#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Shocking S.C. Ocean Blvd Shooting, Trump Ends Black Biz Aid & History Channel Omits Slavery
Episode Date: June 1, 20255.30.2025 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Shocking S.C. Ocean Blvd Shooting, Trump Ends Black Biz Aid & History Channel Omits Slavery A deadly shooting on South Carolina's Ocean Boulevard leaves 11 peopl...e injured--including teens-- and one person dead. Community leaders question whether the dead suspect shot the 11 people before police killed him. Tonight, we'll speak with an activist searching for answers and one of those young survivors who will share what really happened during the chaos and what's next for her recovery. The twice-impeached, criminally convicted felon-in-chief, Donald "The Con" Trump, moves to end a program that's helped Black business entrepreneurs for decades. We'll discuss what this means for our community's future and economic power. With the changes in education, what's the future for charter schools? The CEO of the National Charter Collaborative will be present to discuss how the administration's policies may affect charter schools. And renowned historian Gerald Horne, author of The Counter Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery & Jim Crow and the Roots of American Fascism, will be here to discuss the History Channel's omission of slavery in the series, "The Men Who Built America." You don't want to miss that conversation. #BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (https://bit.ly/3VDPKjD) and Risks (https://bit.ly/3ZQzHl0) related to this offering before investing. Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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A lot of times big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways.
Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up.
So now I only buy one.
Small but important ways from tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding.
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And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
So listen to everybody's business
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or wherever you get your podcasts.
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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
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Incorporated on the iHeart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts
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Here's the deal.
We gotta set ourselves up.
See, retirement is the long game.
We gotta make moves and make them early.
Set up goals.
Don't worry about a setback.
Just save up and stack up to reach them.
Let's put ourselves in the right position.
Pre-game to greater things.
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brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. So folks, today is Friday, May 30th, 2025.
Coming up on Roland Martin Unfrozer, streaming live on the Black Star Network, a deadly
shooting on South Carolina's Ocean Boulevard leads 11 people injured, including teens,
and one person dead.
Community leaders questioned whether the dead suspect shot the 11 people before police killed
him.
Tonight we'll talk with an activist
who is demanding answers.
Twice impeached, criminally convicted,
felony in chief, Donald McCaughn.
Trump moves to end the program
that's helped black business entrepreneurs
and others for a very long time.
This $37 billion program
under the Department of Transportation is in trouble
because Trump's white nationalists
say, oh, it discriminates against the people that get 90% of the federal contracts.
Really?
Is that what we're doing?
Also on today's show, a young black conservative who came on my show a couple of years ago, built a school in Georgia,
he's now mad and upset that a job program
in his Georgia town has now been wiped out.
He's demanding local and state leaders
replace the money to save the jobs,
and he's demanding that if they don't do it,
we get new leadership.
But he was the same one who was skinned and grinning
at Trump's Black History Month reception.
Guess who cut the money?
Donald Trump.
Oh, y'all know I got a few words to say about this.
Also, what other future of charter schools in this
country? The Trump folks are very supportive of it. You got a school
choice passed in Texas, which really is a scam. We're gonna talk though about this
from an African-American point of view with the CEO of the National Charter
Collaborative. So we look forward to that in our Education Matters segment. And I told y'all
I was watching the History Channel. They were talking about
Texas independence. All this conversation, literally no mention that slavery was the dominant reason for Texas independence.
So why is the History Channel pushing a docu-series that doesn't tell the truth about history?
I'm gonna talk to renowned historian Gerald Horne who wrote a book about Texas independence
who wrote a book about Texas independence called The Counter-Revolution of 1836.
Folks, it's gonna be a hot show.
Y'all better buckle the hell up
because it's time to bring the funk
on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network.
Let's go.
-♪ He's got whatever the piss he's on it
Whatever it is he's got to scoop the fat to find
And when it blinks he's right on time.
And it's rolling, best believe he's knowing.
Putting it down from sports to news to politics.
With entertainment just for kicks.
He's rolling.
It's Uncle Ro-Royale.
It's rolling, Martin, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Rolling with rolling now.
Yeah, yeah.
He's funky, he's fresh, he's real, the best, you know.
He's rolling, Martin, now.
Martin. Yeah. Weeks after a chaotic night erupted in gunfire along Myrtle
Beach is busiest strip, leaving one person day 11 injured.
A shaking community continues to demand answers like who's bullet injured
several people, the suspect or the cops.
Newly released dash cam video from Myrtle Beach police
shows the deadly officer involved shooting
that unfolded just after midnight on April 26th
along the popular Ocean Boulevard.
When 18 year old Jerry Davis pulls out a gun,
fires four shots into a crowd gathered on the sidewalk.
Within seconds, officer Brandon O'Rourke returns fire,
firing five rounds and fatally striking Davis. The three officers involved were placed on paid
paid administrative leave per policy. Brandon O'Rourke, seven years of on the
cop, Mohammed L. Helwi, two years as a cop and Jeremiah Johnson, four years on
the force, all have since returned to duty as, uh, they continue their
investigation with a final report expected by June 26th.
Joining us right now is John Barnett,
who is a civil rights activist
who was also demanding accountability,
plus 15-year-old Serenity Chavis,
who was shot in the leg that night
and is speaking about what happened
along with her mother, Kendra Malloy.
Glad to have all three of you here.
So first of all, John, I wanna start with you.
This is where I am.
So you have this shooting.
What ballistics report has been done?
So are you and others suggesting
that the people who were injured,
they were all not injured as a result of this shooter? That's correct, that's correct. Um, Rolo Morton. And again, thank you for having us on your
show again. Um, yeah, this is spring break, average age, 12 to 17. Um, apparently 18 year
old had some beef or some words with some other young African American males. And, uh,
he put out his gun. Police stated that he began to shoot.
There was two or three officers behind him. And they began to shoot at him.
And, unfortunately, 11 people were shot. My law office, Hunter and Average,
in Charlotte, I'm not a lawyer, I'm an activist, they accepted three of the cases.
So, there were multiple people shot. Serenity is one. She's 15 years old. She now is in a wheelchair. She's going back and
forth with the crutches. She lives in Larnburg, North Carolina. She doesn't even live in Myrtle
Beach. The other family is Miss Patricia. Her son is named Zavion. He's 13 years old. He was
shot three times. He was walking with his dad
in front of his dad. His dad also got grazed by a bullet as well. Zavion, bullet was removed,
and the bullet was immediately taken to a sled in South Carolina. And the bullet in his arm,
they cannot take it out. Mr. Martin, they actually said that if you remove it, it may mess up a nerve.
So you got a 13-year-old kid from Martinville, Virginia, who has a bullet in his body right now,
because I think of some carelessness of the cops.
And I understand they need to disarm the individual
or take him down, but just shooting in a crowd
of spring break, average age 12 to 17, is just a lot.
So we've been asked for answers.
I asked for four things real quickly.
I asked for the officers to be unpaid,
because I think there's some carelessness going on
and that's why they're so quiet. It's happened April 26th. I asked for counseling officers to be unpaid leave because I think there's some carelessness going on and that's why they're so quiet. It's happened April 26. I asked for counseling for
the 11 victims. 11 people were shot when they aspired to go to Myrtle Beach for a funnel cake
and ride some amusement, you know, ride, you know, the rides of the amusement park
and enjoy the water. And they came back home with bullets in their body.
Second thing we asked for was a meeting with the chief of police.
She entertained it, then she kind of going back and forth.
And now Sled involved.
So Sled wanted to meet with me and they declined to do that.
So first of all, what people, what is Sled?
People don't know what that, what is Sled?
Oh, sorry, it's a special unit.
It's like the SBI.
I got it, got it, got it.
Yeah, yeah.
A lot of people don't know what that is. North Carolina, we got the SBI, I got it. I got it. Yeah, yeah. A lot of people don't know what that is.
North Carolina, we got the SBI.
Georgia got the Georgia investigative services.
And there's the SLAA.
So that's a higher department that's supposed to investigate officers, officer-involved
shootings in particular.
And the two other things I asked for was, I think I asked for counseling, I asked for
unpaid leave, asked for a meeting with the chief
and for the body cam to be released.
So after 33 days, they had this big climax
that they're gonna release the video on yesterday
and only showed a small video from the body cam,
not the body cam from the dash cam of the car.
So in Myrtle Beach is a very popular spot,
one of the most richest counties in South Carolina.
It's probably the only tourist attraction in South Carolina
because nobody goes to South Carolina
pretty much for anything, even though I'm from there.
They have about 2,000 cameras downtown, Mr. Martin.
They have Marriott's and they have coffee shops.
And it's like literally the reporter told me
they have 2,000 cameras down.
So they just released just one
and not show us what we asked for was the body cam,
which is the officers shooting in the crowd. We have yet to get that.
And we know that that young man, before he was taken down, may he rest in peace, 18 years
old, we know that he didn't shoot all 11 people. And those are the answers we're trying to
get. And if they're responsible for that, then they need to just say that. And I think
prolonging it is not a good thing.
I told them today as I close, I can't go to NASCAR and shoot 11 white people
and think I'm gonna go home.
I'll be in jail right now.
Especially if the kids are 13 and 15 years old.
I really believe I'd be in jail right now.
And that's a fact.
Serenity, that obviously had to be
a shocking, stunning night. A year old church had to be a shocking stunning night.
He your archers trying to enjoy a night out.
The next thing you know, you're in a hospital.
Yes, sir.
So what do you recall happening that night?
All I remember is me just standing there trying to go into it was like a pizza place and they sell ice cream there too.
And I remember me trying to go in there,
but the man closed the door in my face.
So then he was like closing the shop down.
And I know I just turned my back to go,
like going towards all the hotels
and I just hear gunshots, and I just start running.
And I just hit like a strong wind just hit the back of my leg.
But I'm still trying to run.
And I just looked down, and I just
see a pile of blood everywhere.
And I just dropped, and I started screaming for help.
And the officers came.
There was the one that shot me, stood in front of me,
and told me that he was sorry.
And then this one started hitting me like the tourniquet thing on the door.
And that's, they took me to the hospital and that's it. That was it.
Again, so the fact that you don't know who shot you, was it the suspect, was it the cops,
has to be unsettling. This is a fear that a lot of people have, you know,
cops indiscriminately firing that,
and then hitting other people and not the person.
That's correct.
That's correct.
How are you, are you still,
are you still suffering from injuries
or are you completely healed from the shooting?
Not yet.
I'm still on crutches.
Still on crutches, still on crutches.
Yourself?
Well, we certainly hate to have to hear that
and hopefully y'all are able to get some answers
real soon from this because that has to be traumatic
for anybody to have to go through and endure.
John, final question, have they given y'all a sense
of when they're going to wrap this up?
Yeah, I told them it's gonna take 60 days, 90 days.
They told us within 60, it's been,
today is like the 34th day.
Still no counselors, therapists for the victims. I partially released video.
I did. And what's interesting is that, two days ago, I staged a press conference. And
I said, I want an unpaid leave. I don't want these guys sitting on the beach relaxing for
35, 34 days.
And ironically enough, just yesterday, all three officers have returned, literally 48
hours after our press conference.
So now they're back at work, business as usual.
And so we're going to stay on their backs and get some answers.
But hopefully, within the next 30 days, we should have something.
But in the process of that, Trinity has to go graduate with crutches.
Zevion is in Martinsville, Virginia.
He's got a bullet in his body.
These kids got to graduate.
And one of them that's very sad,
I've been in conversation with one mother named Christy,
I believe her name is, and she said her son was shot
and he had a full scholarship.
I think he was shot in his side.
So it was very, very traumatic experience for all of them.
Something that never forget.
Indeed, indeed.
All right, folks, we certainly appreciate it.
And let us know what happens next.
Sure will, sure will.
And Mr. Martin, I want to let you know,
I'm enjoying your book that you autographed for us.
And so I want to make sure I tell you that.
I'm enjoying your book.
I certainly appreciate that.
Thanks a bunch.
All right, thank you.
Have a great day.
All right, folks, let's talk about a case out of North Carolina.
Attorney Ben Crump, Bakari Seles,
and others involved with that,
where you had a black man who was shot and killed,
Tyrone Mason.
I'm sorry, sorry, he died in a car crash.
Now, what's crazy is that the DA
is not trying to bring charges against the officers.
And so this is a story right here that is from the Spectrum Local News.
Go to my iPad.
So it says that Mason's mother and others gathered, this took place yesterday, they
gathered there.
They want justice.
The investigation revealed that two highway patrols...
A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways.
Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding.
But the price has gone up. So now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action.
And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from
Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look
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With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams
and consumer
spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even
the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain.
I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your
gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened
when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser
Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two and three on
May 21, and episodes four, five and six on June 4. Add free at I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the War on Drugs Podcast.
Sir, we are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit man. We got Ricky Williams NFL player Heisman Trophy winner
It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all
Reasonable means to care for themselves music stars Marcus King John Osborne for Brothers Osborne
We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote
We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug man
Benny the butcher Brent Smith from shinedown got be real from Cypress Hill NHL enforcer Riley Cote
Marine Corvette MMA fighter Liz caramouche what we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things
Stories matter and it brings a face to 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 are wherever you get your podcasts.
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Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcast. Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up.
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Set up goals.
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Start building your retirement plan
at thisispretirement.org,
brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council.
Most state troopers lied about some of the circumstances
involving the chase and the deadly crash.
The DA decided not to charge the two troopers.
They are on administrative leave,
but his was crazy.
And first of all, again, he says here,
Freeman decided not to charge the two troopers
who remain on administrative leave
while the investigation is ongoing
and dropped more than 100 cases involving them.
That's weird.
Trump and Sellers are calling for the firing
of the two officers.
And again, this man died October 7th in a single car wreck.
And what's crazy is that the officers were caught on camera,
caught on camera,
caught on camera trying to figure out how to lie about it. It says here, Macario called in the crash
after he said he drove up on it,
but investigators found that Macario initially was not
truthful with responding officers.
They said Macario had tried to pull Mason over for speeding,
but Mason accelerated and fled.
Macario initially gave chase, but then gave up pursuit.
They said Macario's supervisor, Morrison,
advised Macario not to tell officers
that he had tried to pull Mason over,
saying the crash, quote, sounds like Raleigh's problem.
Last Friday, somebody, camera video was released
that shows Macario talking to Raleigh police
about the crash and not revealing that he had been chasing Mason for speeding along
Capitol Boulevard.
