#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Senate For The People Act Vote; Abbott retaliates against Dems; Black clergy leave SBC over racism

Episode Date: June 23, 2021

6.22.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Senate votes on advancing the For The People Act; Gov. Abbott retaliates against TX Dems; Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on reforming crack sentencing; Black clergy leave SBC over racism; Essence Throwback with Paul Mooney, Dick Gregory and Steve Harvey + In out Black biz segment meet a Black photographer who started his own businessSupport #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.

This is an iHeart Podcast. to a new voting law, they're counting the ballots as we speak to actually enact a filibuster, or actually stop a filibuster, in order to have a debate. We'll tell you what's happening in the United States Senate. Southern Baptists, did they avoid a major, major issue with the election of the new president? We'll talk with Pastor Dwight McKissick about dealing with the issue of race in the Southern Baptist Convention among a whole lot of MAGA supporters. Also on today's show, the Senior Judiciary Committee talked about powder cocaine and crack cocaine. And of course, you have white supremacist Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas who says, hey, let's just put people in jail for longer sentences. That's how stupid and idiotic this guy is.

Also, Texas Governor Greg Abbott doing more stupid stuff, defunding the legislature because he's petty. Yeah, that's what's going on. Also, on today's show, now, this is throwback moment. We will take a look at past interviews with Steve Harvey, also in our Black Business segment. We'll talk with a young photographer who started his own business. Y'all, it's time to bring the funk on Rolling Mark Unfiltered. Let's go. He's got it

Whatever the piss, he's on it Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the fine And when it breaks, he's right on time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling.

It's Uncle Roro, y'all. It's rolling, Martin. Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real. The best you know he's rolling. Martel. Martel. Martel. All right, folks, let's go live to the United States Senate, where they are holding a vote

weathered to advance an election and voting bill. Earlier today, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said he was going to vote to end the filibuster to do this. Now, Vice President Kamala Harris, she's actually presiding over the United States Senate as we speak, which is, of course, obviously very, very rare. The question, though, is what is Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema going to do? Is she going to end the filibuster to allow this to move forward? And so here's the deal. Normally, there are 60 votes required to move bills forward. Well, first of all,

Republicans, they are not going to vote. You see right there, it is 50-50. So 60 votes needed to end debate unless, again, unless Democrats vote to end the filibuster. and so let's go to the Senate Senate right now In debate starting debate on legislation to protect Americans voting rights once again The Senate Republican minority has launched a partisan blockade of a pressing issue Here in the United States Senate, an issue no less fundamental than the right to vote. Could we have order, Madam President? The Senate will be in order.

I've laid out the facts for weeks. Republican state legislatures across the country are engaged in the most sweeping voter suppression in 80 years, capitalizing on and catalyzed by Donald Trump's big lie. These state governments are making it harder for younger, poorer, urban, and non-white Americans to vote. Earlier today, the Republican leader told reporters that, quote, regardless of what may be happening in some states, there's no rationale for federal intervention. The Republican leader flatly stated that no matter what the states do to undermine our democracy, voter suppression laws, phony audits, partisan takeovers of local election boards,

the Senate should not act. My colleagues, my colleagues, if senators 60 years ago held that the federal government should never intervene to protect voting rights, this body would have never passed the Voting Rights Act. The Republican leader uses the language and the logic of the southern senators in the 60s who defended states' rights, and it is an indefensible position for any senator, any senator, let alone the minority leader, to hold. And yet that was the reason given for why Republicans voted in lockstep today.

So what has happened here is a 50 50 vote. And so Republicans, they are still filibustering. So the bill is not going to move forward now again. Manchin and Sinema could have voted to end the filibuster, but they chose not to do so. I'm talking about Palma in a second. I do want to go, though, to Pastor Dwight McKissick, the pastor out of Arlington, Texas, and he has been battling the issue of race within the Southern Baptist Convention. And actually, Pastor McKissick, these things are tied.

What's happening in the United States Senate right now and these white conservative evangelicals who are the backbone of the Republican Party, they are the ones who are also supporting these voter suppression laws across the country. The battle that you have been engaged in, it is supposed to be a theological one, but what you're really dealing with is the issue of race and politics. So what you're seeing in the U.S. Senate, you actually are dealing with in the Southern Baptist Convention? Actually, the issue is power. Who's going to control the political landscape? Will it be right-wing political conservatism that's very content with a number of African-Americans not voting, as we saw the effort across the country to restrict voting.

Paula White prayed for African angels to be loose and look like they were in Philadelphia and Atlanta and Detroit. All over, Black people came out and voted, and the victory was won. But the critical race theory to suppress what can be taught about race and history in America is being pushed by Republicans. Voter suppression is being pushed by the Republicans. And unfortunately, we find that mindset, although we discovered it may not be the majority mindset, but it is a very substantial, significant mindset, exists in the Southern Baptist Convention. So it's unfortunate, Roland, that the South is rising again. And just like the Southern Baptist Convention gave the theological license for racism and segregation in America.

In many ways, they are the backbone and the support of the Republican Party. And this whole notion of voter suppression and trying to restrict what can be taught about history in our public school systems. But you have the new president of SBC who literally had to disavow QAnon because it is running rampant in Southern Baptist churches. The reality is this here. These forces, they are the group that's supportive of Donald Trump. Donald Trump has a grip on the Republican Party. He has a grip on these white Southern Baptists. And the reality is the white conservative evangelicals, they are the most ardent supporters. They are the base of Trump and the Republican Party. And what we are seeing, not just with this made up crap when it comes to critical race theory, but we're seeing this all across the board, and I have been saying for the longest,

this is about power. This is about control and not wanting, frankly, those of us who are black to now have an opinion and a perspective to be able to impact the church and impact public policy. Yeah, the Candace Owens and Votie Barker, those persons who march in lockstep with that ideology. And I'm an independent voter. I'm neither Republican or Democrat at the end of the day. I vote for the best man or woman, I think, who suits the needs of the hour. But those who

are, well, dotted right across every T with current political Republican thinking, they don't mind those kinds of blacks being involved. The black gentleman is running for governor down in Georgia, Vernon, whatever his name is. But if you happen to be an independent thinker, as you are, Roland, one of the best out there, can articulate your viewpoints, give a rationale and basis for it. Southern Baptists don't like blacks that are independent thinkers and voters, nor do the Republican Party. However, I want us to take note of the fact that Al Mohler, who was an audit Trump supporter,

lost the election, along with Mike Stone, the two men who were most conservative and openly supporting Trump lost the election. And Ed Lipton, who we don't know for sure how he voted, but he did not come out in favor. He did not come out against the RT. Matter of fact, he signed a document with Fred Luter, myself and others, more in line with justice and equality and fairness. And the person who won only by 600 votes, he is that appear publicly to be in line with the majority of the Republican mindset in SBC. That's interesting, Roland, because so many blacks, as you know, Ralph West, Charlie Dade, so many pulled out. And others of us threatened to pull out if they go on this strong anti-CRT rant and just

in-your-face republicanism, like Al Mohler says, if you take a moral Christian position, you'll vote Republican. That's an insult to the millions of black Christians who vote Democrat because they promote justice and equality, fairness, health issues and affordable health care and other reasons why sometimes black people vote Democratic. I don't think God is riding the back of a donkey or of an elephant. God is God. But people have a right to, under God, make their voting decisions. And I don't think we ought to moralize or spiritualize how one votes as being in favor, in touch with God, or out of favor and in touch with God. But it's interesting. The Southern Baptist Convention, in some ways,

may possibly have taken a turn by voting a candidate that nobody thought would win, that Fred Luter supported. I supported because he was the one who had a more biblical and balanced view when it comes to some of these hot-button issues. Well, it is certainly interesting times, and I have been warning people this for a long time. What you're seeing is you're seeing white fear run amok. You're seeing it boils down to power. And, you know, I got a kick out of Meghan McCain yesterday on The View calling into question the spirituality of President Joe Biden because he is pro-choice and he's a Catholic. And the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Catholic bishops, passed a resolution.

