#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Ronald Greene indictment, DOJ Changes Cocaine Sentencing Policy, Chris Paul Gifts Students

Episode Date: December 17, 2022

12.16.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Ronald Greene indictment, DOJ Changes Cocaine Sentencing Policy,  Chris Paul Gifts Students Five Louisiana state troopers accused of beating Ronald Greene to death in 2019 and covering it up have been charged. I'll ask his mom what she thinks about the negligent homicide, malfeasance, and obstruction of justice charges. US Attorney General Merrick Garland is reversing decades of the racist drug policy that wrecked Black communities. We will discuss how this change will impact people of color. A Louisiana Parish is in a legal battle to keep a construction company from building an industrial plant in a black residential neighborhood. The Co-Founder of The Descendants Project will explain the significant court victory. The Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Government Affairs at the United Negro College Fund is here to discuss the IGNITE act. We will share the details of this life-changing bill. Black women are starting businesses but face unprecedented burdens to keep their doors open. Legal Analyst and Business Owner Monique Pressley has created a pathway forward for black women. We will talk to her about her upcoming business seminar. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns Point Guard, just graduated from Winston-Salem State University and presented a $2500 financial gift to his graduating class. We will show you the video of him explaining why he did it.   Support RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ [e-mail] Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ 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. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Folks, Black Star Network is here. Hold no punches! A real revolutionary right now. Black power! Support this man, Black Media.

He makes sure that our stories are told. Thank you for being the voice of Black America, Roland. Stay Black. 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 B-Scape.

It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? Today is Friday, December 16, 2022, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live on the Black Star Network from Atlanta, where tomorrow the celebration bowl takes place, North Carolina Central versus Jackson State. We'll hear from Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders

speaking about why he is leaving Jackson State for the University of Colorado. You don't want to miss what he had to say. Also on today's show, five Louisiana state troopers have been accused of beating Ronald Green in 2019 to death. They have been charged. We'll talk to his mom right here about the negligent homicide, malfeasance, and obstruction of justice charges leveled against those five state troopers. Also, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issues new guidelines to close the disparity between crack and cocaine charges. We'll tell you about that as well. A Louisiana parish is in a legal battle to keep a construction company

from building an industrial plant in a black residential neighborhood. The co-founder of the Descendants Project will explain the significant court victory. Also, the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs at the UNCF will talk about the Ignite Act and what that means for HBCUs. Also,

black women are starting businesses at a faster rate, but there are issues there about getting those doors open. We'll talk with you, Monique Presley, about a pathway forward for black women. Plus, Chris Paul, the guard with the Phoenix Suns, graduates from Winston-Salem State University

and presents a $2,500 financial gift to each member of his graduating class. We'll explain. Y'all, it's a lot to break down and unpack. Plus, also, the DJ, Switch, committed suicide. A lot of people have been talking about it, but life coach Avery Woodley dropped a video today on Instagram that is so emotional and so powerful,

and it's the best video that I've seen talking about suicide. Folks, you do not want to miss this video. We got all of that right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. It's time to bring the funk. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the piss, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine.

And when it breaks, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling, best belief he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's rolling,oro, yo! Yeah, yeah! It's Rollin' Marten, yeah! Yeah, yeah!

Rollin' with Rollin' now! Yeah, yeah! He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best, you know he's Rollin' Marten now! Martez! Să ne urmăm. Martin! Folks, there's long been a disparity in this country between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The citizen has changed multiple times. It used to be 100 to 1 under President Obama. It went from 100 to 1 to 14 to 1, but there's still a disparity. Well, today, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that they are trying to reverse decades of this disparity. And so what he

has done is instructed federal prosecutors to end sentencing disparities in cases involving the distribution of crack and powder cocaine. Again, since the 80s, the law has treated crack cocaine, which primarily impacts African-Americans, differently than powder cocaine, which is primarily used by white Americans. So what's going to happen is this. This move is going to eliminate the current mandatory minimum federal sentence. Now, the national policy for possessing 28 grams of crack cocaine triggers a minimum prison sentence of five years compared to 500 grams of powder cocaine. Joining us right now is Regina LaBelle, the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative Director at O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

Also, North Dakota Congressman Kelly Armstrong joins us as well. Glad to have both of you here. I want to start with you first, Regina, because look, we've been covering this issue and it has always been nonsensical to have a different sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine when both are cocaine. Yeah, I mean, we've been at this, as you said, since 1986. For four decades, we've had the sentencing disparity. And as you mentioned, you know, we went from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, and now we have an opportunity. There is action in Congress that would make this permanent to

get rid of the disparity, because what the Attorney General did today was excellent, and it sends a message to prosecutors about this. However, when you have, if you have another Attorney General, that Attorney General could revise it. It also doesn't make it retroactive. So the legislation that's currently pending in Congress, the Equal Act, would do that. It would eliminate the crack cocaine powder disparity, and it would also make it retroactive. I testified on this issue last year in Congress before the Senate Judiciary Committee when I was acting director of the White House

Office of National Drug Control Policy, and I was joined by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and he knows what a disparity this is and what an injustice it is. And it's time for it to change. The thing that's weird here, Congressman Armstrong, is I don't understand why members of Congress have not seen how nuts this is. And the reality is the crack cocaine guidelines have disproportionately impacted African-Americans getting longer jail time. And it's crazy to say 28 grams of crack cocaine, 500 grams of powder cocaine. And then you talk about these long sentences, prison sentences. I mean, this has been detrimental to the black community in terms of tearing people away from their families.

The House of U.S. House of Representatives passed it, I think, 361 to 66 over a year ago. That means the majority of Republicans supported a one to one disparity and appropriate and disparity and doing retroactivity as well. So we've been negotiating. I've had great partners with Congressman Jeffries, Congressman Durbin, Senator Durbin, Senator Booker, and Senator Grassley. And I agree completely with the previous guest's statement. What Merrick Garland did is great, but it's not permanent. I actually wish he would have, if this memo was coming out, would have probably waited until after whatever gets attached to the omnibus bill gets attached, because we're working really hard to get the Equal Act onto our negotiated version of the Equal Act onto the year-end bill. So, Regina, if the House passed it, what's been the holdup in the Senate?

Well, your guess is as good as mine. You know, as I said, I testified last year on the issue, and there's been incredible bipartisan support in the House. I think the sticking point is, you know, should it be zero and should it be retroactive? I think there's no question that people acknowledge that it needs to be the disparity needs to be reduced and that it's not science based. But, you know, everything the devil is in the details. Next week and also to people who are who were affected by this, as you said, families and people who have loved ones who've been disproportionately affected that, you know, we're going to take this step. Yes. Now Congress can take the next step and pass the Equal Act. Congressman, you talk about that there's still time for the Senate to make these changes. How much time are we talking about? Because, what, you've got the Christmas break coming up, so how much time do we have?

48 hours, I think. I think the omnibus bill will be written by the end of this weekend, and we'll come back and both parties will move. And if we can't get it attached here, we're going to have to start all over again next Congress, which would be really unfortunate because even in spite of all of the different politics around crime and all of those different issues, just about every organization from all across the ideological spectrum supports this because it's the right thing to do. And Regina, we also know that when Congress makes these changes, it has an impact on what states do. Right. I mean, you know, actually, Governor Hutchinson was saying that in Arkansas, he actually got rid of the disparity. So a lot of the states have already gotten rid of this disparity, you know, because the states have known, have seen that not only doesn't it prevent drug use, it also costs them a lot of money to incarcerate people over time. So they're putting that money into what it should be used for,

which is preventing youth substance use and keeping people who have a substance use disorder, getting them into treatment as opposed to putting them into jails or prisons where their conditions often deteriorate. Congressman, sorry about that. I had an audio issue here. I know I had an audio issue here. So, Congressman, last question for you. What do you need our audience to do? What should the public be doing right now to push this along?

