deaf ears. And that may be the case, but it's important for us to make a record. You know, we don't really have great representation on the State Board of Education.

Just like any other body that we have in the state of Texas, it is definitely gerrymandered to the T. And so they try to minimize the impact that black and brown voices have in the state of Texas, especially when it comes to education. But it's important for you to rise up because if they get to say, well, nobody said anything, so we thought it was okay, then that's exactly what it will be. And so we don't need to give anybody a pass. And so it's important that you just Google Texas State Board of Education. Even if you can't physically show up and testify, you can submit information in the form of a written testimony. So absolutely go about doing that as well. And, yeah, reach out to those State Board of Education members. Give them phone calls and say, listen, you may not understand, but let me tell you what it was for my ancestors. So let me educate you on why we don't want this BS language.

So make sure you give them a call. Just look to find out who your state board of education member is. All right, then. Representative Jasmine Crockett, always glad to have you on the show. And we appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you. All right, folks, let's go to a break.

We come back. Our Black and Missing Plus, we'll chat with attorney Ben Crump about some discrimination accusations being filed by black employees at Google. Folks, don't forget to support us in what we do. Download the Black Star Network app available on all platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire. Also, Xbox One and Samsung Smart TV. You can also help us by joining our Bring the Funk fan club where every dollar you give goes to support this show. It's senior checks and money orders to PO Box 57196 Washington DC 20037-0196. Cash app is dollar sign RM unfiltered. PayPal is R Martin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at Roland S Martin dot com. Roland at Roland Martin unfiltered dot com.

We'll be right back. 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'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, 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. Of course I looked up to Spike Lee. Of course, who didn't? I mean, he's a genius. But then also, I was this kid from Brooklyn that felt like, you know. Give me my damn respect. You know, I made this, you know, this creative art, right, that people are responding to. And it would have been great if we had the opportunity to sit one-on-one.

Hold on one second. Okay. Spike. What's up, baby? So I'm-one. Hold on one second. Spike. So I'm in LA right now. I got a one-on-one series with my network, Black Star Network. And I'm interviewing Matty Rich. I appreciate that, bro.

That was, that's a big moment, man. That was like, man, that was good. Got me all choked up. That's good. Well, I choked up. That's good. Well, I'm all about connecting. Appreciate that. I am to be smart. Roland Martin's doing this every day.

Oh, no punches! Thank you, Roland Martin, for always giving voice to the issues. Look what Roland Martin in the world win, to quote Marcus Garvey again. The video looks phenomenal, so I'm really excited to see it on my big screen. We support this man, Black Media. He makes sure that our stories are told. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. I got to defer to the brilliance of Dr. Carr and to the brilliance of the Black Star Network. I am rolling with rolling all the way. I don't want to be on a show that you own.

A Black man owns the show. Folks, Black Star Network is here. I'm real revolutionary right now. Rolling was amazing on that. I love y'all. I can't commend you enough about this platform. I'm Debra Owens, America's Wealth Coach. And on the next Get Wealthy, what do the ultra-wealthy know that most of us don't?

Well, the truth is that there is financial exclusion. And unfortunately, far too many Black folks haven't had access to this knowledge. And that's exactly what we're going to talk about on our next Get Wealthy with Melinda Hightower, a banker who's doing something to share exactly what you need to do to make it into the high network status they weren't just saving just to save they were saving for a purpose that's right here on get wealthy with me america's wealth coach only on blackstar network this is dialla riddle and you're watching roland martin unfiltered stay woke this is director, the director of Superfly on the red carpet, well, the black carpet. And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered.

Yo, what up, y'all? This is Jay Ellis, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I'm Lex Scott-Davis, and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Hey, what's up, y'all? This is your boy, Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! Hey, what's 17, 2022. Kyle is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Kyle Lazard should call the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office at 504-363-5500. 504-363-5500, 504-363-5500. A Georgia community is blaming over policing for the fifth death of a man at the hands of the police. Savannah community leaders, they want a federal investigation into the death of 31-year-old Saudi Aray Lee, who was shot and killed Friday by Savannah Police Officer Ernest Ferguson. Now, community members are demanding more transparency about the investigation. Reports say Lee showed the officer his weapons permit and his holster with his weapon. Report also indicates the officer chased Lee, then shot him. Hmm.

