#RolandMartinUnfiltered - Wrong man executed in Ark.?; stupid Santorum on CNN; Chauvin trial juror drama

Episode Date: May 5, 2021

5.4.21 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Wrong man executed in Ark.?; stupid Santorum on CNN; Chauvin trial juror drama+ A group of Arizona students re-enacted the murder of George Floyd...and laughed; NJ teacher is suspended for yelling at students and calling Floyd a criminal; White New York cops accused of misconduct far more often than Black officers; Black Kentucky police officer wants his job back after being fired for giving BLM info; NYC mayoral candidate Ray McGuire speaks; Meet the founder of EnrichHER, a business that connects pre-qualified companies led by women and founders of color to capital and more Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered#RolandMartinUnfiltered is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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skill through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers at taylorpapersceiling.org, brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Today is Tuesday, May 4th, 2021. Coming up on Roland Martin Unfiltered, DNA test shows that a black man executed in Arkansas had no DNA evidence anywhere near the crime scene. That means Arkansas very well could have executed an innocent brother.

CNN's Rick Santorum says he misspoke in his comments regarding Native American culture. Nah, you didn't. Your whiteness was showing. One of the jurors in the Derek Chauvin trial, of course, was at a George Floyd protest rally. Is that grounds for an appeal? And in Arizona, a group of students reenacted the murder of George Floyd for laughs. In New Jersey, a teacher is suspended for yelling at students and calling George Floyd a criminal.

In New York, a recent report shows the white police officers are accused of misconduct for more than black police officers. Speaking of New York, we'll be talking with Ray McGuire, who is running for mayor of New York City. In Kentucky, a black police officer is demanding his job back after being fired for providing information to Black Lives Matter protesters. In our black business segment, you'll meet a woman who partners black female entrepreneurs with potential funders. It is time to bring the funk on Rolling Mark Unfiltered. Let's knowing. Putting it down from sports to news to politics. With entertainment just for kicks. He's rolling. It's a go, go, go, yo. It's rolling, Martin.

Rolling with rolling now. He's funky, he's fresh, he's real the best. You know he's rolling, Martek. Now. Martek. All right, folks. In 1995, an Arkansas jury convicted a sentence a black man to death for the murder of his white neighbor. Liddell Lee, who maintained his innocence all along, was executed in 2017.

Now, four years after his execution, a new test requested by the ACLU and the Innocence Project proves that Lee's DNA was not on the evidence a wooden club or a bloody shirt found at the crime scene. The test results found DNA of an unknown male and fingerprints that did not match Lee's. Now during the trial, prosecutors relied on eyewitness testimony from Reese's neighbors who said they saw Lee walking around the neighborhood the morning of the murder. Lee and his attorneys filed multiple appeals and requested to have DNA analysis conducted on blood and hair recovered from the scene, but were unsuccessful. The state denied the ACLU and Innocence Project's request for a DNA test days before Lee's execution.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge released the following statement about the DNA results. The courts consistently rejected Liddell Lee's frivolous claims because the evidence demonstrated, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he murdered Deborah Reese by beating her to death inside her home with a tire thumper. After 20 years, I am prayerful that Deborah's family has had closure following his lawful execution in 2017. Let's go to my panel. Ben Dixon, host of the Benjamin Dixon Show podcast, Caleb Bethea, communication strategist, Mustafa Santiago Ali, a former senior advisor for the Environmental Justice EPA. Benjamin, I want to start with you. That statement from the attorney general says nothing about the DNA test. In fact, what the attorney general is doing is basically saying, oh, the evidence that was presented. But they relied on eyewitness testimony.

How in the hell do you not reference or speak to the results of the DNA test? It's very simple. The evidence contradicts their position, and they have to protect their power and their position by any means necessary. And so now that the DNA, the science, actually says that he was nowhere near that scene, or at least he was nowhere near that evidence that they presented in court, they are willing to deny that, ignore that, do whatever they have to do,

because it is far more important that they maintain the fact that they convicted and executed an innocent black man. It is disgusting to the highest degree. The thing here that makes no sense, Kelly, is, again, for the state to act as if this new evidence, this new information is irrelevant is absolutely crazy. I mean, at some point, they owe it to the citizens of the state to ensure that if the right person was executed, that you don't leave any doubt. This DNA test leaves doubt. It leaves doubt, but it also erases any type of confidence in that system, in that office, which is probably why they didn't mention the DNA test, because they know they're skating on thin ice when it comes to the confidence

that they have with the public, especially with this coming out. It is not crazy to me that they didn't mention it. Anything, it is expected, as stated by Benjamin earlier, about how they just really need to preserve their image. For those who do not want the system to change as it appears, this DA, it acts like, meaning, you know, the reform of criminal justice system, the push for more transparency, et cetera. It doesn't seem that she is, you know, in line with that. And for those people, they are skating on thin ice with the country in terms of their confidence, our confidence in them, in terms of them keeping their jobs all together. We're not playing business as usual anymore because we are slowly but surely coming to the realization

that Black Lives Matter. And this is a perfect example of that mentality coming to light in that people are going to be upset about this. Heads are going to roll because of this. This is not going to be swept under the rug. Something is going to change because of this huge mistake and they don't want to acknowledge that. So they're just going to, you know, just, just cover it up as much as they can.

