#RolandMartinUnfiltered - TX Voter Fraud Dropped,VA's Wrong Voting Precincts,Breast Cancer Awareness,Rev. Charles Sherrod Dies

Episode Date: October 25, 2022

10.24.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: TX Voter Fraud Dropped,VA's Wrong Voting Precincts,Breast Cancer Awareness,Rev. Charles Sherrod Dies Republican attempts to crack down on voter fraud aren't working as they thought.   Charges in Texas are being dropped just like those in Florida.  I'll talk to the Counsel of Voting Rights from the Southern Coalition For Social Justice about how these measures are merely a scare tactic.  More than 7.5 million people have already voted either in person or by mail.  An NBC voter poll says that's because people are energized about this year's election.  We'll tell you how Virginia sent about 60-thousand voters to the wrong precincts.  Senator Lindsey Graham gets a bit of a reprieve from Justice Clarence Thomas, who temporarily blocks Graham's subpoena to testify in Georgia's election probe.  One officer takes a plea, and the other officer decides to let a Minnesota judge decide what his part was in the death of George Floyd. It's Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I'll take to a two-time breast cancer survivor and a doctor about the importance of getting breast exams. And we say farewell to a civil rights icon, Rev. Charles Sherrod. 10.24.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: TX Voter Fraud Dropped,VA's Wrong Voting Precincts,Breast Cancer Awareness,Rev. Charles Sherrod Dies Republican attempts to crack down on voter fraud aren't working as they thought.   Charges in Texas are being dropped just like those in Florida.  I'll talk to the Counsel of Voting Rights from the Southern Coalition For Social Justice about how these measures are merely a scare tactic.  More than 7.5 million people have already voted either in person or by mail.  An NBC voter poll says that's because people are energized about this year's election.  We'll tell you how Virginia sent about 60-thousand voters to the wrong precincts.  Senator Lindsey Graham gets a bit of a reprieve from Justice Clarence Thomas, who temporarily blocks Graham's subpoena to testify in Georgia's election probe.  One officer takes a plea, and the other officer decides to let a Minnesota judge decide what his part was in the death of George Floyd. It's Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I'll take to a two-time breast cancer survivor and a doctor about the importance of getting breast exams. And we say farewell to a civil rights icon, Rev. Charles Sherrod.    #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ [e-mail] Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox 👉🏾 http://www.blackstarnetwork.com #RolandMartinUnfiltered and the #BlackStarNetwork are news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You dig? Today is Monday, October 24, 2022. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, broadcasting live on the Black Star Network from Statesboro, Georgia, where in an hour there's going to be a community event here focused on the midterm elections. The focus in this state is to elect Stacey Abrams as governor and reelect Raphael Warnock as the senator from the state of Georgia. We'll talk to folks here about that, including the pastor of this church that we are broadcasting from with regards to what this city is doing to turn out the vote for those two black candidates. Also on today's show, Republicans have done all they can to impose voter suppression, but a lot of their tactics are backfiring. A case in Texas has been dropped. Cases in Florida have been dropped.

We'll talk with an official with the council, the voting rights from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, about how they continue to fight these efforts when it comes to voter suppression. More than 7.5 million people have already voted early in this country. An NBC voter poll says that's because people are energized about this year's election. Records have been broken here in Georgia. Early voting started today in Texas. I was in Houston last night for a GOTV rally as well. Plus, we'll tell you how Virginia sent about 60,000 voters to the wrong precincts.

Speaking of Georgia, Senator Lindsey Graham gets some help from Clarence Thomas to keep him from testifying in the investigation by DA Fannie Willis regarding the 2020 election and the efforts by Donald Trump to try to steal that election. Also, one officer takes a plea, and the other officer decides to let a Minnesota judge decide what his punishment will be for the death of George Floyd. We'll give you those details. It's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I'll talk to a two-time breast cancer survivor and a doctor about the importance of getting breast exams.

In our memoriam, we have Reverend Charles Sherrod, who passed away, folks, last week. It is time to bring the funk on Roland Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network from Georgia. Let's go. He's got it. Whatever the mess, he's on it. Whatever it is, he's got the scoop, the fact, the find.

And when it breaks, he's right on time. And it's rolling. Best believe he's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's Uncle Roro, yo. It's rolling, Martin, yeah. Yeah, yeah.'s Rollin' Martin Yeah, yeah

Rollin' with Rollin' now Yeah, yeah He's funky, he's fresh, he's real The best you know, he's Rollin' Martin Now Martin All right, folks, we are here in Statesboro, Georgia, back in the state as we focus on the huge election taking place here. The midterm elections, of course, gubernatorial race. They see Abrams in a repeat race against incumbent Governor Brian Kemp and also Senator Raphael Warnock, who is running for a full six-week term against Hershel Walker.

Massive voter turnout has been taking place, but you still have Republicans doing their best to suppress the vote. A Texas man, folks, who last year made headlines a couple of years ago when he voted in the 2020 election, actually had his case tossed last week. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who happens to also be on a fellow investigation, he filed two counts of illegal voting against 60-year-old Harvest Rogers for voting while on parole in 2020. Well, in Texas, people who knowingly vote while on parole or probation,

that is a second-degree felony where a Texas district court judge dismissed the charges because the attorney general can't prosecute elections crimes unilaterally. Rogers said he was unaware of his ineligibility to vote, thus waited six hours to cast a ballot. He is not alone because 72% of all voter fraud charges brought by

Paxton have been against people of color. Mitchell Brown is the counsel on voting rights for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice based out of North Carolina and he joins us now from Washington DC I'm glad to have you on the show Mitchell I mean this is the thing that we're looking at here whether it was this case whether it is the efforts by Governor Ron or Senators in Florida the target the formerly

incarcerated this is absolutely meant to send a chilling effect and to keep folks formerly incarcerated, especially black people, from using their right to vote. Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, these are political ploys to chill black voters and brown voters. And it's not about what you can prove in court, but it's about how you can chill voters and stop them from exercising their right to vote. That's what these cases are about. And as you noted, courts in Texas and in Florida have stopped Governor DeSantis and Ken Paxton from doing that, from making this a political ploy. And so I'm glad to see it. But what it does, though, it forces these individuals to have to spend time, money and resources fighting a legal battle.

It causes organizations like yours and others to have to spend resources. And that's what this is all about. This is I mean, you know, we can look at numerous states in terms of how they are trying to stop folks from voting. And if they can get someone to say, man, you know what, I don't even want to chance that thing. So I'm just not even going to go and vote. That's how they win. Exactly.

You know, and we had a case in 2018 where we represented five voters in North Carolina in Alamance County, and we were able to, you know, get them to plea down to misdemeanor obstruction of justice, so not the felony charge in North Carolina. But the most important thing that came out of that that was disheartening was one of our clients said that no longer is he going to vote, but he's going to tell his children not to vote. And so you have this generational disenfranchisement, this generational vote suppression that comes just from somebody trying to exercise their right to vote.

They are criminalizing the ballot box, whether it be in North Carolina, Texas, Florida or even Georgia. You know, especially in Georgia, where you are right now with SB 202, they're trying to criminalize handing out water. Why are you trying to diminish the right to vote? You should be wanting to, you know, make it larger and make sure more people are able to vote. But again, this is a political ploy to gain political points, and we have to fight back. Well, and again, we're seeing again the strategy here in terms of how they're targeting folks, because as we've seen more people were formerly incarcerated get their right to vote many of these same Republicans oppose

you know criminal justice reform and so what they're they fear they fear these are going to be potentially Democratic voters absolutely absolutely they fear that you know and and it just piles on top of each other. You have this criminalization of the ballot box, as we call it, but then you tie in redistricting efforts, you tie in voter ID laws, and you see one thing after the other that just places barriers in front of people trying to exercise their right to vote. So they are scared. And, you know, that's just been—that's been their playbook for so many years, especially

after Shelby County, which struck down the, you know, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which protected black voters in particular. They've become more emboldened now to pass laws to diminish the right to vote because they're scared that they're going to lose their their place in the political hierarchy. And that's just not the way it should be. Again, we should be wanting to to make sure more people are voting and to encourage voting. That's what we do. You know, well, that's what half of us do. And so we have to, you know, continue to spread the message and we can't give up hope. You know, those who want to encourage voting, we can't give up hope. You know, one of the things that, again, when you look at how these folks think is a perfect example. I saw this tweet today from Texas Senator John Cornyn. And give me a second, I'm going to pull this tweet up. And he was doing his part to try to uh downplay

voter suppression uh and so this is what he tweeted more in voter suppression news turnout tracker saturday's early vote total in georgia was up 159 percent from the 2018 midterms and even surpassed 2020 by 20%, the Secretary of State's office said. And so, quoting Politico, so this is what they try to do. And we saw Supreme Court Justice, Chief Justice John Roberts do the exact same thing in his ruling in Shelby v. Holder. In their minds, there can't be voter suppression

because we're seeing record turnout. But voter suppression is not directly correlated to a decrease in voting. Voter suppression is about making it even more difficult for people to vote, forcing people to have to use provisional ballots. Now what you're now seeing is these laws where anybody can literally challenge someone. I saw one account where this woman went to go vote and someone who wasn't even present challenged her right to vote. And so she said, wait a minute, what's going on here? And so by having these laws where any citizen can just file any challenge, they are trying to keep thousands of black people from voting. Yeah. You know, it's said that if you can't win the game, then you

have to rig the game. And that's what, you know, sadly, the Republicans and many Republican legislatures are doing by allowing these voter challenges to go forward. You know, luckily, in some states, similar to North Carolina, we have a strong state board of elections that's able to filter out, you know, genuine challenges versus those who are more nefarious. But again, when you're trying to rig the election, when you're trying to rig the scales of justice in favor of your party by preventing people from voting, you know, you have to call it out. And as you noted, Justice Roberts said in Shelby County that basic discrimination doesn't exist in the same way. I would always tell him to go talk to my

clients. Go talk to my clients who were prevented, almost prevented from voting in North Carolina, given the voter ID law, a law that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said target black voters with surgical precision. My clients were almost disenfranchised, but it had not been for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and other organizations stepping up to the plate to stand in the gap for them and to prevent this atrocity from happening, they may have been disenfranchised. And so, yes, discrimination may not be as in your face as it was in the past with our foremothers and forefathers, but it's definitely still here. This country was built on it. It's built on discrimination and racism. This country has a habit of stepping into discriminatory tactics.

And we have to, again, continue to call them out on it and continue to to push back against laws that will prevent people from voting. Absolutely. Mitchell Brown, we certainly appreciate. Thanks so very much for joining us on today's show. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much for having me. All right. I want to bring my panel in right now. Dr. Julian Malveaux, Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. Joining us, Eugene Craig, CEO of X Factor Media, and also Dr. Avis Jones, the Weaver Leadership Strategist, will also be joining us as well. Eugene, I want to start with you. I mean, I really get a kick.

Is Eugene there? I want to make sure he's there. Okay. All right. So, Julianne, I'm going to start with you. Here's the thing that, again, is so ridiculous with with these Republicans. They will say, oh, look at the turnout. Oh, my God, we didn't suppress the vote. Well, if you look at poll taxes, if you look at literacy test, if you look at the efforts, how they are purging folks from the rolls. It is voter suppression when they

are doing their best to frustrate people, to make them jump through hoops, to make them jump over hurdles, to go through a minefield just to be able to cast a ballot. It is all by design because if it wasn't, then they wouldn't be using all of these tactics under the guise of voter fraud when they literally can not prove voter fraud. They've never been able to prove voter fraud, Roland, and we know that. The fact is that they are attempting to suppress the vote not only presently, but also generationally. Just as your prior guest said, the gentleman who was basically arrested for voting fraudulently, he's been cleared now, but he says he's not going to vote again. And what kind of signal does that send to others? Voting is dangerous.

I recall the 2012 campaign. I was doing some surrogate work with Hillary's campaign, actually, in North Carolina. And I ran into someone, it was 2016, ran into someone, one of my former security guards at Bennett. And I said to the brother, I know you're voting. He said, oh, no, I'm not. I said, why not? He said, you have to go vote. They had closed some polling places. He said, you have to go vote at the courthouse. And I have an outstanding warrant for my arrest because I have back child support. I'm not going anywhere near the courthouse.

He said, you used to be able to vote, you know, at the elementary school. Now the brother should pay his child support, A. But B, why is that the only place where people could vote? So you see these kind of tactics again and again and again, especially closing polling places, when in some places you've got to drive 30, 40 miles to get to a nearby polling place, and we have transportation inequity. So these people are full of it, but what they're about is regaining power. We know that. They're just about regaining power.