Keep the support. Keep the pressure on. Let's keep moving forward. Everybody knows where it's at. We've been negotiating. Like I said, there's been a group of senators, bipartisan on both sides. We just need to get it in there. We need to get a negotiation, and we need to make sure that we're moving forward. And I think it is really important because states that have sentencing guidelines often look to the federal court, the ones that haven't done it. So this is a really big deal, not just for federal sentences, but for people all across the country. opportunity to get out and get back to their families, see their kids, see their parents, and become members of society instead of sitting in a 47-year prison sentence for

a nonviolent crime they committed when they were 19 years old. Agree 100 percent. Regina, LaBelle, thanks a bunch. Congressman Armstrong, thanks a bunch. We appreciate your efforts on this issue. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I want to bring my panel in. Kelly Bethea, communication strategist. Michael Imhotep hosts the African History Network show. Joe Richardson, civil rights attorney. Joe, I want to start with you again.

I mean, these laws have been so discriminatory, have had such a negative impact on African Americans, and it goes to show you the racism that has existed when you literally have cocaine, and it's crazy. You could have 30 times more of powder cocaine, and you're getting the same sentence as crack cocaine. 28 grams to 500. It's crazy. I mean, we are still dealing with the effects of the so-called war on drugs.

It's too bad. It's unfortunate. And, you know, in one of Bill Clinton's true weaknesses, which was called a strength, he was a great triangulator, which meant that he would go and steal things that Republicans would normally do so he could look a little less Democratic or a little less liberal. It was always popular to be hard on crime. And so, therefore, you know, when he was ending welfare as he knows it and as we know it and then doing the crime bill, there were things that came from that war on drugs, which goes over some period of time,

that we're still trying to undo. You know, they would do it bad, you know, in one step, but it seems like coming all the way back, you got to take four or five to get just as far. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you've destroyed families generationally. And now here's Congress, where the House knows that it's the right thing to do, and it's got bipartisan support. But I suspect that, you know, there's something to be said for trying to get past that 60-vote threshold. Here we go again, you know, filibuster, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So it has been devastating. It's been devastating for a long time. I think the thing that is good, I don't know if they're going to get it done in 48 hours, but the thing that is good is that there does seem to be bipartisan support this time around.

And perhaps maybe there's a backdoor opportunity for this to get done in a Congress that's not so Republican on the House side, where moderates that are Democrats and Republicans could actually work together on something that has a bipartisan basis of support. And the thing here, Kelly, when we talk about this disparity and the impact, let's just be honest. You have a much different Congress today than you had when Bill Clinton was there, or even when President Obama was there. And this is the thing we talk about how voting matters. When you're able to have more progressive voices, the size of the Congressional Black Caucus today is different than it was 20, 25, 30 years ago. And so the work of activists has also been critical in changing the viewpoints of a lot of these Republicans who were opposed and a lot of also these conservative Democrats.

You're absolutely right. But another component that I don't want to say was missed, but is something worth talking about is these congressmen, these policymakers now are finally admitting that they have people in their lives, either immediately or, you know, on a tangent, who experienced something regarding the crack epidemic, who experienced something regarding the cocaine epidemic. So it's hitting closer to home now. It's not some boogeyman out there like how it was with weed or with cigarettes or anything like that. You have people now who are intimately affected by this tragedy of legislation being that somehow,

some way, there's a difference between crack and crack or cocaine and cocaine. So it's not so much that people are finally realizing it or whatever. The closer it hits home to you, the more likely something is going to change. And yes, it's selfish. Yes, it is self-centered. But that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Thankfully, it's crumbling a little bit faster now. Thankfully, Merrick Garland also realizes that this was just bad policy and wants to change it. But I'm grateful for the progression that has happened in recent decades regarding this line of legislation, because it really is ridiculous that the discrepancy was so large and so blatantly discriminatory against Black people.

Michael. people. MICHAEL GERSON, The Washington Post-Civil War Law Firm, Yeah, you know, Roland, Joe, Attorney Joe Richardson really hit on something that's really important. He said the war on drugs goes back decades before the 1994 crime bill, which is signed into law September 13, 1994. It actually goes back to June 17, 1971, under Richard Nixon. And we're going to see the U.S. prison population quadruple from about 1970 to 1993. It goes from about 300,000 to 1.3 million. And John Ehrlichman, who was Richard Nixon's domestic policy advisor, an interview was shared in the April 2016 issue of Harper's Bazaar Weekly. It was called

Legalize It All. The article was written by Dan Baum, journalist Dan Baum. And he quoted John Ehrlichman as saying that the war on drugs was really a war on the anti-war left, the hippies against the Vietnam War, and the African-American community. And he said that John Ehrlichman told him, by associating marijuana with the anti-war left and heroin with the African American community. You could raid their offices. You could investigate their leaders. You can jail them, things like this. And he talked about how they would run stories every night on the nightly news to convince people that you needed a war on drugs, OK?

And when we go, I remember here in Detroit in the 1980s when crack first hit, and we saw story after story after story on the evening news talking about crack, how addictive it was, things like this. And this helped to fuel the war on drugs. So this is long overdue. And for those that say the Congressional Black Caucus don't do anything, I just want them to understand that Senator Cory Booker of the Congressional Black Caucus is a co-sponsor of the Equal Act bill as well. So this is extremely important and it's long overdue. Indeed. All right, folks, got to go to break. We come back. We're going to talk about the five Louisiana state troopers now charged for the death of Ronald Green. His mother will join us next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered

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Do the same thing on Facebook, on Twitch, on Instagram. Show your love for this show. We'll be right back. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are high. Can you still thrive during these uncertain times? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to meet a woman who's done just that, living proof of what you need to do to flourish during these uncertain times. These are times where you take advantage of what's going on. This is how people get rich or richer. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network.

On the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, tis the season, tree trimming, party going, and gift giving. And I don't know about you, but for me, sometimes it can be overwhelming. And sometimes it's just downright exhausting. Surviving the holiday season, we've got tips for you for staying sane, solvent, striving, and thriving. And sometimes keeping a little money in your pocket. Two things just out of the gate. Set boundaries and set a budget. On a next A Balanced Life right here on Blackstar Network with me, Dr. Jackie.

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

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

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

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

a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for

themselves music stars marcus king john osborne from brothers osborne we have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man benny the butcher brent smith from shine down got be real from cypress hill nhl enforcer riley cote marine Corps vet. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day,

it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Hi, I'm B.B. Winans. Hi, I'm Kim Burrell. Hi, I'm Carl Painting. Hey, everybody, this is Sherri Shepherd. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered, and while he's doing Unfiltered, I'm practicing the wobble. Folks, three years ago, Louisiana state troopers lied about how Ronald Green died.

They said he died from a car crash. Body cam footage showed he was viciously beaten by police officers. Three years later, last night, a grand jury indicted five of those state troopers for the death of Ronald Green. Trooper Corey York was indicted on one count of negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office. York was previously suspended for 50 hours without pay as part of the investigation. He's now on leave. Trooper John Cleary was indicted for one count of obstruction of justice. He's been placed on leave. Former Louisiana State Police Trooper Dakota DeMoss was indicted

on one count of obstruction of justice. DeMoss was fired last year after arresting him in a separate excessive force case in which troopers beat another black motorist following a high-speed chase. Former Louisiana State Police Trooper Captain John Peters was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice. Peters retired last year after acknowledging he approved use of force reports that glossed over another black motorist beating without reviewing the video. Chris Harpant was indicted on three counts of malfeasance in office. He was also placed on leave. Joining us right now is Mona Harton, the mother for Ronald Green. Mona, it is glad to see you.

We've had you on the show before. You have been standing and fighting for three years for justice for your son. And last night, it had to be it had to feel good, even though your son is not here, that finally these officers have been charged. Now, charged is one thing, convicted is another, but at least we're moving forward with some semblance of justice. Yes, yes. And I thank you so much for this platform again. I must say that the emotional highs and lows was just so crazy throughout the whole day and how it ended up. We're truly elated. We're grateful that we've gotten this far.