Lee, y'all, was a licensed gun owner. Officer Ferguson is now on administrative leave of the U.S. Department of Justice. They're launching the first ever investigation into the New York City Police Department Special Victims Division. The investigation will assess whether the Special Victims Division engages in a pattern or practice of gender-biased policing. The probe will include a comprehensive review of the policies, procedures, and training for SVD investigations of sexual assault crimes, including how the Special Victims Division interacts with survivors and witnesses, collects evidence, and completes their investigations. DOJ officials say they received information alleging deficiencies in the unit that have persisted for more than a decade leading to this investigation.

A Kansas man will spend time behind bars for threatening a black man with a knife because of his race. In September 2019, 27-year-old Colton Donner was driving through Paola, Kansas, when he saw the unarmed, the he unnamed a black man walking on the sidewalk. Well, Donner got out of his vehicle and threatened the black man with a knife while telling him Piola was a, quote, white town. Donner was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and 18 months supervised released. All right, folks, going to a break, quick break. We come back. Ben Crump, we'll talk about this Google case of discrimination. You're watching Roland Martin on the Black Star Network. Roland Martin's doing this every day oh no punches thank you roland martin for always giving voice to the issues look for roland martin in the whirlwind to quote marcus garvey

again the video looks phenomenal so i'm really excited to see it on my big screen black media he makes sure that our stories are told. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. I gotta defer to the brilliance of Dr. Carr and to the brilliance of the Black Star Network. I am rolling with rolling all the way.

On the show that you own, a Black man owns the show. Folks, Black Star Network is here. I'm real revolutionary right now. Rolling was amazing on that. Big Black, Istar Network is here. I'm real revolutionary right now. Rolling was amazing on that. Hey, Black, I love y'all. We'll be right back. The ads got on, he do the news. It's fancy news. Keep it rolling. Right here. Rolling. Rolling Martin.

Right now. You are watching Rolling Martin. Unfiltered. I mean, could it be any other way? Really. It's Rolling Martin. All right. First of all, all y'all who are watching on Facebook and YouTube, y'all should be hitting that like button. I shouldn't have to be asking y'all to do that.

We should easily be hitting 1,000 likes every single day. And so, look, y'all got about 300 to go on YouTube. So this ain't that hard, y'all. Click the damn button, okay? Don't have me asking y'all to Click the damn button. OK, don't have don't have me ask me how to do it. Facebook hit the share button, the like button as well. So we can affect those algorithms. Please do that. All right. And speaking of social media technology. Yes. YouTube, Google attorney Ben Crump is involved in a case in Silicon Valley where black employees are making some serious allegations against Google.

They are claiming discrimination by the company with a pattern of racial discrimination towards minority employees. Of course, a variety of allegations here. Ben Crump is civil rights attorney and the plaintiffs is April Christina Curley, Desiree Mayon, Ronika Lewis, and Chloe Sled. Glad to have all of you here. So exactly what are y'all charging the allegations against Google? Well, we announced today that we're expanding the class action discrimination lawsuit on black employees at Google to include black applicants who were denied, we believe, because of race. And we have added these brave women to the lawsuit.

And they can tell you better than I what they have been doing at Google. I mean, it is not just implicit bias. It's flavored racism, like a Google worker said, when a black employee on a company out and got sunburned, how do you all get sunburned? I thought that's why they had slavery. Y'all don't get sunburned. And the HR, when this black employee complained, said, just try to leave it with the best intentions. Assume the best intent. it was the best intentions is that assume the

best and best intent so from there they'll tell you about some of the experiences rolling Martin okay go ahead all right so that person he was referring to is me basically went on a company outing came back with a sunburn and the end result was me being told that black people don't get sunburned because of slavery. This is the reason why, because black people can't get sunburned. This is why we were owned as property. And whenever I chose to, when I went to HR as well as my manager, my manager then told

me to assume the best intent. Assuming the best intent has basically been their form of racism, as well as tone policing black women and black people at these institutions to tell us not to speak up and not to do anything. As well as another example is whenever I was trying to even just go to the restroom on the second floor at the Google campus. The big thing that you will constantly hear about us is we get badged police constantly because we don't belong there is what we've been told. So whenever I was asked trying to go to the second floor to go to the restroom, I was then told that my people don't belong there.