And they are not honest. They're not truthful. What they are is predatory capitalists. They're regaining power because what has happened in many places, I don't want to talk about L.A. much, but to talk about some of the people who are supposed to be with us who basically have attacked renters. So laws to make it more difficult for renters. So laws to make it more difficult for renters. Why would you make it more difficult for renters? So you can extract surplus profits.

So this, these cases, Georgia, I'm so glad that you're in Georgia, Groland. I really am. And I hope that you're able to help get the vote out. That's what the focus is, is getting the vote out, raising awareness, debunking these myths, and not allowing them to win. If our votes were so insufficient, they wouldn't be attacking them. The only reason they're attacking the Black vote is because a Black vote is powerful. And it's a new power. You know, two generations ago, we could have vote. So it's a new power, but it is a power nonetheless, that they're attempting to prevent us from using. Well, and again, what you're dealing with here is it is a question of power. I've been saying

that for the longest, trying to get people to understand what's going on here. And what I keep saying to our folks is you must battle power with power. Also, when you see these challenges and look, Democrats want to play nice. Progressives want to play nice. But this is what I say. If the Republican Party, if they're going to send white election monitors into our polling locations and challenge black people, well then we should be sending an army of black people into mostly white voting precincts and challenge their voters. Hello. When they start complaining, then they start complaining, then they probably will

try to change the law because we're using it against them. You got to fight fire with fire. Well, you're absolutely right. This is a really frightening situation at some level because, yeah, random white people, like the case you just were talking about, anybody can walk up on you and say, I challenge your right to vote, anybody. It's basically you're weaponizing racists to challenge legitimate Black voters. And there will be very little recourse. As you said in the previous interview, people

have to use resources that could be used for something else. Instead of using those resources for voter registration, for voter turnout, you're using them to defend somebody who legitimately was voting. Or in the case of the gentleman who was a felon, first of all, felons should be able to vote. But, secondly, he waited six hours. He wasn't trying to commit any fraud. He didn't know. The information out there is inadequate. And so, therefore, he chose to exercise a right, a franchise that he thought he had. He waited six hours.

But this is all over the, people are waiting six hours. People are having to go down with their own food because the poll watchers can't give them a sip of water while they're standing for hours in stifling heat. This does remind me, you know, from time to time I share a little bit of my family history when I'm here. My aunt was, long story, she was actually confronted. She died at 101 in 2000,

but she was actually confronted with a big old jar full of jelly beans and was asked to tell them how many jelly beans are in the jar. Well, she had no way of knowing, of course, and she and her friends tried to do some metric thing, how many jelly beans could you put in this, you know, in a small jar and multiply it and all that. And they thought they had the right answer. And when she went back down to the courthouse to estimate the number of jelly beans, they

changed the test to, can you translate this passage into Latin? It really was like, we don't want you to vote. What kind of Byzantine brain come up with those things? They couldn't translate something into Latin. They're going to ask a highly educated black woman who's been a schoolteacher in Jackson County, Mississippi, for generations. She taught the fifth grade for almost 50 years, asked her to translate something into Latin. But that's... These are the tricks,

and they're getting worse. And, you know, the Alabama case, of course, is another one. But let me tell you, I interviewed this young lady this morning, Shalala Dowdy, who's one of the named plaintiffs. And she said, if Black people do not play politics, politics will play us. And 32 year old sister, West Point graduate, just a privilege to talk to her. But that's that phrase stuck with me. We don't play politics, politics will play us. So all those folks who say they don't want to vote, you don't get played. you know what uh eugene i um you know i i talk to folks and they and they say man uh you so hard against republicans and you trying to get all these black folks uh to vote democratic no fool

i'm trying to get you to vote against individuals who literally are trying to steal elections. And the thing is, this ain't overt. It's not covert. This is very overt. They are being very vocal about what their strategy is. January 6th was the first quarter. This midterm elections is the second quarter. Okay? 2024, that's the first quarter. This midterm elections is the second quarter. Okay? 2024,

that's the ballgame. You have a bunch of Secretary of State candidates that are openly running and saying, hey, we are literally running just to certify the election the way that we decide it's going to go, not how the voters decide it's going to go, not how the

voters decide it's going to go. You have a bunch of gubernatorial candidates that are literally running on either the big lie or the future big lie, and willing participants in it, like folk like Carrie Lake. You have, you know, folk like Abbott and DeSantis who, you know, have held on to power, know what they can do with power, and are ready to turn it up a whole other level if given another term. The thing is this. It's not necessarily about getting people to turn out and vote Democrat. It's about getting people to turn out and vote and stop bad actors.

And folks got to work towards it. You got to, I mean, look, your rights are at stake here. You know, and you have a lot of bad actors that are on the ballot that very well will be in power for the next two to four years. You know, and also I just I just get a kick out of the Republicans, Eugene, who say, oh, no, no, we're just we want to keep things free and fair. They literally are desperately searching under rocks for voter fraud, and they can't find it. Crazy it is, right? Here in Maryland, we have a gubernatorial candidate that is a whack job to the point where he just accepted a gift openly from the Proud Boys, right? You know, Dan Cox went up to Pennsylvania to be part of Trump's quote-unquote legal team. And at this point, he's openly saying that it's not a shoo-in,

that he'll accept the election results the same way he comes preaching that in the primary. Well, the kicker and the gag here in Maryland is that Republicans control the boards of elections of all the counties because we have a Republican governor. So, I mean, these guys are just literally out of their mind. And so, folks, here's the deal here. You know, we're going to continue to cover what's going on. We're going to take a break right now. We come back.

We're going to talk about polling data showing the level of enthusiasm, folks turning out to vote. They continue to vote in Georgia, in Texas. Again, early voting begins today in Texas. Polls open at 7 a.m. this morning. And so we're going to show you some of the Geo TV rally that I emceed yesterday in Houston. And we'll talk about these new polls as well. And we'll talk about polls also in general because what I keep trying to explain to people, stop sitting here fretting over every poll that comes out. Spend your time driving your friends and family to the polls because that is the ultimate poll result,

what happens by November 8th. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network, live from Statesboro, Georgia. We'll be back in a moment. When we invest in ourselves, our glow, our vision, our vibe, we all shine.

Together, we are Black Beyond Measure. Welcome to Atlanta, one of the most expensive housing markets in America. But rather than help out, Brian Kemp cashed in. He made hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate. His net worth skyrocketed. And while Atlantans struggled to stay in their homes, Kemp gave $10,000 tax handouts to the richest Georgians and a nearly $700 million no-bid contract to his campaign donor. Brian kicked back Kemp, making Georgia work for him, not you. When we invest in ourselves, we all shine. Together, we are black beyond measure.

You know what's on the ballot. It's not just legislation and policies we believe in. It's democracy. Our democracy. There's a choice on the ballot between freedom and fear, between cruelty and compassion, between chaos and community, Between cruelty and compassion. Between chaos and community. Between voting or violence.

And the end of rights generations have fought for. The extremists have a plan. A road map for a nation where your voice is silenced and your vote is a memory. Where they count their votes and cast ours aside. That's why this year, this fight, this vote is so important. Register, engage, volunteer, fight back against the disinformation and despair, and most of all, vote.

Because your vote is all that stands between our future and theirs. and Technology Center. Join event host Roland Martin. Our honorees, Reverend Dr. Jamal Bryant, Zernona Clayton, Thomas Dortch Jr., Dana Lupton, Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele. On October 29th at the CNN Center Atlanta. There are no public libraries in Liberia, but together we can change that. Get tickets at ledinow.org. Hey, yo, peace world.

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All right, folks, we're here at Agape Worship Center in Statesboro, Georgia, where in the next hour, we're going to be having a community forum talking about this election. We're 15 days away from Election Day, and we are seeing significant movement when it comes to voting across the country. So 7.5 million people have already voted, about 10 percent of that just in this state, breaking records in a huge way. In Texas, they are voting today as well for the first time. Polls open in the great state of Texas. I was in Houston on yesterday for a GOTV rally, and we're going to be showing you just a little bit of that. There were a number of performers out there, and so we had a great time with the folks there in Houston, again, encouraging folks to get out and vote.

That's what it was all about. And so a new NBC poll also, folks, is showing that most Americans believe the political opposition is an existential threat to America. Eighty-one percent of Democrats believe that Republicans' plan threatened to destroy America, while 79 percent of Republicans believe Democrats will do the same. The poll shows that what voters believe are the top issues, threats to democracy, jobs, the economy, cost of living, immigration, abortion, climate change, health care, crime, and guns.

I want to start with Avis DeWeaver. Avis, here's the thing that we just have to understand. And, Avis, I get these people, they're like, oh, you know what, the independent voters and, you know what, I'm demonizing the other side. This, for me, is real simple. Just look at what are fundamental issues. Look at public policy and look at who they're benefiting. And one of the things that jumps out, and the New York Times did,

and I'm really sick and tired of mainstream media, Avis, doing a story every other day about white people who are, oh, my God, our world, our neighborhoods are changing, our city is changing, and then this whole notion of white fear and what is the basis of my book, and they're sitting here, oh, my God, the election was rigged. I mean, these white folks have fallen hook, line, and sinker for the lies of Donald Trump. And the thing is, and I keep telling people, what they are fearing is they are fearing the browning of America.

And what they want, they want the old America where cities and towns were 70, 80, 90, 95 percent white. They control everything. And people of color were subservient. Absolutely. In one word, they want power. And they are willing to stop at nothing to get it. And it's not just Donald Trump. This is the thing that we need to really come face to face with as a nation. Donald Trump is merely the conduit for this feeling of entitlement, for this feeling of

undeserved privilege that people don't want to go away, and specifically this large cohort of white people in America. And so really what we're seeing here is we're seeing here, as you mentioned, people hearkening back to a time of just overtly undeserved privilege on steroids. Right. And wanting that time to never end when they are seeing the, quote, unquote, browning of America. What they are seeing then is a reduction of their power if we remain in a democratic system where majorities are supposed to rule. And that is exactly why a survey out of, ironically, professors in Texas a couple of years ago found that white people who held racially intolerant views, their support of democracy declined under the current circumstance, and their support of dictatorships grew. It's because they know if they no longer have the majority, which is the power-wielding block

in a democracy, be damned democracy. There is no sort of real sort of desire to maintain that system. It's the desire to maintain power by any means necessary. And right now, the means would mean autocratic governing tendencies. And that's why we're seeing such a strong focus in terms of what's going on in the Republican Party right now. It is not about preserving democracy at all. It's about taking power at all costs because they understand that a rising majority that is not majority white will chip away at the power that they have been able to wield unfairly in this nation for generations, and they're not going to go down without a fight.

Here's the thing that jumps out here, Julianne, when I look at this New York Times article. And it says, in Fort Bend County, Texas, things are changing. Mosques and Hindu temples draw thousands. Farmland is giving way to suburbs. And some Republicans feel their county is becoming more like majority minority Houston. Once predominantly white, Fort Bend has quickly become one of the most diverse places in the country. Its congressman is an outspoken denier of Donald J. Trump's defeat. When Representative Troy Neals of Texas voted last year to reject Donald J. Trump's electoral defeat, many of his constituents back home in Fort Bend County were thrilled.

Like the former president, they have been unhappy with the changes unfolding around them. Crime and sprawl from Houston, the big city next door, have been spilling over into their once bucolic towns. Quote, build a wall, Mr. Neals likes to say, and make Houston pay. The county in recent years has become one of the nation's most diverse, where the former white majority has fallen to just 30% of the population. Don Dimmel, a 61-year-old salesman who turned out last month to pick up a signed copy of a book by Mr. Nils about the supposedly stolen election, said his parents had raised him colorblind.

But the reason for the discontent was clear. Other white people in Fort Bend did not like certain people coming here. He said, it's race. They are old school. Now, what gets me is the New York Times keeps doing these stories. And NBC and CBS, I remember CBS did a story. Went to this town that was in Iowa, sort of the same thing. And it's the same thing over and over and over again.

And I just keep trying to explain to people, hello, that's what my book is all about. And that is these white folks are freaking out and not just in suburban areas. They're freaking out in places like here in Georgia. Same thing because it's, oh my God, we used to run everything. Now you have these places that are 30 and 40 and 50, 60 percent black and a growing Hispanic population. They can not handle the browning of America. And Julian, we're trying to get these black folks to understand these people, these white voters,

they're flooding the polls. And so for all these Negroes who are sitting at home, sitting here yelling, cut the check, or tangibles, or the Dems ain't done this, ain't done that, they need to understand these folks have no intention on supporting anything that's on a black agenda. Roland, you know, one of the things that really, I would say tickles me, it's not funny,

but the New York Times and some of the mainstream media seem to be in collusion with these anti-black people by spreading the kinds of stories that you mentioned. I mean, I don't know, I've seen them so frequently that they almost are repetitive. You could take the byline, change the byline, change town, and they're just the same thing. And they're really like beating the drum, you know, beating the drum of white fear, which is what your book is about. It's these, the words that are being used are dog whistles. You talk about sprawl. They're not even dog whistles.