They want to deny communion to any Catholic who supports abortion. And my response to her was simply, hey, but the Catholic Church is also a strong believer against the death penalty. Are they going to deny communion to those who support the death penalty? It's amazing when folks love to pick and choose what biblical principles they want to support, but then they also want to talk about separation of church and state when it suits their needs. You make a very good point.

If we go to deny people communion based on theological or political positions that they hold, which one of us won't get denied communion? As you know, black people are not monolithic ourselves. A wide variety of opinions on a lot of different issues. And I think when it comes to the Lord's Supper in God's house, if you believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, that ought to be the sole basis for the Lord's Supper, not how one check a box when it comes to politics. So I think the Catholic

Church is out of lockstep on that issue. And I think it would be just really unfair if we go to asking people to check political boxes to determine whether or not we'll serve them the Lord's Supper. Well, I'll tell you this. I also said this to Meghan McCain. I said the Bible talked a whole lot about the poor. And there's a whole bunch of folks, especially on the right, on the Republican side, who whose policies are not in line with the poor. I said, so if y'all want to have that conversation, let's have it. You're exactly right.

A safety net was provided in Scripture. God said, keep a corner of your field for the strangers, the aliens, the foreigners, what the sub-timer called the immigrants or illegal immigrants. He said, make sure you plant enough food to take care of them. Remember the poor, as we find in Galatians 2.10, as Paul said, as a way of demonstrating your faith. God has a heart for justice, equality, and the poor. He has showed the old man what is good to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with our God. And sometimes we find that lacking in the Republican Party. I think one reason George Bush, whether you like it or not, succeeded, he touted compassionate

conservatism. And to some degree, I think he modeled and demonstrated compassionate conservatism. We're not used to seeing that among Republicans, and certainly not since Ronald Reagan. My mom named me Dwight after Dwight David Eisenhower. So at some point, Blacks have not always had animus toward the Republican Party. But we have seen some ruthless things here under the Trump administration when it comes to race. And we are continuing to see a bid toward taking things back, make America great again. Many of us fear that might mean make white America great again or take it back to a time where blacks were not empowered, didn't have some opportunities and hope for a brighter day as

we have today. And I think, Roland, I appreciate what you're doing and so many others to make sure that this voter suppression will not succeed and that compassion and mercy and justice for the poor is always a part of our political landscape. All right. Pastor Dwight McKissick, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Roland.

God bless you. Good being with you today. Bye. Yes, sir. Thanks a lot. All right, folks. I want to go to my panel right now and bring them in and have this conversation. Again, what's happening.

Ben Dixon, host of Benjamin Dixon's show, podcast. Teresa Lundy, principal, founder of TML Communications. Mustafa Santiago Ali, Ph.D., former senior advisor for environmental justice, EPA. Ben, I want to start with you. And this issue here that we're dealing with in the United States Senate. The thing here is, I mean, this is you see the Democrats could have actually cinema and mansion. They could have stopped the filibuster. They chose not to. They could have stopped it. So, all right. Where we stand now?

We basically stand where those two Democrats in particular have made it clear that they're not willing to even defend black people's right to vote in this country. So we're so far beyond actually getting any tangible material benefits from this Democratic Party, particularly because of Sinema and Manchin. But it's so far gone, not only are we not getting tangible results, material benefits, but they won't even protect the right to vote in this country because they are there on behalf of quote unquote bipartisanship. But who's getting the good end of this deal? It's not the black, it's not black Americans. It's not people who are trying to fight for progress. It's the Republican party. So they are here to serve the Republican party. I don't care what letter they have by their name. Uh, and that's what it boils down to. And I think, uh, you know, again, you know, so, you know, decision that Manchin made, Teresa, oh, he can say, well, you know, I tried. But how many times have you heard me say, Joe, show me the 10.

You and Sinema keep talking about bipartisanship. Show me the 10 votes. They don't exist on the Republican side. They don't. And honestly, they won't. But I know there's so many efforts that are taking place right now for so many civic organizations and social justice groups, and they really are trying.

But I mean, at the end of the day, if we can't find the votes, there's no way we can find the solutions. There's no way that the support and the financial resources that were necessary to get this going early on, that I believe if we may had a bit of an early start and maybe an earlier conversation about what needed to be done to actually get this across. For me, I just can't be too optimistic about this because I think the signs are there. It's just, I think, how do we move forward or

maybe find another way to move this into another package bill probably makes sense at this point. But even here, Mustafa, even if you put it in another bill, that's not the real issue here. The issue is, will Sinema and Manchin realize that unless they vote to end the filibuster, nothing is going to happen? Exactly. I mean, you know, the old adage, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again and expecting a different result. And we keep doing this. We keep going through this same scenario

in relationship to these very incredibly important issues. And we have politicians who won't listen to the people. Two thirds of folks in our country have said that this is something that they believe in and this is something that they support. So if our democracy is supposed to be tied to what people are asking for, then we are falling short. And, you know, it's interesting that Senator Manchin continues, as you said, to talk about the 10. So let's just call out who the 10 are supposed to be. Hypothetically, it's supposed to be Romney, Collins, Cassidy, Murkowski, Portman,

Warren, Young, and then of course Capito, who's also from West Virginia, who we know is not going to support these types of things. So if you know that out of those ten folks, and they continually have not been supportive on these particular issues that we're talking about, then you've got to do something different. And that means that you have to get serious about the filibuster. And you have the opportunity to actually change the dynamics around the filibuster. You know, you could lower it down to 53 or 54 or 50, whatever the number is that you choose to do. But you've got to make sure that it's realistic, that it is actually going to be able to be utilized in a way that you can actually get these bills passed that are so critically important to the success of our country. And that's what sometimes people

fail to realize when we have these conversations. We're talking about the success of our country. If black folks and Latinx folks and indigenous folks and Asian and Pacific Islander folks, and yes, let me call it out, lower wealth white folks, don't have the opportunity to fully participate in the civic process, then you are marginalizing a huge amount of folks who cannot be on the journey and making sure that they have better housing and that the environment is protected and that jobs become a reality in the places and spaces that they're often don't find fertile ground. So it all goes back to this vote, which is so critically important. And that's why Sinema and that's why Manchin

and others should be doing the right thing. But of course we are focused on Sinema and Manchin because they are supposed to be Democrats. They are supposed to care about our folks. And we're not seeing that at the level that's necessary for you to actually put together a strategic plan on how you help the country to actually move from, in many instances, a survival situation to an actual thriving situation.

What we are dealing with here, we are dealing literally with a major fundamental assault on democracy. And Ben, for the people out there, and look, I get it. I know there are people who are going to say, but this is why we voted. No, this is also the problem when one person can have that much power. This is also why, let me just go ahead and say it, why white Democrats should have got off their asses and did their job in Kentucky, in Maine, and in Iowa. See, at some point, black folks are not going to keep playing Batman and Superman and Spider-Man and Captain America coming in and saving these folks. And so had those Democratic candidates actually won in those states, including Cunningham and North Carolina,

we're talking right now about a 54-46 majority in the Senate, and then that would lessen the need to depend upon Sinema and Manchin. Yeah, absolutely. One of the things, though, is that the Democratic Party still hasn't learned the lesson that, one, you need to trust black people. And two, you need to run some progressives. I'm thinking about Charles Booker in Kentucky. Like he did a phenomenal job in the primaries and and he didn't get the win and neither did the Democratic Party. And so now we're stuck with with this divide in the Senate that is so convenient for Democrats. Like I do want to point out, I agree with you, Roland,

in terms of what white Democratic voters should have done, but also to the extent that the Democratic leadership is using Manchin and Sinema as foils almost, almost the ability to say, oh, well, we can't do it because of these two people. They allow them to play the bad guys while the Democratic leadership is still talking as though they want to get something done. But if they can't whip two senators into shape after all the years that they have on the Hill, what are they even there for?

