#RolandMartinUnfiltered - SCOTUS Code of Ethics, 100 Black Texas Soldiers Exonerated, Louisiana Congressional Map Deadline

Episode Date: November 14, 2023

11.13.2023 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: SCOTUS Code of Ethics, 100 Black Texas Soldiers Exonerated, Louisiana Congressional Map Deadline The Supreme Court is adopting its first code of ethics after the controversy over Clarence Thomas' undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors. Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal will be here to break it all down.  A century after more than 100 Black soldiers were court-martialed following a racially motivated riot in Houston amid World War I, the Army acknowledges that the troops were the victims of a legal system that was stacked against them. Nineteen of them were executed. We'll show you what happened at today's ceremony and talk to"The 24th" director Kevin Willmott, who brought the story to the big screen.    I'll share my thoughts on Texas A&M firing head football coach Jimbo Fisher.  Louisiana must redraw its congressional maps by January.  Republican Senator Tim Scott drops out of the presidential race.  And it's Diabetes Awareness Month. In our Fit, Live, Win segment, I'll talk to a young woman who "beat" diabetes and a doctor who says the black community needs to take the disease more seriously.  Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.

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Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Today is Monday, November 13th, 2023. Coming up on Roller Mark Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. The Supreme Court finally adopting its first code of ethics after Clarence Thomas took a whole bunch of free trips, got his mama's house paid for, got his RV paid for.

Thomas, Samuel Alito taking free trips as well. But the question is, will this solve the problem? Justice correspondent Ellie Mistel will join us. A century after more than 100 black soldiers were court-martialed, 19 were executed. The U.S. Army has actually vacated those convictions, and their families will be able to receive benefits. We'll show you the ceremony that took place in Houston today. We'll also talk with the director of a movie

on the call the 24th about that black group that went after white folks in Houston in 1917. Also on today's show, Texas A&M football coach, Jimbo Fisher, getting more money to leave than he was initially paid to come. I got a few thoughts about that. Plus, Louisiana must redraw its congressional districts finally.

And y'all know he had no shot. Republican Senator Tim Scott drops out of the Republican presidential race. Who knew? We did. Plus, as diabetes is wearing Awareness Month in our Fit, Live, Win segment. I'll talk to a young woman who beat diabetes and a doctor who says the black community needs to take the disease more seriously. It is time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Let's rolling. Yeah, yeah. It's Uncle Roro, y'all. Yeah, yeah.

It's rolling Martin. Yeah, yeah. Rolling with rolling now. Yeah, yeah. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best, you know. He's rolling Martel. Martel. Supreme Court is adopting its first code of ethics in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors,

wealthy Republican benefactors, to a couple of justices. The policy issued by the court requires justices to provide more information about potential conflicts of interest. It would allow impartial panels of judges to review justices' decisions not to step down from cases and require public written explanations about their decisions not to recuse. It would also seek to improve transparency around gifts received by justices and set up a process to investigate and enforce violations around required disclosures. The Democratic bill had little, first of all, the Democratic bill had little prospect of becoming law in the Republican-controlled House, much less the closely divided Senate.

Now, of course, the Supreme Court is trying to self-govern. Joining me now to break this all down is the nation's justice correspondent, Ellie Mishner. Ellie, glad to have you here. So let's just be clear. We can call this the Clarence Thomas rule. ProPublica has been dropping story after story showing how Clarence Thomas has benefited to the tune, frankly, of millions of dollars,

you know, fixing up and paying off his mama's house, forgiving a loan more than nearly $300,000 for his RV, the numerous trips on private aircraft, yachts, and things along those lines. How about the Supreme Court have a rule to say you can't take gifts from people? I wish this was the Clarence Thomas rule, okay? But to call this ethical code toothless is an insult to people with dentures. There is simply no enforcement mechanism embodied in these ethics rules. So the Supreme Court is still the only ones in charge of determining whether or not they violated the ethics rules.

To put it simply, this is Clarence Thomas saying that only Clarence Thomas knows if Clarence Thomas violated the rules. That's what this is. There's no actual enforcement mechanism. There's no penalty mechanism for judges who ignore these newly promulgated ethics rules. If they just throw them out and don't pay attention, there's no penalty mechanism into the rule. And Roland, more to the point, even if you read the rules at face value and give them the credit to say that they're going to follow their own rules, there's nothing in here that would stop a single thing that Clarence Thomas did, all right? There's nothing in here that would stop him from taking gifts. There's nothing in here that would stop him from taking free vacations. There's nothing that would stop

him from selling his mama's house to a Nazi memorabilia collector. There's nothing in here that would keep him from getting a new Winnebago. All of it, all that Clarence Thomas has done is literally in here, including, and this I think should be shocking to most people, including a softening of the rules about what you can do around your own family members, right? They changed the wording of the kind of prior kind of a lower court ethics rules to say that you're only in violation of self-dealing to your own family, if you knowingly use your prestige and position as a Supreme Court justice to help them, leaving the possibility that, oh, if you accidentally help your wife because you didn't know that she was involved in, let's say, the coup attempt,

then you're still fine. So I would love to say this is the Clarence Thomas rules. But actually, these are Clarence Thomas rules, right? These are rules to allow Clarence to continue doing his graft and his corruption. See, to me, this is very basic. Why is the Supreme Court justice taking free trips from billionaires. I mean, I'm sorry. If a member of Congress did this, frankly, they can't.

They can't. So, like, these are, here's what's mind-boggling. These are nine appointed individuals. Out of all the, out of the three branches of government, there is no direct responsibility to the public.

If you're the executive branch, you're the president, you are elected. You're the legislative House and Senate. You are elected. These folks are not elected and they literally are the final arbiters of all laws. So out of all three branches, they should be the most above reproach. But the bottom line is what we've seen here, you can literally buy off a Supreme Court justice. Leonard Leo and these billionaires have been whining and dining these Supreme Court justices, include, go back to Antonin Scalia, the free hunting trips and the free yacht rides and all of that. You cannot tell me that if these billionaires are hooking you up, you are not talking about issues that they want the court to decide. Exactly. You're absolutely right. And the other thing that these rules don't do is prescribe what actually counts as having business before the court,

right? One of the ways that I like to explain this is if you look at tax law, this term, there's going to be a huge tax law case with real implications about whether or not we're even allowed to have a wealth tax in this country, right? Now, you don't have to be a named litigant in that wealth tax lawsuit to have interest in what Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, how they rule on the wealth tax, right? You don't have to actually be the person going into the courthouse to have an interest in the outcome of that case, right? But according to these rules, unless Harlan Crowe is literally the guy suing to try to prevent the wealth tax from happening, Harlan Crowe is free to wine and dine and, again, pay for Clarence Thomas's secret child's tuition

as much as he wants. Now, what do you think they're talking about on the superyacht? What do you think they're talking about on the super yacht? What do you think they're talking about on the private jet? What do you think they're talking about at the exclusive resort? I promise you, Harlan Crowe and other Republican billionaires like them are talking to these justices about things like the wealth tax. And Elliot, these ain't your boys from 40 years ago. These are some cats who are your new friends. So it's real clear what, why. I know a lot of cops

and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

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Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. You know what they are doing. They say, no, oh,, no. I'm, I'm friends with Clarence. Well, how'd you become friends? We have become friends. Oh, uh, uh, 2021. It is important to, for people to remember that none of these people are Clarence Thomas's old college buddies. All right. None of these people were taking Clarence Thomas off on free vacations when all he was doing was harassing Anita Hill. All right. They only became friends once Thomas ascended to the Supreme Court. And that's where their, quote unquote, relationship started. Right. So, again, these ethics rules, if we're even going to call them rules, they really should be called a so-called ethics code, don't prescribe, don't restrain the judge's behavior on any of this. It's like building a dam out of a chain link fence, right? It's kind of a giant waste of everybody's time because it's not going to do anything to stop the water. And if you think of the water as the flow of money from rich Republican donors to Supreme Court justices, nothing stops. And nothing in this code

makes it stop, meaning that it's useless. And Roland, I believe there's an audience of one for this, right? And that audience is Dick Durbin. Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is trying to conduct hearings about the Supreme Court's behavior. He's trying to get the justices to come in and offer testimony. They refuse. He's trying to bring Harlan Crow and other Republican billionaires in to offer testimony, those people refuse. Lindsey Graham has promised things that I can't even say on television, that's how angry Lindsey Graham is. This ethics code is directly pointed at Dick Durbin and trying to get him to back off. And I hope he doesn't fall for it. I hope he doesn't take this weak sauce as an answer. I

hope he continues with his investigation and continues pressing these justices to adopt a real code of ethics, not something they made up on the back of the envelope between themselves. Senator Dick Durbin needs to tell the Republicans, go to hell. This is where Democrats need to have a spine and say, no, we're going to call these folks. I don't care who you are. I don't care who you are, okay? Forget me the Supreme Court justice.

Ain't nobody just going to forgive a $267,000 loan for your RV. I mean, I'm sorry. Okay? Okay? Ain't nobody just, oh, yeah, we'll forgive that. Ain't nobody sitting here fixing up your mama's house just because that's my boy.

Uh-uh. I mean, none of this passes the smell test. Somebody should try it, right? Just walk up to a rich person. Yo, yo, yo, can you let me hold $267,000? Can you let me just hold that for you, brother? Like, try it. Try it and see what happens. Anybody else would understand that they had to pay that money back. Doesn't happen for Supreme Court justices. So again, I think why would they bother? Why would they bother with this so-called code of ethics that is so ridiculous on its face, that is so porous on its face, that it doesn't restrain any of their activity? They're doing it to push Dick Durbin off of his investigation and to get Democrats in the Senate to leave them alone.

And it's simply a question of whether or not Democrats will take the bait because Republicans are already all in on corruption, all in on graft, all in on allowing these unelected, lifetime-appointed people to do whatever they want on the public's time. President Biden, Vice President Harris, the Senate should say, I'm sorry, this so-called code of ethics is simply unacceptable.

It needs to be stronger. Absolutely, Democrats should be far more aggressive, because let's be real clear, and again, see, this is the thing that I'm really trying to get all these people to understand. I'm seeing all of these different stories and people talking about,

oh, you know, I don't like how the economy is going. I'm blaming Biden. I'm not going to vote. All of this sort of stuff like here. Let me be real clear with all of y'all. Donald Trump appointed 28% of the federal judiciary. He appointed significant numbers of people to the appellate courts.