I'm reading from a story here, Mustafa, and this is what the story says. It says the Innocence Project and ACLU said five of the six hairs tested for mitochondrial DNA excluded Lee as the source. Lee could not be, quote, excluded as a potential source in one of the hairs. Quote, mitochondrial DNA testing analyzes DNA shared by all individuals

in a common maternal line, including distant relatives. It can be used to exclude known individuals as the source, but cannot be the basis for absolute identification or individualization. This is according to the press release put out by the ACLU and the Innocence Project. Now, this is also important to state as well. According to the testing, again, the DNA of the unknown male was found on the wooden club that was reportedly the murder weapon. Quote, the testing, it said that the testing concluded there is, quote, moderate support that blood on Lee's left shoe could belong to Reese. exoneration. But it still raises troubling issues that before executing him, there were efforts to

actually test the DNA. Arkansas kept denying that. This to me, I think, is a huge deal when it comes to how do we move forward. I just simply believe that one, if these folks are not going to outlaw the death penalty, then you should make sure you should test every possible thing. And if there's DNA tests, you test it. Exactly. You know, we continue to see the whitewashing that exists inside of the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to people of color, where they will exclude evidence sometimes, or they will not go to the full

extent of the testing that's necessary to find out whom may have actually been a part of this murder or of other types of cases. And the other part of this that we should really point out is that since this brother did not do this, then somebody is walking around who's a murderer. So they should be equally as concerned with the fact that they didn't do their job because they did not do their job. Other people may have already lost their lives or people may lose their lives because of an individual who actually has committed murder before is still on the street. Oh, and again, I just want to be real clear here that what they tested does not completely

exonerate. The problem is his DNA was not found on the murder weapon, but they did say there was moderate support that blood on his left shoe could have come from the woman who had been bludgeoned to death. But again, this is one of those instances where you should be absolutely sure. And this also, I believe, Benjamin, is going to give a lot of credence to people who believe that we should not have a death penalty, that because mistakes could very well happen, depending upon eyewitness testimony in this case here, that the ability, that the opportunity for the state, depending upon the jurisdiction, to put somebody to death who didn't do it is real.

And we know for a fact. I mean, look, I'm born and raised in Texas. And Clarence Brantley came close to being put to death several times, at least three different times for a murder that he did not commit. He was later freed. There are at least three reasons why the death penalty should be abolished, Roland, based on everything that you're saying. Number one, the inaccuracy, the fact that this country has put people to death who absolutely were innocent. Number two, because we see that often intersects with your race.

If you're a black person in this country, you are far more likely to be executed under the circumstances that we're talking about. And last but not least, the United States, there's no person state, there's no system in this country that has the moral authority to be taking anyone else's life. That is something that should not be

in the purview of this government. And we see whenever they have that opportunity, there is a level of desire, of rage, of bloodlust that they want to execute people in this country. And we are the last people who should have that moral standing as a nation. One day before his death, this is what Ladell Lee told the BBC, Kelly, quote, my dying words will always be as it has been. I am an innocent man.

Now, this is part of the statement. This is Nina Morrison, who is the senior litigation counsel at the Innocence Project. This is what she said, quote, while the results obtained 29 years after the evidence was collected proved to be incomplete and partial, it is notable that there are now new DNA profiles that were not available during the trial or post-conviction proceedings in Mr. Lee's case. We're hopeful that one or more of these forensic law enforcement databases will generate additional information in the future.

That's an important point because the science has changed. There have been dramatic leaps in the science and testing, and they are far more certain with DNA testing today than they were five years ago, definitely 25 years ago. You're absolutely right about that. This is why having the death penalty on the books now in any state, in any jurisdiction, just does not make sense because the whole premise is that the death penalty is like the pinnacle of punishment, meaning that you exhausted all options and went through every single facet imaginable before this person is put to death.

This is not the case with this man who just died. It's not the case with a lot of recent decedents as a result of the death penalty. And I also have to say that Black men, Black people in general, are disproportionately sentenced to death. So that's also something to consider when you talk about the death penalty, the fact that we are as a people being murdered by the state and every option to exonerate us, to really prove beyond a reasonable doubt that black men, prisoners in general, did not do this, that they're not being used. And it makes you question exactly why.

Rhetorically, it makes you question why they won't exhaust the resources necessary to make sure that Black people, uh, are not being put to death unnecessarily. So until... I-I don't think that the death penalty should be a thing at all, but until you have a system in which every facet,

every appeal, every single thing, all the technology has been finalized in that person's case, until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, even after they're in prison, that they are completely innocent, you shouldn't have a death penalty because the stake literally is life. And that is way too high of a price for somebody to be wrong two minutes after they die. And this is also why in so many of these cases, Mustafa, why the science is far more important than, as you said, the science continues to evolve. We need to abolish the death penalty. It's very simple. We are one of the few countries that still utilize

that in our judicial system. It is antiquated and we no longer need it, and we should be making sure that we are moving forward in a very expeditious fashion to actually stop that from being a part of our judicial system or our law enforcement system. But the problem we have in this country, again, America loves to put folks to death. It's all about revenge, and that is sort of how this nation operates. And unfortunately, we talk about how often wrong this country is. That brings us to former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Of course, we told you about the comments that he made during a speech about Native Americans.

If we have that, let's play it again so y'all can hear what this idiot had to say. And then we're going to play what he said last night on CNN in trying to walk it back. So these were the initial comments made by former U.S. Senator, Republican, and CNN commentator Rick Santorum. I want to bring in former Republican legislators Charlie Dent and Rick Santorum. But first, I have Wood to chop with Santorum. And this is the piece of sound that I need to talk to you about right here. OK, all right, folks, so that's so I want us to play the first the initial statement that Rick Santorum made. Do we have that? That was last night from last night on CNN.

All right. So we should have had it independently. Fine. Go ahead and play that video. That was last night from last night on CNN. All right. So we should have had it independently. Fine. Go ahead and play that video. If you think about this country, I don't have any other country in the world that was settled predominantly by people who were coming to practice their faith. They came here because they were not allowed to practice their particular faith in their own country. And so they came here mostly from Europe, and they set up a country that was based on Judeo-Christian principles.

If you think of other countries like Italy and Greece and China and Turkey and places like that, they've all sort of changed over time. I mean, they've been there for millennia in many cases, and their culture has sort of evolved over time. But not us. We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there's nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn't much Native American culture in American culture. Rick, two problems. One, it's not accurate. There is a lot of affect from the Native culture on America. Absolutely. And there are a lot of people here who believe in that. And this seemed like you were trying to erase diversity in the interest of some white Christian right. I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying,

I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying,

I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was talking about the founding of our country. I had given a long talk about the constitution and the declaration of independence and the ideas behind those. And that, that, that, and I was saying we sort of created that anew, if you will. And I was not trying to dismiss native Americans. In fact, I mentioned it because, yes, they were here and they did have an impact. In fact, in this country, you're right. They have a huge impact, particularly in the west and many other areas of the country, where they have a huge impact on American culture.

