#RolandMartinUnfiltered - SCOTUS hears voting rights case; GOP bill to repeal no-excuse absentee voting; Vernon Jordan dies

Episode Date: March 3, 2021

3.2.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: SCOTUS hears voting rights arguments; Ga. GOP bill attempts to repeals no-excuse absentee voting; Black vets face major challenges during pandemic; FBI Director Christopher Wray grilled on The Hill over Capitol insurrection; We pay tribute to civil rights leader, Vernon Jordan. Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered #RolandMartinUnfiltered is a news reporting platform 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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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at taylorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Martin! It's Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021, coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered. The Supreme Court hears arguments today that could further change the Voting Rights Act. We'll tell you more about that. And also, the importance of a federal voting law. We'll talk with Judith Brown-Dianas,

the Advancement Project, about the massive voter suppression going on across this country, especially in Georgia. We'll also talk to a leader there in Georgia who is fighting what is taking place. Also, black veterans facing major issues during this pandemic.

We'll talk with the head of IABA. Also, FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies publicly for the first time since the Capitol insurrection on January 6th. Plus, he'll pay tribute to the late, great Vernon Jordan. Passed away today at the age of, last night at the age of 85 years old. Longtime leader of the National Urban League

who also changed and redefined Wall Street for African Americans. Folks, it is time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the biz, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's Roland.

Best belief he's right on time. It's Roland Martin, yeah. Rolling with Roland now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's Roland Martin now. Martin. Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could very further erode the Voting Rights Act. This deals with the Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a case out of Arizona. At issue, two Arizona laws, the first which bars the court counting of provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct, and the second bars the collection of absentee ballots

by anyone other than a family member or a caregiver. These challenges to the Voting Rights Act are a direct response to the massive voter turnout of people of color in the 2020 election. In today's hearing, the Republicans with the Republican National Committee admitted that they need voter suppression in order for them to win. Listen to this exchange. What's the interest of the Arizona RNC here

in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct voter ballot disqualification rules on the books? Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats. Politics is a zero-sum game. And every extra vote they get through unlawful interpretations of Section 2 hurts us. It's the difference between winning an election 50 to 49 and losing an election 50 to 49. Not sure why Justice Amy Coney Barrett cut him off there.

Ooh, I would have loved to hear the more he had to say, joining us right now is Judith Brown. Diana is executive director of the Advancement Project National Office. Judith, glad to have you back on Rolling Martin Unfiltered. Bottom line here is this here. Republicans need to cheat to win. What we are seeing is that you've been using the courts to deconstruct and break down how we got to this point. The Voting Rights Act has been, it's been one of the most important laws ever passed in the history of the United States. It was gutted in Shelby B. Holder, just as John Roberts said, hey, there's really no need for it anymore.

Look at black turnout. No, black turnout is what it was because of the Voting Rights Act. And so this case could erode Section 2. This is why Congress must act. Democrats cannot use the filibuster as an excuse not to pass a comprehensive bill that, named after John Lewis, that will fix the problems in Shelby Beholder, plus what may come down with this decision. Yep, so, Roland, I mean, first of all, let's put this in perspective.

Like, they have been going after the Voting Rights Act for quite some time, not even just in the Shelby County case, but even before that, right? And so this is like, this isn't, it's the Voting Rights Act. And if you think about it, the attacks on affirmative action, right, it is, they are trying to dismantle all of the civil rights laws and the Voting Rights Act being one of the most powerful of those. And so what we are seeing right now is a case before the Supreme Court that would put the nail in the coffin with regard to the Voting Rights Act. We lost Section 5, which allowed for pre-approval before laws were changed. Now they would take away the part of the law that organizations like Advancement Project use

to challenge voter suppression laws. And so, you know, we should put this in perspective. This is totally about dismantling civil rights protections. It is totally a power grab. It is totally an effort to keep power in the hands of the Republican Party at the state legislature. And they are upset, as we see in state legislatures across the country, that they have put in place or they are trying to pass new laws to make it harder for us to vote because we turned out record numbers. And they know when we make it easy for people to vote, Black folks are going to turn out. But the issue here is not just black voters, Judith,

and that is it's Latino voters. It's young voters. The numbers don't lie. By 2024, there'll be more Gen Z millennial voters than baby boomers. What they are trying to do, and majority of those people are people of color. That's who they're targeting. And they're targeting older voters. Bottom line is this here. They need to

contract. They need to somehow shrink the voting population. And so what they're doing in Georgia and then 43 other states, the bills they've introduced, this is real. And so Democrats, Christian Sienema in Arizona, hey, get your head out of the sand and realize that your opposition to ending the filibuster, if you do not fix this, guess what? She will be in the minority in 2022. Democrats will lose the House and the Senate if they do not pass a comprehensive voter bill. You must expect the worst from this Supreme Court. That's right. We have to get the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act passed.

It is important for us to have a restoration of the voting rights law. I mean, this is serious. Like, people need to be calling their senators, pushing on them them and saying, we don't want any excuses about anything. We have to get this protection. Because what we know is, Roland, is that yes, the browning of America and the number of young people who turn out makes them upset because they want to maintain power. But the other thing is we're getting ready to go into redistricting. And so not having voting rights protections as we go into redistricting and figure out how we're cutting up the political pie and we have no protections for black and brown people is going to be detrimental to political power, not just for 10 years, but 20 and 30 years. Yeah, I mean, simple as that. And look, COVID bill has been passed. And I keep saying, I don't want to hear anything from Democrats.

I don't want to hear jack from President Joe Biden about infrastructure. The voting bill is the next one. That's the next one, period. I don't get, damn all this bipartisanship. And no, no, no, no. You don't confront the next one. Period. I don't get... Damn all this bipartisanship and... No, no, no, no. You don't confront the voting issue. You are guaranteeing that Republicans will do political gerrymandering.

You're right because of redistricting. You're talking about controlling the courts. We see what's happening in Pennsylvania where they want to get rid of these statewide elections for Supreme Courts and go to district judges because they do not like the fact that Democrats have a majority of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. They don't like the fact that Democrats have a 4-3 majority of the North Carolina Supreme Court. And the only reason the North Carolina congressional districts were overturned

as racial gerrymandering was because they took control of the state Supreme Court. They won on the political gerrymandering on the federal level, but they lost on the state level. And that's why that white judge ran against ran against the sister in North Carolina and beat her by less than 400 votes. Democrats had also better pay attention. You cannot let Republicans control the courts because they pass the laws on the legislative side. They control the courts to affirm the laws that they pass. They control the Supreme Court. They can run the table.

That's right. I mean, if we look at this, all these states that are now taking up voter suppression laws, what they're trying to do is roll back mail-in voting, not allow people to have absentee balloting without an excuse, take away the drop boxes, cut back to early voting. All of these tools that they know are the things that Sunday voting, right, souls to the polls, getting rid of that. And they know that if they are able to do that in state legislatures, and they've controlled the courts now with all these Trump appointees, that they are going to actually get rid of all

the protections that we have for civil rights. And so this is the moment in which Democrats have to have a backbone and get that bill passed. Absolutely. Judith Brown-Dianas, with Advancement Project, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thanks, Roland. Folks, you heard Judith mentioned what's happening there in Georgia. We told you yesterday how they passed a House bill when it came to this owner's voter suppression. But also in the Senate, they passed a bill that gets rid of no excuse absentee voting. That took place on one of the Senate committees and now goes to the full Senate.

Folks, what we are seeing again is a massive, massive attack on voting that is happening all across. And so in a moment, we're going to be talking with an official there in Georgia, Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project, about this very issue. Right now, though, I want to bring in my panel, Laura Victoria Burke, NNPA, Mustafa Santiago Ali, former senior advisor for environmental justice with the EPA. Benjamin Dixon, host of the Benjamin Dixon Show podcast. Lauren, this is how major. And again, I know people might be saying, okay, Roland, I mean, you're trying to make it sound like this is urgent.

This is urgent. I mean, what we're talking about is Republicans are playing dirty. They absolutely are scared to death. You heard them talk in that Supreme Court hearing. They are scared to death of what happened in 2020. For them to lose Georgia to Biden-Harris, for them to lose two Senate seats in Georgia, Republicans are sitting here going, wait a minute, we could be losing North Carolina next. We could be losing Georgia next.

If Democrats actually got their act together in Florida, they could be competitive in Florida. We see what happened when it came to Amendment 4 there as well. They see that there's a train that's coming. There's a train that's coming and they see it coming and they're like, yo, we're trying to divert this train as quickly as we can or it is going to run over us. Right. And it wasn't, of course, just Georgia with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris winning Georgia. Obviously, it was Raphael Warnock and Ossoff winning Georgia. That was an unbelievable grand slam home run by the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, the Republican Party, the only thing they really know how to do is vote suppress, and they don't want to change any of their policies to make their tent bigger to have more people come over to their side.

I can never figure out why that's not part of their strategy, but somehow it somehow never is. The other thing that needs to happen here is that Chuck Schumer needs to really wake up. You know, this idea that you're going to play nice with these people and he he can't even get near a tannin over the line. And I get it. You know, it's a 50-50 Senate. It is a difficult situation for Chuck Schumer. But at the same time, you know, if we were talking about a close vote in the House, everybody would be talking about how Nancy Pelosi's legacy was over if she wasn't able to deliver some of these close votes. And with Schumer, he seems to have a problem right off the bat with the usual suspects, you know, Sinema and Manchin. He should have known he was going to have that problem. I mean, he's got to at some point crack the whip. You're going to have a

ton of close votes. You know that. You know the Senate's 50-50. So, you know, being buddy-buddy with these people and all that doesn't work. Schumer has been in the Senate long enough to know that. And now you're going to get some huge monumental close votes on things like the John Lewis bill, you know, should they even take it up, which they should. But you see them already sort of punk out on the minimum wage. It's like there's no fight there. It's just sort of, oh, I guess, you know, somebody's going to defect. So I guess we just have to give up and go away. Schumer has got to figure out a way to keep 50 people in line. He's got to do that, or these things, particularly on voting rights, are just going to be lost for a generation. Ben, this is real simple. You do not have 10

votes on the Republican side. It doesn't exist. You don't have 10 votes. You're not going to see 10 Republicans vote with the Democrats on any bill. I don't care what it is. Maybe infrastructure, maybe, maybe. Keep in mind, these are the same Republicans. All, every House Republican opposed the COVID bill. That's money to their broke-ass constituents. Go back to when Obama was president. They voted against the stimulus bill, and then they went begging for the money after it passed. So they will vote against this

and then still try to come back and try to get the money. Democrats cannot trust any Republican. Fine, maybe Murkowski, maybe Collins, maybe Romney, but hell, Ben Sasse just voted against Merrick Garland to be attorney general. Based upon what reason?

Absolute politics, right? They're playing real politics. And they're playing a zero-sum game, as we heard in that clip. They plan to give nothing and take everything. And then as they deny these different pieces of legislation, they will turn around and campaign on the failure of not passing that legislation. Republicans have had this strategy for some time, and it's really sad that the Democratic Party isn't hip to this yet. Or perhaps they are hip to it, but they're more concerned with their friends across the aisle,

or they're more concerned with protecting the institution than protecting the people, because they have more respect for the filibuster than they do for the people who need $15 an hour and for this legislation to help protect us from all the things that Republicans are doing across this country to suppress the vote. Mustafa, it's called, you got to be gangster. You got to play hard. You got to play hardball.