They're dog megaphones. Sprawl. You talk about difference. You talk about crime. The crime is one. When we see national crime going down, these people still keep talking about crime. And they're talking about crime because crime is a euphemism for what? Basically black.

So, as you say, these folks, they are playing their game. The mainstream media is in collusion with them. I mean, Melanie Campbell is on a bus tour with some black women comedians, and they're all over the place. I talked to her this morning, she was exhausted. Running here, running there. That's a story.

Will we see that in mainstream media? Black women comedians, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, sisters on buses trying to get out the vote. Why isn't that the story that's being told? Because that doesn't serve the majority. Not the majority. It doesn't serve the white folks. Let's just call it what majority. It doesn't serve the white folks.

Let's just call it what they are. It doesn't serve the white folks. And so you get these other stories. Oh, I'm so scared. The Muslims have a mosque. And, you know, that's absurd. It's utterly absurd. Or this build the wall stuff.

Again, absurd. But this is the way the mainstream media has chosen to play. And that's why not only are you, Roland Martin, and the Black Star Network important, it's why all of us have to make sure, if we have even a toehold in media, that we tell the whole story and the real story, not this nonsense about scared white people. They've never talked about scared black people. We could walk home in some counties, some cities for fear of white people. Has that ever been a story? I don't think so.

Eugene, read more of this story. It says certain districts primarily reflect either the racial or socioeconomic characteristics. But the typical objector district shows both, a factographers say it was striking okay now um now check this out because they are more vulnerable this and i see this read this line again because they are more vulnerable disadvantaged or less educated white voters can feel especially endangered by the trend toward a minority majority, said Ashley Jardina, political scientist at George Mason University, who studies the attitudes of those voters. They quote a lot of white Americans who are really threatened, are willing to reject democratic norms, she said, because they see it as a way to protect their status.

Now, here's what jumps out at me, Eugene. They use the phraseology, they are more vulnerable. To what? Disadvantage or less educated white voters. Look, the thing is this, right? By? Their whiteness is protected. Disadvantage by?

Their class. Say that again? Their class. I said their whiteness has protected them. Go ahead. Go ahead. Okay. Yeah, their whiteness has protected them in the class system.

And as they see this, the browning of America, as they see this becoming a minority-majority country, as they see their congressional districts changing, as they see their representation changing, as they see the society around them physically changing, this is their reaction, this is their backlash, this is their, their, their, their, their clapping back. That's what January 6th was. It was, hey, our white savior is now going to be gone, so we're going to rebel. That's what it was, a rebellion, right? It was an insurrection.

It's what you're seeing in a lot of these candidates. It's what you're seeing in a lot of these down-ballot races. It's what you're seeing with this rise in, quote-unquote, Christian nationalism, right? You know, with Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania to a degree, Dan Cox here. You know, it's this, you know, last final grip of power to try to hold on to

because, hey, to them, all they have is their whiteness to protect them. Nothing more and nothing less. All things equal, they're at the bottom of the totem pole in many cases. I mean, here's Avis. I mean, I read this

story. I read this story and I really do laugh. At one point, they're talking about a district in Virginia and it says that once dominated by coal, manufacturing, and tobacco, the area's economic base eroded with competition from new energy sources and foreign importers. Doctors prescribed opioids to injured laborers, and an epidemic of addiction soon followed. Residents, roughly 90 percent of them

white, gripe that the educated elites of the northern Virginia suburbs think that, quote, the state stops at Roanoke. They take umbrage at what they consider condescension from outsiders who view their communities as poverty strickenicken and they bemoan PhD pollution from the big local university, Virginia Tech. Okay, so let's stop right there, Avis. They take umbrage at what they consider their communities as poverty-stricken. Y'all broke.

See, this is the thing right here. In many of these towns and communities, Avis, these white people are walking around in denial about being broke. And so they're literally voting against their own economic interests. But here's the one that just jumps out at me. Avis, it's going to blow you away. They were talking about this was a place in Appalachia, and they were talking about the folk who got sick.

And now the number of coal miners has plunged to less than 2,000 from more than 10,000 employed at about 340 mines three decades ago. Then it goes on to talk about this district in New Jersey where in Lebanon, population 3,100, where they have seven addiction clinics,

and they talk about people who are sick, and they talk about folk who have diabetes and other illnesses. Yet these are the same people who hated the Affordable Care Act. So they're complaining about their illnesses. They're complaining about being sick. They're complaining by saying government forgot us, but Trump didn't. When Trump wanted to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, lied before four years saying he had a health plan that was never presented. And so you sit here and you go, what is wrong with you people?

And the problem here is you literally cannot talk common sense into people who have none. Oh, absolutely. You can't. Well, you know, as a black elite PhD, let me give my prescription to what's going on here.

You know, I wonder why don't they just pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Wonder why not? I wonder. It sounds like they're undeserving poor, doesn't it? You know, I want us to think about these phrases that's been hurled at black people for generations poor black people for generations but now when we're talking about poor white people we're supposed to feel sympathy because they're drug addicted and they don't have sense enough to get up and move someplace where they can find jobs really we're supposed to have sympathy for that. What we're seeing right now is people who have been drunk on undeserved white privilege for generations. And just like Eugene said, if you put them head to head with people who have more drive, determination, have gone out there and achieved more, and particularly if

they are Black or other people, you know, they are going to feel umbrage to that because they feel a sense of entitlement that it should have been them. When instead of it, of them doing the things that would have put them in the, Listen, this country was made to advantage white people and specifically white men in every way, shape and form. If you are a white man and you find yourself poverty stricken in this country, the country that gives you every advantage imaginable, then the finger you need to be pointing is at yourself because there's something wrong with you that you didn't have enough damn sense to take advantage of the opportunities that you've been given and that's been specifically, specifically taken away from generations of Black people in this country. For us to be able to do what we have done and now they feel threatened by it, I say hold up a mirror.

The problem isn't the government. The problem is in black people. The problem is you. Get up off your ass and work. Now, Jean, you're going to love this one. You're going to love this one. Tim Wilson, a 60-year-old Army veteran who owns

a business in Christianburg that provides wigs and other supplies to cancer patients said he won a town council seat last year to help attract business and jobs. Okay, watch

this. Yet he feared the cultural cost of outside investment. A big employer, quote, no, no, no, it gets better. A big employer, quote, would also bring with it all the executives and what comes with it from Northern Virginia or California, one of the strong blue regions, there is this fear. The same distrust drove feelings about the last election, he said.

Democratic elites in the big cities, the ones who took people from being coal miners to being put out on the street, were pushing what he called the myth that the election had run perfectly. If we don't show the people that are a level above us and a level above them in elected offices that we mean business, it'll never change anything. We need to show them that we have the courage to stand up to the status quo. So let me unpack that, Eugene. So what was his name, Tim?

So Tim Wilson is complaining that his city is broke. He said that he was elected to the city council to bring jobs and investment. But poor little Timmy, Eugene, is concerned that, oh my goodness, if we go out and seek investment, then it's going to be those liberals from Northern Virginia and California coming in here with their liberal views. But Timmy, y'all want that liberal money. Hello. And when we start

thinking about all of these broke red states and inside of these broke red states are broke red cities. And these same broke red states with broke red cities are filled with white conservative people who love to talk about black folks getting handouts and welfare, yet their broke red states and broke red cities are absolutely dependent upon money from the same elite blue towns and states, and they have convinced themselves that they are hard workers.

So therefore, the money they're getting from the federal government is because of their hard work. Yet, them people of color over there who get money, is they lazy. So they're getting freebies, when in fact, if you you putting in a dollar in taxes and getting three dollars back, you are a leech on society. The thing is this. The thing is this. Right. I think it's hilarious. It's like, yeah, we want your money, but we don't want to. We want your money. We don't want your people. We even want your corporation. But, you know know we just don't want those people right because look what's a company um you know has a uh foothold handhold presence in an area yeah there are people going to be permanent there and guess what that changes guess what you heard it new voters um but the thing is this you know a lot of these broke red counties, when Amazon announces a new HQ or a FedEx or Lowe's and all these jobs, they're fighting over it.

They're ready to throw the whole county at the company to get it because they know what that dividend and trickle effect is of having, you know, that new economic base come into town. But, you know, he said the quiet part out loud. We want your money, but we don't want your people because your people are going to come down here and force us to actually change our culture. And see, when you say change our culture, that's changing our white culture. and he was saying how, how, how, how we really need to go to these places and listen to them and listen to their pain and understand where they're coming from. And I said, no, we don't. Because if you are living in enclaves, if you are living in cities and neighborhoods that are 90% white, you are actually not living in 21st century America.

You are actually an aberration. And so they want us to go listen to them when, no, y'all need to come listen to diverse America and understand what's going on. That's what needs to happen, Julianne. You're absolutely right, Roland. I mean, I could not help but laugh as you were reading this guy, all the, what the, first of all, what the invasion of PhDs. These are anti-education.

These people are anti-education. What's wrong with having a PhD? You know, it means that you have higher education, but these folks embrace their idiocy. But the second part, as means that you have higher education. But these folks embrace their idiocy. But the second part, as you say, they don't want the money. These people have consistently voted against their own economic interests to preserve their nonculture. To use the word culture is laughable. What do they mean by culture? But they have basically pursued or embraced their own economic denouement.

I mean, they would prefer to have the elite money stay in Northern Virginia so they can squabble and wallow in poverty, you know, down there where they're upset about this and that, and make it plain. They are wallowing in poverty. When you look at these counties, you look at the income, the average income, you look at some of these things, they have almost as much poverty as Black people. Their median income in the southern part of Virginia is about 20 grand less for whites than it is in northern Virginia, the median income. And so, excuse me, do you enjoy being inferior?

Yes. Once Toni Morrison said that the way that white people got to be superior is because no matter what else they had or didn't have, they always had the N-word. That no matter what they did or didn't do, they could always put us down by calling us the N-word. And so you could be, to have two teeth, you know, two stuff, tufts of hair, and not but one change of clothes,

and you still think you're better than Black people because you get to call us the N-word. Well, no more. We are pushing back. We're fighting back. But, Rose, the only way we really fight back is to vote. It literally is. And too many people are having these theoretical conversations. Like you said, the people say cash the check. Well, those ADOS people don't have the sense they were born with because they would have you withdraw your vote for something that, if it does happen, will take some time to implement. The only way you're even going to get reparations, H.R. 40, Sheila Jackson Lee has gotten 215 or so, maybe 16 co-sponsors. It can come out of the House. It won't go to the Senate.

It won't go to the Senate. But if you don't have Democrats in that House, it won't come out of the House. So I don't know what these people are thinking about. So hold tight one second. I'm going to go to a break. We come back. I do want to talk about that whole idea of how we as African Americans

and Latinos and Asians and Native Americans are not maximizing our power and how even when we are the majority, we are allowing white voters to still control the politics. So I'm going to break that thing down. We come back next.

We're broadcasting live from Agape Worship Center here in Statesboro, Georgia. Folks, if you want to support us in what we do, download the Black Star Network app available on all platforms, Apple phone, Android phone, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV. Join our Bring the Fuck fan club where every dollar you give goes to support the show. You can see in your check-in money orders, the PO Box 57196, Washington, D.C., 20037-0196. Cash Happens, Dallas Sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Martin Unfil happens, dollar sign, RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RM Martin Unfiltered.

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You can order through your favorite black bookstore or download the book on Audible as well. We'll be right back. When we invest in ourselves, we all shine. Together, we are black beyond measure. Welcome to Atlanta, one of the most expensive housing markets in America. But rather than help out, Brian Kemp cashed in. He made hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate. His net worth skyrocketed.

And while Atlantans struggled to stay in their homes, Kemp gave $10,000 tax handouts to the richest Georgians and a nearly $700 million no-bid contract to his campaign donor, Brian Kickback Kemp, making Georgia work for him, not you. When we invest in ourselves, our glow, our vision, our vibe, we all shine. Together, we are black beyond measure. It's about us. Let's go!

