#RolandMartinUnfiltered - SCOTUS Abortion Opinion Draft Leak, Moral March on Washington, 1st Female Athlete Sneaker Co. Owner

Episode Date: May 4, 2022

5.3.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: SCOTUS Abortion Opinion Draft Leak, Moral March on Washington, 1st Female Athlete Sneaker Co. Owner It's confirmed that the leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alito's opinion on abortion is real and reveals the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion.  We'll break down that opinions with legal experts and a representative from Planned Parenthood Federation of America. With the Supreme Court opinion leak, Reverand William Barber and one of the leaders from West Virginia's Poor People Campaign will be here to talk about the importance of voting as they are getting ready for next month's Moral March on Washington and to the Polls. Georgia seats a grand jury to investigate Donald Trump's role in the big lie of 2020. For the second time, New York Governor appoints a Lieutenant Governor. A white Flordia man is facing federal hate crimes for trying to run a black man off the road. The Russian detention of Brittany Griner is upgraded to "wrongfully detained."  We'll take a look at what that means. And in our Marketplace segment, she's the first female athlete to own a sneaker company.     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.

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Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? All right, folks, I'm fresh off the plane. Today is Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022. Coming up on Roland Martin, unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. It is confirmed that the leaked draft of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's opinion on abortion is real and reveals the U.S.

Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortion. We'll break that down as it relates to what does it mean for our audience and for the country as well. Folks, with the Supreme Court opinion leak, Reverend William Barber and one of the leaders from West Virginia's Poor People campaign will be here to talk about the importance of voting as they are getting ready for next month's Moral March on Washington and to the polls.

Georgia seats a grand jury to investigate Donald Trump's role in the big lie of 2020. And for the second time, the New York governor appoints a lieutenant governor, chooses a person of color from Congress. A white Florida man is facing federal hate crime charges for trying to run a black man off of the road. And the Russian detention of Brittany Griner is upgraded to wrongfully detained.

We'll take a look at what that means. And in our Marketplace segment, she is the first female athlete to own a sneaker company out of Atlanta. We'll talk about that. Folks, it's time to bring the funk. Roland Martin on the filter on the Black Star Network. Let's go.

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Martin. This is a dark and disturbing morning for America. Last night, a report disclosed that a conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and uproot decades of precedent affirming a woman's right to an abortion. If this report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years, not just on women, but on all Americans. Under this decision, our children will have less rights than their parents. And that was Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader, speaking today on the Senate floor. With regards to Politico's publishing of the leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alito's opinion that will effectively overturn Roe v. Wade. In a stunning breach of court confidentiality,

Politico says the draft has circulated since early February. Here's an excerpt of that opinion. It says that we hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rally

rely on. That is the due process clause of the 14th amendment. That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the constitution, but any such right must be deeply rooted in the nation's history and tradition and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. The right to abortion does not fall within this category until the latter part of the 20th century.

Such a right was entirely unknown in American law. Indeed, when the 14th Amendment was adopted, three-quarters of the states made abortion a crime at all stages of pregnancy. The abortion right is also critically different from any other right that this court has held to fall within the 14th Amendment's protection of liberty. Roe's defenders characterize the abortion

right as similar to the rights recognized in past decisions involving matters such as intimate sexual relations, contraception, and marriage. But abortion is fundamentally different, as both Roe and Casey acknowledge, because it destroys what those decisions called fetal life and what the law now before us describes as an unborn human being. Now, folks, remember, this is a draft. The Supreme Court could very well change perspective based upon the judge's view. Now, Chief Justice John Roberts issued this statement

on behalf of the court, where he says, although the document described in yesterday's report is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the court on the final position of any member on the issues in this case. Now, so again, of course, remember, the Supreme Court heard a challenge to the Mississippi abortion bill as well as the Texas bill.

And so, as a result of that decision, they heard the arguments. This draft supposedly came out of their discussion in February. So, let me be clear. The Supreme Court has not actually issued

a ruling specific to the issue of Roe v. Wade. But what we do know is that there are five hard-right conservatives on the Supreme Court who absolutely want to overturn Roe v. Wade. It is expected by many that Chief Justice John Roberts will be siding with the liberal jurist. This has not stopped many people from discussing this, including President Joe Biden. The idea that it concerns me a great deal that we're going to, after 50 years,

decide a woman does not have a right to choose within the limits of the Supreme Court decision in case number one. But even more equally profound is the rationale used. And it would mean that every other decision relating to the notion of privacy is thrown into question. I realize this goes back a long way, but one of the debates I had with Robert Bork was whether whether Griswold versus Connecticut should stand as law. The state of Connecticut said that the privacy of your bedroom, you, a husband and wife or a couple, could not choose to use contraception. To use contraception was a violation of the law.

If the rationale of the decision as released were to be sustained, a whole range of rights are in question. A whole range of rights. And the idea we're letting the states make those decisions, localities make those decisions, would be a fundamental shift in what we've done. So it goes far beyond, in my view, if it becomes a law and if what is written is what remains. It goes far beyond the concern of whether or not there is the right to choose. It goes to other basic rights, the right to marry, the right to determine a whole range of things.

Because one of the issues that this court, many of the members of the court, a number of the members of the court, have not acknowledged is that there is a right to privacy in our Constitution. I strongly that there is a right to privacy in our Constitution. I strongly believe there is. I think the decision of Biswalt was correct over ruling. I think the decision of Roe was correct because there's a right to privacy. There can be limitations on it, but it cannot be denied.

Vice President Kamala Harris released this statement. The United States Supreme Court has now confirmed that the draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade is genuine. Roe ensures the woman's right to choose to have an abortion and also at its root protects the fundamental right to privacy. What is clear is that opponents of Roe want to punish women and take away their rights to make decisions

about their own bodies. Republican legislators in states across the country are weaponizing the use of the law against women. All right, let's, she continues, the rights of all Americans are at risk. If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere

in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have. Now, folks, understand that Republican legislators across the country are passing bills, not just simply saying no abortion. There are literally no rape or incest exclusions. I mean, that's what's happening right now. So let's break this thing down.

Joining us now is Candace Kelly, a legal analyst. Elisa Spitzer, policy analyst for the Women's Initiative at the Center for American Progress. And EFA Metzger, the director of state media campaigns for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. And, of course, our panel, Teresa Lundy,, Federation of America, and of course, our panel, Theresa Lundy, a team of communications, Mustafa Santiago Ali,

of course, formerly with the EPA. All right, so let's get to this. First, Candace, I'm not wasting my time with the ridiculous leak conversation because the initial Roe v. Wade decision was also leaked. So that's, that's, look, leaks happen every single day. Okay. I cover, I've had stuff leaked to me covering city council, covering county government. So leaks happen on every level of government. If people want to sit here and go down that stupid path or have an investigation, somebody go to jail,

that to me is a complete waste of time. OK, so to me, it's utterly irrelevant. But the thing that does jump out at me here, Candace, and I've watched all these people go back and forth. Oh, it was a it was a it was a it was a it was a liberal clerk who released it. It was it was a you know, it's like all this sort of stuff. But you could also make the argument that you have, you could have a conservative clerk or someone. Could be Jenny Thomas that released it

to ensure that the other Supreme Court justices don't wallow, don't go back and forth, and they stand firm on it. But the bottom line here is they're making the argument, oh, you know what, federal government, get out of this. We're sending this back to the states. And we're talking about potentially half of all states in America that could well place complete restrictions on abortion. And the fact of the matter is, is that Chief Justice Roberts already said that this was an

authenticated official release. Like you said, it could have been either side. The conservative might have done it because of the fact that they just want the world to know that this is what's going on in the minds of the Supreme Court justices. And if you are a state, get ready, put pen's justices make this decision, if it goes in the way that it will, even if it's a 5-4 decision, then Roe v. Wade is overturned and the states get to work. In fact, this is going to trigger 22 states automatically where their own abortion laws will go into practice. This is something that Trump has been working on for years. And understand that he has over 200 judges that he's already appointed on the federal level that will climb the ranks for years to come after these Supreme Court justices in order to

fill those holes. This is all a strategy on everybody's part, whether it's a liberal who actually designed it to make sure that everybody saw this, whether it's a conservative, everybody has their chess players moving in the way that they want, their chess pieces. And so this is what we're seeing. As you said, this happened during Roe v. Wade in terms of it coming out and being leaked. That's not the issue. The issue is, what's going to happen to women's rights? What's going to happen is that women who can't afford it are going to have to waste time by giving up days on their job, crossing state lines where there are abortions, and not even having the money in order to do it.

As we know, Amazon and other companies have already put up money, up to $4,000, in order for women to now get abortions. We're going to see a lot of that taking place in order for women to get abortions. If not, women are going to continue to die like they have been. The fact that Roe v. Wade will actually stop abortions is a myth. It's not going away. It's just that women are going to go through more extremes in order to get an abortion. And that means death in many cases

because these abortions are illegal and unsafe, Roland. Elisa, this is what really also jumps out at me here. And that is, when you examine these laws, what you're looking at, as I said earlier, no exceptions for rape or incest. I mean, you literally have an Ohio Republican as I said earlier, no exceptions for rape or incest. I mean, you literally have an Ohio Republican, a woman saying, oh, if you actually suffer the emotional scars from an abortion, excuse me, the emotional scars of being raped by someone,

being the victim of incest. It's okay, but you just don't have, you must have that child. It'll be okay. You'll get over it. That essentially is what this Republican female legislator is saying in Ohio. It's callous.