You can't play soft. And this is one of those deals where, you know, Senator Joe Manchin bitched and moaned about Vice President Kamala Harris doing interviews in West Virginia, like she, like, and literally saying she had to somehow get permission from him to come into West Virginia.

Senator Joe Manchin, kiss my ass. Yeah, he's not the gatekeeper. And, you know, Schumer and Biden better learn about throwing some bows because they're running out of time. I mean, you know, the midterms will be here before we know it. And the reality of this situation is if folks lose their vote, because that's what this is really all about, black and brown folks and young people, as you said, actually losing their vote, then the agenda that you were elected on will never become real because these folks will

continue to throw roadblocks and procedural things and all the things that they can come up with to stop you from being successful. That is the game plan. The game plan is for Joe Biden not to be successful. So you all cannot help them to achieve that goal. It's the same thing they did when Obama came in, where they said, we will make sure that he is a one-term president and that he is not successful on anything that he's moving forward on. If they showed us anything different, then we could run a different set of analyses. But we know what this game plan is. This has been the game plan for decades of dismantling these bedrock sets of laws that are in place to make sure that people just have the ability to fully participate in the

democratic process, in the civic process. So you know what time it is, do the right thing, and move quickly to get this stuff done. Absolutely. Speaking of that, I told you what's happening there in Georgia, folks. We told you what the House did yesterday, what the Senate also did yesterday, trying to get of the issue of absentee balloting.

Folks, what we're talking about here is a major, major effort by Republicans to steal future elections. They are scared to death of Stacey Abrams next year. They're scared to death of Pastor Raphael Warnock getting a full term to the United States Senate. Joining us right now is Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project. Nse, we were saying like, look, these things were coming down. They are doing exactly what they said they were going to do. What are y'all doing to try to stop it? Can you stop it?

Republicans control both houses. They control the governor's mansion. And so you see we have the lower third right there with the phone number there to call the Speaker of the House, call Lieutenant Governor, call the governor. What more are y'all doing there? I think that, first of all, brother, thank you so much. Thank you so much that we've been doing, we've been working really hard to try to elevate this issue as a part of the public discourse, right? Because it's not just Georgia. It's almost 35 states that we're talking about, almost 300 bills that the Republicans are playing for keeps, period, point blank, the end.

Right. That in a marketplace of ideas, fewer and fewer people are buying what they're selling. And the only way for them to continue to hold on to power is if they cheat, is if they take a sledgehammer to our elections infrastructure, to our democracy. Right. That black people showed up in historic numbers, young people showed up in historic numbers in November, and then ran it back nine weeks later in January, and they're upset about it. And so our homies, our colleagues down in the legislature, from folks on the hard side, on the party side,

to folks like Fair Fight, are down there trying to make the case to legislators about why they should not support this. You know, at the core, if you hate, if you abhor the attempted insurrection, the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, because one, it was stupid and violent and unpatriotic and anti-democratic, but it was also predicated on the big lie, right? The lie that there was widespread voter fraud in the January runoff or widespread voter fraud in the November general. Then you should hate these almost 300 bills that are being introduced in legislatures all across the country, including Georgia, because they're also predicated on the big lie, the idea that

there's no way that black people could show up and vote in historic numbers, right? That there's... I remember our former president on the phone call that was taped with our secretary of state on January 2nd. There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way I lost Georgia. There are so many ways in which he lost Georgia. And so that is what we're responding. That's what they're responding to right now. And that's what we're working to defeat. So we're going to go hard in the legislature. And if that doesn't work, we're going to go hard in the court of public opinion, right?

That there are tons of corporations that have in the court of public opinion, right, that there are tons of corporations that have given money to these elected officials, right, and at the same time put out bold statements after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, bold statements in celebration of Black History Month. And this is affecting black futures. And so we are looking for them to say something in this moment. And when you talk about that, first of all, that case is moving forward with the grand jury there investigating Donald Trump for trying to intimidate and break the law to get them to change the voting results.

So that's happening as well. But what Republicans are doing, they want to codify this into law. And we talk about how just sadistic these people are, how despicable these people are to look at what they're trying to do. Literally, you want to make it illegal to to to give folks free food and drinks who are standing in line. I mean, again, and then restrict early voting buses to emergencies. So their whole deal is, so the idea of driving folks to the polls, they want to get rid of that. For all of this voter integrity bullshit they keep hollering, that's exactly what it is. And so when you see this stuff right here, it's real clear that, and they're targeting

black people. I have these two black Republicans from Georgia, had the audacity yet last night, who's in the scrub, Jalen Johnson, some other dude, new emerging king on Twitter, saying, oh, how do you call this racist? And this is what I told one of them. If white folks were voting early on Sunday, if white folks had souls to the polls, they would not be changing the law. Even he had to admit that. And then let me just go ahead and be clear. Where in the hell is Alveda King running around talking about you're the niece of Dr. King? Why the hell you ain't saying nothing? Where's sorry as Bruce Lavelle, black Republican?

Where are you? Where's that punk ass Vernon Vernon Jones, former state representative, who's saying nothing? Okay? Where's Janelle King running around with your little Kelly Loeffler ass, you and your husband talking about getting contracts? Where's Paris Denard? Where's CJ Pearson? Where are all you sorry-ass black Republicans who want to say a damn thing when they are specifically targeting black people?

And, yeah, where's that thug-ass Angie Stanton running her mouth at CPAC in Orlando? I'm going to call out all the black folks down there in Georgia who are saying nothing, and they need to be called out. I love every single part of it because you're right, Roland. Like, it's hypocrisy. Here's the thing. I've had my debate, probably not as many as you, but I've had my fair share of debates with black Republicans, and they often try to frame it

as a race-forward decision that they have made, that they are Republicans because they are black. Because the Democrats have done black folks so wrong, but again, this is a moment, and I'm not giving any credence to the argument,

but if there's any shred of truth to it, then they would be loud and vocal in this moment where it is so clear that these bills are designed to make it more difficult for black people to vote, and these bills are punishment for black people leaning in and exercising their right to vote and these bills are punishment for black people leaning in and exercising their right to vote absolutely well look anything uh y'all need let us know simply keep us up to uh up to uh date of what's going on there uh if y'all are planning rallies and things along those lines let us know it's important for us to stream that stuff out so

folks know exactly uh what's going on and say.C., we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you so much, Roland. Take care. All right. Have a good one. I'm not playing games with these people, Mustafa. I'm not playing games with all of these trifling-ass black Republicans who want to run around and talk about, oh, y'all should leave the plantation when y'all a bunch of Stevens and Django Unchained saying nothing, doing nothing as Republicans are sitting here playing these games.

And then when I hit these fools up, and then a couple of them tried to say, well, we'll debate you. Bring your punk asses on. Come on the show. Because all they ever bring up is voter ID. I just showed you, and I laid it out. That's not a damn thing.

Let's see. Limit Sunday voting to one optional Sunday in each county. Put ballot drop boxes to be located inside early voting locations so you can only drop it off when they're open. Well, hell, what's the whole point? You have secure ballot drop boxes 24 7 no no no they don't want that okay they don't want that okay then you want to sit here ban outside funding of elections from non-profit organizations oh y'all don't want that. Okay. Oh, then scheduled runoffs four weeks after election day

rather than the current nine weeks. All of these changes, all because they lost. They lost. Lauren broke it down perfectly. You know, when she, you know, shared with us that the Republican Party refuses to create 21st century policies that actually resonate with the majority of folks in our country. So they continue to try and create an

uneven playing field. For me, it's 21st century Jim Crowism. It's 21st century apartheidism that they continue to try and move forward on to disempower folks because they know folks are reclaiming their power. And they understand by reclaiming their power that they also now understand that there are resources that are tied to your power. So when you vote, then you get to actually have a voice in where resources are going to go. You have a voice in the development of policy.

You have a voice in addressing the issues that are going on in your communities every day. And they don't want that because when people start to have power over and over and over again, it changes the dynamics. It brings hope back into communities. And it also raises expectations, which they do not want. Because when you raise expectations, that means you're not going to accept things that have been a part of the past. Bottom line here, Lauren, these trifling black Republicans, and yeah, I'm saying it. Alveda King, if you're going to walk around pimping Dr. King's name, talking about that's your uncle, well then, when are you going to have the guts to call out Republicans? See, Colin Powell at least had the guts a few years ago when he went to North Carolina

and called out the Republican governor of North Carolina for a voter suppression bill. But Bruce LaVelle ain't saying nothing, as sorry as Vernon Jones ain't saying nothing, that thug Angie Stanton not saying anything, Paris Denard not saying jack, Jerron Smith not saying a damn thing. Janelle not saying a damn thing.

All these damn black Republicans walking around grifting saying nothing what these folks are doing and all they can say voter ID, voter ID, voter ID. No, no, no. This goes way beyond voter ID. This is a direct assault

on black voters. Yeah, their money is tied up in the Republican Party with regard to jobs, opportunity, and obviously, you know, their resumes. So I'm not expecting Paris or anybody to say anything. I mean, what's really sad in this moment

is that, you know, we just had a president who was a white supremacist. We have a Republican Party that is turning into a white grievance club by the minute. And if you, as a black Republican or anything else, really can't recognize that, that this is effectively Jim Crow 3.0, you're really, really missing it, just to say the least. I find it almost sort of beyond absurd that nobody could recognize the moment that we're in. The people who are in Georgia running around trying to do voter

suppression just saw, of course, first African-American vice president of the United States elected. They're scared of that, just as they were scared of Barack Obama. That set them off the first time. They know the country is changing. And this is their reaction. It's also telling not just that the Republican Party won't alter any policy to open up a bigger tent, but that there's no spirit there of working in concert so that we all in society can get what we all say we want, which is just sort of a better life for everybody and our children, et cetera. The Republican Party is not even talking about that. They're not even talking about anything. Now they're just sort of in this obsession with Donald Trump and watching CPAC and tiki

gods and gold icons. And it just is a party of absolutely nothing. So it really actually, at least before with the Tea Party, there was a less government argument coming from the Republican Party. Now there's just nothing. Now there's absolutely nothing there. There's no policy. It's just about what we hate, what we want to stop, what we want to prevent, who we want to stop,

who we want to mess up. And then there's nothing there except an idiot named Donald Trump who's going to probably run for president again and waste everybody's time and hopefully lose. Again, I'll put it on there. Benjamin, yeah, Gianna Caldwell,

you ain't saying a damn thing. Rob Smith, you ain't saying a damn thing. All these old trifling ass black conservatives getting pimped by the party, okay, scared to say something, scared to stand up for black people. And here's the whole deal. If your policies

were worthy of voting for, put them on the table. See, here's my whole deal. There's nothing there. If I want to swing, I'm going to say, my policies, your policies, we're going to make the best argument. They don't want to do that.