I was talking about, and I misspoke in this respect, I was talking about the founding and the principles embodied in the founding. I would never, and people have said, oh, I'm trying to dismiss what we did to the Native Americans. Far from it. The way we treated Native Americans was horrific.

It goes against every bone and everything I've ever fought for as a leader in the Congress. I'm not saying that I'm against the fact that the fight against the Native Americans was horrific. It goes against every bone and everything I've ever fought for as a leader in the congress. I believe as our founding document says that we are

endowed by and created with rights and we are all equal. And when we treat people as other or less than human, that's what America, that's what every country gets into problem. We did it with the Native Americans. We did it with respect to African Americans. I believe we're doing it with children in the womb today. So this is very personal and very passionate that we can't treat people as different or other, and we get into a lot of problems. So I wasn't saying any of the things that the social media world is saying

that I was saying. I was simply talking about the founding documents of the United States, not the colonies, but the United States was based on these principles of freedom of conscience, religious liberty, and the importance of that as a building block. Okay, enough of that BS. So this is what he said in his original statement. Quote, we birth a nation from nothing. I mean, there's nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn't much Native American culture in American culture. That's what he said.

So here's what I need folks watching to understand. We discussed this yesterday with Senator Tim Scott's comments about no, no, America not being a racist country. And then you have all the white folks, especially on Fox News and conservative media, who are so angered and bothered by what they call no systemic racism, which we all know is an absolute lie. And what I keep trying to explain to folks, Kelly, even yesterday when people, you know, I saw Amanda Seals was angry with Vice President Kamala Harris's answer to Senator Tim Scott. But the reality is this white folks in this country, there are certain there are a group of white folks in this country, a significant group who live in complete and utter denial about what actually created the United States of America. They do not want to own up to genocide. They do not want to own up to slavery. They do not want to own up to Jim Crow. They do not want to own up to any of these things

because for them, it's really out of sight, out of mind. Well, I would push back on that a little bit in that they don't want to own up to it. They want to romanticize it. They want to glorify it. But they don't want to deal with the consequences of it. Now, full ownership, you're right. No, no, no. When I say own up to it, when I say own up to it, when I say own up to it, when I say own up to it, I'm talking about owning up to literally what happened. They don't want to own up to the genocide of Native Americans because yes, the romanticized part is, oh my God,

we're so wonderful and we're so great and we're America. And look how we went out west and it was a frontier land and it was all about grit and finding your way. No, we kill people to do it. They did. And they did. But what I'm saying is, to an extent, they own it only when it looks good in their favor. So, for example, as recently as with the Obama administration, when they killed bin Laden, people will glorify the fact that we killed bin Laden.

But until somebody or enough people are more or less on bin Laden's side. I'm saying it wrong. But so long as people are on the side of America as far as what happened, we will glorify that event. Right now what's happening is that we are actually seeing the ramifications of multiple minorities in this country being killed, harassed, taken advantage of, etc.,

specifically Black people. And the narrative is changing. If the narrative had not changed, they would have owned all of it. Yeah, we killed the Native Americans. Yeah, we enslaved Black people. And they did for a time. But now that the tide is shifting as far as power, as far as who actually controls history. The narrative is changing in the favor of the person who was actually victimized. So that's what I mean when I say they took ownership, but now they are, you know, distancing themselves from the truth because it doesn't make them look good anymore. So when it comes to Santorum, he was absolutely, like, what he said was very much revisionist history, but he meant every word of it. So this whole, you know, oh, I wasn't meaning

this, I wasn't meaning that, I was talking about just, you know, how we came to be as Americans. Well, you killed Americans to be American. That is the truth. You don't want to say it that way because it takes power away from the person who's actually talking, who's actually being a victim in the situation. But it is the truth. So that was my point. Mustafa, there is a book that is called Hitler's American Model, The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law. The United States loves to present itself as being this caring, loving, kind country. And we talk about the Holocaust and how shameful it was

and how evil Adolf Hitler was and how just atrocious and he was a murderer. But Adolf Hitler studied racism across the world, studied segregation. And Adolf Hitler and his lawyers and his loyalists, they found no greater country that practiced racism and segregation deeper than the United States. Without a doubt. So. When you I mean, like folks like literally, literally, I'm going to give you a name in a second.

And this and this man, Hitler, who wrote a book, this man was one of the, in fact, you are, you, Mustafa, you probably know, he was one of the leading environmentalists in American history. This man was friends with Theodore Roosevelt, friends with Woodrow Wilson. Woodrow Wilson, arguably one of, arguably the greatest racist ever served as president and in the Oval Office and this man I need everybody who's listening this man was in charge he believed in eugenics he was absolutely about Nordic power and this was a man who was in power in the country and so when the Rick Santorum's of the world say these things, they are in essence speaking white supremacy.

Without a doubt. You know, we need to have an honest conversation about policy in our country. And we often talk about that on the show. It was policy that approved the genocide of indigenous folks. So let's deal with facts instead of opinions. It was policy that approved the genocide of indigenous folks. So let's deal with facts instead of opinions. There were about 15 million indigenous brothers and sisters that were massacred, that genocide took place.

People intentionally used weapons. And what I mean by that is that they gave blankets with smallpox and other diseases, knowing that it would help in the annihilation and being able to clear the land so that folks could then claim it for themselves. That was built into policy. Then policy for the remaining indigenous brothers and sisters removed them from their traditional lands

and placed them in the least desirable locations in the country. Of course, you fast forward a number of years and then they found oil and other things on this land and then it still tried to move brothers and sisters off of that land. So you gotta be honest about that and what has actually transpired over time.