Why am I there? What do I need to be there for? And then she continued to follow me around the entire building to police me being there, inclusive of security. When I reported that to the management as well as when I reported it to HR, I was told yet again to assume the best intent. And then again, when I was bringing up these conversations to our chief of staff as well as our leadership about these things after George Floyd, right after George Floyd, I was told, why do I feel the need to bring my blackness to work? And lastly, I never, Iness to work and lastly I never

I mean for me I never knew that I could take my skin off and hang it but this is where we are and this whenever I reported that yet again to HR again I was told to police and told police to say assume the best intent Wow yeah you know Roland listen first of all thank you for having us here. I'm going to tell you, you're doing new media before new media was new media as a term. You know what I mean? You've been bringing this type of news to the collective, to people, letting them know what's really up on these streets.

So I just want to say thank you for doing that. For the decades of doing that. Appreciate it. And, you know, so for me, you know, I joined Google almost two and a half years ago. And during the pandemic, you know, I started February 3rd and volunteered and went out here to be on this COVID task force trying to figure out how do we help people get tested for COVID. You know, I had Googlers telling me like, are you even smart enough to work at Google? You should be a DoorDash driver. One guy stole my phone, my work phone, my Google phone that they issued me and then lied about it, helped me look for it, right? You know what they say about those people. He helped me look for it. So I should have known it was him.

And then the next day he came back while I was still looking for it and said, ha, I had it the whole time, pulled it out of his backpack. And everyone in the room just dropped their head. And then one guy said, listen, don't let him get to you. Every third person here is just like that. You know, and I wish I could tell you that that's the worst of it, but it just keeps getting worse. I mean, we were on a huge customer trip out in D.C. area. You know, shout out to DMV folks out there.

And we were at a country club having dinner, celebrating a great day with a customer. And a white guy turns to me and says, nothing would make him happier than to see me take this bone off of this other guy's plate, not even my plate, and bite into it. Why would that make you happy? And again, no one said anything. Everyone at the table, I mean, it got quiet, right? And they just dropped their heads. And it's like, this is pervasive. But again, I wish these were the worst things. I mean, we know what the ills of racism are. You know, we know that this trauma

that's carried deep in our genes and all of these different things. But, you know, I've had times where my dad died and after my father died, I'd come back to work and was working diligently and, you know, told my manager, hey, I want to take some time to spend with my mom for her birthday, just, you know, just this weekend or just the day or whatever, Monday, Tuesday, whatever her birthday was. And he said to me, can't someone else do it? My dad had just died. This is her first birthday without my father. And his response was, can't someone else do it? And I noticed when other people have problems, parents dying or relatives, because this is the pandemic, let's keep it real. A lot of people have been lost during this time. They didn't get that. They were given whatever you need. My heart goes out to you.

He angrily said to me and leaned into the camera, can't someone else do that? But, you know, beyond just these type of small things, there are things where we're financial impacts. Right. We talk about wealth, wage gap and inequality we're underpaid we're under level right and you know we're not either getting the promotion or or even getting higher some people aren't making it through the door i've seen more black people and i mean april she's the google on this i've seen more black people apply and get rejected and this is all by design i mean we're finding out that this is really all by design, right, to keep us out. They never designed Google to be for us in the first place. You know what I mean? Yeah. Hi, Roland. It's such a pleasure to talk with you today. I think my sentiments are similar

to my beautiful sisters here in that my experience as a black woman at Google was toxic. You know, I had a white manager tell me that I was intimidating to her and she looked over me for leadership opportunities. She told me that the way that I speak, often with the Baltimore accent, was a disability. She told me that my promotion could not be approved because Google could not afford it. And so those experiences were true, but the lens that I want to double down on really quickly is through my recruitment efforts at historically black colleges and universities. For six years, I was Google's most successful diversity recruiter, bringing

in over 500 black and brown talented students into technical roles. Prior to my role in 2014, Google had hired zero HBCU students into technical roles. I brought in over 500. So the talent was there. The barriers that my students faced to get hired at Google were the barriers that I had to break down and be vocal about. Barriers such as recruiters tossing my students' resumes out of the window because they had an HBCU name on their resume that they hadn't heard of before.