Biden-Harris has appointed upwards of 150 people. 50 of them are black judges. If you are even thinking about sitting the election out or voting for Trump because you're pissed off about one thing you didn't get, let me be very clear. If you believe in civil rights, if you believe in the environment, if you believe in voting rights,

if you believe in people getting a fair shake who have been imprisoned and want to hear evidence being heard again, ain't no way in hell should you be sitting on the sidelines and acting like this next election is no big deal. Let me say it right now, and here's the deal. If Donald Trump wins, I will put money on it. Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas are going to retire to guarantee they appoint a younger Supreme Court justice, and that's going to solidify their 6-3 hole on the Supreme Court. For the rest of your natural life and mine and most of the people who are watching this show,

right? You can't mess around with the Supreme Court because the Supreme Court claims that it has a veto power over everything else the government does. It has a veto power over the president and a veto power over Congress, right? So if you wanted student debt relief and you're wondering why you're not getting it, it's not Joe Biden's fault. He tried. He tried his best. It's the Supreme Court that went into your pocket and took that student debt relief away from you. If you care, like you said, Roland, about the environment and you wonder what's going to happen to the planet, it's the Supreme Court that is stopping any meaningful environmental legislation. If you care about gun rights and gun safety, it is the Supreme Court that is making our streets

and movie theaters and school and elementary schools as dangerous as humanly possible. If you care about voting rights, if you want to be able to go vote safely and quickly and have your vote counted, if you want people who have been convicted of crimes to retain their constitutional rights to votes, it's the Supreme Court that's stopping it. And if you want civil rights, if you want LGBTQ rights, if you want women's reproductive rights, if you want any of that, you have to control the Supreme Court. And you can't let Republicans get in and appoint the next generation of Clarence Thomases and Sam Alitos based on what people like Harlan Crowe want them, who they want to nominate, right? So it all does, from my perspective,

come back to the Supreme Court because it's not just another branch of government. It claims to be the most powerful branch of government. It claims to be the most powerful branch of government because it claims to have the power to veto the other two branches, right? So that's just what we're looking at in reality. And what you're looking at with the so-called access code is, again, this idea that these people are so powerful and beyond reproach that nobody can tell them no, that nobody can say, hey, maybe get your hand out of the cookie jar. Hey, maybe you should have to be transparent about your financial deal. Nobody can tell them no. And that's what they said today. Don't worry. We got it. We can police ourselves. Y'all go about your business now.

Yeah, not buying it. L.A. Mistel, Justice Correspondent for the Nation. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much for having me, as always. Folks, we'll talk about this when our panel will come back. We'll also talk about the U.S. Army making a historic decision that impacts the descendants

of 100 Black soldiers who were court-martialed. Court-martialed for a race riot in Houston in 1917. 19 of them actually were executed, and we'll tell you exactly what took place today in Houston. We'll also talk with the director of the movie, The 24th, that is on Prime Video and Tubing,

about this decision as well. That and more right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to hit that like button, folks. We want to easily get to 1,000, 2,000 likes. It impacts the YouTube algorithm so more people can actually see our video. It also drives revenue. Speaking of revenue, it's critically important you support us in what we do by joining our Bring the Funk fan club.

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PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C. 20037-0196. Cash app is Dallas Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

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

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, It's really, really, really bad. Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

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

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

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper.

The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Roland Mark on thefilter.com. We'll be right back. Grow your business or career with Grow with Google's wide range of online courses, digital training, and tools.

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We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Your money makes this possible. Check some money orders. Go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash app is $RM Unfiltered. PayPal is Rartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Hey, what's up? It's Tammy Roman. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer

of the new Sherri Shepherd Talk Show. It's me, Sherri Shepherd, and you know what you're watching, Roland Martin Unfiltered. Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. I'm Monday Pound. I'm a Congo Dabinga Senior Professorial Lecturer, School of International Service, American University out of Washington, D.C. Dr. Julian Malveaux,

economist and author. Also, Joe Richardson, Civil Rights Attorney out of Los Angeles. Glad to have all three of you Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist and author. Also, Joe Richardson, civil rights attorney out of Los Angeles. Glad to have all three of you here. Julianne, I'll start with you. I mean, I keep saying this, and I saw the article earlier today, and it was a Wall Street Journal article, and they were talking about the election. They quoted some sister out of Philadelphia who said that she was complaining about food prices and rent going up. And she said, I thought Joe Biden

was going to fix these things. So therefore, I'm just frustrated. You know, I'm not going to vote. And I've seen other stories like this here. And people go, well, Roland, you know what? I don't really see the effect, well, Roland, you know what? I don't really see the effect, if you will, of a Supreme Court justice or a federal judge. And I am here to tell people, and I see these poll numbers, if you put Donald Trump back in the White House and the Republicans control the Senate, he's going to appoint another 200 federal judges. That means with the 234 that he

did last time and 200 more, that's gonna be more than 400 federal judges, only 930. He will be appointing half of all federal judges. And these are going to be hard right wing individuals who will be ruling against anything and everything black folks care about. And so I know people sitting out there are saying, well, you know what? I don't I'm just going to sit this out or so. I'm frustrated. I'm going to vote third party or I'm going to sit here and vote for Trump. I can guarantee you the hell that we will have to endure if we have more of these right wing judges and they don't give a damn about the ethics. They don't care about the Supreme Court deal.

They don't mind paying off Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito with these free trips because they're going to get what the hell they want. You know, Roland, we really should be very apprehensive and we should also be taking a look at the role of the mainstream media. We've seen these stories about people worried about inflation, their rents are going up. Rents go up. That's what happens. A year, look at your lease, your rents go up. But you've got- But there's also a reason why rent at your lease. Your rents go up. But there's also a reason why rent is going up. And I need people to understand that we built fewer

housing stock between 2010 and 2020 because of the home foreclosure crisis in 2008. We built fewer this decade. This is the fewest number of homes that have been built since the 1930s. Biden don't control that. And so then what happened with those toxic assets after the home foreclosure crisis? The banks held onto them, then sold them to

private equity. And so now private equity, instead of selling the homes, they are holding the homes, charging higher rent, making billions of dollars. That's why we have a housing crisis. So for the people to go, oh, it's Biden's fault. I'm like, what

the hell are you talking about? Understand there's a reason we got here. There's a skewing in the mainstream media to blame Biden. OK, he old. We've talked about that before. He gonna be old. That's what happens when you live long enough. I don't have a problem with old Biden. I have a problem with the mainstream media spinning this thing in such a way as to make him less attractive. I also have a problem with the mainstream media, as you just said, not going behind why we have inflation, not going behind why we have these challenges, not going behind

what's going on. So they're just giving the story. The New York Times poll went out about a week ago. All these people say they can't vote for Biden. I've just seen it recently on my own block, talking to some young Palestinians, I will not vote for Biden. Why not? You think you're going to get a better deal with Trump? But then to take it even further, as you say, the Supreme Court piece, we always have a challenge explaining the Supreme Court to young people. In 2016, young people didn't

get it. They wouldn't vote for Hillary because they didn't like her. This is not a date. This is like public policy. But in any case, we always have a challenge explaining that. But I think that we're at a place now where we can explain it a lot better, because we've seen what the Supreme Court has done on Roe. We've seen what they've done with student loans. We've seen the ways that this Supreme Court, six to three, basically can eviscerate anything progressive that people put out there. We've seen that. But now take it a little bit further. Let this man get back in, and let's see what happens to all of us. What we're seeing is these people don't have any ethics.

They don't have any decency. They have no empathy. And we see what that means in terms of the law. I'm not talking about Supreme Court, but it trickled down to Congress. They want to eviscerate Head Start. They want to—and this Mike Johnson, the segregationist, seems—looks reasonable, but acts like baby Trump. And so what we really need to do is to basically invigorate the base to say, folks, this is what will happen if you choose to vote for that man again. And many are choosing. Terrence Woodbury, you had him on last week.

Twenty five percent, 25 to 30 percent of black men say they will vote for Trump. Twenty to 25 percent of black women, if the stuff was happening today. Who are these people? What is wrong with them? Are they thinking ahead about anything? And the answer clearly is no. And so there's a lot of work that has to be done. The thing here, Omokongo, that people just need to understand, these billionaire conservatives, they have purchased the Supreme Court.

They are bought and paid for. And what Leonard Leo has done, they have used the Supreme Court foundation to get close to these people, and they have used their money to get their ear. The pieces by ProPublica lays it out. Conservatives hate these pieces of ProPublica, but they know for a fact, they know that Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito

and the other conservatives have been bought and paid for and they are ruling in favor of these rich billionaires and not regular ordinary Americans. And, you know, it's really tragic. I mean, you talk to a family psychologist now, and we talked about how ridiculous this new ethics code was. The other aspect of the ethics

code that's ridiculous is the fact that it's not retroactive. So it can't even go back and look at any of this. And as you said multiple times on this show, the Supreme Court we have now is because of Donald Trump. Donald Trump was able to put them in because of our inability to make sure he didn't win in 2016. And so for people who don't want to connect the courts to what's happening now, how do you lay it out with the federal judges as well? And look, if you thought that the people that Donald Trump appointed now were problematic, Jonathan Karl, the author of the new book Tired of Winning, he said recently that Donald Trump and his cronies are actually using AI to generate a software evaluation system that will rule out anybody of being nominated or hired who has the potential of going against him. So he had people like John Kelly and other people, Milley, who kind of helped keep the guardrails on. He's like, I'm not having that this time around.