They need to cheat. And for every black Republican who is silent, you are a disgrace to black America. They have no problem being the disgrace because those checks are pretty big for them, right? And so they have no need to speak on something that's going to mess up their money. That said, the Republican Party is so steeped in this white supremacy that it has been rooted in since the Southern strategy, since Richard Nixon, all the way through Ronald Reagan with the welfare queens.

And now we've seen white supremacy run its course all the way up the steps of the Capitol on February – on January 6th. And now we see that they have no regard for this country at all. And so it's nothing for them to poo-poo on our voting rights when they will absolutely overthrow this government in order to maintain power. So the cheating is already going to the point of treason. And so if they're going to go to the point of treason, Democrats, Joe Biden, then you've got to understand the score. They're playing for keeps. They are not going to negotiate with you because they view you as a terrorist. They view everything that we stand for as anathema to them. They view us as the terrorists,

and they view themselves as patriotic. And so for them, this is not cheating. This is the final game for them. They have nothing. They have nothing. And all they have is the ability to stand on this white supremacy. And that says, strip everyone who doesn't look like them, who doesn't serve the white supremacist's guide,

strip them of their voting rights. That's it. It's as simple as that, folks. says, strip everyone who doesn't look like them, who doesn't serve the white supremacist God, strip them of their voting rights. That's it. It's as simple as that, folks. This is about protecting, again, our interests, and we're going to be real clear not being silent about any of this. Now, let's go to our next story. Black service members account for 16% of coronavirus cases across the Department of Veterans Affairs

system and 22% of the deaths. They only make up 12% of the overall veteran population in the United States. They also face racial biases in mental and physical health care, and there has been a 20% increase in suicide among the military in the last year. Joining us now to talk about this is Jeremy Butler. He's the CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Jeremy, glad to have you on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate, said Texas

is 100 percent open. You've got irresponsible behavior from a lot of Republican leaders, whether it's the governor of North Dakota, whether it's what we're seeing in Texas, what we're seeing in Florida as well. President Biden announced that we're going to have the nation completely vaccinated by May. But the bottom line is this here, African-Americans are suffering in a huge way. And what you're laying out is how it's impacted even Black veterans. Yeah, absolutely. It has. And it's really, as is often the case, the way it impacts Black veterans and veterans in general is the same way it's impacting Americans in general and Black Americans in general. You've got Black

veterans that are getting hit harder by this virus than other populations. You've got economic effects that are disproportionately affecting Black veterans than they are other communities. So you see very similar things. That said, I'm with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America nonprofit organizations. There are others like us that are fighting back to find ways to fix these things. We've got legislation that's actually in the bill, the economic recovery bill that just got passed by the House and is going to the Senate, that's going to provide additional training to veterans who are unemployed because of the pandemic. We're working with other veteran organizations to get vaccines to those underrepresented communities that are out there to hopefully get skeptical communities to understand that they need to take this vaccine. And we call it the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination.

And we're rounding up volunteers. We're getting volunteers from the veterans base to go out and help staff communities, community inoculation sites so that we can make sure that we're getting the vaccine out to the people that need it most. When you look at obviously there's a huge difference between the Biden administration and the Trump administration. And so your assessment of how, albeit the contrast is.

Yeah, it's obviously early, but very good news across the board. I mean, one of the best things is that Dennis McDonough, the now confirmed secretary of the Veteran Affairs Department under President Biden. You know, he reached out to me and other veteran leaders even before his nomination hearing to find out what was important to us, to make sure we had his contact information. At that time, it was a cell phone. Now that he's confirmed, we've got his email address at the VA. We've reached out and we've had meetings with him already to reaffirm our priorities. We're working with his administration directly with him and his staff, and they're already pushing out things that are important to us. So it's early. You know,

we had some reservations around Secretary McDonough because he's not a veteran, but I think President Biden transmitted his importance that veterans are to him and his administration. Because Dennis McDonough is so close to President Biden, I think we're going to be in a really good space. And I'm testifying actually this Thursday, along with some other veteran groups before joint session of the veteran, excuse me, the House and Senate VA committees to express our priorities. But I think we're in a much better spot. We got a lot done actually in 2020, even under President Trump and with a divided Congress. So I think going into what we have now, I think we're going to be able to actually get even more done for the

veterans of the country. Last question for you here. What do you want the people to do, those who are watching, those who are listening? I think the biggest thing, a really big focus that we're going to have for 2021 for the 117th Congress is on burn pits and toxic exposures. We call it the Agent Orange of our generation. I think most of your viewers are familiar with Agent Orange and those that served in Vietnam, how the chemicals affected them. Burn pits are our generation. It's the post-9-11 generation's Asian orange. It's definitely linked to exposures that our service men and women took when they were downrange. And it's one example of the way in which the VA is not taking care of our veterans. So if you go to iava.org, you can learn a lot more about burn pits and toxic exposures.

But it's going to be a priority for us this year. But to really get that legislation passed to make sure that our veterans get the health care and benefits that they need, we need civilians to reach out to their members of Congress and say that this is important. So please go to iava.org, check out the burn pits page, learn about the toxic exposures, and help us get that legislation passed this year. All right then, Jeremy Butler, we really appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Roland. Appreciate it. Folks, got to go to break. We come back.. Jeremy Butler, we truly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Rowan. Appreciate it. Folks, got to go to break.

We come back. Christopher Wray, the head of the FBI, talks white supremacy, domestic terrorism before Congress. Also, we're going to talk about AdColor, an organization that's designed to represent diversity in advertising, they're under criticism for hiring a non-black firm to handle work for them. I'm going to explain that as well on Rollerbarg Unfiltered. I believe that it's movement time again.

In America today, the economy is not working for working people. The poor and the needy are being abused. You are the victims of power, and this is the abuse of economic power. I'm 23 years old. I work three jobs. Seven days a week, no days off. They're paying people pennies on the dollar compared to what they profit, and it is time for this to end. Essential workers have been showing up to work, feeding us, caring for us,

delivering goods to us throughout this entire pandemic, and they've been doing it on a measly $7.25 minimum wage. The highest check I ever got was nearly $291. I can't take it no more. You know, the fight for 15 is a lot more than about $15 an hour. This is about a fight for your dignity. We have got to recognize

that working people deserve livable wages. And it's long past time for this nation to go to 15 so that moms and dads don't have to choose between asthma inhalers and rent. I'm halfway homeless. The main reason that people end up in their cars is because income does not match housing costs. If I could just only work one job, I could have more time with them. It is time for the owners of Walmart, McDonald's, Dollar General, and other large corporations

to get off welfare and pay their workers a living wage. And if you really want to tackle racial equity, you have to raise the minimum wage. We're not just fighting for our families, we're fighting for yours too. We need this. I'm going to fight for it until we get it. I'm not going to give up. We just need all workers to stand up as one nation and just fight together. Families are relying on these salaries and they must be paid at a minimum $15 an hour. $15 a minimum anyone should be making

this a be able to stay out of poverty. I can't take it no more. I'm doing this for not only me, but for everybody. We need 15 right now. Hi, this is Essence Atkins. Hey, I'm Deon Cole from Blackest. Hey, everybody, this is your man Fred Hammond, and you're watching Roland Martin, my man, Unfiltered. Hey, the FBI, Christopher Wray, testified before Congress today where he dispelled accusations of fake Trump protesters' involvement in the Capitol riots on January 6th.

Wray also reaffirmed that the Bureau has been working day and night to catch those involved in the Capitol siege and has found no evidence thus far of Antifa involvement. He and the FBI said domestic terrorism has been metastasizing for a long time and it is not going away soon. He also talked about white supremacists and white domestic violence. Here's some is my testimony. That attack, that siege, was criminal behavior, plain and simple, and it's behavior that we, the FBI,

view as domestic terrorism. It's got no place in our democracy, and tolerating it would make a mockery of our nation's rule of law. The rule of law, of course, is our country's bedrock and it's our guiding principle at the FBI. That's why the FBI has been working day and night across the country to track down those responsible for the events of January 6th and to hold them accountable. We're chasing down leads, we're reviewing evidence, combing through digital media to identify, the American people. We have been working with the American people since the beginning of the pandemic.

We've been working with the federal government and the federal government in Leeds reviewing evidence combing through digital media to identify, investigate and arrest anyone who broke the law that day.

And our greatest partner in this investigation has been the American people themselves, your constituents. Citizens from around the country have sent us more than 270,000 digital media tips. Some have even taken the painful step of turning in their friends or their family members. But with their help, we've identified hundreds of suspects and opened hundreds of investigations in all but one of our 56 field offices. And of those identified, we've arrested already more than 270 individuals to date, over 300

when you include the ones of our partners, with more subjects being identified and charged just about every single day. The FBI is committed to seeing this through, no matter how many people it takes or how long or the resources we need to get it done, because as citizens, in a sense, we're all We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about

this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about

this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. We have to do something about this. terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now and it's not going away

anytime soon. At the FBI, we've been sounding the alarm on it for a number of years now. I've been sounding the alarm about domestic terrorism since I think just about my first month on the job when I first started

appearing up on the hill. And I've spoken about it in maybe a dozen different congressional hearings. Based on your investigation so far, do you have any evidence that the Capitol attack was organized by, quote, fake Trump protesters?

We have not seen evidence of that at this stage, certainly. Well, it must be pretty stupid to have folks like Josh Hawley and others, Lawrence, sit up there and just throw out nonsense and have the FBI director sitting here like he's playing ping pong. Just smacking all that BS away.

Yeah, I actually think that the very fact that Chris Wray even addressed that ridiculous narrative with regard to it being Antifa and fake Trump supporters and all this nonsense was slightly ridiculous. I mean, I guess you do have to address it because they put it out there. But, you know, a big cornerstone of Republican messaging, of course, right now is just straight up lying. And when they straight up lie, they play the percentages. They get on network TV and they just lie and figure that, you know, we'll get a half-half the people believing us and this is how we're gonna do it. So when you get into the conversation

at a-at a-at a hearing like this, this type of idiot narrative where there was absolutely no proof of any of that, uh, and you got the FBI director sitting there having to address it, uh, and another senator, Senator Coons, asking about it. So you had, like, a good chunk of conversation about something that was completely and utterly false, that there was zero evidence for. And that's, you know,

that's the world today that the Republican Party has brought us into. They want us into this tailspin of bullshit. That's what they're about. It's just talking about junk and nonsense that doesn't exist because they don't want to talk about the real world that's changing and the real demographics that are changing and the reality around them. They cannot escape it. It is not going away. The country is changing. The demographics of the country is changing. And instead of embracing that on some level, instead of facing that new reality, they have decided to lie to themselves. The Republican

Party has decided that is what they're going to do, is lie to themselves. And what we end up with is a riot at the Capitol, an attack on the Capitol, and the craziness that we saw January 6. I mean, you can't make it up. At some point also, too, we got to get to these social media companies, because social media is driving these lies completely unregulated. And we are in a situation now where basically nobody's really confronting them or doing anything about it. They've got good lobbyists. That's one of the problems. And a few of those people have ended up in the White House on staff, unfortunately. But at some point, we have to confront the fact that these lies are being are propelling people to take action that is violent and dangerous to this country.