First and foremost, we are so grateful. Here we are. What happens next and how these charges unfold, we're waiting and anticipating. And yesterday was, again, we kept waiting and kept waiting. In fact, we were supposed to have you on the show last night, and the decision had not come down, had not come down. And surely you and others were just hoping and praying that the right thing was going to happen,

because all too often, in so many other cases, families have been disappointed. Their loved one has been killed by cops and those cops walked free. I tell you, it was so many people, men, women came to me. They were just in tears. I think back and it's just gut wrenching because they know, just like you say, they know of so many who went to their graves with no answers, you know, for their loved ones. So this is really historical because this is for everyone here. It's not about just Ronnie. It's for everyone.

Because the spectrum of this is just so wide. We have to keep an eye on this, how it plays out, what kind of conviction these cops get. It's horrible even now to find out that they haven't been arrested. They should be locked up. They shouldn't be roaming free. We came this far, we got indictments, and they should have been cuffed on the spot and jailed. Because we're talking about murder. And

we're talking about murder, but what's he talking about? This flat out lie. I mean, they came to you, others said, oh, he died in a car accident. What was it? His car struck, what did it say His car struck a tree? Yes, that's exactly what they

told us. He struck a tree, I'm so sorry, and he died on impact. That's how it first was relayed to us. And to see how it unfolded, when we first saw the car, and we

saw that the car had very minimum damage to it, hood, nothing, nothing was caved in. We knew from then, oh my gosh, yeah, we had a fight on our hands. And they said, you're dealing with state troopers. They run the state of Louisiana. We had no idea how meaningful that statement was and how scary it would end up being for me and my children, this investigation. And it was also just the constant lying and the lying to investigators, the lying to you, the lying to lawyers. And then all of a sudden we we begin to see the reports, and then the body cam, and then all of a sudden, we begin to hear about obstruction of justice

and the falsifying. I mean, it just caused it. And this thing really evolved where it showed the sheer corruption among Louisiana State Police. Exactly. And that's what you have to focus on, the whole picture in its totality, because it clearly defines the organized,

so organized criminal activity from the top down throughout the whole state. All these politicians, the top brass, all those, there's so many entities that this network of KKK, it is what it is. We have to call it like it is. This organized criminal activity from KKK members, it is what it is. I'm not going to sugarcoat this mess. But you know, the thing is, all the dots connect. I must tell you, all the dots connect. So it's like, let's get in here and pull these pieces out. They're so well connected, but it's so obvious because they don't give a damn.

They're in your face with everything they have. They truly hold themselves above the law and dare you to come and dismantle them. They dare you to come in. And it's like for me and my family, I'm so sorry. I'm traveling right now. And I think I'm on focus. Am I okay? No, no, no, no, no. You're fine. You're fine. No, you're fine. Well, first of all, you know, and I've had to do this way too many times, Mollyuna. Unfortunately, you are now part of what we call a sorority or fraternity nobody wants to be a part of. And the crazy thing is, and let's just be honest, without you fighting, without the community and the protests and the organizing, we wouldn't be at this day. If it was not for your vigilance and the people out there in the streets,

these Louisiana State Troopers, they would have been able to get away with this, and this thing would have been covered up by their fellow officers. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And I must tell you, there's people throughout California, Arizona, all over. Kansas City, they're ready to get on there, call to action, because they're furious for the fact that we found out after the fact that these cops, that we went this far, and they're still there. They're still at home. It's crazy.

And so many people were just so upset that regardless of how far we get, they're still dealing with the corruption because you have these lawyers, these politicians, these whatever they have, these big brothers above them that are still giving resistance of holding their own accountable. But these people, I'm here to tell you, it's like, they're like, give us numbers. We're going to call wherever we have to. Call Lamar Davis,

because Lamar Davis should have cuffed him. I don't understand. I just don't understand. We have what we have, but you still refuse to hold them accountable, lock them up? They should be locked up, because we're talking about murder. Indeed.

Mona Harten, we appreciate it. Again, sorry for your loss, but we appreciate your fight and your fight for accountability in this case, and we're going to continue to see this story through its conclusion. I tell you, stay tuned. We're not through. We are not through. I'm proud to say because what we do, we do for everyone. Thank you. Appreciate it. That's right. Thank you so very much. Kelly, I'll start with you. You know, we've been on this story from day one, and just the constant lying is what gets me. Just straight lying. I mean, I can only imagine what this mother is going through, what several mothers have had to go through

in the course of this journey of police officers just lying about what they do to their Black sons and daughters. It is absolutely disgusting. It is just, I'm tired of it. I don't know how else to describe how fatigued and drained I am of it. And if I'm drained of it, I can only imagine how these parents feel, how these family members must feel

that their loved ones are no longer here at the hands of law enforcement who have constantly not only lied, but been protected by way of their lies. It is the ultimate betrayal of public trust, of that social contract between someone who is supposed to be protecting you and yourself as a citizen. I just have no words outside of me just praying that she finds the justice that she deserves, that her son deserves, that her family deserves because of the atrocities of this police department. The thing here, Joe, is, and this is what we talk about all the time,

that blue line covering for themselves. The Louisiana State Police, they were going to get away with this. It was not until that body camera footage was released. I mean, they just said the man died in a car crash. He was beating it. Yeah. And this is why I'm not saying body cameras are the be-all to end-all, but this story is why every law enforcement officer

should always have a body camera on. Record it. At an absolute minimum, you know. And really, you know, it's interesting. You know, we watch some trials and we cover them sometimes, and they talk about how, you know, the experts come and try to explain the context for a body cam in terms of what you saw you didn't see

that actually came up in the trial of the Dean trial recently. And fortunately, he was convicted of something. But that being said, it's interesting how, imagine at the risk of answering a question with a question, how comfortable, and I mean that word when I say literally must they have been to do what they did to understand how comfortable would they have had to have been to do what they did. They knew they weren't going to get caught. They knew that this system was created to protect them and to comfort them. That is the word. They didn't have a minor amount, any amount of discomfort whatsoever with lying, with cheating.

Tape disappeared for a couple years. You know, everybody was still working. And just about until an indictment the other day, everybody's still working. They had every belief and expectation that this system that was made to protect them would continue doing so. And unless it was for the great determination of a focused mother and a focused group of people, media like yourself, making sure we're drawing attention to this issue while the tide is turning somewhat. There's still an expectation. But while the tide is turning somewhat, I mean, even in Fort Worth, they fired the guy right away. Here, these guys were still working. This mother was still paying these people's salaries and retirements, as the case may be.

And so, you know, hopefully we're turning the corner in some ways. But I tell you, if you're looking for something to do, we got our hands full on this thing because this is a full-blown system thing. They had every expectation that they would be protected. And it's not over yet. We'll have to see what happens with the jury, et cetera. But at least people can see it's not a foregone conclusion that police could never be wrong. There was a time when that was the case. Even when they were wrong, it was about what you could see. There was no film. There was no nothing. That's why the body cam was so important. That's the reason why they didn't want it uncovered. But here we are. And by faith, with faith and works, we'll continue to get where we need to get so that these folks, the ones that are alive, four out of five ain't bad or five out of six, whatever it is, get convicted like they should.

Michael, the point that Joe makes there is that they knew we can get away with this. Yeah, you know, and what's interesting here is the 46-minute body camera footage, it came from the body camera of Officer DeMoss, Dakota DeMoss. And he lied and said that he was fighting for his life against Ronald Green. Now, Ronald Green was tased seven times with a stun gun. OK. Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth used his stun gun seven times on a stun gun, okay? Master Trooper Chris Hollingsworth used his stun gun seven times on Ronald Green. And then also, he was beaten in the head with a flashlight as well, all right?