So they're making sure that everybody that they bring in is going to be 100 percent loyal to him. So that's just not his cabinet. That's also the people he's going to elect as judges. And what you're saying, again, possibility of losing the Senate is larger now with Joe Manchin coming out. If we don't get it now, Roland, I don't know if we ever will. Over the weekend, Trump is calling his opponents vermin, using language that refers to genocide, Rwandan genocide, Congo, Holocaust. I mean, the list goes on and on. He's using that language proudly and boldly and talking about what he's going to do. And he has no respect for the judicial system if it goes against him. But if he can use them in any type of way

to give some type of legal cover to what he's doing, people better watch out. And so Democrats, they really have to go harder in explaining the real choices we have right now. And just look at what has been happening just in the last few years because of this court. Look at what's happening with gun rights. Look what's happening with young women who are sterilizing themselves in the face of

what happened with Roe v. Wade. Like, these are real issues that our Democrats and people who are out there fighting against this need to make more profound, need to make more clear. Because if we can get people to see that type of choice, then they can hopefully be able to understand. And it shouldn't have to take this much work, Roland, but it does. That it's literally a matter of life or death, not only of our democracy, but of our communities and our system of well-being, of just living. Absolutely. You know, this is just, again, I cannot overstate why this code of conduct, Joe, is a joke. I cannot overstate to people how huge the Supreme Court and federal judges are. There is nothing that we talk about in this society when it comes to bills,

when it comes to laws, that the Supreme Court cannot rule on, city, county, state, or federal. Yeah, that's exactly right. It reminds me of our dear comedian brother, Robin Harris, all those years ago in one of his stand-ups. He said he was in first class, and somebody asked ago in one of his stand-ups, he said he was in first class. And somebody asked him, the stewardess asked him, he said, what are you doing in first class? And he said, MF, I'm flying in first class, and I want everything I'm supposed to get in first class. And so if I paid for my spend, I'm a billionaire, and I paid for, you know, Terrence Thomas's kid to go to school. I paid for his house. I paid for his RV. I, you know, I sent him all around the world. I did all these things for Samuel Alito. I want my spin. I want everything I'm supposed to get. My money is good. And your

word ought to be good to Justice Alito, Justice Thomas, whatever the case may be, as it pertains to what you said you would do in code. And so therefore, they have a certain expectation. It's like leaving the Fox in charge of the in-house and he's saying, well, don't worry. I'm not hungry. I won't eat. Everything is fine. And so everybody's supposed to just live the other way. So we have to continue to pay attention to this. This is the area where Republicans that aren't so interested anymore in debating on the issues because they're going to be outnumbered on the issues and because most bread and butter issues tend to belong with Democrats. This is how they keep control. And of course, as we know, the Supreme Court deals with absolutely everything. The greatest suggestion, the worst suggestion that we could take is that the Supreme Court

doesn't matter and that our vote doesn't matter or that this election is about Joe Biden's age, aside from the fact that Donald Trump is not a whole lot younger, just about as old and in poor health. This is about democracy. This is about the rule of law. Things that he does not believe in and that he seeks Supreme Court justices and people all the way down the line

on every level of the courts that agree with him. Well, this is the equivalent to me of buying a jury to ensure an outcome. Folks, hold tight one second when we come back. The U.S. Army writes a wrong that is 106 years old.

We'll tell you about the 24th Regiment, what took place in 1917 that, folks, is shocking and stunning. Finally, there is some justice. You're watching Rolling Mark Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

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

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

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

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

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

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly

violence white people are losing their damn mind there's an angry pro-trump mob storm to the u.s capital we're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance. We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. This country is getting

increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is white fear. Hey, what's up? Keith Turino, the place to be. Got kicked out your mama's university.

Creator and executive producer of Fat Tuesdays, an air hip-hop comedy. But right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin. Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamned believable. You hear me? More than a century later, more than 110 black soldiers were convicted. First of all, have been, have the convictions of murder and mutiny and assault overturned. This all a result of the 1917 Houston riot, folks. This was one of the biggest stories during a tumultuous period of race riots

all across the country. The historic change comes after the Army received petitions from retired general officers and the South Texas College of Law requesting a review of the court's decision and clemency for the 110 soldiers. 19 of them were executed. There was a ceremony today in Houston, Texas, announcing this decision.

This has been fought for for a very, very long time. Army Secretary Christine Womuth directed a board of military record connections to review each case. And this, of course, was a decision. Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn says overturning the convictions was the right thing to do. The lens of the Army values upgrading these discharges is the best choice, really the only choice for today's Army. I am proud to be an Army veteran, even more so today. Secretary Wormuth deserves great credit

for thoroughly reviewing the available evidence in this matter and for doing everything possible to right the wrong of the past for these veterans. While we cannot go back in time to change the past from today on, we have an obligation to correct the record. Not only should we recognize the dedicated service of these Buffalo soldiers, we must restore and preserve their legacies in perpetuity. And that is the role of the VA's National Cemetery Administration. We had an NCAA honor veteran with final resting places in national shrines. This is not the undersecretary. This is the guy over the cemetery. Commemorate their service and sacrifice to our

nation. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery near San Antonio is the final resting place for 17 of the executed Buffalo Soldiers we are honoring today. They have been interred there for more than a century, but their historical headstones make no mention of their Army service. As was the practice at the time, the information inscribed on their headstones was minimal due to their convictions. Now with the Army setting aside these convictions and upgrading the discharges, NCA is ready to correctly acknowledge and memorialize their service to our nation, and if desired, to provide new headstones with the same amount of information that every veteran is entitled to.

Congressman Al Green of Houston was also there, and he spoke as well. 1917, in the midst of a world at war, our nation bore witness to a great travesty, a tragedy that has taken over a century to address. Today, as we gather to acknowledge and rectify an injustice, we must first reflect, as has been done by others before me, but reflect on the imperfections of our past. This injustice involved the convictions of 110 soldiers, the names, all of whom were recognized today by General Sullivan after a flawed investigation and a flawed trial. This all happened after the Camp Logan riots as they were called. Many of these men, defenders of our nation, were denied the very principles of justice that this great nation was founded upon.

And they were endeavoring to protect those very principles of justice. These soldiers deserved a fair trial, a genuine investigation, and most importantly, the respect and dignity of their roles as servicemen. In their haste and prejudice, the enforcers of our justice system failed them. However, in contrast to that fact, we are here today. And the fact that we are here is a testament to the resiliency of our justice system, to the enduring spirit of truth, and to the fact that we can admit our wrongs and strive to right them. Our journey as a nation has too often been one of transgressions committed,

acknowledgements made, atonement required, and enlightenment realized. We have moved from a deeply divided society governed by the inhumanity of prejudice to occasions such as today's wherein the very institution that was once a perpetrator of an injustice seeks to redress its wrongs. Yet, while we commemorate this momentous occasion wherein we have literally bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice, we cannot rest on our laurels. The painful truth is that the story of the 110 black soldiers is a stark reminder of the racial prejudices that men and... Folks, one of the family members, one of the descendants of one of those soldiers also spoke today, Professor Angela Holter. My strong Pentecostal great Aunt Lovey expects me to greet you in this manner, and I do not want to disappoint her. It is because of her that a six-year-old child took up the cause to work on behalf of her brother, Corporal Jesse

Paul Moore. I ask for your indulgence as I have two messages to deliver. One from my heavenly imagination of what Aunt Lovie would say to you today and myself. My Aunt Lovie. Good morning, everyone. My name is Lovie Ball Kimball. I am the sister of Corporal Jesse Ball Moore. I want to start out by saying thank you and God bless you to each and every one of you for what you did for my brother. Words cannot express the joy in my heart, but I

will try. When our mother received the box with Jesse's coat, Bible, goodbye letter, and a dollar, it devastated her. She told him not to go back because she felt something bad would happen to him, and this box confirmed her fears. He first signed up with permission from Uncle Alec Moore, his guardian. He worked for a bit after his first service ended, and times being what they were, he wanted to go back to the Army. Well, that uniform did make him look good, and he felt important serving his country. In Baton Rouge, there were programs honoring the men who served, and we participated in these services to keep his memory alive. I kept a picture of him and named my daughter Jessie.

She was born before he died and after he died we still had a Jessie to love. Now what exactly will the army do? Well, one of the U.S. Army's top civilians spoke and laid out the three specific things that they will do. Who I would care for in the place of my... Today, we formally announce three concrete steps to restore the honor taken from the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry, all those years ago. First, the Army hereby sets aside

all 110 court-martial convictions of 324 soldiers stemming from the events of August 23, 1917. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

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

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

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

to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

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

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

The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersilling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at we direct the correction of military records to show honorable discharge for the VA, we've established a mechanism to deliver survivor benefits to families long denied the financial resources owed to them. Thank you. Folks, I first heard about the 24th by reading Will Haygood's book on the confirmation hearing of Thurgood Marshall. Three years ago, there was a movie that was actually done on them,

and Will mentioned that in his book. It is called The 24th. This is the trailer. For the descendants. 24th. This is the trailer. For the descendants. We're out of the 24th Infantry. This is Texas. And we have a great opportunity here. Legacy, if proven worthy, will carry us all the way to the shores of France.

Yeah! Things are a little different down here in the South. I will expect you men to obey the racial code. Yes, sir. Get back with the others. Just go ahead and dry this machine. Officer Cross, this a white man's world. Every man here has got a lit fuse.

Jim Crow's the law. Respect it. What are we going to do? The police brutalize us, sir. All we want is to be treated as soldiers. As military police, you are to ensure order of the men of the 24th Infantry only. Drop the knife. Back up!

I was robbed of my honor. You get out of here before they take yours too. The general can get the 24th in the fight. He's never going to do that. What do we do, sir? William, I've done all I can do here. We have a problem. We're gonna take our country back.

The law run this town. There's a militia on the way. Are they? Which way did they go? Keep pushing people down. Sooner or later, they rise up. Fire! Can you identify any of the leaders of the mutiny?

They're coming! Can you identify any of the leaders of the mutiny? The cover! When I aimed the gun, I saw a man. He didn't see one back. A lot of you may not even know that movie came out. It came out during COVID. I didn't know. But joining me right now is the director, Kevin Wilmot of The 24th.

Kevin, glad to have you here. Praise the Lord for Instagram. I was talking to Michael T. Williamson, and he was telling me about it. And so then I go to Instagram, and I'm talking to Michael T. Williamson and he was telling me about it. So then I go to Instagram and I'm trying to find you and I sent you a DM and I didn't hear back, but then I saw a photo of you and Spike Lee

on your Instagram page. So I hit Spike. Spike sent me your number and boom, you are here. So I am so glad to have you. This, and boom, you are here. So I am so glad to have you. I'm a native of Houston and had no idea about this story. Yeah, that's the American problem, right? I mean, that's kind of what we do.

You know, we hide the real history from the public. You know, I've heard a lot of people talk about how Texas teaches Texas history. But this part of Texas history has never been taught. In fact, it is a state requirement in the seventh grade that you take Texas history. And, Kevin, the book is literally this thick. That's how thick the book. I mean, it is a massive book. And so you're absolutely right.

And this was not in that thick-ass book. You know, and what's amazing, Rowling, and thank you so much for having me on the show. I've always been a big fan. The thing about this riot, as they called it, this ended up being the largest murder trial in American history. Wow. That's how I learned about it. It was a history book I was reading 20 years ago uh and they had us there's only one photograph of the trial and 64 buffalo soldiers on trial at one time and and and the inscribed caption was the largest murder trial

in american history and i'd never i'm a history geek i had never heard anything about it uh and that's what you know started me on my quest to really make this movie took me 20 years but we finally got there. And, of course, COVID kind of hides the movie from people a bit, but at least it's out there. Yeah, and so what happened was, and you're right, this is the photo right here. This is from the archives at Prairie View A&M University. This is the photo right here of them being on trial. And Kevin, it was interesting because so the Wall Street Journal had an article yesterday talking about this decision and that

there was going to be this ceremony in Houston. I saw that and his was crazy. I rarely read the Wall Street Journal on weekends. I've got I've got subscriptions to The New York Times, Washington Post. And I just what the hell? I would take a look at it. And then I see this story. I immediately email someone at the Pentagon. I'm like, hey, get me somebody from the army. Also, this is going to be live stream. So they sent me the link. And then that's what I started, you know, going down that path. And then all of a sudden and then I saw the movie. So then I'm looking on where can I find it?