But but really, it is the Republican Party. It is Donald Trump. It is the fact that they cannot face reality. Ben, Great Point Lawrence talks about how the lies are spread, the disinformation, especially on Facebook and how they're not stopping. Yeah. No, when you think about the algorithms that Facebook uses, it rewards the most extreme behavior possible, not just Facebook, YouTube, all of these outlets. They reward the most extreme behavior. And if the FBI really wants to find the people who are culpable for this, they should check some of these YouTube channels, some of these streams that get 20,000, 30,000 people watching them,

while most of us on the left or the center are getting a handful. But that's because the algorithms pushed them further and further into this right wing conspiracy theories and all the things that drove what happened on January 6th. And so it is a problem, but it's compounded by the fact that technology is not on our side in this instance, not because it can't be on our side, but because people like Mark Zuckerberg have clearly found it more rewarding to make it beneficial for people like Alex Jones, as one of the recent reports indicated, than it is to create a level playing field. Mustafa, I do want to ask you about this here, this breaking news just coming in. The White House, they have pulled Neera Tanden from being named head of the Office of Management and

Budget. That just come in because of opposition coming from both parties. Of course, you have a lot of South Asian folks not happy as well. The Asian American community felt that this is a huge blow. What do you make of this decision from the White House to pull her after Manchin announced he would be not voting for her because they're upset because her mean tweets? Right. I mean, it's just ridiculous, you know, comparing Neera and some of the things that she said on social media to the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of tweets and videos from, you know, many of the Republicans, you know, everyone from, of course, former Donald Trump to, you know, a number of the others. And, you know, you've got to stand for something.

And you've got to let folks know that they're willing to go through, you know, these actions when you're going to have to go in front of a Senate confirmation, or just to be going through the media, that you're gonna ride with me. And if you're not gonna ride with me, then tell me that from the beginning, so that I can make a calculated decision if I want to put myself out there or not.

So, I mean, I know they did the vote count, you know, and then they reached out to senators and everybody to say, you know, can we get your vote and that type of thing. But the question is, are you going to put something behind it? Or are you going to push? Are you going to utilize all the various tools you have to get this person whom you said was someone that you had trust in and was going to bring value to your administration? You got to stand with folks. And I've seen this happen, you know, a few times, you know, we saw it and I don't have to call out some of the names of other individuals who

stood up and gave their federal service and then an administration didn't stand behind them. So I don't have no, you know, our Asian and Pacific Islander brothers and sisters have every right to be disappointed. Maybe that's the best way to say. Look, bottom line is, Ben, you sound like a lot of Bernie supporters. We're not happy with a lot of the tweets that she had to say about them. But let's just be real. To hear the whining about tweets when you have Republicans who say, Oh, no, y'all, I never read any of Donald Trump's tweets.

Come on. Really? Yeah, I wasn't sure. So the tweet excuse, those are poor excuses. And I agree, if the Biden administration wasn't going to go the distance with her, then they probably should have checked that out beforehand. But there are plenty of other reasons. Joe Manchin's excuse wasn't even warranted. There was nothing meritorious about what he was saying. But there were plenty of other reasons. Joe Manchin's excuse wasn't even warranted.

It wasn't there was nothing meritorious about what he was saying. But there were other actual reasons that progressives opposed her. And none of them included her tweets. So that was a weak excuse. But there were other reasons to not support Neera Tanden. There's a story I do want to talk about. I came across this post on LinkedIn that I found to be quite interesting. And it came from Walter Gere. He works in advertising, the advertising industry. And this was posted on LinkedIn. He's executive creative director. And this was quite interesting. I want to read it for you. He said, the more I continue to see posts on Droga 5 winning the ad color conference and awards business, the more confused and saddened I am about the whole thing.

Ad color is supposed to be uplifting our voices in advertising, and yet their decision to pick this agency doesn't seem in line with their messaging. Obviously, I don't know anything about what happened behind the scenes or what Droga 5 is doing to improve their DE&I efforts. You can't deny their work is amazing. However, it truly hurts to see an organization like this not give back and pick a POC-run agency or even an agency predominantly run by POCs, more specifically black and brown people. No one owes me anything. But I'd love to invite Tiffany R. Warren

to an Instagram Live to discuss this topic, just like I did with Gary Vee. I just need to know that as a black man in this industry, ad color has my back. And I know that many of you who read that news thought the same thing. What do you think, Tiffany? No drama, no bullshit, just an open and candid conversation between two black executives

where we can discuss the thinking behind such an important decision. And we reached out to Tiffany Warren, who is the founder of AgColor, to talk about this as well. And those of you who watch this show, you have heard me talk about black economic social justice. You've heard me talk about why it's important for us to support black businesses. And one of the things that we've talked about on this show is the lack of dollars in investment in black media companies. What's happening in the advertising industry where black people are being frozen out. We've talked about the same thing happening on the federal government level. 1% of media dollars going to black media companies.

And the thing that just really just jumps out at me, and it does rub me wrong, if you will, Benjamin, and I would love, again, to hear the stuff behind it, is that one of the biggest complaints that I get from a lot of black companies is that one of the biggest complaints that I get from a lot of black companies is that black organizations, black business companies, don't hire black PR firms,

black ad agencies, black firms who can do the work. I was texting a friend of mine today who had a discussion with a black director who said the reason his team was nearly all white because he wanted other white folks to think to know that we're not doing just black stuff and so the point that supposedly is about supporting black and other minority businesses, but then you don't throw some business to a black and other minority business? I think Walter's argument certainly has merit. Absolutely, because, you know, blackness is an aesthetic now, right?

It's a brand. And you see a lot of people put a black face or a black brand on top of it. But behind the scenes, it's nothing but our white brothers and sisters. And it's because of this fallacious belief that whiteness is somehow more professional. And it's been my experience that you're never going to find people who work harder or more qualified because we've been taught since we were children that you have to be 10 times better to get half as much. And, Roland, you know as much as I know in this industry, especially independent media, our work is twice as good, five times as good, 10 times as good.

And yet we don't get a fraction of what is available to us. And quite frankly, that's some of the reason in this country we have some of the problems that we have is because we keep pouring money into these failing white mediocre experiments and not money into these black excellence experiences. See, and I'll tell you this, Mustafa. I was talking with a black advertising executive who said enough of these organizations, enough of these entities handing out diversity awards to frankly companies that are not diverse.

And so what happens is the same companies then use the award as a, as, as, as a Kevlar, as, as, as, oh, that's protection is saying, see, we got awarded by so-and-so for diversity. Well, you look at their numbers. What, you might have one? I was on a call with one media company. They talked about how they increased their diversity hiring by 50%. I said, well, no, no, no, no.

I don't do percentages. How many direct reports did you have? The person said, I got 29. How many black direct reports did you have? One. I said, I got 29. How many black direct reports did you have? One. I said, so you hired one more? I said, so you got now two out of 29, but you want to play that 50% stuff

with me. See, that's the game we're playing here. The argument that I'm making is, I need, look, Henry, you can take it. And I understand this, Mustafa. This desk built by a black set designer. These lights installed by a black lighting director.

We use black caterers. We use black photographers. We employ black people. If we don't employ our own, who the hell will? That's the point Walter's saying. And he's exactly right. You know, we know there has been a disinvestment in our communities, in our businesses. So if we are not willing to reinvest, then, you know, others aren't going to. And then we have to also stop allowing folks to pimp us and take our dollars. I often say we got to stop. Also, you know, you aren't going to. And then we have to also stop allowing folks to pimp us and take our dollars. I often say we got to stop.

Also, you know, you pull that curtain back from the wizard, you get to find out what's really going on back there. So, you know, we have some responsibility in this space. We also need to make sure there are scorecards, honest scorecards about, you know, these various entities and what do they really look like? What does their infrastructure look like? And, you know, how many folks are actually in positions of power? Who are the folks who actually are yielding and wielding the dollars, if you will? And then, if we can still continue

to shoot our own selves in the foot by not holding people accountable, by taking our dollars away from the folks who don't truly care about our communities and who are not investing in us, then that's on us. But we've got a lot of these different pieces we've got to pull together. Absolutely. And see, here's the deal,

Lauren. I would love to, we reached out to Tiffany Warren. I would love for Tiffany Warren to come on to discuss this. I would love for Tiffany to come on to talk about how AgColor is holding the industry accountable. Because I'm going to be honest with you, I'm sick of all these bullshit DE and oppositions. I'm being real honest with you because see, I need to see real change. And I keep saying, don't you, you don't get props from me for hiring a black person in a D E and opposition. I need to see who else you're hiring. I need to see who's getting contracts. I need to see, are you doing what that brother at Coca-Cola is doing by saying to law firms, unless y'all diversify, you're going to lose our business. That's what I'm talking

about. And so we've got to be challenging everybody because see, I ain't interested in you dancing and taking photos with blackness. I'm not interested in you coming to the receptions and the red carpet and the picking up some cute little award. No, I need to see substantive changes. And so all Walter is saying and I concur is, who you hiring? And if you're not hiring us, what's up?

Yeah. If you can't hire us, you can't represent us. Go ahead. It's about the money, obviously, Roland, as you well know, who gets the money, who gets paid, who gets the highest salary and who gets to decide, who gets to decide who else they can bring in to make those salaries. So it's not a lot of times you'll see a company still hire a few black people to, you know, integrate the photography,

but those people really don't make a decision with regard to who else they can hire. So you have to have sort of a scale-up inside an organization. You know, media organizations do it all the time. They will hire some black people, and but those black people really don't control any hiring and any salary structure within the structure. And so it really doesn't mean anything. So it's it's a it's a never ending problem in a lot of industries. And to me, the way I sort of always judge it is, you know, you're not showing me anything unless you're showing me somebody who makes the decisions over hiring and firing and and and really.

That's right. The salary structure. I mean, if you if you don't have that, there's nothing going on. Here's the deal. I have the people from 600 to be on here, the effort they're trying to change the advertising industry. This is what I'm going to put out. I will gladly have Walter, have Tiffany Warren and AgColor. I will gladly have 600. I'm glad to have anybody else.

I will happily host an hour. No, I'll make it two hour conversation right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered about what is happening in the advertising industry when it comes to who they're hiring, who's in power, and also what dollars that black media companies are receiving from the annual $150. I'm putting it out there. So, Tiffany, you got the invite. Walter, you got the invite. 600 and Beyond, you got the invite.

