#RolandMartinUnfiltered - The Obamas Endorse Kamala Harris, GEN Z NOW: Mass Electoral Call, 2024 NUL Conference

Episode Date: July 27, 2024

7.26.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: The Obamas Endorse Kamala Harris, GEN Z NOW: Mass Electoral Call, 2024 NUL Conference LIVE from New Orleans at the National Urban League 2024 convention! We'll talk with Marc Morial, the President and CEO of the National Urban League, David and Tamala Mann, Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crocket, and a few others.   Here's what's coming Up on Roland Martin Unfiltered streaming live on the Black Star Network. The Obamas officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.  We let you hear the call we were all waiting on.  The number of groups supporting Harris in her presidential bid is rapidly growing. White Women: Answer The Call had nearly 200,000 people who raised over $8 million. Tonight, we'll tell you how organizers are getting Gen Z excited about the upcoming election.  #BlackStarNetwork partners:Fanbase 👉🏾 https://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbaseCurl Prep 👉🏾 Visit https://www.curlprep.com/ for natural hair solutions! Us the discount code "ROLAND" at checkout Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com 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.

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

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Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Today is Friday, July 26, 2024. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, streaming live on the Black Star Network. We are here in New Orleans for the National Urban League Convention. We're going to hear from a number of people. Mark Morrell, CEO of the National Urban League. Also, David and Tamla Mann, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett,

Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson. Also, Hall of Famer basketball player Swin Cash, comedian Cheryl Underwood. Also, we're talking with Khalil Thompson, who leads WIN with Black Men. We're talking with Lieutenant General Russell Honore. And, folks, a lot more. It is a jam-packed show. It is 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 the stupid fact to find. And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's Roland, best believe he's knowing. time And it's rolling Best belief he's knowing Putting it down from sports to news to politics With entertainment just for kicks He's rolling It's Uncle Gro-Gro-Yah

It's rolling Martin Rolling with rolling now It's Rollin' Martell, yeah! Yeah! Rollin' with Rollin' now! Yeah! He's bunk, he's fresh, he's real the best, you know he's Rollin' Martell! Now! Martell! All right, folks, finally, it took long enough. Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have finally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. This video dropped this morning on social media at 5 a.m.

Kamala. Hello. Hi. Hey there. Oh, hi. You're both together. Oh, it's good to hear you both. I can't have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala, I am proud of you. This is going to be historic. We call to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office. Oh my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both, and getting out there, being on the road. But most of all, I just want to tell you, the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can

express. So thank you both. It means so much. And we're going to have some fun with this, too, aren't we? All right, folks. Let's go to my panel. Michael Imhotep hosts the African History Network show. Joining us out of Detroit, Matt Manning, civil rights attorney out of Corpus Christi, Kilopathea Communications Strategist, normally out of D.C., but she's actually here in New Orleans at the National Urban League. All right, let's get right into it. Kelly, it took them long enough.

Now, all these black folks have been mad at me on social media. Oh, it's strategic. You don't know what they're doing. No. Obama came out praising President Joe Biden on Sunday and called for an open convention process. Then you see these stories by saying, well, they didn't want to put their thumbs on the scale. Well, hell, President Clinton, Hillary Clinton had no problem endorsing. So I'm sorry.

Look, I get all that. Damn that. This endorsement should have happened a lot earlier. I completely understand where you're coming from, but I also understand the Obamas in that they have traditionally been very traditional in their endorsement style and strategy. And what I mean by that is, typically speaking, since Obama has been on the scene as president, he has not endorsed really anyone until they have officially been the Democratic nominee. So I respected his decision regarding that matter.

But these are different times, and Harris needs all the help she can get as soon as she can get it. So I think that message rang loud and clear with the Obama camp and they acted accordingly and that's what you see here now. So, you know, we're here now. Let bygones be bygones. The endorsement's there. It's locked. We're loaded.

Let's just go. You know what? Again, I mean like I get it I get the whole traditional thing here Matt but ain't nothing traditional about this race and I just think as all the potential

potential candidates begin to endorse her fine after that all happened on Monday this should have came on Tuesday and you saw what happened by the afternoon on Monday, I believe. Even Nancy Pelosi had to endorse Kamala Harris. Yeah, but I mean, frankly, I think that's kind of much to do about nothing. I think they've come, they've made their endorsement. I think the Democratic Party has to approach this, you know, differently than they would in a normal cycle. However, the Obamas are leaders in this party.

And as long as the endorsement came and came early enough for it to matter, which is now, I think it's enough. I don't know there are reasons for withholding that. I did see in the chat somebody said they were calling for an open convention. That may have been their position originally, and that position may have changed. But I did read in preparation for the show that they've got a long relationship i think 20 plus years there were times where she supported them when he was running for president he supported her when she was running for attorney general so rather than guessing i would say i'm glad they made the endorsement and i think that that's

going to continue to buoy her and her progress forward well that's my point, Michael. If you got a long relationship, damn it, you should have been a lot quicker. Well, you know, one thing I've learned about politics, Roland, is that everything doesn't happen the way you think it's going to happen or on the time frame it's going to happen. You know, people—Sunday, people were saying, oh, Senator Schumer and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn't endorse. And then I think it was between Tuesday and Wednesday they endorsed. They said, oh, Nancy Pelosi didn't endorse. Monday, Nancy Pelosi endorses. Then we see here the Obamas endorse in a rather dramatic fashion because it's part of a campaign ad. So now I think it's also important to understand there was bad blood between Obama and Biden

because Biden felt Obama was trying to push him out. And, yeah, you did have people. And I think Obama was one of them who wanted an open convention, things like this. But what happened Sunday, I think Joe Biden really boxed some people out. And I think Joe Biden really changed the game on his way out because 20 minutes after he announced on Sunday, after he announced that he was dropping out of the race, he then endorses Vice President Kamala Harris. She spends 10 hours on the telephones on Sunday calling 100 people locking in delegate votes. So then all the people who were saying, OK, we need to have an open convention, that's out the window, because between Monday and Tuesday, she locked up over 2,500

delegates, pledge delegates. You need 1,976 for the nomination. So now the whole game changed. So even some people who said they want to open convention, they had to concede. So this is good news. This is politics. And it's game on. Bring it. Well, again, glad they finally did. And I think you're absolutely right. She had it locked up definitely by Tuesday. Things are rolling in Monday. I'd rather be at the front of the train than the end of the train. I'm just saying. So I think it could have came sooner. Fine. They finally got it. And I certainly hope they're going to be aggressive on the campaign trail out there campaigning. Vice President Kamala Harris. But here's the deal. The reality is, Kelly, the momentum.

See, this is why I love when regular, ordinary people start taking over. Guess what? The politicians had to catch up. Win with a black women's call on Sunday, $45,002 million raised. Win with a black man, $54,001.4 million raised. Then Tuesday, you had 3,300 Latinas on the call. You had 2,500 South Asian women on the call on Wednesday. Nearly 200,000 white women on the call last night. It raised 8.5 million, may hit 10 million. Now you got, of course, you got black gay folk on

the call today. You got Gen Z on the call. You got the Howard folks on the call. You got Michael Skolnick doing white dudes for Harris on the call as well. And so this is awesome because this is not driven by the campaign. Yes, Biden made the decision not to run. He endorsed Kamala Harris. But this is the excitement of people. And that's why I said yesterday James Carville shut the hell up, talking about all Democrats, all elated, that's going to go yesterday, James Carville shut the hell up about all Democrats, all elated, that's going to go away. No, you ride the wave. What did Martin Long say?

You ride this sucker until the wheels fall off. That's what you're supposed to do. It is what you're supposed to do. And I see the momentum. And all I can say is I hope that it continues to move, because that's always the point of contention when it comes to Democrats and our plight to get things moving when excitement can fade. So I understand what you said about the other guy who thinks that it's going to die off. I don't think it's going to die off. I don't think it's going to die off. I just want, you know, people to be cautious and keep going, be disciplined in the momentum to keep going. It's not like we raise all this money and we're done. No, like this money is getting spent as we speak. We're going to have to keep donating. We're going to have to keep doing

these calls, regular calls, regular donations. That's how this campaign is going to keep moving. That's how we're going to get her into the White House. So that is the point of all of this. It's not about, you know, oh, we got a Black woman in there. Let's just get excited. No, she's here to do the work. And we need to put money behind her so she can get into the position for her to do the work. Roland? I don't want, man, I don't want cautious. I don't want cautious. I want folk going hard. I love how folk are saying, wait a minute, we can mobilize our own group. We don't have to sit here and wait for somebody. That's what makes organic things real.

That's actually what makes movements amazing because people are just going and going. And look, I think this thing is going to continue because they're going to need the kind of momentum. And what this is doing is it's driving fundraising. It's driving interest. It's going to be driving donations. Listen, the women for Harris were supposed to have their call on Sunday. So many white women last night signed up, along with other women. They had to move that sucker to Monday because they had to figure out how to deal with the capacity.

So there's nothing greater when platforms got to figure out, damn, we got to get bigger. They broke Zoom last night. All these platforms are now like, damn, we got to increase our capacity. We're going to hear from Khalil Thompson a little bit later, win with black men. So they've already told Zoom, yo, y'all need to be prepared. We might have upwards of 50,000 people on Sunday for our weekly call. That, to me, is what I think is about great organic moments. I think you're 100 percent right. I love that you mentioned that. And I think that's terrifying, the Trump campaign.

I think that first call with black women had something like 47,000 women within, what, like a few hours, if I remember correctly. I think it was the same day as the announcement. I saw many women that I know posted. It was Sunday night. Sunday night, yeah. So, I mean, it's a beautiful thing. And I'm glad that it's going to turn into this momentum or is already this momentum. And I'm sure that momentum is scaring the Trump campaign because you already see him equivocating about debating.

And I'm not going to do it until there's an official nominee. well I thought homie you said you wanted it anytime anywhere right so I think that they're they're running scared and I think that mobilization has really um shown what the energy is looking like right now in fact I think her tiktok um page now has something like a million followers within a very short period of time. No, no, no. More than that? Two million. Two million. Two million. I saw it on CNN last night and it said a million. But in any event, that's extraordinary growth in a very short period of time.

So I'm excited about the excitement. And I think that shows that this is something that we were talking about on the show, you know, whether there was kind of a latent excitement that hadn't come out yet because of Mr. Biden still being in the race. You know, we could have all we all had different opinions on whether the propriety of him getting out or staying in. But there was obviously an energy that was waiting to burst forth and it has come forth. And people are really, really supporting Kamala Harris. I'm glad to see it. I think last night the Bison Pack had a call and raised something like two hundred thousand dollars in a very short period of time. So I'm glad to see the mobility.

And this shows what we can do as people when we really put it on our back and get to it. Well, I'm going to tell you right now, the energy is amazing. Folks are jazzed up. And Matt, excuse me, Michael, Matt said something I think is important. He said the Trump folks should be scared and they should be because the one thing that you don't want and the polls are already coming out, swing state polls are already coming out. Gap is being closed. Harris is actually up in two of the three states. And so what you never want, you never want your opposition to get knocked down and then get up, meet the eight count and start swinging back.

And so they're now in a free fall because you got crazy J.D. Vance. All his nutty stuff is coming up, saying how he wants parents to pay lower taxes. He doesn't believe that people who don't have children should be participating in the electoral process. And first of all, y'all don't look at us. You fools who didn't vet that idiot. Exactly, exactly. So there's a number of things here. First of all, Roland, I was on the wind with Black Men Call Monday night.

Thanks so much for putting it together. I also donated. I was one of the 20,000 African-American men on the call. I shared the information on my social media platforms. The one suggestion I would make is for the next one. Roland, have some sigmas on talking like somebody like me, OK? Because I ain't see any sigmas. But, you know, I forgive you this time. Okay, first of all, let me be real clear. If we throw a rock, we can hit an alpha in leadership. Don't blame us for that. If we can't throw a rock,

you hit a sigma in leadership. Now, Michael. Now, Michael. Now, Michael. Now, you know, Michael, it ain't that many sigmas in leadership compared to Alphas. You can talk the sigmas that you have on this show dealing with politics like myself. OK, but let's continue.

That's one. So, so, well, that's one. It only takes a few of us. OK. You know, to rock this bad stuff. That's all you need. All right. Listen, don't, don't, don't hate.

Don't hate because alpha's rule. You need to finish your comment because all you're doing is embarrassing yourself. No. Come on. I'm going to make it a lie. But, so you talk about enthusiasm. When I was in sales decades ago, 20 years ago, we had a saying,

enthusiasm is contagious. What we're seeing now, I was looking at an article from TheGuardian.com today that was interviewing Gen Zers, and they were saying they were not going to vote in this election for president, but now that Vice President Kamala Harris is a candidate for president, they are engaged and they're going to vote. And this causes people to actually study policy, to understand policy, to understand how policies impact them, what happens in Washington, D.C., how it impacts you on the ground level. And people want to get engaged, want to get involved.

And this reminds me also of the modern-day civil rights movement, where, contrary to popular belief, Dr. King was not the leader of the modern-day civil rights movement. You had grassroots movements. You had other organizations as well. So you had people organizing at the grassroots level in the modern-day civil rights movement. You had grassroots movements. You had other organizations as well. So you had people organizing at the grassroots level in the modern day civil rights movement, as well as today. But J.D. Vance is scared. Donald Trump is scared. The Trump-Vance campaign already said a few weeks ago that J.D. Vance would not debate Vice President Kamala Harris in the vice presidential debate. OK, now you have Donald Trump backpedaling.

And the reason why he's backpedaling is because criminals are usually afraid of prosecutors. And she is going to prosecute the hell out of Donald Trump. And he knows it. And he's scared. And he should be scared. So we're in it to win it. It's Harris and whoever she picks as her nominee. But we have to mobilize, engage like never before because this election right here is the most consequential election

since the 1876 presidential election that brought about the end to Reconstruction. So this is about life or death. Yep, and I'm glad you mentioned Dr. King. He was an alpha. Alright, y'all. Gotta go to a break and come back. Gen Z is having... Gen Z.

You don't want to start. You don't want to start. You do not want to start. The roll call is too deep, son. It's too deep. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes.

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Know this. All right, when we come back, Gen Z is having their political call. We'll talk to them next about that right here on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. You will not replace us. White people are losing their damn lives. There's an angry pro-Trump mob storm to the U.S. Capitol. We're about to see the rise of what I call white minority resistance.