I saw it was on Tubi and Prime Video, went to Prime Video, watched the whole movie last night. Absolutely amazing. And it's just another example, another example. And this is also four years before Tulsa, the Tulsa race massacre. And the thing is, we look at look at this. Nineteen brothers executed, placed in unmarked graves, but their names were placed on paper inside of glass bottles in the caskets. And when you read this account of how the army did no real investigation and it was pretty much, oh, they black, they're guilty. Yeah, I mean, there was kind of one book that I was able to find on it.

And, you know, 20 years ago, there was not much of anything. And then I actually read a lot of the newspaper accounts from the time, from Houston at that time, from the Houston, I think it's called Houston Post. And they were, you know, you could just read the bias between the lines. They did not receive anything close to a fair trial. But more than anything, what we try to show in the movie, as you know, is they were brutalized. I mean, they sent 700 soldiers, black soldiers, to Houston in 1917. These guys had been—some of them had fought in the Philippine insurrection campaign. Some of them had fought with Teddy Roosevelt on San Juan Hill.

So these guys were—a lot of them were used to being treated with some degree of dignity and and and and had been treated really kind of as, you know, like soldiers are supposed to be treated. And so, you know, they they show up in Houston and and and Houston just is paranoid of of them in total. And in Houston, the Houston police, you know, there's that little song, The Midnight Special. And in that song, they talk about Houston and they talk about the police in Houston specifically. And and that's an old blues song from from Lead Billy back in the days. And and and the Houston police had a had a notorious, you know, record of brutalizing everybody, but specifically black people and Mexicans. And so when these 700 black soldiers show up,

they just unleashed holy hell on them. Well, all across the country, white folks could not stand black men with guns in their hands, even though they had that uniform on. And, you know, we can, it was crazy. I mean, so my dad is texting me. He said he'd been long knew about Camp Logan. And here's what's crazy.

What is now Memorial Park in Houston is where Camp Logan was. And again, I'm like you. I love history. No idea. That's why it was called Memorial Park. They play the PGA golf tour there. I played there numerous times. Not one time.

As a matter of fact, when I go, as a matter of fact, I'm going to hit the mayor to find out. I mean, is there a marker? Is there anything there that explains that? I've been to Memorial Park numerous times and never knew that that was the site of Camp Logan. I don't think there's anything. There might be some small, but I don't think anything of significance is there, from what I understand. No, it's been a hidden piece of American history for far too long. This is an amazing day. I mean, I have to be honest with you, I never thought they would do it. You know, I mean, one of the things that you often would hear about this this case is that this is the first time. And, and yeah,

and it was because these men, these are trained soldiers and these guys had been brutalized and brutalized and brutalized. They finally snapped. They couldn't take any more, you know, 150 black soldiers march on Houston, Texas and full combat gear. And, and, and they went specifically went after the police, But you got to remember, this is before Gandhi. This is before the civil rights movement. This is before, you know, this is before anything could have taught them how to respond in any other way.

I mean, these are soldiers. And they're used to fighting. And they had fought overseas for people's rights, but, you know, could not fight at home for their own rights. And one of the things they kept saying was that, you know, they they desperately wanted to fight in World War One in France, but they were never sent. See, and that's the people don't understand. order to preserve the rights that they could not access. The idea was always that if we fight overseas and show our loyalty and show our patriotism, maybe they'll give us our rights back. Well, the black newspapers lit. It's called the Double V Campaign,

Victory at Home and Victory Abroad, the Pittsburgh Curry or Chicago Defender, all of them. And also, if people read Ethan McKellie's book on the Chicago Defender, this country could not stand that black newspapers like the Chicago Defender were writing about racism experienced by the soldiers, And they threatened the black newspapers with treason to try them for treason. They said because they were stirring up dissension among the troops and they were they were actually writing about the racism that black troops were facing in the military. I mean, it's so unbelievable that this is our life and our history. And, you know, but it is. And it's so important that we tell these stories.

I mean, you know, one of the things I think that we see now is that they're trying to make these stories go away. And they're trying to make these stories go away and, and they're trying to, to erase these, these things from history. And as we know about the Holocaust and all the other horrible things in, in life, it's important to remember the Holocaust that happened here as well. And it's important. And there's, and just as this Tulsa and Houston, there, there were, you know, as you know, Roland, just countless numbers of these incidents all over the country. And, you know, it's very hard to get a movie made about them.

You know, but it's important that black people, black audiences specifically, you know, watch these movies and embrace these movies and tell others about these movies. Because, you know, Hollywood, you know, never has wanted to tell this side of our history. And so it's hard to get a movie like this made. And it's but it's it's very important because obviously, you know, the Republican Party, a lot of other folks, they don't want us to they don't want to hear about this. They don't want their kids to know about it. They don't want they don't want to know about American history. This is more than anything. This is American history.

And and and and it's, you know, it's being attacked. Hold on one second. I go to a quick break because I got a few more questions for everybody who's watching. I want to understand that the movie that Kevin directed is called The 24th. You can watch it on Tubi. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video. Of course, our 24 hour streaming channel is also Amazon Prime Video. You don't have to pay extra if you're a prime video subscriber. Amazon Prime Video. Of course, our 24-hour streaming channel is also on Amazon Prime Video. You don't have to pay extra. If you're a Prime Video subscriber, you don't have to pay extra to actually see it.

It comes with it. Again, I saw it last night. It's an unbelievable movie. Troy Byers, of course, who was in Empire, he is in this movie. Michael T. Williamson is in this movie as well. It is an absolute important movie. And this moment in history is, again, it is absolutely stunning that they're vacating this. And for a lot of people, I see y'all comments, well, you know, what do they get? The descendants of these soldiers now can qualify for veteran affairs benefits. And so that is there.

And so, yes, it's 106 years too late, but history still needs to be repaired and fixed. I'll be right back in a moment. I'm Roland Martin, I'm the filter on the Black Star Network. I'm Dee Barnes, and next on The Frequency we have real performance artist and author writer, singer and composer

Queen Mother Nana Camille Yarborough please join us for an incredible conversation of knowledge, wisdom and power of the elders I'm a perception changer you're a real ranger you're a mind devourer and a problem

solver. You're a beast eater, a soul excreter, a void filler and a bio spiller. You are a thought warmer, a plan former, a power orchestrator and a tongue translator. Right here on The Frequency on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, inflation is on the rise. Interest rates are high. Can you still thrive during these uncertain times? On the next Get Wealthy, you're going to meet a woman who's done just that, living proof of what you need to do to flourish during these uncertain times. These are times where you take advantage of what's going on. This is how people get rich or richer. That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time,

have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good

and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back.

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

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

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

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

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Weekdays at 3, only on the Black Star Network. Hey, what's up, y'all? I'm Devon Frank. I'm Dr. Robin B., pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, welcome back. We're talking about the historic decision by the United States Army to vacate the convictions of 110 black soldiers involved in a race riot

in Houston in 1917. There was a ceremony today in Houston announcing this decision and also announcing the steps that they are taking to, one, provide benefits to the descendants of these soldiers. We're talking with Kevin Wilmot. He is the director of the movie The 24're talking with Kevin Wilmot. He is the director of the movie, The 24th, and he joins us right now. And Kevin, it's interesting. So

during the break, first of all, I'm sitting there texting the mayor of Houston right now, my Alfred brother, about this here. But I went to the website of the Memorial Park Conservancy. And they're the ones, and so I'm looking here, and I'm looking under history. And as I'm going under here, so this is literally what it says. It says, the park was to be named to honor the soldiers who fought in World War I and trained in Camp Logan, today known as Memorial Park. Camp Logan was one of a handful of training camps established to train and convert members of the National Guard

to become U.S. military service members. So first of all, was Camp Logan there to train black soldiers or all soldiers? They trained all soldiers. OK. But, you know, they had a black, you know, had a black section. Gotcha. And obviously nowhere in here is there any mention of what took place. It looks like we may have lost Kevin there.

Let me know we have him back. There we go. There we go. OK. It looks like we may have lost Kevin there. Let me know we have him back. There we go. There we go. Okay, so there's nowhere in here is there any mention of what took place in 1917. Matter of fact, let's see here. There is a timeline here. This is the extent of it. Camp Logan, 1917.

The United States enters the First World War, and the War Department leases 7,600 acres of forested land on Buffalo Bayou to establish a training base named Camp Logan. The camp trains 70,000 soldiers, housing 30,000 at any given time, and is a social center of Houston. Nearly 1,000 Camp Logan soldiers lose their lives during the war and over 6,200 are wounded. There are stories of heroism and bravery associated with Camp Logan among the 370th Regiment

after training at Camp Logan, go on to serve with the French military and become the most decorated in all of World War I. There are also stories of tragedy associated with the camp, including the Houston Mutiny and Riot, which took place on the night of August 23, 1917. Kevin, that's it.

That's all you get. That's all you get, right? That's it. Like, Black ain't mentioned, but you also know it's called the Houston Mutiny and Riot. Not race riot, but just, go ahead. Yeah, well, that's the deal.

And, you know, I mean, that's what makes this day so great. Because, you know, as someone who's, you know, been trying to tell the story for a very long time and having to read that kind of stuff for years and years and years. And the fact that they've done such a great job in erasing this from our history books and our memory, our national memory, you know, it's just a really profound thing that these men are finally being honored. And you've got to remember these Buffalo Soldiers, the 24th specifically, they fought in the Spanish-American War. They went up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt. They fought in the Philippine insurrection. And most people don't know anything about the Philippine insurrection.

This happened right after San Juan Hill and the fight with Cuba. But that's really the first Vietnam. That's really the first Vietnam. And these guys are fighting. They fought. They sent some of these guys in China. They had fought Pancho Villa in New Mexico.

They had been all over the place. And these guys had, these men had, you know, had really kind of, you know, gained a certain dignity and respect that most black men in America had not achieved because of, you know, the horrors of segregation, Jim Crow. So these guys had—they were real American citizens, and they saw themselves as equal citizens. And that's why, I believe that's why they rebelled. Yeah, and look, these are black men wearing these uniforms. And speaking of that, I was very curious, because when I'm watching the movie, I'm always interested in terms of, you know, what actually happened.

So the end of, in the movie, the end of the trial, and my panel, get ready, I'm going to get y'all for questions. The end of the movie, the end of the trial, I'm sorry, when they were saying, I am a man, was that written into the, was that actually testimony from the trial? I added that. Trey Byers and myself, we wrote the script together. We added that.