Then you gotta be honest also. So Rick Santorum was completely and 100% incorrect when he said that indigenous brothers and sisters hadn't done anything for this country. They had thriving, thriving economies. They also had thriving societies. They were living in harmony with their environment and not taking more away from it than was needed,

both in the woodlands, on the plains, on the coast, all across this country. And here's the last point, Roland, that I'll make on this. If you want to have a conversation about democracy, then really understand history. And if you understand history, then you understand the Six Nations. You understand the Iroquois Confederacy,

which is actually our constitution, and our democracy is actually built on what the Iroquois had in place for millennia. So if you want to have an honest conversation, Rick Santorum, then one, you need to open up a book or you need to be quiet. But see, here's the deal, though, being they don't want to have an honest conversation because the conversation actually take that back and take it back. They are having an honest conversation because the conversation actually take that back and take that back. They are having an honest conversation. They're having an honest conversation because what they're so angry about right now is that everything in America has been defined by whiteness. It has been defined through the lens of whiteness. And so what they're angry about, that's why they hate Nicole Hannah-Jones.

That's why they hate black historians. That's why they cannot stand the rise of black and Latino and Native American and Asian voices who are now offering a different perspective on this country. And see, and I thought, Mustafa, I gave you an opportunity. I thought you were going to sit here and go there. The person I'm talking about, y'all, who was one of America's greatest environmentalists, his name is Madison Grant. Y'all, Madison Grant in 1916 wrote a book called The Passing of the Great Race.

Well, I'll just tell you. 1916. This man was lauded as an environmentalist, as a philanthropist, as he was... But what they don't want to talk about is when he was over the New York Zoo and he was perfectly fine with Oda Benga, a Congolese man, being on display right next to monkeys. But but but there's a reason I'm bringing up Madison Grant's name, because I need y'all to understand why Madison Grant was so powerful because Hitler himself,

when in speaking with regards to Madison Grant, said that his book, The Passing of a Great Race, Hitler wrote to Grant saying, quote, the book is my Bible. So when we see the Rick Santorum's of the world, Benjamin, when we see the next story we're going to talk about as well, what we're seeing is we're seeing white Americans, largely white men, really, they're losing it. They're losing their minds all because of 2043 they cannot handle the browning of america which now they can't handle now you got black voices in schools now you got black folks weighing in on curriculum

now you got latinos weighing in on curriculum they can't handle that because it's about power and control and they're saying damn it if y'all start telling a different story, we won't be able to have the same power we've always had. That's absolutely it. And I want to tie it into what Kelly was saying a few moments ago. Because it's when people who have been oppressed

have voices and get access to power and then get access to history and then get to tell what happened to them in history. That's when the narrative changes from, let's say Hiroshima and Nagasaki being celebrated as a necessary thing to end the war. And now there's no consensus around that now

because people who have been oppressed by this American empire are now getting to come to the table and getting something to say as it pertains to American history. And just like you said, Roland, that disconnects their powers. There's no more immaculate conception of the United States of America. We see it for what it was so that we can understand better what it is. To Rick Santorum, he did not even have to dig in a history book. All he had to do was to look at the 1988 resolution from the U.S. Senate, which recognized Iroquois Confederacy as having an impact on the 13 colonies being

formed into a confederacy. And so he doesn't even know his history as a former sitting senator from his home state. That said, he doesn't also, I also don't believe he cares, Roland, because there is, again, the disconnect between what happened and the narrative that had been told all of this time. Black folks are getting to tell our own histories. Native Americans are getting ready to tell their own histories. And marginalized people across the globe are getting ready to be able to speak about what this empire has been since its foundation. But, but, and what I need everybody listening to understand is that what we have to contend with is that white supremacy was so significant and just woven into the fabric of America that even today, Rick Santorum serving in the United States Senate, I just need everybody to understand that right now in the United States Senate,

the senior senator from Mississippi sits at the very desk that Jefferson Davis sat at. I need y'all to listen. In fact, if y'all Google it, you will actually see at Senate.gov them explaining the desk and its significance. And y'all got to remember, this was voted on by the United States Senate.

They voted on a monument to one of the greatest racists and traitors in American history who lived in Confederacy. But not just that. The office building where the senators

reside in D.C. is named after Richard Russell, who was the leading Southern Dixiecrat, along with Jim Eastland from Mississippi. Russell from Georgia, Eastland from Mississippi. So I just need y'all again. So every single day when they go back to their offices and when you constituents, when you come to D.C. and you said, I'm going to meet my senator. And where is their office? It's in the Russell building. Folks like you go to the Russell building. Yes, the Russell building.

Well, who's the russell in the russell building richard russell that right there is how they have ingrained this in and we're not supposed to say anything david kalua wins the the Oscar best supporting actor for Judas and the Black Messiah. But the very building named after the man who authorized the murder of Fred Hampton, his name is still on the building, J. Edgar Hoover. And so you got white folks running around and you got black folks doing the same thing, repeating stuff, not realizing what they're even saying today in tennessee during a debate about education on the floor of the general assembly this is what republican representative justin lafferty claimed the three-fifth compromise was about

when they were writing the constitution y Y'all, my God, listen to this. The three-fifths compromise, and I've not looked this up, I'm rolling off a memory here, so bear with me, came after we decided to declare our Declaration of Independence to Britain, who was at the time a world power that we can't comprehend today. They wrapped the entire globe. We were a speck on a cow's butt that stood up and told them we're not going to take your garbage anymore. We don't tell that story these days. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. Slavery at the time was a part of world history. We drugged that with us. Our founders, who we don't quote anymore, we can go and see their writings anywhere, anytime we want to because we've got these computers in our pockets these days, or we can make the trip to DC and look at their libraries. They wrote frequently and for long times about what this stain of slavery would do to our country.

They knew that there would be a reckoning and they warned us about it. Nobody I've heard — I'm not going to point fingers, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start to do that. I have not heard anybody talk about the words of the men that founded this country, that put this together, that gave us this opportunity to be here today today to live in the greatest country in the world. We have so neglected what it was that set us apart from the rest of the world that I'm ashamed today. I'm ashamed at how we have let it go to pot like we have, that we are at each other like we are, that we have to have legislation to talk about what it is that we're teaching in our classrooms. I'm sure everybody's finished writing down their answer

to the three-fifths compromise. I'm going to go back to that for just a second. The northern states, and again, something you don't hear about in the dialogue today, the northern states for a long time had abolitionist movements. Europe, England, our parent country if you will, had abolitionist movements against slavery for a long time. When we got to the United States of America, the northern states knew that they could not defeat the British without the help of the South. They knew it. They had to have the materials, the resources of the South in order to challenge the greatest empire on the planet.