We have seen white folks in this country who simply cannot tolerate black folks voting. I think what we're seeing is the inevitable result of violent denial. This is part of American history. Every time that people of color have made progress, whether real or symbolic, there has been what Carol Anderson at every university calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. Here's all the Proud Boys, guys.

This country is getting increasingly racist in its behaviors and its attitudes because of the fear of white people. The fear that they're taking our jobs, they're taking our resources, they're taking our women. This is Whitefield. Hello, we're the Critter Fixers. I'm Dr. Bernard Hodges. And I'm Dr. Terrence Ferguson.

And you're tuning in to to Roland Martin Unfiltered. As I said, so many different groups have been meeting, of course, convening over this week. Well, tonight, Gen Z gets their turn. Some 8 million young voters are going to be age into the electorate this year during a diverse, politically active generation. The largest generation of voters, eligible voters, are millennials in Gen Z. The question is, how are they going to use their power? Tylek McMillan is the co-founder of Youth Never Let Up Coalition. He's here to talk about this Gen Z Now mass electoral call, which will be starting in about 30 minutes. Tylek, glad to have you here. We're going to hear from Representative Justin Pearson a little bit later. He and I had

this very conversation where I said, and he said the same thing to millennials in Gen Z. If you want new leadership, you've got to use your power of the vote. You won't get it if you don't do it. Yeah, that's exactly right. And as you mentioned, over 41 million eligible voters this cycle and over 8.1 of those million are just between the ages of 17 and 18. And so we have the ability to change and shift the narrative of what we say we want this country to be. We are aiming to organize over a million voters this election cycle to get them registered to vote, because we care about standing up against fascism. We care about standing up for fascism. We care about standing up

for diversity, equity, inclusion. We care about standing up for police accountability and feeling safe in our communities. We care about the fact of Project 2025, the attacks on education and reproductive freedom. We care about the futures that we live in, and there's no future for us if we are not in the conversation and at the table and at the ballot box to choose who is going to push forward to that next level. And look, there's so many different issues. Climate control is one of the issues. Gun control is one of the issues as well. And again, I just think it has to be constantly repeated that you've got to be in the game. You can't complain about old candidates if, again, you aren't voting.

And, again, the numbers are there. This election, if millennials in Gen Z back Vice President Kamala Harris, this is a blowout. It ain't even close in these states. Exactly. As I said, we're just trying to energize young folks to understand our power and to understand, you know, if we want to see change, we have to be the change. And that starts at being at the ballot box is a tool in the toolbox to get things done. I always say, you know, this system was built, you know, not to work for us, but we participate in perfect systems to make it perfect. And voting is a way that we can help shift the narrative and vote progressive folks into place so we can pass landmark legislation that agree with our values. You know,

you know, the Civil Rights Act did not come over time. The Voting Rights Act did not come over time. The Fair Housing Act did not come over time. But it took work and it took folks being able to elect folks into office who agree with our values and our beliefs. And I feel like we got too much to lose at this election. We got two candidates or we have candidates from Donald Trump who clearly says who he is and has shown us who he is. And on the other hand, we have Kamala Harris who has shown and proven herself as a leader in this space and as an ally in this space who cares about our shared values and our

shared beliefs. And so I think that the question is really clear of who we should go with and which way the tide should turn. It's the fact of hope over fear, hope over fear. And I think young people are pushing for hope. And I hope that we show that in November. Questions for a tie league. I'll start with you, Matt. Yeah, so the question I have is I heard yesterday a data point that I haven't been able to vet, and that is that 20 million baby boomers died since 2020, I think was how it was framed. My question for you is, what is the number, if you know it, of new voters who are in this Gen Z block that will be going to the polls for the first time? So not the percentage of all 41 million eligible Gen Z and millennial voters. And like I said before, 8.1 million of those are between the ages of 17 and 18.

And so understanding the power of the electorate and what we have. And I think, you know, as we look at young folks and we see where we stand on issues, we live in a very progressive mindset of where we where we, from climate to how we see policing should be ran and how our schools should be ran. We have a more progressive way of how we're thinking. That's why I definitely agree that the tide is turned towards the party. But I also have to say that young people have not necessarily arrayed themselves to a political party or to a particular side, but young folks care about their issues. And I think as we look at the candidates where the issues are aligned, well, we see which side is on the right side of history

as it relates to the issues that young folks care about. Kelly. Kelly. Kelly, you're muted. Can you hear me now? My apologies. There we go. All right. So when we talk about these issues, especially when older generations like baby boomers and Gen X talk about younger generations issues, they kind of mix up or like squeeze together millennials and Gen Z together. And they frankly forget all about Gen Alpha. Right. And technically speaking, Gen Alpha isn't ready to vote yet um because they're you know they're babies but my question is are there any issues that are specifically for gen z-ers that really just target gen z-ers that you don't necessarily see affecting millennials as much that you would like to highlight for the audience? Well, I think, you know, our lives are very intertwined in how we live. And so we talk about from climate change being important, of how we see from the investment in clean energy.

We deserve to grow up in a world where we can drink clean water and breathe clean air. I think as we talk about the understanding of how we talk about public education in schools, and as we even look at Project 2025 and even the possibility of the removal of the Department of Education, we care about the safety of our schools and the investment of our schools. We care about, as we talk about gun control and the fact that this White House is the first White House to establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. We care about how we protect ourselves in schools. Our children don't deserve to grow up in schools where they have to go through fire drills or even that thought. And so I think, you know, those basis of survival, you know, even talk about policing and public safety, we deserve to walk out of our

homes and feel safe. So how our communities, our police is important to us. And so I think our issues are very intertwined. But our ways of how we see, you know, the issue to be fixed can definitely be, you know, a little more on the radical side of things. But I think aligned, we all agree on the same issues. Michael, what's up, frat? What's going on? same issues. Michael. What's up, Frat? What's going on? Shout out. All right, see, Roland,

you can have Talik and myself on. We're both Sigmas. Go, my Frat. All right, so good to have you back. You're so happy to finally see a Sigma. You don't know what to do. So one of the questions I have for you, Talik, and you and I have talked before, is, you know, your understanding of politics is directly related to your understanding of history. When we talk about Gen Zers, what role, how do you engage understanding history to understanding

politics, to understanding laws, to understanding how laws address conditions and movements are created to get laws put in place to address conditions, things of this nature. What role does that play? And then, secondly, you talked about hope. So how what are some sources that you give Gen Zers to find out about policies that actually get passed and how those policies impact? Because a lot of a lot of Americans don't really know about the infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. Many of them have forgotten about the American Rescue Plan that no Republicans voted for. And that saved the economy and brought us out of COVID. So what are some sources that you can give them to actually research policy that gets passed and how it impacts them? Yeah, definitely. First, to address your first question, good trouble, necessary trouble. But

we understand that we also must move from demonstration to legislation. We just can't march in the streets, but we have to share our voices to see policy change. You know, Reverend Sharpton used to always tell me, you know, if we just go outside and march with no purpose, then we're just going outside to exercise. We're just not in the business of walking around. And so trying to convey the message that our demonstration has to be matched with legislation and the fact that that's how we accomplish these things. And I think voter education is gonna be really big this election, peer to peer influence. Folks listen to what their friends are saying,

what their close relatives are saying. And so honing in on that, but also the importance of having trusted sources in our community to share and uplift this information. So whether it's whether it's our football coaches or our barbers or our teachers or, you know, our content creators that we're seeing on TikTok who have these mass followings. I think we all have a responsibility in our in our respective places to uplift and highlight, you know, to the masses and educate folks. You know, civics has been taken out of school. Folks don't understand the basics of how our government is ran. And so getting down to the basics and not being afraid to say, hey, we got three branches of government.

This is how it operates. The vice president does not have the power to do X, Y and Z. We have to get back to the basics and meet people where they are. You know, we may not have to show up on on on the on the Zooms or the order or wherever. It may take us to go to the brunches. It may take us to show up to the to the to the happy hours. It may it may take us to show up, you know, to the cookouts and the kickbacks. You know, our ways of approach must be different. But I also think we must continue to convey the message

that our demonstration in the streets must also correlate with how we are operating and policy to change the things that we're talking about on social media and in the streets. OK, thank you. Taliq, what platform are you going to be using tonight for this call? Tonight, we'll be on Zoom tonight, a large gathering. Are you also streaming it on YouTube, Facebook, other platforms?

As of now, it is not being streamed elsewhere, but we're all gathering on Zoom in large numbers to talk and to organize. And this is not only an opportunity to motivate young folks, but this is an opportunity for us to talk about, you know, how are we feeling in this moment? What is it that you would like to see? What ways can you get involved? What ways can you, you know, set up a phone bank? How can you organize in your community? This is an organizing call to get young folks in all in one accord to figure out

how can we mobilize a million voters this election cycle like our life depends on it. All right. Be sure to record it. Absolutely. And we'll be sharing it out. All right. All right.

Tyler McMillan, we appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right, folks. Up next, we're here for Mark Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, as we are here in New Orleans at the National Convention. Don't forget to support us in what we do. Join the Bring the Funk fan club. Your dollars allow us to travel around this country to cover the news that matters to you.

Send your check and money order to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, martin unfiltered venmo is rm unfiltered zale rolling at rolling s martin.com rolling that rolling martin unfiltered.com we'll be right back next on the black table with me greg call democracy in the united states is under siege on this list of bad actors it's easy to point out the Donald Trumps, the Marjorie Taylor Greens, or even the United States Supreme Court as the primary villains.

But as David Pepper, author, scholar, and former politician himself says, there's another factor that trumps them all and resides much closer to many of our homes. His book is Laboratories of Autocracy, a wake-up call from behind the lines. So these state houses get hijacked by the far right. Then they gerrymander, they suppress the opposition, and that allows them to legislate in a way that doesn't reflect the people of that state. David Pepper joins us on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie,

how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message and the price that we're all paying as a result. Well, now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Hey, yo, what's up? It's Mr. Dalvin right here. What's up? This is KC.

Sitting here representing the J-O-D-E-C-I-D-A-S, Jodeci. Right here on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Alright folks, we're here in New Orleans at the National Urban League, partnering with them. 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 But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown.

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. For the second consecutive year broadcasting from their convention, a little bit earlier today, I chatted with President and CEO Mark Muriel about this conference and also about this election season. All right, Mark, been quite a busy week here in your hometown.

Hey, it's beautiful. It's wonderful to be in my beloved New Orleans, but it's also special to have you with us with the Black Star Network present for the second year in a row at the National Urban League Conference. So a great deal of appreciation. Appreciate it. And respect for what you do. I appreciate it.

Appreciate it. And you did something a little different this year. Everything is all in one place. Normally you're at the convention center. And I must say, it's a little easier because you're not having to go and come back and buses and all that. New Orleans is unique because it's got hotels like the Hyatt that are huge. Right. That have five, six ballrooms that have an abundance of meeting rooms.

So we can do something here that we can't do in a lot of cities. Right. And we thought that let's try it in one location, eliminate the walking. It's hot out there, man. Yep. Eliminate the buses. They cost money. Yep. And just give everyone this experience. eliminate the walking. It's hot out there, man. Eliminate the buses. They cost money.

And just give everyone this experience. So everything's here with the exception of the Youth Summit at Xavier and Family and Community Day, which will be tomorrow at the Morial Convention Center. Got it. Got it. This has been a wild week because what happened on Sunday was not on your agenda. What happened on Sunday was a huge surprise, but we began hearing, like so many did Thursday, Friday, that there was a possibility that Joe Biden could end his campaign. But, Roland, I've got to say, and it is without any fear of contradiction, that Joe Biden, when it comes to racial justice, when it comes to economics,

when it comes to a number of issues, is a consequential American president. Some of the things he did, a black woman on the Supreme Court, two African-Americans on the Federal Reserve Board, record number of black judges. Fifty eight out of 200. And let me say this. That is remarkable in the sense that we asked him to do it and he did it and he did it. And I think he did it with a great deal of pride. So we got to recognize that it is important to keep the Biden agenda going and growing. Well, look, the economic numbers came out just a couple of days ago. Tremendous 2.8 percent growth. Even even the Fox folks are like, oh, my God, what's going on? They can't even lie to themselves

out of that. They can't lie and talk about the economy has been destroyed. The truth is we also have the lowest black unemployment rate. But lest we not be misunderstood, that doesn't mean optimization. That doesn't mean nirvana. That doesn't mean parity. But what it does mean is that we were in double-digit black unemployment rates in 2021 when he took office, and now we're down to where we are today. So it's important that we state the record as it is, just the facts. Absolutely, absolutely. And not only that, when you look at what's happening,

when you look at how these Republicans are calling Vice President Kamala Harris a DEI hire, we see the attacks happening in corporate America, how these conservatives are leveraging their people to force these companies to back off of their commitments. I wrote about this in my book, White Fear. I tried to warn folk. I said, I see it's called White Fear, how the browning of America is making white folks lose their minds. And so we're seeing that. And so I keep telling black folks, Trump wins,

probably 2025, it's in there. They want to attack every program. And they want to attack, in my view, the 20th century. Yes. And all of the important gains. The my view, the 20th century. Yes. And all of the important gains. The second half of the 20th century. And particularly the second half of the 20th century. And this is an absolute.

They like the first half. Yeah, they like the first half. But everything from 1954 going forward. Absolutely. Is under attack. Is on the board, is going to be under tremendous attack by the Project 2025 people.

And it's been on the minds of people here, Roland, let me tell you. It's the conversation. It's got people who say, this is no longer just about rhetoric or public chaos, a public clowning by the orange man. This is also about an agenda which is dangerous, which is destructive. And, you know, we have to say it, anti-America.

Yeah, absolutely. The thing that, and what I like, what we've seen this week, and you know, I'm always talking about this here, organization mobilization, organization mobilization.

The black women call. Now, they've been meeting every Sunday for four years. The 54,000 black men on Monday. 3,300 Latinos, Latinas on Tuesday. 2,500 South Asian women on Wednesday. The 200,000 white men on Monday, 3,300 Latinos, Latinas on Tuesday, 2,500 South Asian women on Wednesday, 200,000 white women on Thursday. Now Michael Skolnik and white men are mobilizing, black gay men, Gen Z, Howard graduates, all these groups.

People have to understand the only way you can truly affect change, you can't operate as an individual. You've got to mobilize people to put pressure on systems. And what's powerful about what's happening is it's self-initiated. Right. So no one's waiting for signals from a campaign or a political party or even campaign or signals from a campaign or a political party, or even campaign or signals from a leader or leadership. And that's what's powerful. That's the definition of grassroots mobilization.