But, you know, but I felt, we felt that that's what was going on inside of them. Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, the only reason I asked the question is because obviously the I am a man signs were so visible by the sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968. And I was curious if they were actually saying that as early as 1917, but you're absolutely right, that that was the through line through so many of these instances where there were black men were saying, yeah, I'm a man.

Treat me like a man. Yes. And, you know, and they really, you know, I mean, they really, you know, I had to they really tried their best to to hold it together. I mean, they really, really, really tried their best to hold it together. I mean, they really, really, really tried their best to hold it together. But there were two racist, horribly, horribly racist cops specifically that targeted them and just made their life holy hell. And so, you know, you got to remember, these guys are seeing guys in their company coming home. They'd go out to Houston to get a drink or go see a friend or whatever, and they'd come home to the camp at Bloody where they'd been beaten up by the police. And this was day after day after day after day.

And eventually, as we show in the movie, they went after who was Corporal Baltimore. We call him Boston in the film, Trey Byers plays in the movie. They went after who was Corporal Baltimore. We call him Boston in the film, Trey Byers plays in the movie. They went after Baltimore, who was one of the real leaders of the company. And it was an MP who was trying to keep things at rest, to keep things at peace with the situation there.

Black MPs were not allowed to carry firearms. So when the police went after him, they started to try to kill him. He had to flee. The word got back to the camp and soldiers that Baltimore, Boston, we call him in the film, had been murdered by the police. And you got to remember, this was not long after another racial, horrible racial massacre in East St. Louis. Yep. And so the whole idea of a white mob coming and murdering you was not conjecture. I mean, this was in everybody's mind, everybody's conscious,

everybody's, you know, just ready to have somebody, something like that happen to them. And so when the word got back that a mob was coming to camp, soldiers, that's what led them to march on the city. Questions from the panel. Joe, you're first. Well, brother, I mean, I, of course, have blown away. My family, my wife's family is from Houston.

This has not come up at the barbecue. This has not come up at Congressional Black Caucus or anything. And I'll be watching the movie tonight myself. And so I appreciate what you've done. And maybe it's a little bit of a delayed thing, but it is really getting, hopefully, the credit that it deserves. Making a connection to not only this story, but to other stories. Again, it's amazing that this has happened and that this has led to what it actually has in terms of this formal recognition by the U.S. government. Are there other stories that are on your heart to tell similarly along this theme that could not only inform about something that we don't know

about that's gone on in relative plain sight, but it could also inform us for the future? Well, I think there's a lot of smaller incidents like this that happen all over the country. You know, that period from after slavery, you know, 1870 or so to, you know, the 1920s and 30s are just full of these incidents. And towns that were wiped out, massacres that happened, all of that kind of stuff. And so there's just a lot of stories there. I mean, obviously, it's amazing that, you know, again, 20 years ago, when I first learned about the Tulsa riot, you know, Tulsa massacre, you know, that, you know, it's amazing that the movie has not,

does not exist yet on that. And, you know, what I would hear in Hollywood is that, you know, people have talked about it, but nothing's ever, and hopefully something's happening now. I'm not heard. Well, because Hollywood loves white heroes. That's why the Big 7 wouldn't, George Lucas

said it, they wouldn't do a damn thing with Red Tails because they literally said to George Lucas, where are the white heroes? And he went, the heroes are the black guys. And that's why he put 60 million of his own money into the movie, because they would not. They literally said to George Lucas,

we need some white heroes. Yeah, I have to tell you, Roland, a funny story about that. When I was in grad school, I had, this was the 1980s, I had a meeting with Lucasfilm about that movie. That tells you how long ago that was. Wow.

Yeah, I mean, you know, there's so many stories like that that, you know, obviously one that I hope to be involved in is one about the Black Panther tank division, you know, that worked with Patton. You know, there's so many stories like that, especially about military stories. We mentioned one in the 24th about a guy by the name of Fagan. And he was a captain. He was a Black captain who was serving in the Philipp of Fagan. And he was a captain. He was a black captain who was serving in the Philippine insurrection.

Yeah, I remember. And what they did was that that was a real racial war. I mean, they called the Filipinos the big N. And white troops were treating the 24th guys horribly on all kinds of levels. Fagan deserted, joined the Filipino army, and fought the American soldiers.

Whoa. Yes. And that story, I worked with Oliver Stone when I first learned about this. I worked with him on a story about the Philippine insurrection. And that's when I learned about F Stone on this. When I first learned about this, I worked with him on a story about the Philippine insurrection. And that's when I learned about Fagan's story. But Fagan's story is one, again, of a piece, a slice of Black history.

And I'm always geared toward the rebellion stories. I like the stories that that you know because I know those are the ones that really get erased and yeah well because the last thing they wanted to see are black people fighting back speaking of them before I go to Julian Tyler Perry tweet this two days ago honoring the 855 women of color who served in Europe during World War II. Go to my iPad. No matter who tries to write you out of history, we will be sure that the truth is known.

Here's to the 6888 Postal Directory Battalion. I can't wait for the world to see our movie, Happy Veterans Day. Tyler Perry has been working on that movie. Kerry Washington stars in it. And so that's another one of those movies that people have no idea about this group of sisters that existed. And he's actually been working on that movie for the last

several months. Julianne Malveaux. Oh, my brother, first of all, you have filled up my heart. I knew about the 24th, but I did not know about your film, which I will be watching as soon as we get off the air this evening. I'm very grateful for the uplift. I'm working, as Roland knows,

I'm working on a book called Lynching Culture, The Wealth Gap and Reparations. And lynching culture is what allowed people to do whatever they want to to Black people. And so as we lift up the 24th, I just want to shout out the blinding of Isaac Woodward. This was a brother in uniform, in uniform, who simply asked the bus driver, can I get a bathroom break? And as a result, the bus driver was insulted.

Again, your theme, I am a man. These brothers came back and they want to be treated decently. They didn't want VIP treatment. They just want to be treated decently. You've got to go to the bathroom. Stop the GD bus and let me go to the bathroom. No, the bus driver called the police, and the police beat this brother, blinded him, poured alcohol over him, and then said he was drunk and disorderly. But the thing is, I mean, I encourage people to go to the Equal Justice Initiative. They They got a book about lynching in uniform. Nothing made white folks matter than to see a black man with a gun or in uniform,

because it really broke the Southern social code. It suggested that, yes, indeed, we were equal. So as you said, I heard about, read about the Houston, I don't use the word riot at all, but about the Houston- Uprising. Right. Yes, uprising. Thank you. But I'd heard about it and I've read about it at length.

But my question is, what did you find out that you couldn't put on film? Because all too often we're silenced. Even though I know you're a courageous brother and I appreciate it, I also know that you got to get thunders and blah, blah, and blah, blah, and blah, blah. Is there any part of the story that you swallowed? You know, fortunately, we didn't. I mean, one thing that we had to do budget-wise was that we originally wanted to open the movie with a scene from the East St. Louis massacre. And because that massacre really kind of set the consciousness of these men.

So these men were raising money to send to East St. Louis. You know, it was very much on their minds, a white mob, you know, and it was a massacre in East St. Louis. And so just horror, horrible, horrible stuff that happened there. And so that to me was kind of in, you know, I wish I could have shown at least some of that because that sets the stage for the response that they gave. I mean, it doesn't justify it. It doesn't, you know, but it makes you understand what was in their heads, makes you understand where their minds were at. And why with this word getting back to them that they are being attacked, they full well believed that they were being attacked. But in the end, I think it boils down to the fact that they were, as you were saying, they were men.

They were real men. And what I mean by that, not connecting it to the violence, but connecting it to the dignity. You know, I mean, they were dignified men who expected equal treatment. And that's why today is such a great day, because, you know, this horrible atrocity that happened in terms of these men being hung. Baltimore was hung. It was one being hung. Baltimore was hung. It was one of the men that was hung. And so erasing this is a really great thing. Omokongo.

This is really powerful, Mr. Omokongo. And I can't wait to watch this myself. You know, I graduated from college in the late 90s. And even up until that point, a lot of Black people will see a career in the military as a viable career, as a possible great career. Now I speak to young people across the country. And these high schools and colleges I go to, many of the Black youth that I'm talking to have no interest in the military. How can movies like this help kind of reignite that aspect of young Black people looking at the military as a possible career,

as a possible, you know, different way to serve the country as well in a time where people are trying to erase these stories or not even allow them to come to the forefront? That's a huge problem, isn't it? You're right. I mean, I think the more you tell these stories, the more you can have, you know,

what I would call real patriotism. And real patriotism is when you get to have the full story, the full history. I mean, you know, Black people have always believed in America in spite of the fact that it always had one foot on our neck. And so that fact alone, when you don't hide that fact, it tells young people how much Black folks, African-Americans, have always loved this country. And how we've always stood up for this country. And we are we may be more than anybody are the ones that have kind of, you know, embody the the American dream, you know, in terms of making this country stand up for what it what it says it believes in. And and and and stories like this, stories like military stories,

and there's just countless numbers of these stories where African-Americans are fighting in the war for the future of being treated as an equal citizen and often coming back from the war and being treated worse than when they left. And so, you know, it's this part of our history, this part of our struggle has always been a continuum. And that, you know, we just keep moving forward

and things have clearly gotten better. We've got a long ways to go still, but it's gotten better. And I think it's easy to kind of, I'm sure it's easy for a young person to kind of look at a lot of the negative things. I mean, obviously Trump has made, you know, everything. America just, you know, looks like such a horrible place for young people. Looking at something like this and looking at the real history, looking at all the real heroes. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

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I think that's the thing that could maybe inspire them and move them to believe and serve in the military. On that particular point, because I've heard so many people complain about civil rights movies, slavery movies. And what I continue to say is the problem is if you look at that as PTSD or as, you know, porn, you know, traumatic porn, I'm like, no, we should be looking at these black men and black women as real superheroes. And for every black person who complains about these movies, do understand, I've never heard somebody Jewish complain about Holocaust films. You know why? Because they said never again. And so black people need to get over ourselves and say, no, I want to see more of these movies, more of these stories being told, because every time they want to take books out and ban us

from learning, then when you see these movies on television, on streaming services, on broadcast, in the theater, then that's good. And there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of incredible stories. When I saw Will Smith in Emancipation, I saw a black superhero. What that brother did to get out of slavery was unbelievable. Harriet Tubman, folks who we don't even know. And so I think that's

where we as African-Americans must change our perspective. We must say, no, show me more real superheroes. I got no problem with Black Panther and Wakanda, but that's fictional. We've got some black superheroes who did their best to say, no, we're going to we're going to make, as King said, make America be true to what it put on paper. I mean, the fact that the fact that they don't want you to see these movies, they don't want you to know these stories. They the fact that they've created this whole critical race theory crap to to try to take it out of the curriculum of universities and high schools and everything else. The fact that they're making, they're working so hard to do that tells you the inherent importance of it.