Now, unfortunately, Chris Hollingsworth died, okay? That's the officer that died. I wish he was alive to face the full weight of the justice system on him. But if it had not been for this 46-minute body camera video, we would not be here with these charges. So hopefully every last one of these officers face the stiffest penalties. Hopefully they're convicted, face the stiffest penalties. Hopefully they're convicted, face the stiffest sentences. And, you know, this is why body cameras matter. This is why prosecutors matter. OK. And this is why elections matter as well. Indeed, folks, hold tight one second, go into a break. We come back.

We'll stay in Louisiana and we'll talk about a community group that's been fighting an environmental project for a very long time. They recently got a court victory. We'll stay in Louisiana and we'll talk about a community group that's been fighting an environmental project for a very long time. They recently got a court victory. We'll explain exactly what that is. Also, folks, Avery Woodley, life coach, we've seen her on our fitness segments. She put together a powerful and emotional seven-minute video talking about the suicide of prominent DJ and dancer Twitch. It is one that you do not want to miss where she gives her personal testimony about what she endured when she almost decided. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time,

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

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

Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

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

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

Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. To commit suicide. We'll have that for you right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Back in a moment. Hatred on the streets a horrific scene a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence white people are losing their damn minds there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance.

We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the rise of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. There's all the Proud Boys, guys.

This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. I need to do something crazy,

but I don't know what to do. I'd rather just sit here. 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. Barbara Johnson is missing from Bernice, Louisiana. The 14-year-old was last seen on November 4th. Barbara is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Barbara Johnson should call the Bernice, Louisiana Police Department at 318-285-9933. 318-285-9933. Let's go to Georgia with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Guess what, y'all? He wants to end the state's election runoffs. He's calling on lawmakers to end general election runoffs when the legislature reconvenes in January. The move comes after two high-profile Georgia Senate runoffs. Georgia lawmakers are considering lowering the threshold for winning to a 45% plurality or using ranked choice ballots for voters. Raffensperger made this statement in

a news conference news release about his decision. Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a general election runoff. We're also one of the only states that always seems to have a runoff. I'm calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the general election runoff and consider reforms. Now, here's what happened here, Michael. They changed the law years ago to stop black people from winning. That's why they actually have the runoffs. And so now all of a sudden, oh, let's now change it again. I kept warning people. Warnock wins. They're going to try to figure out another way to change what's going on here could get a do-over.

If no candidate got more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters had to go head-to-head in a runoff election. And that was designed so white people could coalesce their votes around one white candidate, regardless of political affiliation, and defeat the African-American candidate. Keep in mind, Georgia is the state with the largest Confederate monument in the country. So when Raphael Warnock won in January 2021 in that runoff election and beat Kelly Loeffler the second time, he pissed off a lot of white people, especially Republicans, because he defied the odds, okay? Stacey Abrams, N.C. Ufa, Black Voters Matter. So then he comes back around

and he beats their Black candidate, who is white supremacy through ventriloquism, Herschel Walker, okay? So now they're trying to figure out how to skin the cat again, okay? And how to undermine the African-American vote. So this is why we can't fall

for the okey-doke. We have to defeat them every step of the way. You know, it's so funny here, Joe, that he's now saying, let's get rid of the runoffs. And I'm sorry, you want to lower the decision, lower it to 45 percent? Wow. But I just keep telling people, these folks are going to keep trying to rig elections so they can be guaranteed to win. Obviously, somebody got in a room and said, now listen, how do we win? And he probably got some opposition from the folks he was talking to when they were there behind closed doors. He said, wait, hear me out. Hear me out.

This is what we do. We get rid of the runoff, but we put it down to 45 percent. So if we can have enough bottlenecked at the beginning where not everybody that can vote gets out to vote, then we can win on that general election ballot. So clearly, some way or other, they believe that's going to benefit them. Of course, to say that now you just need 45 percent is interesting. But I think the same thing that can make you laugh or end up making you cry. We have to continue our urgency as it pertains to voting. We cannot let that go away. And, you know, no matter how hard it gets, we have to continue to make sure that that's a priority so that however they change the game, we got to jump over two things instead of

one. You know, they're going to go back to the poll tax they effectively had with some of this other stuff that they're doing, the voter ID stuff and things like that. Whatever it may be, we have to make sure that we're there and we meet this challenge with that urgency every single time. If we meet the challenge with the urgency every single time, then I don't expect a problem. We're going to have to still fight in the courts. We're going to have to still fight, you know, no problems that we can't overcome. But it is certainly interesting that they're trying to change the game. It must be nice to be in a position to have a moving target

and to change your rules when it's convenient for you. But I don't think that it will come out the way it needs to ultimately anyway, if we stay urgent. And look, we deal with this all constantly on this show, Kelly, and how they roll. And they're going to keep trying to narrow, narrow, narrow as much as they can. But we just got to be prepared to outvote them every single time. You've got to be vigilant when it comes to people who like to change the rules of the game to benefit them each and every time. Again, like I'm going to echo the sentiments of the rest of the panel of, I think it's funny how they only want 45%

now as if Democrats can't get 45% first or anything like that. I mean, it's laughable how much bending over backwards they are willing to do in order to at least think that they could possibly have a shot. Yeah, I just, it is amusing to me, but it's also scary because if you don't, if you don't remain vigilant, if you think that this is over just because Warnock is in office now, you got another thing coming. Like, there's still other elections coming up. There's always going to be another election coming up.

There's always going to be a democracy on the ballot. So as long as democracy is on the ballot, we need to get to the polls and make sure that the games that they play aren't going to be detrimental to us. Indeed, indeed. Folks, today, Adam Kinzinger, who is leaving Congress, the Illinois Republican, blasted his party, calling it bankrupt and morally corrupt. But he also slammed them for their racism in his final speech as a member of Congress on the House floor. Watch. Following the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, former President George H.W. Bush publicly refuted those who used fear to gain support. In stark contrast, our leaders today belittle and in some cases justify attacks on the U.S. Capitol as, quote quote legitimate political discourse. The once great party

of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan has turned its back on the ideals of liberty and self-governance. Instead it has embraced lies and deceit. The Republican Party used to believe in a big tent which welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Now we shelter the ignorant, the racists, who only stoke anger and hatred to those who are different than us. Our constituents voted us in based on our beliefs, but we cannot use our faith as a sword and a shield while ignoring the fact that we are all children of God, that we are all Americans.

Well, that's great. But, you know, they're going to keep doing exactly what they are doing because that's who they are. Folks, here in California, they are closer to deciding the issue about reparations. The nine-member California Reparations Task Force continued this week, held its second public hearing on recommendations for state-level reparations. On Wednesday, the task force hosted the second public hearing in Oakland, where black residents made their thoughts known. My name is Max Finnell.

My great-grandfather was a sharecropper. And then, thankfully, my grandfather went to Tuskegee. At Tuskegee, it was George Washington Carver that convinced my grandfather to move north and start his own church. So that's a little bit of my history. But really what I came up here to say is I'm a businessman, and all I care about is the numbers. I care about cutting the check.

One of the things that you said is we don't necessarily have a name. Some of us do kind of refer to us as foundational black Americans. If you hang out on the Twitter spaces, you might know that. But one of the things I wanted to touch on that you said, I think you said it was an $872 billion reserve fund, right? Price tag, which if everyone, each Black American, I think it's 2,282,144 Black Americans in California, if everyone was a foundational black American, then equally everyone would be paid $300,082. So to give us some numbers for us to be thinking about, if there's $872 billion sitting around and we know not all 2 million people are going to be foundational black Americans, we can

at least come close to that $380,000 number. On top of that, I think it's very important that there is debt forgiveness, land. I've lived here for 70 years, and I can't begin to tell you how much money I've spent on rent. So when it comes to housing, there's got to be something. No down payment, two years, three years, no payment, something like that. But land money in that number is around $380,000.