Right. The call that you organized that I spoke on along with the others was powerful because I sat and listened for two hours. And the power and the enthusiasm, but also the sense of family, Roland, in the community now about building this big coalition to try to advance change in the country is truly remarkable. So I am looking forward to the continuation

of the Black Men's Call. Looking forward to certainly encouraging people in our network and our friends to participate in it. Here at the National Urban League, voting, DE&I, civil rights, justice system reform, health disparities, educational disparities are what is on people's minds. And they are determined, I feel, to go back to their community and continue this work and continue this activism. People are registering to vote all across the nation. There's been a palpable uptick in our sense of enthusiasm and hope. Urban League is always focused on economic issues. There's been a palpable uptick in our sense of enthusiasm and hope. Urban League is always focused on economic issues.

And one of the things that this administration has not done well is articulate these economic successes. There are black folks out there who are saying, man, rent's too high, food's too high. But when you look at the broad array, I got to keep reminding people, we were coming out of a pandemic. Roland, everything is comparative. And comparative means, ask yourself, where were we on January 20th, 2021? 15 million people out of work, a black unemployment rate almost 10%. Donald Trump left a recession behind.

The last three Republican presidents, Donald Trump, Bush 43, and Bush 41, left a recession behind. Right. Our issue is, did on the watch of the president, things improve? And the answer is absolutely yes. And when you leave a recession, there's going to be pain to get out of it. I felt also that the Obama team didn't tell its economic story. They didn't. Well, Donald Trump comes in. He inherits a growing economy. Right.

Takes full credit. Right. For every aspect of it, when in effect he rode the wave. Right. That the Obama's economic recovery. Obama-Biden, yeah. Absolutely. wave that the Obama's economic recovery. Obama-Biden, yeah, absolutely. So in this instance, I'm going to speak with facts.

Donald Trump left a recession behind, 15 million people out of work, and an almost double-digit black unemployment rate, which has now come down. Hey, I'm saying to folk, black folk and all folk, don't be fooled. Don't be bamboozled. Don't fall for the hype. I had a discussion last night with two millennials. It took me an hour of facting to get them to say, I'm so glad we had this conversation. I don't know what I was thinking.

The propaganda machinery is powerful. That's why Roland Martin unfiltered. That's why the Black Star Network. That's why the black-owned media is so important. So we can speak about our communities ourselves. It's going to be a vigorous 100 days or so. What are you telling your Urban League chapters? What they need to be articulated? For an Urban League-focused effort, it is about registering people up until the deadline.

It's about educating people not only about the stakes. It's about encouraging us to have the conversations that say to people, have a voting plan, not just to vote for president, but to vote all the way down the ticket, and then making sure people get out to vote. So we've got a campaign we're calling Reclaim Your Vote. That campaign is already underway. It's under the leadership of Jerica Richardson, a Spelman grad and head of our Equitable Justice Unit at NUL. So we are going to have an effective campaign. We're partnering with anyone. We're encouraging people to go to NUL.org online,

reclaim your vote, to volunteer, to sign up, to be a part. All right. Mark, it's a pleasure. I appreciate it. A5. Yes, sir. I appreciate it. Thanks so much.

My pleasure, brother. All right. We'll be right back. Roland Martin unfiltered on the Black Star Network. Coming soon to the Black Star Network. I still have my NFL contract in my house. I have it in a case. It's four of them,

my four year contract. I got a $600,000 signing bonus. My base salary for that first year was 150. Matter of fact- 150,000. 150,000, that's what I made, $150,000. Now, think about it. My signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly.

When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus was a forgivable loan, supposedly. When I got traded to the Colts, they made me pay back my signing bonus to them. I had to give them their $600,000 back. Wow. I was so pissed. Cause, man, I try to be a man of my word. I'm like, you. I'll give you your money back.

You know, even though I know I earned that money, I gave them that money back. I gave them that $600,000 back. But yet I was this malcontent. I was a bad guy. I'm not about the money. It wasn't about the money. It was about doing right. Because I was looking at, I looked at,

cause you look at contracts. Look at John Edwards. John Edwards making a million dollars. 800,000. I was making 150. I mean, I was doing everything. And I'm like, but yet I was, man, I got so many letters.

You know, you, you, you, so I just play for free and all that kind of stuff. I mean, you don't forget that kind of stuff. That stuff is hurtful. Good job, good pay, good life. Would you be willing to walk away from it to achieve real wealth? Well, that's exactly what this woman did.

And boy, did it pay off. Once you make the decision that this is the direction that you're going to go in, I do believe that there's power in having a decided heart. Hear her story on the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's your man Deon Cole from Blackist, and you're watching... Roland Martin, unfiltered. All right, let's go back to our panel, Michael, the point that... 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 1

Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6

on June 4th. 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 War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

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

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Caramouch. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. Mark Morial made there about good economic news. I was reading a story earlier today that said that Biden-Harris have not been able to really break through with their message when it comes to economics. I think this is an opportunity for Vice President Harris to actually do that, to really create a cohesive message.

I got one graphic that showed that the manufacturing that has happened under Biden Harris, we haven't seen this level of new manufacturing in 100 years. Manufacturing jobs, 800,000 manufacturing jobs. Absolutely. We got the news, I think it was yesterday, the economy grew by 2.8 percent. So, yeah. And I think the Harris campaign, I think, is going to be better at utilizing social media than the Biden-Harris campaign. And you've got to utilize social media, TikTok videos, Instagram videos, Facebook, YouTube, all of that to flood the zone to counter the misinformation and disinformation that's out here.

I was looking at the chat here on YouTube, and somebody said, we want tangible policies from Harris and things like this. You got tangible policies from Biden Harris, $16 billion for HBCUs, record number of funding for HBCUs, 2.6 million jobs for African Americans, the fastest growth of African American businesses in 30 years. You had an Emmett Till anti-lynching bill, the first anti-lynching bill in 122 years. You had 15 million jobs created. You had the lowest unemployment rate in April 2023 at 4.8 percent for African-Americans. You had one million African-American children lifted out of poverty because of the 1.9 trillion dollar American Rescue Plan. Right, right, right. But the point I'm making there is the point I'm making, that is a lot there.

But you have to create a cogent message that breaks through where people go, oh, I get it. And the problem is that's what they have not been able to do. They haven't been able to do it. And you have to direct people to where the information is. Put it where the goats can get it, as my frat brother Joe Madison said, our ancestor Joe Madison, my frat brother Roland. Put it where the goats can get it as well. And then an election is binary. And one of the mistakes that people make is they just look at the Democrats, but they don't compare that to the policies of the Republicans. The Biden-Harris administration is immensely,

exponentially greater than the Trump-Pence administration, okay? So you have to compare those policies as well. And, you know, oftentimes here on this show, I tell people, you know, if you just Google how have the policies of the Biden-Harris administration helped the African-American community, the first thing that comes up is a 36-page document that walks you through policy by policy at WhiteHouse.gov that shows you the evidence. OK? I would say the Harris campaign needs to take each one of those topics, make a TikTok video out of it. Well, as Joe Madison's mentor, Dick Gregory, my friend brother would say, yes, you actually have to give them the right information. Just letting you know. Listen, communication, being able to communicate is a huge part of this.

You can't make it complicated, Kelly. You've got to make it simple. You don't have time to explain, folk, in 20, 30 minutes. And so I think the Harris team really has to figure out what that message is going to be, speaking on the economic issues, because people still, yes, all these other things are happening, growth of the economy, all those things. But if people are still being impacted by rent, by, as I said to Mark, by food prices, things along those lines, that's what they're feeling on an everyday basis.

Absolutely. And we've talked about this on your show, Ad Nauseam, that Democrats can have to get off of their high horse when it comes to communications and really meet people where they are and start talking in layman's terms, meeting people where they are when they communicate what exactly is going on in the administration. Because like everybody on the panel has said today and in panels past, the Biden-Harris administration has done so much. And it is unfortunate that it is only communicated in an infographic right now in order to push Harris to the finish line of the presidency. But again, we're here now. Something, like you said earlier, I've been at the Urban League Conference all week, and Representative Jasmine Crockett was recently on a panel today, and one of her big things that she said that pushed her to the finish line in her campaign when she was running for her state position back in the day was she talked to people experiencing homelessness. And small acts of kindness such as giving them water pushed them to vote for her. She didn't realize that they were registered voters, too.

And they listened to the issues too. And they voted for her because for the first time in a very long time, if ever, there was a politician who listened to them and actually cared about what they cared about. And those are the types of communication styles that need to happen up and down the ballot, certainly with the Harris administration. Well, we're speaking that into existence, the Harris campaign, right? We need to meet people where they are and we need to listen to them, not just hearing them to hear or, you know, passive aggressive listening. We need to actively listen to what people have to say and incorporate that into our communication styles moving forward.

And the reality here, Matt, that is listening. By having a different candidate with a different style, I think you're absolutely going to see a different type messaging. You've already seen it for Harris for president. I think you're right. And I think she's at a huge advantage because as lawyers, especially prosecutors who have to prove cases, most of the time, those lawyers are able to effectively in a bullet point or in short succession, explain to people why their case should be proven. And in this instance, in a policy context, Vicki Kirkendall in the comments on YouTube said basically exactly what I was thinking. I think their messaging not only needs to make it layman's

terms and as simple as possible, but that messaging needs to correlate to quality of life issues. I think the most effective messaging is if they say our policy is X and what that ends up being is X more dollars in your pocket or X other program that you're able to avail yourself of to make your life better. And I know they've done that to some extent, but one of the things I've seen people complaining about is we don't really know what Kamala's done. She doesn't really know what her plan is. She hasn't told us her plan. I think the messaging going forward should be as direct as possible and it should be directly tied to quality of life issues. Because as we've talked about on the show before, there's a strange phenomenon in this country right now where a lot of people feel the economy is in much worse shape than it actually is by all objective metrics.

And I think one of the ways to close that gap is to say this policy turns into this much more money in your pocket, in this program, or that correlates to this other government benefit you want to make use of. I think that connection is the necessary part of the messaging because that will put into people's minds the proverbial chicken in the pot they can expect from her administration, as opposed to what Mr. Trump is planning to do if he's reelected. All right, then. Matt, Kelly, Michael, I appreciate y'all being on today's panel. Thank you so very much. Thank you.

Folks, when we come back, we'll chat with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson, Khalid Thompson, leader of Win With Black Men. We'll also hear from Retaliated General Russell Arneray, Sheryl Underwood, Swin Cash, David and Tamela Mann, lots more coming from

the National Urban League Convention here in New Orleans back in a moment. When you talk about blackness and what happens in black culture, we're about covering these things that matter to us,

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Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. Me, Sherri Sheppard with Sammy Roman. I'm Dr. Robin B, pharmacist and fitness coach, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, we're here at the National Urban League Convention as they are getting ready for the closing gala tonight. It is the Whitney Young Jr. Gala taking place tonight. So as you can see, they're in the ballroom. All of the decorations, they're getting ready for a packed house. And so we are here, literally set up just outside of the room

where the closing gala will be taking place. Master P is going to be one of the honorees tonight here at the National Urban League Convention, and so certainly glad to be here. Earlier today, my congresswoman, Jasmine Crockett, she spoke here at the National Urban League, and we got a chance to catch up with her. Here's our conversation. Congresswoman Crockett. She spoke here at the National Urban League, and we got a chance to catch up with her. Here's our conversation.

Congresswoman Crockett, what's happening? Hi. You've been a little busy. Just a little. Just a wee bit. Yeah. So we're racking the miles up. Let's talk about how this campaign has turned.

Yeah. This is a new soap opera as the campaign turns. Yes, that's exactly what it is. It does feel like a soap opera. I'm sure when they write the telenovela, yeah, it is going to sound that way. But listen, I think that while we never could have scripted this to happen this way, I think that it is the thing that we needed. I think that we are going to turn this thing around. I appreciate what you did with black men pulling together for the vice

president. Obviously, black women led the way. Joe Taker was the first one to do it. And we did black women. We just saw white women break Zoom effectively with over 140,000 women. 200,000. Okay, 200,000. They ended up doing Asian folk for Kamala. They are doing black queer folk for Kamala. Latinas did Tuesday. Okay, so there we go.

So listen, I think that we're seeing the level of excitement that we've not seen. White men are organizing right now for their calls. Well, okay. Praise God. Let's do a little something. But listen, I need people to do more than the phone calls. It's going to take actually getting out there and doing the work.

So I appreciate that these calls have not just been kind of a love fest, but it's been about the money because it takes money for campaigns to run. But also, it's going to take mobilization. It's going to take conversations. I need those white men not to just show up on the call, but for them to have conversations with other white men. I need those white women that showed up on the call to have conversations with other white women. And listen, I'm not leaving us out of the conversation because I know that there's still a lot of work to be done in the black community.

But we have to go from taking those calls and make sure that we get into action. We've got 100 days. That may sound like a lot of time, especially as fast as politics has been moving, but that's absolutely not enough time. But it will be enough in the year of 2024 because we are about to have the first woman president of the United States in Kamala Harris. Well, what I've been telling people is you need to be achieving maximum efficiency every day. Absolutely. What are you doing every day to advance the conversation?

Yeah. When we had the text exchange the next day after the call, when with black men normally meets once a month. Yeah. Normally call. I said, no, y'all not. Y'all doing every week call. And I said, so y'all ain't meeting every quarter.

On a fourth Sunday. Every Sunday, like, okay, I guess we are. So everybody else as well. This is the moment where, so even if you didn't do any of these calls, you should be mobilizing your 5, 10, 15, 20,

your family, your friends, your church member, your neighbors. You don't need permission to do this. No, not at all. No, and that's the point. I need people to realize

and as I've been out on the trail, I used to say, nobody wants to listen to a politician. The most powerful people, the most powerful voices out there are y'all's voices. Like, y'all are the most powerful because nobody believes the things that I say. Regular and ordinary folk. Absolutely. Right? But, like, your mama, your sister, your brother, your cousin, your coworkers, they will listen to you.

Your line sisters, line brothers, they will listen to you before they'll listen to me. And so I need people to start to recognize that the power has always belonged to the people. The question is whether or not the people will actually flex that power. This is your chance to rise up and make sure that you're heard and make sure that you make a difference. This will be a victory not for Kamala Harris. It will be a victory for all of us when we win in November. And the thing that I tell folk, you may not have money to give. I've been told several people who were talking, a lot of these billionaire Democrats

were complaining about Joe Biden needing to get out. I said, I was talking to one guy who talks with 12 billionaires. I said, your 12 billionaires may have given $40 million, $50 million, $60 million, $70 million, but they only got one vote. That's right. I said, him and Kamala Warren were $81 million. I said, so let me be real clear. You might have money, but you only got one vote. Then I tell the people, you may not have any money to give, but your one vote is just as powerful as that billionaire.