It's horrific. It shouldn't be the case. And, you know, this decision draft opinion, I should say, foretells some pretty scary things ahead. I think it's really, really important to remind your viewers, as you did at the top, that abortion is presently still legal. This is a draft opinion. It is not the law of the land. And so if someone needs care now, they can seek care now. But it is true that people who need abortions are not going to be able to access them legally and safely without enormous expense, complications with childcare, taking time off of work. And if you can't do that, you're forced to carry a pregnancy to term.

And heaven forbid that be from a rape in international law that is recognized as illegal. You can't. There's access to abortion for a reason in that context. And it's pretty scary stuff. You know, I'm saying, now, and I do not mean to be dismissive with this, but I've seen all this reaction. And I'm trying to understand why any progressive or Democrat would be shocked. This is precisely what Republicans have been planning and plotting. This is precisely why they held up the Merrick Garland appointment by President Obama. This is precisely why Mitch McConnell blocked 100 federal judges in the last two years of Obama's tenure to provide the nearly more than 200

that Donald Trump actually appointed. This has been their goal for the last 50 years. I'll be perfectly honest with you. I think Democrats and progressives and liberals screwed up in that they did not fully understand or comprehend what it means for a 6-3 or even 5-4 even five, four conservative Supreme Court overturning precedent, overturning cases. That, to me, is what people had better be paying attention to. Yeah, no, you're exactly right. This is the culmination of a decades-long effort

and a national coordinated attempt to ban abortion and get Roe overturned, and that's what we're seeing right now. And, I mean, I will say, despite that, it's no less devastating to read in black and white what we've known was coming for a long time. But, you know, if anything, I hope that this wakes people up because we saw in polling months ago that only a third of the American public

believed that Roe could actually be overturned. Like, people did not believe us when we've been screaming for the rooftops about this. So hopefully now that they've read this strapped opinion, that they see the reaction, they know like, oh, wait, my rights really are at risk. This is a fight that everybody should be involved in. It's at everybody's doorstep.

And this is not hypothetical anymore. This is happening right now. So I just hope that people wake up and realize that finally, because we've been saying it for years. Yeah, and that's the thing that, you know, for me, Candace, that is abundantly clear, that they've been real clear. And I think when you start going back and you look at these Democrats and progressives, oh, no. Was it Susan Sarandon who said, well, maybe if Trump becomes president, that will wake us up? Hmm.

Are we awake yet? He got three Supreme Court picks. All these people who said, oh, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, they're the same. Also, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg resisting efforts to step down early to ensure that she got replaced by a liberal justice. She dies a month, a couple of months before the election. That frees up that position. Conservatives fill it. I mean, this is these are people who have been playing the long game for a long time.

Roland, not only was the writing on the wall, it was a whole dissertation. We saw this coming. And like you said, people did not take it seriously. But now, looking at its implications, when we talk about rights that may not be enumerated in the Constitution, which is what this first draft said by Justice Alito, that these really aren't rights that are enumerated, well, neither is privacy, neither is libel.

So if you're saying that these aren't enumerated, what does this mean for same-sex marriage? What does this mean for people being able to have the type of sex that they want to in their own homes? All of these have been decisions that have come before the Supreme Court. So when we talk about precedent, everything is at stake, because now this becomes precedent for other cases to come. So while we've been, you know, screaming from the rooftops, as your panelists said, about what's been going on, now people will finally pay attention.

It's not just about abortion. It's about this being a precedent case for other cases to come. Uh, and-and, Alisha, that, that really is the situation. Do you believe that with this draft report and the Supreme Court is going to come out with the actual opinion, many expected to take place in June, that this may very well be the wake-up call that is going to get progressives and liberals to understand they are about power. This is not a game.

This is not a board game. This is not for shits and giggles. No, they are trying to completely lock down power for the next 50 to 100 years. Will this be the wake-up call for people? I've got to hope so is all I can say.

You never know. You think the Trump years might have been, but this is something that will touch many, many people in very intimate ways. And if this doesn't resonate, then I'm not sure what would. The thing that I look at, Iante,

53% of white women voted for Donald Trump. Hmm. That first time, second time. So when people say oh my goodness these suburban women are going to revolt i'm not sure so the question is who does this really impact the most once the supreme court makes its actual determination official. Yes. No, I mean, we know that the... Oh, I'm sorry. I thought... Go for it. Yes, we know that Black, brown and indigenous communities will be harmed the most by these abortion bans, by abortion restrictions that are put in place. That's happening right now.

And we know that that is... That's the case for a number of reasons, you know, whether you want to point to systemic racism, whether you want to point to them being less likely to be able to take time off work and secure the childcare necessary to go out of state or go to an abortion to get their abortion appointment. There are a number of reasons. But it's also important to remember that, you know, 80 percent of Americans want real term in the law of the land. And we need to turn those people out. We need to make sure that in November, politicians who did this and allow these justices to be on

the court, that they are heard, that we make our voices heard loud and clear at the ballot box. Because I do hope that, you know, this is the moment that people realize what is at stake and how we got to this point, and that the only way is really electorally, in many cases, for us to change the makeup of our legislatures, of Congress, to make sure that we can have our freedoms protected. Alisa, I think you were about to make a comment as well. Just to agree that the communities who will be most impacted by this are probably not the suburban white women in sort of northern states or along the coasts. It will be people in the south and the Midwest, people who are earning less than a dollar to what a white man earns and therefore have fewer savings.

You know, it's all interconnected. But these this will be felt by many, many people, but not equally. All right, then. First of all, Elise and Iompe, I certainly appreciate both of you actually being with us. Candace, you're sticking around with us as well. So I want to thank both of you. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'm pulling Teresa Lundy here. Teresa, I want you to just weigh in on this as well, because again, there's been so much conversation about it. There were people last night who showed up at the Supreme Court and were protesting. Uh, today, Senator Elizabeth Warren actually went out there and addressed them as well.

Uh, there are people who are shocked and stunned. Uh, and, um... But again, this is... this is what the right has been focused on. This is... This comes as no shock to anybody who pays attention to politics. Yeah. So it's, you know, it's a bit interesting, um, the disparity that's happening, you know, outside of, you know, if those people just don't understand what the abortions,

right, or what Roe versus Wade, uh, actually is, they should understand that, you know, civil rights is on the table. They should know, civil rights is on the table. They should understand women's rights are on the table. And if this is able to happen, this issue is being able to be overturned in the U.S., other things are going to be overturned or looked at. Because the long game from the Republicans' standpoint, they have been doing it since the beginning. I think Donald Trump and the rest of the Republican Party has been making it very clear what the agenda was and how it was being set and what narrow messages and what disinformation and misinformation has been taking place so far, you know, either if Trump was in office or was he just part of the pawn of the

overall plan and the strategy on the board. And so what we're seeing right now is this, you know, not only just the despair of how this will affect Black and brown communities, I mean, you know, outside of knowing that in neighborhoods of color we have abortion clinics and health care services and in suburban areas you have fertility clinics and individual personal doctors. So that balance, again, I think will also have a shift and a consequence that we'll see down the line. Mustafa, politics, politics, politics. And, you know, when I listen to these people who say, you know, we just thought that this was precedent. I mean, you've got Senator Susan Collins just sitting here now. Oh, you know, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, you know, this is different than what they told me in my office.

You actually believe them, idiot? Now you look like the fool. Well, you know, Senator Collins is trying to hold onto her seat, so let's just be clear about the dynamics. No, no, she's fine. She won in 2020. She won a six-year term.

Yeah, but she still... You know, so here's the dynamic that's going on right now. Reproductive rights are civil rights. Reproductive rights are also human rights. We know that black women are three times more likely to die. The American Medical Association has shared that with us, you know, in relationship to pregnancy and childbirth. So when we begin to do these types of things

that may end up passing, you know, and becoming the law of the land, if you will, then we know that it's our communities who are going to be the ones that are disproportionately impacted. When Senator Collins talks about the conversations that she had in her office, then she should have been very clear in asking them, will you overturn this? Because lots of times people will sidestep it. So if you look at when both Justice Alito, Gorsh, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett, when they were asked these questions, they would always, you know, they would say, you know, the precedent is out there, but they would never say that they would not overturn it. And because of that, they felt that they had the wiggle room that was

necessary to be able to do the actions that they're doing in this moment. So, you know, we have been talking about since you launched this show about how important it is for folks to understand the power of their vote and also translating that into the appointments that would happen in relationship to judicial positions. And continually, folks on the Democratic side of the ticket don't take that serious. They don't understand how powerful their vote is and to make sure they're utilizing it in a way that is better going to protect their lives, and especially protecting the lives of Black and brown folks.

So we find ourselves in this moment because of a number of different dynamics, but we just have to understand that when we have the opportunity to vote, then we have to make sure that everybody who says they're a part of this coalition, uh, that supports a women's right to choose, that we're actually showing up.

Mm-hmm. Candace, um... Do-do you think that this will serve as a major, a major GOTV effort, if you will, for November? Do you think it's going to have an impact? Oh, absolutely. People are riled up. That's why people are out there on the steps of the Supreme Court right now. This, when it comes to the midterm elections, is going to be very, very important because conservatives vote by the issue.

They vote about gun rights. They vote about abortion rights. They vote about rights that are very important to them. And, of course, they vote along their party lines. This is revving up all bases, not just the Republican base. It's revving up everybody to really understand, like the other panelists just said, what it means to be in a democracy and what happens behind closed doors. And we already know with Katonji Brown Jackson that when she spoke to all the different senators and made her rounds, there was really confidence that she felt. Even the senators expressed confidence in her. But then they voted along party lines. So we know that what goes on is what's said behind closed doors doesn't mean anything. It's just a great civic lesson for people to understand

where they fit into the process, to understand that their vote really does count, and they have to get to the polls or now call their representatives to say, we want this to happen. Instead of that, I voted for you, and this is the power I have, because this needs to stop. You can't stop somebody from getting an abortion unless their lives are in jeopardy, whether it's rape or incest. That's off the table.