I will lead the conversation. I will have some of the top black people who are advertising to come on this show so we can have a family conversation to answer what is happening. Are we getting that money that we deserve? Because we damn sure are putting money in, but we ain't getting it back as owners. When we come back, we'll celebrate the life and legacy of the President Biden to tackle tough issues under intense and often high-pressure situations. And I know firsthand his commitment to defending our nation and his steadfast support of the men and women that he now leads as our commander in chief. There's no aspect of our agenda, the 21st century leadership, where the women and men of the

Defense Department do not have a role, whether it's helping curb the pandemic here at home and around the world, or addressing the real threats of climate change that already cost us billions in impacts on our bases and our national security, or being part of an ongoing fight for racial justice. You are essential to how we must rethink and reprioritize our security to meet the challenges of this century, not the last. Hi, I'm Eric Nolan. I'm Shantae Moore. Hi, my name is Latoya Luckett,

and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. © transcript Emily Beynon I got a call shortly after 9 a.m. this morning telling me that a civil rights veteran as well as Wall Street Titan Vernon Jordan passed away last night surrounded by his family at the age of 85. He died peacefully. Again, his wife was there and his family, the former president of the National Urban League. He followed in the footsteps of Whitney Young, who passed away, who drowned in Nigeria. He came in, folks, a prominent leader, young leader, close connections to all corners of American politics. He was very close among Democrats, including Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama, but also had relationships and worked with folks like Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Vernon Jordan grew up in the segregated South and graduated from DePaul University in Indiana in 1957,

a native of Atlanta. He was the only black student in his class at DePaul University in Indiana in 1957. A native of Atlanta, he was the only black student in his class at DePaul. He then studied law at Howard University and began his career fighting segregation, starting with a lawsuit against the University of Georgia's integration policy in 1961 on behalf of two black students,

Hamilton Holmes and Charlaine Hunter. Jordan accompanied both students to the UGA admissions office that year through an angry mob of white students. He worked as a field director for the NAACP and as a director for the Southern Regional Council for the Voter Education Project before he became president of the National Urban League in 1980. He survived an assassination attempt on his life.

His closest political friendship was with Bill and Hillary Clinton, advising the then Arkansas governor during his 1992 presidential campaign and acting as an outside advisor to his friend. He remained close to the Clintons for his entire life, endorsing both of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns. Folks, he was an extraordinary figure, a man who moved with power, elegance, grace. Many also call him the Rosa Parks of Wall Street because it was Vernon Jordan, once he then began to join corporate boards, who saw what happened and he said, well, the white boys are bringing their friends on. I'm going to bring my friends on. And his friends were black. There's a whole legion of African-Americans who have served on corporate boards who owe those positions to the fight of Vernon Jordan. Always well-dressed, always smooth, with that baritone voice. I remember standing in

front of the Grand Hyatt, and he was coming across the street, coming to valet. And literally as I watched him walk across in this pristine blue suit and his power tie and power shirt, I said, there goes an African king. That's how he represented himself. When Vernon Jordan walked into rooms, you knew Vernon Jordan had walked into the room. As I said, he took over the National Urban League at the age of 30. He was

very friendly. He was following the footsteps, leadership-wise, of his friend Medgar Evers, wanting to do what's right by African Americans. Joining us right now are the three men who followed Vernon Jordan as head of the National Urban League. First, John Jacob, who followed Vernon Jordan. Following John was Hugh Price. Following Hugh Price is present CEO Mark Morial. Gentlemen, glad to have all of you here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. I didn't think we would have all three of you at the same time, so this certainly makes for a great conversation. You heard me describe him, John. I'll start with you, not only because you followed Vernon,

but also you graduated from my high school, and you also spoke at my high school graduation. So you get first dibs. I know you're a Kappa. Mark, you're my frat brother. But I got to go with Jack Yates High School in Houston first. John, just share your thoughts about Vernon Jordan. Well, thanks, Roland, first of all, for having me and all three of us. I think it is very fitting that we speak about Vernon and spend some time talking about Vernon. I had the privilege of knowing Vernon for almost 50 years. And I can say without fear of contradiction that no one has ever been more suitable to lead the National

Urban League movement than Vernon Jordan. He was an outstanding leader, a great administrator, a dynamic orator, and one of the best fundraisers to ever lead a not-for-profit organization. And the National Urban League was something magical about Vernon. The National Urban League provided Vernon with a pulpit to preach his sermons all around the world. I don't know how many people know this, but before Vernon decided to go into the practice of law, he really considered becoming a minister. And the National Urban League provided Vernon with his church and his congregation to preach his sermons day in and day out on the injustices that exist in this country. It provided him with an army through his local Urban League affiliates

to fight the battles of freedom, justice, and equality for all people. It enabled him to litigate and advocate the rights of and opportunities of Black people and other people in need without going into a courtroom. And he was able to provide counsel to elected officials at all levels without having ever run or held a public office. He was that individual that comes along in a lifetime whose impact on society can only be measured by the distances we have come, regardless of the obstacles we have confronted. Hugh Price.

How you doing? Yes, sir. Your thoughts. Share your reflections on Vernon Jordan. Vernon was a force of nature. Transcendent leaders like that come along very rarely. They may go to undergraduate school or law school, but you can't teach the kind of leadership that he had. You can't teach the kind of charisma that he had, the gravitas that he had, the networks that he built.

He was extraordinary. He came of age professionally in the civil rights movement, of course, and so he was very much a player in the voting rights and the battles for equal opportunity in housing and access to public accommodations. And then he brought all of those skills and connections into the Urban League movement. And I would say, just as an Urban Leaguer, that it was always, and I'm sure the others can attest, Vernon often said that leading the National Urban League was the greatest job he ever had in his life. And given all the other things he accomplished, that was quite a testament to the league and

to his impact on the league. But I think also the impact that he had on corporate America and on the business world, because when he opened those doors, those doors swung open, not just for him, but for everybody who followed in his wake. And so his impact in the corporate world, his mentorship of very senior executives and future CEOs had a tremendous ripple effect on the hiring practices, the contracting practices of those companies. So I think the idea that he was the Rosa Parks of Wall Street was quite apt. And to Jake's point about Vernon having considered being a preacher, it's interesting if you look at many of his speeches, he frequently cited scripture

and his favorite models were a number of the great preachers in our country. So he truly was one of a kind and it was a treat to know him, to count him as a mentor and a friend. And I'd say until his passing yesterday, one of the extraordinary things about the Urban League movement of which he was a part is the league is 110 or 111 years old. There have only been four presidents, excuse me, eight presidents and CEOs in the history of the Urban League. And until his passing, four of us were still standing. And he certainly was the mentor to all of us. Mark Morial. Roland, thank you for having all three of us, especially thanks for reaching out so we can talk about Vernon Jordan.

What I would add is that Vernon Jordan spanned, if you will, a wide swath of American life. And he brought civil rights, he brought racial justice from his early days as a courtroom lawyer to his days as an NAACP field leader to the chief executive of the UNCF and the National Urban League, and then to the boardrooms of America. And I might add, Hugh mentioned his mentorship and sponsorship of senior executives. I would point out that Ken Chenault and Ursula Burns, both two distinguished former CEOs of American Express and Xerox, had a common denominator and that was a mentorship

of board member on the board of Xerox and on the board of American Express Vernon Jordan. So he exercised the influence of civil rights in the streets and in the suites, in the boardrooms and in the suites, in the boardrooms and in the halls of Congress. For the National Urban League, I think following Whitney Young in 1971 after his tragic death was a difficult thing for Vernon Jordan to do. Whitney Young was a giant, an ally of Dr. King, one of the big six civil rights leaders, a transformative leader in the history of the National Urban League. But Vernon did it, and Vernon did it well, and took the National Urban League to a new level, building our platform and workforce development and job training,

creating the State of Black America report, solidifying what Whitney started in terms of relationships with the corporate titans of America while maintaining the faith and the credibility of a civil rights leader. So he, for me, I would just add, I met him when I was 16 years old. I was in awe of him, as were several of my friends when we met him. He was smooth. He was cool. He was regal. He was at once erudite and down-to-earth, a special kind of person. And he had this incredible sense of humor, this ability to tell stories, a man of tremendous presence

and, uh, and-and contribution and transformative leadership. So we will miss him, uh, but his life and his legacy, in the spiritual sense, his life will continue, his legacy, indeed, will continue. I-I made the point, uh,

about, uh, Vernon being regal. He had the voice. He was tall. He was good looking. He was smooth dressing. When he walked into the room, John, as I said, you knew Vernon Jordan had walked into the room.

His aura came into the room before he did. Absolutely. You know, I can say that having been the one who worked for Vernon, Vernon hired me as his first executive vice president and chief operating officer. And frankly, I never expected to become president of the National Urban League. Vernon Jordan wanted me to become president of the National Urban League. And that's why and how I became president of the National Urban League. And it is because of Vernon that I ended up serving on, during my career, seven corporate boards.

Because Vernon had served on corporate boards, he sort of set the table that CEOs of the National Urban League brought the qualifications to occupy that space in corporate America. those doors that corporations looked at me in the context that if Vernon Jordan was good for corporate America, John Jacob, too, must be good for corporate America. And thusly, I ended up on, before my career, ended some seven corporate boards. And it is because I served on those corporate boards that I was discovered by Anheuser-Busch not only to serve on their board, but to come inside and become one of two executive vice presidents on their management team, all because of Vernon Jordan and the stature he had created in corporate America. Hugh, the reason I keep talking about presence is because it could be a bit intimidating sitting across the table from Vernon Jordan. You had to keep your wits about you because you knew all eyes were on him. But he was a very generous person, very generous of spirit. So he did not attempt to intimidate anyone. You just were in awe. And I also took mental notes on, I went to school on how Vernon performed the role of being a leader, on how he communicated, on how he conveyed his messages, on how he

presented himself. So there was so much to learn in just watching him in action. I would also say that one of the things we've touched upon lightly, but it's hugely important, no African-American has ever had relationships with presidents of the United States like he did. Never before and not since. And so he had a trusted relationship with Bill Clinton, obviously with Hillary Clinton, but didn't become president with the Obamas. And it wasn't just that they were golfing buddies. He was their most intimate and closest advisor. He kept his counsel. He did not gossip about anything. He provided advice. He was a sounding board. And as a sign of that, I believe the Clintons came to the Jordan's house every year for Christmas dinner. It doesn't get any closer than that. Mark, I'm trying to remember how this conversation came about.

I have no idea. It might have been when President Obama spoke at the 100th anniversary of the NAACP. But I was in New York. And it's weird. We're having drinks. Don't even ask me. Don't even ask me. We're having drinks.

Or maybe it was before the election. And it's Vernon Jordan, Valerie Jarrett, Spike Lee. And there's a man and a woman, both white, in this bar. And one of them decides to just to come up to us and to ask us about this Obama fellow. Now, mind you, we're all enjoying each other company. And Vernon goes, we're not about to do this right now. We're not about to do this. And so the guy's sitting here, you know, and Vernon literally like, look, we are having a conversation. We're not about to sit here and try to sell you on a black guy running for president.

And so the guy sort of goes away. And the white woman who was with him, she comes back and she says, well, you know, he was just inquiring. But, you know, he's one of the most powerful individuals on in finance on Wall Street. And Vernon goes, I don't know who he is, which tells you he's not one of the most powerful people on Wall Street. Mark, I just sat there and cracked the hell up laughing because she was, I mean,

she turned red and she just had to scurry on off and he just started laughing when she walked away. Look, he had a biting wit, a great sense of humor, and the ability to tell it like it is and be extremely blunt. And that presence and that wisdom is why he was such a trusted advisor, young politicians, young executives, young professionals. Always gave back, always paid it forward. That is critically important. There were a lot of people today.