Hmm isn't that something.
Folks how many times have we seen this where cops will be sitting here lying,
lying and then nothing happens.
Michael Imhotep joins us, hosts African History Network
Show out of Detroit, Matt Manning,
civil rights attorney out of Corpus Christi,
and we also have Belinda Hale, actress and creator
of Black Voices Heard Project out of LA.
So this is the thing for me, Matt,
that really pisses me off,
and I'm just a firm believer in this.
I don't care what anybody says.
I do not care what the investigation is.
I don't care if someone,
I don't care if someone was injured,
if it was a misdemeanor,
if it was a felony,
if someone was a shooting car crash, someone dies.
If a cop lies,
I believe that should mean immediate and automatic termination.
Yeah, but beyond that, I mean, look, they say the grand jury can indict a ham sandwich, right?
It's very easy to get an indictment. And in fact, I met someone today who sat on a grand jury that
I presented to. I didn't remember him from that context, but he mentioned to me he'd sat on the grand jury. Meaning, you know, people present to
grand juries all the time, and they explain to them the way it works, is the prosecutor goes in,
and the state is the only entity that has the right to present to the grand jurors.
I tell you that because what I don't understand about this case is how they not only didn't terminate these guys,
but how they didn't go in and charge them with the equivalent of, you know, false statement to law
enforcement, or it would be not really be perjury, most likely because it wasn't in the court context,
but any kind of dishonesty crime. That's why you have these crimes on the books.
And, you know, what's interesting in this case is normally you see a prosecutor who's reticent to charge a police officer where they have used deadly force, or they've used
force, right, because they always lean on the idea that it was quickly evolving, maybe
the officer had some reason that, you know, he or she readily believed that somebody was
facing them with force.
This is not that circumstance.
This is, if you tell the truth, you most likely just get in trouble for an internal policy
violation where your police department says, we don't give chase or we don't give chase
after they reach a certain point, you know, and then Raleigh takes over.
And at best, at worst, really, what you're getting is you're getting disciplined for
potentially not having followed your department policy.
But instead what you've done is lie. And I don't understand how this prosecutor is not getting a
lot more flack, because this is the case where it is easiest to hold law enforcement accountable.
It doesn't require you having some big political, you know, profile and courage. It just requires
you to say, you said X, and that's easily provable to not be true.
And because your law enforcement will hold you to a higher standard, we're therefore
going to charge you with false reports of law enforcement or obstruction of justice
or something in that vein.
So I think that's the real tragedy here.
And dropping the charges, you know, a lot of your viewers may not know this, but often
when a police officer is found to be dishonest, the prosecutor will do that. They will no longer take his or her cases because they're no longer a credible witness.
But the failing, I think, here is not going a step further and showing the community that you're
going to hold an officer accountable when he lies in a material way. He lied about something that
led to this charge, or rather this chase, where this gentleman died, and all he has to do is tell the truth.
And at worst, he's in trouble for a policy violation.
So I don't understand how the prosecutor did not think
this was the perfect case to charge them for being dishonest
where they were easily able to disprove it.
Melinda is no shock to me because a lot of DAs,
they don't like to charge cops
because they need cops for their other cases.
This is the fundamental problem that we see with local DAs.
And then the problem is now that you got this idiot in the Oval Office,
they don't give a damn about holding cops accountable on the federal level.
Right, right. And as you said before,
we've seen cases like this before where cops try to fabricate situations to
justify their actions. And as you also just said, I was going to mention,
you know,
Trump administration has already talked about
giving police officers full immunity
for quote unquote doing their job.
And so it does come into question,
when is accountability going to be a part of the conversation?
Is honesty a part of the job description at all anymore?
So I'm not unfortunately surprised by this.
It just makes me wonder how many more times
we're gonna see this.
Michael, yep.
Michael. Yeah. Michael.
Yeah. You know, this is a very disturbing case. When you look at this,
looked at the article from spectrum news, uh, the 180 cases, uh,
involving, uh, this officer, McCarrick, uh, Macario, uh,
were dropped, uh, by the prosecutor. So that right there,
that is that another investigation should follow that. And then, also, his supervisor, from the same article, it said his supervisor, Macario's
supervisor, advised Macario not to tell officers that he had tried to pull Mason over, saying
the crash sounds like Raleigh's problem.
So, to me, that sounds like withholding evidence
at the same time.
Right.
So, this is mind-boggling. But I'm glad Benjamin Crump is on this case exposing this. And this
is in the era of Trump saying he's going to unleash the police, which was a campaign promise.
He said that in April 2024 in Wisconsin on the campaign trail. Okay. And his department of justice,
when they're backing out a consent decrees with Louisville and,
and another jurisdiction,
this is opening the flood gates for police to think they can do whatever they
want and get away with.
Oh, that's exactly what it is. And so, I mean, folks,
this is why we do these stories.
They need to need attention.
Unfortunately, you don't, uh, see a lot of this.
And we saw what happened in Ronald Green, Louisiana, when those state
troopers died about what happened to him.
They claimed he died in a car crash when they actually viciously beat him to death.
And you have not seen justice serve in that case as well.
So that's exactly what we're dealing with here.
All right, folks got to go to break. We come back. Education matters.
Say we want to talk about the future of charter schools, specifically as it
relates to African Americans. We'll talk about that. Plus, a black
conservative in Georgia was skinning and grinning along with the other
members of the help at Trump's Black History Month reception is now angry
about a jobs program being shut down.
Who shut that down?
Trump.
Why he ain't saying nothing about Trump?
Yeah, I got something to say.
It's time to bring the, we'll be right back, Roland Martin on Filtering the Black Star
Network.
This week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie, we're talking all things faith, family, and
fatherhood.
Men step in and out of our lives in a variety of ways as fathers, uncles, cousins, and different
ways in which we enjoy their company and presence and in other ways when they get on our nerves.
This week on our show, we'll be talking about what it means to be a father,
how women can support the men in their lives,
as well as how do we heal the wounds that we've had
from poor conversation, lack of desire,
and all of the other ways that we sometimes as women
check out and cause our men to feel emasculated.
That's all this week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie.
That's all this week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. This is Tamela Maine.
And this is David Mann.
And you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. I'm going to go ahead and start. Folks, in Oklahoma, they tried to launch a religious charter school.
Well, the Supreme Court voted for it, as a result of that cannot move forward, just as
Amy Coney Barrett recused herself because she had a close relationship with someone
who was involved in that.
As a result, that as folks, again,
talking about the future of charter schools,
you have an administration
that claims they support school choice.
You've got Republicans in Texas
who just pushed through a massive so-called school choice bill
that I actually call a scam bill.
And we're seeing this,
and there are lots of issues that are around
charter schools, the effectiveness of them,
but also the impact for African Americans.
Naomi Shelton is the CEO of the National Charter Collaborative.
Glad to have her here.
So, Naomi, first and foremost,
the thing here is that religious charter schools,
look, that violates the separation of church and state.
But the reality is this is a 4- four decision. If somebody in another state decides to
open a religious charter school, that's gonna get sued, it's gonna go up, and Amy
Coney Barrett won't have to actually recuse herself. Do you predict
that in the future with this Supreme Court that they may very well allow public tax dollars
to be used to launch very explicit
religious charter schools.
Do I believe it's possible?
Yes.
Is that my hope?
Of course not.
I think we are all concerned about what happens
when these cases continue to jump back and forth
from different states.
But I think it's also important for us to know that this is a great time to unify around talking
about public education to a broader audience.
So it is a possibility, yes.
We know that they are not going to stop.
But it's about how we plan to address those issues when
they come back.
Again, there are, when this issue comes up,
there are a lot of people who are very emotional
about this.
I've made it clear as somebody who launched School Choice is a Black Choice, that if there
is an education system that is set up that allows us to completely control the schools,
control the contracts, control the curriculum, I'm actually down for that.
The issue that I have is when people want to pimp
school choice to get black people to support it,
when in fact it is a detriment to black people
and they don't actually support black people
actually controlling the education of our children.
I agree with that wholeheartedly.
We've had these conversations before,
but I think it's important that we understand
that the federal protections that come along with public education would be completely lost.
So, the most vulnerable learners, students with disabilities, and we know all the challenges that
come along with that for Black families when it comes to serving students who need IEPs, et cetera.
What I do know to be true is that it is a possibility,
but of course, if we have the ability to control that,
that makes all the difference.
One of the things that colleagues and I
are now talking about is what does it look like
to have a resurgence of K-12 schools
in partnership with HBCUs?
A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives
in small ways. Three or four days a week I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but
the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just
one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg Business Week. I'm
Max Chafkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek Smith. Every Friday we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg Business Week. I'm Max Chavkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's
going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives.
With guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and
consumer spending expert Amanda Mull, we will take you inside the boardrooms,
the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain.
I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
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dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Inc.
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really
bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser
Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two and
three on May 21st and episodes four, five and six on June
4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
We are back.
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Real people, real perspectives.
It's kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
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So thinking through what does it look like
to have an HBCU create its own charter school
that serves no differently than a lab school
or a day school that used to be on those campuses.
That opportunity goes as far as how do we make sure
that it's possible for HBCUs to become
authorizers of charter schools.
And so having that double layer of focus
when it comes to educational equity, but also excellence,
means that there are tons of opportunities
that are right around the corner.
And so, now, I know Howard University had a relationship with the Charter School.
Are there any other HBCUs that do?
Oh, absolutely.
University of Delaware, there's a school that is going to be opening this fall.
It's Stillman College.
So there are tons of opportunities for us to see what's possible.
And I think it's important to just share more about what the schools that are working with
HBCU is what they are able to do.
So those are not only pipelines for students, but it's also pipelines for teachers.
How do we have teacher prep programs that are embedded in those schools?
Here in D.C., more than half the students attend public charter schools, and those schools
offer anything from Montessori to dual language, and justice-centered models.
But what we want to make sure is that if we are going to control anything related to education
in the K-12 space, that we are actually in control of that, from the application, even
the approval of that application. Having Black folks and having HBCUs at the table
would definitely add tremendous value.
Let's, questions from our panel.
I will start with Melinda first.
Yeah, can you explain a little bit
about how charter schools would directly take funds
from public schools when it comes to school choice,
just for people that may not understand how that works?
Sure, so I'll just clarify a few things. So, it is a widely known myth that charter
schools are not public schools. Charter schools are public schools in all of the 45 states
where they are legal, including the District of Columbia. The funding is very similar to
the ways that schools get schools in traditional districts receive funds.
So those funds are allocated by student population
and those come from local and state
and some federal dollars.
Thank you.
Matt.
Yeah, so my question is about the equity of opportunity
to get into charter schools.
So I know some schools have different lottery procedures
or different procedures where the students
are actually admitted.
What are your thoughts about the current climate we're in
and how that might affect black access to charter schools?
So just to clarify further,
because I know that these are all misconceptions,
charter schools have to follow open enrollment laws.
And so they can't turn students away based on test scores
or background.
They're free, public, and open to all.
But we should also remember that there are schools that students
and or parents would choose because of the curriculum that
they offer, because of the special programs.
And so having the ability to select those different public
school options makes it easier
for parents where charter schools are available to choose the programs that work best for
their students.
What I know for sure, and I can say this as a former authorizer here in the district,
is that we hold people accountable.
If you are excluding students because of disabilities, if there
are issues around race and equity, those are things that either that school's direct board
or the charter board are the authorizer and that jurisdiction can manage.
Michael.
All right, Naomi, can you explain the difference between charter schools and independent schools?
The reason why I ask here in Detroit in the late 80s, early 90s, we saw African-centered
charter schools that were created and a lot of them don't exist today.
And you had this debate between whether we should do charter schools or independent schools.
So, of course, with independent schools, that funding formula is very different.
A lot of that is philanthropic dollars
and other ways that they find funds
where traditional districts receive funds
and public charter schools receive funds
directly from the state and locale.
That being different, there are also other supports
or other things that come along with a charter school versus an independent school, be it the type of accreditation, et cetera. All
of those things impact what's possible there. But when it comes to charter schools, what
I have appreciated about this space is the ability to have folks dream up the possibilities.
Like you said, having an Afro-centered school, having
a social justice-focused school, having a school that's thinking about the arts, humanities,
those are things that we can build for ourselves.
Okay, thank you.
Are you seeing in this climate, are we seeing, I mean, obviously, when it comes to the notion
of school choice, you have far more Republicans that are believing in that.
But again, they want it for a different reason.
For me, I believe many of them
want it for white suburban parents.
They wanna open those flood gates
for them to go to private schools.
And we also know that those private schools,
they're not increasing the seats.
And so the people we know from Arizona,
the people that have taken advantage of these programs
are people who are already sending their kids
to private school.
But are you seeing African-Americans
see this as an opportunity for us to be able,
like if the system is gonna get put in place,
are you seeing black folks say, okay, fine,
now let's step in and let's control
the education for our kids.
So I would say yes. Alabama has a very excited community
that is building and growing there that groundswell around starting schools
with HBCUs, but also watching other black people create schools and be successful.
I believe in the last seven or ten years that Alabama's had the law
to approve charter
schools.
I would say more than 80 percent of those schools are homegrown and or founded by someone
Black.
So, there's always an opportunity.
People see the chance to do this.
If they see someone do it successfully, that increases that chance.
But what I do want to point out is that everything right now just feels like it's in limbo because
of where the administration is.
We received an increase in the charter school program, which is the federal funding that
goes towards charter schools, their incubation, et cetera.
But that money being on the table doesn't matter if it doesn't get to black people because
of whatever is happening at the state level. And of course, too, if people are saying, I'm nervous because
of the political state in my hometown, if they're worried about what that looks like,
not only the backlash and being aligned with the GOP, but also what people's perceptions
are about the charter space. So it's almost like we're seeing a push and pull
because of the current climate,
but I know of at least four schools in the South
that are in discussion and or planning to open in the South.
The issue that I have was happening in Alabama
is that the people who are in support
of school choice and charters spent a lot of money
trying to get that law changed, and then they left.
They abandoned the state.
And so, and I've held town halls there.
We held town halls in Montgomery, in Birmingham, in Selma.
And again, the fact that that law has now been passed
for several years and only two schools have been launched,
that to me is a problem.
And so are you seeing the charter school movement,
these various funders, these organizations,
are you seeing them put an emphasis on the state
to be able to walk people through the process,
be able to help them with their applications,
help them with their curriculum
and their governing things along those lines.