Everybody out together. We are in sunny South Dallas. The election is coming up. It's super important that folks know who they are voting for, but more importantly, what they are voting for. Y'all, we got some free shirts and free lunch right over here. Freedom is our birthright. No matter what we're up against, we're sending a message in Dallas and Texas and in the country.

We won't black down. That's what this bus tour is all about. The housing cost is one of the most capitalized areas that we have found. People who are marginalized, that are brown and black, we are suffering the most. And I think that we have the biggest vote and the biggest impact in this election. I'm voting for affordable housing for sure. We should not be paying the cost of

a utility failure because our elected officials are too proud to say we need help. I know that we can bring out our people to vote. It's a part of our birthright. It's a part of our heritage. And surely it's a part of our present and part of our future. That's right. That's what's up. And we won't black down. Forward that message to five friends because in that message, it's got links to how to get registered, how to check your registration status.

Like I said, 2.30, we'll start rendezvousing right here on the street. I am voting to let our voice be heard in the rural communities that, hey, we are people too. There are things that we need. Free shirts, free food, and lots of power. We are in Longview, Texas, where black voters matter. 365. Whatever type of oppression a white supremacist throws our way, we will not black down.

We are in relentless pursuit of liberation of our people. Freedom is liberation for black bodies and black communities to make economic change through political power. Freedom is choice. We won't black down. We won't black down. We won't black down. We won't black down. We won't black down. We won't black down. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, Black women are starting businesses at the fastest rate than any other segment. However, finding the funding to build them is challenging. On our next Get Wealthy, we're going to talk with author

Catherine Finney, who wrote the book, Build the Damn Thing. And she's going to be sharing exactly what we need to do to achieve success in spite of the odds. As an entrepreneur of color, it's first, you know, building your personal advisory board. I think that's one of the things that's helped me the odds. As an entrepreneur of color, it's first, you know, building your personal advisory board. I think that's one of the things that's helped me the most. The personal advisory board of the people who are in the business of you, you personally, and want to see you succeed.

That's right here on Get Wealthy, only on Blackstar Network. Pull up a chair, take your seat at the Black Tape with me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Black Star Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in.

Join the conversation only on the Black Star Network. Hi, I'm Gavin Houston. Hi, I'm Carl Payne. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy, Jacob Lattimore, and you're now watching Roland Martin right now. All right, folks, welcome back.

So, Eugene, I want to start with you. So I'm going to go back to the article I was reading from, which I found to be real interesting, where they talked about voting strength, voting power. And so this is what the article said. It says Texas is one of six states where minorities outpace whites. And so in the article, it says that even in this particular district, the white population, let me scroll down to it. and this is something I've been saying for the longest, especially when you start listening to all these crazy folks who have no clue about politics. And again, they yell, holler, and scream how they want stuff, but they don't understand. This is what it says. Texas is one of six states where the white population is now outnumbered by black Hispanic and Asian residents now keep in mind when you talk about white Hispanics who a lot of times align more with white

Americans then that's a different issue it says mr. Neal's the keys of course see the MAGA Republican in Congress mr. Neal's district which includes most of Fort Bend County is part of the reason. It swung from nearly 70% to less than 40% white over the last three decades. So you've got a congressional district, Avis, that's less than 40% white. It says, but changing demographics in many places may not yet be reflected at the polls because of a larger white share of the voting age population and higher turnout levels. Exit polls show that white Texans still made up 60% of the state's voters in 2020. So let's pause right there. So here you have Texas, a state where whites are in the minority, yet represent 60% of all voters. I have continually said that when black people maximize our voting power, Latinos maximize voting power, then you actually can see change. And so even here in Georgia,

South Carolina, Mississippi, when Mike Espy lost to Cindy Hyde-Smith by some 65,000 votes the first time, there were more than 65,000 black people who were eligible who never even cast a ballot in that election. When you look at the numbers of black folks in Alabama who were not registered to actually vote as well. And so part of this deal, when I hear black folks complain about what we have not gotten, it's also because we haven't maximized our voting power to be able to counter white turnout.

If whites are voting at 60, 65, 70 percent of their eligibility and we're at 38, 40, 45, hello, you're not going to win because you're still being outnumbered. Absolutely. There's a lot to unpack there. You're exactly right. I do believe, really, honestly, it's really up to us, the Black community, to maximize our power because, as you mentioned, in so many key states like Texas, like Georgia, like Pennsylvania, even like Arizona, I believe that we could be that key critical margin that could tilt the direction of victory and in the direction of a party that actually is working to protect our rights versus a party that's working to disintegrate our rights right in

front of our eyes. And I would also, you know, also want to sort of say, along with that, because one thing that that report didn't mention that a lot of us, unfortunately, it goes unsaid, but it's true. We also have to mitigate the Latino voting power by the percentage of Latinos that can actually vote in this country. We just can't take it as tantamount by looking at the Latino population and assume that that's all eligible voters. You have to look at what proportion of that population are actually citizens and therefore can vote. And so that's why eligible voters. You have to look at what proportion of that population are actually citizens and therefore

can vote. And so that's why I believe that the burden is disproportionately on us, because, hello, we're citizens in a disproportionate, in the overwhelming majority of us are citizens. I would also say that as it relates to this issue of people who are critiquing the Democratic Party, it's not to say that the Democratic Party or any political party should be beyond criticism. But I also think it's very important that we become very, very keen at understanding what happens around election time. Do you not think it's suspicious that certain groups you don't hear a peep from when we're not in an election time? Where have they been for the past several years, right? Where are they once an

election is over? There are certain Black groups that you don't hear anything from them until they pop their heads up to tell Black people not to vote. Do you not find that suspicious? I sure do. And I am wondering, how are some of their leaders being funded? I'm just going to go straight there. I think that we should be politically sophisticated enough to understand that there are certain individuals that look like us that get paid royally to suppress our vote. All our skinfolk ain't our kinfolk, and we need to recognize that. When you see something suspicious happening, you need to ask yourself, why are they only here now and why are they singing the same song and they only sing that same song when it's time for us to get out and vote?

That is suspicious. It is a pattern. And I hope we are politically sophisticated enough to not be bamboozled by that behavior. The thing here, Julian, why I wanna keep harping on the turnout piece is, let's use Ferguson as an example. After Michael Brown gets killed, people were shocked to find out that you had a city that was 67% black that had never elected a black mayor. That's a perfect example. There are other places. When Mondale Robinson, when he won in Enfield, North Carolina,

here you had a city, 95% black, that had a white Republican mayor, and then he runs against them and beats them with 75% of the vote. And it is just a perfect example of repeatedly how, in many ways, I'll say this, we're actually our worst enemy when we are not maximizing our numbers to then have political power. You simply cannot look at our numbers and go, wait a minute, some of these places, we could be running the table if we voted at 65, 70 percent of all eligible voters, but we simply are not. I don't understand how we allow ourselves to get played, but we certainly do.

You're absolutely right. We're not voting at our maximum strength. We're not taking advantage of our power, our potential power, certainly. And we allow people who don't mean us any good to come in. And I don't care whether they're black or white. Herbert Marshall once said a snake is a snake, whether it's a white snake or a black snake.

He was talking about Clarence Thomas, but we can just talk about what's going on right now. You've got these, with all due respect to Eugene, these black Republicans like the Candace Owens of the world who will basically sell their soul and then some for a few shekels. You've got so many others who are basically anti-Black. And, Roland, one of the things I've, you know, you said Black and brown a number of times on this broadcast, as has my sister Avis, and we have to really look at the Black and brown thing. I'm sitting here in L.A. where you know what happened here, where a so-called Latina, basically called a black child a monkey, talked about consolidating Latino power. Now, there would be no Latino power were there not black power,

because their movement was a footnote to our movement. Let's just be honest. Let's just be honest. So when we talk about black and brown, everybody brown ain't down. Some of our so-called Latino allies are not our allies at all. They are attempting to minimize power. So while I believe in coalitions, I believe that we should work together, I also think that we need to be real clear about what we want. And former Congressman William Clay said, no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent issues. We have been really clear and drilled out on our issues.

And when we do that, we know that we have to vote, that we must vote, that there are no alternatives. If you want white folks to determine your destiny, not just white folks, you want Republican throwbacks to determine your destiny, stay home. Because they will determine your destiny and you won't like it. But if you want to have a foothold in policy, if you want to be part of determining your own destiny, then you will go vote. Eugene, so here's one of the things that I've also been saying, and this might tick off some of the more established Democrats but ain't like I care. I have said on this show and I've said other places that if you're black and you want to give do not send your money to political campaigns or to the DNC, the DSCC, or DCCC or Democratic Governors Association.

If you are labor organizations, do not send your money there. Why? Because that money is then being controlled by white strategists. And so those white strategists, even in campaigns with black candidates, then don't want to spend money on black people. So I tell black folks, I would rather you send your money to Black Voters Matter, because you know the money's going to get put on the ground for folks to go door-to-door,

door-knocking and doing events. And when you see these reports, oh, this campaign, they raised $20 million or $30 million or whatever, again, these are white strategists who are straying a hole on the money you got black staffers who are begging them can y'all spend some money on black outreach

and it makes no sense whatsoever and so i've talked to uh a couple labor groups who have said that okay we're just gonna run out run things ourselves we're just gonna actually spend our money direct as opposed to going through these parties. And so if we're talking about, again, controlling our destiny, that's one of the ways you control it by, even the campaigns of black candidates, they in turn only want to put the money on television because that's how they're making their money. They're getting a percentage of the TV buys. They make no money when they put it on the ground, but when you put it on the ground, that's how you actually win.

Look, 100%. I say both sides have the issue. I've seen black candidates that will hire some white folk and those white folk will run the bag up on them. I've seen it on both sides of the aisle. You're right.

They'd much rather put it on the air than put it on the ground because on the air they can take a 25-30% commission on ad buy. You know, you see people, oh, we just take a 25-30% commission on ad buy. You know, you see people, oh, we just did a million, two million, three million dollar ad buy. Some white consultant strategist just took, you know, 25-30%

commission on that and made a nice little penny. And that happens on both sides. You know, I always say, if you see a black Republican that's propped up, especially in the unwinnable race, chances are it's the white consultant behind them that's going and propping up and making a crazy amount of money. A ton of money. We saw that, I guess.

Who was the guy running against Maxine Waters in California? I think he was. These crazy white Republicans sent homeboy like $4, $5, $6 million. He had no chance. He literally had a better chance of getting a cold glass of water in hell than he had to beat Maxine Waters. And then when you had Clueless Kim Klachek, when she ran against Mfume in Baltimore, same thing.

They burned through millions. And I'm looking at the... The easiest person to part with their money is a white Republican supporting a black candidate who's running against a black Democrat. And it's like, y'all need to stop. For what it's worth,

right? You know, folk that do know I was there in the beginning of Kim's campaign and attempted to put some controls in place because one more time, I know how the game is played. We see it a mile away, coming a mile away. Um, but, but it happens. It happens on both sides, you know, um, you know, black assaults get screwed on both sides. Um, and I think, look, next cycle folk got to put some controls in place, um, especially, you know, with these super high profile races that are going to raise money. Um, um, because, you know, at the end of, especially, you know, with these super high-profile races that are going to raise money.

Because, you know, at the end of the day, you know, what does it matter if it's a white consultant there that's controlling those dollars and is going to, you know, rake in an X amount of commission, you know, and just do it all over again. Absolutely, absolutely. All right, folks, hold tight one second. We come back, come back. We're going to talk hold tight one second. We come back. We're going to talk to our guests with regards to breast cancer.

Then we're going to have a conversation here in Statesboro about what's happening in this city, in this state. Huge election, huge ramifications as well when it comes to these races. So look forward to having that conversation. Don't forget, folks, if you're watching on YouTube, hit the Like button. It's not that hard, y'all. It's a click. It's free. It ain't costing you nothing, okay? So when we come back, we should easily be having 13, 14, 1,500, 2,000 likes. You can also support the show by downloading the Blackstar Network app, available on all platforms. So if you want to watch the show, don't have to watch us on YouTube or Instagram or Twitch. You can watch right there on the app,

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Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And get a copy of my book, White Fear, How the Brownie of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Available at all bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. You can also download it from Audible and order through your favorite black bookstore as well. We'll be right back. When we invest in ourselves, we all shine.

Together, we are black beyond measure. Welcome to Atlanta, one of the most expensive housing markets in America. But rather than help out, Brian Kemp cashed in. He made hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate. His net worth skyrocketed. And while Atlantans struggled to stay in their homes, Kemp gave $10,000 tax handouts to the richest Georgians and a nearly $700 million no-bid contract

to his campaign donor. Brian kicked back Kemp, making Georgia work for him, not you. When we invest in ourselves, we're investing in what's next for all of us. Growing. Creating.