That's right. I mean, seriously, it is supposed to be the great equalizer, right? The ballot box. The problem is that Republicans have consistently tried to say we only want certain people to be able to access the ballot box. That is one of the major fights that we are continuously having to wage with the Republicans, them trying to make sure that we go back to Jim Crow. You know, they've been glorifying it in all ways.

And they've been using a black face out front to do the glorifying of it. And I've said Trump's Project 2025, that document is the most evil document since Jim Crow. Listen, it is, as far as I'm concerned, it's worse than Jim Crow. It's worse than Jim Crow because of this. Because people died, because they went to jail, because they risked their lives, because they remained, so that we could get to where we are. So just think about the level of disrespect and the audacity that it takes to say, not only are we going to try to roll all this back, but we're going to play in your face while we do it. They're not wearing their hoods now. The hoods are off and they are saying, this is what we are going to do to you. Now, if you refuse to pick up the book, I get that it's

about a thousand pages, but you need to go and talk to somebody else that's read the book or something. You need to get online and make sure that you're following trusted sources that will give you little snippets of this because it is not a game. These people are playing for keeps. That's why we have the Supreme Court that we have right now. And they only want to do more damage. And the only way that they can do it is by taking your voices away. That is why we've seen the movement to make sure that they can suppress the vote, because they understand our power. The problem is that we always give up on our power and say we have none. When they know better, they know that we do have the power. And I promise you they are sweating right now as they're watching everybody come together for a little black girl out of Cali.

They are nervous. And that's what I like to see, because they should have always been nervous, because the reality is that what we're seeing right now is what we've always seen in this country is for her to ascend to this level. The polls say right now they tied what it takes for a black woman to get to where a mediocre white man gets to is crazy in this country. You're talking about somebody with 34 felony convictions, a whole bunch more cases pending, and he just happens to be born with a silver spoon in his in his mouth versus a black woman who earned every single thing that she got and when we talk about her resume she's coming in as the first black woman to be elected prosecutor in the bay area as the first and only black woman to ever be elected as the attorney general in the state of california and potentially

the first one ever in the country as only the second black woman to be elected to the u.s senate and the only black woman to ever ascend to the vice presidency. So don't talk to me about DEI, which we know is code for something else. Basically, we know what this is about. They are about making sure that they continue to hold us down with their mediocrity. But I'm telling you right now, we demand greatness in this country, real greatness, and that is going to come in the form of Kamala Harris. Well, that's Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

I know a lot of y'all call her y'all Congresswoman, but I can actually say that because I'm one of the 700,000 in her district. Just wanna let y'all know that. Which is why I always gotta show up. Oh, absolutely. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

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

that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. 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 War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams,

NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

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

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

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend.

At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. All right, you got a panel to go to.

I appreciate it. All right, folks, we'll be right back on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network right here at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans. Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions at CurlPrep.com. I'm in shock. For curls, locks, braids, twists, and even those wigs and extensions. Women, men, and children are loving this line.

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I don't do Stallone, but I could do all that. And I am here with Roland Martin on Unfiltered. Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered right here in the Black Star Network. We're here at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans. On Monday, there was an incredible call. We had 54,000 black men who signed up for our win with black men call. That, of course, took place one day after. You had 45,000 sisters who were on the call on Sunday. It's been an incredible week because on Tuesday you had Latinas who met Wednesday, South Asian women.

Thursday, white women. Friday, you got black gay men. Michael Skolnick is organizing a call for white men. You had Howard Folk who organized their call. You had Gen Z organizing their call. This is what happens. I keep trying to tell everybody how black folks are trendsetters, and we are tastemakers in this country. Well, one of the co-hosts of that call on Monday, Khalil Thompson, executive director of Win With Black Men, he joins us right now. Glad to have you, man.

Thank you. Have you been blown away by the text messages and the calls and the response since Monday? Truly. On Monday, my phone stopped working 10 times. I had to start it, restart it, reboot it, put ice on it because it literally was overheating with so much times. I had to start it, restart it, reboot it, put ice on it, because it literally was overheating with so much engagement. I had to turn off the filter that we had, showing the feed of people that were coming on. So, no, it is truly a blessing to see everybody being engaged.

And see, when I was talking to Holly with Win With Black Women, she was like, look, we just do our call every Sunday. We were not expecting this. And I told her, she said, so how did y'all do? I said, well, I said, well, Mike called me. I said, listen, we're going to do this within StreamYard. We're going to do it on Black Student Network. We're going to push on YouTube and Facebook so people can have access to it.

She said, man, we should have called you before. She said, before we did ours, because, again, remember somebody sent a text. Yep. And they said, man, I hope we have 10,000. And it was like, bro, this is temporary expectations. I didn't say nothing. Because I didn't say nothing because I was getting text messages from sisters who were saying, y'all's graphic is showing up in our chats. Really?

This was around noon. Remember, we dropped that. The graphic went out around 10, 30, 11 on Monday. An hour later, sisters were like, yo, this is showing up in our group chats. We were finding that uncles, grand granddads cousins were sharing it just organically making its way around whatsapp chats signals text uh you know dms people were literally just being we wanted that emotion that we felt yep years ago back in 0708 wanted to find a candidate

now that really could speak for our community and we know vice president kamala harris is going to step up to the plate. She's going to win in November. And I said this on the panel this afternoon. I have a seven-year-old daughter. The reality for her now seeing that the presidency of the United States is no longer something that she can just dream for. Right.

It could be a real possibility in her lifetime is a beautiful thing. So check this out, y'all, for everybody who's watching and listening. So the next day, after Phenomenal Monday, we're in the chat. And so General Honoré, good seeing you. I'm going to chat with you in a second. So, Deshaun, be sure to let me know when I can grab the general time.

So y'all see how this thing goes. So next day, y'all, we're going to chat. And so Khalil says, oh, yeah, so we do our call. We do our call once a month. And I was like, nah. No, bro our call. We do our call once a month. And I was like, nah. No, bro. We're going to do it once a week. You're going to be doing once a week between now and the election.

Exactly. He was like, OK. I was like, no, no, no, no. I said, this momentum is heavy. I mean, we literally, right before this interview, we're on the phone with Zoom to make sure we can expand it to 50,000 people. We know we're going to go more. We want to make sure we can get as many brothers around the country to join this conversation.

It doesn't matter where you sit. Right. Obviously, I know who I'm voting for and who I'm supporting. We want to make sure you have all of the right information. Yep. So when you walk into that voting booth, yes, it's important to vote for president, but I want you to vote for who's going to be on the judicial committees for you, who's going to be your city council member or your school board representatives. You've got to start worrying about the lower part of the ticket. Those people effectuate your day-to-day change and influence your lives more than you really realize. From your organizational standpoint, what did it look like before Monday in terms of the calls you did? How many folks would normally be on your call?

We would have anywhere between 20, maybe I think 75 was the highest we got. And as you know, starting up, doing your own stuff, paying out of pocket, just trying to get it going. Hey, man, I'll join if I can. I got the kids I'm putting down here. Between now and then, I think there's a text message from Blake every five minutes. You got the document together. We figured out the plan. Others are asking what's our policy positions, where we're moving.

And this is the type of conversation that we want to have. We want to figure out a way that while I support Vice President Harris and I want her to be my president, I want to make sure that we have a conversation about what it means to make sure black men in the black community are supported throughout her entire. Man, you're educating and you're enlightened because look, cats need information. They don't know. Right. They don't. And they don't understand that you got to check in Ohio that just purge people from

the voting rolls. Yeah. So that you don't show up on Election Day or early voting and you're not registered and you missed the voter registration deadline. There you go. You got to show up and understand what it means that if you're a returning citizen, have your rights been reenfranchised? Are you good to go? If you moved, if you're a college student, if there is a recent state bill that came out that is disenfranchising you, what are you doing

to make sure you're educating yourself? Come to us. We want to make sure we're that resource. When we're Black men, we can provide that for you and make sure you get all the true information. So how have you also let your folk know our world has now changed? It now looks a little different because you now got in your hands now a database of 54,000 names. And greatly thank you to you. Thank you to Black Star Network. Thank you to Roland Martin for all that you've done to partner with us to make sure this could be a reality. So truly happy to sit at your feet and learn from you, big brother.

But we are excited to make sure we're not going to spam this list. We want people to really get true information. They show up on Sundays. We have our call this Sunday. It's going to be 7pm Eastern. Please, if you go to winwithblackmen.com, I'm sorry, winwithblackmen.org, sign up. We want you on the call this Sunday to continue

the conversation. And then again, my team, we know how to take the Zoom, how to stream it, that way so if folk can't get in, we still got it over here. Because the whole point is to provide as many people as possible access

to the information. Exactly. We want to make sure you and your community go back and tell brothers that you don't just log into the shop when you're going to get that shape up a man I overheard this is true or not and then before you know it that gets into the out. It's affecting what people are thinking it shows that those negative comments start pushing

all the way up we just want the truth and we want you to make your own decision with the most informed information. Well in the region also the this is important because like I get tired these politicians donate barbershop to us I say you all all of us. I listen, my barber come to me. I say, so this whole idea where I get the concept. I say, but we got to use the tools. And I had a sister telling me they got daddies who were 70 years old who don't know nothing,

who were like, hey, hey, come set this thing up. That's how interested they were to hear the information. Exactly. And it's amazing. Come set this thing up. That's how interested they were to hear the information. Exactly. And it's amazing. I saw the video that Michael sent us about that one young lady who was talking to her dad. He was like, he's not going to vote. What is his point?

He logged in and stayed on for all four hours and ten minutes of our call on Monday. He left and he donated. By taking that action, by taking that next step, believing in the message, because other gentlemen are saying that, hey, you got to stand up. We were in the panel. We were talking earlier about misogyny in our community, how we support black women, how we show up. We really want to figure out a way that this can change the narrative in the conversation. Absolutely. Man, we got lots more work to do. Yes, we do, sir. Don't keep driving information. So appreciate it. Make it happen. All right. I appreciate it. Thanks a bunch.

All right, folks, we'll be right back. Roland Martin unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. We're about covering these things that matter to us, speaking to our issues and concerns. This is a genuine people powered movement. A lot of stuff that we're not getting, you get it. And you spread the word. We wish to plead our own cause to long have others spoken for us. We cannot tell our own story if we can't pay for it. This is about covering us. Invest in Black-owned media.

Your dollars matter. We don't have to keep asking them to cover our stuff. So please support us in what we do, folks. We want to hit 2,000 people, $50 this month, raise $100,000. We're behind $100,000, so we want to hit that. Y'all money makes this possible. Checks and money orders go to P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. The Cash App is Dollar Sign RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com.

Hello, I'm Marissa Mitchell, a news anchor at Fox 5 DC. Hey, what's up? It's Sammy Roman and you are watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered. Folks, welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network. We're here in New Orleans National Urban League Convention. So many folks here

presenting, speaking, being honored. And one of the folks right now, you are familiar with him. You've seen him on our show many times. State Representative Justin Pearson out of Tennessee. Always good to see you, my brother. How you doing? Always good to be here. I'm doing fantastic. Man, got to get your thoughts on this.

When when when the Republicans gave you all hell, yeah, booted you represent Justin Jones out. They did not do Representative Gloria Johnson. The next day, Vice President Harris came to Nashville, stood with y'all. Really powerful rally. What do you make of just the energy that you've seen from folk in the wake of Joe Biden announcing not re-election and then her assuming the mantle. Yeah, I have not seen excitement like this from the Democratic ticket, probably since President Obama in one of the first races, right, in 08, to have had Vice President Harris come to Tennessee after our expulsion was her making a statement about democracy, making a statement about ending the gun violence epidemic

that too few politicians have been willing to do. And so I am on the Vice President Kamala Harris for President train tough because I understand that she aligns with our values and is going to represent and put our issues first as she continues to do this work and do this role. But the energy from young people, millennials, from Gen Z was not there in this way before this announcement. But I think the energy in so many levels. So, of course, Women with Black Women was on Sunday night. I was one of the co-hosts of Women with Black Men on Monday. Latinas met on

Tuesday. South Asian women, they had more than 2,500, 3,300 Latinas on Tuesday. 2,500 South Asian women on Wednesday. 200,000 white women last night. They've raised $8.5 million. Michael Skolnik is putting together white men. Yeah, you had black gay men who were meeting

Gen-z's meeting. Yeah, so what's interesting is all of these people are realizing they don't have to wait Come on for somebody to handle but that's right. They realize wait a minute. We can organize this thing on zoom on stream You're on the platform. That's right. Somebody has to call a meeting. That's it. That's realized. Wait a minute. We could organize this thing on Zoom, on stream. You're on the platform. That's right. Somebody just has to call a meeting. That's it. That's it. And sometimes that's what it takes. It takes the courage of somebody to say, wait, I have power. And I think when we are living in a situation where we feel so disempowered, you see the news, you see a white supremacist run for president, always on TV. It can it can deflate your own sense of authority and power that you have to actually contribute to make change, to have the courage to do something impactful. And what you have done, many congratulations and thank yous on behalf of black folk in this country and what other people are doing, that fire that has been ignited in folks can't be stopped.

And recognizing that we do have power in this moment in time is one of the best defenses that we have in a democracy. See, that's part of our power, right? People power. That people can do things that the government can't stop, that they can't silence you for, that they can't stop you from doing. And organizing,

black folk have been doing that a long time. And so the fact that our siblings, brothers and sisters, and so many other communities are taking on that mantle and doing this work is extremely important because it's going to be

an expensive election, it's going to be an important election, and it's going to require all of us. And I think that solidarity that's being built across race, across gender, across class, across organizations is the exact thing that we need in this moment in time, because that's what the moment in time requires. That was a moment last night on the white women call that was quite interesting. And one of them said, black women know how to organize and mobilize so we should let them lead.