That to me, I saw that firsthand
and that actually pissed me off.
No, so I wanna clarify that Alabama now has,
I believe 18 schools
and that's just in that short window of time.
What I am seeing is an interest from philanthropy.
I know that I've been in conversations with some philanthropic partners that are putting money into the space, but also recognizing that there are other issues that we have to
address in public education in terms of where NAEP scores were, et cetera.
So there is that on the philanthropic side.
And then what's happening in Alabama.
Alabama is also an example of where incubation is a part
of what that charter school organization,
the charter support organization there.
So new schools for Alabama is focused on not only the
support of the existing schools,
but anyone that is looking to incubate an opportunity.
That in and of itself and what is happening with HBCUs there
is happening because of that
because of that charter support organization.
We have the same thing and it looks a little different, but here in D.C. we also have folks
that work on incubation of schools and what does it look like to continue that support
beyond that.
Organizations like mine, the National Charter Collaborative, also support single site charter leaders of color.
We work directly with small networks,
anything less than five schools,
to not only think about building community for them,
but also the capacity of those leaders
to sustain themselves,
which then gives, again, people the opportunity
to see that that is happening,
and that is something that they can also pursue.
Question, I have been asking this question for years
and nobody can seem to give me an answer.
How many black, not black run,
how many black controlled charter schools
are there in America and what state has the most?
So I would say data wise,
because of revocations, et cetera,
this number is probably going to change.
But in terms of black, brown,
and indigenous led schools, they're more,
I know, I know.
No, I don't wanna know brown,
I don't wanna know indigenous,
I wanna know black.
So there are 75% of the schools that are led by people of color
are led by black people.
So I could do the math for you, but I was an English major.
So I'll say overwhelmingly the number of schools,
which is in the high 500s,
75% of those are run by black people.
Now, okay, now again, this is where this works.
When you say run by black people. Now, okay, now again, this is where this works. When you say run by black people,
what I'm talking about
are black people controlling the school?
I would say an overwhelming number of those schools are.
Also black controlled.
You could see friendship public charter schools here in DC.
The schools that I named in the South,
I know Clarksdale Prep, which is in the Delta of Mississippi,
that school is black run.
And a lot of these schools are not only black run,
but run by HBCU graduates.
You see that their boards are,
consist overwhelmingly of black people.
So yes, they do exist.
I will actually get those numbers for you.
Yeah, and the reason I think it's important
to get those numbers is because that's also
part of this whole piece, because what I believe is, I believe you have to model.
And so when, when I, and again, I have traveled this country dealing with, dealing with this.
I've been to Sacramento, I've been to Tulsa, I've been to Houston, been to Dallas, been to Alabama.
We've been to Georgia, we've been to Philadelphia, we've been to Florida, we've been to all different
places.
Indianapolis.
Indianapolis.
And the problem that I see, and I say this all the time, that one of the reason charter
schools fail is because they fail from the outset.
They fail with weak governance, they fail with weak financial controls,
they fail with weak curriculum,
and they fail with weak leadership.
And so I've always believed that what needs to happen is
you need to have individual people and institutions
that this is what they do,
they know how to say from the outset,
how do we ensure from the beginning
that you have a strong program,
a strong foundation to be able to build from,
and then they need to be able to look to existing schools,
high performing schools,
high performing charter networks to know how to model.
So if you're looking for a black male successful school, then I believe your
organization will be able to say, okay, go here, here, here. And then also when we talk about the
funding issue that's issue for me is that a lot of these funders want to keep funding high
performing schools, which I get. What a problem low-performing school never goes to a mid.
A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about
on the news show up in our lives in small ways.
Three or four days a week,
I would buy two cups of banana pudding,
but the price has gone up, so now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action,
and that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from
Bloomberg Businessweek.
I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at
what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up in our everyday lives.
With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer
spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even
the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain.
I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your
gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the
answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the
revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season One, Taser, Inc.
mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser
Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two and three on
May 21, and episodes four, five and six on June 4. Add free at I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the World on Drugs podcast.
Sir, we are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit man. We got Ricky Williams NFL player Heisman Trophy winner
It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all
Reasonable means to care for themselves music stars Marcus King John Osborne for Brothers Osborne
We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote
drug We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug man
Benny the butcher Brent Smith from shinedown got be real from Cypress Hill NHL enforcer Riley Cote
Marine Corvette MMA fighter Liz caramouche what we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things
Stories matter and it brings a face to it makes it real. It really does it makes it real
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.
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And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to
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And the mid never goes to a high
because they're being star financially.
And so talk about that.
What are you saying to funders?
And let's be real clear, 99% are white.
That look, if you truly believe in charter schools,
then you have to put in the resources to get a school
to go from low to mid and then mid to high.
It can't just be key funding
only the high performing schools.
So having been on multiple sides of this equation,
so again, I was an authorizer here in D.C.,
so of course was able to review applications,
visit schools, talk to folks interested in developing schools.
But there are a ton of things that are wrapped around that.
I've also worked for a large charter network,
one of the largest in the country.
And one of the reasons that I do the work that I do now
is because I've been at the authorizer seat to see
what happens when you don't support schools,
when schools don't have a strong start,
and making sure that if they aren't able
to get their feet under them,
what organizations do we need to connect them with?
So my organization was founded in 2016
because of the very thing you're talking about.
Disproportedly, black schools and brown run schools
are the ones that are closed.
And usually those are schools that are single site
or community driven schools.
So there are incubation programs, of course,
but my organization also has a fellowship
that allows for folks that are pretty much siloed
in their city, state, or region and connecting them with other leaders. So nine other leaders,
a total of 10 leaders having the opportunity to share best practice, to do communities of practice
and think about what are the professional development needs that they have and evolving
that over time. We also do make those direct
connections with schools because of the work I've done on the authorizer side and now on the support
side, having folks reach out to me to say, hey, if you know of any Montessori schools, we'd love to
get connected with them, making sure that the folks that are doing this work are doing it with
not only fidelity, but also with the spirit of having a community-focused school. And I'd also like to say that in the case
of what I say to funders, it is really focused on
if we want to demonstrate that charter schools
are a viable option for families,
we have to make sure that we are supporting the ones
that reflect the communities that they want to serve.
I, time and time again, have those conversations not only from the seat that reflect the communities that they want to serve. I, time and time again,
have those conversations not only from the seat that I sit in now,
having worked for a large network and been an authorizer,
just thinking about what does it look like to make sure that the incubation that they
receive has that extra layer of understanding of the community that's available to them.
Oftentimes, I'll have folks like the DC Alliance or the
authorizer here, have me talk to, um,
to budding school leaders and talk to and have regular engagement with existing
leaders to talk about where and how they can be helpful.
Last point here, and that is, and I have been very vocal about this here.
I believe that if you do good, then you continue to do good. The last point here, and that is, and I have been very vocal about this here,
I believe that if you do good, then you continue to do good,
and if you do bad, your ass gotta go.
I have said to a room full of white charter folk
at the National Charter Alliance National Convention
that my greatest problem is that y'all don't call out trash
as horrible charter schools that are doing a disservice.
The kind of charter schools that are paying leaders three, four, five hundred thousand
dollars and they're only over five hundred, a thousand, two thousand students and how
they are basically suffocating, scamming and cheating these kids out of the money.
And so how do you articulate that as well?
Because, and I'm very clear,
not all traditional schools need to stay open
because they are cheating our kids out of education.
And if there are horrible charter schools
that are right now, they gotta go.
I've had that conversation with large operators,
had that conversation several years ago when
someone in Texas bought a jet, right?
So being clear about what it is that we need to say cannot happen, which also goes back
to the conversation around authorizing schools.
So those authorizing bodies, those folks that are making decisions about who stays open,
who closes, it means that they have to have people on those boards that understand the communities,
understand what the needs are and what's not being met
or what is being met.
And so having Black people serve on charter school
authorizing boards makes a huge difference
in terms of like calling folks to the carpet.
I myself have done that multiple times,
and especially with larger operators
who have not kept promises to community members,
of course, students and families, but not stay true to their charter agreement.
And so authorizers are the first line of defense for that. I always encourage people,
if there's an option and an opportunity for you to serve on a board, please do so,
be it the authorizing body or be it a school itself, because the flags go up in the school's board.
That board of directors is responsible for any of the issues that happen there.
And so making sure that people are prepared to do that effectively, so that they can raise
the flag and get people connected to organizations that can help them do turnaround.
But most importantly, and who holds folks accountable for staying open or having their doors closed
is an authorizer.
And without having people at the table
who understand our communities,
authorizing is just, again, something that is white controlled
that we don't see, that we are not able to navigate.
Indeed, indeed.
All right, we appreciate it.
Thanks a bunch and continue good luck.
Thank you so much. You have a good one. Likewise. All right, folks, let. Thanks a bunch and continue good luck. Thank you so much.
You have a good one.
Likewise.
All right, folks, let's talk about this program here.
We always talk about the money, follow the money.
Well, the Trump administration is moving to dismantle
a landmark federal program that has supported minority
and women-owned businesses for more than four decades.
This could have major consequences
for black entrepreneurs and the people that work for them.
The Department of Justice has filed a proposed settlement to end the $37 billion
disadvantaged business enterprise program. It allocates at least 10% of federal transportation
funding to firms owned by historically marginalized groups. The move comes after two
white-owned Indiana construction companies sued the Department
of Transportation in 2023, arguing that their DBE program was unconstitutional in a matter
to discrimination against non-minority businesses.
Now, mind you, 90% of the $700 billion in federal contract goes to white people.
And other minority and women business enterprises, white women get 78% of that.
No shock, Donald Trump administration
sided with the white plaintiffs stating
that the program's race and gender based requirements
quote, can no longer pass constitutional scrutiny
in light of recent Supreme Court decisions,
which is actually bullshit.
If a federal judge approves the settlement,
the DVE program would be permanently dismantled,
putting at risk the livelihoods of 49,000 minority
and women-owned businesses that rely on these contracts to grow and compete
in the $759 billion transportation sector.
Matt, this is why this is bullshit.
They are trying to take the Supreme Court decision
regarding race and admissions apply to everything.
That's bullshit, Matt.
The Supreme Court is on record as laying out the parameters
of affirmative action in contracting in previous decisions.
So this college admissions ruling should have no bearing
on the other programs which the Supreme Court has already
established precedent.
Now, they can always overturn that precedent, but to say that the college admissions Supreme
Court decision now impacts every other is a lie.
Which is exactly why they're framing it this way, to try to extend or modify the law. There's a rule in the federal rules of civil procedure that says you can try to modify
existing law in certain circumstances. And that's what they're trying to do. They're
trying to engraft that upon any issue where there is a racial component to it, or they think there's
an affirmative action component to it. And they're trying to take that logic and attack every single
thing, a la Edward Bloom, which we know he's doing and others behind that movement are doing.
And I have really three thoughts on this. The first is, I had a conversation this week. I
didn't realize that she had said this, but Nikole Hannah-Jones apparently said something, I think,
very profound that's appropriate here. She said, what you're seeing is you're seeing the language
of civil rights obviously being co-opted by white plaintiffs
trying to turn things on their head.
And that's exactly right, because if you look at this complaint, in this complaint, they
cited that, quote, disfavored groups are being disadvantaged by, quote, preferred racial
groups.
It's crazy that they would frame it that way, because they're calling the white people here
disfavored.
But just like you said, the imbalance is so egregious.
I mean, 90% of that $7 billion is going towards white firms,
then it stands to reason that is de facto the favored group.
So to use that language is to turn it on its head
and to try to extend that law.
But the other thing about it that's bogus
is that the Trump administration is apparently
on record in this court filing saying that this was patently unconstitutional.
Now, Rome, every day of the week, they file some asinine lawsuit that is patently unconstitutional,
or really, he files an executive order that, on its face, is unconstitutional.
We're seeing the courts continue to say they're doing things unconstitutional
and they're talking about the other side of their head
this time when they say that this is unconstitutional
and that's why they're ending the program.
So there's not only cognitive dissonance
but there is flat out dishonesty
because they choose to do things that are unconstitutional
when it's ideologically consistent
with what they want to do.
And otherwise they're trying to beat the drum the other way
and you cannot have that.
Michael, you remember this bullshit right here?
The platinum plan.
Opportunity by achieving historic employment levels
for black Americans as well as increasing access
to capital for new businesses.
Trump has been committed to ensuring all black Americans
can achieve the American dream.
Remember, he claimed three million new jobs,
creating 500,000 new black-owned businesses,
increased access to capital in black communities
by almost 500 billion, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
All the limits, black economic empowerment
and access to capital.
Oh, I'm gonna do all of these things.
This and the other, and oh, look at this here. Oh my goodness, fueling access to capital. Oh, I'm gonna do all of these things. And this, then the other, and oh, look at this here.
Oh my goodness, fueling access to capital
for black-owned businesses.
Look at this here.
He said, huh, make the Minority Business Development
Agency permanent.
Appoint its leader to the Assistant Secretary
of Commerce level, create a sub-office
of African-American Affairs, and engage
with private sector advisors to ensure real world plans and solutions. Oh, look at this
here. Increase the number of black owned contracting businesses, financial
services entities and private equity investment funds through regulatory
reform and up to $40 billion in Oh, and up to $40 billion in, oh, and up to $40 billion
in government funding alongside
traditional private investment.
Oh, that was all of the things that he was sitting here
touting that he was going to be doing.
And boy, I'm gonna, oh, look at this right here.
He said he was gonna seek infrastructure funding
that will lead to widespread growth
in the annual 500 billion federal contracting opportunities.
Look at this year. Grow minority owned businesses with additional tax cuts to stimulate hiring and investment.
We said it then and then all these Negroes, oh, Ice Cube.
He met with the Trump people and y'all DisCube.
What did I say to Ice Cube?
They full of shit cube
Don't buy the bullshit cube. They lying. We said that we called it out and all these little negroes
I'm gonna talk about some of them. Uh the help I call them the help and that's right
I'm talking about you Michaela Montgomery. I'm talking about you. Cherise lane. I'm talking about you pastor daryl scott
I'm talking about david harris. I'm talking about king randall. I'm talking about you, Pastor Darryl Scott. I'm talking about David Harris.
I'm talking about King Randall.
I'm talking about Joseph Pinyon.
I'm talking about Terrence Williams.