Making moves that move us all forward. Together, we are Black beyond measure. I am on screen, and I am representing what a Black man is to the entire world that's gonna see this. And this might be the only Black man, a representation of a Black man that's gonna see this. And this might be the only Black man, a representation of a Black man that they see.

Right. So I am responsible. Right. For how they see Black men. And it's my responsibility to, if I am not playing an upstanding, honorable, someone with a strong principle of moral core, to make sure that this character is so specific that it is him, not black men.

And I wish that more actors would realize how important their position is as an actor, as an actor of color playing people of color on screen. Because there are people that see us all over the world in these different images that we portray, and not everyone knows black people to know. Yes. That's not all.

MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC and the Library of America. We're proud to be a part of this. We're proud to be a part of this. We're proud to be a part of this. Libraries empower the community with education. Libraries empower the community with education. Liberia Economic Development Initiative, Ledi, Liberia Economic Development Initiative, Ledi,

Liberia Economic Development Initiative, Ledi, is hosting the International Life Changers Awards is hosting the International Life Changers Awards and Liberia's Bicentennial to celebrate Ledi and Liberia's Bicentennial to celebrate Ledi building the country's first modern public library Join event host Roland Martin. Our honorees, Reverend Dr. Jamal Bryant, Zernona Clayton, Thomas Dortch Jr., Dana Lupton, Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele. On October 29th at the CNN Center Atlanta. There are no public libraries in Liberia,

but together we can change that. Get tickets at ledinow.org. This is De'Alla Riddle. What's up, y'all? I'm Will Packer. I'm Chrisette Michelle. Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Rolandland martin unfiltered so Beverly Logan has not been seen since February 2nd, 2022.

The Montgomery, Missouri woman turned 33 yesterday. She's 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about Beverly Logan should call the Montgomery County, Missouri Sheriff's Office at 573-564-8084. 573-564-8084. All right, folks. According to the CDC. According to the CDC, 255,000 breast cancer cases are diagnosed yearly in women, about 2,300 in men. Those numbers tell us that breast cancer is the leading cause of death women, but die at a much higher rate because detections happen a lot later after they have been, of course, discovered. And so how do we deal with that? Our next guest will talk about that. She knows it very well. Bershawn Shaw, the two-time

breast cancer survivor, and will also be joined by Dr. Regina Hampton, who was the chief of breast surgeon from Lanham, Maryland. Breshawn, glad to have you here. This is, again, one of those things that if it was not, if you don't have early detection, it can be catastrophic for Black women. It's so true. Early detection saves lives and getting your mammogram. African-American women get scared. We don't go to doctors. We don't go to get tested because we're afraid, but we get it later. And when we find out, unfortunately, we don't last. So I am a huge advocate all around the world,

working with hospitals, University Hospital Foundation in Newark, New Jersey. I mean, I work with hospitals all around to really help get screened and help really get your checkups immediately. And obviously, earlier I talked about the Affordable Care Act and part of the deal also with a number of African-Americans who simply didn't have health care access to the services. Yeah, I mean, the thing is, is that we really have to take our health seriously. I mean, a lot of us go and think, oh, we're good. We're OK until you have that heart attack, until you find out you got stage four cancer.

You know, I'm a stage four breast cancer thriver. I got it in 2007, and then I got re-diagnosed in 2009. And because I was so adamant on seeing the doctors, changing my diet, exercising, a regimen, I found it early in the stage four. So it's just ladies wake up and stop being scared. And you said men get it too, right? Wake up. We have to put our health first. If we don't, we just fall behind. Dr. Regina Hampton, I want to bring you in here as well. And so what do you say to that woman who is listening, who says, I'm scared to know about the results?

Yeah, I think it's important. Hello. Good evening, everybody. I think it's important for women to know that so many things have changed. We've got to stop listening to what happened 20 years ago and realize the treatments have changed. They're more effective. They're less aggressive. And so I really encourage women, as we just heard, to get your mammogram. Don't be afraid. We're all here to help you and get you through it. I love that. On that point, we've heard different numbers. And so when should women begin to take a mammogram? Before it was 50, then it dropped to 40. And then, of course, some folks would say at 35. What's the number? So in general, anyone with what we call average risk should get a mammogram starting at age 40.

However, it's really important that we know our family history, because if we had women who developed breast cancer at younger ages, then we need to start 10 years earlier. So if mom or grandma were 42, then the women in that family should start by age 30, 32, getting mammograms. What's interesting is that the American College of Radiology has deemed black women as high risk. And we know that because of the numbers. And what they are recommending is that all Black women should get what's called a risk assessment starting at age 30. And what does this mean? This means that these women should come in to a high risk program, meet with a breast surgeon, so we can talk through what are the true risk factors. And then we can decide, well, maybe we do need to

start doing mammograms in this woman at age 30, or maybe we're going to do it at age 35. But it really allows us to get Black women in earlier so we can take a more personalized approach to screening. Quick question, Julianne, you first. So we know that Black women often get breast cancer or diagnosed when they're younger. And many of our folks don't want to get the mammogram, as you said, for any number of reasons. Is there something we can do, especially in our HBCUs, to encourage young women to get checked out? I think I like your risk assessment possibility, but to get checked out sooner, because we know. I have a friend who's 28 years old, 28,

and was assessed with breast cancer. So just help me talk about the younger women who are basically facing this. Yeah, I think that's... Oh, go ahead. No, no, I mean, we both, because I mean, I, because I go, I speak at universities and I speak at high schools all the time. You have to make the conversation open and make it cool, right? So we have learned in the Black community that, you know, we don't really like doctors. We don't like hospitals. I was a part of a clinical trial. I was the only African American in it. They try to find African Americans.

No one wants to do it. So they don't have, and you can talk to the doctor, the data, the research, the science, a lot of us, because we're afraid. So making the conversation cool and hip, being open. And that's why I go to universities and I talk. And I go like universities and I talk. And I go, like, to high schools even

because you've got to check yourself. Check your breasts. Check your boobies. Even at a young age so you know how you feel. So you know, my mother, unfortunately, isn't here. But I knew that I had to check myself. And that's why I went in the doctor. And I was an advocate. My doctor said I was too young.

I said, nope, mm-mm. Be an advocate for yourself. I pushed and pushed and pushed. And I got my biopsy. I got my sonogram. And then they found out because no one knows your body, but you and you own your health and no one else. Avis, I wholeheartedly agree with that. Yeah, completely. So I think following along that same line of thought, is the problem so much that we are resistant to care or is the problem that oftentimes doctors don't listen to us? I mean, there's a lot of research around discrimination in medical care. And as Dr. Malveaux laid out, it is statistically shown that black women tend to get it earlier. And most insurances, for example, is my understanding for many years would not even allow you to be able to show up and ask for a mammogram, for example, before you were 40. And typically with us, we get it younger. And that is why oftentimes when it's discovered in us, it's at

an advanced stage, because by the time we're at an age where we typically would get it at the point where, quite frankly, most white women get it, because that is the normalizing focus of our medical system, right? It's late for us. So what advice would you give Black women to be able to advocate for ourselves such that we could convince doctors to allow us to have access to these life-saving tests, even if we're younger than the typical woman who would have access to those tests? Yeah, I think you hit it on the head. I think we have to advocate for ourselves. So I look at it and I'll say this to my patients and say, you know, you're looking good today. You know, you probably advocated for those shoes to be on sale. You advocated to, you know, get a deal in the grocery store. So I think we have to look at our body

and our health in that same way. We use our voice when we want to. And so I think it's important that we as black women, we just have to keep pushing. And if you're with a doctor or a provider who's not listening to you, then go get a second opinion, go get a third opinion

until you get someone who really answers that question that you have, that lump that you have, that you know needs to be answered. So I think it's important. We really have to advocate. I think it is a problem. A lot of providers aren't aware of the statistics for Black women. They aren't aware that we get breast cancer at younger ages. And so I think that's where we as the consumers have to really push them to know our statistics and to take action. Eugene. I guess my question is, what can Black men do best to support Black women in this breast cancer fight? Yeah, I think, you know, I have to give the men credit. I've been able to work with some

incredible families and men who've just been there. So, you know, I think for men, it's tough. We realize that, you know, it's hard for you because you all want to be the ones to fix the problem. But, you know, that woman just needs you to stand by her side, just to hold her hand, to support her in whatever decision she is choosing to make and stand by her and just love on her and realize it's going to be tough. She's going to have some tough days during that journey, but, you know, just to be there and to hold her hand and just to catch her on those days when she just doesn't feel great. Bershon, Dr. Hampton, we appreciate both of you joining us on today's show, talking about breast cancer.

Thank you so very much. Thank you. Thank you. Very good. All right. Thanks a bunch. Let me also thank Julian, Eugene, and Avis for being on today's show as well. We come back to Statesboro. We'll talk to a panel here.

We'll talk about this election happening in Georgia, what's happening in the city. We'll talk turnout. We'll talk the issues that black folks care about as we, of course, count down to Election Day. Early voting still is happening in the state of Texas. Early voting started today as well. And also a reminder, if you have folks who are in nursing homes who cannot physically go vote, they have to request an absentee ballot by Friday. The deadline is Friday. And so you must fill that form out and get it back by Friday. And so folks, please check the election laws in your particular state to know what is required. And so please do so to make sure that all of our votes are counted. And we'll be right back on Roller Martin Unfiltered on the Black Star Network. When we invest in ourselves, our glow,

our vision, our vibe, we all shine. Together, we are Black Beyond Measure. Hi, I'm Dr. Jackie Hood-Martin, and I have a question for you. Ever feel as if your life is teetering and the weight and pressure of the world

is consistently on your shoulders? Well, let me tell you, living a balanced life isn't easy. Join me each Tuesday on Black Star Network for Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. We'll laugh together, cry together, pull ourselves together, and cheer each other on. So join me for new shows each Tuesday on Black Star Network, A Balanced Life with Dr. Jackie. When we invest in ourselves, we all shine. Together, we are Black beyond measure. You know what's on the ballot.

It's not just legislation and policies we believe in. It's democracy. Our democracy. There's a choice on the ballot between freedom and fear, between cruelty and compassion, between chaos and community, between voting or violence. And the end of rights generations have fought for. The extremists have a plan, a roadmap for a nation where your voice is silenced and your vote is a memory, where they count their votes and cast ours aside. That's why this year, this fight, this vote is so important. Register, engage, volunteer, fight back against the disinformation and despair, and most of all, vote. Because your vote is all that stands between our future and theirs.

Hatred on the streets, a horrific scene, a white nationalist rally that descended into deadly violence. On that soil, you will not regret that. White people are losing their damn minds. 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 Emory University calls white rage as a backlash. This is the wrath of the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Boys. America, there's going to be more of this. 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 white fear. I am on screen, and I am representing what a black man is to the entire world that's going to see this. And this might be the only black man, a representation of a black man that they see. Right. So I am responsible. Right. For how they see black men. And it's my responsibility to,

if I am not playing an upstanding, honorable, someone with a strong principle of moral core, to make sure that this character is so specific. Right. That it is him, not black men. And I wish that more actors would realize

how important their position is as an actor, as an actor of color playing people of color on screen. Because there are people that see us all over the world in these different images that we portray. And not everyone knows black people to know. Yes. That's not all. We're all impacted by the culture, whether we know it or not. From politics to music and entertainment, it's a huge part of our lives.

And we're going to talk about it every day right here on The Culture with me, Faraji Muhammad, only on the Black Star Network. On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, America's Wealth Coach, Black women are starting businesses at the fastest rate than any other segment. However, finding the funding to build them is challenging. On our next Get Wealthy, we're going to talk with author Kathryn Finney, who wrote the book, Build the Damn Thing. And she's going to be sharing exactly what we need to do

to achieve success in spite of the odds. As an entrepreneur of color, it's first building your personal advisory board. I think that's one of the things that's helped me the most. The personal advisory board of the people who are in the business of you, you personally, and wanna see you succeed. That's right here on Get Wealthy,

only on Black Star Network. Pull up a chair, take your seat, the black tape. With me, Dr. Greg Carr, here on the Blackstar Network. Every week, we'll take a deeper dive into the world we're living in. Join the conversation, only on the Blackstar Network. Hey, I'm Amber Stevens- West. I'm Avery Sunshine. So this is Roger Bauer. I got a message for Roland Mascot. Oh, I'm sorry, Ascot Martin.