So what did we do? We're faced with a dilemma. We're faced with a challenge. Does half of the nation, north of the Mason-Dixon line for reference, try to take on the greatest empire in the world while the supplies in the south are fed to their enemies? What sense does that make? You've all ran for office. You strategize when you do that.

You think you'd strategize when you try to start a country, right? We ended up biting a bitter, bitter pill that haunts us today. And we did it to lay the foundation for all this that we enjoy in this country. For as much as we scream and fight and argue, there is no place in this world that I'd rather live and call home. was a direct effort to ensure that southern states never got the population necessary to continue the practice of slavery everywhere else in the country. What does that mean? Appropriation based on population. That's how we pick. Everybody in here knows we've got nine I hope I'm right, nine state representatives.

By limiting the number of population in the count, they specifically limited the number of representatives that would be available in the slave-holding states, and they did it for the purpose of ending slavery. Well before Abraham Lincoln. Well before a civil war. Do we talk about that? I don't hear that anywhere in this conversation across the country. I don't know how we've gotten here. I don't

know what we do about it. But talking about changing our history, changing is not the right word. Talking about incorporating another view of history while ignoring the very writings we have access to is no way to go about it. Mustafa, anytime you say, I hope I'm right, right there, you might want to sit your ass down. Yeah, I'm baffled. I don't know where he gets his information from. I guess maybe out of a Cracker Jack box. And since they don't make that very often anymore, you know, I guess that explains why he has

so many antiquated thoughts that are disconnected to the truth and to reality. You know, American history is what it is. You know, we know the atrocities that have happened and they need to be called out. We don't have to whitewash everything. But what we do have to do is make sure as we're moving forward that we're not bringing the sins of the past into the decision making that has to happen if we want to be a 21st century country. the sins of the past into the decision making that has to happen if we want to be a 21st century country.

And when you have individuals like this who seem to be uneducated, whether it is through experiences or through the books that he has not read evidently, it's a dangerous situation. And folks should realize these are elected officials who are spouting revisionist history, who are spouting information that is incorrect and is dangerous, because there is a part of our country that feeds off of this type of uneducated information. And then they utilize it to be able to justify these types of behaviors that we see even to today. So it's a shame that we still continue to elect individuals who just don't get it. You know, the thing that just really cracks me up about all of this is, again,

you have this idiot who stands up there and says this, Ben, and he really thinks he teaching. Oh, my Lord. He thought he was just teaching up there and how we don't quote the founders and how amazing they were. Player, we're more than happy to quote the founders. We're more than happy to quote what they live like in private versus what they said in public. Come on. Yeah, absolutely. That's exactly what I was thinking of because a couple couple of things I want to start with. He's trying to talk about the writings of the founding fathers that were not directly included in the declaration or in the founding documents.

But he didn't talk about the fact that Thomas Jefferson, who was a slave owner himself, but he wrote about the evils of the slave trade. And through that, obviously, he's talking about the evils of slavery. Yet that portion was intentionally taken out by the Continental Congress, right? So it was a statement that the United States did not want to make the statement that slavery was evil. That is a historical fact as well. Now, this is not to venerate Thomas Jefferson because he owned slaves. George Washington, all those founding fathers were white supremacists. And I don't care how you cut it. We celebrate them for founding this country.

But we also need to understand who they were and what they have left, the legacy that they left. Lastly, this is still yet another example of them having a competition over history. Who gets to read it? Who gets to define it? And what is inserted into the national discourse as a result. And they are fighting like hell, Roland. They do not want Black people to be able to speak about the history of this country from our lens. And look, this is real, real simple, Kelly. Get used to it. Buckle up, because it's going to be a lot more of this

over the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years in this country. I mean, they've been trying to bury the history. They have, in some cases, literally have buried history. They have burned history. They have made it illegal to speak history. They have killed people who were speaking history so that they would no longer speak history. None of those tactics are going to fly anymore. All of us, majority of us, know how to read. And I'm not just talking about Black people. I'm talking about the country. We know how to read. We know how to research. Google is your friend. It is everybody's friend. Libraries are open. The stories are out there. The truth is out there. And come hell or high water, it's going to come out. And those who want to suppress

it will be dead in a couple of years anyway. So the truth is going to outlive those who want to suppress it will be dead in a couple years anyway. So the truth is going to outlive those who want to bury it. And hopefully, in this age of information where everybody can get everything and anything, we can stay truly informed instead of going into our respective silos and just listening to what we want to listen to and reading what we want to read and believing what we want to believe. The truth is out there, but we have to also do our due diligence in seeking it and actually holding ourselves accountable to it.

These white supremacists aren't going to do that, so it's really up to us to uphold the narrative, the real one. Oh, and that's why this show is important, which is one of the reasons why we want you to support what we do. Our goal is to give you the information you're not going to find anywhere else. And so that's why we want you to support our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar you give goes to support what we do.

So please do so by going to Cash App, dollar sign RM Unfiltered, PayPal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered, Venmo.com forward slash rmunfiltered, as well as Zelle, which is Roland at RolandSMartin.com. You can also send to Roland at RolandMartinUnfiltered.com. And our goal, of course, is to get at least every year 20,000 of our supporters supporting us via our Bring the Funk fan club. Mailing address is, of course, 1625 K Street Northwest, Suite 400, Washington, D.C., 2006. All right, folks, a recently surfaced photo exposing one of the jurors in Derek Chauvin's trial could give the ex-Minneapolis police officer a stronger case for appeal.