There are 6% of the population and have a more dramatic effect than we do. And we're 47%. Lord have mercy. Did she tell the truth? In fact, they actually connected and reached out to Jotaika Edie and the black women, women, black women to help them organize their call. And in fact, Shannon Watts put the call out. I had talked to Shannon the night before and I said, hey, black women, to help them organize their calls. And in fact, Shannon Watts, who put the call out, I had talked to Shannon the night before and I said,

hey, I said, one of the limitations of the black women, their call, which they've been done for four years, they only did it in Zoom, it wasn't public. I said, when we did our call, I purposely said, we're going to do it on YouTube, on Facebook, on Twitch. So I told her, make sure that y'all don't just stream in Zoom. So Zoom shut down several times, but they had almost 30,000 who were on Twitch. So I told her, make sure that y'all don't just stream in Zoom. So Zoom shut down several times, but they had almost 30,000 who were on YouTube.

She was like, oh my God, I didn't think about that. Thank you for that. So again, that's why I say you use expertise and share it to help somebody else. And share it. And that's the thing. We've got to realize power is meant to be shared. Resources are meant to be shared. But that type of thinking, which Democrats

oftentimes think about more, but black women in particular have thought about more for generations, is what has gotten us to the place where we still have a democracy. We can't forget that that 2020 election wouldn't have been won in the way that it was without black women, particularly in Georgia, particularly Stacey Abrams, who you know very well. And I think for white folks who are organizing and who are saying that they care in this moment, it takes that. It takes calling you. It takes calling black leadership and saying, hey, what is the best way for me to do this work? Because what we don't need for you to do is say, we just need black folk to lead and so I'm going to sit down. It's like, we need black people to lead and I'm going to help. I'm going to be a co-conspirator. I'm going to join you in all the ways that I can with my time, my energy, my resources, my power. Or I'm going to follow you. Or I'm going to follow you. I'm going to follow you. Or I'm going to follow you.

Because followership is an underrated form of leadership. Yep. And that is also needed. Follow. And in this moment, we all need to be following this black woman to the White House. And it's not without, and I know for white folk, y'all got to put something at risk. Black people put things at risk all the time. But for white people, when you meet Uncle Racist Joe or Jimmy or Fred or Ted

or Racist Susie and Suzette, you got to say, no, I understand what's at stake. And I know my role here as a person of privilege, as a person with means, as a person who this country has been built to benefit, that I got a role and a responsibility to do this and it can't just fall on the shoulders of black people. Also, I think what we have to do, I think we have to be

very careful when somebody comes late to the party. So, you think what we have to do, I think we have to be very careful when somebody comes late to the party. So you take what happened in Tennessee. Y'all have been fighting, folks have been fighting when it comes to gun control. The shooting takes place and these white women wake up. They wake up. And all of a sudden, these white women are descending on the state capitol. That's right. And now all of a sudden, these white women are descending on the state capitol.

That's right. And now all of a sudden, these white women start getting treated the way black folks have been treated. The whole time. So when they just sitting in a meeting holding a sign and the Republicans kick them out. They're like, hold up, we're just holding a sign. They got to see what mistreatment by police or abuse of power was. And I think that that absolutely

that has woken up a lot of those white women in Tennessee. You now have folk who are running for office, who are challenging the Republicans there, many who ran unopposed. And so I had some folk who were like, man, well, by the time the white women, I said, listen, I'm not going to sit

here and say it's about time. I'm just happy when somebody decides to say, I'm in. I'm in. I'm in that we need to, as people who are in this movement for justice, rooted in love, we need to welcome everybody whenever they come in. Cause people have been at this plow longer than I've been alive. Right. And it's only been because people were at the plow when I was doing something else, when I wasn't paying as much attention, when I wasn't reading as much, when I wasn't engaged as much, that the moment that I was able to come in and help fight a pipeline in our community, right? It was folks who were organizing for decades around environmental justice, right? Like the courage that we had in Tennessee with the 7,000 people marching, that black moms who

had been going to that state Capitolitol for decades asking for them to do something about gun violence. And so we just have to be humble in some part and just remember somebody was doing the work before you got there. And for white women and for white folk who are joining, welcome, and it's time to put your hands on something. Because there is, as the

book says, right, there's many there's a lot of work in the vineyard for people to do. But I think we welcome people wherever they come, when they come into the movement, because there's so much to do in this moment in time. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time. Have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution.

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 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 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.

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

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

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey.

We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

I've said this a lot to folk who are millennial and Gen Z. And I know you hear it as well. They'll be like, man, I'm so sick of all these old folks running. And my response is, old folk vote. I'm like, you can be mad, but the highest voting group is 65 plus. The second highest is 55 plus. I said, you millennial Gen Z, you actually have the numbers. That's right.

But if you don't use your power, you can't get mad when you had, man, why we got a Joe Biden? I said, remind y'all, there were 15 other people running. There was. You had a choice. Tell the truth. And so that's the thing. How do you convey to millennials and Gen Z's

you have untapped power. Don't complain. Do what them 65 plus folk. They use it. They use it every time. Older folk use their voice and they use their vote. And what I've learned.... And they show up.

They show up. That's what I'm saying. Democracy isn't just going to the polls. Talk about cutting Social Security and Medicare. Folks will be starting to call. They'll find out how to send emails. They will go to the Congress. They will go wherever they need to go to defend what they know are their or what we know are rights

that people have earned and fought for. You're going to love this. So when Jesse Jackson Jr. was in Congress, a group of young folks came to him. Man, if you don't do this, this, this, and we're going to vote you out. Jesse Jr. said, y'all ain't going to do a damn thing. Yeah. He said, you see that building right there? He said, that's a high rise.

He said, isn't that a high rise? He said, old people, high rise. He said, isn't that a high rise? He said, old people. And they're mostly women. He said, that's what I'm talking to. Yeah. He said, y'all ain't going to do a damn thing. What he was trying to get them to understand is, he said, all them old black folk. They going to the polls.

They going to come out that high rise with their walkers. And their scooters. With their scooters. He said, and they going to vote. Absolutely. with their walkers with their scooters and they gonna vote. He said if you want me to listen to you you gonna have to sit here and maximize your power.

That's exactly right. I know when you got stuff you know who gonna show up. It's gonna be them seasoned saints. Every time. Faithful. They faithful. If you knock on that door and Auntie Sarah Gladney say, I'll be

there tomorrow. Auntie Sarah Gladney coming, whether her cousin, her nephew, her grandchild taking it, whatever the case is, she going. Right. And she going to tell whoever in the car, you come on in here too. Right. And as a politician, and see this is the thing, again, I'm not trying to discipline

those in Gen Zs. I'm trying to get them to understand. As an elected official, what you need to know is they're going to show up. They're going to show up. So when you're like, hey, I need backup. That's right. You know it's going to be 50, 60, 70 of them. That's going to show up.

They're gray hair. That's exactly right. And they're like, Justin, baby, we here. We here. What you need us to do? I'll tell you a case in point. When we were expelled, the day we were reinstated by the county commission, there was a couple thousand people who marched.

But, you know, the contingent that I recognize called my Box Town contingent. All 65-plus-year-old black women who had their first campaign shirt on. You know, a lot of people got shirts after. Right. Had their first campaign shirt on. Said, we here. We here. It's that faith. They are faithful to to democracy they're faithful to the cause and then they are

faithful to the people right who show up and fight for them and for young people who i talk to and people in my age group i tell them it's power it is about power voting is you making a statement about what you believe power should be doing do you believe it should be doing something about health care do you believe it should be doing something about the environment and climate do you believe it should be doing something about health care? Do you believe it should be doing something about the environment and climate? Do you believe it should be doing something about poverty? In our state, we gave $2 billion to corporations this past session. We could have ended poverty in the state of Tennessee this year. And I try to tell people this stuff ain't far off.

You know, like we're in some la-la-la. We had $2 billion that could have ended poverty in our state. Y'all, it is whether or not we are going to be politically engaged or we're going to be legislatively annihilated. It's just two options. And so we have to vote, and then we have to show be legislatively annihilated. It's just two options. And so we have to vote and then we have to show up at those county commission meetings and those city council meetings and those school board meetings. See, that's the piece.

What I say is voting is the end of one process and the beginning of another. Yes. It's not just, well, I voted. No, no. You got to then be at that council meeting, that school board meeting, county commissioners meeting. And the reason I understand that my parents were co-founders of a civic club. Seriously. Right.

And they, listen, never went to college, but they partnered with other people. They cared about their community. So at 7, 8, so I saw, I testified. I spoke at a city council meeting, what, 9th, 10th grade? Maybe I was in the 8th grade. I remember a black city councilman, Ernest McGowan, came to our Catholic Church Bazaar, and I was jamming him up on some cuts. And, you know, he answered my first question, my second question,

but I hit him with the third, fourth, and the fifth question. And he couldn't answer. I said, next time you come to this church, I'm going to need you to ask, man. And he was looking around like, who the hell is this? Who is this and where he come from? Right. He was like, who is this? But that's only because

of what I saw. And so what I'm always trying to explain to millennials in Gen Z, it's like, yo, you can't complain because them old folk are in the game. They've learned the game, they understand the game, and they know how to hold people accountable to it.

And all I'm trying to get younger people to pay attention to, and even for like our seasoned saints who are engaged with me and they are super supportive, I'm like, but if the road ain't paved, and that ain't a state road, that's a city counselor. There you go.

To call into our community. Or if you're in a rural area, that's a county road. That's a county road. So you can't call, Justin, that's the county commission. That's the county commission. But they're like, but you respond. I said, so you know how you get people to respond? Right.

Every second Tuesday they have those meetings and it's something called public comment. Boom. And it's time for me to come see you. So I told them I said we can organize a carpool. There you go. Unless 10 of us go. I'll take 10 folk to say we tried to get in touch with you. And we have to make power more accessible to our community. Because when you have have gotten conditioned to being disempowered. I think it takes some retraining and some reeducation about like, y'all, we are the ones who continue to change and transform America. Like it's black folk who did march, who did show up, who did hold mayors accountable and leaders accountable. Like that is a part of our inheritance. And reclaiming that in this moment, I think is so important, particularly

when you see on the national level, what's happening and the move toward authoritarianism. When you look at state houses and you see the moves toward authoritarianism, it's like, so where does power really reside? Right. The state houses, the city councils. That's right. Who's banning books? That's right.

The president of the United States, y'all, that's your school board. Right. And, like, it's our resistance. You got some school board election with 200, 300 votes. 200, 300 votes. You telling me we can't get 10 churches together? Boom. And go elect who we need to be elected at the school board?

And those votes matter so much because they're lower turnout. Yeah. And so, yeah, you vote for you, but you vote for the, what, 300,000 people who ain't coming up? Like, those elections have—I supported a candidate for city council this past election. She had to do a runoff, close runoff. She won by 14 votes. Boom. One church bus She won by 14 votes. Boom.

One church bus. Boom. 14 votes. It's like those 14 people just changed the direction of the city council. There you go. They turned our city council to a majority woman city council for the first time in Memphis and Tennessee history. It's like, yo, we have power. We got to reclaim it. 14.

I never forget it. A church van. Yep. A church van did it. But we have to relearn. Yes. Like, oh, wait. It's the person who I can see.

It's the person who I can go and meet who actually can help to change and transform my life. Yeah. Well, I just, I try to as much as I can tell Lilz and Gen Z, this is not hard. No. It's actually not hard. No. You just got to show. You just got to show.

Do what those who came before us did, and we're going to be all right. All right, Doc. Always good to see you, man. Keep swinging. Yes, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Folks, got to go to a break. We'll be right back. Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network live

at the National Urban League Convention here in New Orleans. Back in a moment. Next on the Black Table with me, Greg Kopp. Democracy in the United States is under siege. On this list of bad actors, it's easy to point out the Donald Trumps, the Marjorie Taylor Greens, or even the United States Supreme Court as the primary villains. But as David Pepper, author, scholar, and former politician himself says,

there's another factor that trumps them all and resides much closer to many of our homes. His book is Laboratories of Autocracy, a wake-up call from behind the lines. So these state houses get hijacked by the far right, then they gerrymander, they suppress the opposition, and that allows them to legislate in a way that doesn't reflect the people of that state. David Pepper joins us on the next Black Table here on the Black Star Network. What's good, y'all? This is Doug E. Freshener watching my brother Roland Martin Unfiltered

as we go a little something like this. Hit it. It's real. Welcome back to Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. We're here at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans. My next guest knows this state quite well. You hear his voice. He sounds like he's from here. Joining us right now, Retired Lieutenant General Russell Honore. Man, how you doing? Welcome to New Orleans, Roland.

Glad to be back. Glad to be back. When we last talked, I talked about you doing some stuff with the VP to help Biden-Harris. Well, now she's the nominee. Absolutely. What a blessing. Absolutely. Talk about what you've seen over the last few days and how just so many people are just hyped.

I think for good reason. The message is clear. Freedom. We can identify with that. We've been doing that for 238 years. And that covers a variety of things. Solidify our freedom. You know, we went from wanting to

ride on the bus, to go to the front of the bus, to drive the bus. All that were fights. To get to manage the bus, now we get to own the damn bus. I mean, that's the struggle of our people through our history. From day one, the Declaration of Independence said we were free.

It never happened. And we're still struggling because now that we do have upward mobility, we can live in a part of town. We can get good black jobs. Now people questioning our qualifications. So her message is clear, freedom with good justification. People want the right to choose. People want to marry who they want. People want to live with. People want to go vote without multiple justifications of your opportunity to vote. Because this has come as a long struggle. For a direct reason, we know Kennedy got killed over this.

Martin Luther King got killed. Evers got killed over this. All these people were slaughtered trying to advance freedom for all people. That's right. So I think we're at a great moment in history to put the first woman in the White House. And some people got some hang up with that. Your mama was a woman. Some of you got baby girls. This is your normal process. It was going to happen. We had female mayors,

female governors, female county commissioners, female state rep, female state senators, female U.S. senators, female members of Congress. Come on. But when you hear the rumble and the bumble,

there's a large part of this cult that don't think that's a place for a woman. They want them in the kitchen. They want them in the kitchen and pregnant. The thing is, there's some women who believe that. There's a large portion of that 50% of America. America didn't change. They didn't change

when the previous 45 was in office, and they hadn't changed that. There's a large part of this population through ideology, religion, old last century thinking that there's no place for a woman. And we've got to get past that. It was a woman that taught me how to read. My mama was a woman. Until I got to be a junior in high school, I had never seen a man teaching. All my teachers were women. One of the things that I've always liked about you, look, you cut right to the heart of it. You shoot straight.

When you were sitting here with Hurricane Katrina, you came right in and was like, hey, to the point. And what I like about what the vice president is doing, it's a message of clarity. Right. And she's not backing down. She's taking the fight to Donald Trump and to the Republicans. And that's, to me, that tone, that posture is important. Confidence is important.