This is the final question for all three of you. There were a lot of people today who were saying, man, we're losing our giants. But the reality is death is a part of life. But the key is, is what did you do with the time that you had? And when you look at his civil rights work,

his law work, when you look at him being an author, when you look at the book Vernon can read that he put out as well, when you talk about the impact and the advice, sitting with power, wielding power. He also was an unapologetic black man. Don't let the expensive suit, ties, and cufflinks and time spent on Martha's Vineyard fool you. John, he was an unapologetic black man.

And because of that, there are people in this country today who may not even know his name, don't even know what he looks like, but their life is better and their children's lives are better because of what Vernon Jordan did in this country for them and their children. Vernon Jordan's legacy will never die because of the good work that he did to make America more sensitive to the needs and concerns of black folks and Vernon Jordan's work that made their lives better because of the work he was doing on their behalf. What people need to understand is that when Vernon Jordan was in a boardroom, he was not there for Vernon Jordan. He was there for them.

He was representing them. He was a voice for them. He was an advocate for them. And they are having a better life today because of that. And I'll add just one other factor. One of the characteristics that Vernon had that was very unique is that Vernon never lost contact with anyone he ever met. The reason he and Bill Clinton were such great friends is that when Bill Clinton ran for governor the second time and lost, Vernon Jordan still called him and had lunch with him, had breakfast with him, had dinner with him, even though he was a loser in that election. And Bill Clinton has never forgotten, when he was down, Vernon Jordan was there to lift him up.

Hugh Price. I would just underscore everything that Jake said and say, for me, Vernon was a one-man wrecking crew when it came to shattering glass ceilings. And a lot of people, as I say, sort of misinterpret that role and think that it's all for the person who is shattering the ceilings, but it opens pathways and opportunities for folks who see, oh, if this person can do it, if that black person can do it, let's bring in others into the pipeline

all the way throughout the organization. So he was an extraordinary, extraordinary leader. And I hope that young people go to school on him. I hope they study him, not just read his book, Vernon can read, but read other accounts of his strategy, of his impact, of how he became who he is. Because there's so much to learn about the role that he played, which doesn't mean that it has to be played exactly the same way now, but we need the knowledge and understanding of how power is aggregated over time and how opportunities open up

as a result of the application of pressure. He was the ultimate race man, as far as I was concerned. Mark Morial, you're the youngest among this crew. You get the last word. There's nothing more that needs to be said because I think

we have said what needs to be said. But all I would underscore is Bernard Jordan's legacy lives with us. And as we've watched in a short period of time, John Lewis,

C.T. Vivian, and now Vernon Jordan go home to our creator. It is up to us to carry the torch, carry the burden, carry the baton. And I think Vernon Jordan would have it no other way. I think he would challenge us to do it. He'd demand that we do it. And he would make us feel like we have let him down if we didn't. So there goes a great man.

And may we mourn his loss and celebrate his life. The three folks who followed Vernon Jordan as CEOs of National Urban League, John Jacob, Hugh Price, Mark Morial. Gentlemen, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thank you. Folks, the statements have been pouring in all day. People reflecting on the life of Vernon Jordan.

This is the statement that came from his very dear friend, friends, President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. From his instrumental role in desegregating the University of Georgia in 1961 to his work with the NAACP, the Southern Regional Council, the Voter Education Project, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Urban League to a successful career in law and business. Vernon Jordan brought his big brain and strong heart

to everything and everybody he touched, and he made them better. He was never too busy to give good advice and encouragement to young people, and he never gave up on his friends or his country. He was a wonderful friend to Hillary, Chelsea, and me in good times and bad. We worked and played, laughed and cried, won and lost together. We loved him very much and always will.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Ann, Vicki, Tony, Janice, Mercer, his grandchildren, and all those whose lives he enriched. President Barack Obama also weighed in on his death as well. Folks, let me know when we have that. Right now, though, I want to read the statement that was released by Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. The tweet that he sent out actually said that he had lost, He said, I will miss my good friend, Vernon Jordan. This is his statement right here. Reverend Jackson wrote, after resigning from the National Urban League in 1981, he again joined a private law firm. And in 1992, became good friends with and a top advisor to President Bill Clinton.

He became a board member of at least a half dozen corporate boards, including Revlon, Sarah Lee, Corning, and Xerox, fighting on the inside for the inclusion of minorities and women that I was fighting for on the outside. Vernon's first wife, Shirley Yarbrough, died in 1985. He is survived by his current wife, Ann Dibble Jordan, a brother, Windsor, and a daughter by his first wife, Vicki Jordan Adams. Three children from his second marriage, Janice, Mercer, and Tony, and nine grandchildren. In a moment, we're going to be joined by John Hope Bryan, founder of Operation Hope. We're also going to be joined by former CEO of American Express, Ken Chenault, one of the folks you heard Hugh Price and John Jacob and Mark Morial talk about, and Charlene Hunter Gault,

the sister who broke the barrier at the University of Georgia. Many of you know her as a famous journalist. It was Vernon Jordan who escorted her into the University of Georgia as those racists were jeering at them in 1961. Folks, let me know when we have John Hope Bryant up. I cannot wait to talk to him reflecting on the life and legacy of Vernon Jordan. I'm going to pull up right now the statement that President Barack Obama released with regards to Vernon Jordan. This is it right here. Like so many others, Michelle and I benefited from Vernon Jordan's wise counsel and warm friendship and deeply admired his tireless fight for civil rights. We hope the memory of his extraordinary presence and the legacy of his work bring comfort

to Ann, Vicki, and his family. Folks, it is indeed a remarkable career of someone who understood power, how power operated in this country. I always tell people all the time when you go to the White House and go to those lawn, there's power. You have the White House and then there's money. Department of Treasury. Those two buildings actually share a lawn in our nation's capital. And the reality is that's what you see. You see that. And he understood how that power worked. He understood the bridge between those two, understood how to bring people together to deal with power, to share power, to discuss power. That's what he did.

Here's some of a conversation with Vernon Jarrett that took place at the Clinton Presidential Library. As a junior in high school, I thought that I was going to Howard University. I applied and got accepted. All of my teachers wanted me to go to Morehouse, which was across the street from the housing project where I live. And there used to be an organization here in New York called the National Service and Scholarship Fund for Negro Students, NESPANESS. came to meet with the smart students, that was the name for it, anyhow. And he talked about Nespaness,

and it was based on a project at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., where they took the best students and sent them to Ivy League schools. So I got very interested in it, and I applied to Yale, I applied to Dartmouth, I applied to Lafayette, I applied to DePaul. The president of the Atlanta Dartmouth Alumni Association called me up and summoned me to his office. And I put on my little suit and shined my shoes and went downtown.

And he said to me that 10 boys in Atlanta had applied to Dartmouth, and I was the only colored. But I had the best academic record. And he said, the Atlanta Dartmouth Alumni Association is gonna support your application. And we're gonna do it because we want you to go to Dartmouth and get a good education and come back to Atlanta and be a Booker T. Washington for your people.

And I said, sir, that won't work. He said, well, I want it work. I said, I'm a W.E.B. Du Bois man. Joining us on the phone, he spent 17 years as the CEO of American Express, the third African-American ever to lead a Fortune 500 company. Ken Chenault, welcome to Roller Mountain Unfiltered. Great to be with you.

Ken, just share your initial thoughts about Vernon Jordan, who he was, what he represented. Did we lose Ken? There we go. We got you. There we go. I think we're having some guys. What's going on? Do we have his audio?

Okay. All right. Let me know if we, when we have Ken Chenault back with his, I know we have him by the phone. Okay, do we have Ken now with the audio? Ken, go ahead. Ken, can you hear me?

Okay, I can't hear Ken. Folks, let's do this here. Let's pull him on FaceTime audio, please. No video. Let's put him on. That's not his video. Let's put him on FaceTime. Can you hear me now?

Now we can hear you, Ken. Go ahead. Good, good. All right. So, Roland, Vernon was a giant. I actually call him the first crossover artist because he was obviously a giant in the civil rights movement. But Vernon also recognized the importance of... Hello? Go ahead, Ken. We got you.

What I was saying, Roland, is Vernon recognized the importance of economic power for African Americans, and he was able to make a virtually seamless transition from the civil rights movement to the business world. And what was important is he was still very focused on racial justice. in the business who was not touched by the business. You're absolutely right, Ken, about folks, you know, them not being touched by him. And the thing is, he understood how to use that power to expand the opportunities for others because he realized the people who were creating wealth by joining these boards of directors, the impacts they had on choosing CEOs and choosing senior leaders and realized that, look, you could not be fighting for civil rights if you did not also fight for economic justice.

Absolutely, Roland. That was what was important was a lot of people have the vision, but the issue is, can they execute? And Vernon was able to execute on that vision. And one of the things he would say to me consistently is he would say, Ken, we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors. And we have to live a lie. We have to give back.

We have to bring people up so that other people can stand on our shoulders. And that's really the way Vernon lived his life, is he was a champion for economic power, for racial justice, for Black Americans. Share with our audience what it was like, first of all, going to him, relying on that advice and counsel, being able to call him and bounce things off of or share things and get his perspective on moves you potentially would make as a CEO of American Express. So one of the examples I would give, and this is the genius of Vernon because he could reach down early. When I was in my early 30s,

evidently my name came up at a board meeting. And the reference was made that Ken is African-American. We think he has very high potential. Some board members would have just said, all right, that's great. What Vernon did was he called me. And he said, remember, distinctly, he called, he said, Ken, this is Vernon Jordan. He said, I want to take you to breakfast. And I went over.

Vernon liked to go to a hotel in New York called the Regency Hotel. And we had breakfast there. Obviously, everybody knew him. Everybody was going over to the table. And the breakfast was at 8 o'clock. And I got there at 8. Vernon was there, 8 o'clock, and I got there at 8. Vernon was there, 8 o'clock sharp, and we finished breakfast at 12.30. And what Vernon did was simply amazing is he talked to me about his life,

but also the lives of others in the civil rights movement. And he said to me, these are the people who paved the way for you. You have a responsibility. You have an obligation. The other thing, as you know, with Roland is that Vernon was a great storyteller. And the vivid stories he told me about his personal struggles, what he did in the civil rights movement, the jokes, I just knew I was in the presence of a giant. And then what I was able to do through the years is when I had a challenging decision to make, needed some advice on my career, I went to Vernon. And what's important about Vernon is he was with you all the way. And I took Vernon's advice 95% of the time, but not 100%. And what was important is he respected that. And he was an incredibly loyal friend.

And he just had incredible judgment. He was very wise. And what I really appreciated, folded it up for board members. And I opened the note and he said, which is what he started calling me, Mr. Chairman, if I was in church, I would say hallelujah. But I think I would scare these white folks if I said that at the boardroom. Hallelujah, he wrote. And that's Vernon. That, I think, is a perfect way to end the interview. Ken Chenault, we have lost a giant, but we have his wonderful work,

and there's a whole lineage of people who he has put in position to who can now pay it forward as a result of his work, not only in civil rights and law, but also in business. You're absolutely right, Roland. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about a great man. Well, Ken, this is why I created this platform, this digital show, because I've watched other networks. I said, no, we're going to dedicate a whole hour because people need to know who this

man was and what he meant. And we appreciate you joining us for this salute. Much. Take care. Thank you very much. Folks, we told you that prior to joining the National Urban League, prior to being on Wall Street, before he even knew President Bill Clinton, before he advised any president, Vernon Jordan was a civil rights lawyer. And the role that he played in assisting our next guest, another student to become the first black students to walk into the campus of the University of Georgia. We welcome Charlene Hunter-Gault, Roland Martin Unfiltered. Charlene, always good to see you.