Well, but here's the deal, though. I mean, I get your point. But, Teresa, the reality is this year, a senator is essentially like a sovereign nation. They you can sit here and try to put pressure on all you want to. They can decide whatever they want to do. Yeah, and I think that's part of the choice of the voter as an individual has to think about when it comes to election day. So the Democratic Party, I think, you know, has to start making these critical decisions when they, you know, decide to put how many resources to a specific candidate or thinking about the larger candidate as a whole, because that senator will be able to hold a lot of power. They are able to wield a lot of sway. And honestly, I just don't think it's an individual decision that they have. They are also thinking about a whole other options, I think, that is happening that we're

just not seeing as of yet. So there's a reason why there is a stronghold here on this bill. But I also think there is a wider scope here that i think we'll see down the line well the thing the thing here um mustafa uh is this is what happens we keep saying why elections matter this thing came down to 50 50 because osar john ossoff and rafael warnock both won in georgia this is why other states matter. This is why next year, the Senate races in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania are going to be critically important because that could determine the future as to whether or not Republicans either take control of the United States Senate. I'm sorry. And also you have the Mark Kelly race in Arizona and Raphael Warnock in Georgia. You're talking about six to seven Senate races that will determine if

Republicans take control of the Senate, which then means Mitch McConnell is back in power, which means no bills are going to get passed and he's going to control Supreme Court justices. And let's be real clear. If Republicans do take over the United States Senate, I guarantee you Mitch McConnell will, if anything happens with the Supreme Court justice, he will let that position sit vacant for two years until the election. He will do it. Exactly. And I'm so glad you called that out. First of all, I agree with everything that Ben and Teresa just said.

You know, you've got to seize the moment. You're right. You have no idea what's going to happen in the future, but you can't plan for the future. And, you know, a lot of folks have been saying, well, they're a bit resistant into actually doing something around the filibuster because maybe, you know, when Republicans come back in, that they will then, you know, utilize that and do even more nefarious things than they have already done. You know, I'm glad you called

out 2022 because the beauty of this show is that not only do we talk about what's happening in the moment, but also hopefully trying to get you to think about what's coming in the future. So we know that there are 34 seats, Senate seats, that will be up in 2022. 20 of those will be Republican seats. 14 of them will be Democratic seats. And if you actually do what's right in this moment, you don't have to worry about the outcome, because the odds are that if you really get in, make the investments, that you'll be able to actually garner some additional seats. Now, as we've talked about on this show, then that means that you've got to finally start making sure that you are properly funding those on-the-ground organizations and stop chasing certain votes that you never get and

actually build upon the base that you have. So you've got an opportunity to do the right thing in this moment. Seize this moment. Get the right types of bills passed. And then you can actually grow your numbers so that you can continue this throughout the decade and actually make the change that is so critically needed and being asked for across the country. Well, now the question is, what is Senator Chuck Schumer will do next? He made it clear he was going to put this vote to the test, to test Republicans, to see where they stand.

Now we know. So, Bean, where do we go from here? Where do we go from here is we see if they can actually get enough pressure to move something around these voting rights. I mean, this is the whole ballgame, Roland. We're really debating over whether or not the Democratic Party is going to be able to secure their own win. This is like politics 101 for them. If their voters can't make it to the polls and their voters can't vote without the suppression tactics by the Republican Party,

then the Democratic Party can forget about having any majorities in the foreseeable future. And this is quite the shame. It's a constitutional crisis, quite frankly, because we will be ruled by the tyranny of the minority of the Republican Party, which means the tyranny of the minority of old white conservative people in this country. Teresa, where are we going now? I'm still on the moving forward type of mindset. So I'm focused on special elections here, right here in Pennsylvania. And I'm also focused that that actually needs to be a talking point

about how many senators we need to actually move forward so we don't go into this predicament again. So I'm focused on forward and I'm focused on other states that are willing to put the right senators in the right position so we can make the right decisions at the time we need it the most. Mustafa, where do we go from here? You invest, you educate, and you mobilize on the ground inside of the states.

And you make sure that you're building a strong set of infrastructure there so that you can make sure that you're helping candidates to get stronger, and then you hold them accountable once they get in office. And if you're willing to do that, then you have a pathway forward. The politics is what it is on Capitol Hill. It is going to play out the way that it plays out. We can stay engaged in the process and make sure that we're getting

new sets of voices who are there to make sure that we are broadening the narrative of what America can be and making sure that it's not just the narrative, but that we're actually putting real action behind the words that politicians often share with us. All right, folks, I got to go to a break. We come back. We're going to talk about a Senate committee discussing the issue of crack cocaine compared to powder cocaine. And of course, leave it to white supremacist Tom Cotton to say, let's put people in prison longer. Yeah, that's really worked. Also, how petty is Texas Governor Greg Abbott? He defunded the legislature because he's upset that Democrats walked out keeping them from being able to pass a voter suppression bill. All that's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live from Los Angeles.

Back in a moment. I believe that people our age have lost the ability to focus the discipline on the art of organizing. The challenges, there's so many of them and they're complex. And we need to be moving to address them. But I'm able to say, watch out Tiffany, I know this road. That is so freaking dope. 60 years ago, the Freedom Riders rode buses to fight against segregation.

They won. And now, as voter suppression is sweeping the country, we're riding out again. Join the blackest bus in America and hundreds of organizations on a week long Freedom Ride for voting rights from June 18th to

June 26th. Come out to our rallies in New Orleans, Jackson, Birmingham, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbia, Raleigh, Charleston, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. If you can't join us in the event on the route, you can just meet us in D.C. on

June 26th. Or if you can't ride at all, then show your solidarity by hosting a rally right in your own town on June 26th. No matter where you are, everybody can be a Freedom Rider. To learn how to get involved, text FREEDOMRIDE to 797979. We got power, y'all, and we're bringing it to D.C. George Floyd's death hopefully put another nail in the coffin of racism.

You talk about awakening America, it led to a historic summer of protest. I hope our younger generation don't ever forget that nonviolence is soul force. 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 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. I'm proud of the officers I worked with on January 6th. They fought extremely hard.

Our worst nightmare really come true, an attack on American democracy right here in the nation's capital. I experienced the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life. I received chemical burns to my face that still have not healed to this day. I just remember people still swinging metal poles at us, and they were pushing and shoving. They were spraying us with, you know, bear mace and pepper spray.

They were all shouting at us, calling us traitors. It's been very difficult seeing elected officials and other individuals whitewash the events of that day or downplay what happened. As an American and as an Army veteran, it's sad to see us attacked by our fellow citizens. My dispatch is responsible for the content of this advertising. I want to know why what happened in Minimar can't happen here. No reason. I mean, it should happen here. No reason. That's right. America has crossed a line.

The Republican Party believes in ending the American experiment, led by a man obsessed with power and money, who will say and do anything to seize control again. This election was rigged. To punish those who oppose him. His followers don't just disagree with us. They've got something worse in mind. We know what national populism and authoritarianism lead to. Every time.

That's what this is all about. That's why we will never compromise with this evil. We will never step back from the line because we believe in America. Are you in this fight, or have they already won? 007 Carl Payne pretended to be Roland Martin. Holla! Hi, I'm Chaley Rose,

and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. 007 I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Well, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is kind of petty. He actually vetoed a bill funding the Texas legislature because he's mad that Democrats walked out. This is what he said. Funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving their state with unfinished business, and exposing taxpayers to higher costs for an additional legislative session. I therefore object to and disapprove of these appropriations.

Texas state lawmakers are paid $600 a month with an additional $221 per diem every day the legislature is in session. Well, this is real simple, Teresa. If you don't pass a voter suppression bill without any Democratic support, then they wouldn't have walked out. So, guess what, Greg Abbott? Suck it. Okay. Ben? I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to interrupt with my laughter, but yeah, they can suck it. Yeah. That's it. I agree. Was it me or Teresa? I'm sorry. Actually, I said Teresa, but Teresa obviously is a flummox because he's like, he's sucking on his thumb. Says y'all not gonna see it here. I'm not going to fund y'all. Like a big-ass baby.