I don't know nothing about politics. I normally say I don't know jackass about politics, but to respect the audience, which I don't. First of all, we cuss on my show. Don't worry about it. I don't know jack shit about politics, but I know how to win a war. Right.

You win a war with good organization, with good logistics, good motivation, and good communication. And every presentation, you got to bring out the past, emphasize the present, and focus on the future. You got to make people, they may not remember everything you said, but they need to feel good once you've said it. And she's got that tone. It's magic. Right.

It's built into her persona. And she come with that confidence as serving price president, being a former senator. She has found her stride at the right time to deliver that message to the American people. And she's touching the culture. That 51% of the population, she's touching women. And the other side is almost like a suicide mission. They're repelling women. Yeah. They're talking about cat women.

Talking about having sex with a sofa. I mean, who does crazy announcements like that? And that women ought to, that you ought not be able to vote if you don't have babies. Wanting federal troops to be tracking women

leaving the state for reproductive rights. They're going absolutely batshit crazy. Let them keep talking. Let them keep talking. Right. The best thing we can do

is amplify their voice. Yep. Not project on them, but amplify their voice. And the VP in the last five days has turned their voice. Yep. Not project on them, but amplifies their voice. And the VP, in the last five days, has turned their voice on them. That's what they want.

They don't want bird control. That's the freedom. They don't want a right to abortion. That's the freedom. Okay? They want to keep guns.

We want to control guns. Biggest killer of young people in America, guns. Yep. And we almost had an assassination of President. That could have changed America. Yep. That assassination happened.

Thank God it didn't, but it shouldn't have happened. But with the proliferation, we are in a state right now where any brother out here 18 years old could be carried. Well, where that took place, it's open to carry. You could walk around. It don't matter. Open to carry. You could walk anywhere out here with a gun. In Louisiana. That's crazy. One of the highest crimes

in the state, in the United States, Louisiana. And as somebody who's in the military, if you are in an area and everybody is armed, your folks are on guard 24-7. Well, how do the police know who the good guy is with the gun? And the good guy with the gun, with all them around there last week, where was he?

I can tell you what, if that little guy was a black man or a brown man, his ass would have never hit that roof. Boom. They would have took him down. Boom. But see, he had privilege. He white. He's got range finder.

He could get away with it. Yeah. But their own shit messed him up last week. Yep. Because they assumed he was okay. He's just a little country boy. Mm-hmm. End up almost killing a former president of the United States and kill some good people.

Yep. Kill one man, injure two others. Good people. Absolutely. They're just practicing their choice of policy. But by all the laws, those are good people. They shouldn't have been shot. But I tell you what, if he was black or brown, he'd never made his ass on that roof.

Absolutely. He wasn't a draw breath. What do you mean? Last question for you. What do you make of Trump constantly talking about how the military just loves him and he takes credit for building

Obama's side and you do have a lot of military folk, a lot of law enforcement folk who are Republican, who are conservative, who are conservative. But when you look at who, how Biden has, what they've actually done for the military, they've done a hell of a whole lot. I think he has played with older retired folks. My. We got a list of generals and admiral this big said, don't let that SOB back in. Well, he just said he wants to replace the generals,

the football coaches and NASCAR drivers. Let him keep talking. The more he talk, the closer we know who 47 going to be. You understand? Let him keep talking. We just need him to continue to speak his mind. Because when he go to talk about sharks and boats and Hannibal Lecter, let him keep talking.

And what scared me, though, is this vice president. The guy might be smart. He might be intelligent. That boy's stupid. J.D. Vance. Who come up with stuff like cat people? Right. Criticizing ladies and single ladies with cats.

One I heard this morning was, he said, well, if you got children, you ought to be able to vote for you and all your children. And if you ain't got no children, you can't. What kind of sun, moon book he been reading? Right. Now, the reason I think he need to quit now is supposed some stuff happened that Trump win. Supposed it happened. Worst case scenario, he win.

That guy going to be close to the nuclear code and talk about you can't vote unless you got children. Right. That boy's stupid. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

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and the Ad Council. Sustained. He should not be close to the... Because stuff can happen. He could end up with this fool. Right. He should not be that close to the nuclear code. He need to go.

But this is what happens when you have Don Jr. as your HR guy. Look out for that next term. God bless y'all. It's always good seeing you. Get off your AZZ and go vote. I don't care what happens. Take somebody with you. And my message is all over social

media. I don't use a real word. Get off your AZZ. Go vote. Take somebody with you. Be a hero. There you go. God bless America. Folks, we'll be right back.

Roland Martin on filter on the Black Star Network. Good job. Good pay. Good life. Would you be willing to walk away from it to achieve real wealth? Well, that's exactly what this woman did. And boy, did it pay off. Once you make the decision that this is the direction that you're going to go in, I do believe that there's power in having a decided heart. Hear her story on the

next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach on Blackstar Network. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message, and the price that we're all paying as a result. Well, now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like. That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Fanbase is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy.

This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million, and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. Hi, my name is Brady Ricks. I'm from Houston, Texas. My name is Sharon Williams. I'm from Dallas, Texas. Right now, I'm rolling with Roland Martin.

Unfiltered, uncut, unplugged, and undamn believable. You hear me? All right, folks, welcome back to Roller Martin Unfiltered here at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans. We've been talking to a lot of different folks here. Yesterday, I caught up with comedian Cheryl Underwood. We talked about her last season with the talk and what she plans to do next. Here is our conversation. Cheryl,

here in New Orleans. Yes. Urban League Convention. Did you see my speech? Saw your speech. Yeah. You were a little crunk. Yes. Did you like it, though? Oh, yeah. And you liked the content? A couple people came out. They said, I didn't know Cheryl was that good. Really?

She was on fire. I'd like to do more of that. I love being on the talk on CBS. I love being on radio and everything. I love what you're doing. And now I want to do more of that, especially now more than ever, coming from our grand boule in Indianapolis. You was talking about my Saras. About being crunk.

Yes, we were. Now I act like the vice president was one of y'all. Well, she is one of us. She is a member of one of the sororities. There you go. And we know as Greek members, we are studying history, but we about to make some history, taking souls to the polls every day. We got to register people.

We got to make sure that everybody know, don't talk about you're not going to go. You have to go now. Right. The turnout is what's important. That's it. And I know I didn't talk about you're not going to go. You have to go now. The turnout is what's important. And I know I didn't have a lot of time, but what I want our people to understand, this is not just about the presidency, because she's going to need the Senate,

she's going to need the House, and they're going to need all of the neighborhoods, because what they did was they put the judiciary in their pocket. Am I right, Revelyn? That's it. That's right. So that's why you have no place to go when they've gone too far. Speaking of place to go, the talk is ending.

Yes. So where are you going? What are you trying to do? What are you going to do? Well, right now I'm focused on our last season and making it. Because you've been on how long? I've been there since season two. So this is my, this will be my, this is my 13th season.

It'll be my 14th season. Wow. two. So this is my, this will be my, this is my 13th season, my 14th season. And I thank God for being selected to be on the top, but also to bring some fun. I always like to enlighten, educate, empower, and entertain, but I love bringing us, you know, a lot of people was like, Cheryl, I'm about to do the talk, especially on CBS. Cause we're one of the most conservative networks and people were shocked. But somebody very high up must have seen something in me and believed in me.

And now I get to do other things. I'd love to do what you're doing. I'd like to have a little bit more relaxed language. I'd like to be Roland Martin and Bill Maher together. With a little bit of Sheryl Underwood. You think I could do it? We do a lot of cussing on my show. Well,

you know, but not like we about to do. This is going to be the Miss Pat. It's going to be Merge Miss Pat and Sheryl Underwood. But here's the thing. I think the door is open for a lot of commentary. Also a lot of news discussion and to move the discussion into let's talk about what we have here. You have the sponsors who are supporting things in the community. The community that gives clarity. I love that you give clarity. I like to do something like that. Well, I think that also we're now living in a world that, listen, when one opportunity

ends, it's not waiting for somebody else to say, okay, we're tapping you now. That was a thing for me when CNN ended a transition. We went to the Daily Show and TV One. When TV One Daily Show ended, I said, fine, I'm launching my own. Right. I just don't believe that we have to wait for somebody else to say you're worthy. Absolutely. And that's why my company is developing content, cooking shows, animation, unscripted.

We have scripts. We have TV show scripts. We have movie scripts. What you got to do is you got to sell one for everybody else to go, what else do you have? But also staying in community service. And that's one thing I applaud you on. You stayed in community service.

You gave community service with clarity. And that's what we need. Because a lot of people, they're doing the talking points. Or now some people, you'll be on something until they don't need you no more. And then you want to come back home. And we're looking at you like, what? Like, uh, really? That's right. That's what we're doing. That's what you're trying to do? That's right.

Well, you know, and I always say to folk, um, never ever, never lose the touch with your base. Absolutely. Tom Jonah always said, he said, if you take care of your people. That's right.

Your people will always take care of you. You saw what happened that day. Well, that was the power of God saying, servant, peace be still. And I know everybody in the street had their hand on that computer like, no. I sat there. And one day I'll talk about it, probably in a book or something. And I totally agree with you. I felt my community telling me, you are doing good. Don't react.

Don't react. You cannot react because you're playing into a stereotype. Back to our future president, Kamala Harris. If she reacts to things, see that, see that, see that, we're the only race of people that got that see that, see that, see that. Right? And that is not a problem. And even our own people will say that.

That's right. That's exactly right. So to me, everything I've learned over at CBS, everything I've learned from my colleagues, and you mentioned radio, I wish that there was a place for us on terrestrial radio, because it's still in our cars. It's still in our homes. And black people do not believe that Jesus is coming back until they hear it, until Roland

Martin say the Lord is coming back. Where will he be, Roland? Yeah. I mean, I tell people that, and look, even maybe radio has changed. Yeah. And I look at it politically. I mean, the reason I actually started this show, one of the pieces was I knew that Tom was retiring in December 2019. Right.

And I looked at all the other shows out there. Yes. And none of them were as heavily focused. That's right. On politics and community as Tom was. And I said, we got to have something for 2020. That's right. Here we are now in the second presidential cycle.

That's right. Because I launched this. And that literally was the focus, that you got to have something that is deeply rooted in the community. In the community. And you can still interview entertainers. You can still, when you talk about pay disparity in the entertainment business, and especially black women, you have to have a place to go to talk about that. And the other thing, too, Roland, is I've got to give it up to you because you never strayed from your brand. And you can have a Roland Martin and a Charlemagne, right?

And a D.L. Hughley. But then that needs to be a panel election night. And then let's get these sponsors to understand you can still be your product, but sponsor. See, that's the hardest part. I mean, we've been, I got a call the other day from a brother. He was like, man, he said, you know, you're going to have more advertisers. I said, brother, I said, we've been engaged. I said, this show will be six years old in September.

I said, we've been in a battle for all six years. Right. I said, we've met with all the agencies. That's right. We met with Dentsu. That's right. Publicist, Group M, Horizon. Right.

We met with all these folks. I said, it ain't easy as you think. That's right. And he's like, well, you got to go direct to the company. I was like, you think we haven't done that? Right. I said, and then it's like, well, you think. That's right. And he's like, well, you got to go right over to the company. I was like, you think we haven't done that? Right. You know, I'm like, I said,

and then it's like, well, you do, well, brand safe, you do news. And I'm like, yeah, but I see your ass on Fox. Thank you.

I see your ass on Fox News. Thank you. And so that's what I'm trying to explain to our people. So when folk come up to me, they were like,

man, you know, you know, we need, you should have this. We need our own thing as big as CNN. I'm like, but are you going to support it?

Right. And I'm like, yeah, but CNN doing 800 million. Right. I'm like, MSNBC doing 700 million. Fox doing 1.5 billion. I'm like, doc. Oh, then they're like, man, you begging white men for advertisers. I'm like, fool.

No media property runs without advertisers. That's right. And so, but we spend our money on the same products. That's right. And so I'm like, you have to understand. That's right. You can't be spending money on products. That's products. That's right. And so I'm like, you have to understand. That's right. You can't be spending money on products. That's right. That's right.

And those folk don't spend money on Black Home Eating. Absolutely. Absolutely. Because we're that dedicated customer, but we need to rally around us. And see, I want all of us to eat. All of us to eat. Disney can't eat all of the

advertising money. That's right. That's right. So I want, if you got a show, I want. That's right. You getting some, me getting some,

Black Papers, Black Magazine, all, that's right. I ain't got a problem with everybody eating. That's right. Let us share.

I don't believe in this. That's right. Oh, I'm the only one. That's right. Only give to me. I don't do all that. But we need you here and we are ready

to turn out this vote. Let's reclaim our vote. Right here at the Urban League. Well, what we do is, I've been using it since I was a TV1 and my thing is very simple. You got one vote. Use it. Use it. Okay, we need to end right there. That was a word.

That was a word. Now we need y'all to come on and sow a seed. Come on, somebody walk down. I love you. It's always good seeing you, baby. I love you, my alpha brother. I appreciate it. And listen, I want you. Well, sir, it's always good seeing you, baby. I love you, my alpha brother. I appreciate it. And listen, I want you to, you know, now that I know I got you, find something else to do.

Listen, Tyler Perry, I just had a meeting with 50 Cent, the first time they ever met. Uh-huh. And Tyler Perry told me, he said, we were talking one day, he said, Roland, you can think about every major person in Hollywood. I offered to sit down with all of them to lay out the blueprint, how I built this. He said the only person who took him up on his offer was Kevin Hart. Really? So 50 Cent recently

met with him, same thing, because 50 Cent, what he's doing down in Shreveport, he met with Tyler about that. So my deal is, I'm always sharing. I had a brother tell me, he said, man, you should charge. I said, no, I ain't gonna do that. I said, I'll sit down with somebody and walk them through. Say, hey, this is how I built it.

This is how you can do it. Well, then, okay. So what camera am I looking at? What camera am I looking at? Look at this one. Okay. Now that Roland Martin is willing to give me the blueprint. Hey, Saras.

I need to go to Tyler Perry and get another blueprint because I need some green money. The only way I can do what I'm doing, I need to make some money. So you'll see me working with Roland. Matter of fact, it's the Roland Martin and Sheryl Underwood Show. Well, should it be the Sheryl Underwood Show and the Roland Martin Show? Well, whatever show it's going to be, it's going to be good. Good to see you. All right, folks, I've got to go to a quick break.