Thank you. Task Force Chairperson Camila Moore has not set a dollar amount on the form of reparations. The Task Force is set to have the final report issued in June of 2023. Folks, when we come back from this break, life coach Avery Woodley releases a video on the social media today with regards to the suicide of the DJ and dancer, Twitch, which has shocked so many people,

the outpourings of grief since the news of the death of the 40-year-old happened just a couple of days ago. Her personal testimony is also one that is so powerful that we wanted to share that with you. And we'll do so next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Later in the show, we'll hear from Deion Sanders

that's speaking at today's news conference for Celebration Bowl taking place tomorrow here in Atlanta where he talks about his decision to leave Jackson State. We'll have that for you as well. So lots more to cover on the show.

Don't forget, folks, if you're watching on Instagram, if you're watching on YouTube, hit the like button. Facebook and all of the platforms do the exact same thing. Like and share button, folks. Same on LinkedIn as well.

And support us in what we do by downloading the Black Star Network app. We've already crossed the 50,000 threshold. Let's get to 100,000 downloads. Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Support our Bring the Funk fan club. We're asking 20,000 of our fans annually to give 50 bucks each. That's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. You can support us by sending check and money orders to PO Box 57196,

Washington, D.C. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And be sure to get your copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White making white folks lose their minds, available at all

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

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

And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives this is kind of star-studded a little bit man we got uh ricky williams nfl player hasman trophy winner it's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves music stars marcus king john osborne for brothers osborne We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is.

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

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

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

Everywhere. Be sure to check it out. And of course, download the copy from Audible as well. We'll be right back. I am on screen, and I am representing what a black man is to the entire world that's going to see this. And this might be the only black man, a representation of a black man that they see. Right. So I am responsible for that they see. Right. So I am responsible.

Right. For how they see black men. And it's my responsibility to, if I am not playing an upstanding, honorable, someone with a strong principle of moral core, to make sure that this character is so specific... Right. ...that it is him, not black men. And I wish that more actors would realize

how important their position is as an actor, as an actor of color playing people of color on screen. Because there are people that see us all over the world in these different images that we portray. And not everyone knows black people to know. Yes. That's not all. MUSIC

Carl Payne pretended to be Roland Martin. Holla! You are watching Roland Martin, and I'm on his show today, and it's... What? Huh? You should have some true cards. Hey, what's up, y'all? This your boy, Jacob Lattimore,

and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. Eee! Eee! There's a bill moving through Congress the UNCF and others have really been focused on is called the Ignite HBCU Excellence Act. It stands for the Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology and Education for HBCU's Excellent Act. It establishes a grant program to support long term improvements of historically black colleges and universities. Joining us right now is Rodriguez Murray, the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the UNCF. Rodriguez, glad to have you back on the show. So if this act is passed, what will it do for HBCUs?

Sure. And Mr. Barton, thanks for having me back on again. What this will do will be building new buildings on HBCU campuses. Alumni, those who appreciate the campuses, they've all said that they wish the facilities were better. And the only way to do that is to make sure that there's an influx of money that's focused on infrastructure, focused on the physical facilities, as well as making sure that the broadband is right for our students and making sure that there's a campus that's fit for the students of tomorrow on each one of our historically black campuses.

It's important that there's a federal investment made for this reason. And the reason for that is because if that doesn't happen, then we won't have it. There's been a systemic wave that has kept investment out of our institutions and away from our students. And we have to make sure that the federal government is first in line to help alleviate this inequity. And we know that it's going to be paid for because our institutions, even though they only enroll 10% of all black students in the country and they're only 3% of all of the higher education institutions, the vast majority of the black middle class and theU grads, over 50 percent of all black public school teachers, HBCU grads, over 60 percent of all black dentists, HBCU grads. The list goes on and on and on. Almost all the black judges, most of the black lawyers, all HBCU grads. And so the investment in our campuses will be paid for many times over by the product that we put out.

And there must be something magical happening on those campuses, because even with 10 percent of all black students enrolled, we tend to have such better outcomes than institutions with many more resources than us. And so this particular act, first of all, how much resources are we talking about? If we get it passed this year, and by the way, in your opening, you said it's moving through Congress. As a matter of fact, it's actually stalemated. And our outcome is unclear if we're actually going to achieve the passage of the act and have it signed into law this year. But if we can get it because of other appropriations that are moving through this year and could culminate next week, it looks like upwards of $225 million in one year for building on our campuses. But we actually have to pass the bill and get the authorization.

And that's why UNCF has started a campaign and taken the social media. You know, we talk all the time about grass tops and then grassroots. We're trying to get to the grassroots and get the real people who have gone to these institutions that know these institutions well. And we're trying to get them to write letters to Congress. And so we've set up our own website, uncf.org backslash HBCU Ignite. If you go there and fill out the form and press send, in less than 15 seconds, you can send two letters to the Senate, one to each one of your two senators, send a letter to your House of Representatives member,

and then also send a letter to the president and to the vice president, a fellow HBCU grad, and let them all know that you want this bill passed and you want it passed this year. You know, Congress is going to look really different in less than 30 days, Roland. And if we don't act now, who knows when we're going to have this opportunity again? Questions for my panel real quick. Kelly, you first. Sure. So are there regions in particular that you feel like need this help the most as far as HBCU construction? Or are we talking about just blanket across the board money to HBCUs for construction purposes? Kelly, that's a great question. We're talking about the latter. So we've surveyed HBCUs and

over 90% of them say that they have deferred maintenance to the point where they need this kind of federal investment. And so with over 90% of the more than 100 HBCUs saying they need this investment, we're talking about investments for the HBCUs all across the country. Talking from Pennsylvania all the way down to Florida and from Georgia all the way over through to Texas and Oklahoma. All the institutions need this kind of help. Joe. Appreciate your work, sir. If you had your wish list, I think that what is being proposed here is just a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking, when you look at the endowments of, you know, historically white institutions, et cetera. But if you had your wish list, what would be the next thing along the road?

So, Joe, I think that's a good question also. We've worked really hard over the last five years to try to change the landscape for HBCUs. So we started out, if you remember Bennett College and their issues of funding and with their accreditor, we started out deferring the loans that many HBCUs had to the federal government. We started out deferring Bennett alone with six of his colleagues. We added six more. So we had 13 institutions whose loans were frozen in time for a period. And then in December 2020, we were able to alleviate those same loans, not just for 13 institutions, but completely wiped them off the books of 45 HBCUs that were owing the federal government money to the tune of over $1.7 billion.

In addition to that, we've been able to secure permanent funding for the STEM programs at HBCUs. That was the Future Act. It passed in December, almost the same time in 2019. And then over the course of the pandemic, we were able to secure some $7.5 billion with a B for HBCUs with a line item specific for those institutions. You put all that together and we've been tackling issue by issue to try to improve these institutions, along with the philanthropic support the UNCF solicits from the public. But this is the next frontier. Infrastructure is the big thing, because when you're trying to recruit students, infrastructure is what they look at when they come to visit your campus.

Then with the pandemic, it made it so important to have the infrastructure improved, because now we realize you need more space, you need more laboratories. Our students, our faculty have to be on the cutting edge of making sure that issues like COVID-19 or RSV, whatever is the emerging issue, that we have the right facilities so that we can study

and get rid of the health disparities that are the scourge for our race and that no one else is really looking at. If HBCUs don't get the right labs and the right buildings to look at these health disparities and other kinds of disparities all across our diaspora, who else will do it, Joe? Right. Amen. Indeed. All right. So what do you want our artists to do? Thank you, Roland. I want everyone to not just do this, but to tell a friend and tell a friend to tell a friend. Go to UNCF.org backslash HBCU Ignite. In less than 15 seconds, you can fill out that form and press send.