Mustafa? I mean, come on. Governor Abbott, he got so many different issues that are going on in the state of Texas that he's not been on the job about. I mean, he still doesn't want to get behind the impacts that are happening

from the climate crisis. He still hasn't been able to address the food justice issues that are going on in the state of Texas. He still has been resistant to the opportunities that exist around a clean economy that would create new jobs for folks there in Texas. He still has a significant issue that's going on around housing and transportation. And he also has representation from his state who goes to Mexico in the middle of an emergency. So if he wants to talk about folks not showing up, maybe he should have a conversation with Senator Cruz, who decided to take a little siesta or more than a siesta. You know, he wanted to take a little vacay and go on down to Mexico and hang out for a while.

So the reality is, you know, if Governor Abbott is serious about change, he's got plenty that he can focus on. And the first part he should start on is making sure that these restrictive Jim Crow-ish types of actions that they've been passing and putting in place no longer move forward. That would show real leadership.

Here's the thing. How about you focus on the power grid in Texas, Ben? How about that? Absolutely. And that's what, Mustafa, what you were getting to is that the top of the priority for them, for the Republican Party, is to suppress votes, not to take care of their constituents, not even to save lives. They're perfectly OK with instituting policies and practices that are going to get more people still killed from COVID-19. If any policy they want to implement, they've shown that they want to do more harm than good. That said, we're dealing with a crisis situation of leadership here. And there are so many things that need to be taken care of,

but they are so focused on stopping black people from voting that that is the number one thing on their list. And they know exactly what they're doing. And this is the part about the Democratic Party that absolutely drives me crazy. You're not going to be able to give the Republican Party an epiphany. They are never going to wake up one morning and become good people. They are not. Govern yourselves accordingly.

Teresa, have you recovered the comment? Yes. Yes, I've recovered. Listen, I think there has been some serious issues that obviously is going on in Texas. But I think if they decide to get on the same page, the one thing I probably do say with Republicans, they are very consistent. Once they are focused on an issue, they battle it on probably like 20 different angles. So obviously voter suppression is one of them. And it's probably going to continue to be the top bar of their conversation. So I think we

all should just be looking out for their new tactics that'll be coming in the near future. Oh yeah, there'll be new tactics, no doubt, because they are not at all happy with what Democrats did. All right, y'all, the Biden administration is endorsing a new bill to end the discriminatory disparity in sentences between crack and powder cocaine. The Equal Act, being sponsored by Senator Majority Whip Dick Durbin, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Ohio Senator Rob Portman, eliminates sentencing differences for cocaine and crack users. The bill also allows people who were convicted or sentenced for a federal cocaine defense

an opportunity to be resentenced. During today's hearing, Senator Durbin asked Regina LaBelle, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Director, whether there's any scientific rationality to reducing the unequal prison terms tied to the different forms of cocaine. Acting Director LaBelle, from a scientific perspective, is there any rational justification for reducing the sentencing disparity? Well, the scientific basis of both base cocaine, which is crack cocaine, and powder cocaine, they're similar and they have similar effects on the brain. The issue is how the drug is used.

That's been the issue in the past. But really, the drugs themselves, the form of the drug is essentially the same. I don't know if this illustration will be effective or not. First, this is flour. And this is an indication of the amount of powder cocaine that would result in the sentencing for this weighted amount of crack cocaine a hundred to one eighteen one I'm sorry eighteen to one which is an indication that if there's no science between the difference the sentencing is dramatically different. I think that is the simple direct point we're trying to make at this hearing. Well, folks, you can always leave it to the white nationalist, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, to weigh in. You want to see what this fool actually tweeted?

It's unbelievable. He actually said, he literally tweeted this. Crack and powder cocaine both kill thousands every year, but penalties for selling each aren't the same. My bill increases penalties for criminals trafficking powder cocaine to ensure fairness in sentencing without granting early release to drug traffickers. I mean, everybody else understands how this should be going, Mustafa. But this is the same guy who a few years ago who opposed the First Step Act, who actually

said we're not putting enough people in prison. That's who you're dealing with here with Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Yeah, I mean, Senator Cotton, you know, his last name tells you everything you need to know. But you know his track record. He has never been in support of anything that benefits folks of color. And he also knows, Senator Cotton is a bright man. I'm not going to say that he's a smart man. He knows that racism has driven the penalties that are associated with crack cocaine. Crack cocaine is cheaper. And so therefore folks who have limited income and who are medicating and trying to escape their situation utilize that. Wealthier folks have been able to afford powder cocaine, and that primarily has been the drug

of choice for white folks. So he knows the dynamics that are going there. He also understands that there is a disparity and discrepancy and who will be able to have the legal representation to actually fight the cases that are against them. So he knows that black and Latin folks are probably not going to be able to utilize the legal system to be able to fight and shorten their sentences. And he knows that black folks or excuse me, knows that white folks will be able to. So that their sentences. And he knows that black folks, or excuse me, he knows that white folks will be able to.

So that's the dynamic that's going on. We have to just be very clear and we have to call it out. And we have to strip the racism out of the legal system. And this is one of those prime examples of where it was utilized to actually break up families, to strip wealth away from families, because locking folks up for decades upon decades upon decades is another way that you take wealth

out of black and brown communities. And, of course, as I said before, it's a way that you also break up families, which also ties into wealth. So he knows exactly what's going on, and that's why we have to call it out. And that's exactly what we're seeing. And my bottom line here is, I mean, you know, Ben, I mean,

Senator Tom Cotton has replaced Jeff Sessions as being the hard ass in the Senate. Let's just throw him in jail, you know, throw him in, lock him up, throw away the key. And even other Republicans are going, no, that's kind of like not what we should be doing. Yeah, there's no dictatorship that Tom Cotton doesn't like. There's no authoritarian state or police state that he's not a fan of. And this is right up his alley. He thinks he can play on the resentment complex that a lot of people have

and say, oh, well, yeah, that's the right solution. Let's penalize wealthy people more when in reality what Mustafa outlined is actually what's going to happen. White folks are going to go to jail for this, for tougher sentencing for cocaine. They've been able to get away with it for generations, for decades. They're not going to stop getting away with it now all of a sudden because the system is going to go harder on white people or cocaine in this case. The fact of the matter is the black people and poor people are going to bear the brunt of this. And he knows this. And that's exactly what he wants, because there is no authoritarian state that he does not approve of. Indeed, indeed, that's exactly what's going on here. And so it's just laughable. It's continually laughable, Teresa, which is why you cannot trust these folks when it comes to these positions.

I'm going to do this here. I want to go live to the well, the United States Senate real quick. So let's go right ahead and let me see what's happening there as they continue the conversation with regards to the need for a voting bill. That upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the bill with no intervening action or debate. Is there objection? Madam President. The Senator from Rhode Island. Thank you, Madam President. And let me thank my colleague from New York for her work to move this issue forward.

But once again, I would object to the request for for their work to move this issue forward. But once again, I would object to the request for the reasons I previously stated. And in addition, madam president, today the ranking member of the committee, senator inhofe, released the written

views of each member of the joint chiefs of staff which he had requested on senator gillibrand's proposed legislation. I understand that some in our body might discount these views of senior military leadership, and that's their prerogative, but I do believe it's important that their voices be part of

the public discourse. They have dedicated their life to the service of this nation. They have led troops in combat. They have led troops in combat. They have experienced... All right, folks, we're going to return back to the U.S. Senate in a moment. Teresa, go ahead with your comment regarding, again, the discussion about, frankly, finally equalizing the sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine?

Yeah, if passed, it's long overdue. I think you'll finally start to see equal justice under the reform banner that every Democratic and some Republicans have been quoting that they wanted to see. I think in most times we have been seeing the disparities of Black males going to jail for longer offenses for either dealing it or using it. And then we start to see the mental health skyrocketing. So again, once it, I think there's an equal playing field when it comes to both substances. Again, it doesn't matter the ounce, but it does matter that the sentencing is, again, for black and brown people. And I think for Senator Cotton, you know, to be a Harvard Law graduate, I'm always looking at their education any time they are elected, because it makes me wonder how these people

are passing graduate school or law school with this type of mindset when we can't see clearly the disparity that is happening here in our country. First of all, again, I need people to understand the reason I'm talking about Cotton, because this is the kind of person who has a vote. This has an impact on Republican policies. And so don't be surprised if you see more Republicans be hard asses, having the exact same mentality of just throw them in jail. Who cares? And the last thing we should be doing in this country is actually increasing sentences.