Buddy, you're supposed to be hooking me up with some of these mascots. I'm sorry, ascots that you claim to wear. Where's mine, buddy? Where's mine? That's all I got to say to you, okay? Mascot, goodbye. Hi, this is Essence Atkins, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, welcome back.

Agape Worship Center here in Georgia. Glad to be here, folks, welcome back. Agape Worship Center here in Georgia. Glad to be here, folks. We were back. We were here a couple of days. We'll actually be here the last two weeks, the last two weeks. And so glad to be here. We're going to chat about what's happening here in this state. We've got our panel here.

On my start, my far left, go ahead and just introduce yourself, please. I'm Yvette McCall. I'm a representative of Black Voters Matter. All right. Y'all got to share mics. I'm Francis Johnson. I'm chairman of the board for the New Georgia Project and the Action Fund. I pastor two churches here in Practice Law. I'm Jonathan McCullough. I'm the mayor of the city of Statesboro. And I'm Lakeisha Hill. I'm the chair of the Statesboro Youth Commission. Alright, glad to have y'all here. So let's talk about what's happening here. We've seen the stories

about record turnout already here in Georgia when it comes to this early voting period. But before you were doing the break, you were talking about some of the numbers in terms of absentee balloting. And so just give us a sense of statewide in terms of exactly what's happening here.

What's outstanding? How much longer is early voting? And let's talk about that. So this has been a record-breaking year in terms of turnout. There have been 739,000 people who've cast their ballots already. You can give it up for that. 248,000 folks who have outstanding absentee ballots. And what we're able to divine from those early numbers

is that on day one of election, 39% of the folks who voted were African-American. And given the fact that African-Americans make up 32 percent of the electorate, that is tracking for 2020, 2018 turnout numbers. And if we can sustain that, you know, we start strong in early voting and then it tapers out. Saturday voting was encouraging because that was a full seven days after the start of early voting. And there we saw record turnout and record African-American turnout. So I think if the narrative of 2020 was that black women rose up

and saved our democracy from itself, from white violence and white rebellion, 2022 might be the year that black men have something to say as well about our democracy. And so we're seeing that track as well, Roland. Well, on that particular point, I mean, I keep reminding people when we talk about voting that the number one voting bloc for the Democratic Party, black women, but number two is black men. So there's this idea that black men are somehow way behind black women. It's not. Yeah, there's a differential there.

But again, the number two voting bloc for the Democratic Party is black men. It's a false narrative. Yep. One thing that we want to be clear when it comes to that narrative, there's diversity amongst any group, and so no group is 100% one way,

but the numbers that we have when it relates to black women and black females as they go to the polls, the rate that they vote democratically is it outperforms any other group that's out there. And so that's what we have to continuously stay focused on as we as we as we are working to continue to push people to the polls. That's a media narrative. Yeah. Go ahead. They're very close.

I mean, it's just a media narrative. Yeah. Go ahead. They're very close. I mean, it's just a media narrative. First of all, we know black women vote. They hold household vote, period. So it's just a media narrative to cause division among us. Well, we could say it's a media narrative, but it goes all the way back to the length and breadth of this country. W.E.B. Du Bois said this about black men. What is it like to be America's problem? And so this narrative is so convenient as the nation cannot stand to look at white violence,

male violence that we saw on January 6th, and it can't stand to look at white suburban women who turned their back on every value they claimed they had and got what was promised to them, which was retrogression of their own rights in terms of reproductive rights. And so instead of looking honestly at that white violence and the suburban betrayal of white women, we focus on a false narrative of black men not showing up. And it's just simply not true. It's not true by the numbers. And to say that Stacey Abrams or that Raphael Warnock have problems with with with black men is politics 101. You always attack a candidate where they're most strong. And so this is simply a deflection

and it won't work. We know better than that. We won't fall for the okey-doke. Well, one of the things that that does chip out me, and I'm going to use North Carolina as an example, and that is this year when their early voting numbers came out. And this was 47,000 ballots that were already cast. So over 65. Voters over 65 represented 55.4% of those ballots cast. Ages 41 to 65 represented 27.5%. 26 to 40 represented 10.9. 18 to 25 represented 6.3.

So if you look at right there, the two largest groups of voters only accounted for 17.2% of the ballots cast. And the thing that I consistently say to millennials and Gen Zs, you can't whine and complain about why boomers are in control, why they're being elected, if you're not voting your numbers. You are literally allowing Gen X, baby boomers, and others to decide who's in office. I mean, the math is the math. And so just share your thoughts about that. Again, having conversations or trying to get folks who are 18 to 40 to understand you literally have the numerical numbers where you can

determine elections, but you don't vote. I mean, to your point, as far as the younger groups preparing to vote, I think it really starts with educating them on the power of their vote. And it seems to be that the younger folks don't actually know the power that they carry. And being a registered voter, I know when we worked on Mayor McCullough's reelection campaign, when we were knocking on those younger folks' doors and asking about registration to vote, they were saying no. But I think they were saying no because they were not educated on what this means. This is how you represent yourself. This is how you show up in the political process. Absolutely. And what I want to add to that is that in 2017, we had a historical election.

Hold the mic up. In 2017, we had a historical election here. And what was so significant about that 2017 race is that it swung because of the young vote. And so what was powerful about that is that the youth, they are the conscience of any nation. And if the youth are showing up to the polls in mass numbers, that corrects the trajectory that any nation is on. And if there was ever a time that we needed young people to come to the polls, it is now. And we jokingly say this is about democracy.

No, this is about America. Because what we saw on January the 6th was a real-life coup d'etat attempt by a sitting president. And we have to be able to say that out loud. We're in a political climate where we can't even say what our lying eyes showed us on January the 6th. Well, some of us can't. I can say whatever I want to say. There you go. I said it the day it happened, so I didn't care.

Yes, exactly, exactly. But I say all of that to say is that it was young people in 2020. It was people of color it was women it was us building a coalition that righted the wrong when america was going in a direction that we did not need to go and we must understand the power that we have and be willing to exercise that power if we're not if we're going to if we're going to save our country, and especially the state of Georgia, and I want to say this about the state of Georgia, we should shudder at the idea that we are a camel's hair away from Herschel Walker representing us for the next six years.

We should be very afraid afraid and that's where we are right now. So we can't afford to sit out. We need everybody to come to the polls because running a football and running government are two entirely different things. Don't leave out Brian Kemp now

because the potential is what you talk about in terms of the disaster of Hershel Walker but we know the actuality of Brian Kemp as Secretary of State. All you've got to do is talk to the equipment 10 plus 2. All you've got to talk to is Olivia Pearson, who he prosecuted three times. We were on those cases, and we know the devastation he did in terms of suppressing the vote. I showed up with Stacey Abrams with 40,000 registration applications only to hear him say he didn't have time to process them. And then four years as governor, where the man didn't even know what COVID was and didn't know you can get it contagiously

as an airborne disease. His slow response cost millions to the state in terms of our economics. When it comes to real life, his failure to expand Medicaid has cost the lives of more than 12,000 Georgians. So Herschel is a disaster waiting. If we can stop him, Brian Kemp is a disaster in office right now. So for me, the Medicaid expansion is very personal because I had a sister who passed in 2019. I feel like she passed prematurely. She worked as a CNA for over 25 years in a nursing home serving the least of the population.

But when she got sick and could not get health care, she went to the emergency room several times. Not once was she told how to get health care. She was told you need to see a cardiologist. And my sister died, you know, in East Georgia Hospital because she had not had the proper health care. I take it very personal that Brian Kim has not expanded Medicaid because far as I'm concerned, my sister died because he did not expand Medicaid. Had he had Medicaid expanded, someone would have told her, this is how you get insurance so you can be seen properly. My sister had served as a cna

i mean doing a job that most people don't want to do and she did it for over 25 years proudly and this and couldn't even get health care when she needed us so yeah i take it very personal but we got to be real in this we got to show up 30 percent of registered black voters showed up in 2020 here in Georgia. Only 30%. So out of all, so I'm always about the numbers. And so the number of registered black voters in this state, what is it? The number in terms of percentage, you know, the narrative has changed from 2014 when the New Georgia Project was started.

It was 800,000 unregistered African Americans. African American registration is on par with white registration. And that's why they begin every news article today by saying nearly every eligible voter in Georgia is registered. So it's not registration that issues. It's about turning out. Right, right. But I still want to know.

Give me an idea. I don't know the exact number. So we're talking about what, 7, 800? 96% of all eligible black voters are eligible to cast a ballot. So of the 96% of eligible black voters, it was 30%. So 66%. White people was 55. And that was what I was talking about earlier. And that is when I hear folk talk about black folks, we got so-and-so elected.

The reality is if we take our number from 30 to 50, if we go from 30 to 50, literally it can be a blowout for whoever we want. So we got to stop saying that we keep showing up and getting nothing because we're absolutely not showing up. Not in the numbers that we should. We can talk and play like we are. We can say we are, but we're not. When 30% is only showing up, that's a

not. So you can't say that you keep voting and getting nothing because you're not voting across... The reason I tell people to use numbers is because when I'm walking my audience through this, and so again,

so let's just say you have 700,000 eligible registered African Americans. Let's just say you have 700,000, well, if 30% of the 700,000 are voting, that's barely more than 200,000 people voting, which means that 500,000 aren't.

Exactly. So we talk about black folks turning out. And folks like, oh, black folks, we showed out in 2020 and got rose off and worn out collected. 500,000 didn't. If you take half of those

500,000, Biden-Harris, if you just take how the margins go, they don't win Georgia by 11,000 votes. They win Georgia by a quarter of a million votes. Exactly. Which is the actual margin of, and it's going to blow folks away, that's the margin that Republicans win by in Texas. Yes.

I understand. Yes. I understand. But there's another factor to this that doesn't take away anything you just said. Voter suppression is real. Although Baker versus Carr established that one man equals one vote, all of those votes are not equally able to cast an unfettered ballot. If you're African-American, you have to weigh in lines that are three and four times as long as in your suburban white neighborhoods.

That's if you can show up with a registration in the first place. Ethnic-sounding names, my wife's name, for example, Dr. Mika Williams-Johnson, somebody types that into the registration database incorrectly, not by any fault of hers. She might have completed a registration correctly. It now punches her out and sends her a list of maybe 13 things that could be wrong. You figure it out. Show up one day and get it straight. Beyond those pieces, which are just technical within the system.

By the way, we also have 15 different elections going on at any given time in March for judges. A primary, a runoff, a November election, etc. We do this to confuse voters on purpose and then when you add the very draconian measures that are in Senate Bill 202 which says although we're gonna make the lines longer and make it difficult for you to have gotten in the line in the first place, if somebody offers you a drink of water that becomes a felony. And so when you subtract the number of people who were held in pretrial detention, when you subtract the number

of people who attend HBCUs but can't use the HBCU ID to vote, although they go to a school in this state and you can use a gun registration card to vote, when you layer on all those efforts of voter suppression every day, telling black men, telling black women that your communities don't matter because we don't see the kind of investment you put in during your administration, it's no wonder that as many people who are showing up supporting this democracy are even doing it in the first place. So I'm going to take a break. When we come back, I want to pick up on that, but also I want to talk about in terms of how we continue to mobilize and organize after the election.

Because I think part of the frustration, we talk about young voters and others, and I do this all around the country. I'm trying to explain to people that the election is the end of one process and it's the beginning of another. So we'll do that, folks. Again, we're here at Agape Worship Center. Folks, be sure, again, I see your comments. Be sure to hit the Like button if you are watching on YouTube, on Facebook, on Twitch, on Instagram, on the Black Star Network app as well. And we'll be right back. We talk about blackness and what happens in black culture. We're about covering

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Hey, everybody. This is Sherri Shepherd. You're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, welcome back. Statesboro, Georgia, glad to be here. And, of course, it is election time. We are 15 days away. And of course, but early voting has already started, not just here in this state, but in other states as well. More than 8 million people have already cast ballots across the country. And in this state,

that's about 10 percent actually exceeds about 800,000 already. And so Texas began today. We were there yesterday for a Fight for Democracy rally sponsored by the NAACP, Black Voters Matter, and several other organizations as well. And so we will be in Swainsboro, going back to Swainsboro tomorrow. They made it clear they wanted us to come back. We were just there two weeks ago. And so they were like, look, we got 400 folks ready to pack the house, and we look forward to being there tomorrow. They made it clear they wanted us to come back. We were just there two weeks ago. And so they were like, look, we got 400 folks ready to pack the house and we look forward to being there tomorrow. And so I cannot wait. Let's go back. When I went to the break, I talked about again. So you look at these races, you hear people say, I haven't seen anything done or my community hasn't changed and whenever I

hear that first of all when I then of course the third thing I get Democrats haven't done anything for black people and now you got these folk out there who are now who are now who play the games of okay what specifically have they done and Avis made that point earlier about the folk who are agents of chaos who are out there because there's this assumption,

Mayor, that you have the ability to do something specifically for one group. And I keep telling these fools, you can't. I keep telling these fools, you can't. That's when lawsuits start. I keep telling these fools,

you can't. But there are things that you can do that can have a disproportionate impact on a group of people, just like President Biden's student loan decision. That has a disproportionate impact on African Americans. But again,

you got these clueless people who just, and they tweet, they yell, holler, scream, do video, impact on African Americans. But again, you got these clueless people who just, and they tweet, they yell, holler, scream, do videos and they say nothing has been specifically done. Like, they're running around saying we need a black specific hate crime law. And I

keep telling them, you can't have it. Well, this is evidence of not just African-Americans, people of color, disenfranchised people, not understanding power dynamics, right? Nobody goes in and says, we want a law specifically for white people, right?