The photo shows juror number 52, Brandon Mitchell, at a Get Off Our Necks rally in August. The shirt Mitchell's wearing includes the words Get Your Knee Off Our Necks and BLM. The rally took place in Washington, D.C. in honor of the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington for jobs and freedom. When jurors were asked on their initial questionnaire whether they or anyone close to them had participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality, Mitchell answered no. Last month, Mitchell and 11 other jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison and is awaiting sentencing in June. I've looked at some of the tweets, Monique Pressley and others out there who are lawyers,

they've been telling people, hey, y'all, chill. These motions are standard. This is what always happens when people are trying to throw decisions out. Ben, again, I think for a lot of people who are going, oh my God, is this going to mean, you know, y'all this happens, this happens in trials all the time. Not going to lie, Roland. When I first saw this, I was like, oh my God, brother, why didn't you just say that you had that? But that said, um, this is just going to be one of the many attempts to appeal the ruling. Um, of course, uh, Derek Chauvin has an incentive to do that. He has a right to do that. And his attorneys are going to do their jobs and do everything that they can, no matter how disgusting we feel it is and how disingenuous we know it is. That said, he's not the only one who has a vested interest in his appeals. This entire system, from conservatives in

Washington, D.C. to down in Tennessee, that they have a vested interest in helping to maintain this hermetically sealed bubble of police can't do no wrong to black people because that is part and parcel of what this country's history is all about. It is what this country is all about. And speaking of that, a high school is looking to a video showing students reenacting George Floyd's murder and laughing about it in Arizona. Watch this. They're demonstrating a Spanish word. in high school in Gilbert, Arizona. They reportedly recreated the incident to tease a black student.

In an email to parents, the school principal says all parties involved were disciplined according to the school district's policy. Kelly. It's absolutely disgusting. And this, if I'm not mistaken, this is the same high school where they were on TikTok last June saying the N-word everywhere. Like, this is a racist high school, it seems like. And if I'm not mistaken,

when in that video, they did it in front of, like, the only Black student in the class. So to me, correct me if I'm wrong, that definitely feels like a hate crime to me. And they should be treated as the racist hate crime committers that they are. Um, but for the school, uh, principal to act like, oh, they've been disciplined. If that discipline does not involve expulsion and, you know, letters to colleges that they want to apply to saying that these children are racist and they were raised as such, then any other type of discipline is, it doesn't matter. It is not enough. But this goes

back to what we were talking about earlier in regards to these people wanting to revise history and act like, oh, they're just, you know, demonstrating. This isn't a big deal. You know, the kids get it from somewhere. It's not coming out of thin air. They're raised this way. And hopefully, you know, as time passes, you know, even those kids will die out and we'll just keep moving on in progress. But this was absolutely disgusting to watch. And then, of course, we have what happened in New Jersey, where a teacher has been suspended for yelling at his black students

and calling George Floyd a effing criminal. Jersey City Public Schools announced Howard Zlotkin would not have access to Dickinson High School or its students after his climate change lesson turned into an offensive rant. Zlotkin criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and berated four Black students, demanding they write essays on George Floyd. The school district said they were appalled by Zlotkin's statements, profanity, disrespect, and treatment of his students. These are the people who are teaching our children, Mustafa.

Yeah, well, we should tell the fullness of this story as well. Zlatkin was allowed to come back to work, and it wasn't until the parents actually went to the media, and there was a second video that came out, and then they actually suspended him. You know, it's amazing. You know, you got teachers who are supposed to be putting something positive into young people. Young people are surrounded by negativity when they come to school and when they are going through the process of learning, you're supposed to give them something that's going to help them to be able to move forward. And we just can't have these types of individuals having that type of influence over our kids. And they need to go. They need to go quickly because you can't take chances, you know, exposing kids to additional trauma.

I agree with that. And this is also why it's important for us to look. One of the reasons why I'm a huge believer, you know, in charter schools, I'm all for us being in control of our own education, educating our children and controlling all of the reasons why I'm a huge believer in charter schools, I'm all for us being in control of our own education, educating our children and controlling all of the money. So thank goodness this fool is not in the classroom. And so be it. All right, y'all, got to go to a break.

We come back. We're going to talk about a couple of police cases, a misconduct, one out of New York City, then another out of Kentucky where a black officer who gave information to Black Lives Matter protesters now wants his job back. Well, let's see. Some people have killed black people and gotten their jobs back. Let's see what happens with him. We'll discuss that next on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Are you trying to say that as of January 20th, that President Trump will be president? That depends on what happens on Wednesday. President Trump won this election. Do you think the election was stolen? Absolutely.

At this point we do not know who has prevailed in the election. This fraud was systemic and I dare say it was effective. This is a contested election. President Trump won by a landslide. The outcome of our presidential election was seized from the hands of voters. We have to make sure that they look into what has been the theft of this presidential election. Joe Biden lost and President Trump won. Whatever happens to President Trump, he is still the elected president. I would love to see this election overturned. No one believes that this guy got 80 million votes.

It doesn't feel right. It doesn't look right. No ragtag group of liberal activists will be allowed to steal this election. The president wasn't defeated by huge numbers. In fact, he may not have been defeated at all. Over the next 10 days, we get to see the ballots that are fraudulent. And if we're wrong, we will be made fools of. I believe that people our age have lost the ability to focus the discipline on the art of organizing. The challenges, there's so many of them and they're complex. And we need to be moving to address them.

But I'm able to say, watch out, Tiffany. I know this road. That is so freaking dope. This is the year of the woman. We are here. We are capable. My optimism for our future has never been greater than now. Black women are making a difference, making history, and changing the world.

Carl Payne pretended to be Roland Martin. Holla! Hi, I'm Chaley Rose, and you're watching Roland Martin Unfiltered. All right, folks, y'all can go definitely go see that Janetta B. Cole and Tiffany Lofton discussion on my Facebook page right now. You can also see the one with Andrew Young and Black Voters Matter founder Cliff Albright. It's simply we pinned at the top. So go ahead and check that out. Let's go to New York. It's not surprising that white officers are accused of police misconduct far more than black officers. In fact, in New York, white officers make up 61 percent of their misconduct cases.

14 percent of black officers and 23% of Latinos face misconduct charges. The city's police unions have pushed back against public disclosure of misconduct records, but those records have been released with the repeal of 50A, the state law barring such disclosures. This right here, Benjamin, is why that needs to be made public. There have been far too many laws in this country that have protected police. It keeps their information quiet. It keeps folks from learning about their actions. And more states should repeal these laws.