Recruiters giving my students harder interview questions to trip them up. My recruit or interviewers telling students that they weren't googly enough, which we now know means they weren't white enough. So the barriers that existed, I was very vocal about. Google, instead of rewarding me for that, terminated me. And so that's why we're here. This is why we're fighting. So you filed this class action lawsuit. Ben, have you been hearing from other folks sharing their own experiences? Some who may be afraid to join this lawsuit. So how has that been going?

And has there been any response thus far from Google? Yeah, you know, well, that's why I applaud these brave sisters for speaking up because there are a lot of people who are suffering in silence, but because it's income, they won't say anything about it. I have one last

sister to tell you her experience rolling because it is quite significant. Chloe? Roland, I can keep my comments short here. What I shared earlier today at the press conference is that the issue is not as broad as that Google doesn't like black people, but I think it can be even more specific in saying that Google doesn't like black liberated people. I think that's why you see when they hire women like the class you see

here that isn't willing to accept racism, that isn't willing to accept the passive aggressive behavior. I think they almost consider us like accidental black hires. And so when they identify us within the company, they really put the entire weight of the system on us to forcefully push us out. And so for me, I experienced lower pay. I didn't get the promotions that I was told I would get. I experienced sexual harassment. I experienced racial harassment after trying to mobilize internally on behalf of Mike Brown Jr. and his family after he was murdered in Ferguson.

So those are the things that I experienced. And one thing we told Roland, hey, Google, Google racism, since they want to define everything and they know everything, well, they should know what racism looks like. And right now this class action is growing, and Google, this is your opportunity to do the right thing. Hopefully black people won't be sucking in to, they have tried as best they can to throw pennies on the table and to say, just be quiet. We don't have racism here at Google where that's not the,

where the evidence demonstrates there seems to be a pervasive problem of discrimination and racism. All right, then. Well, we certainly appreciate all of you joining us, sharing your story with us. And we certainly look forward to seeing where this lawsuit and this story goes. Thank you so very much. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

All right, folks, a final break. Then we come back. We will share with you the opening, if you will, of this 2022 Essence Festival. It took place today, of course, at their opening session. Things have already started, different events. And so we're going to break it down for you next, right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network, live from New Orleans. Of course I looked up to Spike Lee. Of course, who didn't? I mean, he's a genius. But then also, I was this kid from Brooklyn that felt like, you know. Give me my damn respect.

You know, I made this, you know, this creative art, right, that people are responding to. And it would have been great if we had the opportunity to sit one-on-one. Hold on one second. Okay. Spike. What's up, baby? So Ion-one. Hold on one second. Okay. Spike. What's up, baby? So I'm in L.A. right now. I got a one-on-one series with my network, Blackstar Network.

And I'm interviewing Maddie Rich. I appreciate that, bro. That was, that's a big moment, man. That was like, man, that was good. Got me all choked up. That's good. Well, I'm all about connecting Appreciate that Made the simple way

With real lemon juice, 75% less sugar, and mmm, mmm, mmm. Say yes to simple. All right, folks, we are here in New Orleans for the 2022 Essence Festival, courtesy of Coca-Cola, partnering with them to bring you the best of Essence. We're going to be covering this gavel to gavel, going to all kinds of different events. Today, they have the opening news conference. Our cameras were there. And here is how this all kicked off. I'll tell you more about our relationship with Essence, Coca-Cola's presence at this year's festival,

why I'm excited to talk to you about season four of If Not For My Girls, and the ongoing impact that we've had here in New Orleans, the local community, because it's important to us to contribute. At Coca-Cola Company, our purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. And diversity, equity, and inclusion are a core piece at the heart of our values and a cornerstone of our company culture. We proudly invest in programs and relationships to create a better shared future for our business relationships and our consumers. And we empower equal, excuse me, we empower access to equal opportunity, both in our workplaces and in the local community.

For the past 26 years, 26 years, Coca-Cola has been the presenting sponsor of the Essence Festival of Culture. Together with Essence, we've demonstrated the power of building a strong, inclusive community. And today, I'm pleased to announce that Coca-Cola recently renewed our relationship with Essence. We've expanded our relationship, so over the next five years, we will continue our commitment to the community and the impact to women's empowerment. And the Dennis family, Mary Dennis, Uncle Raja, Uncle Emmett, and all the others that are here, entrusted me with a sacred cultural treasure. That it was important for the family to ensure it was back in black hands so it could serve black bodies, minds, and spirits.