That makes no sense whatsoever. All right, folks, let's go to this story here out of Virginia. The family of Donovan Lynch, they are actually filing a lawsuit against the police who killed him in March. They filed a $50 million lawsuit against the city of Virginia Beach. They claim the 25-year-old Donovan Lynch did not pose a threat and was trying to leave the area with his friend while police were investigating gunshots from an unrelated incident. The suit names Solomon Simmons as the officer who killed Lynch,

even though the Virginia Beach Police Department has not released that information. It states that Simmons opened fire without warning, hitting Lynch twice and did nothing to help him. Lynch is the cousin of Grammy Award-winning producer Pharrell Williams. Virginia State Police are still investigating that particular shooting. Also, folks, in California, a black man is suing seven L.A. County officers for allegedly beating and leaving him with serious injuries. Christopher Bailey was driving home from work when police pulled him over,

saying he was straddling lines. During his arrest, he was punched by officers over 80 times with nearly 40 of those hits to the face. Bailey says he complied with the officer's orders. However, the police report says he resisted arrest. Those three felony counts of resisting arrest have been dropped. The beating left Bailey without vision in his left eye, fractured bones in his face, and a few missing teeth.

His civil rights lawsuit demands that seven officers be fired and criminally charged. Okay, so I'm curious here. If he was a resisting arrest, I don't think charters would be dropped, Teresa. Don't think so. Which tells me that sounds like some cops lied and if there was body camera footage,

he didn't back up the lie. Again, while reforms in the police system has to take place. So we got to have this body camera footage on. We got to make sure that people are keeping their video cameras on. But obviously there

has been some malicious activity that has been going on with the police department and everybody's story when it's time to put the report together has been skewed. So it's unfortunate, you know, another black man is being brutalized by the police department of which they are supposed to be here to protect and serve. But yet it seems like officers are once again taking out their aggression on someone else that does not look like them because they did not heed their word. First of all, show that photo again. I mean, Ben, really?

First of all, it takes seven of y'all to pull a dude over for straddling lines, and this is how he ends up? Somebody lying, and I don't think it's him. Certainly not. Roland, we have paid barbarians in our communities who are roaming the communities, looking for opportunities to express their latent insecurities

about whatever lack of power they have in their personal lives, and they express it with the force of law, with the badge and with the gun. And far too often, black men in particular, but black people, generally speaking, become the victims of this suppressed insecurity about their lack of achievement in their lives. And so they take that latent anger and they place it on the backs of black people in this country. And it ends up with us getting pictures like this where this man's face is brutalized because of some cop. Look, we keep saying, Mustafa, until these cops pay personally, you're going to see this here. I'm sorry.

That photo should not be the end result of being pulled over for straddling the lines. It's a photo that we see time and time again. You know, we're seeing them for decades. You know, we continue to see these same types of actions. And, you know, they didn't pull somebody over because they just robbed a bank and they had a gun. They didn't pull somebody over because of rape. They didn't pull somebody over because of rape. They didn't pull somebody over because of murder. They said they pulled somebody over who was coming home from work because they were straddling a line.

So when does the seven police officers show up in the mix for this? And where is that one or two other officers who say, hold up, fellas, you know, this is unnecessary? One, why do we pull him over? Two, why we got him outside of his car? Three, why are we whooping his ass? Excuse my language. And we've got to stop this dynamic. And how does this dynamic start? One, by making sure that we have stronger laws that hold people accountable for these types of actions. Two, as you mentioned before, that we make sure that we stop funding these types

of entities and organizations that can't pass any type of review, so we've got to make sure there's stronger reviews. And that's where the Department of Justice has to come in to make sure that we're actually taking a strong look at these types of folks. And then the other thing is that you've got to stop, if the case is, because I don't know the history of these officers, allowing people to continue to police who have records, if that is the case, of these types of actions inside of our community, and stop folks from being able to move from one district to the next district move from one district to the next

district or from one state to the next state. So if we start to do some of those actions, we can start to minimize this. But the main part of it is that we can't continue to hire people who don't see us as human, who don't feel that we have any basic rights. And then they continue to do these types of actions and get away with it. Or there's the wink and the nod or the folks who are in the hierarchy of the police departments don't come down on them in the way that they should. So I hope that at this moment that the officers are not being I hope that they are on unpaid leave and not paid leave because that also begins to reinforce bad behavior. Folks, also here in California, San Bernardino authorities investigating video footage of a deputy kicking a man in the head during an arrest.

Willie Jones failed to stop for a traffic violation, prompting a police chase. According to authorities, Jones, who was riding his motorcycle, abandoned his bike and continued on foot. When Jones tried to hide behind cars in a parking lot, an officer eventually finds him and arrests him. Watch this. You're going to see in a moment here, folks, exactly what took place. So, hmm, look at those actions. Now, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department addressed the use of force incident in this video released on their Facebook page. My name is Shannon Dykus and I'm the undersheriff for Sheriff John McMahon. I want to ensure the citizens of San Bernardino County, the sheriff and I are aware of the alarming video depicting a deputy kicking a suspect. This video came to our attention after a Victorville watch commander was contacted by the security company that monitors the parking lot where this incident occurred. The watch commander reviewed the video and immediately determined the deputy's actions were disturbing. The watch commander notified the commander of the station.

I want to ensure our community that it is our expectation that deputies respond to any incident professionally and in a manner that's consistent with their training. We know the community's trust is the platform which enables us to do our jobs. The deputy involved in this incident was immediately taken off duty and placed on administrative leave. A criminal investigation is being conducted. This investigation will be submitted to the district attorney.

Subsequently, an administrative investigation will also be initiated to allow for the appropriate employment actions to be taken. It's unfortunate when incidents like these occur because it causes turmoil within our communities and equally amongst our deputies who pride themselves on providing professional service. We take these matters seriously and want to assure you that a thorough investigation will be conducted. Guess what's so disturbing about this, Teresa, is that it was a surveillance camera that caught it and it was called in. That camera wasn't there. Unless that cop was going to buy the camera. Hey, it was it was his word against the cop's word. And we all know who the department would have believed, and the attorney would have had a stronghold issue on making sure, you know,

that this man actually got the medical attention he well deserves. But, I mean, more importantly, what are the teachings and what are the standards? Because I'm sure if we put the profile of this deputy officer, we would probably see that he is a veteran in his capacity as a deputy officer and knows what the laws are. But I mean, just the minimum of treating someone like a human being is, it is not like even a requirement. It's not even something that needs to be taught. It's just something that should be learned as you grow.

So it's unfortunate. It's another disgrace. But again, why we need to have these officers held accountable as they are getting paid a non know, a non-minimum wage salary, but a high paying salary to protect us and not beat us. Well, that's why, Ben, again, you look, this is power dynamics. This is how dare you run. I'm tired as hell. I'm going to kick you in your face. To me, this is where, dude, you off the force. We still go investigate. But you are. The D.A. can sit here and they can they can try all they can.