Thank you, Roland. It's great to be with you. And my daughter is very excited about me being on your program. Well, I'm always happy to hear that. I've known you for years at NABJ. You are one of our pioneers, and it's always great to see you and hug you. I think it was last at Gwen Ifill's postage celebration, I think. Gwen Ifill, you see her right there? I see her.

I see her over your right shoulder. Folks, take folks, first of all, before I get to University of Georgia, just your initial thoughts when you got word that Vernon Jordan passed away. Well, you know, I

was able to thank God to visit him when he was in the rehab hospital in Washington, D.C. I came up for some other things, including Gwen, Gwen Stamp. And we had a nice meeting. And so I was very happy that I had an opportunity to see him in person. And then subsequently, I had conversations with him on the phone, and Vicki, his daughter,

would organize that. Well, and we would talk about just golf. That's his favorite thing, and the beach on the vineyard, because he always entertained so many of us when they were there for the month of August, he and Ann on the vineyard. And so we would just, you know, chit a great civil rights minister and just a wonderful man. And he said, I recognized his voice and I said, oh, wait a minute, my other phone, he called me on my mobile and my home phone was ringing. I said, hold on just a minute. And I picked it up and it was Vicki.

And very quickly, my mind said something is up because Reverend Moss wouldn't be calling me this time of morning and Vicki wouldn't be calling me. And just out of my mouth, I said to Vicki, Vicki, are you calling me with what I think you might be calling me with? And she sniffed and she said yes. And I put the phone on my mobile on speaker so that Reverend Moss could hear me talking to Vicki, who told me how he had... And, you know, when I lived in South Africa,

I learned never to say that when someone goes where he went, there's a certain word they don't use. They use transition. Right. And I said, has he transitioned? She said, yes.

And so as I talked to her, I had Reverend Moss on the other line because I knew that as much as I had a feeling this was coming sooner, maybe rather than later, I don't think I was quite ready for it. So I chatted with Vicki a few more minutes and I said, can I call any of the papers that I have contacts? She said, no, we got that sorted. And I said, well, just let me know what I can do, if anything, in the next few days or whenever. And, you know, just stay in touch. She said, okay. And then I transitioned to Reverend Moss, where I just wept and wept.

And he listened very carefully because he, well, not so much carefully, but patiently, I guess I should say. And that helped me through the hardest part. Because what I know about Vernon, it is about transitioning. And that's how I have managed to make it through this very challenging day of remembering him. I just remembered him on the PBS NewsHour

with Ursula Burns, who was very close to him. And I talked about one of the things I knew about Vernon that we shared. We were both AMEs, I'm a PK preacher's kid, as Gwen Eiffel was. And we are people of faith. Vernon was a person of faith. And so my thinking about his transitioning keeps my sorrow in check. because despite his earthly loss,

I have heard him preach enough from so many pulpits on various occasions about the great camp meeting in the promised land that I know that's where he is now. He's in the great camp meeting in the promised land and he is yucking it up with the other ancestors, my mother, just so many others, Mandela, people that he knew over the years and probably helped one way or another. So as sad as I am, the faith that I shared with him helps me process his home going. You talked about using the word transition.

One of the things that we say in the case of someone at his age, they've now gone from an elder to an ancestor. Elder to an ancestor, absolutely. The thing, I said this with Hugh Price, and I had Hugh Price, John Jacob, and Mark Morial all together. Oh, great. And it was great to have all three of his successors on.

And I... And it was... The thing about... This was a regal man. I cannot just forget Charlene. Here in D.C., and I was standing in front of the Grand Hyatt, and he...

I walked out, and he was coming over, wait on valet and I said, if you have never met an African King, I mean, cause I, I, I watched the, uh, the mini doc, mini series, uh, Shaka Zulu. And Vernon Jordan, again, tall, good looking, that voice. He walked and I'm telling you, there goes an African king. Absolutely. You know, the thing about Vernon, he was what?

What would you say? Six, four to six,, he was, what, what would you say, 6'4", 6'3", 6'4"? And one of the memories I have is of when he walked me into that screaming mob of racists in January 9th, 1961. We're celebrating the 60th anniversary of that moment. And I remember that we stopped at the registration building to do the first things at Hamilton Homes, my late, who's also an ancestor. And I'm sure they're together now reminiscing because he left us far too soon. But at any rate, we stopped at the registration building and we filled out the papers. And my mom, who was about 5'4", and very strong, very strong, very brave. So we left that building, which, by the way, now bears the Holmes Hunter name.

Thank goodness that the university has remembered us in that way for other generations. And we're walking to the journalism college where I had to complete my registration. And Vernon and I were walking fast, fast, fast to get past these screaming kids. And my mother, again, who, as I said, is so much shorter than us, called out, hey, you two, I'm not as tall as you two. Could you please slow down so I can catch up with you? And it wasn't because she was afraid. that that's where his focus was, getting from that building across the campus. And of course, halfway through that process, the judge who had ordered us in, and I've never understood this because he made an amazing historic decision admitting us at a time when no Southern university had been

desegregated. Meredith came a few months later, but Judge Boodle had ordered us in. And for some reason, the university was still fighting the case. So they managed on some grounds to get a stay of the desegregation order. And we're right in the middle of signing up in the journalism. So we had, fortunately there was a black family that had said they'd be available if we needed them. And so we went over to this Black family while Constance Baker Motley and Donald Hollowell went to court in Atlanta to try to get Judge Boodle's stay order overturned. So we're sitting there and Vernon's sitting there and all of a sudden Vernon gets a telephone call. I guess this must have been maybe an hour or so later. I had actually gone to sleep because I was exhausted.

And he gets off the phone and he says, we can continue. The judge has ordered the stay abolished, whatever term, legal term he used. And what was fascinating about that was that, A, we were able to continue registering that day, but the headline in the newspaper, the Atlanta Constitution, the next day, because the judge who overturned Judge Boodle's stay was named Tuttle. And so the headline was Tuttle Boots Boodle. And that's how I think Judge Tuttle went down in history as the judge who booted Boodle. And of course, took us back to the journal, took me back to the journalism school. And and I was able to continue registering. But, you know, he was just there for me and for him. And as I've listened to people, I didn't hear the earlier part of your show, but I heard Ursula Burns a little while ago on the NewsHour. And she talked about how he was there for you in every iteration.

I mean, he was there as a counselor. If you were in corporate America or any part of that world, he was there. She talked about when her husband passed away, he was there for her. He was there no matter what your life, what you were going through in your life, whether it was joyful or sorrowful or one in which you needed advice and counsel. And he just was. And, you know, you could also get him to come to your service at church and preach. He loved to preach. In fact, at one point he wanted to be, if you read his book, Vernon can read, he thought about going into religious service.

But somehow he decided that lawyering was as noble. But Vernon could preach. There is no doubt about it. The brother could preach, and he loved to preach. He, the thing that I think as we, and oftentimes, oftentimes people only pay attention to the most recent things, and people look at advisors of the president and things along those lines.

But to make that transition, and it really is a sharp transition, to transition from that civil rights work to the National Urban League, 30 years old, 30, following the death of Whitney Young, the tragic death of Whitney Young drowning in Lagos, Nigeria, and then leading the Urban League and leaving in his early 40s and then having a completely new career.

And, of course, when it comes to being a lawyer a lobbyist presidential advisor corporate titan um it it shows just just uh the levels if you will of of vernon jordan where he wasn't going to be defined solely by one thing but let me tell you who is responsible for that. Because to be sure, Vernon is responsible for his adult life. But the person who is responsible for the man that Vernon is, is his mother. She is the one who created the armor for him that enabled him to to just do all the things that he has done. I mean, starting at a very early age, I'm sure somebody on the show must have talked about how they grew up in a housing project, but the way in which she lived in such an honorable existence that it wasn't like the housing project was someplace for poor

Black people. It was noble. She created a noble environment for him. When they had, she was a caterer, she catered to white people, and yet she didn't cater to them. She was full of her own, I guess you could say, self-esteem, which she transmitted to Vernon. And the other way that she helped him, again, be the person he became was to ensure that he attended church services in Sunday school and then in church. And both of us grew up in the AME church, like Gwen Ifill, you know, preaches kids. And we learned early on the armor that our black church created for us. And that, again, was due to his mother. Now, his father made a big contribution. But when you read, Vernon can read. And when you know about Vernon's life,

I think one of the most significant people in his life, even as he reached the highest levels of all the worlds you've been discussing, the person who set him on that path and gave him the armor to endure whatever slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, including getting shot that time. Whatever slings and arrows of outrageous fortune he confront, his mother created the armor for him to be able to withstand. And so I want to give her a shout-out, too. And I'm sure that they are now in the land of the ancestors, just being reunited in a wonderful way. But she was so much the reason Vernon became the man that he did.

You talked about that day, that assassination attempt, Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is the front page of the New York Times. Vernon Jordan shot at a motel in Indiana. Wounds are severe.

The doctor said he was shot in the back near his spinal cord. Doctor said the wound was so large he could have put his fist through that wound. He underwent a significant number of surgeries, spent 89 days in the hospital. And the white supremacist was found not guilty by an all-white jury. And that white supremacist later said, I am the one who shot Vernon Jordan.

You know, you have people like that who are unrepentant andregation, he was a total racist, a time when he got shot. Well, there came a time when Vernon was in Alabama on a the person, but he couldn't quite see who it was. And finally, the program ended, and it was time to get ready to go. And George Wallace, the arch segregationist, wheeled himself out and said to Vernon, I had to come to tell you how sorry I am

about my past behavior. Now, I'm, you know, that may not exactly be what he said. I got it. You're paraphrasing. I got you. Yeah. He apologized. And I think that we can't forget that either. I got you. Yeah. He apologized. And I think that we can't forget that either. I think that, you know, one of the things that I think Vernon would be saying today as we try to process so much of the ugliness that has come back around. Because remember he did say, what goes around comes around. And we have something coming around

that is really horrible. But at the same time, we had Vernon Jordan and people like him who said, we can't let that turn us around. And so while it might be difficult and challenging, and some of us don't have the answers, but I think we look to our history and to people like Vernon, who worked with so many people of so many different attitudes. And he never gave up on people, which is why George Wallace wheeled out, wheeled himself out in that wheelchair and apologized. meaning no not one black student will ever cross the threshold of this University of Georgia he said that when the case was going on and he was fighting the case and yet 40 years later when Hamilton they have a yearly lecture called the Holmes Hunter lecture burn um Skip Gates just did it with me back in early,

back in January. But he came to one of those events, the 40th anniversary, and he came up to me and like George Wallace, he apologized. So I'm not going to give up on these people. Now, some of them that I've seen do some terrible things recently, I don't know. But I really do think we've got to keep on keeping on working towards a more perfect union, because that's what Vernon believed in. That's what caused him to take the road, to travel the road that he traveled. And people like him who worked with him and who honor him today, people like you, we've got to figure out how to keep this

a more perfect union or at least work towards it in our lifetimes. And you got a lot longer than I have because I just had my 79th birthday. Happy birthday to me. But I'm so happy that I can celebrate Vernon in the days, because in South Africa, they say you celebrate your birthday for every day you're old. So I'm still celebrating. And as sad as I am about Vernon having left us,

in a way, I'm celebrating the life that he helped give me. He was indeed an amazing man, an amazing life and career. I'll never forget that moment where there was a video of him driving Bill Clinton in a golf cart that caused a little drama. And then the following, the next time they played, they flipped it. Bill Clinton was driving Vernon Jordan in the golf cart. Right, right.