That's ridiculous. That makes absolutely no sense, and that just shows the male-dominated society that we are in that are making the laws that women have to follow. It makes no sense, and that just shows the male-dominated society that we are in that are making the laws that women have to follow. It makes no sense, and a lot of lives are gonna be lost because of it. It's going to get people to the polls.

Don't you find it interesting, Teresa, that the very people who were whining and bitching and moaning about mask mandates have no problem with telling women, here's a mandate on your body? It's very interesting. You know, as, you know, Candace just indicated, it is absolutely a talking point for GOTV right now.

You know, states are ultimately going to have to make the decision. Governors are going to have to make the decision. Governors are going to have to make the decision on what they want to do in their particular state about Roe versus honestly, this is not only a race to watch for the U.S. Senate seat, Pat Toomey, but this is also a race to watch for the governor's seat, because we've had for two terms a Democratic governor that has, you know, had his own trials and tribulations dealing with a House and Senate that is Republican-led. And so who knows how the decision will actually affect Pennsylvania. But when we kind of even think back to some of the situations, when we had even just a mass mandate just to keep people alive, and how we did a whole—we, as in the federal government, had a whole rollout of, you know, how to stay alive, how to, you know, wear masks at work, wear masks at school. And the outcry of, you know, almost impeaching some of the folks who are making the decisions.

It's incredibly interesting how the message has been, has really made the case here. I think the message and communication has made the case for Republicans. I think they're about to make the case again unless Democrats actually use their voice, use their power, and keep pushing the fuel to the fire. And all these, you know, individuals who say they care about women, who say they care and financially support some of these organizations, can no longer stand in the back. They have to come out front, and they have to do it now. All right, folks.

Hold tight one second. I've got to go to a break. We come back. We'll talk the moral march on Washington taking place in June. We'll discuss that and so much more, folks. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Don't forget to download our app. We want to get 50,000 downloads, folks.

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On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, Financial Literacy. Without it, wealth is just a pipe dream. And yet, half of our schools in this country don't even teach it to our kids. You're going to hear from a woman who's determined to change all that, not only here, but around the world. World of Money is the leading provider of immersive financial education for children ages 7 to 18. We provide 120 online and classroom hours of financial education.

That's right here on Get Wealthy on Blackstar Network. This week on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr, reparations. Is it finally time? Two of the country's foremost authorities on the subject will join me to try to answer that very question. A powerful installment of The Black Table with me, Greg Carr,

right here only on The Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Israel Houghton with Israel and New Breed. 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 your wobble. Yes, I am. Because Roland Martin's the one, he will do it backwards,

he will do it on the side. He messes everybody up when he gets into the wobble because he doesn't know how to do it, so he does it backwards. And it just messes me up every single time. So, I'm working on it. I got it. You got rolling, Mark. It's been a week since 30-year-old D'Angelo Deshaun Harris was last seen in Los Angeles.

D'Angelo is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about D'Angelo Deshaun Harris should call the Los Angeles Police Department. Missing Persons Unit, 213-996-1800, 213-996-1800. New York has a new lieutenant governor, folks. Congressman Antonio Delgado will be Governor Kathy Hochul's second appointment to the position. She announced the news today on Twitter. She tweeted out, I am proud to announce I am appointing Congressman Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader and public servant, as Lieutenant Governor of New York. I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity, and prosperity for communities across the state.

Delgado's appointment comes after Brian Benjamin's resignation after he was arrested on federal corruption charges stemming from campaign finance violations. Let's go to Florida, where a white Florida man faces two federal hate crimes for attempting to run a black man off the road. Jordan Patrick Lilley was driving drunk when he sideswiped a black man's vehicle. He gave the Nazi sign out of the window and pretended to shoot at the car. He then approached the man and punched him while his girlfriend and daughter were in the car.

Learley told police that they needed to control black people. And he had intentions of committing a mass shooting. If convicted, he faces 10 years in prison, and of course, and three years of supervised release as well, plus pay fine of up to $250,000. You know, the thing we talk about these cases, we talk about

these cases here, Mustafa, and they are happening, and luckily we have an aggressive Department of Justice Civil Rights Division who's going after them. But for the people who say, this is no big deal, no. The FBI made it clear the greatest threat in this country is white domestic terrorism. Yeah, and we know that hate crimes are continuing to increase

year after year after year. So we have to take this really serious. So one, we got to make sure that folks are brought to justice. We got to make sure that they spend significant periods of time in jail. But we also got to educate folks on what's really going on so that they can better make sure that they are protecting themselves and their families and understanding that this is not a game. There are folks who are out there who literally would like to see Black and brown people, you know, disappear. And they will play a role in it if they could get away with it. So, you know, we just need to be very clear with folks. And we also need to support the Department of Justice, whom we call to task when they're not doing the right thing. But when they are, then, you know, we need to

uplift that. I mean, I'm telling Teresa, I mean, you know, this idea that, oh, my goodness, y'all are just overstating. No, black folks are not overstating. We see what's going on here with these white domestic terrorists. Yeah, and it's more so a consistent, unfortunately, it's a consistent thing that is happening in communities of color every day with those that are in power. And so, you know, Mustafa was absolutely right. You know, identifying, you know, some of the issues that is happening and saying, congrats, Justice Department, now let's do more is just the first step into making sure change and reform actually takes place.

Some of it really has to do with some of the funding that is taking place and how it's being disseminated. And is it going to the right programs? Are we changing the leadership that is allowing these mishaps or issues to happen? Or are we keeping the same individuals in place and allowing the consistencies to happen with black and brown communities? And so if we're not taking a hard look at not only our leadership, but the funding and the budget, then I think that's how we also miss the ball on, you know, changing, you know, this this whole conversation right now. Well, that's why we constantly say voting matters, Candace. And again, luckily, we're seeing a very aggressive DOJ civil rights division led by Kristen Clark.

Exactly. And not only is she awakening kind of the education, like one panelist said, of a lot of people in terms of, you know, black folks, but white folks too. Black people need to understand that when they are accosted by someone or if they feel that something is wrong, I mean, someone pretending that they are shooting a gun on you, that is a problem. So you have to go that step and do something about it. You have to file the lawsuit. You have to contact the right people in order to make sure that all these cases build up because these cases mean something, which is why the Department of Justice is doing something. For white people who are not taking this seriously, they should know that what happened in the Ahmaud Arbery case is happening in

other cases, too. You can go down for federal hate crimes. I'm not sure why, you know, somebody would think that they could get away with it. I'm not sure why, you know, somebody would think that they could get away with it. I think, Roland, they just don't care or they think they can get away with it. But these cases, as they build and the more people are educated on both sides, then hopefully the less this will happen. But people have to understand on both sides how federal hate crimes play out, because these aren't crimes that we've seen being prosecuted, you know, ten years ago. This is something that the DOJ is really

doing right now, and I think that it will ultimately make a difference, but people have to educate themselves. Speaking of getting away with it, folks, Georgia has a grand jury for an investigation into the 2020 elections. Out of 200

folks who showed up as jurors, 26 were selected, including three alternates. Now, the center of the probe focuses on Donald Trump and his big lie. Text messages, as well as a phone call between

Trump and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as Trump pushed to reverse the outcome of Georgia's election. You might remember he said, look, man, go find those 11,000 votes. Happened to be the margin he was losing. The investigation has been underway since early last year. To help it along, Fulton County DA Fannie Willis requested a special grand jury with subpoena power to obtain testimony

from people who've refused to cooperate otherwise. The special grand jury will be seated for about a year. Okay, so let's unpack this. So Candace, what you have here, I mean

they literally have audio tapes of Donald Trump saying go find these 11,000 votes. They've got it, and they're going to hear it. And that's what's key here for this special grand jury that has been assembled

that you said is going to take a year to get to the bottom of this, but they're going to be able to make recommendations for another grand jury in order to be assembled, and then the indictments will happen. There are about 100 things that Trump could go down for in terms of criminal charges. In New York City, we see that things are a standstill, at a standstill when it comes to his financial record and him saying that his buildings were worth more than they really were.

That's come to a bit of a halt. This is really what he's thinking about today. How is this going to come out for him? Not only are we looking at charges of him messing with the federal election, but we're also looking at racketeering charges. Think about R. Kelly. It happens in kind of a nuanced way, but if you have someone that is organizing criminal acts across state lines, that's what they call racketeering.

That's what took R. Kelly down, and that is really big in terms of what could take Trump down. Crossing state lines and doing all of these things, assembling all of these things, assembling all of these different people. And they don't have to conspire about it. It just has to happen. And that's why this is one of the strongest cases

that is out there against Trump in terms of criminal charges. So far, it has the most stickiness and is the most viable. And the bottom line here is they've got receipts, Teresa. You've got text messages, you've got

phone calls, and for all these folks, can't they call you? Now, first of all, before I go to Teresa, Candace, can somebody invoke the Fifth Amendment before a grand jury? They can, but it would suit them not to

because grand juries are juries that are protected and we're not supposed to hear anything about what's on the record, so they should feel safe in doing so. But they can. Got it. Teresa, your thoughts. Yeah, I think this is going to be a very interesting time.