They can they can decide whether they're going to sit here and file charges against you. But you are no longer a cop. We're negotiating basic humanity at this point. Basic humanity, one on one. And I guess this has been a negotiation. This is what it is to be black in this country. So this is nothing new. However, we are now privy to video surveillance footage of it. And the fact that you're absolutely right, Roland, what you pointed out, had that security company not reported this, he would have got away with this. In fact, the young man who was assaulted in this probably would have gotten charged with something because as we always know, anytime there's an encounter with the police, we automatically are resisting arrest. It doesn't matter if we're laying on the ground

in a submissive position is still resisting arrest such that this officer decided to treat this man less than the dog, because had this been a dog, this guy would have been off the force already. And I think for me, Mustafa, I don't care if the dude ran away. You don't kick somebody in the head. Right. If you can cause brain damage, you could kill somebody. If you hit them in the right location, especially, you know, when you're coming down with all that force, you know, that's why I continue to say, and some folks push back on it, you got to continue to do these psychological evaluations folks push back on it, you got to

continue to do these psychological evaluations, one before you hire folks. And throughout the career, you know, I understand that there are immense stressors that law enforcement go under. I have black law enforcement executives in my family, all the way down to folks who, you know, who were patrolmen. So I get what goes on on the street sometimes, but you also have a responsibility. You decided that you wanted to be in law enforcement. So that means that you have to have restraint, even in stressful situations. And I'm not saying this is a stressful situation. I've seen situations that are far more stressful, where people have done things and that still

doesn't make it right. You know, you got to change these dynamics and you got to get rid of folks, because as the sheriff or deputy sheriff was sharing there, you break trust. And when you break trust with a community, it takes a huge amount of time and effort to rebuild that trust. And when folks see these types of actions, it reinforces that negative vision that far too many people have of the police, especially far too many people of color, because it is the reality that people have to deal with. So, one, these folks got to go, like Ben said,

and make sure that they're never, ever a law enforcement person again. And then the second part of the equation is hopefully that they're actually prosecuted. Because if I go out and kick somebody in the head or if you go out and kick somebody in the head, then you're going to be prosecuted. So you don't get a pass for being a law enforcement person and utilizing that type of behavior in a situation that never called for it. Oh, no doubt. That's one of us. We're getting charged with assault. All right, folks, got to take a break. When we come back, we'll have our Essence Festival throwback presented by Coca-Cola. We'll also talk with a black photographer who's launched his own business. That's of course for our Marketplace segment where we

feature black owned businesses every single Tuesday. And of course, I'm broadcasting live in Los Angeles because tomorrow we will be live streaming the memorial service for comedian Paul Mooney taking place. It's going to be a special time tomorrow. We're not going to be live from 6 to 8. We're going to be live beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern for the three hour memorial service. taking place. It's going to be a special time tomorrow. We're not going to be live from 6 to 8.

We're going to be live beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern for the three-hour memorial service. They literally just sent me the line up. And folks who are going to be speaking include George Lopez, Eddie Griffin, Lou Nell, Debbie Allen, performances by Jonathan Butler, Denise Williams, and others. And so, that's why we are here in Los Angeles, and so we certainly look forward to that. So a special edition of Roland Martin Unfiltered,

the Paumone Memorial Service taking place live from Los Angeles exclusively with Roland Martin Unfiltered from 4 to 7 p.m. Eastern. Going to a break. We'll be back in a moment. White supremacy ain't just about hurting black folk. Right. You got to deal with it.

It's injustice. It's wrong. I do feel like in this generation, we've got to do more around being intentional and resolving conflict. You and I have always agreed. Yeah. But we agree on the big piece. Yeah.

Our conflict is not about destruction. Conflict's going to happen. Hey, y'all. Join the blackest bus in America and hundreds of organizations on a freedom ride for voting rights. From June 18th to June 26th, join our caravan for rallies in cities and states from Louisiana to Virginia. And on June 26th, you can join us in Washington, D.C. or host a voting rights event in your own city. To learn how to get involved, text FREEDOMRIGHT to 797979. Before Till's murder, we saw struggle for civil rights

as something grown-ups did. I feel that the generations before us have offered a lot of instruction. Organizing is really one of the only things that gives me the sanity and makes me feel purposeful. When Emmett Till was murdered, that's what attracted our attention. but we can be unfiltered. You know, Steve got all these jobs,

got all this money, got all these awards. You know, he talk about God and the Lord and his wife all the time. So he was over here talking, and his wife was there, and I knew it was his wife, so I walked up behind her and gave a kiss on the cheek. The projects in Steve came out in about 10 seconds, because he was like, I'm hearing some kissing over here.

Who the hell is kissing my wife? Rolling. You leaned into it. You was doing it here. Just to aggravate me, and I heard it out my ear, and I', you leaned into it, and you was doing this, just to aggravate me, and I heard it out my ear, and I went, okay, man, I don't know who this brother is,

but Essence is about to be different. And I swore that it was the ignorant Rollin' Martin messing with me, but hey, man, you know how I feel about that girl, so it was quite interesting, and I had to apologize

because the CEO of Essence was standing right there, and me and Roland almost turned the festival out. It would have been quite different. Speaking of turning the festival out, we also are always on our pocket square game. Always. I got to give Roland credit. We're always battling each other for the different looks.

Pocket squares is something we kind of specialize in. We try to make it. This is top in the game right now. This I've never seen. I will be stealing this look. Soon as I find the people from out of this country that he bought this stuff from, and I get a proper email,

I'll be sending to China or wherever he bought this stuff from, and I get a proper email, I'll be sending it to China, or wherever he bought it. Japan. Or Japan, or Yugoslavia, wherever they made this, and I will be looking. That is hot. I gotta give it to you. That's the best pocket score I've ever seen.

Now, last piece. Steve is a big golfer. I'm a big golfer. So when we gonna have this golfing brothers thing? See, see, Rollins, see, you're trying to talk me into something that you've been doing a lot longer than I... See, you've been playing golf since college. I took it as my P.E. at Texas A&M in 87. See right there?

I picked up golf after Tiger won the Masters. And then I bought a set of clubs and played with a custom set of clubs for five years without a lesson. I can't tell you the bad stuff I've ingrained into this swing. I just now started going over the top. I just cut that out. So, and I'm playing good though. Playing good for me. Well, what's your best score 77. that'll never happen here well rodney green is working with him he's all he's a good friend as well but 77 i'll tell you right now i'm taking a full page ad out in the USA today. All right, folks, don't forget.

But this Friday, this Friday, y'all should have the graphic up this Friday. The virtual festival, Essence Fest Live Loud Virtual Festival begins this Friday. You can go to Essence Studios dot com. Come on, y'all, please. Graphic. Come on. We only been doing this now for a week and a half. What's the problem?

Why it taking so long? Okay, this Friday, again, EssenceStudio.com, Essence.com. The virtual festival will take place Friday through Sunday, and then, of course, it takes place again next weekend, July 2nd through the 4th. On Monday, we're going to have, and then, of course, it takes place again next weekend, July 2nd through the 4th. On Monday, we're going to have a recap of the first weekend of the virtual festival. Then, of course, on July 5th, we're going to have a recap of the second weekend. What's the deal with the graphic, y'all?

Okay. All right. It's too late. I'm done. All right. It's too late. Take it down. I'm done.

Y'all were too slow. I'm like, I don't understand't understand we know what's coming next it's got to be next all right y'all yeah the computer froze okay i don't heard that one before all right y'all uh let's get into it time for the marketplace All right, my next guest shot a shooting video at 12, taking photos at 14, and then, of course, at 16, he had shot his first portrait. Now, 18, owns his own photo studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. Welcome to the show, Cameron Thayard. Cameron, how are you doing?

I'm doing good, and you? Doing great. So tell us about your photography studio. Are you only shooting folks there in Lafayette, or are you doing work across the country? Yes. shooting of folks there in Lafayette or are you doing work across the country? Yes. So the past few weeks, I graduated from high school and I also opened my own photography studio. When I turned 18, I found a building while I was shooting senior portraits out in the community. And I had a vision for opening up a photography studio and a few months later we were able to host my grand opening and my graduation celebration all at the same time. I'm currently doing local shoots

and I'm open to doing shoots across the state and around the country so yeah. And what type of work? What type of photography work? Yes, I do senior portraits. I do fashion photography. I do event photography, families, engagements, anything that you can think of. I probably do it. So in terms of obviously starting your own business, that had to be a little daunting as opposed to just taking photos on the side. Look, getting office space, having that monthly rent, all those things, that's real. Yes. I've been blessed to have a great support system with my family. They've supported me throughout the whole entire process. Having mentors mentor me has been great. They've been they've helped me along the way. Questions are questions from a couple of panelists. We'll start with Teresa Lundy. She owns her own business. Teresa, any questions for Cameron?