When we come back, we'll talk with Basketball Hall of Famer and New Orleans Pelicans executive, Squin Cash. That's next on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Blackstone Network. Support the work that we do, folks. Please join Breana Funk Fan Club. You can see her check and money order. P.O. Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash Shappers, Dallas Sign, RM Unfiltered.

PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. We'll be right back. On a next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, how are you being of service to others? Doing for someone beside

yourself is such a big part of living a balanced life. We'll talk about what that means, the generation that missed that message, and the price that we're all paying as a result. Now all I see is mama getting up in the morning, going to work, maybe dropping me off at school, then coming back home at night. And then I really didn't have any type of time with the person that really was there to nurture me and prepare me and to show me what a life looked like and what service looked like.

That's all on the next A Balanced Life with me, Dr. Jackie, here at Blackstar Network. Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherry Shepard Talk Show. You're watching Rolling Markets. 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 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back.

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

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

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with

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

Human Services, and the Ad Council. Swin Cash was a top college player, top player in the WNBA. She is now a Naismith Hall of Fame. I had an opportunity to catch up with her yesterday here at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans, where she is an executive with the New Orleans Hornets. Swin Cash, what's going on? Not much. Happy to be here. Here in your city.

Yes. And I saw the other day. So what's this new job you got? You know, a little promotion here, a little promotion there. Wow. A little promotion. Yes. So I was promoted to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Development for the Pelicans.

So excited about the opportunity. We had some shifts in our leadership. And so give a big shout out to David Griffin, my boss, for just kind of seeing the vision, first bringing me here, and now continuing to let me grow and do what I do. Gotcha. So what do you do? You know, that's a good thing. Every time somebody asks him this, he always like, she's the god of everything. I think sometimes with women,

with black women, as you know, like we can just do a bunch of things. I think because I've played the game, having the ability to, from an organizational standpoint, drive our culture, right? And so dealing with everything from a hybrid role on our business side, anything that touches our players, touches our building. What does that look like from our branding, our marketing and connection with our guys? The other piece of it is our roster building, right? Being able to evaluate talent, helping with our trade deadline, free agency and draft. That's kind of from a leadership standpoint where I'm at, but also preparing myself hopefully one day for the next step and just learning a lot from my current boss and David Griffin.

What's that next step? You want to be a German manager of a team? You know what? I think the next step is, I mean, every NBA team is different. There's presidents. Some people are called presidents. Some people are called GMs. At the end of the day, it's about continuing to grow so that at the end,

you're the person that's the final decision maker. So I'm continuing to learn, continuing to grow, and hopefully I'll have the opportunity one day. What is that learning curve being like? Because obviously, look, you played the game, you're in the Hall of Fame, but the business side of the business is totally different than the show side. And I think what's helped me out a lot, and I want to give a big shout out to Isaiah Thomas for this. Many people don't know this, and I'll tell you this story. When I was retiring from the WNBA, my path was already set. I had laid the groundwork down for years in television, as you know.

And so I had deals on the table ready to make that next step. Recently married. Which is the natural step for most players when they retire to go into television analysis. Natural step. And the thing is that I had been doing television the same time as I had been playing. Because for me, it was want to have my own show, want to be able to cover sports, and I want to control my time. Those were the three things. So when I was in New York playing for the Liberty, Isaiah Thomas, who was president at the time,

him and I would have discussions all the time. And he's like, your mind just understands the business side. And so he went to my mom literally at my retirement and was like, I need you to help me get her to work for the Liberty because she has the ability to be on both sides. So my mom literally walked over to me and she said, well, Isaiah came to me. And I said, oh, he did. Y'all friends now. And she's like, Isaiah came to me. And is there an opportunity for you to do this? Would you like to do it? And I said, I said, mom, I already have my pathway laid out, but I prayed on it. I went back to Isaiah. He said, we'll make it work. We'll figure out a way. So I was able to do television and create a job, the first ever in a WNBA, Director of Franchise Development, where I worked on the business and the basketball side.

So I had those key learnings for a few years. And when this opportunity came with the Pelicans and I sat down with David Griffin, my boss, I'm like, look, I want to learn the functions of operations on the basketball side. There you go. Because Isaiah told me, he said, you know the game. What you need to do is go and learn everything every department needs to do. Because once you learn that, everything else is easy. And so my boss was like, okay, well, you also understand the language of the business side. And so I was able to help take all that information, institutional knowledge,

and come here and just, he's like, go. Whatever needs to happen, just go. And so I really love that experience because I've been able to be in every department, everything, and see how it's run. Well, and I think that for a lot of people, they make the assumption that, well, I played the game, so I know the game. No, no, no. You know that part of the game. The business side, it's a totally different function. Same way in television. There are people, oh, they want to be in front of the camera. Oh, that's fine.

But it's a whole different ballgame behind the camera on the business side. Same thing in music, in every field. And let me say this, Roland, and I want to be very clear for not only other players that are out there, but people who are on teams. A lot of times you can get this friction with former players that come in because they do have a certain skill set. If you've played the game, how you view the game is one thing. What more people need to understand is the politics of every business. I don't care if it's sports. I don't care if it's corporate America. And I've had some great mentors,

great advisors that always, always steered me in that direction. You learn this, you're going to be able to get anywhere you want to get to. And a lot of times athletes, we're not shown the political side. We're not shown the business, the mechanisms of things. And so that's another way to keep you out. So I tell everybody that's out there, learn the business side, learn the mechanisms that you need to understand within those departments, and then the basketball is going to kick in. Well, Reverend Jackson often talks about, he said, the reason African-Americans have excelled in sports and entertainment. He said, in sports, it's real clear. The court's 94 feet.

It's 10 feet. Go high. Same distance from the free throw line. Same distance from the three-point line. You get to X timeouts. I get X timeouts. Now your talent now drives whether you're on the court or not. Whereas it becomes very subjective on the business side.

That's what, again, when the politics comes in. And a lot of people, because it's rare to be a talented player and you riding a bench. Now, yeah, you got some coaches who trip, but at the end of the day, talent drives that. On the business side, it's a whole other little thing that goes on. But yes, the nuances that one has to understand. Yeah, and I think when you have the access that I have, which I'm really grateful for, is that I understand not only our roster, but the direction of our team.

And so when you're able to sit in those meetings with my colleagues on the business side, and they may love a certain player or want to drive a certain player to be branded or to do these things with them, and you have to have a certain player or want to drive a certain player to be branded or to do these things with them. And you have to have a certain level of knowledge to say, okay, I understand what's happening over here. Let me steer you in this direction. This is what we're having. These are conversations. Like you can't always share all the information, but because I have the basketball

side, I love the conversations. I love building with my colleagues on the business side because we're all trying to get to the same destination. Are you seeing, and we just saw, was it the Lakers who hired a sister? Yes. Who was the G League coach of the year. Are we seeing more women go on the business side of basketball? Because, look, it's been male-dominated for quite some time. So when I say the business side, I think the business side of basketball? Because, look, it's been male-dominated for quite some time. So when I say the business side, I think the business side of our business, there's two verticals.

There's the operations side, which I sit on, and then there's the business side. The business side has always had unbelievable women. On the business side, you have a phenomenal woman for the Dallas Mavericks in Sim Marshall. Who's the CEO. She's the CEO. She's a beast. On the operations side, it's been harder because

you're either trying to become a coach. There's never been a coach. There's never been a president. And now we have a senior vice president, obviously, on the operations side and me. But we've never had women who have a seat at the table that not only can evaluate talent, that can also be able to contribute in other ways with the basketball piece. And I think that's an area where you're seeing not only myself, but you go to the Boston Celtics. Alison Feaster just won a championship there. She's been with them. She's another black woman who are in, you know, it's in those meetings. I think we have to have intentionality. Because for me, hiring women is not just a gift to a woman. Hiring women,

whether it's in coaching, whether it's in the front office, is good business sense. And so my challenge continuously is for not only us to get better in those spaces, but every team. And I think Adam Silver has done a great job from that standpoint of letting that message be heard. We need more women to have these opportunities. And that's one of the reasons why I started She's Got Time. And are you communicating with other former players and current players to get them to understand that, hey, what you said, I was thinking about broadcasting,

but hey, this is another avenue for you. Absolutely. And I think my platform, She's Got Time, is the reason why I started this. It's for women to see other areas of the business they can get into. Like, we have some girls at Tulane Law that's come to my summit, and their understanding is, I want to become an attorney. But now they look at the sports world, and they're like, wait, you can be in branding, you can be an attorney just doing trademarking, you can do all these

different things. And for me, it's giving them the access and seeing the opportunity. So that's one. And I think the second part of it is, as women are playing the game, I think the WNBA is getting more intentional about this. Letting players know, set yourself up. Sometimes internships, when you're not overseas, there's opportunities to be on these teams.

And so that's what my hope and my goal is. Got to ask you your thoughts on what's happening with the WNBA. You look at the All-Star Game ratings. You look at the response, not only the Kate and Clark, but also Angel Reese, other players as well. And one of the things that I keep reminding people, the reality is no one or two players or three or four or five players somehow creates the league. I always tell folk, yes, did Magic and Larry Bird save the NBA? Because where it was when they came in, yes, there was already an NBA. And so you never can act like what happened before those two was irrelevant because there were fantastic players before those two arrived.

I think the same thing in the WNBA. So what I see with a Caden Clark and an Angel Reese and others is the natural trajectory of what has happened with women's basketball, college level, high school level, junior high level. And now we're seeing the result on professional level. Absolutely. Everything you said is accurate. And I agree with that, Roland. The other caveat that I will add is that the sacrifice of any great league that grows. The WNBA is still very young compared to where the NBA was. But any movement, there are moments, there are movements, things that happen where you and I may not reap the benefit,

but everybody else coming after us gets to do that. I was able to reap the benefit of the Koops, of the Swoops, you know, Cheryl Miller, everyone that laid groundwork down that I was able to build on. My challenge, and I've had these conversations with some of the younger players in the WNBA, is you're coming in as an NIL baby, right? We didn't have that. Oh, no. So your perspective of how you see the sport, what you're pouring into the league, how you're going to grow the league, how you deal with sponsors, that's the next evolution. And so sometimes I sit back, I sit back and I'll share

this with you. I sit back sometimes and I smile when I see one of our players on a potato chip bag, knowing that maybe four or five years ago, that firm consulted me and paid me asking me, how do we deal with women's sports? How do we get in on women's sports? I may have gotten that check, but I know her will not. But take this back, got a bigger check. That's where I sit there, and I'm just like giddy like a kid. Yeah, but also your consulting then created that. It's the thought team. And so that player can't act as if, oh, that's just all me.

No, no, no, no. That was some folk who were seeding, who were fertilizing, who were plowing the fields to create that opportunity. Yes, and I think the women of the W get that. I remember sitting with Vividly in Miami. I was scouting down there in Miami, the Miami Heat, and I had a conversation with Asia Wilson, and I just remember just how proud I was listening to her, her thoughts.

And as she was building and getting ready to launch kind of her brand with Nike. And you've seen it all on Twitter. I mean, people have been going hard of where is Aja's shoe? Right, right. Where is her brand? And she was just there seeding. I wanted it to be right. Right.

And she did it her way. And I love that. And so when I have those small conversations, it lets me know the league is in great hands. Nneka Agumake, big shout out to her, the president of the Players Association. The women understand the assignment.

And that's why after the Olympics, you'll see them. You will see them. Also, I just think a lot of new fans who don't have any history. I mean, look, I'm from Houston and I know Cheryl Swoops, Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson, they won back to back to back. So that was in the early days of WNBA. So the people who to act as if that never happened, to act as if Rebecca Lobo never happened, like you never happened. I'm always saying, like even when

folk will talk about Michael Jordan, I will say, guys, I get it, but you can't act like Elgin Baylor didn't exist. Yes. Or Oscar Robinson. I remember, actually, I had Elgin Baylor on when Kobe died, and we were doing the tribute, and I asked Elgin. I said, well, okay, Elgin. I said, if it was a one-on-one, he's like, oh, no, Kobe would have got beat.

And folks are like, oh, man, what this dude talking about? And I'm like, I don't think y'all understand what a ball he is. And that's the thing that always just drives me crazy, when people don't have a respect for the game and who came before certain players. You know what drives me crazy is people who don't have a respect for history. How about that? Yeah. certain places. You know what drives me crazy is people who don't have a respect for history. How about that? Yeah. Because we seem to see it a lot nowadays is that our society, because things are at our fingertips, is that they just living in the moment. And that is why we have to continue

to tell our stories. That's why you're so important. Your show's so important, not only for us as a people, but around the world. Like, the best thing is to go out of the country, and they don't forget. So you can go somewhere and you played in the Olympics there, or you came there and you played on the travel team, they will run your stats down to you because they're avid sports fans.

In fact, I remember reading, I saw I remember somebody was on Twitter and they said, how dare y'all leave Kaitlyn Clark off? She's the most famous basketball player in the world. And I was like, you might want to pump your brakes. And this person didn't understand how huge women's professional basketball is overseas because they only had a U.S. point of view. And I was like, do you understand what they get paid overseas?

Do you? The crowds that they're seeing now, they've had those overseas. Yes. And that's the thing. And I was kind of like, oh, my God, y'all don't have any clue about any of this. Don't waste your time arguing there, Roland. Oh, my goodness. That'll take you down a rabbit hole. But the beauty in that is now my hope is the ones that are coming

and they're standing because they love their favorite player and they want to fight for Kaitlyn, they want to fight for angel that's cool but do a little bit more research dive deeper be excited about and shout out to the wba all-star game that recently happened i mean crazy the numbers are the numbers right you know at the end of the day you can't keep the women out like they're here they are growing the game and it's the same way i feel about women working in the sports space you can't keep us out we're here to stay and we're gonna keep growing when you talk about the history and uh everybody still talks about at the all-star game shaquille o'neal is getting ready and he says lenny wilkins uh hey lenny did you ever play at this level lenny's like

uh sir sir yes i did and and of course shack you know is embarrassed later to find out And it's like, sir, sir. Yeah, Shaq. I did. And, of course, Shaq is embarrassed later to find out Lynn is in the Hall of Fame as a player. That dude. And as a coach. But, again, that's just when you don't. So I'm sort of the same way. If you don't know the history of media, don't just think it started because you got here.

You know, learn your craft, learn your history to understand what happened before you arrived. Right. And how you're now going to add to it and not just stand on it. I tell people, don't just stand on all of the bricks that were laid down, all the mortuary that happened. Build, build through it. Because there's going to be a generation that comes after you. After you. And hopefully, I always said I wanted my niece to be the first millionaire in the WNBA, million

dollar contract. I think she's going to be too late. I think she's going to be too late. I think we're heading in the right direction and faster. Well, especially with that new television contract. Come on now. Come on now. And again, you said earlier, numbers matter.