And so when you are elected, you are elected to govern all of the people. And so when I ran to be mayor of the city of Statesboro, I wasn't running to be the best black mayor. What I said is I'm going to be the best mayor, period. That was the end of the line. But because our communities have been left behind for so long that, and they don't see the return on the investment on their vote because they have not held those individuals that they put in office accountable. And I'm going to tell you right here on Grady Street, a childhood friend of mine, Vance Key, I had been in office two years, and I knew what we had coming down the pipeline.

And he said something that was very powerful. He said, you got to give the people something that they can see. And so what we did locally is that we took two parks that was that's located on the historic, mostly African-American sides of the city. We rebuilt those parks. That was something that they could see. But beyond that, in 2020, with the election of three women, this is the first time this has ever happened in our community as councilwomen Council member Paulette Shavers, Sherry Barr and council member Venus Mack. We passed an equity package and in this equity package we carved out

20% of all contracts that go out into the community to be specifically for female and minority-owned business owners. And what did this do? This allowed us the opportunity to trap more dollars within our community, put more people to work within our community, and get quality products. And so right now, the parks that our kids are playing in right now, right down the street, 29% of that contract work went to people of color and to women. When we're looking at the remodeling of our city hall, we're looking at about 30% of that going to people of color and to women. We have to be very specific and understand how policy works and understand that we can do business too. And we can do great things.

And I want to say this, and I'm going to close it out. This is important for us to understand why funding needs to get to the local level. When the CARES Act was passed, it went to our governor's offices across the state. Well, for the city of Statesboro, we were supposed to get $5.7 million. Of that $5.7

million, we only received $1.7 million. And the $4 million went into the state coffers and now the governor is going around passing out special projects. And talking about the surplus. But the surplus was stolen

from us and put into their wallet. And now at the city level and the county level, we've seen the impact of COVID and inflation. We're seeing salaries go up, supplies go up, and that money was intended to save the people at the local level. But when we took over the Senate, that money came straight to this community. And because of that, we are now putting $11 million in rebuilding our neighborhoods. We're fixing up Grandma Dem House.

We're putting in infrastructure where we had no sanitation or any of those things. And we're building a $2 million food bank to address food scarcity that's specific for that. In the midst of all of that, we created a loan loss reserve to

save local business in this community. That's the difference. I'm curious. Warnock replaces Isaacson. Yes. What did this city in this area

see differently with him compared to his predecessor? Access. It's as simple as that, access. I can get on the phone right now, call Maria. Maria is going to pick up the phone, and she's going to say, Mayor, what do you need? And right now, we got Ms. Lakeisha Hill right now. She's working. She's a member. She's working. She's a member.

She's our chair of our youth commission. And we've launched this organization called Village Builders, which is a youth initiative. You know who's working on that with us? Senator Raphael Warnock, Senator John Ossoff. Their offices are working to bring funding to this community. We did not have that before. And that's why it's so important because it gives the opportunity for people that's been overlooked

the opportunity to have their voices heard in the highest corridors of this land. Go ahead. Well, just to piggyback on what the Village Builder Initiative is, it's basically to bring those resources at the front door of those underrepresented communities

like showing up. Here's your food. here's your clothing. Tell us what other resources that you need that we have not identified. To its point, with that type of funding, it just allows us to do more. It allows us to be visible. It allows us to educate those underrepresented communities about voting, about the resources that are important to your community when you get out and vote. See, that point about access, I really do laugh at the clue. I do laugh at them.

And they get mad because I will literally hit them with a laughing emoji on Twitter or my YouTube channel. So they'll start, oh, you're trying to get black people to vote Democrat, you're a Democratic shield. And I start with the most basic thing. Okay, you claim you, like especially the people who yell reparations. Every time they do, I tell them, can you show me one Republican? One. I ain't asking you for two.

Show me one that agrees with you. Take your time out waiting. And so what I explain to people who yell, holler, and scream. Well, they agree with reparations, just not for black people. This country is engaged in 13 rounds of reparations for everybody else except for black people. But also Republican administrations, by the way. Oh, absolutely.

But the thing that I walk people through is you can sit on Twitter or Facebook and YouTube and you can sit on these platforms and yell, holler, and scream. But politics is not about the folk who complain but don't actually engage. And so the first rule of politics is can I call somebody? Can I reach somebody? Can I get a meeting? Can I get access to then get what I want? And so what I try to walk people through is to understand that when we're talking about voting,

like all the tangible folks, no politician can give you a tangible if they don't win. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, and then after they win, they still have to get other folk to go along with the vote, which means we now have to be there at city hall, at school board meeting, at county meeting, at the legislature, in the halls of Congress, pushing to actually get it done. And that to me is that's why I keep saying we've got to have schoolhouse rock 2.0, 3.0,

because there's a bunch of folk who literally have no clue how this thing works. Well, that's exactly how I feel about, I mean, that's one of the things that tug at my heart. We need, I would like to see voters' education, like, on the ground level, grassroots, because I think just what you're just saying, they simply just don't know, you know, how politics works. And they don't understand that um like you say you got to be in the room to get what you want didn't obama say something like tell what won't you tell me what whatever so i think that's what we got to realize we need some voters education that's grassroots but i have a question for mayor mccullough oh did you say

that how much money was stole from Bullitt County? Stole from. Oh, they were supposed to get five point seven million. Got one point seven. We were supposed to receive five point seven million. We received one point seven million. So we have county commissioners that actively support Brian Kemp after he did not give us our money. OK, I money. Okay.

I just want to make sure. And we have to understand why that's important, especially right now. Right now, there's real conversations, not just in Statesboro, not just in Bullitt County, but across the state where we're struggling to look at our budgets because we can't predict inflation. We don't know when the wages are going to stop going up. And wages are the biggest part of any governing body's budget. And with that being said, we're seeing these wages go up.

We still have to figure out how do we provide the services to this community. And what that money would have allowed us to do, it would have allowed us to be able to pay our public safety officers more funding. It would have allowed us to be able to cushion some of the projects that we have going, and it would have been able to allow us to maintain our workforce the way that we want to. But I will say this.

The one thing that we are extremely fortunate about is that we got great administrators here. And so we're in a surplus financially. Financially, the city has never been better. But with that being said, we have to be extremely poignant

about what dime we spend on what. And we have to reprioritize about the things that we believe are important. And the one thing that I'm super proud of this administration, myself and those women that came on in 2019, is that they said they're going to put the people first.

And so we are investing into people in this community, those that are most vulnerable, those that are employees, those that are business owners. And because of that, we've seen the largest economic growth and the most engaged populace that we've seen in a long time in this community. See, the thing on, I guess for me, the reason I just completely look at this differently from a lot of different people, because I had parents who were members of a civic club. They were founders of a civic club. They were founders of a civic club. And so I saw at 7, 8, 9, 10 what it looked like when they were like,

well, we want to get new streets, new sidewalks, new streetlights, new sewer system, get the senior citizens, the old firehouse turned into a senior citizen center, have the parks refurbished, and what that meant. I remember going before and testifying before the city council, ninth, tenth grade. And so what I keep trying to explain to a lot of our people, you can't just say, I voted, I'm good, know what you're going to do.

No, you literally have to be engaged in the process. So do you think that one of the biggest mistakes that we make is that we put so much energy mobilizing and organizing around the election, but disappears November 9th? But I don't know if that's true. When I consider what partners like Black Voters Matter, they're about power building 365. We had 18 offices across the state, the New Georgia Project, 500 employees out canvassing 365, building black power everywhere. But here's

why I'm explaining that. Yes, your two organizations are doing that, but I'm talking about, I'm going even more granular. I'm talking about literally down to the street, going from city, neighborhood, block, street, house. That's what I'm talking about. And then when you then take black organizations, you take Divine Nine, you take Lynx, You take Prince Hall Mason. You take Eastern Star.

You take all of this. Again, we have a lot of organizations that are not organized. That's true. And so I think part of this, again, we spend a lot of effort on the election. Got to get people registered. Got to get them out to vote. But then when the election is over over we're not then going, okay these were the five things we said we wanted

now we got to roll up on city hall to get that in the school district, in the county and so then, but we do when we are reacting to a shooting and that's what I'm saying and that's what I'm saying. And that's what I'm saying.

Or even to the point where the billions that were passed by the bills in Congress, well, guess what? Communities have to then say, well, this is what we want built. And a lot of times we're not putting in our requests when that money gets passed. Then we go, we didn't get none of it because we also didn't put in a request. Well, we just have to be clear that the status quo supports the other side, supports the white community. So Mayor Collar doesn't have to do anything and that community is going to be enriched. Here's two reasons.

One, because regardless of who's elected on the county commission, on the Board of Education, or the city council, you can't raise the millage rate. And that benefits the de facto property owners, which are disproportionately white in our community. And as long as you don't do that, they'll let you get elected. The second thing you do is you raise user fees, which is a regressive form of tax that burdens the poorest people. So while you say you have a surplus, you really haven't funded government to the tune it needs to be funded because you don't want to tax

white, wealthy landowners who want to keep their source of wealth. That's the first thing. Let's just be honest about that. And secondly, as long as you don't touch your judiciary, they don't care if you hold an office. And so our judiciary is as white as it's always been. Every single office, every single judge, every single prosecutor in a district that is made up of 40% black is all white. They don't even have a janitor down there who is black. And so it's got to reach into those places, into their pocketbooks, to pay for

our futures, just like our past that's paid for there right now. And it's got to reach into who decides what laws are going to be enforced and what laws are going to be bypassed. Because when black folks look at that, they say, I see representation,

but I want to know what you're going to do about the taxation. I see representation. What are you going to do with the folks who wear the robes? How do we solve that? Don't we solve that through elections? Well, I think that the opportunity that we're missing here is that we get elections, but we don't get governing.

That's the thing that we're missing. And I'm going to be truthful. You know, when it comes to campaigning 2017, 2021, I was extremely fortunate. We had more than enough people knocking on doors. We had more than enough people, you know, putting up signs and doing all of those things. But a week after we won, I felt alone.

And it was like, you know what I'm saying? I'm right across the street. And that's because I could call a group of people, and they're going to show up, 5, 10, 15 people. But the governing piece, that's the piece where we need. And that's what I'm talking about. Go ahead. Yeah, and so the caveat that we did was this, is that we introduced commissions. We turned those people that was knocking on doors.

No, you a member of the commission now. Ain't that right, Keisha? That's right. We turned them into commissions so that it ain't just on me to keep investing into the youth, to keep investing into infrastructure. Now you said this is what you wanted. That's called the spoils of winning. Exactly. And so now we've

introduced these commissions and now they're doing the work that we talked about. And so now we're passing the legislation. We're funding the things that we want to. And this is what I'm going to say about progressives. We're too nice. When you have

the opportunity to govern, govern. Do the thing that you said you was going to do. Because this is what we got to understand. This is what we got

to understand. Our policies, unlike theirs, actually work. See, here we are. We got a progressive mayor that's African-American. This city has never seen this kind of economic growth because we actually said we're not just going to fix the roads on the south side of town. We're going to do it on the west side of town, too. We're not just going to build up parts that's outside of the city. We're going to build up parks inside of the city. We're not just going to build in places that's been historically getting the benefits year after year.

We've shown that progressive policies actually work. And that's what we have to stand on. We got the conservatives. You never elect them to government because they don't like government. And they want to dismantle government. Except for that

interest. No, no, no. Everybody holler they don't like government until that flood hit. Until that hurricane hit. until that tornado hit. Or, and this is also where I think progressives who run, the reality is the amount of money Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas gets back from the federal government is far more than the state taxpayers put into the system.