And the honor of being entrusted with that is great. But what's more important is what Rich Lou Dennis and the Dennis family did for us. They don't like the recognition. They don't like being called out because they operate with servants' hearts. But what we're not going to do is let this moment continue without doing our part to thank them with what we communally accept as applause

for the Dennis one. And as we gather here again in the city, we will never depart. We have the opportunity for the first time to have our festival be live and virtual so that our global diasporic community can be with us even if they ain't with us.ic community can be with us even if they ain't with us and we can be with them even if we're not with them and what that unlocks is the power that black joy needs to fuel so we can return blackness

to greatness and the way we should have always had it I'm so excited the city of New Orleans is so excited to host the Essence Festival of Culture once again in our city after a two-year hiatus. We're prepared and we're more ready than ever before. We know that the investments in our economy are real. We know that over 90% of our hotels and motels are the occupancy, mirrors that of 2019. But we also understand that that's only a snapshot. That doesn't capture folks who will be in short-term rentals or coming and staying with family and friends or in dorm rooms and the like. The investment and the impact on our economy is truly appreciated and it truly does meet

us where our needs are in our community. But make no mistake about it, as the first woman mayor of the city of New Orleans in its 300 years, and a black woman at that, like one of our local influencers will say, you gots to know that it's the black joy for me. You gots to know that. Because that black joy, that we can be bold about it, it represents the vibrancy of who we are and the power, that collective power that we have. And the fact that Essence is home to the city of New Orleans,

who is the most Afrocentric city in the United States of America. And it gives us what we need to be unapologetic about that. And it is rooted and embedded in the culture of this city again. That is second to none in the world. But it's because of the people of this community and the commitment to preserve that culture is also embedded in the that as the fifth mayor, to be in leadership and in partnership with Essence, my brother Mayor Mark Morial was the first, and he deemed it as a party with a purpose. And while I'm the fifth mayor, it means that I also have the responsibility of keeping it going. Sometimes being mayor when traditions are there, the hardest part is what?

Don't mess it up. Right? You keep building. You keep growing. Because it's also about the community and that collective community and the investments not just in the city of New Orleans but in the black community across America. I also would have to say that, you know, when Caroline mentioned about what that joy means and to refuel,

I have to be honest about it. I need that too. And it's leaders across this country and mayors who are on the front lines leading like no others are. We need this and I'm one of them. All right, folks. Again, we're going to be covering all sort of stuff. we need this and I'm one of them alright folks again we're going to be covering all sort of stuff literally when we finish the show

the mayor has her annual kickoff party, Congressman Troy Carter has his event, our cameras are going to be there, we'll be showing you, bringing some of those interviews and showing you some of that on tomorrow's show, so here's the deal make note of the time y'all, so go ahead and know the time, we will be live tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 to 6 p.m. Central.

Be live tomorrow. Essence Festival kicks off tomorrow with the concerts tomorrow night. Tonight, Kevin Hart performs, but he's actually coming here on tour. They sort of did it around the same time. That's really not a part of the Essence Festival, but it is happening, of course, in the same places. So, again, we're going to have a live show, an Essence Festival show brought to you by Coca-Cola tomorrow, 4 to 6 Central, 5 to 7 Eastern. And so we'll be showing you all things that happened on Friday, bringing you interviews and things along those lines. Really looking forward to that. And so we certainly want

y'all to be involved. YouTube, y'all, come on. 962 likes. We should get 1,000. Come on, y'all. 38. Hurry the hell up. Hit the damn like button. So we're going to be all over this place. Crews all over. Melanie Campbell's group, the Black Women's Roundtable, they have an event tomorrow. Our cameras will be there recording that. We'll be restreaming that event later. But we're going to be, again, there recording that event. And so we're going to have live interviews during the show. We're going to be giving you a sense of, again, what's happening all around New Orleans for Essence Fest.