You don't get that TV contract unless you're seeing these dramatic... I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

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

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

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

We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really them. It makes it real. It really does.

It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey.

We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

Add an increase in ratings. Absolutely. Absolutely. And they just have to keep pushing. Keep pushing. Keep pushing. Keep building. Swin, we appreciate it. Anytime. Appreciate you. Thank you. Absolutely. Absolutely. And they just have to keep, keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing, keep building. Yeah. So we appreciate it. Anytime.

Appreciate you. Thank you. Thanks so much. All right, folks, with opportunity today to catch up with two of the brightest stars in gospel music, television stage, you name it,

David and Tamela man. Welcome back to Roland Martin on the filter here on the Black Star Network. We're live in New Orleans, the National Urban League Convention. Lots of folks who have been doing sessions all day. Joining us right now, two folks you are quite familiar with. We got two of the craziest Christians in the world, David and Tamela Mann. David, more crazy than Tamela. I don't know. It's like 95-5. I don't know. After being married to me 36 years, that switched a little. I got a little crazy on

me. Just a little bit. You did. You did. Thank you. Thank you. So how y'all doing? We've been doing good, man. How you doing? You know, I got asked by the wife and then mom and dad. Listen, mom, dad now. So dad turned 77 in April. Mom is 77 in November. They stopped working elections. They retired from that. And so this may be need me to be one.

They need to work. Hey, they were like, listen, we good. They were trying to get back. They're like, no, we good. They are trying to get us to come back. They're like, no, we good. That is so good. They are doing their thing. That's good. Always bugging a brother, but it's all right. It's all right. Yeah, he's talking about y'all.

It's all right. It's all right. They're doing their thing. So what y'all been up to? Well, we've just been working, working on new music. I have a new single out, working for me. A new album dropping in October, Live, Breathe, and Fight. So I just need, as everybody, thank you for the support, but keep on supporting.

Right. Absolutely. It's been a while since we had new music coming out, but I mean, and she's looking fabulous. Well, thank you. She's looking all colorful and everything. She's looking lustfully good. Oh, my Lord. He said lustful.

Amen. Amen. 36 years, y'all. There you go. There you go. So what you doing? I'm just, you know, I've started directing and doing more things behind the camera. Right.

You know that. You're in front of the camera, but you like to operate a little bit behind the camera. No, I do a little more than a little bit behind the camera. I know that. I said that being funny, you know. Yeah. But I've started doing the same thing. As a matter of fact, she has a new video that's about to come out. I direct it.

Just directing some of the episodes for Assistant Living. Doing music producing and executive producing and doing all the stuff behind the scenes. Look, y'all know we do everything together. So we have a new movie dropping with Tyler this fall, Madea's Destination Wedding. Crazy. Now that movie's crazy. We just finished the other, like, assistant living season.

So, I mean, we've been busy and working on music. And keeping up with you. Right. And each other. You be blasting people on here. You know what I respect about you? I know what I respect about you. Right. And each other. You be blasting people on here. You know what I respect about you? Me? Moi? You know what I respect about you?

He said moi. Is any given moment, anybody can get it. Oh, yes. Oh, no. Anybody. I make it clear. The model that I have maintained in my career is if you do good, I'll talk about you. And if you do bad, I'll talk about you.

At the end of the day, I'll talk about you. Sometimes, Roland, I sit and look at the TV and I'm like, did he just really say that? Oh, listen, I remember Jesse Jackson Jr. He was a member in Congress. He spoke at a radio show in Chicago, WVON. And so he said, hey, I'm going to Roland's show tomorrow. You know what we're talking about? He said, oh, you and Roland are friends?

He said, no, no, no, no. Let me be real clear. We might be friends, but he will kick my behind. So y'all better let me know. That's not what Roland would normally say. He was like, y'all better let me know. I'm glad you was nice about it. What we talking about.

Well, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, I said, look, come on by, do an interview. She's like, oh, you prepare to grill me? I was like, wait a minute. You my member of Congress. What I like is not prepare the grill. You prepare to get the truth out of it. And that's what I like about watching your platform. That's true.

Hey, that's the only way I roll. That's good. You're doing good. You come in here and start lying, it's going to be a problem. Oh, Lord. But we proud of you, bro. I appreciate it. You're doing a great job.

I appreciate it. And representing us. You're doing a great job. That's how we try to do it. That's how we try to do it. And thank you for stepping in on the panel. Like, Roland, we're sitting doing a panel, and he creeps in, and that was a good, pleasant surprise to see you.

Well, it was. So Johnson & Johnson was one of the sponsors. And so Kim with Johnson & Johnson, she was like, the panel started. And I had calls. A number of people called me. Second gentleman gave me a call. Okay.

So I had some work to do. So I was like, listen, I will be down. I'll be down. Calm of people called me. Second gentleman gave me a call. So I had some work to do. So I was like, listen, I will be down. I'll be down. Calm down. I'll be down. And so she was like, look, I got a seat in the front. I'm like, I'll be there. So, you know, just. And when you walked in, it was like, okay, it's my seat. I'm going to pop in. I know he going to have something to say. No, I was just. You did good. You did good today. I'm like, I can sit here and listen. Me too. And what I enjoyed about the panel is just the state of black men and our mental health. So for everybody who's watching, David was on a panel with one of six panelists.

They were talking about black men's stereotypes. And it really was a very great conversation. A lot of that talked about mental health. You talked about issues that you've gone through. And the thing that I think a lot of people don't understand, you said something on the panel I thought was critically important. You said we don't have a lot of safe spaces. And the reality is black women, conferences,

whether they're church conferences, business conferences, they literally create these oases where they can actually meet. And it is very few. So for me, because I'm an alpha, we are brotherhoods. And when I was, we had a reunion. Right. And

we were sitting here, getting ready for the brotherhood. And so the younger brother said, all right, man. So the AKs and our girlfriends would come by X time. We got a few music. And we were like, that ain't a Brotherhood. And so the older brothers were like, y'all need to turn the music off. And you need to call your girlfriends.

They can't come. Y'all need to call them AKs. They can't come. I need to call them AKs. They can't come. We're going to show y'all what a brotherhood is. Right. And we were there from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Really? Wow.

Because that's what a brotherhood is. It's no women. It's no non-alphas. And we were having a conversation, and brothers were talking about we were talking about black on black crime brothers were like man I can't I couldn't kill another man

one brother was like I could and I did he was in Iraq and he said it was hand to hand combat one of us was going home in a body bag and it went from that two brothers got saved so it was a One of us is going home in a body bag. And it went from that. Two brothers got saved. So the whole point of the brotherhood is to be able to share innermost secrets,

to be able to get guys and be able to talk stuff out. And we don't actually have and encourage that those type those type of conversations. Take the games out, not hooping, not playing video games, not playing dominoes, not playing card games, but where we can actually talk to one another. That's what you're talking about for us. I mean, and I've been doing these these panels with AARP for a while. And I appreciate them allowing me to use my platform to create those spaces for men like me. Because, you know, it's a lot of brothers in this game who are suffering, but we just decide we're going to suffer in silence.

Yeah. And, you know, so that's why I decided to do this and go on this journey because, man, I sit for a while rolling and just suffered in silence. I know the feeling. Go to the award silence. But go to the all the... Oh, no, no. I know the feeling. Go to the award shows. Yes. Go to all the stuff.

And that's the thing. People see you and you're doing the performative things, but not understanding the personal turmoil that you're actually dealing with. Yeah. Yeah. And I think if we were able to get to some of the other brothers in here, it could have prevented. And as I, as I think about it,

it's just like when you encounter somebody, it's like, are you really okay? Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah. Right. Cause I know that was me.

That's a natural response. I think. Right. And then as for me and me as a woman looking in on y'all, but it's just not y'all. It's women too. We all have learned to wear a mask. Right. And then as for me and me as a woman looking in on y'all. But it's just not y'all. It's women, too. We all have learned to wear a mask. Right. And then my daughter, my daughter put it great. So it's like, you know, but now when I ask him, are you OK?

I'm really going into depth in my mind. I just lost a 29 year old nephew. Yeah, that's what I was talking about. If we had gotten to somebody like him, it almost brought me to tears because I'm thinking, what could we have said? This was last two weeks ago. Right. We lost a young man. Wow. By suicide. And what could we have said to him?

Well, I think that's what you're saying. And look, men and women deal with this. Yes. And Christians deal with this. Yes. And Christians deal with this. Yes. I call it also when you go through what I call a spiritual desert, where you're so busy and you're doing all these different things, and you literally get away from your meditation.

You get away from your morning prayer. You get away from stopping yourself in the middle of the day just to be able to take time away from God. And so then what then happens is the decision that you begin to make and then the ramifications of those decisions. And it's hard for a lot of people to understand when you're a very busy person, all of the busyness can get in the way of you taking the time for yourself how do you do that because folk are

pulling folk are pulling they want you here and want you there how do you say y'all and david and family i need jesus had to step away from everybody. He did. He did. And that's one thing that I have realized that I have to take care of myself in order to take care of the family. I have to be honest with myself to say, okay, I just need some me time just for a second. Even if it is for me going to the nail shop, going to get a massage or just going sitting

outside, just drinking a cup of coffee just to gather my thoughts or just sitting in a long bath. It's just and it always don't have to incorporate money. People always think like you got to have money to go do these things. It could be going sit in the park just just to get away. So but I do realize and I have realized that I do have to have time alone to just gather my thoughts and to make time for myself in order to just make sure that I'm taking care of me. And it's like one thing he learned from a therapist. He's like, it's not being selfish. Because at first, a lot of times we think we being selfish, if we want to look after ourselves or do something for ourselves. But the mistake I think we make with selfish is the root word of selfish is self. Right. Actually, it is selfish. I think the problem is, people don't understand, it is selfish.

Again, I said earlier, when Jesus took disciples, yo. He was taking care of self. I need to go over here. He was selfish. I can't be around y'all. I need to go on over here. There's nothing wrong with being selfish. That was my first assignment in my first therapy session.

You have to learn to be a little more, you have to learn to be more selfish for you. And I was like, what? I was like, what? And I, you know, it was even just one of going and just sitting down and dining by myself. Yes. I was like, what? But I learned for me, it's I don't have to answer every phone call. I don't have to answer every email right now. It can wait a second.

I had a very rough 2022. I remember I was on vacation. I always play golf on vacation. The golf course is in horrible shape. So we had 10 days. I played nine holes. That was it. That don't happen. So all I did every day was walk the dog on beach and trust me i was i was not

happy because even when i'm on a golf course that's my getaway right but walking each other day and so i was just and i was evaluating everything everybody all kind of different stuff and and i was talking about about just what I was, and one of the things for me was, I started thinking about how many phone calls I was taking. I would do the show, I would go home, folks would call, calls would be at 11, 12, 1, 2. This is going on, this is going on, this is going on.

And then, so never shutting down, just never shutting down. Just constantly being overwhelmed. And I said, no, I said, no, nothing. We no call of the 10 o'clock. And then I started people want to reach out to me. Nope. Set a department to my assistant because a lot so many people had access to me direct. And so that's a perfect example of how you have to establish boundaries. Yeah. For yourself.

Yes. Yeah. Because it was just like literally. And becoming overwhelming. I texted some pastors the other day about praying for me. And this is what I said. I said, I was constantly being empty, but rarely being refilled. That's right. Yeah.

That's so true. I explained it to her is I was drowning and nobody could see it. Right. And the only way... But you were still high performing. Right. And that's the problem.

That was... But nobody could see it. And the only way that people will see that you're drowning is you drown. And it's too late then. Or when something happens and God gives you

a wake-up call. And God would say, I'm going to use this opportunity to get your attention. To shut it down. That's it. No, man, I appreciate you having us stop by because this is something that's near and dear to me, so I'm going to have to come back

and we're going to just come back and have the full conversation about this kind of stuff. I mean, I own it. I ain't got to ask nobody. Well, I know. I got to make sure we're good. I mean, you know. But it's always good. All you got to do is tell me how long you want to talk.

It's always good. I had somebody hit me. They said, hey, you think we can talk about this in about five, eight minutes? I was like, well, 15 or 20 or 30. They were like, what do you mean? I was like, OK, I ain't got to ask nobody. I own it. I'm like, so you tell me how long you want to chat.

They were like, damn, I ain't never thought about it that way. I said, that's the difference between whether you own something and you got to ask somebody. Amen. We big on ownership. Always good to see y'all. Good to see you, man. Good luck with all

of the projects. Thank you for just being consistent in this game. Whenever we see you, it's the same consistent brother. Yes. You know,

some people, you gotta wonder who they gonna be that day. Not you. We know. We know what we getting. That's the only way to be. Only way to be.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Folks, gotta go to a break. We'll be right back. Roland Martin on the filter right here on the Black Star Network live at the National Urban League Convention in New Orleans. Back in a moment.

Fan base is pioneering a new era of social media for the creator economy. This next generation social media app with over 600,000 users is raising $17 million and now is your chance to invest. For details on how to invest, visit startengine.com slash fanbase or scan the QR code. Another way we're giving you the freedom to be you without limits. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.

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

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

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

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

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

Hey, it's John Murray, the executive producer of the new Sherry Shepard Talk Show. You're watching Rolling Mark. Until tomorrow. Folks, that is it for us from the National Urban League Convention here in New Orleans. We've had a great time the last three days.

To see our coverage, simply go to the Black Star Network app or go to our YouTube channel as well. So thank you so very much. I will see you guys on Monday from Detroit where Jalen Rose is having his annual golf tournament, benefiting his charter school there.

Don't forget, support us in what we do. Join the Bring the Funk fan club. Send your check and money over to PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 2003-7-0196. Cash app, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered, PayPal, R. Martin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. Zelle, Roland at RolandSMartin.com, Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. Also, you can download the Blackstone Network app, Apple Phone, Android Phone,

Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Be sure to get a copy of my book, White Fear, The Browning of America's Making White Folks Lose Their Minds, available at bookstores nationwide. Folks, that's it. I will see you guys on Monday. Have a fantastic weekend. May God bless you and all that you do. Again, for all of us here in New Orleans, let me thank our crew. We've all had a fantastic job here as well. And so thank you for all of you for watching as well. Y'all be well. Holla! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit AdoptUSKids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,

have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.

On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.