I'm excited to see this special committee. Georgia has proven to, you know, be very affluent, not only in their votes, but they look like I'm hoping that the selection committee is one that is ready for the testimony, ready to make those calls to individuals, to ask them intense questions, to ask them, hey, what did you mean by this? Did the advisors, you know, when Trump, you know, gave his announcement, hey, I need to find 11,000 votes, how did they act on it? And I think that is probably going to be the twist here on the action, the action of the advisors. No longer does he have a press secretary to say, oh, this is what he meant and this is, you know, what was desired. No, the facts are real and the realness of it hopefully will come into some charges in this case. And he can't invoke executive privilege here, Mustafa. He's got, if he gets called, he has to testify.

This is true. And based upon the, you know, the evidence that we know that's out there right now, it is a strong case. But let's not forget that even though there wasn't a legal proceeding before, we've seen Trump on video or on audio tape before, and folks were just like, ah, that's just Trump.

Now, this is a different situation, of course. But I also worry that the time that this may take may lead up to when he may be running for president again. And even though he will still have to testify, you know, depending on how long this gets played out, folks could say, well, we don't want to interfere with the 2024 election. So we should just be mindful of all these different dynamics that we often will say, well, that won't happen, or there's no way that that could possibly play out like that. And each time that we've said that, we found out that we were wrong. Indeed. So again, hopefully we're going to actually see some real justice take place here. All right, folks.

United States officials have changed the status of Russian detainee and WNBA star Brittany Greiner, the basketball champion, will now be classified as wrongfully detained, which means the officials can work more aggressively on her release. Greiner has been in Russia custody since February for allegedly having cannabis in her luggage at the airport. Well, now all of a sudden, officials are stepping it up. So we'll see exactly what impact that is going to actually have. Okay, so what we're going to do this year, folks, going to go to a break. And when we come back, we'll talk poor people's campaign. We'll talk other news of the day.

Don't forget, download the Black Star Network app. All platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. And, of course, please join our Bring the Funk fan club. Our goal is to get 20,000 of our fans to contribute an average of 50 bucks each. That's $4.19 a month, 13 cents a day. To join our fan club, to send a check or money order, PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash App, Dollar Sign, Dollar Sign RM unfiltered.

PayPal is RMartin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. We'll be right back. I'm Dr. Jackie and on a next A Balanced Life it takes a village to raise a child and truer words have never been spoken if you're raising a child you know that it's a blessed challenge like no other even more so if your child has a disability If you're raising a child, you know that it's a blessed challenge like no other. Even more so if your child has a disability. We'll talk to parents and our expert panelists about the best way forward for your child to help you maintain your own sanity.

On a next A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie on Black Star Network. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives, and we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad,

only on the Black Star Network. When I first moved to L.A., me and Joe lived together, right? And that was a big blessing because I didn't have to worry about paying rent. I was just struggling, doing my thing, and that was a big, big help. And I think when I moved out, I think that's when I saw the division because I think Joe felt like I didn't need him anymore. And it wasn't that. It was like, I'm a grown-ass man. Two grown-ass men. But actually, that is true. You don't need him anymore. And I wasn't that. I was like, I'm a grown-ass man. Two grown-ass men.

But actually, that is true. You don't need me anymore. When you grow up, first of all, when you grow up, it's like, hey, you help. And this time, you get your ass out the house and go do your own thing. He didn't want me to move out. But I'm like, you know what?

At the time when I moved out. I mean, what? Were you paying the light bill? I wasn't paying anything. And I said, you know what? I need this responsibility. It's going to make me work harder in my career light bill? I wasn't paying anything. And I said, you know what? I need this responsibility. It's gonna make me work harder in my career if I know I got rent to pay, I got bills to pay.

I was paying the cell phone bill. That was it. But Joe was treating me like a little butler. Like, because I'm telling you, I was like Benson. I'm telling you, man. Please fetch me some water. He was using Jedi mind tricks. Yo, man, you still make them good grilled cheese sandwiches you made when you was little? No, you don't.

Next thing you know, I'm at the stove. Flip it. And then it dawned on me. Yeah. He just tripped. Tricked me again. Got me again. A few years ago, I stood before the nation and said we needed to be moral defibrillators. We needed to shock the heart of this nation.

They tell me that when the heart is in danger, somebody has to call an emergency code. And somebody with a good heart will bring a defibrillator to work on a bad heart. Because it's possible to shock a bad heart and revive the pulse. In this season, when some want to harden and stop the heart of our democracy. We are being called like our foremothers and fathers to be the moral defibrillators of our time. But when I look at now how in the middle of a pandemic, we still don't have the conscience to do what ought to be done when it comes to COVID relief and healthcare

for all. This is the answer to these 14 points. Raising the wage, updating the poverty measure, housing for all, federal jobs program for all, protect voting and civil rights, guarantee quality public, high quality public education, immigrant reform, immigrant justice, immigrant rights, fair taxes, using executive orders. When we look at all these things, I'm convinced that we need a heart transplant. So I went to a friend of mine, Dr. Jackson, who's a heart specialist who does transplants. And I said, tell me, how do you get to the decision to transplant a heart? And he said, well, first of all, Barbara, we got to have a meeting.

Before we ever transplant the heart, he said we have to have a meeting. I said, you got to have a meeting? He said, yes. He said, we have to bring the best of every area. Because the question is, how do you transplant the heart without killing the body? There's got to be a meeting. It's not an easy decision because you can't you don't want to take the heart out and kill the body he said so every heart transplant takes everybody takes the whole team it takes a meeting no one person can do it alone

no one group can do it alone no one surgeon can do it alone. No one group can do it alone. No one surgeon can do it alone. And when I left his office, I began to think that the same is true if you're going to change the heart of a nation. There has to be a meeting. And then the Holy Ghost got a hold of me. And said, Barbara, you didn't have to go to the doctor. You could have went to God. Because everywhere in the Bible there was fundamental change.

It began with a meeting. In the first book of the Bible, God doesn't say let me. He says let us. There's a meeting that came together that created humanity as we know it. When they got ready to deal with Pharaoh, they had a meeting down at the Red Sea. They all came together and the sea opened up and Pharaoh drowned. When Goliath was running around saying what he was going to do, David had a meeting with five rocks. He got one for Goliath and four for the rest of his cousins.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace, they had a meeting. Down in the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel, the Bible said they had a meeting, and the bones came together, and the Spirit blew on them. Jesus had a meeting one day with 5,000 and a few loaves of bread. When Jesus died on the cross, there was a meeting because the Bible says the prophets that had been dead long ago when he died, they got up.

On Pentecost, there was a meeting. The wind began to blow and tongues of fire came and the word came that your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. But then I started reading the history in 1852. After the Dred Scott decision, there was a meeting. The abolitionists came together and they said maybe this decision is just one link of the chain of events necessary for the whole downfall of the system of slavery. Therefore, what they have done has only emboldened and intensified our agitation. There was a meeting when Sojourner Truth and Lucretia Mock came together and they began to build the women's suffrage movement and they joined at Seneca Falls. There was a meeting when the social gospel movement came together and they began to declare in

the face of gross greed and industrialism that we could not turn away from the children and they asked the question what would Jesus do in the 1920s there was a meeting called the bonus marches and folk came together to fight for fair wages and that led to the New Deal when black and white and Jewish civil rights lawyers had a meeting in the 1950s, and they decided to take down Jim Crow and to take down separate but equal. In Montgomery, they had a meeting. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, they had a meeting. Then in Selma, they had a meeting. At the Greensboro, at the lunch counter, they had a meeting. In Birmingham, they had a meeting. Started with 40 people, but by the time it was over, thousands had been arrested and Bull Connor was brought down.

Oh, yes, oh, yes, oh, yes. When Cesar Chavez was alive, they had a meeting in California. And the workers marched and they fasted. Right now at Oak Flats, the Apache Nation is having a meeting. And all of these meetings change the heart of the nation at that particular point. I just come back to declare that it's time on June 18th for us to have a meeting. For us to have a moral meeting. For us to have a meeting in the streets.

Children got to be saved. It's time to have a meeting in the streets. Children got to be saved. It's time to have a meeting. Sick folk got to be healed. It's time to have a meeting. Low-wage workers got to be paid. It's time to have a meeting. Housing must be provided for all. It's time to have a meeting. The atmosphere must be saved. It's time to have a meeting. Indigenous people must be treated right. It's time to have a meeting. The atmosphere must be saved. It's time to have a meeting. Indigenous people must be treated right. It's time to have a meeting. Voting rights must be expanded and protected. It's time to have a meeting. We're spending too much money trying to blow up the world rather than save the world.

It's time to have a meeting. Too much religion is being used to push hate rather than love, it's time to have a meeting. We've got to change the heart of this nation, it's time to have a meeting. This nation needs a heart transplant, it's time to have a meeting. Are you all ready for the meeting? Are you ready for the meeting? Are you ready for the meeting? Are you ready for the meeting? God said, if you will have a meeting, I'll show up. I'll bless you. I'll give you power. I'll strengthen you.

I'll make you strong. I'll give you favor. I'll make you able to turn this country around. But first, you must have a meeting. You gotta have a meeting. You gotta have a meeting. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So, Teresa London, did I just see you, like, about to give a hallelujah shout?