All you simple Simon Negroes who were at the White House
Black History Month reception, y'all just skinning and grinning.
Y'all just happy to be in the house thinking y'all doing boots on the ground when they were sitting here
tap dancing on your goddamn heads
You know
You know rolling I call that the fool's gold plan we talked about a
Lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives
in small ways.
Three or four days a week I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has
gone up.
So now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action.
And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg
Business Week.
I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest
stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our
everyday lives. With guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams,
and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull, we'll take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms,
even the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that
they're doing. So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
And they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened
when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Inc.
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeart Radio
app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes one, two, and three
on May 21st and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus
on Apple Podcasts.
Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts.
I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
Sir, we are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
It's just a compassionate choice to allow players
all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from
Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug dance. Benny the
Butcher, Brent Smith from Shinedown, B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz
Caramouche. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter
and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to
Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
I always had to be so good no one could ignore me.
Carve my path with data and drive.
But some people only see who I am on paper.
The paper ceiling, the limitations from degree screens
to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.
Workers skilled through alternative routes
rather than a bachelor's degree.
It's time for skills to speak for themselves.
Find resources for breaking through barriers
at tearthepapersealing.org.
Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.
This on your show October 2020.
That's when I made my first appearance.
I've been on your show for five years.
I call it the fool's gold plan.
Donald Trump basically didn't do any of that stuff in his first term in office.
Keep in mind he had four years to do all that.
He basically did none of that.
And he just signed an executive order at the end of March 2025 to kill the Minority Business
Development Agency that he promised in the bullshit platinum plan that he was going to
make permanent. OK? And when you look at the conversation that we just had with Naomi,
you look at that Supreme Court ruling, 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in college
admissions.
They're using this as one of the tools to get all these programs that were partially
beneficial for African Americans, whether we talk about the $37 billion program, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
program, OK? And then you saw on the platinum plan he talked about the infrastructure bill.
Every other week was infrastructure week in the Trump, in the first Trump administration.
He could not get the infrastructure bill passed. But you know who got one pushed through? Biden Harris, $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. And this $37 billion is distributed. That's part of,
it's distributed in that $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
So, when you go through, and I encourage all the people that you just named, Google,
how have the policies of the Biden-Harris administration helped the Black community?
One of the documents that comes up
is about a 36-page document that takes you through all these.
The fastest growth of black-owned businesses
in the last 30 years happened
under the Biden-Harris administration.
When you look at the also $10 billion
in government contracts, okay, in 2023,
$10 billion in government contracts
went to African-American owned businesses.
Now, even though that was only about 1.7%
of all government contracts, that's a record amount.
We didn't get that under the Trump administration.
But see, the whole, but again,
their whole deal here, Melinda, is to shut it all down.
And I ain't sitting here saying where the fans at.
I'm saying where the FBA at?
Where the B1 at?
Where all y'all Negroes?
Come on, here's what I wanna know.
Phillip Scott, Jason Black, come on.
Vicki Dillon.
You can't be common to help the world.
Vicki Dillon, come on, come on.
What's the other boy with the little documentaries?
I forgot his little name.
All y'all, all them Negroes.
Your vote ain't gonna do nothing.
It ain't gonna do nothing.
It ain't gonna achieve nothing.
Really?
And these are the, hold up, hold up.
Where you punk ass at, boys?
Watkins?
All y'all ran y'all miles.
Y'all was shitting on Kamala shitting on
Biden y'all was sitting there all of y'all not nonsense and we told y'all
voting has an impact and so and then y'all running so I love the same
Negroes yeah I'm specifically because he normally I don't even say nothing about
his sorry trifling ass but I'm gonna go ahead and say it.
All this bullshit, boys and white kids,
after Trump inauguration,
we need to focus on black-owned businesses,
building black-owned businesses,
supporting black-owned businesses.
Well, please tell me this.
If your ass can't get access to federal contracts,
and your ass can't get state contracts,
then they're gonna target county contracts,
then they're gonna target city contracts,
and school district contracts, what's your ass gonna get? contracts, then they're gonna target city contracts and school district contracts,
what your ass gonna get?
Oh, I'm sorry, because when they also shutting down DEI,
now you can't get corporate.
So let me, I just wanna know,
all of y'all support black-owned businesses,
Negroes, who shitted on Harris,
and saying,
damn her and you and why I ain't say vote for Trump,
but that's what you were saying indirectly.
I just wanna know if the shut down this program,
forget the contracts.
So again, we see loss of contracts in corporate,
loss of contracts in federal,
Republicans are controlling the red states
where black people are.
So what do you think they're gonna do next in Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
Tennessee, South Carolina,
Republicans control North Carolina legislature,
which this is gonna happen in Arkansas.
What do you think?
So, that's all I'm trying to understand.
But see, we were called shields.
We were called kiss up to the Democratic Party.
See all you so-called wannabe fake ass radicals,
super duper revolutionaries.
Here's what I wanna know.
Every black person can't sell incense. Every black person can't sell incense.
Every black person can't have a t-shirt business.
Every black person can't sit here.
So I just want to know what businesses do y'all think
black people can actually create?
And here's the reality that nobody wants to own up.
The United States economy is a $30 trillion economy.
Black people do not have enough money
to solely fund black people.
It's just a fact.
If black spending power is 1.6 trillion,
and if we know that most Americans are spending half of their income on housing,
boom, 1.6 is now cut to 800 billion. So we,
we ain't got the food, we ain't got the clothes.
We ain't got to any of that stuff as well.
So the point I'm saying is you cannot grow a black business sector if you're
only serving one community and when you're getting X'd out and now we're talking engineering firms,
architecture firms, now we're talking about contracts with DOD, now we're talking about
contracts with every federal government agency, please tell me what's gonna happen. But we were shields.
We were sitting here, oh, we were on the plantation.
Oh, we were sitting here kissing up to Kamala.
All this shit has happened,
and we ain't even hit the six month mark
of this white supremacist administration.
Mm-hmm.
Well, there are a couple things I wanna respond to.
First, Michael, I do love that you did point out
how Trump did not do anything in those four years
in regards to the platinum plan.
And that's also the excuse that people used for Kamala,
but they didn't give her the chance
when she wasn't even president in the first place.
So I do love that you pointed that out.
But I think that this is a clear move
to obviously block black people specifically,
but also women and minorities
from just achieving any form of economic success.
It's just a way to strip away the support
that we need to level the playing field
because they don't want us to level the playing field.
They want to cast light us to make it seem like
we don't have enough money,
we don't have the infrastructure,
we don't have the good businesses.
The way for them to continue to control us.
And the reality is that we've had generations of exclusion
and discrimination that have kept us
from allowing our black businesses to succeed.
And that's exactly why they are getting rid of this help
because they don't want us to surpass them in any way.
They don't want us to achieve any form of success.
Do all y'all on the show, do y'all remember,
let me just go ahead and pull this up
because I think a lot of people just seem to forget.
So just in case anybody is sitting here saying,
you know, I don't know about all that,
well, just go to my iPad.
See, if y'all go right now to YouTube
and type in, Roland Martin defund black America,
you are going to see, these are the segments that we did,
we've done thus far where I said,
Trump wants to defund black America.
Oh, I laid it all out.
I'm sorry, what is this right here?
Oh, this is called White Fear,
how the browning of America
is making white folks lose their minds.
Everything in this book I've been saying since 2009,
the book was published in 2022,
you can get it on Audible as well.
Oh, I'm sorry.
What was I saying in this book?
They're gonna be attacking every single economic program
that black people have been able to participate in.
Oh, and let me be real clear.
I'm not saying those programs have been amazing,
have been great, have been wonderful.
My point is they actually exist.
Last point I'll make before I go to break,
this is also for you simple silence some bitches out there
who were sitting here talking all this shit,
calling all this out.
We all saying, well see all that stuff,
that ain't got down, that ain't got down
to the brother and the sister in the hood.
That's also a lie.
Cause you know what?
When you own a black owned business,
you're likely gonna be employing black people.
That means somebody not only is a VP or a COO,
some salesperson, they also might be an assistant
or a receptionist.
That means that they now have a job
and they are also funding other family members.
It also means that, well, so you're going to go.
Oh, those same black-owned businesses are funding
black institutions. Those same black-owned businesses are creating
economic opportunities and funding HBCUs. They are tithing in churches. They are
supporting black organizations. Oh, I'm not talking just about the Divine Nine.
I'm not talking just about Alpha and AKA and Delta and Omega and
Kappa and all the Divine Nine. I'm not talking just about Prince Hall Mason. I'm not talking
just about the Lynx or Jack and Jill or the top ladies of distinction. See, all y'all
punk ass, oh the black boule, the black boule. Y'all don't know shit about black people. Y'all don't
know shit about how black people, how things are funded in the black community. And the underpinning
of the black middle class and the black lower class has literally been access to contracts. On top of that, it has been access to jobs in government,
federal government, state government, city government,
county government, school district government.
So what then happens when you begin
to whack those particular jobs?
What begins to happen when you whack those jobs,
oh I'm sorry, they start getting laid off.
Oh I'm sorry, what then happens?
Their kids now can't go to school.
What then happens?
They now have to file for unemployment insurance
because they don't have a job
and we're seeing that right now.
So it's called the downstream effect.
The downstream impact of all of these
different things and all y'all simple signs. Oh, I remember Umar saying, uh, that vote ain't
gonna get you nothing. Really? Okay. Gotcha. All y'all, what's all them people y'all listen to,
all running their mouths,
feeding the algorithm,
feeding on Instagram and TikTok and Twitter
and Facebook and YouTube,
y'all sitting there going,
see, you a sellout.
Say, yeah, you a sellout.
You a sellout.
And we told y'all asses this was gonna happen.
We told you exactly what they were gonna tell you.
And here's the worst part.
They fucking told you to.
They gave your ass a nearly 1,000 page document
and they told you we coming after all your shit.
And y'all run the fuck around with your little,
oh, talking Black Wall Street, Black Wall Street.
Oh yeah, we need to get back to Black Wall Street.
Well, tell me this here.
How you gonna build some shit without some contracts?
See y'all, the same simple signers.
Oh yeah, see you got $350,000 from the Kamala campaign.
And yeah, you got that, it's called advertising.
You know who also got advertising?
Disney, Comcast, Sinclair.
I could go down the damn line.
All media companies live on advertising.
Oh, I'm sorry, so if I got a media company
that can't get advertising,
so I'm supposed to do shit for free,
run ads for free, really?
So when Netflix is running ads on a Fox, what?
So Fox get to charge different ads,
but I can't charge different ads?
Is that how this works?
Oh, I'm sorry, so how did we just buy our new vehicle
for $276,000?
How do we pay for the insurance for $20,000 a year?
Oh, it's coming from advertising contracts.
That shit's called business.
So can we just go ahead and cut to the chase?
The real reason that people are talking all this shit,
a bunch of them simple simons,
because they actually don't have businesses.
They've been talking about opening schools now for a decade.
See, I'm going there, because see, this is what happens
when you listen to people who don't know shit they talking.
I saw a video earlier, and a sister,
she just killed me with the video.
She said, don't y'all notice, she said,
very few people go from employee to entrepreneur.
She said, yo ass was never a middle manager.
You ain't never seen the P&L statement,
you ain't never seen a damn spreadsheet,
but now you wanna be an entrepreneur.
Cause you think a business card says CEO,
and now you the boss, and now you running some shit.
No, that ain't the case.
Oh, I know somebody sitting there saying,
damn dog, you on one.
Yeah, I'm on one, cause we told you dumbasses
what was gonna go down.
We told you what they were doing.
We told you that they were pissed
with the advancements of black America.
We told you they did not like 2043
and the estimates saying America's gonna be a nation
majority people of color.
We told y'all that.
So that's why they hate the Haitians in Springfield.
That's why they can't stand black and brown immigrants
coming into this country,
because they like, nah, nah, this our shit.
We told y'all what the scene from the movie,
The Good Shepherd, when homeboy, when Matt Damon said,
when Joe Pesci said, we got this and they got this.
What y'all?
A lot of times the big economic forces
we hear about on the news
show up in our lives
in small ways.
Three or four days a week I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has
gone up so now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action and that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's
business from Bloomberg Business Week.
I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving
into the biggest stories in business,
taking a look at what's going on, why it matters,
and how it shows up in our everyday lives.
With guests like Business Week editor Brad Stone,
sports reporter Randall Williams,
and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull
will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms,
even the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a
multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is
Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One,
Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st,
and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th.
Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glod.
And this is season two of the World on Drugs podcast.
We are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
It's just a compassionate choice to allow players
all reasonable means to care for themselves.
Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.
We have this misunderstanding
of what this quote unquote drug thing is.
Benny the Butcher.
Brent Smith from Shinedown.
Got B-Real from Cypress Hill.
NHL enforcer Riley Cote.
Marine Corvette.
MMA fighter, Liz Karamouche.
What we're doing now isn't working
and we need to change things.
Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast
season two on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to
Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Sometimes as dads, I think we're too hard on ourselves.
We get down on ourselves on not being able to, you know, we're the providers,
but we also have to learn to take care of ourselves.
Arapahue, you gotta pray for yourself,
as well as for everybody else, but never forget yourself.
Self-love made me a better dad
because I realized my worth.
Never stop being a dad.
That's dedication.
Find out more at fatherhood.gov,
brought to you by the US
Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council.
They said we got the United States of America, the rest of y'all just visited. But a lot
of y'all chose to listen to chaos agents who are grossly ill-informed, and what are they doing?
They snatching it all.
What did we just tell y'all?
They want to permanently,
permanently get rid
of the disadvantaged business enterprise program.
Do you now understand that you wiped that out?
Now, please tell me how you're going to compete for contracts.
You do know that under Trump,
they re-bundle contracts.
So as opposed to having $10 million contracts, which you were then able to having 10, $10 million contracts,
which you were then able to compete for,
they don't know, make that one $100 million contract.
Now you can't compete.
Oh, I'm sorry, where did that unbundling come from?
Oh, that was from Maynard Jackson.
That was from Atlanta.
You know, the city where black people were getting
.0012% of all contracts?
1972, he became mayor, 1973?
So what'd he say?
Let's unbundle contracts to allow an African-American
to become a prime contractor.
What does that mean?
Well, cause the rules say,
I cover city government, y'all cover county government.
I saw how they actually wrote the rules
of various proposals.
Yes, I actually saw how they were written.