I mean, it just tells you. I mean, clearly, this is what makes America, you know, what's going to make America go to this next level. Yeah. If they try to take your vote, that means it's real damn important. If they're trying to get rid of the history, it must be important. It must be important. And these movies allow us to take ownership of the history.

It's really important for us to take ownership of this history. When people talk about slavery porn and all that kind of crap, that is, that is exactly what racist people in America want you to believe, because then you're saying, I don't want to know what happened to grandma. I don't want to care. I don't care about what happened to great grandpa. I don't want to, I don't want to know what happened to my mom and dad. I don't, I don't, I don't want to, I just want to escape. I go to the movies to escape. Well, unfortunately, unfortunately, you know, movies have, you know, not all movies can make you escape.

Sometimes movies have to make you understand who you are and where you've been and probably where you go. And last point, folks, you heard Kevin say this was a 20-year process. When we, and I got no problem saying it, when we shit on movies about us, do understand it makes it harder when he goes to the studio. When he goes to try to get

financing. When we talk, we look about what people said about Nate Parker and The Birth of a Nation. Okay? I can go on about Ava and Selma. And I know right now, it's gonna be people who are gonna be bitching and moaning about Tyler and his movie coming up.

When we whine and complain about these movies, we're making it harder for black filmmakers and black producers and black writers to be able to tell these stories. Amen and amen and amen. I mean, literally, I've been in meetings in Hollywood where they'll say, well, you know, Beloved didn't do well. Amistad didn't do well. And they'd use those movies like a weapon against you. Yep. And, no, you're totally right. And that's a real problem in Hollywood.

And so, you know, when these movies succeed, I mean, the reason that they didn't believe black movies were, could travel international until the success of black fans. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. Kevin Wilmot is the director of the movie, the 24th. Now y'all all know, I'm gonna say this right now.

Y'all already know. I purposely, I've told Netflix, this Hulu, all of them, they love coming to me with their celebrities, but they don't bring any advertising dollars. That's why normally I don't promote

anything that they have. We're going to play Going to the Break, the trailer for the 24th again. I'm supporting Kevin. I'm supporting Michael T. I want y'all to watch it, share it, tell your family. Thanksgiving next week, y'all

should be sitting down together watching this movie. It's critically important. Kevin, I appreciate you answering the text and joining us for the last 45 minutes talking about this critically important movie and again, and the great work the people of the U.S. Army did today. Thank you, my brother. Thanks a bunch. Folks, we come back. We're going to talk about black men, the Democrats. Why do folks keep lying about what has and has not been done? Mondale Robinson joins me next. We're going to break this thing down. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network.

Men of the 24th Infantry. This is Texas. And we have a great opportunity here. Legacy, if proven worthy, will carry us all the way to the shores of France. Yeah! Things are a little different down here in the South. I will expect you men to obey the racial code.

Yes, sir. Get back with the others. Just go ahead and drive this machine. Officer Krause! This is a white man's world. Every man here has got a lit fuse. Jim Crow's the law. Respect it.

What we to do? The police brutalize us, sir. All we want is to be treated as soldiers. As military police, you are to ensure order of the men of the 24th Infantry only. Drop the knife. Back up! I was robbed of my honor. You get out of here before they take yours too.

The general can get the 24th in the fight. He's never going to do that. What do we do, sir? William, I've done all I can do here. We have a problem. We're gonna take our country back. The law run this town. There's a militia on the way. Are they?

Which way did they go? Keep pushing people down. Sooner or later, they rise up. Fire! Can you identify any of the leaders of the mutiny? They're coming! When I aimed the gun, I saw a man. He didn't see one back.

Hello, we're the Critter Fixers. I'm Dr. Bernard Hodges. And I'm Dr. Terrence Ferguson. And you're tuning in to... Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered. So I've been seeing all of these stories everywhere, how Biden and the Democrats, they're in trouble when it comes to the black vote.

Poll came out saying some 22% of African-American, I think it was African-American men are going to be supporting Donald Trump. Over the weekend, go to my iPad, this individual here, this Alhaj Gil Chenault. So it says self-made black millionaire, real estate investor,

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So what he did was he posted this clip on his Instagram channel, and it featured some comments by Van Jones. Pull the audio up. A little bit deeper. Among black men, Trump actually wins by three points in this poll, 49 to 46. Shocking. It's shocking.

First of all, overall, the Biden-Harris coalition could be called the Humpty Dumpty coalition right now. Just falling apart. Just falling apart. The Latino vote on the ground, the youth vote on the ground, the black vote on the ground. This is not good. Now, there is a year to turn it around. The black male, that's a stunner. Black women have been in the lead, but black men haven't been that far behind. I think you've got a constituency that is losing hope and looking for change. A lot of the things that black men were voting for didn't happen yet. Nothing yet on voting rights, nothing yet on police reform, nothing yet on criminal justice reform. So a lot of those

issues that were important for black male voters haven't been addressed yet. And the economic pain is real. The last thing I'll say is a lot of black male voters are non-college working folks. And some of the stuff that is non-college working, that's working for white working class guys can also work for black working class guys. But you can't just expect for black men to stand in long lines or black women to stand in long lines, get nothing done on policy specifically to them and then stay in this coalition. Oh, so. So this individual just one let y'all understand. So this is what he posted. The Democratic Party has been taking black men for granted. Biden has done little to advance the standing of the black male. Economy is horrible. Home prices and interest rates are high.

Wages are not keeping up with inflation. Black male unemployment is still disproportionately high. No criminal justice reform, no real action or accountability on police brutality, shootings, no student loan debt relief. And now he's using taxpayer funds to commit genocide on Palestinians. Just a few reasons why black men are abandoning Biden. Now, guess what, y'all? I had some time this weekend.

Because the reason I took some time, because, one, I can't stand lies. I can't stand what people said. Now, if I was on that panel with Van Jones, I would have actually pushed back real hard. I know, Van. We're cool. But I would have said, Van, that's bullshit. Because, see, when you say nothing has been done, well, that gives the impression that nothing has been done. So first and foremost, and this person on this page, I literally laid this person out by saying, how can you say nothing has been done on student loan debt relief when 3.9 million Americans have had $127 billion forgiven on student loan debt relief, and Republicans

are against all of it. Now, it totals $1.6 trillion. Biden tried to forgive all of it. Ah, how was he stopped? The Supreme Court. So to say he made no effort is a fundamental lie. Now, when somebody says, well, nothing was done, you know, on criminal justice reform, the George Floyd Justice Act was passed by Democrats in the House.

It was stopped by Senator Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham in the Senate because they could not get eight more Republicans to vote with them. Biden and Harris and the Democrats brought two of the three largest police unions to the table to support it. Not only that, as I laid out in Home Boy's page and I walked through this deal, Biden-Harris issued an executive order that spoke to various facets of criminal justice reform. There have been 10 patterns and practices investigations by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division that was one under Donald Trump. When folks talk about, oh, inflation been high, absolutely true. Also, have to remind people, we were literally still coming out of COVID.

You're coming out of that. Corporate greed was driving that. I said earlier, what's happening with housing? Housing stock. Fewer homes built for the last 13 years. That's driving rent. But then I later, the person

talked about, oh, the economy. Huh. I said January 20, 2021, stock market was 30,930.52. Friday, it was 34,283. The brother said, oh, black male unemployment disproportionately has been affected. First of all, that's been every president since they started taking the numbers. Every president, black unemployment has been higher than white unemployment. Oh, but guess what? In April of 2023, black male unemployment was 4.5%, the lowest ever. So I'm trying to understand how. So what was funny is this so-called self-made millionaire,

when I mentioned student loan debt, he goes, well, I got $300,000 in student loan. I ain't got no debt, $300,000 in student loan debt. I don't have any debt renewal. Well, yo ass a millionaire. Pay your shit back. The poor brother came. See, I want y'all to understand when y'all are listening to people

on television, on social media, say stuff that's not rooted in fact. Folk with the knowledge got to push back. Now, I'll be very honest. The Biden-Harris campaign team administration has been horrible in saying what they've accomplished. But here's what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to sit here and let folk lie and get away with it. Join me right now, folks. It's Mondale Robinson. He has been working in politics for quite some time. Mayor of a town there in North Carolina. He also, of course, has been working with specifically black male voters. The thing here, Mondale, and now you're seeing throughout the story,

this reminds me of black men and supporting Stacey. Well, when the numbers were run after the election, they actually showed what the numbers actually were. And what national media does, one outlet picks up on another outlet, then another outlet, then another outlet, and then what black people who don't do their own research, they just read what's in mainstream

and then come and repeat it on their podcast, on their shows, as if it was fact, as opposed to actually checking their own facts. Yeah, I mean, listen, we've been dealing with this idea that 20% of black men will vote for Republicans since Lee Atwater presented it in 1992 as his goal to reach 20% of black men.

That was the Republican, when he was the chair of the Republican Party, that was his goal then. And every two or four years, we hear it pop back into the mainstream. It happened in 2020. They said 20% of black men will vote for Donald Trump. We saw polls from black posters and white posters all saying the same thing. But in actuality, just like you said, November 4th, there'll be a lot of mainstream articles all quoting an exit poll saying that this many black men increased Republican. But in actuality, when there are

deep dives like what Pew and Brookings Institute did after 2020 and 2022, you actually see that Republican support from black men is decreasing. Here's the problem, Roland, and you know this more than me. The people they're calling are not representative of the black men who don't normally participate in an election. Unfortunately for them, that's a majority of black men. Listen to what I'm saying. Seventy percent of black men across this country that are already registered are what the world calls sporadic or non-voters, meaning they voted in one out of the last three election presidential elections.

That's not a critique of black men. It's a critique of these tired strategies that tend to spend their money on mainstream media trying to reach black men fighting Republican talking points have not worked for black men, said Martin Luther King's dad, said. If you don't support my son, get him out of jail, talking about Martin Luther King, who was riding with a white woman in Georgia in the prison. They've not got over 12 percent. Never. Never. So these polls, one, that black men don't really respond to, don't represent the majority of black men, become a talking point that get bounced around over and over. Now, this is not an idea that Democrats can sit back on their lawns

and do nothing to combat the idea that Black men are highly pissed off with them as a party. But it is to say that Black men will not go against Republicans or support Republicans in an increased manner. They didn't do it for Trump in 2020. They actually voted less for Trump in 2020 than they did in 2016. Here's what will happen, though. We will see a repeat of a Virginia 2021 where black men sit out elections as a protest vote. And people think that is a lazy or pathology that

exists in black men, but it's not. We know after every election cycle, the way you increase somebody's participation is if they feel themselves in your messaging, if their culture is represented in what you're saying. This idea that we can continue with the same white consultants that brought Bill Clinton into office using a slightly different version of the Southern strategy to isolate Black voters as 2023 way of winning elections will always, always piss Black men off. This is why we see the need to persuade Black men is not about candidates. That does not work. If you go to black men talking about this candidate is going to save you or this election is the most important, you've already lost the right to be considered a trusted messenger.