So if you're all looking for the best coverage, you can't be here in New Orleans. This is the place that you want to come, the Black Star Network. Again, you can access this on our app, the Black Star Network app. Download it. All platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV,

Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And so please, download the app. You can actually see it. Of course, you can get our YouTube channel, be live streaming on Twitch, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Twitter, all the platforms will be all over the place. And so you won't miss anything. And so we got some great things in store for you. I cannot wait to show you the stuff that we have. And so y'all been looking at our, I'm gonna see y'all. No, I'm gonna go ahead. I got

to show y'all. So y'all have been, you know, looking at what we've been doing, looking at our, so this is our high shot. So basically what we've done is we basically commandeered one of the rooms here at one of the hotels. And so you see all of what we're doing. So y'all should, you should have my shot right here, right, Henry? You see it? Do you see it? Yeah, there you go. All right, y'all, so you see this angle right here. And so I just want to be able to show y'all how we're all set up here.

You got it? Okay, hold on. Let's see here. There's a problem with the cable. There we go. I see it. Hold on. I got to get us a new cable, y'all.

The cable's messing up. Okay, let's see if I can get it. I'm trying to show y'all the whole setup. All right see it. Hold on. I got to get us a new cable, y'all. The cable's messing up. Okay. Let's see if I can get it. I'm trying to show y'all the whole setup. All right. It's not working. So it's the cable here. So let me go ahead and go to Amazon.

Poor move, huh? Okay. Go to it now. All right. So now y'all see we're all set up in here. Oops, we lost the shot. There you go. So you see how we're all set up in here.

Yeah, we packed like sardines in this joint, but it's all good. We are here again. So this is going to be our broadcast central. Doing interviews here, doing interviews from the Rowe Rowe Mobile, doing interviews on location as well. So y'all definitely want to check it out. I'm telling you, we got some great stuff. Nobody else is doing like we're doing, and we certainly want to appreciate Coca-Cola. You know, we partnered with them for the MeXSwag Challenge to buy you Classic Celebration Bowl, and so we're doing the same thing here. And so it's really going to be great, the things that we're doing and how we, again,

giving you a sense of what's happening here in New Orleans. Let me also shout out, if y'all come to New Orleans or even if you're not here for Essendon, you're coming later. When I said to Mark, there were three black restaurants that we that we have visited in terms of supporting them, you know, spending our money in those locations. And so. All right. So this year is Morrow's Cafe, Morrow's Cafe, M-O-R-O-W-S Cafe. Y'all, the gumbo was fantastic. Look, I make gumbo, y'all. I know gumbo. That was a damn good bowl of gumbo. Mauro's Cafe is a black-owned restaurant that we went to.

Now, the first night, I did not take a photo. Yo, what was the name of the place? Barrow's? Okay, Barrow's Catfish. So we went was the name of the place? Barrow's? Okay, Barrow's Catfish. So we went to another black-owned restaurant called Barrow's Catfish. And so y'all can check that place out, Barrow's Catfish. And so you want to do that. Now, Henry sent me this photo here.

Y'all, so Leah Chase, we always used to go by Dookie Chases. She, of course, longtime chef. She died at 96 years old in 2019. We interviewed her. This was in 2017. We came through New Orleans for Essence. And so we always make a point of going by Dookie

Chase. Her spirit still is there. And so we had an opportunity to swing by. Her son was there. We took a group photo. This, of course, is also right there in the pink uh of course one of the family members and so we certainly still support uh what they do you see uh damn how hard are you cheesing britney and alex uh y'all cheesing hard and so uh and anthony okay i don't understand what's up with anthony and aaron and henry with the jail poses i'm not

quite understanding what's happening there. So let me go ahead and zoom this sucker out. Ariel, why you got your eyes closed? I don't know where Lanny's looking. Let me see here. Let's see here. And Kenneth, he got this jail pose too. I don't know what's going on there. My goodness, y'all. Learn

how to smile in photos. Let's see here. All right. And so this is the crew y'all this is the crew that we have here uh covering uh essence festival uh and we appreciate all of y'all support and so again y'all tune into the black star network app we got some great stuff lined up for you and y'all know we gonna do it the way we do it which is different from everybody else that's it folks i'll see y'all tomorrow for our special coverage of Essence Fest courtesy of Coca-Cola right here

on the Black Star Network. Until then, holler! Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken winged bird That cannot fly Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field

frozen with snow. Thank you.