And they would say, you cannot be on a prime contract
Unless you have been a prime contractor. So therefore if you are only a subcontractor
You never can be on a prime contractor Maynard Jackson in Atlanta. They changed that when they said, okay
We're gonna break the contracts up. You now can, we gonna call them 10 prime contracts.
You now can bid on a prime.
And if you bid on a prime and win it one time,
you now can now compete for prime contracts in the future.
But y'all keep listening to the simple Simons
who call us shields, who say we're the boule,
who say we talk down to regular ordinary people and understand
they literally have no idea what the hell they're talking about and
they got a lot of y'all fooled
listening to them and y'all just repeat phrases as if and then you say oh, yeah
y'all are over there talking down to people
Okay Please by all means And then you say, oh yeah, y'all are over there talking down to people. Okay.
Please by all means,
tell me what's gonna happen
when a 37 billion dollar initiative is wiped out.
Where you gonna go?
That's why y'all gotta support this show. That's why y'all gotta support this show.
That's why y'all gotta watch this show.
That's why y'all gotta not listen to folk
who don't know what they're talking about
because I'm telling y'all, I'm telling y'all.
And it's real simple.
How many of these same shows talking about this very story?
I'll wait.
And what are they saying? I'll wait. And what are they saying?
I'll wait.
They ain't saying nothing.
They feed you a bunch of bullshit.
Now, maybe you can subsist on bullshit going right ahead.
Because for me last I checked what you ingest is what you
output. So therefore if you ingest bullshit, you going
out put bullshit.
So therefore, if you ingest bullshit,
you gonna output bullshit.
Join our Breed & Funk fan club.
We do this every single night.
And it's this show and others,
because this is about getting real information
so you can understand that the attacks that are going on
and there is a clear and present danger,
and that is a racist asshole
who is sitting in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
who is causing massive destruction to not only present day America,
present day black America,
but they simply want to provide more destruction
for the next 50 to 100 years of black America.
We have to be armed with the information
to know how to fight it,
but if you don't even know how they're attacking you,
you don't know how to respond to the attack. Cash app, use the Stripe Cure
code you see it right here folks click the cash app button to continue to
contribute you want to send a check of money order a P.O. Box make it
payable to five make it payable to Roland Martin unfiltered. P.O. Box 57196
Washington DC 20037-0196 PayPal R Martin unfiltered Venmo RM uh... appeal box five seven one nine six washington dc two zero zero three seven that zero one nine six
paypal are martin unfiltered demo are in my filter zel rolling at rolling s
martin dot com
rolling at rolling martin unfiltered dot com
when we come back all my god
my
of black conservative who brought his ass on this show,
selectively edited the segment to raise money
for his school in Georgia,
is now complaining about a jobs program being cut,
and he's now demanding leaders fix it
when the person who cut it was Trump,
and his ass was happy to see him get elected.
It was Trump and his ass was happy to see him get elected.
Oh, I'm coming back with the CVS receipts for King Randall's ass.
I'll be back.
On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens,
have you ever had a million dollar idea
and wondered how to bring it to life?
Well, it's all about turning problems into opportunities.
On our next Get Wealthy,
you'll learn of a woman who identified
the overload bag syndrome,
and now she's taking that money to the bank
through global sales in major department stores.
And I was just struggling with two or three bags
on the train.
And I looked around on the train and I said,
you know what, there are a lot of women
that are carrying two or three bags.
That's right here on Get Wealthy,
only on Black Star Network.
Next on The Black Table with me, Greg Carr.
We featured the brand new work of Professor Angie Porter, which simply put is a revolutionary
reframing of the African experience in this country.
It's the one legal article everyone, and I mean everyone, should read.
Professor Porter and Dr. Vlithia Watkins,
our legal roundtable team,
join us to explore the paper that I guarantee
is going to prompt a major aha moment in our culture.
You crystallize it by saying, who are we to other people?
Who are African people to others?
Governance is our thing.
Who are we to each other?
The structures we create for ourselves,
how we order the universe as African people.
That's next on the Black Table,
here on the Black Star Network.
This week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie,
we're talking all things faith, family, and
fatherhood. Men step in and out of our lives in a variety of ways as fathers, uncles, cousins,
and different ways in which we enjoy their company and presence and in other ways when
they get on our nerves.
This week on our show, we'll be talking about what it means to be a father, how women can
support the men in their lives,
as well as how do we heal the wounds that we've had
from poor conversation, lack of desire,
and all of the other ways that we sometimes as women
check out and cause our men to feel emasculated.
That's all this week on A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie.
This week on the other side of change.
Mass incarceration, Trump administration
is doubling down on criminalization
and how it is profitable.
And there's something really, really perverse
about saying that we need to put people in cages
in order for other people to have jobs.
Like that is not how our economy should be built.
Only on the other side of change on the Black Star Network.
This is not how our economy should be built. Only on the other side of change on the Black Star Network.
Hey, this is Motown recording artist, Kim.
You are watching Roland Martin unfiltered.
Boy, he always unfiltered though.
I ain't never known him to be filtered.
Is there another way to experience Roland Martin than to be unfiltered?
Of course he's unfiltered.
Would you expect anything less?
Watch what happens next.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
All right, y'all.
So, I was on Instagram a little bit early
and I came across this video.
And then I watched this video and I said,
I know I'm not seeing what I'm seeing.
So I need you to play the video I saw on Instagram.
I need you to, y'all don't have the video?
I sent you the link to, okay, all right.
Let me play the video myself. Cause y'all don't have the video? I sent you the link to, okay, all right, let me play the video myself.
Because y'all, I saw this video, woo,
and I say I was hot.
When I saw it, I say I can't believe what I'm seeing.
This nonsense that I'm seeing from this person right here,
posted on Instagram, and I'm like,
I know that is not who I think it is,
posting what he just posted.
And then I looked at it and I said, oh, that is him.
I can't believe he posted that video.
So let me go ahead and show y'all this
because I want y'all going, y'all going trip,
y'all going trip, trip, trip.
Watch this video.
It's closing here in the city of Albany
and that leaves us with a little over 500 students that were here on this campus Trip, trip. Watch this video. Where it's closing here in the city of Albany
and that leaves us with a little over 500 students
that were here on this campus.
And 19% of those students are labeled as homeless.
We have a little over 250 jobs
that'll be leaving the city of Albany.
And while this is not the city of Albany
government's fault,
this is a time for our local and state leadership
to step up,
because we'd be stupid to act powerless in this situation.
Because while this school is still here, while this building is still here, excuse me, while
this campus is still here, what could this become?
Could this become a Southwest Georgia regional hub for trade skills training?
Could this become something major that the city brings on to start training workforce?
Because if we're training workforce, then we can invite industry to come here.
But if we don't have any workforce for industry,
they'll never come.
If Doherty County School System could train workforce
in adults, why can't the city of Albany do the same thing?
So my question to leadership is,
are we gonna allow this opportunity now to pass us by?
Or are we gonna lead?
Are our leaders gonna lead?
And if they don't wanna lead,
then you step aside and let somebody else do it.
Oh, he said that if our leaders are not gonna lead,
they should step aside and let somebody else do it.
That's interesting.
Now, when I saw,
I remember when he came on this show,
after he was going at me on Twitter,
when he was supporting the Republicans in Georgia voter
suppression bill, and he was talking shit with another black conservative.
Then they said, well, he ain't going to never put us on the show.
Now bite his ass on the show.
Then he tried to change his tone when he came on the show.
Roll it.
Joining us right now is King Randall One, founder of the X for Boys organization based out of Georgia.
So King, explain why in the world you're conservative, correct?
Yes, sir.
So please explain to me why this bill, why Republicans are pushing for a voter suppression
bill when last year we saw record turnout in Georgia. Record turnout.
So why would they want to restrict voting
when you just had record turnout in Georgia?
Well, let me start off by saying you had me mistaken.
I'm not a Republican.
I do consider myself conservative.
No, no, no. Actually, I didn't say Republican.
I said you're conservative.
OK.
I said you're conservative.
Right, absolutely.
That's what I said.
Right.
Yeah, I was saying that because you called me a you're conservative. Right, absolutely. That's what I said. Right.
Yeah, I was saying that because you called me Republican on Twitter.
However, with this particular bill, I don't consider voting my particular fight.
I do consider voting an asset to us and maybe something we can use as a tactic to help.
But as far as us pushing voting all the way out, like voting is going to be some systemic
change for the black community, to me is not the way out, like, voting's gonna be some systemic change, uh, for the black community, uh, to me, is-is not the way to go.
Um, if you look at the human anatomy of the body,
the body has its many different parts.
And I do respect, uh, you guys' fight,
you know, in regards to voting,
but I don't consider myself, uh, fighting,
uh, for the right to vote that much because...
Do you not vote?
We hadn't got anything from the government.
Do you not vote?
Uh, yes, sir, I vote, absolutely.
Okay, so when you say, you guys' fight, first of all, there are multiple fights, there
are multiple issues we can be concerned about.
Voting is one of those issues.
Are you not concerned that Republicans in your state are trying to restrict access to
the ballot for no reason other than they are pushing the lie that Donald Trump also pushed?
Right, absolutely.
I understand exactly what you're saying.
However, again, that's not my fight. I believe- No, no, absolutely. I understand exactly what you're saying. However, again, that's not my fight.
I believe...
No, no, no.
I asked you a question.
I asked you a question, and the question is this here.
Do you believe Republicans in your state are wrong to be pushing this voter suppression
bill?
Can you give me the list of things that's all on the bill?
Because I know you said the voter ID...
Well, no, here's a perfect example.
This particular b----.
What was funny is he was defending the voter
suppression bill on Twitter, but he didn't think
I was going to buy him on the show.
So let me tell you what he did.
He then posts that video.
He edits it.
He edits the video.
And then, oh, you know, I'm building this school.
Black man should be helping me build my school.
You know, and in the same simple Simon Legals
I called out earlier, they were all like, that's right, rolling one. That's a shame. You should be ashamed of yourself
You should be supporting this brother at his school. Oh, that's right
He just thought them Negroes were sitting here sending him money
And then what he did is he got on Fox News and Lawrence Jones had him on then the white conservatives jumped on him
And so he starts raising money. And so any time he's mentioning me on Twitter, it was all about raising money.
Oh man, oh they were after me for two years,
while I was dissing his brother,
and all sort of stuff along those lines.
And I'm like, okay, that's interesting.
And so, here you now have King Randall,
now complaining about a program,
jobs being cut, and how that's hurting young folks.
And that's interesting, because the And that's interesting because the program
that he's speaking about,
that very specific program in Albany, Georgia,
he's talking about, go to my iPad.
This is the story right here.
US Department of Labor pauses Job Corps Center operations.
So the very program that he is complaining about
has been stopped
by the Trump Department of Justice.
Now, here's what I don't understand.
Matter of fact, let me go ahead and play this again,
because see, I love it when somebody calls out leaders,
but they don't really call out the specific leaders
who they talking about.
So let me just go ahead and play it again,
what he had to say, because he was just so incensed
at this program was being cut
because it was vital to providing jobs for young people.
Listen again.
Let's do it.
Turn the job course closing here in the city of Albany
and that leaves us with a little over 500 students
that were here on this campus and 19% of those students are labeled as homeless. We have a little over 250
jobs that'll be leaving the city of Albany and while this is not the city of Albany government's
fault this is a time for our local and state leadership to step up because we'd be stupid.
Hold up he said it's not the city of Albany's fault and we will be stupid not
to step up and lead. Listen. It's fault. This is a time for our local and state
leadership to step up because we'd be stupid to act powerless in this
situation because while this school is still here, while this building is still
here, excuse me, while this campus is still here, what could this become? Could
this become a Southwest Georgia regional Hub for trade skills training? Could this become something major that the
city brings on to start training workforce? Because if we're training workforce, then
we can invite industry to come here. But if we don't have any workforce for industry,
they'll never come. If Doherty County School System could train workforce and adults, why
can't the city of Albany do the same thing? So my question to leadership is are we gonna allow this opportunity now to pass us by?
Are we gonna lead? Are our leaders gonna lead? And if they don't want to lead, they need to
step aside and let somebody else do it.
Turn the job course closing here in the city of Albany and that leaves us with a
little over 500 students that were here on this campus and here we are here we are he's complaining about he's complaining about losing the jobs okay
that's interesting and then he says this this ain't city and state leaders fault
which means that it's someone else's fault.
So, King Randall, whose fault is it?
Whose fault is it?
Who's over that particular program?
Who controlled the funding?
Who made the decision to shut that particular program down?
I would like to know that.
So I remember seeing a particular photo on social media.
And I remember, and I said, wait a minute,
I remember seeing somebody,
I remember seeing somebody at the White House Christmas party.
Go to my iPad.
I'm sorry, is that King Randall?
It says New Emerging King.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Maybe y'all say, well, you know, that's just a photo.
Well, there was another black conservative
who posted a video.
Can y'all roll that video, please?
This is just...
...to celebrate Black History Month, despite the media alleging
that it was counseled by President Trump.
But like always, fake news.
I landed safely thanks to Delta Airlines and Tyler
took a quick shot before throwing on my Sunday's best.
Here I'm rocking my Pelagio sports jacket
with a black turtleneck and a black Bailey fedora.
Soon after this, I ran into my black-to-feminine on the way to the White House, but I must give a shout out to
the guy that made it all happen, Pierre Wilson. He is the real deal, but when moves like this,
he's clearly not like us. We were all smiles, waiting in line in this 20 degree weather to
get inside to celebrate this momentous occasion because of what it meant to all of us. All I can
think about in my head right here is how much I've overcame throughout the years,
been open with my conservatism.
For some reason, it brings out the worst in people.
A lot of times the big economic forces
we hear about on the news
show up in our lives in small ways.
Three or four days a week,
I would buy two cups of banana pudding,
but the price has gone up.
So now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action.
And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business
from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business,
taking a look at what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up
in our everyday lives.
With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone,
sports reporter Randall Williams,
and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull,
we'll take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms,
even the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain.
I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is
that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your
gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened
when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad.
It's really, really, really bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season One,
Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. of Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st,
and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th.
Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the War on Drugs Podcast.
Sir, we are back. In a big way. In a very big way. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sir, we are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
It's just a compassionate choice to allow players
all reasonable means to care for themselves.
Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.
We have this misunderstanding
of what this quote unquote drug band.