What's necessary is you talk about what's likely, what's possible under this candidate, what's possible under this election. That works because black men are issue voters. So when I hear people say stuff like what we hear in this brother's messaging, it's wrong. First of all, majority of black men that are sitting out elections aren't even worried about college debt because they don't have it. Majority of these brothers don't even have college degrees. That's not what they're bitter about. This is this so-called self-made millionaire. I doubt if he is. This so-called self-made millionaire complaining about something that's personal to him. And what we know about black men, just like black women,

we vote together more than any other demographic, racial demographic, or any other demographic in this country. So this idea that we are selfish people, there's a pathology that exists in us that will keep us away from the polls because of our own needs does not ring true at all as it pertains to black men, period. Well, hold on. What must we feel mine? What we do know, though, is the idea that I can keep getting emails from old Democratic strategists is not going to work to engage this demographic. These brothers don't listen to TV and mainstream. These brothers are more likely to get messaging from battle rappers, from podcasters, and run with those than they are from CNN, MSNBC. Oh, absolutely.

Go ahead. Go ahead, Roland. I mean, look, I was in a meeting recently, and I said, guys, 65% of the people who are on my YouTube channel are black men. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

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

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

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

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

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

And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. 65%. I'm like, numbers don't lie. And when we talk about, like, for instance, so the Wall Street Journal had this article that came out today. And don't pull it up because for some reason I can't get it to be full screen. But here was a lead.

First of all, it said, Biden is losing black voters. Here's why it matters. It said, when Michelle Smith voted for President Biden in 2020, she thought he would help people like her, a black mother working two jobs and raising three teenage boys in North Philadelphia. Now she says she won't vote for him again, citing higher prices, skyrocketing rent, and the feeling she has been left behind. Quote, I really did think he was going to help people

in my situation, said Smith, 46 years old, who earns $20.50 an hour, working as a home health aide and makes Instacart deliveries for extra money. It's like all of them talk a good game until they get elected. And so then she says she's likely not going them talk a good game until they get elected. And so then she says she's likely not going to vote. Now, here's the deal. I'm not dismissing what her

reality is. What I am going to say is this, who was supporting $15 an hour and who wasn't? Who blocked it? Who blocked the child tax credit? Who blocked it? We talk about, the reality is we talk about there was $100 billion in Build Back Better that was going to deal with housing. Joe Manchin was the ones like, nah, pull that out. Wholesale blocked the child tax credit.

And so what I'm saying to black people, whether it's this sister Michelle Smith, whether it's to any brother out there, we have to think in terms of elections long-term. And what I mean by that is it ain't a question of the next four years. It's a question of the next eight years and 12 years. And when I see people, Mondale walking around and you're right, some of these crazy rappers saying this nonsense about, oh, how, how we got all these checks during Trump. I got to remind people, you actually got more checks under Biden. What you also got, though, and that was money that when Trump was there, that was money that was approved by the Democrats in the House.

That didn't come from Trump. And so folk have to understand. And a lot of those covid benefits are now expiring, such as the support for child care. And so folk and guess what? That ain't coming back. Republicans are not bringing. Republicans tried to cut 80 percent of the resources for women and children in snap in the SNAP in the last budget deal. So I just want to be real clear to everybody. This is not about, oh, man, you pumping up Biden. No, I'm laying out to you real policy. The Republicans want to slash any material benefits for the poor or the working class. And if Trump gets back in,

I can guarantee you it's going to happen. Yeah. Listen, Roland, it's a fact that it's going to happen and a lot worse is going to happen. The thing about it, though, is, like you said, the people who watch your show, 65% of black men, to those brothers that watch your show and I'm one of them, you are a trusted messenger.

People can't hear things from mainstream. Black men don't have the time or luxury of listening to the noise on mainstream media because they don't see them as trusted messengers, right? They sing. They won't call me. Well, I mean, yeah, right. And here's the problem. The thing is, we've been sold out by mainstream media and also the political parties so long that black men can't hear it. So the idea of what we need to do is persuade black men to participate in electoral work.

Talking about candidates or parties will turn them off to you. So if the goal is to engage black men in a way that move them to the poll, and we know once they get to the poll, nine out of ten of them will vote for progressive ideas and candidates on the ballot. Then we don't need to talk about candidates or parties. We need to let the party do that, right? Our job is to speak as trusted messengers about what's happening to black people and what's likely on the provider comparison basically for the brothers. And brothers can make that decision, but they first have to see you as a trusted messenger. The idea that James Caldwell is still sending me emails every day on behalf of the Democrats is missing what's necessary, right? That message will never work. Cameron

or Mace have a better chance of moving the demographic of brothers than does James Carville. So I think us making an argument for black men or to black men requires us to rethink, radically rethink what political strategy looked like. And you should be one of the largest donors, I mean, not donors, or receivers of funds as it pertains to media, if the Democratic Party is listening to the fact that 65% of your followers are Black men. And I'm willing to bet, not because they are uneducated, because education is more than what we learn in schools. It's also how you survive in America, in a world that sees you as a danger, just because you are Black and you are man.

That is an education that can't be taught in school and should be valued. So that is also a political education that speaks to the epigenetics that is harming black men. And folk ain't talking about it as if lived experience don't matter when we're talking about politics. And I have said this repeatedly before I go to my panel. I said this repeatedly on this show. I said it directly to a number of Democratic operatives, to a number of different people. What you thought, what did Fat Joe say? Yesterday's price ain't today's price.

What you spent in 2020 ain't what you should be spending in 2024 because you've got a much bigger problem. And the reality is I don't want to hear that, well, we had records spent. No, no, no. What you spent then was even a joke because the problem is you were competitive with what people did before that. At the end of the day,

this is going to take hardcore education. This is what I keep saying. For the next seven months, really beginning in January, if Democrats are listening and I'm talking about white Democratic consultants who control the money. And right now it's a number of white women. Let me real clear with y'all. I'll be real clear with y'all. Y'all ain't going to win, Jack, if you are holding the checks. There should be, Mondale, seven intensive months of education, elaboration, explaining what they've done. Specific.

This bill. This pool of money. Infrastructure. Build back better, all of this money, what you did, but also what you're going to do. I cannot get somebody to think about registering or voting if I'm not educating them first on the reality. And so you have to actually show it. And when I say show it, you got to say, hey, you're concerned about rising rent. Here's why rent is rising. We built 20 million homes every decade from 1940 up until 2000. Then all of a sudden it dropped to five the last two decades. Guess what? You don't build new homes, you're going to have more demand. They're going to raise prices. Then you got to say, here's what we propose to try to fix that. But the bottom line is,

if you don't explain it, folks are just going, hey man, my rent's high. Yeah, Roland, I would also say that people also need to consider the fact, you know, explaining what the Democrats have done is the third or fourth step. Right. We have other steps that we need to address. First, we need to we need to listen. Like no one can pretend that they're speaking for the 70 percent of black men in this country that are already registered and have sat out the past three presidential election or only voted in one. No one has had more conversation with this demographic than Black Male Voter Project. And this is not a selfless plug. This is a fact. These polls be of 100 or 200 people, and five or six of them or 10 of them are Black. We talk to 5,000 Black men every year that meet, that fit into this number, the 70% of brothers, folk that don't participate in elections.

And we have a long time. Seven months is not enough to address the 152 years of voter suppression that's been targeted at black men. What we can do, though, is partly is what you do every day. We have to be a year-round organization, a year-round mouthpiece for this demographic in order for them to see themselves and what you're doing and also believe that you are a part of the community, not showing up with an extractive nation or notion that, hey, if I can convince them that it's the most important election, most important candidate, then these Negro men will go to the poll for me. And instead, if you're listening to them and centering them, not just swearing on your last name, but if you're really fighting for them, you don't even have to win.

Fighting for black men in America is enough to find them on your side. And I think we forget that. The mold is not to convince them first that the party's done something for them, the candidate's done something for them. The mold is to first listen in a way that you don't seem like you're trying to extract stuff from them. And I try to tell people all the time, this is not magic, but it also ain't easy, especially when you're coming in and talking to this demographic about your leader said this, they don't see nobody as a leader. Black men, I said that intentionally, that's an African-American vernacular for your ass. They don't see nobody as their leader, right? Black men are telling the world that you can't go talk to preachers when there's two generations of them that ain't been to church in six years.

Right. But you also can't. But in order to listen to them, you have to have listening sessions, town halls around the country doing that. It's not going to be done through television ads. It's simply not. That's a fact. Omokongo, you first. Mondale, I so appreciate your work and your energy that you put towards this effort. I want to come back to something you mentioned earlier about the hip-hop community. And my concern this election cycle is that you have some rappers who are mentioning, you know, oh, Trump got me those checks and so on and so forth. And I'm not seeing a lot from hip hop as it relates to why they should we should be voting in this next election. Obviously, we understood with Obama why that happened. What needs to happen as relates to the DNC Democrats?

Do they need to be engaging more of the hip hop community and saying we need to get out there? Because I'm concerned that we either have the people who say Trump gave me those checks or we got the ones who are just disengaged and we lose a vital potential voting block for 2024. Yeah, I think here's the problem. I think the problem is the DNC already think they can do this work. They think it's their job. When in actuality, the only thing they need to be doing is instead of putting all the money into their auxiliaries, they need to be figuring out how they fund grassroots organizations that are trusted messengers, organizations that do this work year round, that black men will listen to, because anything that comes from the party will be seen as the party itself serving. Here's what can happen. We cannot give a damn what rappers are saying.

We can actually prepare the folk that really are moving this demographic to the polls. Great example of this. This is not the first generation or the first time in an election cycle where rappers were saying crazy stuff. If you consider what happened with Kodak Black, Lil Yachty, and Lil Wayne, Ice Cube last election cycle, all of those, and even Kanye, all those brothers were speaking up on Trump's behalf, but they were doing it for selfish reasons. Trump pardoned a couple of them. He did something for Kanye, et cetera. But what people don't understand is I just say black men don't see any of these guys as leaders, and they're definitely not taking marching orders from them.