I saw you, like, waving your hand and act like you were in church. You know, sometimes when Pastor Barbara preaches, you know, if you don't feel the anointing, you ain't on the right network. We're going to talk with one of the organizers of the Poor People's Campaign, the second, as well as Reverend Dr. William Barber, Mustafa. The thing that they are doing, which I think is critically important here,

is they are doing what we always talk about on this show, mobilize, organize. And at the end of this, again, we open this conversation talking about this whole reaction to this draft Supreme Court decision. And I've seen people tweet. I've seen folks I know tweet saying,

we can't vote our way out of this. Yes, we can't vote our way out of this. Yes, we can. We absolutely can. The reality is any policymaker that is in position right now, they are in a position because they were voted in or because other people chose not to vote. And so when you begin to organize people, when you begin to mobilize them,

when you begin to explain to them what's going on, the reality is the largest block of voters in America are those that don't vote. And we organize in folks around real issues that are impacting them on a daily basis. That's what I've always loved about Reverend Barber and the Poor People's Campaign. It's not something that came together out of a think tank in Washington, D.C. It actually comes out of the sets of experiences of everyday people. You know, we live in the richest country in the world, but yet the most unequal. And Reverend

Barber and the Poor People's Campaign continue to put a spotlight on it, just like Dr. King and so many other great leaders at that time, you know, talking about income and the wealth disparities that exist and that we have to honor working class folks who are doing everything right but continue to slip further and further behind, and dealing with housing issues, and dealing with health care issues, and a number of other of the platforms. So your vote is tied into that. And Reverend Barber, yourself, and others continue to put a spotlight on that if you want these things to change, then you have to get engaged in the civic process.

You've got to understand that democracy doesn't work. It is not something you stand on the sidelines and expect it to do the right things. You've got to be engaged with democracy, and democracy is driven by your vote. So we've just got to make sure that folks, that we continue to infuse both the hope and the power that comes along with our vote,

and then make sure that we're utilizing it in the right way. You know, Candace, on that point, again, as Mustafa said, is when you mobilize people around issues where it's not a D, it's not an R, it's not a party, but it's really what do you care about? And I fundamentally believe that the power to be able to truly take this, and I want to say take this country back, really

it's taking this country away from those who have been controlling it and controlling us for so long. And so that's why I tell folk, voters shut the hell up. Because at the end of the day, when you talk about judges, when you talk about policy, when you talk about the environment, when you talk about economic policy, when you talk about wages,

all of those things are very well tied to those who are in power. And people have got to come to a realization that they are not powerless. That's right. And those people who are in power, that's really the heart of the country that Barbara was talking about. We have to change that. In other words, we have to make sure that all the blood that falls to the other parts of the system of this United States of America are working in a way that benefits us when it comes to the social justice system and education and housing. And what somebody already said in the panel is correct. There are some people who are out on the steps right now, the Supreme Court, because they care about abortion. But not

everybody is that's not the center of everybody's life. In the Supreme Court, because they care about abortion. But not everybody is, that's not the center of everybody's life. In this particular campaign, what they're doing is they're talking about issues that anybody should care about. Wages, education, you know, the tax system, things that are important to people in order to get by on a day-to-day, not kind of these larger issues that loom around us. On a day-to-day, what matters? And that's why this campaign is so important, because they're talking about issues that matter.

They're asking people to galvanize around issues that matter, that literally matter what is going to be served at dinner. Literally matters how your kids are going to go to school and if they go on to school. So this is why this campaign is so important and critical, especially in and around and close to the midterm elections. Folks, and again, Mother's Day is approaching. And so, you know, first of all, that's happening.

One of the things that's also happening as a part of this focus on the march towards June 18th, which is the Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March in Washington into the polls, which will be happening here in D.C., they represent 140 million low-wage workers across the country. And one of those courageous activists on the movement's front lines is Pam Garrison. Pam Garrison is a coal miner's daughter who grew up with her siblings in the coal camps. She is in her 60s, has never been paid a living wage. She's worked multiple low-wage jobs her entire life to support her family, including her husband,

who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from decades of working in the mines. She's the tri-chair of the West Virginia Poor People's Campaign and joins us from Fayette County, West Virginia. And the second will be joined by Reverend Dr. William Barber, president and senior lecturer of repairs of the breach. But Pam, I want to start with you because, you know, I've seen numerous of your various videos. And you and others have been very aggressive in trying to get the attention of your Senator Joe Manchin. And when you look at your state economically, you look at the literacy rate,

you look at health issues, you have to ask yourself, what in the world is Manchin seeing or not seeing that people like you are seeing? I think Manchin sees plenty. I think he just don't care. I think Manchin's goals are on his pockets and on his fortune. And I don't think any man with that kind of power that could lift up his state and help almost every citizen in it and just want for a dollar, that's immoral.

That's evil, is what that is. And it's not just the Poor People's Campaign in West Virginia. There is groups who are having sit-ins, who are getting arrested. You know, I have seen the homelessness almost double, triple in West Virginia in the past several years, much less. And generational poverty. I was a minimum wage worker. I handed off to my daughter right out of our jobs. I handed my daughter the same thing that I was making 12 years ago. And then my senator has got the gall to tell us that we might, what we might do if we get an actual living wage. You know what we would do? We would live, not just survive, not just rike and scrape. And we have, in West Virginia,

we had to classify a whole new group of people in our state. They're called grandfamilies. That's because our kids can't afford homes of their own. And after the opioid epidemic, a lot of them was maimed and stuff. The grandparents are carrying the whole families. And in this pandemic, we're the number one ones that it hits and starts killing and wiping out. All right, the women in my state then have to try to figure out who's going to keep their kids now. Their parents are their caregivers.

Then they can't go back to work. And so what's my state do? My state cuts their unemployment to try to make them go find some little minimum wage job if they can. If not, their solution is start. Our homeless population, their solution is, well, let's lock them up. We don't want to see it. Not that we're going to do anything to solve it, but we don't want to see it. You know, this is the things that Senator Manchin knows is going on.

It's in his backyard. I just came from there from a 20-some mile march through it and to it. I know. And like I said, the June the 18th, it's a declaration. We're bringing many flags under one banner, and we're saying it's time. It's time we mobilize all of us together. And we do change this elections. And we do get, I want to say, move us forward again.

Because all I have seen is us get tore down and took back. We've got took back to like the Wild West. We've took back to like the Depression, 1920s. I mean, how much further are we going to keep going back and falling down to our planet's burn up? It's too late to stand up then. Now's the time to stand. Reverend Barbara,

this right now is the app of the Wall Street Journal. And I think it's quite interesting that these two stories are on top of one another. It says, do me a favor, folks, kill the lower third, please. It says, Starbucks plans barista raises,

says unionized cafes will need to bargain. The coffee giant is expanding pay and benefits as a battle between the company and unionized employees is escalating. The story below it says U.S. jobs openings quits hit records. The Labor Department reported a seasonally adjusted

11.5 million job openings in March as a shortage of available workers continued to pressure the U.S. labor market. The reason those two, I think, are so important, Reverend Barber, because here's the reality. Starbucks would not be increasing pay nor offering more benefits if workers were not fighting to get unionized in order to increase their pay and to get benefits.

They ain't doing it because they are benevolent. They're doing it because of that second story. Folks are like, y'all can keep these damn jobs if you ain't paying nobody. Exactly right. And the Poor People's Campaign National Call for Moral Revival is right in there with those workers and other workers around

the country. We've been on the front line. The Starboard workers will be joining us June 18th and mobilizing voters and others. But also, the company's trying to play a game. Now they're saying to their employees, we're going to give you a little teeny bit of raise so you can stop organizing, but the workers are not going to fall for it.

And then, Roland, look at that. They say we got all these open jobs, but what are they, open, a lot of low-wage jobs. So it is possible in America to have low unemployment, a lot of jobs open, and have a lot of poverty, because even when people take the job, they are low-wage jobs. You heard Pam, my dear sister from West Virginia, say that we haven't raised the minimum wage in 12 years. And so it's not that you just have to work in America. You know, slavery was work, but it was free. And today people are working for less than a living wage. There's not a county in this country where a person can work a minimum wage job and afford a basic two-bedroom apartment and food and the basic things they need for living. And in addition to that, restaurant workers work for $2.13 an hour plus tips.

And so what we really have, Roland, is a crisis of democracy. You know, it's interesting that you and I are having this conversation today after the Planned Parenthood, I mean, the leak yesterday. And I've been thinking, Roland, why was it leaked by an extremist?

Because I think what they want us to do is just only focus on the Roe piece without understanding this. Just like people in the streets, and I'm out there too over this attack on Roe, but we got to get to the point where we are also out there the same way when they're trying, when they're taking voting rights, and the same way when they're blocking living wages. Because what the extremists are saying is we're going to take your voting rights, we're going to take your living wages, we're going to take your health care, we're going to take your right to choose, we're going to take gay people's right to love who they want to, and we're going to take all the tax money

we can and give it back to all the wealthy folk we can, and we're going to dare you to say anything. And what needs to happen in this moment, what just happened, leaked yesterday, has to continue to birth unified movements, moral fusion movements. I was just on the call today where poor and low-wealth women, working women and low-wage women who, some of them were raped and otherwise and had abortions, are going to be coming on June 18, not just to talk about the Roe issue and why we have to fight, but why if you're really going to fight to uphold Roe, you better fight to expand voting rights,

because that's how the people who cut Roe get in office or get on the court in the first place. Roe, that's the key. And I like the way you position, going back to those two in the Wall Street Journal, on the one hand, you've got a company having to raise people's wages. Why? Because there's a fight going on. You also have that company trying to play a trick and say, we'll raise your wages if you quit fighting for the union. But then you also have the other headlines saying

we've got all of these open jobs. But people are saying, well, they're open jobs, but so many of them are open part-time and low-wage jobs that are really immoral because people should not work 40 and 50 hours a week and still not be able to make a decent living. Um, Pam, you've been out there. Just share for the folks who are watching and listening.