Benny the Butcher.
Brent Smith from Shinedown.
Got B-Real from Cypress Hill.
NHL enforcer Riley Cote.
Marine Corvette, MMA fighter Liz Caramouche.
What we're doing now isn't working
and we need to change things.
Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple
Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to
Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcast.
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 US Department of Health and Human Services,
and the Ad Council.
And I think it's because I refuse to live up
to their expectations of me. While I was in the White House, I wasn't quite sure how much I could record, ad council. to use it and toss it straight into the trash can. They rolled out the red carpet for everyone
who were dressed to the nines, looking good,
smelling good, eating good, drinking good,
and sounding good.
See, the Marine Band that was in charge of the music
understood the assignment.
They were playing everything from earth, wind, and fire
all the way down to Sam Cooke, making this a magical time.
Everything opened up by a classical version of
America the Beautiful set in the atmosphere and it was great to be surrounded by so many of my
favorite people. Michaela Montgomery, David Harris Jr, Terrence K. Williams.
Go back. Who do y'all see right there on the left?
That looked like King Randall.
So let me get this straight.
King Randall complains about a federal program getting cut
that's taking jobs away in his town of Albany, Georgia.
He's a self-identified conservative, don't call
me Republican, okay fine, but you're standing there smiling and cheesing with the MAGA Negroes,
the help. You're at the White House, you're supporting Trump, but now you're mad and you want local and state officials
to fix the problem that Trump created.
And in your Instagram video,
your ass didn't even mention the word federal.
You didn't even say Trump.
You didn't even say MAGA.
You didn't even say Doge.
Now you want folks to step up and fix the problem.
What I've been telling y'all, I've been telling y'all the help.
That's the black people who are standing with Donald Trump.
They claim all black people, y'all on the plantation, y'all on the plantation, on the plantation.
Trump is going to be helping us out and Donald Trump has consistently had policies that have negatively impact
people and these simple Simon Negroes ain't said nothing
Darrell Scott ain't said nothing Sharice Lane ain't said nothing
Michaela ain't said nothing Angela Stanton King ain't said nothing. Angela Stanton King ain't said nothing.
We can go, Joseph Pinyon ain't said nothing.
Terrence Williams ain't said nothing.
David Harris Jr. ain't said nothing.
Byron Donalds ain't said nothing.
Tim Scott ain't said nothing.
Wesley Hunt ain't said nothing.
Burgess Owens ain't said nothing.
I can go down the line, but now y'all complaining.
Trump is sat here and got rid of the settlement
to impact the sewage backing up in the yards
and the homes of black people in Lowndes County, Alabama.
Said nothing.
Said nothing about canceling the lawsuit
against the petrochemical companies in Cancer Alley
in Louisiana, where black people are dying because of that.
The help ain't said nothing.
So now you want us, now you want to call on folks
to stand up and fix the program.
Come on, King Randall.
You're supposed to be big and bold.
You're supposed to be a big man on campus.
Why is it you won't even say Donald Trump?
You won't even say MAGA.
You know why?
Because y'all scared of your daddy.
Because y'all scared he not going to Because y'all scared he not gonna invite y'all back to the White House.
And see y'all love Tom Biden. Y'all won't say nothing. Oh trust me, I lit Obama up on several
different things. I did the same thing with Biden. See, I believe in accountability. I don't just sit
here and say one thing, but see they real real quiet all this stuff that's negatively impacted black people all
Of them are quiet
They ain't saying nothing
Not a word
So come on randall
But I dare you randall
I dare you to call your boy Lawrence B Jones and Fox News
I dare you to call your boy Lawrence B. Jones at Fox News
who's down on the morning couch and say,
Lawrence, can I please come on to make a personal appeal
to Trump to restore the programming for this,
the funding for this program so we don't lose these jobs?
I don't think that's gonna happen,
because you know why?
Because see, Lawrence B. Jones ain't trying
to be on the bad side of Donald Trump,
because they all trying to kiss that orange Mac ass.
So isn't it interesting that you come on my show,
you talk shit on Twitter, you didn't think
I was going to invite you, then you did a bait and switch
when you came on my show, then you used my show
to raise money for your school, but now you
complaining about job losses of young people in your town.
And it's Trump's fault you ain't saying a word.
Hmm, ain't that interesting.
I guess that's how it goes these days, Makayla.
The help is quiet when it's time to speak up.
I mean, that's why I wonder why.
Melinda, I'm sorry, Melinda, I'm sorry.
It's okay, it's okay.
You weren't going off about Makayla.
You just living rent free in your head. You'reinda, I'm sorry. It's okay, it's okay. You are going off about, Mekayla. You're living rent free in your head.
You're upset, I get it.
But no, I just think it's funny that people like us
are apparently on the plantation,
but we're not afraid to actually criticize our party
or people that we vote for,
but they will not say anything about Trump
when it is explicitly his fault.
I just looked it up, it's the Department of Labor
and it's about his budget.
That's why they cut the Job Corps program.
So it is directly a result of him voting for Trump
and he doesn't wanna have to reconcile with the fact
that he was a part of the problem that made this happen.
So Michael, well, Roland,
we tried to tell him and how many times have I talked about this document on your
show before?
OK, this deals with the policies of the Biden-Harris administration that help black people.
The Biden-Harris administration advances equity and opportunity for black Americans and communities
across the country.
OK, this documents that. And right now, Donald Trump is wiping out the advancement
that African Americans have made going back to the 1960s. On day one, he revoked Executive
Order 11246, which was affirmative action. On day one, he revoked Executive Order 11985,
which Biden signed on his first day in office, which put in motion all this that happened
because that executive order dealt with equity
and that immensely helped African-Americans.
So yes, it's good to have an independent school.
We've been doing that for decades, independent schools,
but we have to understand how politics impacts
every aspect of your life.
And your understanding of politics
is directly related to your understanding of history.
So there's a lot of people talking about politics
that don't understand history.
Matt.
I don't have anything profound to add,
but all I'll say is that I think it's a missed opportunity
because you think, you know,
if you look at this from a nuanced perspective,
I mean, this is an opportunity, right,
for local people to, you know,
invest in this lost job program.
But the issue with that is you don't have credibility
if you don't call out why the job program was lost,
which is your point.
And that's the issue that I see here.
I mean, it looks like this brother,
theoretically, is trying to do something good
in his community, but you lose credibility
when you don't say why it's no longer there and why your desire
to have proximity to power is more important
than the actual things you stand,
you claim to stand for, which is, you know,
having jobs in the community.
You should be able to say,
this is gone because of a Trump policy.
The same way you would surely say,
if that program was lost under Mr. Biden's administration,
that this is no longer here
because the Biden administration took it away from you.
Unless you're willing to call a spade a spade,
you aren't credible.
And I don't see why you wouldn't do that here,
but I understand, you got to kiss the ring.
And that's what we're seeing conservatives of all colors do.
They're all afraid to call out Trump.
They're all afraid to call out his insanity
because they want to keep that proximity to power.
Mm-hmm.
And that's why y'all need to go ahead.
Y'all got our t-shirt.
That's why y'all need to get our new shirt,
hashtag we tried to tell you.
FAFO 2025.
That's why we got that shirt right there
because probably 2025, a bunch of y'all fucking around
and y'all finding out real quick.
All right.
Somebody in the chat room said,
damn bro, you on one today.
Yes I am.
So let me go ahead and go to the third thing
that pissed me off.
So on Monday I came home, I came home,
did I play golf?
I played golf on Monday I think, so I came home
and my wife was watching this docu-series
on the History Channel and it was called The Frontiers, Man Who Built America.
So they have a series of these documentaries,
The Man Who Built America,
they have The Food That Built America.
This is a whole series.
And so when I saw this,
I saw that one of the executive producers
were Leonardo DiCaprio.
And so I sit down and I happen to walk in
as they were talking about how Davy Crockett
and Andrew Jackson were at odds
and how Davy Crockett lost his bid for Congress.
And then they were talking about how that was a play
on Davy Crockett and then how Davy Crockett
then moved to Texas and he was walking into a war
raging in Texas. Roll this.
As Crockett begins to settle in, he realizes Texas is on the verge of rebellion.
After years of loose governance, Mexican President Santa Ana suddenly imposes new restrictions
on settlers.
Now, angry Texans.
Santa Ana, he imposes new restrictions on settlers.
Now, if you're watching, you will go, hmm, I'm curious.
What are those new restrictions?
They never say.
Press play.
Are calling for revolution.
Texas was on the verge of independence that the Texians.
Oh, he says Texas were on the verge of independence.
OK, go ahead, roll it.
Go ahead, roll it.
Since they were called, we're going to try to become independent.
I need you to claim his land.
And there would be possibilities, land
and political opportunity.
In response, Santa Anna sends 500 troops
to confiscate weapons and quell unrest.
When Texans refuse to give in, he makes plans to retaliate.
Santa Anna is training an army in San Luis Potosi
to march against Texas.
Santa Ana did not think that this was a local insurgency.
He was absolutely convinced the United States was involved.
And so that's why the Mexican government was so determined
to put down this revolt.
Crockett arrives in Texas at the same time as news
of Santa Ana's counterattack.
Crockett arrives in Texas at the same time as news of Santa Ana's counterattack. When Crockett had gone to Texas, it was really just meant to be an extended hunting expedition
and land scout, and he bumbles right into a war for independence.
He stumbles into a war for independence, and I'm just sitting here going, what are they trying
to be independent about?
Press play.
A number of things happened along the way.
One was the appearance of Haley's Comet.
And when Haley's Comet appeared in the sky in 1836,
some people thought that it meant that David Crockett
was coming to Texas to fight for independence.
Here we go again with that independence.
And so the docuseries kept going on
and then they went to episode four.
And then I'm watching it, they talk about the Alamo
and they talk about independence, independence,
independence, independence.
Then they go to the Battle of San Jacinto, then they talk about what happenedamo, they talk about independence, independence, independence, independence. Then they go to the Battle of San Jacinto,
then they talk about what happened there, roll it.
...suffer just 11 casualties.
The crushing defeat leads to Mexico's surrender.
And Texas finally wins independence. Here we go right there. Texas finally wins independence.
Here we go right there.
Texas finally wins independence.
What in the hell is Texas trying to be independent for?
I still have it, have it answered.
Roll it.
Back in Washington, D.C., Jackson welcomes the news.
He's dreamed of Texas joining the U.S. for years,
but the future of Texas is caught in the growing debate
over slavery.
Congress wasn't willing to go along with annexation
because Texas would enter the union with slavery.
And the...
Oh, my God!
We finally hear the word slavery.
Press play.
The addition of Texas would tip the balance in the Senate
in favor of the pro-slavery side.
The result of this was that Texas remained in this limbo
for almost a decade.
See, the problem is, I think I know what the problem is.
See, the problem is is I am the reason
the plantation owners couldn't stand reading Negroes. I think that's the real problem. The real problem is I'm one of the Negroes who can read.
And so I'm sitting here watching this doctor series,
and I'm cussing the whole time,
because I have this.
I have this book.
And I've discussed this book on my show.
I had an interview with the author. Actually, I got two copies of this book on my show. I had an interview with the author.
Actually, I got two copies of this book.
And I'm watching and I'm like,
Leonard DiCaprio, you really want your name
on some lying shit, fake ass stuff?
Dr. Gerald Horne joins me right now.
Professor at University of Houston
and title of this book is called
The Counter-Revolution of 1836,
Texas Slavery and Jim Crow and the Roots of US Fascism.
Book came about during COVID,
it is a fascinating book,
and I need y'all to understand something.
Y'all see how thick this book is?
I want y'all to see how thick this book is.
I am a native Texan, born and raised in Houston,
and every Texan is required to take seventh grade history.
And that book is thicker than this book right here.
And everything in this book was never
in one of those history books I read growing up.
Gerald, it pissed me off watching this series
to listen to them go,
independence, independence, independence.
And not one time Gerald did they ever say
what the hell they were trying to get away from Mexico for?
Well, this is Trumpian history to put it mildly.
As you know more than most, when Texas seceded from Mexico and declared independence in 1836,
a central reason was that Mexico, under a president of African descent, speaking of
Vicente Guerrero, had moved to abolish slavery.
And the slave owners in Texas, including those who led the revolt, and speaking of Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, at all,
rather than acquiesce to slavery,
they decided to start an independent country,
the Republic of Texas, which interestingly enough,
after it came into independence,
began to challenge the United States
for leading the African slave trade.
The Lone Star flag of Texas could be found
off the coast of Angola in Southwest Africa,
off the coast of Brazil, the major market,
off the coast of Cuba.
Of course, if you look at your map,
you'll see there's a straight shot from Galveston, Texas,
the major slave trading port to Cuba.
And so that is what Mr. DiCaprio
and his comrades neglected to Cuba. And so that is what Mr. DiCaprio and his comrades neglected to note.
And Gerald, you lay out in the book,
the reason they hated Mexico so much
because there was literally another country
that was an abolitionist country
bordering the fledgling United States of America?
Well, more than that,
when Mexico comes into independence,
it also allies with revolutionary Haiti.
Abolitionist Haiti, as you know,
came into independence as the first black republic in 1804
and instantaneously began to put pressure
on the slave trading powers, including
the United States.
And then when Texas seceded from Mexico, Haiti had reason to then put pressure on Texas and
lead with Mexico.
And that too outraged the enslavers of Texas, because they thought this was mighty audacious
for the black rulers of Mexico and Haiti to be
aligning. And then, of course, they were plotting, speaking of Mexico and Haiti, to invade Spanish
ruled Cuba and liberate the Africans there from enslavement. So they thought that the Mexicans
and the Haitians had gotten too big for their britches. And that led to the secession from Mexico
by Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston
and the so-called Texians.
I am not one who believes that you or I
have to be in every document, in every sort of thing.
But I just found it interesting, Gerald, watching this. And I've seen
many of these. And I'm like, wow, all of these historians you talk to, and none of them are black,
and you're having all of these people sharing their thoughts about Texas independence, and nobody,
nobody utters slavery.
Well, it's even worse because as you know, the 2020 census showed that Texas has the largest
black population in the United States of America.
And in fact, the Texas black population
has been in the vanguard of struggle,
as you know more than most for decades.
And so it's a slap in the face of Roland Martin
and other black Houstonians to put this kind of
tripe and trash on the airwaves.