In Maryland, the legislature overrode the governor's veto, Republican Larry Hogan, and got rid of the officer bill of rights. That is how we begin the process of reforming police departments, taking the cloak of secrecy away. The cloak of secrecy, though, Roland, is a necessary evil for this police state. And I think we really kind of underestimate the extent to which we are living underneath the police state. And I think we really kind of underestimate the extent to which we are living underneath the police state. We're talking about New York, the digidog that they just took off the streets, but it is a precursor to what's coming. And it's just another way that this empire protects itself from within. We spend trillions of dollars on the military abroad, and we spend similar amounts of money internally. And part of that is to make sure that they protect their frontline troops,

those police officers that are occupying our communities and extracting wealth from our communities and taking it back across the railroad tracks, along with the fact that they're leaving our bodies broken and killed in the streets. You know, that particular point there is really important. And again, Kelly, how we must approach this. Again, you've got to get rid of all these laws and procedures. You've got to make it transparent, make it open. These cops have been hiding behind these laws, the abuse that they've been doling out, the payments that have been made.

It has to be public. Otherwise, we're going to be in the exact same exact same situation 15, 20, 30 years from now. Absolutely. Not only that, but the first thing that needs to go outside of, you know, officers, Bill of Rights and other things that are in other jurisdictions is absolutely qualified immunity across the board, because there there should be no profession in which you do something that objectively is illegal and you get away with it because it's your profession. That doesn't make any sense that, you know, it just doesn't make any sense. But more pointedly, when I saw this article and I was reading the stats on it, it just proves just how much Black people are not making this up.

This is a reason. There is a reason for this distrust. There is a reason for the fear that Black people have when it comes to officers, police, law enforcement in general, particularly white people, but officers across the board, because you have people of other colors in the force who think blue above all. And there's a, again, there's a reason for the distrust. There's a reason for the fear. And to have laws on the books now, such as qualified immunity, such as a

whole nother bill of rights for just because you're in another profession. And sweeping things under the rug and justifying other things, it's disgusting. It is disgusting. It is absurd. It needs to change. And the only way that any type of trust can be restored when it comes to the public and law enforcement is for things like this to get off the books. Mustafa, to have the information, and then you also are able to see how race plays a role in this. Yeah, Ben and Kelly are correct. You know, if you want to dismantle

these systemic racist systems, then you have to have transparency. You got to put sunlight or a spotlight on it, because if you don't, then you don't know where you have to make the investments and what has to go. Now, of course, we all know many of the elements that need to be changed,

those that need to be discarded, and this is a step in the right direction. But we know that there are a number of other steps that have to happen over the next couple of years. We have a new administration. We have a new Department of Justice. And they play a role also in helping us to be able to dismantle these systems

and to make sure there's real accountability in the process. So now's the time. It is a time I think you're seeing sort of the reaction here. I can't wait to hear what y'all got to say about this story. A black cop has filed a lawsuit demanding his job back in Kentucky. In February, Jervis Middleton was fired for allegedly providing sensitive information to Black Lives Matter protesters. In his complaint, Middleton says the police department has a long history of racial discrimination without accountability. A 13-year veteran accuses the department of tolerating racism, racial slurs, and profiling and harassing black Lexington residents. He's

asking a judge for damages for humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, and mental anguish. That's a new one. That's a new one, Ben. Yeah, Roland, we found the good cop, and they fired him. I mean, what he stood up for absolutely is true. And I think he believed, and I feel bad for that brother, but he believed that he could do the right thing in that position. But we have to understand what that position is really all about. That position is not about protecting and serving particularly Black people, but it's there to protect capital.

It's there to protect this power structure. It's there to protect the elites. And he found out the hard way. Now, you said it before we went to break, and I think it was said perfectly. He lost his job doing this, but police officers can kill Black folks and get their job right back. Yeah, this is going to be interesting to see how this one plays out, Kelly. I'm actually concerned about the fact that he was fired at all. Now, granted,

usually whistleblower statutes and protections are more so on the federal level of things. But there's something to be said about a police officer who, frankly, was trying to do the right thing. And the way that this story is shaped, it sounds as though he was whistleblowing and he was fired because he was trying to do a good thing. So the fact that he was fired at all, I feel like there should be a case there. The fact that he was fired at all. I feel like there should be a case there. The fact that he was wrongly fired, but also the fact that he was acting more or less in the position of a whistleblower and was penalized for it. We have protections on the books for whistleblowers and this law enforcement jurisdiction just seems to have ignored all of that. So I would look more into that more than anything, because there may be a case there as well.

Yeah, I'm laughing about this one, Mustafa. And I can't wait to see where this one goes. But, yeah, this is sort of a reversal than what we're normally talking about for a cop who gets job back. But also this shows the double standard. So if you're going to take this police officer's job away, why didn't you take the police officers who were having conversations with white nationalists who were at some of the rallies that were going on and telling them, you might not want to go this way or we're going to have a blockade here,

or we're going to do that. So that just goes, once again, to show that there's this double system, one where Black folks, whether you're wearing a uniform or not, are treated in one form and fashion. And if you're white, then you get the leniency, or you get even a pat on the back in some instances. Speaking of pat on the back, folks in Florida,

elementary school principals under investigation after a parent filmed the principal and a school clerk patting her six-year-old daughter. Teacher's assistant called the mother, saying her child damaged a computer and needed to come up to the school to pay for the damages When the mother arrived, this is how they decided to discipline the child You see? Finally, you understand what's going on. Wait, hold on. Put your butt out. Out.

No, put your hands down. No, no, no, no. Now don't do it again. And sit down. Sit down. You better tell your mama sorry, and you better not treat her like that either. Is this going to happen again? No. Never. You're going to be good at home? Are you going to respect your mom?

Because I'm going to tell you what. If your mom wants to come up to the school and thank you and we can watch, that's going to happen. Do you understand me? You better start treating your mom right. And you better start behaving and taking care of the stuff. You don't keep messing up things. It's me. I'm so disappointed in you. Next time you come to the office, this is going to happen again.

Every time you come to the office. Do you understand that? You want to come back to the office again? Because you come very often. You want to come back to the office again? Because you come very often. You want to keep coming to the office? You're going to come back? You're going to come back to the office? No.