Hey Cameron, one, congratulations on your success. I actually have someone on my team who probably started out around your age into the photography business. So what can you give as an advice for new up and coming photography individuals that want to start their business? I would say to new photographers is to just continue to learn. I started off, I wasn't that great. Just started off trial and error, doing shoots, continuing to learn, learning on YouTube, getting inspiration from other photographers and just continuing to better yourselves. Don't stay stagnant where you are. Continue to learn. Thank you.

Mustafa? Yeah, Cameron, congratulations on everything that you've been able to accomplish so far. I'm curious who your inspirations are. I know that I've always been a big fan of Cary Weems and Gordon Parks and some of those other names. I'm curious, your inspirations are. I know that I've always been a big fan of Kerry Weems and Gordon Parks and some of those other names. I'm curious, who's your inspiration? I've gotten inspiration from a few big photographers on Instagram, such as Eli Infante and Ron Hata. I've actually had them share my work before. They were really impressed with what I was doing, and they shared it on their Instagram,

and that gave me quite a few followers from there, and yeah. Ben, your question. Yeah, first of all, congratulations on all your success. My question would be, how much would you say your work is technical, like technical skills in terms of all the software and technology you have to know as compared to the creative side? And just kind of speak to the audience in terms of that balance. Yes, I would say about maybe 60 percent of the task is technical work and about 40% of it is creative. There's definitely a balance between it, going out on shoots and making everything look good there

and then taking everything into the post-processing, editing and all of that. Editing just takes it up a notch, elevates it, enhances the beauty of the images and it's just important to have a balance between technical and creative and keeping your creative juices flowing to continue with what you're doing thank you all right then uh cameron where can people who are watching across the country across the world where can they actually see your work? You can find my work on my website.

It's CameronThayard.com. And you can also find some of my work on my Instagram. It's at Cameron Thayard. All right then. Cameron, we certainly appreciate it, man. Thanks a bunch, and good luck in your business. Thank you. All right, Cameron, thank you so very much there. talk about our businesses and what is happening is that what we are seeing is, and I saw this story the other day that I thought was really, really interesting. And that is a study was done

and showed that black consumers are more likely to continue to support a company that is supportive of black businesses. I saw that story, Mustafa, and it was interesting because we're in this moment and in this space where people are very conscious about being intentional with their choices. And I think that was something that was really, really important. When I saw that story, it really just jumped out at me, and I was like, wow. I mean, that's a pretty interesting thing to the point where they actually would even pay more if they knew it was a Black-owned business. Yeah, folks are evolving and, you know, they're investing in those who invest in us. So when folks, you know, these companies that I often call 21st

century organizations, 21st century companies, then that means that they get that and they want to make sure that they are utilizing black businesses in a multitude of different ways and that they understand that these investments that they're making are, of course, going to yield positive results that will come back to them. So, you know, whether it's some of the things that we often talk about here on the show of making sure that they are utilizing their dollars with black advertising and black media or the supply chain, all of those things are important, especially as folks are beginning to do a bit more research also about companies before they utilize their dollars. So hopefully that will continue to grow and expand and that

folks will continue to realize that these investments can yield really positive results for both sides of the equation. You know, that particular point there, Teresa, again, I want to talk about being intentional. That's one of the reasons why we have been very specific in this in this demand for advertising dollars. Say no, no, we don't want to hit MWBE. We don't hear what we have minority minority women business on. We don't want to hear diverse. We want to talk specifically black because the only way the only way we're going to see an increase is if we have sort of that focus when it comes to our black-owned companies. We have to keep and really remain focused on when we talk about black and brown businesses,

but really black-owned businesses, black development, black resources. So I think when, you know, some of the government agencies are looking to contract with these black businesses, you know, I think there is a lot to say when you have a black-owned business who's probably been in business for 20 and 30 years, and then they still have to get their certification papers to bid for a government related contract. And because they're not part of their certification process, they'll already be out the bid. So I think we just need to be really conscious about what we're doing in order to make sure black and brown businesses are still in the midst of some of these conversations, but also open the door for many opportunities.

Well, the thing that we have to understand, Benjamin, again, is the precarious situation black-owned businesses are in. Back in February, a Federal Reserve study showed that 77 percent of black owners said their financial condition was fair or poor. And that's the thing. We're not seeing black-owned businesses that have those reserve dollars, that have the ability to be able to reinvest, which is why we have to constantly be thinking about build capacity, build capacity, build capacity, build capacity to be able to grow our businesses.

A lot of black businesses are honestly struggling in the sense that it's difficult to pull yourself up by your bootstraps in this country, especially when you have been systemically left out of the capital that has been available to so many people in this country. And as a result, you have a lot of black businesses that are trying to make ends meet as well as break through the glass ceiling, so to speak, to get some actual prosperity. And so that's why you see so many small businesses, black businesses that only have one employee. Well, they're still trying to make some magic happen with just one employee. And so we see that without an influx of money from the government, from investors, from capital,

you're going to see a lot of black businesses stay in these situations because we're literally trying to pull ourselves up by the bootstrap, oftentimes without staff and oftentimes without capital. And we still manage to make and create amazing content. Well, again, that's why we have our segment in the marketplace, because it's all about supporting those black-owned businesses. I do got to ask you all this here. There's a hospital in Houston that has made it clear that if you want to work at that hospital, then you've got to be vaccinated.

Well, you've got, so this was just dropped today. 153 employees who refuse to get COVID-19 vaccine shots have resigned or been fired. Ben, should hospitals be making it mandatory that if you want to work there, you must get a COVID vaccine shot? Yes or no? Yes. I can expound, but I think that should just be the bottom line. Go ahead. No, no, go ahead.

Go ahead. Go ahead. No, go ahead. I mean, it should be the bottom line. People's lives are at risk here. And to be playing these games, like, politics is one thing. If we allow ignorance and stupidity and selective and convenient troops to take root in politics. Can we please keep it out of the hospitals? Let's do what we know the science is best for everyone in the same circumstances

to make sure that everybody in that hospital is vaccinated. So, yes. Teresa. I'm sorry, I missed the first part. Is this for a vaccination for who, a business? No, no, no no no a hot a hospital in houston has required that their employees be vaccinated well as of today 153 employees have either been fired or resigned for refusing to take a covid vaccine shot

should the hospital make that mandatory for people who work the hospital? I'm in the middle. I think they should separate the wards. I think there should be an East Ward that should probably say vaccination. The other one says no vaccination. And here's why. Because I'm fully vaccinated, but there are some people that have a lot of challenges, but I don't think they should be going on unemployment because they have issues with some of the challenges for vaccination. I do know that they are, you know, these doctors

and representatives are assisting workers. Hold on one second. Teresa, Teresa, hold on. When you say challenges with vaccinations, what do you mean by challenges? What does that mean? Well, there's a reason why some people are just not getting vaccinated. So there's some challenges why they just choose not to receive the vaccine. So I said yes. I think other people should say yes. But for those who want to stay employed, making it a mandate that they get the vaccine,

I think that's just challenging for me. Mustafa? Most definitely. You have to be vaccinated. I mean, you're dealing with folks who are vulnerable. You're dealing with people who have pre-existing medical conditions that make you even more vulnerable to the virus. And you also have to have a leadership mentality. People are watching you. So, you know, for those who work in the medical field, it just makes sense. And then I'll just add, we're about to move into a situation where we're going to have the Delta variant, which is so much more aggressive and so much more dangerous than any of the other variants that we've seen,

especially for folks who have not been vaccinated. So it just makes sense to make sure that you're protecting folks when they're coming into your medical facility by having folks already vaccinated. All right, folks, got to take a break. We come back. Lauren Victoria Burke, one of our regular panelists. We told you all we had had announced that she was having breast cancer. She actually was diagnosed with breast cancer. We come back.

We'll give you an update on her condition as well as provide for you an update on the GoFundMe for her as well. That's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered. When you study the music, you get black history by default. And so no other craft could carry as many words as rap music. I try to intertwine

that and make that create whatever I'm supposed to send out to the universe. A rapper for the longest period of time, has gone through phases. I love the word. I hate what it's become, you know,

and to this generation, the way they visualize it. Its narrative kind of, like, has gotten away and spun away from, I guess, the ascension of black people. Black women have always been essential. So now how are you going to pay us like that? And it's not just the salary. I mean, there are a whole number of issues that have to support us as women. Yeah. But that's what we deserve.