And it also, I mean, it also has to be,
and you're used to it being a historian,
it also has to be offensive that the History Channel,
the History Channel, which really should be called
the His Story Channel, is presenting these docu-series
and offering them up as the, and this is for, again,
for the generation of people that don't read,
offering this up as somehow, no,
this is the stuff you don't know about.
So people watch this and they walk away from this
and go, hmm, I never knew those things.
So now what they are doing,
which you talked about being Trumpian,
they now, they can't stand folks like you
because really they want,
let's keep telling that white his story
and keep advancing that Douglas Blackman,
poor surprise when the author,
a white journalist out of Atlanta.
Douglas is a great guy.
This is, he was responding to my post
because I put it on LinkedIn,
which led to us booking you.
He said, I haven't seen this series,
but Roland Martin's anger and exasperation is dead on
about how pop history and pop culture
continue to quote,
teach millions of people versions of our history
that are simply false, factually wrong,
fabricated, empirically disproven.
The most nauseating part is how these fictions
and perversions of truth are now so often presented
with the tools and forms of documentary film and published works that,
quote, look authoritative and are effectively endorsed by legitimate networks and publishers
we once might have trusted. Well, as you know, it's wholly consistent with the White House's
attack on DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion, which is
shorthand for attack on affirmative action, which is shorthand further for purging Black
people from the historical landscape.
It's consistent with the attempts to smother the Smithsonian's National African American
Museum in Washington, DC.
It's consistent with what's being.
A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways.
Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price
has gone up. So now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action.
And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg Business Week.
I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal
chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that
they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your
gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes.
But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened
when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad. It episodes one, two, and three on May 21st and episodes four,
five, and six on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts.
I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glodd. And this is season two of the World of Drugs podcast.
We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.
It's kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
It's just a compassionate choice to allow players
all reasonable means to care for themselves.
Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.
We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug band.
Benny the Butcher.
Brent Smith from Shinedown.
Got B-Real from Cypress Hill.
NHL enforcer Riley Cote.
Marine Corvette.
MMA fighter Liz Karamouche.
What we're doing now isn't working
and we need to change things.
Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season
two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast
or wherever you get your podcast.
And to hear episodes one week early
and ad free with exclusive content,
subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcast.
I always had to be so good.
No one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive.
But some people only see who I am on paper.
The paper ceiling.
The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.
Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources
for breaking through barriers at tearthepapersealing.org, brought to you
by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.
Debated at the state legislature in Austin as we speak, so-called SB 37,
which if it comes into law will lead to a routing
of African-American studies departments,
black studies departments,
Africana studies departments.
They're attempting to poison the minds of our youth
to make them enlist willingly
in the Trump crusade against black people.
And again, what happens with these networks,
again, for the people who are not gonna read
your four or 500 pages, it's like,
oh, I can sit here and I can now just get
all of this stuff in one nice place, prepackaged,
looks great, tells us sounds convincing,
and what it is is it is promoting a flat out lie.
It is not being fully accurate.
It is what this series is doing.
It is portraying these white men, these frontiersmen,
the ones who were rugged, who were fighting these savages,
those Indians who were just trying to get a land
and they were just trying to live the American dream.
Never use the word stolen, never use the word genocide
as you properly use when you describe,
even in your introduction, that it was genocide
that was being committed against Native Americans.
Indeed, I've studied the United States history
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
And I must say that when you look at the history of Texas,
what leaps out at you is the fighting spirit
and the militancy of the indigenous,
particularly the Comanches.
And what's remarkable is that approximately 200 years ago,
they were ruling Texas.
And today it's difficult to find one person in Texas
of Comanche descent.
You would think that some might pose the question,
what happened to the Comanches?
What happened to the Apaches?
What happened to these Native Americans
who were ruling the plains not so long ago
and now cannot be found?
Would I look at this here?
When I look at, and let me pull this up
because I'm gonna go questions my panel
so you panel y'all get ready.
I am on imdb.com right now.
And it lists the stars of the documentary.
It lists all of the people involved, the writers.
And I'm just, I believe in naming and claiming it.
John Ehler is a director.
Johnny St. Iowas is a director.
The writers, Brian Burstein, Zachary Herman, Jeremiah Murphy, Jordan Rosenblum,
Peter Sherman, Stephen David, Tim W. Kelly, Yoshi,
let's see here, Yoshi Stone, Adam Jones Seigler
for dialogue, they're listed as the writers.
And you see the cast here, my wife made his observation. She says, my God,
I'm watching this thing and I don't see nobody black in this docu series at all.
Oh, that was a, there's one brother who played Pompeii,
but this is what I think is important. Also Gerald,
these are the producers of this trash of this factually incorrect and wrong
stuff. Petra Hobo, Thaddeus Buska, Chelsea Coates,
Mary Donahue, Sam Epstein, Carter Figueroa,
Ronald Fried, Tim W. Kelly, Nick Guttler,
Brian Meir, Paul Kleiman, Brian Burstein,
Liz DeFord, Nikki McCrone, Michael Hampton,
Jonathan Soule, Yoshi Stone, Philip Watson, Christian Burns, Steven David,
Jennifer Davidson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell McCarroll.
Those are executive producers.
Now again, some of these folks participated
in some of this series from, you see 2017, 2018.
These are cinematographers, these are editors.
These are, this is casting, this is production designer,
art director, costume designer, makeup, production manager,
everything that goes along with it.
The reason all of this is important, Gerald,
is because these are the people who are responsible
for producing the docu-series,
and the History Channel has an obligation
that before you air some crap like this,
that it needs to be factually correct.
And we see documentaries on PBS where they will say,
oh no, no, no, these things need to be corrected
before we put this on the air.
The problem that I have is when you air this kind of crap,
folk run with it and go,
I saw it on the History Channel, it must be true.
Well, maybe that's part of the problem, because obviously the History Channel
is pumping out propaganda. And we should also ask ourselves, who are the major stockholders
in the History Channel? Who are the puppeteers, for example? You cited Mr. DiCaprio, but of course,
You cited Mr. DiCaprio, but of course, he is getting a paycheck from someone higher
on the food chain.
And I think that it's highly appropriate
for you to call these people out,
just like I think it's even more appropriate
for your audience to begin to ask these searching questions
as to how this sort of propaganda,
which ultimately is an expression of anti-blackness,
how it manages to worm its way into our living room. as to how this sort of propaganda, which ultimately is an expression of anti-blackness,
how it manages to worm its way into our living room.
Well, the people who own it is A&E.
Who owns A&E, go back to my iPad,
is the Hearst Corporation.
And A&E Global Media also is a joint venture
of Hearst and the Walt Disney Company.
So A&E falls under, A&E Global Media falls under,
the ownership is Hearst and the Walt Disney Company.
And so the History Channel is one of the networks
that fall underneath that.
So the question that we should be asking specifically,
I say definitely are to the producers
and the writers and the researchers
because they're doing the docu-series,
then it is airing on the History Channel.
So who are the execs in charge of that particular show?
And now you go to the owners of the History Channel,
which is A&E Global, and that is the Hearst Corporation
and the Walt Disney Company.
Questions from the panel, I'll start with Michael first.
Hey, Gerald, good to see you again.
Right on.
All right.
When we deal with this history,
and I teach about Texas independence also,
when we talk about the Texas Rangers,
starting about 1835, 1836,
part of their duty was also capturing runaway slaves as well.
Okay.
Can you talk some about that history also?
And we know, I'm glad you mentioned Vicente Guerrero, the second president of Mexico who
was Afro-Latino, former slave, because he abolished slavery in Mexico in 1829.
Well, it's interesting.
The Texas Rangers, in many ways,
were state-sponsored death squads.
Not only were they capturing...
Domestic terrorists.
Exactly.
They were hell on the indigenous population.
And keep in mind as well that one of the reasons that the United States itself waged
war against Mexico a few years later in 1846, walking away with California, which now builds
itself as the fourth largest economy on planet Earth, is because Mexico refused to return
runaway Africans who had crossed the border into Mexico, leading to
major capital loss on the part of Texas and slavers.
It's oftentimes discussed in this country about following the North Star of freedom,
which is highly appropriate.
That is to say, the Africans escaping north to Canada, but thousands of Africans were
escaping south into Mexico.
Correct.
Each do the war against Mexico,
which leads to the denuding of a good deal
of Mexican territory.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's go to Matt Manning,
cause he's out of Corpus Christi, Matt.
So Dr. Horn, I'm a lifelong Texan.
I took that Texas history class
a lot more recently than Roland, cause I'm not as longan. I took that Texas history class a lot more recently
than Roland, because I'm not as long in the tooth, but.
But guess what?
Guess what?
It's the same damn book.
That shit ain't changed.
Your ass had the same thick ass book.
I'm sure Ms. Swafford got that book from you
when she taught it to me much more recently,
but you learned it.
And I was shaking my head
because Michael literally stole the question I was going to ask.
But to just add some contour, I was
going to ask Dr. Horn if you'd shed some light on how much
what you've seen in terms of your historical review,
how much of that reticence to return the capital loss
was discussed at the time.
Because obviously, I never learned that in Texas history,
but clearly that was one of the major impetus behind, you know, their seeking to break away.
So how much of that was actually being discussed in documents at the time, if you know?
Well, the newspapers were full of these sorts of stories.
Keep in mind as well that these so-called Texians were not above crossing the border into Mexico and
snatching dark-skinned people who they thought could pass for an enslaved African
Driving them kicking and screaming across the border to work as an enslaved person
This person might not have been a runaway. It might have been an afro-mexican for example
So the Texians raised hell in Mexico, which is one of the reasons if you talk to Mexicans
today, at least those that are intelligent, they have a very negative evaluation of Texas
generally in the United States more broadly.
Melinda?
So I just want to talk a little bit actually about the production of the docu series.
As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for years, I think the unfortunate
part about this is that when you distribute a docu series like this and you have certain
names attached, there is a level of trust when it comes to distributing it.
So having the name Leonardo DiCaprio attached to something like this, people may not unfortunately
watch it ahead of time
to fact check it.
And that's just as you said, you know, Roland,
with black led charter schools earlier in the program,
there needs to be more of a push for black led
produced history productions.
So on that note, because we're such a media driven society,
I'm just wondering if you have any docu-series
that you know of that are black produced
and research that have been distributed that you would recommend
for people to watch?
Well, it just escaped me,
but there's a joint Canadian broadcasting,
South African broadcasting series
on slavery in the United States.
If you put those terms into a search engine
it'll probably emerge.
And it presents a view of the United States
and indeed a view of 1776 that is altogether different
from the kind of poppycock and balderdash
and propaganda we're being fed
and will be fed in bountiful amounts coming in the runup
to 2026, the 250th anniversary of the birthday
of the United States of America.
I should also mention that the Hearst Corporation, which is at the top of the food chain in terms
of this docuseries, also controls the Houston Chronicle, the major daily newspaper in this
sizable city.
And in fact, the Houston Chronicle is actually the largest newspaper in the southwest
United States.
Exactly.
And so what that says to me is that they have less of an excuse to put out falsehoods because
they're cited, or at least they have an organ, they have an arm of the corporation right
there in the Lone Star State, right there in the state of Texas in the city of Houston.
I read the Houston Chronicle on a regular basis.
And I know some of these people
who are administering that newspaper.
So they really have no excuse
for making this sort of production.
Is this what you're referring to Gerald?
I'm on the CBC's Canadian broadcast.
This is called, called Enslaved?
That's one.
And there's another one too, starring the woman.
If you can put this into the search.
I will.
The Williams sister's mother in that Will Smith vehicle.
Aunt Janelle Ellis.
Exactly.
She's in this CBC South African broadcasting production.
I showed it to my class.
Oh, oh, oh.
You mean, oh, it actually aired on, you mean the Book of Negroes.
There it is.
Yeah, that actually, yeah, that actually aired on BET.
BET actually aired that.
It's called the Book of Negroes.
Yes.
Yes.
I recommend it highly.
It's an eye-opener.
And once again, it's not financed by U.S. entities.
It's financed by the Canadians and the South Africans.
Yeah, that actually, what you're talking about,
aired in 2014.
Pull the audio up, please.
This is the trailer that Gerald was talking about.
You gotta let go of that African thing.
This your home now?
We's all you got.
We're coming to CBC. We are all you got. Coming to CBC.
We are not in the Prime Minister's land, not yet.
I am Amnata Jialu.
I seem to have trouble dying.
For all accounts, I should not have lived this long.
I have been across the big river, and now I am back.
The Book of Negroes begins Wednesday, January 7th on CBC.
That's what that is.
And so I just, I really, I mean, Gerald,
I was just so irked when I saw that,
and knowing the true history, and knowing that people
will watch this, and they will think that, oh,
that these people, they were just, they just were just land
and those horrible Mexicans just wouldn't just leave
those Western settlers alone and Davy Crockett
and Sam Houston, they all were coming there
because they were looking for a better life
leaving the places.
No, they were pissed off that Mexico said,
we're not going to allow you to continue
you having slavery in the Texas territory.
That's what pissed them off.
And they said, no, they bought the jack up the economy.
That's the only economy that we have
and we're gonna fight.
And that's what the Alamo was about.
That's where all that crap was about.
And that's what Sandra Bland was about.
Recall that a few years ago in Prairie View,
Texas, this black woman wound up dead as a result of an unfortunate encounter with the authorities
in that suburb, if you like, of Houston, Texas. George Floyd, not coincidentally, also has roots
in the Lone Star State as well. Yeah, with the same high school idea, Jack Aids High School.
Exactly.
And so you cannot separate the kind of misinformation
and disinformation that's pumped out through the airwaves
that presents a profound representation of anti-blackness
for the kinds of unfortunate slayings
and murders that take place all too routinely
inflicted against black people with roots
in the Lone Star State.
And this is one of the reasons why.
And again, what happens when you know your history,
when you know those things
and people sort of get mad at you.
I did this in a lot of people,
Gerald were not happy with me,
but ain't like I gave a damn.
When Rick Perry was the governor of Texas,
he felt that when Texas A&M joined
the Southeastern Conference,
that there needed to be something,
some trophy or something that was awarded to whoever won the annual game
between Texas A&M and the University of South Carolina.
So then they sell upon something called the Bonham Trophy.
And so this is few have ever heard of this.
And so this is the trophy right here.
And you see the Bonham trophy.
Well, a couple of years ago, I was actually I was watching the game
and it was on ESPN.
They were talking about, hey, where is this trophy?