Share with them what you're hearing in living rooms, when you're on the phones, and you're talking to folks who are black, who are white, who are Latino, who are Asian, it don't matter, but they're in economic dire straits. What are they saying to you? What are y'all talking about? The struggles, how hard it is,

and how to get things changed, how to get things better. And I hear a lot of times, I hear, well, my vote don't count. It don't do no good. It don't do no good. They're going to do what they want to do. And my answer to them is, yes, your vote does count because your vote makes my vote count. My vote and our vote makes that one's vote count. It makes the next one's vote count. It makes the next one's vote count. All of us together, we're a mighty voice,

and we are going to make change. For us, we're trying to figure out how to take and afford new tires for the next seasons, how to get our kids. And we see this, that instead of trying to help us, this going back to normal is being taken away from us. You know, it's taken more away from us. And the pandemic's not gone. It's not back to normal. That's right. You know, in our state and in other states, this virus, we've got cases going up. So, you know, trying to act like things are just hunky-dory,

and that's what they want us to believe here in West Virginia. Oh, wild and wonderful, almost heaven. Well, let me tell you what, in West Virginia, it's far from almost heaven. And there is 710,000 of us poor, low-wage workers in West Virginia that can testify to that. You know, 140 million of us in the country. So, you know, we're talking about how we can move forward and make things better. Yeah. Reverend Barber, I'm gonna ask you this question

before I actually go to my, before I go to my panel for the questions. So panel, get ready for your question here. The thing that is interesting is you have President Biden at the White House Correspondents Dinner naturally joking about his poll numbers. You've got Democratic strategists who are predicting doom and gloom. Oh, my God, you know, we're going to lose. You just heard Pam say 140 million low-wage workers.

Well, maybe if they stop trying to flip suburban conservative white women and focus on speaking to the needs of low-wage workers, they will be talking about landslides in November as opposed to a tsunami of them losing. Roland, you and I talk so much, but I'm so sick of these pundits that just go ahead and just decide what has happened. They don't even look at the data. Poor and low wealth people break up 32 percent of the electorate. In battleground states, 45 percent. In West Virginia, poor and low

wealth people didn't vote against their own interests. A lot of them just stopped voting. If they had an inspiring agenda and candidates, they would vote. But now they're saying, we don't even have to be inspired. We're going to vote for our own lives. You're talking about in 15 states, battleground states, it would only take a maximum of 20% of poor and low-wealth

voters that already are registered to be mobilized around an agenda that could secure the Senate, presidency, and governor's races. You said 20% of those already registered? Already registered. I'm not talking about... Right, already registered, already eligible,

who just haven't voted. And in most of those states, it's under that. Like, we have numbers that show a 1% increase in Michigan, a 7% increase in Georgia, 4% increase in Florida, 19% increase in Michigan, a 7 percent increase in Georgia, 4 percent increase in Florida, 19 percent increase in North Carolina, could overcome any past margin of victory. But the pundits and the politicians, they don't even talk to poor and low-wealth people. They don't even say their name. That's why, June 18, we're saying we're not going to be

unheard and unseen anymore. And then they have got to have the agenda to talk to folk. What are we talking about? If we would push an agenda that centers and prioritizes the poor, the 140 million, push an agenda that says we're going to secure the human rights to democracy, equal protection under law, secure the right for adequate standard of living and living wages, secure the right for work with dignity, secure the right for health care, for all housing, the rights to food and water and broadband and public utilities, the right to education, the right to comprehensive, just immigration, the right to indigenous people and First Nation peoples having their rights, the right to a robust climate agenda, the right to enact taxation on the ultra-rich and corporations, Wall Street,

and forgiving student debt, and the right to prepare and then to prioritize peace diplomacy and nuclear nonproliferation, and then if we would repair the social and economic injustices through what we have to do through reparations for people who've been traditionally and historically undermined and oppressed, that kind of an agenda with real policies and a willingness to fight for it. But what we have instead is we've got folks, you get one vote on voting rights and they just hide. One vote on living wages and they quit. But what's happening now is poor and low wealth folks are saying, uh-uh, y'all might quit, but we aren't going to quit.

And that's why we're mobilizing for this mass Poor People's Low-Wage Workers Assembly, Moral March on Washington, and to the polls, because what we are going to have to do, just like we do with these business leaders, they're going to have to feel and see the power of poor and low-wealth people. And, and, Rowley, it is not a big lift. But the problem is, the pundits and the politicians, Republicans too often say poverty is the issue of people's personal morality. And for some reason, so many Democrats can't even say the word poor or low-wealth. They just say those trying to make it into the middle class. And they talk more like Reagan Democrats rather than Democrats who are serious

about reviving the heart and soul of this country. But it's not a heavy lift. And we have... You know, Roland, we don't... And I'm not loud and wrong. I want your audience to go read our report called Waking the Sleeping Giant. We did a serious analysis with Columbia University

and Howard University on several things, and I'm telling you, the numbers are there. Poor and low-wealth people are the sleeping giant in this country. Questions for the panel. Mustafa, you're first. Reverend Barber and Pam, it's good to see you.

On June 19th, after we all come together on June 18th, what's the marching orders moving forward? Yeah, well, I'm glad that you asked that question because, first of all, on June 18th, it's going to be something more than just a coming together. It's going to be very different. It's not going to be people coming to speak for folk.

America hasn't seen people like Pam from West Virginia standing with a sister from Alabama. And they're not going to just be crying. They're going... They're not going to just be crying. Did my camera go out? No, you're good. You're good. They're not just going to be crying.

They're going to be laying out their pain and their stories and then making demands. So, first of all, my brother, on the 9th of November, America will be real clear of what we want and what we're gonna fight for. Number two, we're saying, after the 18th, and we've laid out what the problem is, what the demands are, all acts of nonviolent actions

to make it happen are on the table. All of them. From nonviolent actions to make it happen are on the table, all of them, from nonviolent actions of citizens to voting, to marching, to pushing, to organizing. Then, secondly, we're going to have the whole summer to mobilize this 32 percent of the electorate, a significant portion of it, and the 45 percent in battleground states. That's because our purpose of this march is to shift the moral narrative, to put before the nation a clear third reconstruction agenda, and to build political power, and then to exercise that power in a way in the midterm that says you

will never, never, never ignore us again, and then fifthly, to use whatever tactics we have across the country, because what you should know is we have 42 states now organizing, 42 states, 2,500 clergy, 147 organizations, and 20 different denominational groups that are saying it's time for all of us to come together. Lastly, because the folk that are against voting rights and against women's rights and against living wages and against union rights are the same people. And if they are cynical, mean enough to be together, we'd better be smart enough to come together.

TERRANCE HAYES, Former U.S. Senator, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican

Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican Party of America, Republican continued activism. Outside of June 18th, is there something else that we can do? One, I would love to hear, you know, the story of this young woman who, you know, has been through the struggle. Because I do think that also sets another image. You know, it's not just happening to black and brown people. It's happening to us all and bring this as a unity conversation. So what else can we do if we cannot join you on June 18th? If you cannot join us, tell everybody you know within a radius of a mile that they can. If you cannot join us, have listening parties and watch, not parties, but watch gatherings.

Because you're going to hear all those stories. You're going to hear a sister who lost 25 family members in a 30-mile radius because the way we did not care for poor lower people during this pandemic. But she's saying, I'm not going to quit. I'm here to fight now, for real. I'm fighting in the name of all my family members who have died. If you go sign up Poor People's Campaign, make sure you sign up to our action network. We now have over 400,000 people that are poor people campaign activists. They say, call us, we come. Call us, we move, in state after state after state. And then send it. The other thing is, my sister, all of these studies, because what we get lied to so much in this country, and so many blinders on stuff. So what we have done is,

we have done studies to make sure that folk country, and so many blinders upon stuff. So what we've done is we've done studies to make sure that folk understand, because I'm convinced sometimes the reason why people aren't moving is because they don't know how bad it is. Like, nobody was telling us. The government didn't even keep the record on how poor and low-wealth people were faring through the pandemic.

We had to go out and find it. And when we found it, our worst fears were realized that poor and low-wealth people died at a rate of two to five times higher than the rest of the country. And you could not blame non-vaccination as the problem. Poverty was the accelerant, and race was the accelerant. But you just said, Reverend Barber, that people were saying they didn't know.

But what happened when y'all released that report? My show was one of the very few where y'all got any airtime because the network said, oh, we're busy with Ukraine and Judge Katanya Brown-Jackson. How do you only cover two stories in 24 hours? That's right. And you do a groundbreaking study like that, which is why we've got—I don't want people to just, because I know we've tired some of mass gathering, but this is different. And the reason we have to do this is to force even the media to take up this issue. Y'all, Roland, if it wasn't for you and some others and a few other, it's almost like people don't want to talk about it.

It's like we just want to ignore 140 million people. 52% of our children are poor and low wealth in this country right now. want to talk about it. It's like we just want to ignore 140 million people. Fifty-two percent of our children are poor and low wealth in this country right now. And 700 people are dying a day from poverty, a quarter million people a year before the pandemic. And none of it has to exist. There is no scarcity. And there's no scarcity of ideas on how to fix it. What we have is a scarcity of moral consciousness and political action to do what how to fix it. What we have is a scarcity of moral consciousness and political action to do what needs to be done. And that's why this mass gathering

is not a gathering and an end. It is a declaration. A declaration of... We've been building for three years, but it is a declaration that we are not going to be unseen or unheard anymore. Pam, weigh in, please. It's going to get deeper after the 18th. Pam, weigh in, please. The roughness is going to get deeper after the 18th.