So here's what we need to do. that was efficient and also effective and sincere, not transactional, but transformative, meaning organizations that do this work year-round and not showing up two or three months before the election with fried chicken and church fans, then we wouldn't have to worry about those few or five brothers. What we know about the hip-hop community is while we say what we want to about black men and how the problematic rap can be at times,

what we do know is there's not been a positive rap song about Donald Trump since he came down that gold elevator. Not one. And before that, every year somebody was naming Trump or something about Trump Tower. Nothing positive has been written in rap music to date since he came down that elevator in 2015. And I think people continue to discount black men as if we can't see the BS that is Donald Trump, the racism that is Republicans, as if we're't see the BS that is Donald Trump, the racism that is Republicans, as if we're living in a silo or that there's a pathology that exists in us that will remove us from our vote. And what we have seen, though, since 2015 is a decrease in

Republican support from black men. The idea that we are measuring excitement and enthusiasm to measure who will participate in the election is dumb and stupid anyway. And I'm just, I hate to sound coy, but I'm being serious. The idea that black men are never going to be enthusiastic about a white man that they got to go vote for, that does not mean they're not going to go vote. They're not asking a question. And on top of that, the instrument is flawed.

Talking about the poll itself. Joe? What are we... We know you're connected with the Black Male Voter Project. What are some of the other organizations that those of us that want to be a support can help, you know, can use or can support in order to help get the message out, and particularly the long-term educational relationship with the proper motivation, people that know, people that care, and that are good listeners for the community that can help us connect the dots. Yeah. I mean, listen, people forget that there

are Black people organizations that are INCs, that are LLCs, that are 501c3s and 501c4s that are doing this work year round. But I would say it is indicative that we are following the community guidelines and not what white people, black people that have been chosen by black people or white people to speak on our behalf. This is why I posted on CNN the other night, and I know, Roy, look, that you are friendly with Van Jones, but this is a point that we got to acknowledge. And Van Jones is not a spokesman for black people. That's why 65% of black men aren't online capping for Van Jones,

but 65% of black men are following the show. And I'm not saying it because I'm on your show. I'm saying it because it's factual. Black men know who are speaking on their behalf. So I say Black Male Voter Project does a wonderful job. I'm biased in that sense, but I'm also knowing that I deal with people on a regular basis that say they're speaking on black men's behalf,

and they're not really doing that. They're capping and just taking a Democratic messaging and just trying to add a yo or what's up to the end of that. So I'm telling people all the time, go to communities. Go to brothers who are not normally represented in politics and see what they're saying. They're probably not the ones that you think. They're not these famous orgs that came from people's relationship

with the party itself or people that grew up in the political party itself. So I would say organizations like BLOCK, organizations like Ken Whitaker's organization in Michigan, organizations like Black Voter Matters. These organizations are doing real work. Black Voters Matter is not a direct voter contact organization, but they hold up so many other orgs, organizations that would never get funding from white establishment, and they fund those orgs. So I'm talking about orgs that are really doing transitional work,

that are really talking to our communities. These are the orgs that are doing the work. Other than that, man, we're just throwing money back to black people that sound like white people that ain't really moving black people. Juliana? Two-part question. First of all, you talked about trusted, I forgot

the word you used. Anyway, trusted messengers. So I'm interested in who you think those folks are. The second thing, Roland had, I think yesterday, Terrence Woodbury, who is a poster African-American young brother, and he's one of the people who's put out that 25 percent or 30 percent of black men would vote for Trump if the election were held today.

While I understand your critique of the methodology, you can always – I used to teach a class called You Can Lie With Statistics because you can always tweak a statistic the way you are. But what's the gap between what you're saying and what he's finding? I mean, he does have scientific methodology. So what's A, what's gap B? Who are the trusted messengers? Yeah, I think so language matters, right? And I love Terrence. Terrence and I are extremely close and we go back and forth. And Terrence also is one of those posters in 2020. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.

From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real

people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the butcher, Brent Smith from shine down.

Got be real from Cypress Hill, NHL enforcer, Riley Cote, Marine Corvette, MMA fighter, Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter.

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

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

Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. That said, 20% of Black men were going to vote for Trump in January or February when he was working for the Georgia Donor Alliance. That didn't happen. And I was saying at the same time,

this is not what Black men are saying. Part of that is who we're talking to and how we're talking to them. We don't have focus groups with cameras. We don't have focus groups with super voters. We don't have focus groups. Super voters are people who vote at election. We don't have focus groups or any conversations with women or anybody else that is not a black man. We overpopulate for those who are not represented in the political space, drug dealers, gang members, and regular brothers who just don't participate in an election. And when we talk to them, when we build our platform, we only invite three or four black men who are political so they can see how disconnected what

the party is telling them, what the world is telling them about what's driving or what's ailing black men. And we find out that all of this is wrong. One, the language is wrong. Here's a great example. If you ask black men after Ahmaud Arbery was murdered in Georgia in 2020, what was the number one issue? They would have said public safety. Pollsters leave it right there. Public safety nationally is a conservative issue. Why are black men calling for more police, public safety, when a black man was just killed by vigilantes? But if you dig deep like black male voter project do, without the cameras, without the distraction of other people that are not a part of this demographic, you would have found out that black men in southwest Georgia use the word public safety like the rest of the world use defund the police.

They use public safety to mean we want to be police like white people. In order to police black men like white people, you need less police officers. That's closer to defunding the police than it is to expanding the police. So I think what happens is time also instruments. And like I said, I love I love his strategy. I love the work that turns doing. But we go back and forth about this all the time. I'm talking to a demographic that is not participating in elections. Terrence is hired by certain organizations to talk to certain type of voters, usually likely voters, usually certain whatever, whatever the demographics parameters are. The brothers I'm talking to don't fit a parameter other than they don't see themselves in how we play politics in this country.

All right, folks, we're going to continue. We're going to continue. This is going to continue. Absolutely. Mondale Robertson, I appreciate it, man. Thanks a bunch. But I keep telling people the stakes are high. The stakes are high. And what I say to people all the time is, what are the three to four things you care about? I start there. And then you say of those three or four things, who do I think is going to actually make these things happen and improve my life? And that's how I measure this.

And I know the courts, the federal judiciary is not a sexy issue, but I'm telling you right now, everything you say you want, it's going to go through those courts. It's going through the courts. Mondale, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Peace, brother. Thank you for having me. Folks, last story. Yesterday on Fox News, Sir Tim Scott announced that he was ending his presidential bid. That's it. Oh, I don't need to show the rest of that. Run for president.

No, no. I didn't say play show the rest of that. Run for president. No, no. I didn't say play that. That's it. I'm a Congo. You okay? Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right, man. I wasn't expecting the abruptness,

but I guess that's what his campaign is like if you believe me. Right. I mean, look, he only told two campaign people, so what the hell? I'm not going to spend a lot of time on him. I feel you. You need to stay gone. Julian.

Hey. Let the door hit you or the good Lord split you. I'm happy to see him gone. Joe. Well, they say it's not over until the fat lady sings, but she's been warming up in the dressing room for a long time on that brother. No, her ass singing.

Please, she on her third song. So, yeah, that's literally how much attention I want to give to Senator Tim Scott dropping out. That's it. All right, Julianne of Macongo, Joe, I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch for joining us today, folks. That's it. Don't forget to support us in what we do.

Join our Bring the Funk fan club. See you in Check and Money Order. Omicongo is still beside himself. You okay, bro? Look, I ain't going to. Come on, y'all. Switch. Come on.

I ain't about to spend a lot of time on Tim Scott. He ain't worth it. He ain't worth it. Look at it. Look. Look. He brought his girlfriend out at the last debate, and that still didn't help him. Where'd he come from?

He brought her out there, and it's like, dude. You know everything. Where did he get the sister from? He brought Shane the sister. Oh, see, I knew that part. Shane the sister. Trucked on out there on Wednesday, and then guess what? He was out of the race on Sunday.

Oh, well. Thanks a lot, y'all. Folks, be sure to support us. What we do is send your checking money over to PO Box 57196 Washington, D.C. 20037-0196 Cash App, Dollar Sign, RM Unfiltered PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered

Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Don't forget, download the Black Star Network app, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. You can also, of course, download, support us, the 24-hour streaming channel,

available, available on multiple platforms of course uh amazon uh news amazon news if you go to amazon news you can check us out there uh and so uh please do that uh then of course you can also support us on plex tv amazon freebie as well as Amazon Prime Video. Also, don't forget to get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at bookstores nationwide. So please check us out there, and you can get us. Also, let me give a shout-out, y'all.

Give me one second. I'm going to pull this up. You can come back to me. Let me give a shout out right now to my nephew, Chris. He turned 16 yesterday. 16. Come on. So let's see.

Why is it not switching? I don't understand. Hold on one second. Let me pull up the right one. So Chris, like I said, Chris turned 16. And so, damn, I thought the boy was 12. But man, that was quick, how these kids grow. But he is now, so here he is. Here's my nephew Solomon. So Chris is right there. Chris is on the right side over there in the yellow. And so let me

close that. So that's Chris right there. And of course, let's see here. Hold on one second. I'm trying to fix this. And of course, his dad, my brother Reginald, that's him right there. His birthday is today. He turns 56. And so we are back to back to back. My 55th birthday is tomorrow. And so we're going to have our panelists in studio tomorrow. Look forward to a fantastic day tomorrow as well. So it's always great hanging with y'all, seeing y'all doing what we do. It's always a blessing. And I get a kick out of people

when they... Also, don't forget today is the... Let me see if I can pull this up. Don't forget, today is the 68th birthday of Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi Goldberg turned 68 years old today. And so glad to see Whoopi there. And he gonna get mad, but I don't really care. So I told Chris I was going to post his photos on social media. And so I don't really care. So I told Chris I was going to post his photos on social media.

And so I don't really care. It's my show. And so here's a photo I shot. Let's see. There we go. All right. Here's a photo I shot of my man Chris with my dad when he was a newborn. And then, of course, I used to always go to Houston-Texas games.

And so here was my little man back there. Why is it not? Let's see here. There we go. There we go. So that's been a long time ago. Then, of course, I found this. Of course, we were on the field as well.

We were on the sidelines checking it out. So, Christopher, get over it. We have your graduation party. All the videos and photos are going to come out, player. I'm just letting you know. Why? Because I own them. Alright, that's it. I'll see y'all tomorrow right here on

Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstar Network. Holla! Folks, Blackstar Network is here. Hold no punches! I'm real revolutionary right now. work. The video looks phenomenal. See, there's a difference between Black Star Network and Black-owned media and something like CNN. You can't be Black-owned media and be scared. It's time to be smart. Bring your eyeballs home. You dig? We'll see you next time. you I always had to be so good no one could ignore me.

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

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Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.