Who had it? Who has it?
Where can we find it? Didn't quite understand it.
And so again, when you don't know history,
the Bonham Trophies named and modeled
after Alamo battle hero, James Bonham.
He was from South Carolina, traveled to Texas
to fight with the Texians at the Alamo.
And so they wanted to talk about it.
And really it got lost.
Folks didn't know where in the hell the trophy was
and all of that.
And I actually did a video earlier on this
and I said to any Texas A&M player
and South Carolina player, especially if you black,
if your ass holds this trophy up,
you are holding up a Confederate monument
because anybody who was fighting at the Alamo
against Santa Ana's troops,
those people were fighting to continue slavery in Texas.
Well, as you know more than most,
in Houston in particular,
there's still a number of streets
named after Confederate heroes.
It was not so long ago that the street
that's now called Emancipation Avenue near the University of
Houston was named after a bloodstained Confederate.
And of course, he has not been alone in that ill-fated regard.
And so we have a lot of work to do, and I congratulate you for bringing this trashy
docu-series to a wider attention of our audience.
We of course in a couple of weeks are going to have Juneteenth
and before I let you go, I really just want you,
and I shared this with,
I was talking to Governor Westmore
and we were talking about Juneteenth, the celebration there,
and I said to him, Governor, please do me a favor.
I need you and others to make perfectly clear
that Juneteenth was not a day of picnics.
It was not a day of celebration.
It wasn't a day of barbecues and cookouts
that for black people in Texas where Juneteenth was founded,
it was about freedom.
It was the pursuit of economic freedom.
It was pursuit of the right to vote, civil rights.
I said, what we cannot do is allow that Juneteenth
is a national holiday and it is the only day
that actually recognizes and tied to slavery.
We cannot allow this to be bastardized and prostituted and turn into a day of partying
and lying dancing. There has to be a freedom, a freedom component that tied with it.
Well, more than that, we also need accuracy with regard to Juneteenth. That is to say
the traditional story of the men in blue showing up in Galveston and
alerting these enslaved Africans to the reality.
A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways.
Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up.
So now I only buy one.
two cups of banana pudding.
But the price has gone up.
So now I only buy one.
The demand curve in action.
And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on everybody's business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chafkin.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
Every Friday we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at
what's going on, why it matters and how it shows up in our everyday lives.
With guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, Sports Reporter Randall Williams, and consumer
spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even
the signal chats that make our economy tick.
Hey, I want to learn about VeChain.
I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time,
have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Sometimes the answer is yes,
but there's a company dedicated to a future
where the answer will always be no.
Across the country, cops called this Taser the revolution.
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened
when a multibillion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad.
It's really, really, really bad.
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Binge episodes one, two, and three on May 21st,
and episodes four, five, and six on June 4th.
Ad free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is season two of the We're on Drugs podcast.
Yes, sir, we are back.
In a big way.
In a very big way.
In a very big way.
Real people, real perspectives.
This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
It's just a compassionate choice to allow players
all reasonable means to care for themselves.
Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne for Brothers Osborne.
We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug
band.
Benny the Butcher.
Brent Smith from Shinedown.
Got B-Real from Cypress Hill.
NHL enforcer Riley Cote.
Marine Corvette, MMA fighter Liz Karamouche.
What we're doing now isn't working,
and we need to change things.
Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.
It makes it real. It really them. It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast
or wherever you get your podcast.
And to hear episodes one week early
and ad free with exclusive content,
subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcast. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me.
Carve my path with data and drive.
But some people only see who I am on paper.
The paper ceiling.
The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars.
Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree.
It's time for skills to speak for themselves.
Find resources for breaking through barriers at tearthepaperceiling.org brought to you
by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.
...supposedly you're free.
That's a misrepresentation.
First of all, the Emancipation Proclamation,
January 1st, 1863, issued by the Lincoln government,
did not have any standing in Confederate Texas.
Actually, what happens is that the men in blue
of the US Army are showing up in Galveston
because the enslavers plan to extend slavery back into Mexico,
because recall Cinco de Mayo marked on May 5th every year,
particularly by our Mexican-American brothers and sisters,
the French had taken over Mexico and they were supporting the Confederates.
And so the Confederates were going to make a jailbreak into Mexico,
dragging, kicking,
and screaming enslaved Africans alongside with them so that they could extend the life
and legacy of slavery.
But what happens with the men in blue showing up in Galveston, they were recruiting these
black men as the Confederacy was collapsing, and they managed to join the men in blue.
And then they, along with progressive and patriotic Mexicans,
helped to strangle the French-based puppet regime.
And, interestingly enough, the French puppet leader,
Maximilian, he was assassinated.
He was killed.
He was subjected to the death penalty on June 19, 1867.
And that is a further reason to mark Juneteenth
because June 19th, 1867 in many ways has more resonance
and more profundity than June 19th, 1865,
which is part of the traditional story.
Last thing I wanna do is this here.
Cause as you were talking, you mentioned
that the documentary, the six six part series out of Canada.
I actually had the director of this movie,
it came out during COVID, did not get much attention.
It was about a group of black soldiers
in Houston, Texas, during Jim Crow,
who was sick and tired of sick and tired,
it's called The 24th.
A lot of people had no idea about this.
And it was, folks, if y'all pull it up on YouTube,
the interview that we did with the director, he was, it was a folks have y'all pulled up on YouTube the interview that we did with the director he was it was fascinating conversation about the
making of this movie and so folks if you're not aware of this we're just
gonna play this trailer then we go shut close this out.
Men of the 24th Infantry this is Texas.
We have a great opportunity here.
Legacy, if proven worthy, will carry us all the way to the shores of France.
Things are a little different down here in the South. I will expect you men to obey the racial code. Yes, sir.
Get back with the others. Just go ahead and drive this machine.
All units across.
This a white man's work.
Every man here has got a lit fuse.
Jim Crow's the law.
Respect it.
What are we gonna do?
The police brutalize us, sir.
All we want is to be treated as soldiers.
As military police, you are to ensure order of the men of the 24th Infantry only.
Drop the knife.
Back up!
I was robbed of my honor.
You get out of here before they take your stoop.
General can get the 24th in the fight.
He's never going to do that.
What do we do sir?
William, I've done all I can do here.
We have a problem.
They're gonna take our country back.
Law run this town.
There's a militia on the way.
Are they?
Which way did they go?
They keep pushing people down.
Sooner or later, they rise up.
Fire!
Can you identify any of the leaders of the mutiny?
The cover!
When I aimed the gun, I saw a man.
He didn't see one back.
That was a black director, black writers and again our stories are important.
Folks, it's always great to have Gerald. I can say this. director black writers and again our stores important folks.
It's always great to have Gerald I can say this I got
problems that I think I know Michael I know you have on the
show but the guy probably sold more Gerald harm book to
anybody else. If I'm Gerald got a book he's on the show.
He's a prolific writer and amazing historian. It's I got
no problem helping to put coins in Gerald's pockets.
Y'all, I'm telling y'all, get this book.
Because what Gerald does in here, because
it's called the Counterrevolution of 1836, Texas slavery and Jim Crow and the Root
of US Fascism, and he connects, he calls it the Counterrevolution of 1836.
He's connecting the American Revolution and the Texas Revolution and the Civil War
and how all of these things are combined.
And if you also again, want to understand present day,
see this is why every year when Governor Greg Abbott
and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick,
they put on a social media,
hey is Texas Independence Day?
And I go, bullshit, this is Texas continuing slavery day.
And originally I call that trophy out.
I need black people to stop walking around
and unknowingly celebrating Confederate history.
And we have been indoctrinated with his story,
and that's why that History Channel thing is trash.
I have hit somebody in Hollywood who knows DiCaprio.
I said, send this to him.
I will absolutely send it to the folks at A&E,
send it to the folks at Hearst in Disney.
Matter of fact, I think Hearst,
I think I know a sister who's an executive there,
but we can't be silent
when this trash is presented that distorts American history because that's what these
people want to do. They don't want Gerald Horne's books in libraries, in schools. They don't want
other black authors because they want to continue to perpetuate the lie of American history. Gerald, final word.
Well, once again, I take my hat off to you.
I salute Roland Martin on filter.
You're doing a bang up job.
I wish that you would issue an IPO
cause I would certainly invest.
Well, that's something that we trust be moving towards.
We're just methodically building the network,
the shows that we're adding.
Y'all, this book is called The Counter-Revolution of 1836.
Go ahead and pull up Texas slavery
and Jim Crow and the roots of US fascism.
Absolutely fascinating history of this country.
Dr. Gerald Horne, always great to see you, my brother.
Right on, good luck to you.
Thank you very much.
Let me thank my panel.
Melinda, let me thank, let me thank Michael, let me thank Matt again, y'all.
You ain't getting this on other shows, folks.
The mainstream media ain't even talking about this here.
And so this is why we need Black-owned platforms
speaking to our story, speaking to our history,
and presenting our stories in a way nobody else is doing.
So that's why we want you to support what we do. Join our Bring the Funk
fan club. We purposefully do not charge a subscription fee. We do not have a
Patreon. We have a sub stack but it's free. We're not trying to charge y'all
for the content. We want you to be sharing this. We want you posting these
clips. We want it widely available because too many of our people don't know.
That's the reason why we do the show five days a week. I know we went overtime. I know Truth
Talks was live at eight o'clock, but this was so critically important because I just
need to, I need our folk to stop walking around, keep, continue to present the bullshit that
they have been feeding us when we truly have a true story. That's one of the reasons why
somebody gave this to me. I have no idea who gave this black Wall Street shirt to me.
I have no idea, but it was been in my room for like a year.
So I said, hell, I'm gonna wear it today.
But this is a perfect example.
There wasn't one black Wall Street.
There were numerous black Wall Streets.
And so they were burned down and then rebuilt as well.
And so this is an opportunity for us
and we have to accept it.
I need everybody to watch it.
What we're doing right now is no different
than what Robert Abbott did with the Chicago Defenders.
No different than what Frederick Douglass did
with the North Stars.
No different than what Ottabie Wells Barnett did
with her newspaper that was firebomb.
That's why there's no copy of her paper.
There's no copy in existence anywhere of her newspaper
because it was firebomb. In fact, I can't even... Look, you don't have to know the name. Just keep
the camera right there. The name of her paper is called... and I have it on my wall,
it's called the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. I have a mural in my office
that pays homage to black-owned media and that's on there. But the reason that
name doesn't even roll off our tongue because we don't even see it. So,
supporting this show allows us to be able to have the panelists that name doesn't even roll up our tongue because we don't even see it. So supporting this show allows us to be able
to have the panelists that we have on,
allows us to be able to hire staff.
We got new interns starting, we got three,
how many we got in that three?
Two interns in there, we got three starting next week
and creating new opportunities.
And so your support is critically important.
This is the mural that I'm talking about.
You see right there, That's actually in my office that
we pay homage to the black-owned media. My man Kenan designed that and you've
got all of those black-owned media outlets on that wall. That is for a
reason. That's what I look at every single day when I come into the office
because we have to be able to ask Freedoms Journal, we got that mural, you got that show that too.
We got a mural in another office, which is the nation's first black newspaper,
Freedoms Journal.
This paragraph was in the third paragraph of the front page of Freedoms Journal on
March 16th, 1827.
And it says, we wish to plead our own cause.
Too long have others spoken for us.
That is so important.
That is so important to us
because we are living in a world,
we are living in a moment right now
where as that history,
that lie of a history documentary shows us what happens
when they lie, when they do not speak truth about
what is going on in our country.
And so we've got to be able to counter that,
we got to be able to have the truth,
we got to be able to speak the truth.
And I was just saying, so I'm just gonna show y'all,
so go to my phone.
So this is that mural that we have in this office.
And you see it, March 16th, 1827.
And that quote is,
"'We wish to plead our own cause
"'to long have others spoken for us.'"
And so this is a moment for us to be able to speak,
yep, that's Angela Davis,
for us to be able to speak and do our own thing
with Black-owned media.
Support us via Cash App using the Stripe Cura code.
You see it right here, Stripe Cura code with Cash App.
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Set up a shot of those products on my desk.
If you wanna also get my book,
White Fear, How the Browning of America's
Making White Folks Lose Their Minds
at bookstores nationwide.
This is where you can get it.
Also, you can get the audio version
that I read on Audible.
Folks, we've got Black-owned products
on our site called shopblackstartnetwork.com,
our marketplace segment, shopblackstartnetwork.com.
We had Kavon Foods on the other day.
They sent their products to us.
We appreciate that.
You see some of those products right here.
And of course, you got the chicken breading, fish breading, you got the honey apple barbecue sauce, sweet
potato barbecue sauce, honey apple salsa, gourmet seasoning, honey apple butter. And
so yeah, I'm going to be trying some of that this weekend. So support the products right
there y'all. And so I can't wait to try some of that. Don't forget to also get our gear. Roland-Mart unfiltered Black Star
Network gear. If y'all have a having issues some of y'all I see all comments
or emails if you have any issues with your products send us an email just go
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listen to if you want to listen to our audio on Belize YouTube that's what we
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networks but it goes to all platforms. Support us there.
Uh, and lastly, support, um, fan base download the app.
You want to invest, go to start engine.com forward slash fan base that black
own, uh, social media app folks.
That's it.
Enjoy the weekend.
Have an absolutely great time.
We always close the show every Friday showing the people who donate to our
show, who support our show
And then once we do that, I'm gonna send y'all the true talks. I'll see y'all on
Today's Friday, right? Yes, it is. I'll see y'all on Monday
Lot of times big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up.
So now I only buy one.
Small but important ways from tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding.
If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it.
I'm Max Chaston.
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith.
So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your
podcasts.
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 One, Taser Incorporated.
I get right back there and it's bad.
Listen to Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Clayton English.
I'm Greg Glodd.
And this is Season Two of the War on Drugs by Ken.
Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war this year, a lot of the biggest names
in music and sports.
It's kind of star-studded a little bit, man.
We met them at their homes, we met them at their recording studios.
Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
It makes it real.
It really does.
It makes it real.
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.
I always had to be so good.
No one could ignore me.
Carve my path with data and drive.
But some people only see who I am on paper.
The paper ceiling, the limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are
holding back over 70 million stars.
Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree.
It's time for skills to speak for themselves.
Find resources for breaking through barriers at tearthepaperceiling.org.
Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.
This is an iHeart Podcast.