And you've impacted Capitol Hill and you improved the chances of Congress taking up this bill this coming week, next week, that's the end game. They're going to pass their appropriations bills, and they're going to pass everything that they have on their docket, and they're going home. And if they don't pass HBCU Ignite by Christmas Eve, then that means we have to start all over again from the beginning next to Congress. And that means all 219 of our House co-sponsors, over half the House, is on board with this bill. We'll have to start all over from co-sponsor number one and try to build our way back. But HBCUs, our students, we just can't wait that long.

We need everyone going to uncf.org backslash HBCU Ignite and then let everyone else know that they should do the same. If you care about the schools, care about the students, help us make them better. uncf.org backslash HBCU Ignite. All right, LaRigas, we certainly appreciate it, man. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much, Roland, and best of luck to you in the new year. I appreciate it. Likewise. All right, folks, today at Winston-Salem State University, one of their graduates actually gave a gift to the fellow graduates. Chris Paul, 11-time NBA All-Star, of course, point guard, graduated today from Winston-Salem State University and presented his fellow classmates a $2,500 financial gift.

Watch. Yes, absolutely. Greenwood Bank is a black owned bank. And I keep saying I promise you we were listening at graduation, but I was having a lot of conversations with some of my classmates because they had questions, rightfully so, and if I'm there, I want to try to answer them as best as possible. And we got a chance to start talking about financial literacy. You know, one of the homies standing right there,

he had trash bags over his shoes at first or whatnot, and he talked about how much he spent on the shoes that he had. And so we talked about a bank account, you know, and that's what it is for all the students. It's a bank account for all of them. And all of their bank accounts start with $100. And I always say this, when you think about schooling or whatnot, when I would be in class and we would have conversations, we'd be talking about, some point it was always going to come down to finance. Right. Because that's one of the things that I don't think we get educated on enough, myself included.

And so just to start them on the right track or whatnot or help out as much as I can to have them understand the importance of finance and Greenwood Bank. I'm grateful for it. So the Chris Paul Foundation, again, partnered with the Bank of Greenwood, a black owned digital banking platform to give each graduate a total value of $2,500. And again, Paul, of course, graduated today with his bachelor's degree in communications. That is pretty cool right there. All right, folks, I'm going to go to a break. We come back. We're going to Dion Sanders speaks at the Celebration Bowl. Talked about why leaving Jackson State, but also coach Avery Woodley drops a an amazing video of folks talking about suicide. Her own personal story as people still deal with the reality of Stephen Boss, also known as

Twit. She was a DJ with Ellen DeGeneres, co-host, dancer as well, taking his own life at the age of 40 years old. We will show you what she had to say. You don't want to miss this, folks. It really, really, really is a powerful, powerful testimony. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network back in a moment. 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, and entertainment is a huge part of our lives. And we're gonna talk about it every day, right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. Hey, what's up everybody? It's Godfrey, the funniest dude on the planet. Hi, I'm Israel Houghton. Apparently the other message I did was not fun enough.

So this is fun. You are watching. Roland Martin, my man Martin Unfiltered. So many people have been just shocked and stunned at the death of Stephen Boss. 40 years old, went by, of course, Twitch. He was a DJ, was a dancer. So many news from the El DeGeneres show. Took his own life a couple days ago, folks.

Just a few days after him and his wife celebrated their ninth anniversary. And I've seen a lot of people out there talking about his passing. People have been shocked and stunned by it. But Avery Woodley, you've seen her on our show several times, posted a video on Instagram today. And I shared it on all of my platforms, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn as well. TikTok, where she said people need to have more empathy and understanding of those who go down this path and sometimes don't come out on the other end. And she shared her personal testimony. And here it is. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun?

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

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

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

It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug ban. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher.

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

and the Ad Council. I know there are a lot of people who do not understand suicide. And when we hear about someone passing away due to suicide, you will hear and see comments that say, well, they had this and that going on. What was so bad that they had to take their own life? What about their spouse? How could they? What about their children? What about the people that love them? How could they do that? They are so selfish. Or we also look at their success and things that they actually have, what their house looks like, what their cars look like, maybe even what they look like physically. And we'll say they had everything. Well, do wealthy people not pass by suicide or successful people not pass by suicide or what you view as an attractive person pass away by suicide? But it just goes to show how detached we are. And in a world where we are so connected, we are so disconnected. We are less human than we have ever been. We lack empathy on so many levels.

And I was at one point one of those people. I didn't understand suicide. so selfish to take their own life until I got to a point in my life where I was so low and darkness was all around me and I was in a spot that no one could reach me. My kids couldn't reach me. My family couldn't reach me. All of those people that loved me were not able to reach me. And at one point, I felt like the only way to escape the darkness and the only way to stop the pain was for me to somehow leave here. My daughter was two years old, and I thought about leaving here on her second birthday

because the pain was consuming me. That's how low and how dark it got. And I had to dig so deep, and I was so tired of fighting, and I was so tired of fighting and I was so tired of being strong and I was so tired of putting up this front around people as if everything was fine. Everything was okay. I was what I would have considered and what I refer to when I talk to people, the walking dead. I was a zombie. Certain people knew something wasn't right. One of the reasons why I have a fear of cameras, like before I make a video, I have to like psych myself up, is because for so long when I was in a world where cameras were around at times,

I never wanted to be on camera because I knew somebody would find me out. I knew that there would be a moment where the cameraman would take his lens and capture a look on my face or capture a look in my eyes, and somebody out there would see it and know how broken I was. And they would know that I was putting up a front. And at that moment, I didn't want anybody to know I was so used to hiding it. And when you do that, it consumes you. It consumes you. It consumes you. And we have to understand that not everybody makes it out of that dark place. Not everybody is going to win that fight.

And unless you've been in that spot, and unless you have literally, you're not fighting for your life, unless you have literally had to fight for your fucking soul. It is so hard to understand. That is one of the hardest things. It is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I don't wish that spot on anyone. It has given me a level of compassion, empathy that I never knew was possible because before that I was so hard. I was so rigid. And so now when I see stories about someone who passes due to suicide and someone who was tired and who was exhausted and who wanted to ease the pain, my heart goes out to them. I've been there. I get it. And I just, I don't wish that experience on anyone, but I mean, if you don't soften your hearts, if you don't open up, you will learn. You will learn and you will understand because it will

touch you or it will touch someone close to you. So this is just a reminder, especially now during the holidays, that we just need to all be more human. That was, again, I text Avery and told her how proud of her I was for her to actually post that. She recorded it as an audio recording and put all that together and to tell that story. A lot of us, a lot of people have been unwilling to share their stories. Tyler Perry talked about him dealing with depression and pain and trauma and trying to take his life twice, not succeeding. You know, Michael, Terrell Terry, a 2020 first-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks.

Announced on Instagram yesterday that he was retiring because of overwhelming anxiety. And in the wake of Twitch's suicide, a lot of people have just been saying, you know, but I don't understand. I mean, we're watching these videos and you're showing the family and the fun. And again, it was about seven or eight days ago, November 24th, around Thanksgiving, when they posted about, I think he posted a photo saying how he was just happy

and thankful for life and family and love. And this happens. And what Avery laid out I think is so important. We've got to stop thinking that because somebody has money and fame and a big house and a great family and all of that, or if they don't, that everything is just wonderful and perfect. It simply isn't. Yeah, that's true, Roland. You know, this is definitely a tragedy and more details are coming out. I'm looking at an article right now from Yahoo Entertainment where his grandfather is talking about how the family is completely devastated and new details are emerging.