Pam, go ahead and weigh in. What we have that we're battling is the dark money. The courts made it legal for them to dump as much money as they can to buy our laws, buy our electors, to buy everything, our media. So that's what we're fighting. It's not just issues. We're fighting the dark money, the corruption, the lies, the misinformation. So that's what we're out here saying. This is truth. We want accountability. We want morals. We want justice. We want what we were meant to be, a democracy that looks out for each other, that rises from the bottom up. We're not asking for a handout. We're asking for a hand up. And it's our democracy. It's our

lives. And if we don't, our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids are going to suffer for it. So we have no choice. They have backed us into a corner to where we have got to come out. We cannot stay in this corner anymore. We are dying. We are dying by almost a million of us. We cannot be silent anymore, and we won't. I'm organizing my state.

If you're in my state, get on a bus. If you want change, do more than tweet. Get out and organize. Get out and do something. Stand up. Get out here when you hear these lies and misinformation. Demand your news organizations taking cover what is really important, what is really happening in your state and in your what's going on, what your elected officials are doing, because they're doing it to you.

And if you don't stand up and let people know that just because you twist a lie, don't make it truth. It's not honor. It's not dignity. It's not us. We are standing up. We are human beings, and we want to be treated like we're human beings. We are tired of being treated like a commodity that is disposable.

Candace. Reverend Barber, I'm wondering, how do you get people who may not say, well, who may say, I'm not poor, you know, where do I fit into this? How do you get them to understand that the problems that you are marching for really are problems that actually belong to them

no matter what class they're in? Well, first of all, the cost of keeping people poor and low wage, you know, it cost us a trillion dollars, cost you and me a trillion dollars a year, this country to keep people in poverty instead of fixing it. It costs, we lose $330 billion every year when we deny living wage of $15. If we had passed the $15 living wage in the affordable, not affordable care, in the rescue plan, and Manchin hadn't blocked it, 41 percent of all African Americans would have been raised out of poverty. Think about that.

Forty-one percent with one vote. And over millions of people, and it would have pumped $330 billion into the economy, and you might not be having the kind of inflation and the kind of other problems we're having. So you can't keep poor, low-wealth folk in the ditch without staying there with them. Secondly, we are redefining poverty. See, the government tells you, and this is why a lot of people say, well, it's not talking about me. The government says if you make $12,800 a year as a single person, you're not poor. But that's a lie.

The true measure of poverty, you have to start with 200 percent of the poverty rate. And what we are finding is that when we say 140 million people, we're talking about people who are working poor. We're talking about 73 percent of 73 million women. We're talking about 60 percent of all black people. Sixt 60% of all black people are poor and low wealth in America today. That's 26 million people. We're talking about 30% of all white people. That's 66 million people. So one of the things the 18th is going to do is put a face on it

because we've been lied about what it even looks like. And the fact of the matter, more and more people are starting to come out and say, well, you know, that's me. We were looking one day in one state. People had to work 102 hours a week at 725 just to survive. I said to a group of pastors, it's a shame and a disgrace for you to ask people to give to your pastor's anniversary, but then you won't fight for them to have a living wage. So we've got to change the whole narrative. That's why we said June 18th is about a narrative shift. And we've got to put the right face on this because it really is all of us.

And to think that here we are in 2022, and we are almost at 50 percent of this nation living in poverty and low wealth. And if it had not been for the few things we did during the pandemic and then took them away, the poverty level would have gone to over 150 million people. This democracy cannot stand that kind of strain and pressure much longer. Something's going to break. Something's going to give. People are hurting, particularly in the midst of so much opulence. And when they see politicians and congresspeople who block from the people who elect them the very things they get free just because they got elected, health care, major wage pension, they block all of that stuff from the very people that elect them. So this is a different kind of coming out. It is forcing us to see ourselves and to say two things.

First of all, that's me. The point of no welfare is not just going to be to find somebody in a homeless shelter, even though they will be there and a part of it. But then secondly, we're going to be talking about the cost of poverty, how much it cost us in this country to sustain poverty. I mean, it's kind of an oxymoron, right? You would think we are having to pay to sustain poverty. Give you one quick point, my sister, and I'm glad you raised it. Our military budget, as it currently stands, is more than the next 11 countries combined. If we cut it in half, we'd have more money in military

than Russia, Iraq, Iran, China, and North Korea combined. There are studies that say if we just took 5% of that money, because right now we spend 52 cents of every discretionary dollar on the war economy, not for soldiers that are wounded, to the contractors, and less than 15 cents of every discretionary dollar on education, economy, not for soldiers that are wounded, to the contractors, and less than 15 cents of their discretionary dollar on education, health care, and roads. If we just took 5 percent of the current military budget and directed it to programs that build up the world rather than blow up the world, one contract to Lockheed Martin would cover every

state that has denied Medicaid expansion and would give 4.3 million people health care. Just one contract. So we've got to change the whole narrative around this. And that's why June 18th is a major, major step in doing that. All right, then. Well, look, we look forward to that. We'll be broadcasting live from there. Pam, thank you very much. Keep up the fight. And for people out there who think that having these conversations, the show doesn't matter, I can't remember her name,

but I know she's one of your tri-state leaders. She was a white woman who was watching this show. She had never heard of Reverend Barber, had never heard of the Poor People's Campaign, but she saw him on the show, and that's what she called that day and joined the Poor People's Campaign there in West Virginia. I forgot her name. We had her on the show a couple of months ago. But again, so for somebody who's watching, y'all think, oh, Roma don't talk to black people. No, no. Non-black people watch the show,

but it's the content that they're listening to and being moved by. Can I say one quick thing? Yeah. I know you got to remember, anybody that's claiming to stand for black folk, and we're talking a few, but I want to talk black just a minute,

and you have 60.7% of black folk living in poverty and low wealth, and that's not topping your agenda? What you doing? And if you're not connecting the fight for voting rights to the fight for economic rights, what are you doing? And somebody said to me the other day, well, Rembaugh, nobody wants to hear all those sad stories. We need to have a fun thing.

I said, that's our damn problem. We're having too much fun rather than being engaged in the fight. This is a fight because we're in a crisis of civilization and a crisis of democracy. And it's going to be waged with everybody, black, white, brown, yellow, young, old, gay, straight, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, people of faith, people not of faith. But you know what the young folks saying? We coming. And we're not going back. And we're not going to be unseen or unheard anymore.

That's it. We appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you, Doc. God bless. Thank you. Thanks, Pam. Keep up the fight. Folks, going to a break. We you, Doc. God bless. Thank you. Hey, Pam. Thanks, Pam. Keep up the fight.

Folks, going to a break. We come back on Marketplace 7. We're talking to a Black-owned business assistant who owns her own sneaker company out of Atlanta. Folks, don't forget to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Also, download the Black Star Network app. The app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, and of course, join our Bring the Funk fan club. You can send a check or money order to PO Box 57196,

Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash, happens, dollar sign, RM unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin unfiltered. Venmo is RM unfiltered. Zale is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinunfiltered.com. I'll be right back. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and

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We provide 120 online and classroom hours of financial education. That's right here on Get Wealthy on Blackstar Network. This week on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr, reparations, is it finally time? Two of the country's foremost authorities on the subject will join me to try to answer that very question. A powerful installment of The Black Table

with me, Greg Carr, right here, only on the Black Star Network. Hi everybody, this is Jonathan Nelson. Hi, this is Cheryl Lee Ralph, and you are watching Roland Martin, unfiltered. All right, folks. Of course, every Tuesday we focus on black-owned businesses in our Marketplace segment. And so we have any number of black-owned businesses.

Folks have had drape companies. Of course, we've had people with undergarment company. I mean, you name it, we've had that. Today we have another business owner, a sister who has an athletic company in terms of the shoes and items that they make. You actually see, you can actually check it out right now. So you see, this is her website. Tronis, you see it right there. She also is a former football player. That's right. She played women's football and she's now a CEO of her own company. And she joins us right now. You see me sitting here rocking the shoes as well. So Trona's boast itself as having the most comfortable unisex sneaker in the world.

The shoes come variety of styles and colors. The founder and football player says her sneakers to disrupt the shoe industry. Santia Wells is a CEO. Joseph's from Atlanta. So when you say, okay, so I have these shoes on now. So when you say these are unisex shoes, what does that actually mean? That men or women can wear them? Or do you have, so you don't have separate lines for men and women? No, no, no, it's just one line.

Got it. Men and women can wear it. Got it. Okay. All right, then. So that's an interesting route to go. How did you arrive at that? We decided to do that because, you know,

when we were going through the process of trying to figure out the sizing, first of all, it's a lot easier to do it that way, just to be honest. But also, the way that I design my shoes is literally created for a man or a woman. You know, if you're a sneakerhead, you know, it fits, you know, both a man and a woman perfectly. And, you know, honestly, it was just the best route to go for us. All right, Fann, where did you start it?

Can you hear me? Yeah, I hear you. Where did you start it? Can you hear me? Yeah, I hear you. Where did you start the company? So we actually launched in 2020. We launched in the pandemic. Got it. Wow, that was an interesting time to launch a company.

Yeah, honestly, it was not the way that we originally wanted to plan it, but because we had so much time to focus on actually building the company and actually taking our time doing that since we were at home, we ended up doing it that way, and we ended up actually launching Juneteenth. So that was also a really special day for us. But honestly, it was, you know, it was meant to be that way, to be quite honest.