We shouldn't have to beg anybody for that. I think that we are trying to do our best as a generation to honor the fact that we didn't come here alone and we didn't come here by accident. I always say every generation has to define for itself what it means to move the needle forward. I'm joined right now by someone from the Windy City, because she always talking. And secondly, she's my dance partner. You can catch us on YouTube everywhere.

And that is Lisa Wright. Girl, what up? Hey, how you doing? I'm just chilling. Oh, you are. You looking spiffy with it. Well, you know, I'm just doing a little something, something. But I got white for all the concerts at night, so we know how you feel about white.

You was thinking about me, weren't you? Right, it was all because of you. I'm trying to get your all-white everything Lisa Rae on. I got it. All right. The whole world is doing it now. Since you're on my show, when I'm getting on your show? Well, if they make me producer next year,

I may have a little bit more power. But for right now, I'm just first on the call sheet. So they do that. But you could suggest a brother. You know. I would suggest that we have a dancing scene, too. You know, because I want to show all that movement. We can do that.

You holding so many jobs. Don't leave some money for somebody else. Oh, hell no. I'm a black man working BMW. You just, you know, I'm never stunned. But when it comes to you, you always leave me speechless. I don't like it. Don't do it again. One of my favorite Essence Festival moments.

All right, y'all. This Friday, the virtual Essence Fest takes place again this Friday going through Sunday. Then again, July 2nd through the 4th. And we're going to, of course, you can go to Essence.com or EssenceStudios.com. And so let's check it all out together. All right, y'all. Lauren Victoria Burke has been a frequent panelist on our show, dating back to my TV One show, News One Now. Lauren announced several months ago that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Well, Lauren had surgery just yesterday. She sent me a text message stating that, hold on one second. She said, give me one second, one second, one second. She had the surgery. They kept her overnight. And so she said she is doing well. She is doing well and, you know, trying to get better. Also, a lot of our folks I put out on a GoFundMe that they were friends of hers were trying to help her raise the money for her deductible.

And they decided to raise $15,000. They said that $15,000 to help Lauren with her expenses from the cancer surgery and the treatment. Well, I want everybody to know we put that out on social media. Many of you responded, and they have surpassed the goal, and they have raised $17,450 to go to Lauren Victoria Burke to help her out with her cancer treatments and what she's going through. And so that's a huge deal. You know, Mustafa, we have Meg Kennard, of course,

reporter with the Associated Press out of South Carolina. Meg had also gotten diagnosed. In fact, I literally heard from Meg had gotten diagnosed, and then Lauren called me the same day to tell me that she had gotten diagnosed. But it's really great to see our Roland Martin Unfiltered family come to the aid of the folks who regularly appear on this show and offer them some assistance. We love Lauren, and we uplift her in prayer, but we've got to match those prayers with dollars, and that's what community is about.

You know, not one person has to carry the whole weight. You know, we come together as a family and make sure that we're investing in each other. And we know that breast cancer is just ravishing black women and women in total. But we know that there are certain types of breast cancer that is harder on our community. And that's why community is so important and coming together and supporting each other and letting folks know that you have time to heal, and while you're healing, you know, we'll make sure that the dollars are there to support you. And, Teresa, you know, again, there are a lot of people out here.

You know, people talk about, well, do you have insurance? But some people, they have very high deductibles, and all of a sudden, man, if you've got to pay $6,000, $7,000, $8, well, do you have insurance? But some people, they have very high deductibles. And all of a sudden, man, if you got to pay $6,000, $7,000, $8,000, $9,000, $10,000 for a deductible, look, you can't have a surgery unless you pay it. Exactly. And that's part of the hardship. When we talk about health care and why it matters. And Lauren, I look at her, she's under 40, you know, dealing with the same issues that my mother dealt with, two-time cancer survivor. And the hardship that it not only puts on the individual, but it puts on the family that have to raise the money. I remember also well about raising the money to make sure that once you get out of surgery and while you're in it, that somebody is paying the bills.

So actually, I didn't know about this tweet, but I'll make sure I send some funding her way. I met Lauren on your show. She is phenomenal at what she does and who she is. But also, I think we need to also bring this back into the light that, you know, as hard as we are working to ensure and empower black people, we are still having these health care hardships that's affecting women every day. And Ben, for folks who support Medicare for all, this is what they this is what they're talking about, what we're dealing with in our society, the high cost of health care. On one hand, you have conservatives who talk about, oh, we have the best health care system in the world, but it's also a hell of a lot expensive if you're not focusing that 1%. Yeah, absolutely. We're lifting up Sister Lauren in prayer and lifting her up for a speedy total recovery and definitely happy to share those links. But it really does speak to the problem in this country that people have to fundraise on GoFundMe in so many cases.

Not all cases, but in some cases people need GoFundMe to even get that far because a lot of people don't have insurance at all. So, you know, I think the situation in this country is we have to come to terms with the reality that it's just morally wrong for us to have a system that profits off of people when they're battling cancer and they are struggling at the toughest time of their life. That should not be something that should be commodified here. We need to demonetize healthcare. Absolutely. All right, folks, that is it for us. Ben, Teresa, Mustafa, I certainly appreciate all three of you being with us today. Folks, don't forget, if y'all want to support what we do, perfect example, being out here in Los Angeles, hiring crews out here.

When I got word, I was invited by the family of Paul Mooney to attend the memorial service. When he passed away, I got the first call and broke the news of his passing. And I said, well, hey, you know, are you guys going to be live streaming this or going to be broadcasting it? They said no. I said, well, look, we'll come out and we'll actually live stream it so folks all across the country and the world could actually view the memorial service for Paul Mooney. So it's going to take place tomorrow at the Roosevelt Hotel. We will be live tomorrow, a pre-show at 3.30 p.m. Eastern. And then, of course, at 4 p.m. Eastern, the program will begin.

It's going to be a three-hour program. A number of people are scheduled to speak. Like I said, I got an email just moments ago with the actual run of show of all the folks who are going to be speaking and singing at the memorial service. Again, as I look here, comedian Bill Burr, George Lopez, Joey Kamen, singer Denise Williams, Eddie Griffin, Lou Nail. You have Chaka Khan, Debbie Allen, Jonathan Butler, Cassandra Williams, the Mooney family, and then, of course, Denise Williams will be singing a couple of songs. And so there will be other videos coming through as well. And so Bill Hammond of Hammond Entertainment is putting this whole thing together. And so we talked, and so we're going to be live streaming that.

And so we're thankful that the Mooney family is allowing us to do that. So that's why we're here in Los Angeles. So we ask that you support what we do by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. Literally, your dollars make it possible for us to be able to travel around the country, cover stories like this that nobody else is doing. Nobody else is going to be there covering this memorial service like we are. So please, when you give to us via Cash App, Venmo, when you send those money orders and checks,

when you're able to support us via Zelle and PayPal, this is what it goes to. And so Cash App, dollar sign RM Unfiltered, PayPal.me forward slash R Martin Unfiltered, Venmo.com forward slash RM Unfiltered, Zelle is rolling at rolling. That's martin.com, rolling at rollingmartinunfiltered.com. And so, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Folks, that is it for me, live from Los Angeles. I will see you tomorrow. Remember, mark your time. We're not going to be live at 6 p.m. with the show. We're not going to have our panel. Our entire show tomorrow is going to be the Paul Mooney Memorial Service beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern. So please make that note. This

is why you should also set your live notifications on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope as well. So when we go live, you immediately know when we go live. And so the best thing, if you want, also, if you watch on YouTube, hit that like button, because that's important for our videos to also go up the scale in their algorithm. Folks, thanks a bunch. I shall see you guys tomorrow, 4 p.m. Eastern, right here in Los Angeles, California. Holla! this is an iHeart podcast