You know, mental health is something that's extremely important. It has to be really addressed. And it doesn't matter whether you are poor, whether you are wealthy, whether you are a celebrity, things of this nature. You never know what's going on. Recently, David Mann, who's married to Tamela Mann, you know, Mr. and Mrs. Brown. You mentioned Tyler Perry. They're in Tyler Perry movies and the TV show. He was on the Tamron Hall show, and he talked about being diagnosed with depression. And he was so focused on making sure everybody in his family was okay

because he was the fixer in the family. That was his responsibility, make sure you're okay, you're okay, you're okay, that he didn't focus on his own mental health, and he felt like he was drowning. And he said people would not realize he was drowning unless he was no longer there, meaning he felt like he was drowning. And he said people would not realize he was drowning unless he was no longer there, meaning he died. Okay. So this is extremely important. And, you know, I applaud people like Taraji P. Henson, who are using their platform as a celebrity to shed more light on this. But we need more funding from the federal government to address mental health as well.

You know, Kelly, I had a friend who works for a company. Actually, it's a labor union and was really going through some tough time. And I said, pick the phone up, call your your your your HR department and get help. You're paying for it. And that's part of the deal. Part of the deal is being able to share and talk to someone and having someone to encourage you to get the help that you need because for a lot of people, they just don't have somebody who they can call.

And a lot of times, again, we're so good at masking things, in many ways, we just don't know what they're dealing with, even if it matters to them. And I get that. So this hit home for me because I also deal with depression and anxiety. I've been clinically diagnosed for years now. I've been on medication for years now.

I have attempted suicide at least twice that I can remember. A lot of times I've blacked out. Um, and most recently my suicidal ideations came back within the last couple of months because my brother was murdered October 2nd. So I, I get it. I absolutely get it. Um, and for those who have... I've seen on social media talking about, like, how happy he was this 7th and 3rd. You know, even his Thanksgiving post, a good day does not necessarily override a dark mind. You know, you having a spark of light

every once a month or once an hour when 24 hours is still in a day. It is hard to get up every morning feeling, I don't even wanna say like a failure, but like literally nothing. And to try and feel like something every single day, it is beyond fatiguing. I don't know how else to describe it. I also understand a lot of my family and friends,

myself included, who are in the church, who are considered religious, who do not understand that sometimes... I'm not going to say that God is not capable, but God also made people who have the tools who are closer to being capable than just some ancestral help. But to your point about, you know, picking up the phone

for those who are hurting, I know in my case that it was not a situation in which I could pick up the phone because you don't even know you need the help. Because in my world, this was normal. If you don't know what normal feels like outside of what you are living through, how do you know to pick up the phone? How do you know that you're not doing well? You think everybody else is alone, too. Until something,

someone comes into your life and shows you different. But if you don't have that something different, you're not going to know. I don't want to keep everybody here. It's late, but it is a journey. It is a journey to choose life every day. It is a conscious decision to choose yourself every day. And for those who, like Twitch,

were not able to choose themselves in a way that would have benefited the rest of us, I just wish them well in the choice that they make. And I hope that they find the peace that they were searching for. But for those who are still on this side of the ancestral plane who are thinking about making that choice, don't. There are tools out there. There are people out there. My DMs are open.

I'm out here. And whether it's through prayer, manifestation, or anything, you can and will get through this if that is what you want to do. Yep. And Joe, you know, one of the things, one of the reasons

why I was glad that Avery posted that, because I've seen some people already commenting on my Facebook page or Instagram page who said that they had suicidal thoughts and or they actually were going down that path. And then when they saw her story, were encouraged by that. And part of the deal is by having very prominent people be very honest. And I thank Kelly for her transparency and honesty as well. When they are able to see folks who speak about dealing with this stuff, then they also realize I'm not the only one. It's just not me. That's right.

And also, first of all, Kelly, I'm thinking about you. I'm praying for you. You know, and I appreciate the fact that you are courageous enough to add works with that faith to go as far as you can to continue in your self-care journey. You know, I have a client who is a young child, just turned 18 years old, was pimped out of the group home that she was in, she's suicidal because of what she's gone through and what she's seen. People will look at that person and say, oh, okay, I understand that person's suicidal, but what about the professional person who seems to be doing well? We have to continue to fight the stigma, I don't think it ever ends, of understanding that, you know, being okay,

there's more to meet than meets the eye to the notion of being okay. You know, we looked at Twitch's post on Thanksgiving with his wife, and we figured, oh my God, where did this come from? Came from a place. I've represented clients who have committed suicide, not necessarily connected to the cases. There's people from my high school class that have committed suicide. It's all over us. It's happened to educated people. It happens to people that are uneducated, people that it's not supposed to happen to. And so what we have to do is do the best we can to be as intentional as possible. So when somebody like Kelly says something, somebody like the video that you, that you, that you, that you show, when someone says something, you know, you can't really take people where you haven't been. But one thing you can do is you can realize that there is somewhere else to go, that there is some

out there, there is another experience out there where someone could have everything and feel like nothing and feel hopeless. It exists. It's there. And all of the trappings of whether it's fame or whether it's success or how people define it, I think can intensify those feelings. They might feel there's that much more on an island. I'm the one that's not making it, that's supposed to make it here, here, or I think I'm making it because this is how it was always defined to me. But I'm going from breath to breath and from hour to hour and

from minute to minute, not knowing what it is I'm going to do. We have to continue to talk about this as much as we possibly can and be a help and have some sensitivity and have some sensitivity and have some compassion of the fact that there are other experiences out there where people are just barely hanging on whether you think they should be hanging on or not we got to continue that discussion uh indeed indeed so folks there are services out there. Uh, if you are, um, looking, uh, if

you have issues with suicide and those thoughts, please, please, uh, make the call, send the text message, um, and, um, and seek the help, uh, because we love you, the people who love you, and we want folks to be able to get as much help as they can. Got to go to a break, folks. We come back. Deion Sanders speaks today about the Celebration Bowl taking place tomorrow here in Atlanta, North Carolina Central, Jackson State, and talks about why he's leaving and why he loves Jackson State and what his mission in life is.

We'll have that for you next right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network back in a moment. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future

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

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

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

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

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

or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning

that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids,

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, you're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people-powered movement. There's a lot of stuff that we're not getting. You get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in black owned media. Your

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The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle rmartin unfiltered. Venmo is rm unfiltered. Zelle is rolling at rollingsmartin.com. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are high. Can you still thrive during these uncertain times?

On the next Get Wealthy, you're gonna meet a woman who's done just that, living proof of what you need to do to flourish during these uncertain times. These are times where you take advantage of what's going on. This is how people get rich or richer. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network.

Hi, I'm Israel Houghton with Israel and New Breed. What's up, what's up? I'm Dr. Ricky Doolittle, the choir master. 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. All right, folks. Big game tomorrow.

North Carolina Central Eagles, Jackson State Tigers, MEAC versus the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl airing at noon Eastern on ESPN. Today, both teams held their news conferences, and Deion Sanders addressed the issue of him leaving Jackson State after three years to become the head coach of the University of Colorado HBCU to PWI. Here's primetime. Let's get the cat out of the bag, man. Let's go ahead and talk about that.

You're right on all accounts. I appreciate you. Never once did I say they're going to put a tombstone with my name on it at Jackson State. So I wasn't going to die here. Y'all know that. Everything I said I would do, I did. Everything I said I wanted to happen, I tried my darndest to make it happen.

We've exceeded, I think, expectations in some realm. But when I don't fit into someone else's plan and purpose, now there's ridicule. But you forgot about my plan and God's purpose. That's where the dysfunction comes. I reached a point where I said to myself, we're going to go out there and recruit another great class, and we were, and T.C. will, and we're going to win again. So at what point do we keep dominating

that you don't get mad at us for dominating? Because it's a level of dominance where you start to turn, and I felt that. We start to get tension from our own people because you're dominant. And you start saying, well, that's prime. He can recruit that. We ain't got that. We don't have this.

We heard that last night. You're four and five stars. Yeah, because we recruit those in each time. But it comes a time that that's not what it's all about for me. I'm a winner. I've always won. I'm going to win. Y'all know that if you've done your homework. But it's bigger than that. It's about increasing enrollment. It's about the safety of students. It's about going to the next level, not just in football. I would love to go to another conference.