And, you know, people on the vineyard, I've been in touch with them, and they're all saying, what's it going to be like in August with Vernon not being here? But I keep writing back telling him his spirit will be there. His spirit will be there.

Ambassador Andrew Young said this. He says it to me all the time. He said to me just last week, we were in Atlanta. He said, people need to stop saying that Martin is dead. He said, because you're not dead when they talk about you every single day. He said, Martin is still with us.

He said, he may not be here physically, he said, but the reality is he is still living with us every single day. And, you know, you said a few minutes ago, we've lost a giant. No, we haven't. I don't want to contradict you, my brother. I got you. But we got him. We still have this giant. And thanks to you, he's going to live. And I hope this won't be the last time you do a special on him because we just need to, we need to help our children, our children, whether they're now having to do

school virtually or if they get the vaccine, get back to school. But, you know, I'm sure you know, 85 percent of the schools in this country don't teach Black history. And we've got to change that because they need to know about all of our heroes and they need to know about Vernon and people like him so that if we can teach our children young, maybe we won't have the kind of thing we just had back in the nation's capital at the people's house. Teach our children in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from you. But you got to teach them, and you got to teach them right. Well, one of the reasons why I created this platform

is I didn't have to ask anybody else permission to do something like this. And for us to be able to have the platform to have all three successors of Vernon Jordan and the National Urban League on at one time, have Ken Chenault on, have you on is precisely why because folks will get to see this and those who didn't know, now they'll be able to go watch that PBS documentary, go get that book Vernon can read and do the research and find out the great man and what he represented.

Shalane Hunter-Gault, always a pleasure to see you. We thank you for all the things that you've done, paving the way for black journalists like myself. And always great talking to you. And tell your daughter I said what's up. Thank you so much. It's great to see you. And I hope I'll see you again soon. Indeed. Indeed. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

My final guest is John Hope Bryant. He is the founder of Operation Hope. He joins us right now. John, I've talked to a lot of people who have known Vernon Jordan a very long time. You tweeted that you did not know him long. But one of the things that you did is you made sure to tell him thank you. Yeah. Yeah, first of all, I think he loved your show, Roland. He loved that you owned it.

He loved that you set the rules and you speak truth to power and you do it, you know, without screaming and hollering, you do it. I mean, he was a gentleman's gentleman, right? I did wanna say thank you. I did say thank you to him. I got several funny stories. I was just sitting here thinking about the last time

I saw him, which was 2019. We spoke on the program together at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas. Me, Ambassador Young, I think Rep. John Lewis was there, I believe. Mark Updegrove, who runs the library. Of course, none other than Vernon Jordan. And I was thinking back then, I sat there going, this is the first leader who went from civil rights to civil rights, Roland. By the way, just a factoid, do you know that he was the first CNN interview ever?

Yeah, he was in the first, in the first, about eight minutes into the first CNN broadcast was a story on him being shot. Right. And Jimmy Carter, President Jimmy Carter came to visit him. You know, you've got this pantheon of early what I call civil rights leaders, those who have gone from the fields to the farms and the farms to the factories. And then we and that was sort of, you know, civil war. And then we went from the factories to freedom in the streets, which was, you know, civil rights movement. And then we went from the streets to the business suites. He did. He did. He did that entire Middle Passage role. You've got, you know, Marion Wright Edelman. You've got Leon Sullivan, Reverend Leon Sullivan.

You've got Reginald Lewis. And you've got Vernon Jordan. There are others, but those are the ones who were signature. Marion Wright Edelman was the one that told Dr. King the next movement was about money. That's the reason he pivoted and did the Poor People's Campaign, as you know. She doesn't get credit for that, Children's Defense Fund. Reverend Leon Sullivan took us to Africa and served on the first corporate board. Reginald Lewis did the first corporate takeover on Wall Street, a billion-dollar corporate takeover.

It's still a lot of money today. But he did it when it was unbelievable for a black man to do it. And Vernon Jordan took us from civil rights to civil rights to investment banking, corporate boardroom, and counselor-in-chief to a head of state, President Bill Clinton. And he did it with finesse and quiet dignity. Whenever I would see Mr. Jordan, he would give me the Jordan nod. And I didn't realize what the Jordan nod was for years. But Ambassador Young broke it down to me. He would see me and he'd give me a nod.

Last time I saw him was again in Austin. Roll it. The nod was, don't to me. He would see me and he'd give me a nod. Last time I saw him was again in Austin. Rolling. The nod was, don't bother me. You're already covered. Ambassador Young's got you. Don't bother me. Don't come see me. Don't send me a note.

We all got our little posse. Right. We bring it up. And I know you covered it because Ambassador Young told me. So don't bother me. He didn't tell me that. Ambassador Young told me. I said, we should have Vernon Jordan speak at the forum.

No, don't bother him. He already told me. You invite him. He ain't coming. He said, you my problem. First of all, I'm actually playing the video of you speaking at the LBJ library where that happened. So that's how fast we move here. You my brother.

You in the front row. The thing here, and the reason I wanted you specifically on, because I saw the tweet, because in many ways you also are doing what Ambassador Andrew Young has done, what Vernon Jordan did, and that is to serve as a connector as well. Look, the thing is, we all can't do everything. We can't be on every board. We can't get all the money. We can't get all the contracts.

We can't be on every board. We can't get all the money. We can't get all the contracts We can't know anybody but it is but it is important to utilize our Relationships and contacts to be able to say when someone comes up to us. How can I be of service? How can I assist you and and one of the things I laugh about the last time I saw Vernon Jordan Was in the palm restaurant here in DC It had to have been I only go to the Palm restaurant for two things. Two times out of the year. My birthday

or my wedding anniversary where I get their piece of chocolate cake. So it was one of those two. It was either November 14th or it was April 21st. It was one of those two. Vernon Jordan is sitting in the restaurant, and that was a young lady who had left. It was probably in November, because in April,

it had been at the beach. There you go. Well, there was a young lady who had left us at TV One, and the job didn't work out, and so she was trying to come back and get hired. And so Vernon, I walk up to him, Mr. Jordan, good to see you.

Roland, good to see you. And so then he goes, he said, so and so, she's one of my mentees and he starts talking. He said, that raspy voice. Yeah, that raspy, slow voice.

You can hear every single word. And he says, um... Vernon. Um, she's, um... She really needs a job. And I said, well, Vernon, she left. And he said, she really needs a job. He goes, she really needs a job, so

I would appreciate if you could hire her back. And I'm sitting there like... It really wasn't a request. Really? Right. I'm getting the Vernon Jordan squeeze here. And okay, fine.

We hired him back. But the point is, he looked out for his people. He never did it for himself. It was always for somebody else. Yep. Yeah, no. And you won't, there'll be, it'll be going on for months now.

We're starting hearing about all the people he helped. All the doors he opened. All the folks who he got hired, all the folks whose careers they give him credit for. I'm sure that President Bill Clinton is weeping right now because that was his boy. That was his dude. President Clinton's a friend of both of us, and I love that dude, man, Mr. President. But he is going through a personal situation now because Vernon Jordan had the character and the courage to do what most people wouldn't do,

walk in any room, talk to anybody about anything at any time without hesitation and force you to listen to what he had to say slowly. I got a chance to really observe him work a room at the LBJ library. Again, it was one of his last really public events that I'm aware of. I was with him for a few hours. It was just masterful, man. He was still the art of the deal, the original, the real art of the deal. He didn't write, somebody else didn't write his book. He wrote his own.

And you know, I just don't think that people like that get credit that they deserve. And Master Young does not get the credit that he deserves. And it'd be nice to give them their flowers when they're alive. But I think, Roland, for me and you, and for those watching this program,

because I was talking to Bishop Jakes this morning, we're talking about all the graduations of folks of his generation who are graduating. You know, Hank Aaron passed, you know, several weeks ago, C.T. Vivian. It's a passing of a baton in many ways. They're like, look, I did my part. We don't know how long we're going to live, but we dang sure know we're going to die. I've done my part. Again, it was a Jordan nod. Leave me alone.

I've done my part. I'm chilling. Go see Ambassador Young. I got my mentees. Now it's your turn, or whoever you are. So I'm watching, everybody watching this, it's your turn. We can't just be about me.

We got to be about we. We got to be, we have to realize that it's us, that we're all tied in and bound up together. And that as you're succeeding, but you're only succeeding in gaining power so you can give it away. That's the only purpose. Like that's the only purpose that God

has endowed any of us with any power, money, wealth is to figure out how to share that power with others so they can come up. And Vernon did that, and Bachelor Young did that, and Reverend C.T. Vivian did that, and Dr. Dorothy Hyde did that, and Marian Wright Edelman did that, and all these heroes and sheroes.

We talk about Dr. King, rightly so, but there's also a pathogen of this whole ilk. This is the way they were built, man. And before COVID, I was concerned. A lot of us, Roland, were just focused on me, myself, and I. Like, I'm tired of talking about me. Now you talk about me. They were selfish and self-centered.

And it's COVID and the four-year-old social justice reckoning on Black America and the economic crisis and the attack on the Capitol, it's a wake-up call to all of us that you can't subcontract your democracy. These folks gave their lives so we might have life, but we're going to have to renew this promise daily, which means we all have to get to work just like they did. Well said. John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation Hope. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Love you, man. Folks,

these type of episodes, we hate to solely do them when someone passes away, but the reality is that's a fact of life. I hope that was okay. This show was created for us to be able to celebrate our people in life, but also when they transition.

So when you support us, this is what you support. I don't know of any other place, any other show, as we'll bring together the three CEOs of the National Urban League who succeeded Vernon Jarrett, Ken Chenault, Shirlane Hunter-Gault. There were others we reached out to, wanted to have on. So your support is critical for us doing our work. We ask you to support us at our fan club, the Cash Shop, dollar sign RMUnfiltered, paypal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered,

vidmo.com is forward slash rmunfiltered, zelle, roland at rolandsmartin.com, or roland at rolandmartinunfiltered. Venmo.com is forward slash rmunfiltered. Zelle, roland at rolandsmartin.com or roland at rolandmartinunfiltered.com. Vernon Jordan was indeed a great figure, a tremendous man, an African king, someone who stood tall, walked tall, back was never bent, who represented us well, spoke truth to power,

who sat with power, who was indeed powerful himself. Vernon Jordan, now an ancestor at the age of 85. We'll see you tomorrow. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated I get right back there and it's bad. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

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

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

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.