Gotcha. All right, then. And what was interesting, because when you talk about launching this type of company, when Nike actually dropped or wouldn't support Alison Phoenix when she was pregnant, she actually, versus when she came back, she recently retired, she decided to launch her own shoe company as well in terms of being able to build her own brand as opposed to trying to get a shoe did from another company. Exactly. What's very interesting is, honestly,

the reason why I actually decided to create this company was because me being a female athlete, as you guys know, me being a female athlete, as you guys know, it is a big gap, pay gap when it comes to getting what you're, you know, getting paid what you're worth when it comes to sponsorships and endorsement deals. So I was like, instead of me getting, you know, a small size sponsorship or something like that, why not go into the actual shoe industry and create something that I can not only have 100 ownership of but also give other athletes you know especially female athletes opportunities to get paid what they're

worth and you know it's a woman behind it all right then hey let's go to our panel uh we'll start with theresa lundy theresa what's your question for us and tia wells. Santia, congratulations on your sneaker. Actually, Roland had someone on his show before and actually bought a pair, so I can't wait to buy yours. But in order to do so, I need to know a website of where to go, so please let me know what you're wearing. Oh, sure. So it's tronosofficial.com,

and it's T-R-O-N-U-S official.com. So now, so do you have a, because what she was referring to, we had Rock Deep Global on as well. So do you have a particular code for the folks who are watching so you can track your sales from this show? Do you have anything like that? We don't, but we can actually create one for everyone who actually wants to purchase. Come on,

Santia, you got to get with that. You got to be able to track how you do in these interviews. All right. Right, right. I didn't even think about that. Come on now, you're the CEO. You got to think about that stuff now. Let's go. Candace, you're next. All right.

So first of all, I'm going to be waiting for that code. Discount code, I hope. I also wanted to know if there are any humps that you came up against, how would you encourage someone to learn from what you've learned from it? Any mistakes that you've learned from someone else who might be wanting to do

the same thing that you're doing? Yes, so I would say one of our biggest issues was definitely, and honestly, it was out of our control was the shipping. Definitely during the pandemic, as everybody knows, the ports were horrendous. Everybody got their shipments super late. Some people never got their shipments. So I would say, you know, unfortunately, we kind of had no choice but to go through that. But make sure whenever you're getting ready to to drop your shoes and launch your shoes,

start shipping things out, make sure that it's a good timing for that so that you don't have to go through the chaotic, trying to figure out how to get your shoes here, trying to make sure that your customers understand what's going on. Really, really plan everything out and take your time because I wouldn't wish what happened during the pandemic on anybody. And also make sure that you have a amazing manufacturer that's understanding and also wants to see you be successful. Mustafa. Santia, congratulations. Fourteen billion dollar industry right now that you're in.

I'm curious, what's the vision over the next couple of years for your company? I'm just going to be very frank. I want to be the next Nike. I honestly want to be bigger than Nike, if I'm being honest. And honestly, I want to give athletes a safe place to come and where they're not going to be taken advantage of. And again, I'm really big on athletes getting what they're worth because I understand being an athlete, you know, what that role is like and definitely a female athlete.

So I just want to make sure that there's equality when it comes to that because I know it's such a big gap. So you have the shoes, but you also have leisure wear. So this is, first of all, you were very wise to have black and gold. Let's just be real clear. Mustafa agrees, being a fellow alpha. So this goes perfectly with my black and gold ring. And so talk about going beyond just the shoes

also to the leisure wear. Yeah, so we want it to be like a one-stop shop, like the bigger brand. So we want to do the athleisure wear. We're actually going to come out with actual like athletic wear, which is what I'm currently wearing right now. But for men as well, we have our beanies, we have masks, we have socks. So we want to make sure that when you came to our actual website, you can get an entire outfit. So you don't have to go anywhere else to get anything, even socks, even, you know, beanies, caps, all of that.

And, you know, what's really special about our athleisure wear is the fact that our hoodies are actually satin lined. So, you know, for all my sisters and brothers, that protects our hair, our curls. It's almost like wearing a bonnet, to be honest. Yeah, I saw that. I saw that. Henry, give me this one here. Give me this one here. So people, y'all should be able to see. This is the inside of the hoodie right here.

Yep, exactly. So Candace, if you're trying to protect your hairdo, this satin hoodie will keep the hairstyle holding up a little bit longer in between beauty shop stops. Exactly. I'll take it. So, Santia, how have sales been going? You know, where are you all now and how have you been able to in 2020, and what has it been looking like in the last two years? So sales have been honestly really, really, really good. You know, we honestly had a really, really good beginning.

Like our start was amazing. You know, we hit some numbers that we were super excited about and proud of. We did cross the seven-figure line actually last year. So we have just been honestly super blessed, and we are honestly still flabbergasted in and all from just all of the support that we've gotten from all over the world, not just here in America.

So I definitely owe that to me, really, really getting into the influencer space really early because I really utilize my platform, and I encourage other people to do that as well. And look, keep in mind when we talk about we talk about black owned businesses, you know, look, you know, the average black owned businesses has has not the average 2.5 million, 2.6 million has one employee. And they do an average revenue of about $54,000. And so I'm always trying to explain to people these things so they understand exactly in terms of where our businesses are. And this here is your social media page. And y'all see she's also on Instagram, your track baby 001, queen of abs, child of God,

owner of, Toronto's official. And so again, if you talk about leveraging, you have 891,000 followers there on social media. I spent some time this week when I was in LA, I was talking to a fellow journalist, Sharon Carpenter, and she was asking about how I've grown my media company. And I said, look, too many people, what they're doing is too many people are spending time

just focused on celebrity stuff, fashion stuff, showing their body. And I'll say this, and this is no disrespect to any woman on here, on celebrity stuff, fashion stuff, showing their body. And I'll say this, and this is no disrespect to any woman on here, but I've had to tell sisters, I said, who own businesses, look boo, you cute. But if all you're posting are your body shots and your fashion shots, and you ain't posting nothing about your business, you can't tell me you're trying to grow your business

when, frankly, you're competing with an IG model. And I've had to have that serious... I mean, I've had to, like, let some sisters know who own businesses. And I'm like, I'm confused. And then when I asked them the question, give me your stats on who follows you, it's typically 70-30 men to women.

I said, now you understand what they watching for, and it ain't your business. Right. I agree. I agree. I've done a lot of social media consultations with different people, men and women, and that's definitely something that I try to get everybody to focus on is if

you are a business, you have to actually portray that on your page. So you can't be out there, you know, posting, you know, stacks of money and guns and then for the women posting twerk videos and everything else, but you're trying to sell a boutique, you know, you're only going to earn type of audience. So that's something that I had to learn when I was in college. You know, when I first started social media was like, if you actually want to be taken seriously, especially as a black woman, you have to make sure that your page

looks like that and so that people can actually come with you respectful. You can get bigger opportunities, to be quite honest. Yeah, but it's also just about, again, I have to tell one person, you can't tell me you want to grow your business and I don't see nothing about your business on your page. That's just a little hard. Last question for you.

What's your goal for 2022? Or where do you want to be at this time, at this point, in Q2 2023? So I have really big goals, to be honest. I really, really want to be an international brand. I want our shoes to be in

as many foot lockers and champ sports as possible. And I want everybody to know the Tronos brand. I want people to be rocking the shoes, the clothing, the athletic wear. I want it to be a household brand. Alright then, folks. It is Tronos. T-R-O-N-U-S, the website.

The social media, go ahead and pull it up, please. The social media is Tronos Official. Facebook, Tronos Shoes. Instagram, Tronos Official. The website is Tronos, T-R-O-N-U-S Official.com. First of all, what does Tronos mean? It actually means throne in Greek. Say it again? Throne. Got it. All right then. And so that's

there on social media. And again, Santia's Instagram is trackbaby001. I take it you ran track at school? I did. All my life. Sort of figured that out since you called yourself trackbaby. Sort of figured that out. All my life. Yeah. Well, sort of figured that out since you call yourself Track Baby.

Sort of figured that out. All right. All right, then. Well, certainly good luck with your company and wish you more success. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right, folks.

That is it for us. That is Candace. Thanks, Mustafa, as well as Teresa. Glad to have all three of you here. I look forward to having you back, folks. That is it for us. It has been quite a busy day. Look, last ten days for me, I was in Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, back here for a couple days. And then, of course, in Miami this weekend for the Formula 1

Grand Prix happening in Miami. Invited here by Willie T. Ribs, the first brother to ever race in the Indy 500. Alright, folks. First of all, Instagram. Y'all literally got about 37,000 followers. And we're going to be posting a lot of stuff on Instagram. We're invited here by Willie T. Ribs, the first brother to ever race in the Indy 500. Alright folks, first of all, Instagram. Y'all literally got about 30 seconds to hit 1,000 likes.

I don't understand why it's taking y'all two hours to do that. It makes no sense to me. So hit the doggone like button before I get off the air. We should be hitting 1,000 likes every single day. So y'all have 35 shorts. So hurry up. Folks, if y'all want to support us, download the Black Star Network app.

Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. If you have not joined our Bring the Funk fan club, please do so. Your dollars make it possible for us to do what we do, for us to travel, for us to do all these different things. And so, you can see your check or money order to PO Box 57196, Washington, DC,

2007-0196. Our Cash App is $RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSartin.com. Rolling at rollingmartinunfiltered.com. YouTube folks, y'all now over 1100. So, but do that earlier. So I ain't got to ask y'all. Okay. All right. I got the bounce. I'm gonna see y'all tomorrow, right here. Rolling Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. Holla!

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