Is the rest of the school ready? Is the baseball team ready? Is the basketball teams ready? Or just the football team? See, you make it just about football, and it's not just about football to me. It's about our trainers and kids that the fire alarms may go off and not being turned off at 315 in the morning. It's about people that may not have the

proper safety on a campus that they should. I'm not just talking about Jackson State. I'm talking about everywhere. So the things that I want to accomplish, I can't do it by just being the football coach and winning games. I can't do it. And I reached a point where I had a real conversation with the Lord. Now, it's funny how you believe the Lord when he said to come here, but you don't believe me when I tell you the Lord may tell me to do otherwise. It's like my God is talking to you about me. I don't think he works like that.

But it's so much more that I can't do because that's not my occupation. I'm a football coach and a darn good one. And name one thing in football that we haven't accomplished that I said we would. But it's bigger than that. And until we address these underlining issues that nobody wants to talk about, ain't nothing going to change. Football, yes. But what else is gonna change and i'm a change agent that's what it's all about to me because i'm not just attached to the football players the equipment persons the trainers the academic persons everybody on campus when we leave

you're gonna find out what all we did. Because they don't really talk about the positivity until we go. You'll find out what all we did for Jackson State and all we wanted to do for Jackson State. I just pray to God that in all that, get some understanding on change and where change really starts. And it does not start in the football department.

Thought it was good. That was a moment, wasn't it? Thank you, Sam, for clapping. Thank you, Sam. Alright, folks. We're going to be live streaming tomorrow morning from the Fan Zone, 10.30 a.m., partnering with Coca-Cola. Look forward to that. We'll be attending the Celebration Bowl, and then we'll have the post-Celebration Bowl coverage on Monday, powered by General Motors.

So look forward to that on Roland Martin Unfiltered. So cannot wait for that to happen. All right, folks. Black women, they start businesses at a faster rate than anybody else, but many of them are running into significant challenges when it comes to growing their businesses. Monique Presley wants to change this. She's offering launch with Monique Presley.

The Set Up 3-Day Coaching Seminar for entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs who want to set up their businesses for sustained success. Monique, joins us right now. A lot of people out there, they say they want to be the boss, but don't know really what that requires. Absolutely. And Roland, thank you so much for having me on your show. It feels like the first time. No, we as Black women, we're preeminent, right? In so many things. We have the most education. We are the most employed. We have the largest number of people who are entrepreneurs, our demographic, more entrepreneurs from 2014 up till the current day. But we also have the largest number who are not sustaining our businesses for five

years, which is the magic number that determines whether you're going to be successful as a business owner or as an entrepreneur or not. And that's the part that I want to change. We get in business out of necessity, you know, emergency, right, begets invention. So we get in business because we're the ones who figure it out when nobody else can. But then how do we stay in it? And so for me, my answer is I want you to be set up the right way, not just black women, but anybody who's looking to start a business, grow a business, scale a business, sustain a business. We've got those answers. to start a business, grow a business, scale a business, sustain a business. We've got those answers. Roland, during the pandemic, you came to my Be the Boss seminar online,

and you were a blessing. You're going to be one again this next week. I appreciate you. But you came and shared what entrepreneurship is really like, what your mentality has to be, what your vision has to be, how you have to put some arms around your vision, how you have to structure it, how you have to be prepared for the downtimes as well as the uptimes. And we're offering that again. If you don't know what EIC stands for, we've got you. If you already have a business that you've been in business for four years, but it's not growing and you're barely meeting budget. We've got you.

If you have gone out of business and want to get back in, we've got you, too. First of all, so when is it taking place and what time? So it's online, and it's this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, December 20th, 21st, 22nd at 8 p.m. Eastern. If people want to register, they can go to launchwithmoniquepressley.eventbrite.com. That's launchwithmoniquepressley.eventbrite.com. And if you're watching me now, then there is a promo code for you. What's the promo code? R-M-U. You get 20% off your registration. There's general admission registration, and then there's VIP administration for all three nights, which gives you an

opportunity to get question and answers, not just from me, but from my guests. Listen, they say there's going to be a recession, Roland. I don't know if I believe them or not. But what I know is this. Even if there is a recession, the recession does not have to hit our doors. We can be prepared. We can have multiple streams of revenue. We can have successful businesses. We can have successful businesses. We can have backup plans. And I

don't want you to just have the kind where you are operating a business out of your kitchen, but you don't have no certificates. You don't have no insurance. You don't have no risk management. You don't have no plan. You don't have, you don't have no savings, all of that sis, bruh, you just doing your best. We want to help you. We've got people like Roland Martin, Deborah, Deborah Owens, the wealth coach, has agreed to come on. We have others like my stylist who are going to give us tidbits so that you can not just be in business, but stay in business. And that means that you're going to listen. When we say you don't just need an EIC and a website, You need every web domain that you even can conceive of about your

business. You need insurance. You need certificates. You need risk management plans so you don't have to call me to manage your crisis. What if somebody comes in your business and they slip and they fall? Are you ready? We want you to be ready. So that's what we have for you. And I've got people, frankly, rolling, whether it's you, whether it's Deborah, whether it's me, we command $850 plus an hour. And I am offering three days at $150. That's before the promo code. So I'm hoping people take advantage of this because the people, me and the people who are coming, we're passionate about ensuring that whether you can get out of that depression or not, you've got insurance to cover it. Whether you know what your next plan is or not, you can pay food for your family. You can cover the roof over their heads.

There are some basic things that there are principles for that some of us have had access to explanations for. And I want everybody who my voice can reach to have those same answers, that same information. All right, folks, taking place next week. So please use the promo code as well. Monique, I really appreciate it. Thank you so very much. I appreciate you. The promo code is RMU. All right, folks. Use the promo code RMU. It ain't hard.

Okay, that's real simple. Michael, Joe, as well as Kelly. Sorry about that. I know that. The cough is driving me crazy. Appreciate all of y'all being on the panel today. Thank you so very much for joining us. Folks, I'll be back in studio on Monday.

Looking forward to seeing you on Monday. Thank you so very much, folks. We've been crazy busy here. Y'all might be wondering, like, oh, my goodness, why did we come on the last few days? Well, we also, while we're here, first, we started the week with Operation Global Hope Forum, Saturday through Tuesday. Then, of course, we had the Coca-Cola event for Celebration Bowl on Wednesday. We also did a shooting episodes of Rolling with Roland Season 2.

So we had Lou Gossett yesterday, T.I. yesterday. That's why we started late today. I talked to Omar Dorsey. And then, of course, tomorrow morning, back with Celebration Bowl coverage. So we pack a whole lot of stuff when we're here on the road, giving you the best content, frankly, that you're not seeing anywhere else. And so that's the kind of work that we do here because we know you deserve it. So please support us in what we do.

Download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Also, please join our Bring It Funk fan club. Your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do. And of course, you can send a check and money order. PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal's RM Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered.

Zelle, Roland at Roland S. Martin. Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And, of course, you can also get my book, White Fear. And YouTube, what are y'all doing? 854 likes? Seriously? Okay, and there are 2,000 people.

Y'all, we should easily have 1,000 likes. Okay? I got 40 seconds left. Hit the damn like button, y'all, we should easily have 1,000 likes. Okay, I got 40 seconds left. Hit the damn like button, y'all, so we can cross 1,000. This ain't that hard. Be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. They live on all platforms, Target, as well as Bon Jovi, and download it from Audible as well.

All right, folks, we always end the show with our donors. We thank all of them for supporting us. We thank them so very much. Folks, I'll see you all again on Monday. Remember, tomorrow, Celebration Bowl, 10.30 a.m. I'll see you tomorrow with our live stream. Howdy! Thank you. សូវបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា� Thank you. I'm going to go ahead and close this. Thank you. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,

have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that in a little bit, man.

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

This is an iHeart podcast.