And so a lot of times we don't want to mention that. And so I do it all the time. So that's why I say I don't want to hear no red state governor talk about they can't stand the federal government. You a lie. Cause he, cause there you don't camp. Ain't got a surplus to tout.

If it that's, that's a federal government surplus. That's the American recovery. That's where that money is coming from. And we got to understand the game. Cause like, it's cute to say you got a surplus, right? But we had a surplus before the pandemic locally. And we got to understand the game. Because, like, it's cute to say you got a surplus, right?

But we had a surplus before the pandemic locally. And see, progressives also, and see, again, I'm way more gangster. And I'm way petty than y'all. Because if I'm here and I know somebody who's touting money that came from the federal government who voted against it. I'll be showing up at the ribbon-cutting, you voted against it. You voted against it. Yes. We don't want you in the photo.

That's right. Only folk who voted for the money get to be in the photo. No, sometimes you got to embarrass folk because they are taking credit for the work somebody else did. Exactly. And then want to be in the photo and vote against it the whole time. I just think you've got to call them out. You don't mind not being loved right now. I love myself. I'm good. We have folks who get elected positions who care more about being invited to different events

and being loved by people who cannot stand them than doing what is right right now. So and that's just the balancing that you've got to do. Either you're going to do what is right or you're going to do what is popular. So I'll give you an example. So when I talk about how do you move a lot. So you take Tennessee. Tennessee just announced, the state of Tennessee just announced that they're going to build a $2 billion domed stadium for the Tennessee Titans.

The state of Tennessee is going to contribute $500 million of the $2 billion. That's 25%. This is the same state where the committee determined that they have underfunded Tennessee State by $500 million. And what I have been asking NAACP in Tennessee, Urban League, other organizations, HBCU graduates. And I've said, please let me know when y'all are having your mass mobilization trying to shut the state capitol down saying, y'all ain't going to give no $500 million for a stadium for a billionaire football team and not give $500 million to Tennessee State. Again, that requires organization mobilization. And so I put this out there now for several weeks, and folks are like,

and I'm like, y'all, that's 500. And I think that's the piece there. We are excellent at being reactionary, mobilizing in a massive way to a shooting or to somebody being called the N word or a student being beaten by a resource officer in a school. But we don't, we're not as ticked off for 500 million to a billion. Well,

I just let it be known. I was state president of the Georgia NAACP when the Falcons tore down the Georgia, the Georgia dome and of the Georgia NAACP when the Falcons tore down the Georgia Dome and built the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Not only did we cry out about that, we filed and support lawsuits against the state, which was depriving the students of Atlanta. Because either you own the stadium or you don't. If you own the stadium, you should pay taxes. If you don't own the stadium and you lease it, then we should share in the revenues. Either way, Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons made off like a fat cat and the taxpayers on the hook

for it. It's unpopular, but it was the right thing to do. And so there are folks who are lifting their voices about these issues and are trying to mobilize our community, but remember we're running against a propaganda machine that that has made people believe that taking a knee was violent protest and breaking into the capitol was legitimate legitimate discontent and so when you're running headlong against a machine like that where you're we're trying to dismiss church so with enough time for folks to see the Falcons lose again. That's the organizing force that we're organizing against. But we won't stop.

Those of us who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. And I want to say this right here. We don't need to think of either-or terms. Right. Because the state government got the money to do both. We have to be very clear about that. No, we're going to build a stadium, but we're going to also

fund Tennessee State too. Can we start with what the Constitution actually says the government should do? Funding a stadium for a billionaire is not in those annunciations. Absolutely. Providing for the common defense. Promoting the general welfare.

Those are things that are listed there. I see what Mayor McCall is saying. It's not going to stop. You got to say do both. That's what we have to be clear on. It's not a zero sum game. You know what I'm saying? And let's look locally. You know what I'm saying? I can work on the

Blue Mile and build up Cross Town too. I'm doing both And let's look locally. You know what I'm saying? I can work on the Blue Mile and build up Crosstown too. I'm doing both of them. We're going to, just like we're investing to make sure that we get the new publics, we're going to make sure our children are playing in parks with cameras, with Wi-Fi, Internet. We're going to make sure our kids got after-school programs. We're launching village builders. We are doing all of these things by simultaneously enjoying the benefits of economic growth. We can do both. The problem is, is that those that's representing us is making us think that we got to choose one or another and then using the divide amongst the people to say they don't want you to have

because they have. and that's the trick of politics is to make you think that it's a zero-sum game when the truth of the matter they got the money to do both so here's the question go ahead go ahead you was concerned about when is the mobilization going to start right yeah because that's where pressure comes in. Yeah. Because I understand, again, inside, outside. The outside pressure actually should be, the outside people should always be talking to the inside people. Because the inside folk like, now, you know them outside people going after food. Y'all might want to go and cut this deal. They work together.

The problem is when we have black people who are inside people who don't want to talk to the outside people. And then you're not working in concert. But that's the genius of William Barber, who's the architect of Moral Monday. In addition to launching Moral Monday in North Carolina, we started one in Georgia. Matter of fact, Raphael Warnock went to jail protesting. I was there with him, sitting beside him him in the governor's office to expand Medicaid. Folks said, you don't get people to mobilize around Medicaid. They don't know the difference between Medicaid, Medicare. That's not a sexy issue. It was. And it was not just an issue that

galvanized the Moral Monday that saw attention put on protest again. It was the precursor for the kind of tactics that were used by the Black Lives Matter movement. And so I think you're right. Those of us who hold positions need to consider something beyond the title, and that is what is our responsibility. Will future generations look to us like we look to those who came before us and say they stood up and did what they could and made a way for us today. So final round here, and that is this here. How many more days of early voting in Georgia? What is that?

Well, 14 actual days in the election day. So it ends what, Sunday? The Friday before election day, which is the 5th. The 4th? Yeah, November the 4th. All right, so. Another round of Saturdayth, yeah, November the 4th. All right, so. Another round of Saturday voting, some places. The 29th in this state.

So if you, wherever you are, the most important thing you can do, if you need information on this, on where to vote, on the days and the counties that have Saturday voting, go to ReadySet.Vote. That's ReadySet.Vote. You can get information on the candidates. You can see a sample ballot. You can check your registration.

You can find out where to cast your ballot. You can make a plan. Do not wait until Election Day. It's too critical. Go and put it in the box tomorrow. Organization-wise, are y'all looking at the numbers every single day and seeing what places are voting, who's up, who's down, and where you need to send folk to drive them out? Personally, I'm not.

I just looked at Bullock County's on today. So she's working at the local. This is such a great panel. Yvette is working through Black Voters Matter at the very local level, organizing folks here in Bullock County. Got it. So right now, as of today, we got under 1,000 black voters have turned out for early voting right now. So we just got to say get to the point.

And we're here. In Bullitt County. And how many eligible black voters are you in Bullitt County? I think it's like 11,000 maybe. What is the number? It's in and around 11,000 to 12,000. So 10% of your eligible black voters have voted. Yeah.

I mean, and that's the information I got to date. So that may not include the ones. I got it. And listen, I want folks to be energized because 11% of the electorate across the board has voted. So if it's 10% here in Bullock County, it's tracking. We also have to remember that 70% of the eligible black voters live in Metro Atlanta. That shouldn't be understated.

18 to 29 population is under 6% right now. So we definitely need y'all to get out and vote. And again, that's why that's the reason I'm asking the question is why I want the data. So again, repeat that again. So you said under 6%. So of 18 to 29 voters, under 6%.

Right, right, right. Which means that the work of the 11,000, that's what 11,000, out of that... No, no, no, that's just in general, of the people who have voted early so far. Got it. Under 6%. So for folks out there,

again, going back to what I showed with North Carolina, we should be having, if you black and you 40 and under, folks should be pressing them, getting out to vote, because, again, that's also the largest group of actual voters today. Go ahead. So there's been 837,597 folks as of the close of polls today, that's 11% of the electorate. And so I'm actually encouraged when I see a rural county like this posting 10% of its eligible black voters. It's tracking.

Black voters are still ahead of their percentage. And let me go back and correct something that was said earlier. Black folks make up 32% of the total share of the electorate, not a 32% turnout in the election. That's a little different. That's important. But the real takeaway for me is that folks are showing up and they're showing up despite insidious voter suppression and the folks who are manning the polls and working as poll workers in our local office deserve to be appreciated as well. They're standing up against this kind of retrogression and hate that we haven't seen in a long time. The New Georgia Project 365 builds power every day in black communities, and we're unashamed about that. Our founder, Stacey Abrams, is on the ballot.

You make your choice of who you want to represent this state. Our second chairman, Raphael Stacey Abrams, is on the ballot. You make your choice of who you want to represent the state. Our second chairman, Raphael Warnock, is also on the ballot. You make your choice about who you want to represent this state. And so we couldn't be more proud of those who are running and to be a big part of the success in getting folks registered and casting their ballot in the state. Thank you, Roland, for being here. I appreciate it, Mayor. I want to say two things. I want to make two points very clear. This election should be extremely personal to us. It should be extremely personal. We should be going through our social media. We should be going through our cell phones. We need to be contacting every individual that we know,

and we should be telling them to go vote and for them to go to take their family members. This is a personal matter for the state of Georgia because we are looking at the future of this state. And in my opinion, the combo that we have right now and Stacey Abrams and Raphael Warnock speaks to the best of what this state can be. And the second thing I want to say, and I want to be deliberate about saying this about Stacey Abrams. Stacey Abrams has been on the ground in this state for a very long time. And this is a woman that I've said time and time again is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met in my life. I literally believe that this woman can do anything that she sets her mind to.

And to have that kind of talent in the governor's mansion would speak volumes for the future of this state. But imagine how powerful it would be for our little girls to look at that governor's mansion and see a woman that they can identify with and say, one day we can be like her. Go vote. Final comment? Final comment, just picking back on the mobilization, I think it's very important just, you know, to get to the door, not just, you know,

on the broader perspective, but show up in these neighborhoods, knock on the door, educate the voters and put pressure on them to actually show up and cast their ballot. Alright then, we certainly appreciate, go ahead. I just wanted to say, Hold the mic up. I just wanted to say, inflation is mic up. Inflation is temporary.

We know inflation is going on. We know that corporate profits are driving inflation. Over 50% of these products that you're paying all this extra from is going to corporate profits. Biden didn't create inflation. But your rights are on the ballot. Your rights are on the ballot. You know, inflation is temporary, but your rights are on the ballot. Your rights are on the ballot. You know, inflation is temporary, but your rights are on the ballot. One of the reasons why we wanted to come to places like Statesboro and Swainsboro and

Savannah, and of course in 2020 we were in Albany and other places, is because typically what happens in these elections, so much emphasis obviously is put on metro areas. But one of the reasons why Republicans have won in places like

Texas and others is that they've actually run up huge vote totals in a collection of small areas. And so what then happens is that negates your large metro areas. And so I keep saying that we have to be hitting numbers that others are not hitting. So if you have 11,000 black folks who are eligible in a county, we should be seeing 75% of them voting. We've got to maximize our numbers.

That has to happen. That's how Harold Washington won as mayor of Chicago when black folks turned out. 80% of the eligible population actually voted. We simply When black folks turned out 80% of total Eligible population actually voted. We simply cannot have cities where it's 2024 25 28 and 30% I mean we simply are not utilizing the power

And for all y'all folk out there Yeah, I know exactly who I'm talking to and I got no problem calling y'all out y'all folk out there, and y'all know exactly who I'm talking to, and I ain't got no problem calling y'all out, y'all can holler, cut the check. Y'all can holler tangibles all y'all want to. But let me tell you something right now. It's the folk on the other side, they showing up. They're showing up, and they're going to show out, and then you're going to be left howling the same thing after Election Day, and they're going to be in power.

So it's up to you. Let me thank the folks here at Agape for allowing us to be here. Thank you so very much. Thank you for the panel as well. Thank you for all of y'all for attending. Folks, tomorrow we're going to be in Swainsboro, so look for us broadcasting from there tomorrow. Don't forget, if you want to download the Black Star Network app,

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Dallas on RM Unfiltered. PayPal is RMartin Unfiltered. Venmo is RM Unfiltered. And Zelle is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And, of course, get your copy of my new book, White Fear, How the Browning of America is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds. Y'all know I ain't lying. You can get it, of course, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, any bookstore.

Also, Target. Download it from Audible. And, of course, order it from your favorite bookstore, Black Bookstore as well. Alright folks, I will see you all tomorrow. Holla! I'm Martin. This is an iHeart Podcast.