No, I better not see you back up here because it's going to happen again. Now calm down. Calm down before you get sick. So, Mustafa, flashback for me. Hell, that was me in elementary school. My parents asked for the corporal punishment slip of paper. Obviously, things have changed. Also, it was interesting how she used a paddle hitting on one side of the butt.

First of all, I got hit on both. So just your thoughts about this teacher. And clearly the parent gave her approval. Well, you know, I don't think that corporal punishment is something that should ever exist in the 21st century when it comes to little kids like that. You know, it's amazing, unfortunately, that when it comes to black and brown children, that corporal punishment is one of the mechanisms that folks utilize. It's tied to the brutality that has always been a part

of the system in our country when it comes to our people. You know, the other part of the equation is that the mother only spoke Spanish. So the mother may not have had any idea of exactly what was transpiring or what her rights were. So we need to make sure that we're also calling that fact out as folks are utilizing these types of things. And the other part of it is,

why aren't you having a conversation with that little girl, figuring out if she has broken or continues to break something, types of things. And the other part of it is, why aren't you having a conversation with that little girl, figuring out if she has broken or continues to break something, then there's something that's going on in that space. And she needs to have whatever types of mental health conversations to unpack what's going on. So you don't have to put your hands on a little baby. And you especially don't have to hit a little baby with that type of intensity. You know, Roland, and you and I know a little something about taking wood. And we know that that is not a comfortable position.

So you definitely don't do it to a little baby. No, no. Actually, I didn't take wood when I pledged Alpha. I took wood in elementary, middle school, high school because my parents signed it. So, I mean, again, that experience, I've been there. I've been there. Now, here's the whole deal. I understand.

Here's my deal. I don't know. I can't say, Kelly, that the parent didn't know what was going on. The parent was filming it. So, here's the question. People are mad at the principal, but does the parent, what do we say to the parent if they gave their permission? And let me throw this one in. What if the parent did the paddling instead of the principal?

So all valid questions, right? So I'm looking at the USA Today article, and it's saying that there was a language barrier that caused the mother not to understand exactly what was going on, which is why she filmed it. But she's actually quoted saying that she was more or less shocked. She's saying that the hatred with which she hit her daughter, she's never hit her daughter like the principal hit her. But nevertheless, I am not one who is a proponent.

So the parent at no point jumped up to stop the principal? Again, and this is what I'm getting to. So I am at, on no level am I a proponent of spanking children, certainly not with a wooden paddle in a public school setting. But it is clear to me that on some level, the mother was okay with it. And I have a problem with that as well. Because if that was my child and I saw that,

granted, I don't have kids, but if that was my child and I saw that happening, there wouldn't be a video footage because I would be on the teacher, like, white on rice, beating her behind. Like, that's not a thing that I ascribe to. There are more ways, more productive ways, less violent ways to discipline children and to teach children and to hold

children accountable as much as they can be as children. There are better ways to do that than to subject them to something that you wouldn't even tolerate as an adult. It's like when you're at work and you do something wrong, you'd expect your director to bring out the paddle and spank you. So why would you do that to a child? It makes no sense. And I understand that there were things that have been done in years past, but generational trauma has to stop at some point. And when we know better, we do better. So just because you did it when you were young or you went through it when you were young does not mean,

nor does it give you the license to do that to a child, whether they're yours or not. I'm double checking because that, let's see here. Ben, here's the deal. Right now, corporal punishment is still legal in 20 states in the United States. This is not me saying what it was like in my past. 20 states right now. Still allow it.

I'm going to pull up exactly what those 20 states are. Go ahead. I got corporal punishment in school also, Roland. And it was, I remember it clearly, it was nothing but black boys lined up on that sidewalk that got beat by a white principal. The level of intensity that that principal was spanking that poor child was not one done from concern for the child to try to correct her. It was done from her own personal frustration and anger because I got three kids. First of all, had that been my cat, my child, I would have cleared the whole building. Second of all, if I have to discipline my children at any level, it takes a lot out of me to do it

because the last thing I want to do is hurt my children. And I can tell you the difference between somebody who is popping a hand to stop your three-year-old from touching the socket and somebody who is angry and venting her frustration. And this is exactly why we cannot allow human beings to execute corporal punishment and definitely not the death penalty because rooted inside of us is the desire to get back at that person and that's what that principal was doing to that young child now the mom also undocumented worker afraid to intervene intervene because she would somehow you know be afraid now again i said. You've got 19 states in America, was 20, then one state got rid of it. But where this took place, Henry County,

it is prohibited. So the question now comes up, why did Principal Melissa Carter have a paddle in her office if it's outlawed in the county. All those questions are going to be answered. Folks, the South Carolina Appellate Court rules a black man enslaved by his white restaurant manager is owed more than $500,000 in restitution. The six-figure amount is much more than John Christopher Smith was initially awarded in 2019 when his manager, Bob Edwards, pled guilty to one count of forced labor. Smith was awarded nearly $273,000 in back pay after being forced to work more than 100 hours per week by Edwards without compensation. Edwards began abusing Smith and taking advantage of his

mental disability in 2009 when he took over management of J&J Cafeteria. The court of appeals ruled that the previous amount decided by the district court failed to take into account federal labor laws, entitling Smith to double the amount of pay from Edwards. I wonder what Senator Tim Scott has to say about that. It is in his home state. Got to go to break. We come back, our Black Business segment.

Plus, we'll talk with Ray McGuire, who is running for mayor of New York City. All of that is next, right here on roland martin unfiltered the lonely the alienated the sad and the angry in every country torn by strife violence and hardship men and women are drawn to extremist leaders promising to take on the enemies of their people. In America, some of our lost souls respond in a similar way to the call of influential voices, but instead of militant preachers or radical clerics. Every single night in America, they can listen to our own angry advocates of division and conspiracy.

Confused, angry people hear the call of these voices and take on the camouflage of warriors to threaten and even kill civilians. The radicalized Republican Party and the twisted people on TV who speak for them use the very same language of intolerance and rage to provoke those alienated people, actively pouring kerosene on the fire of social unrest. And until we all reject these poisonous voices, the result will inevitably be escalating violence and tragedy. Black women are fierce, brilliant, courageous, dope. Black women are making a difference,

making history, and changing the world. I think about all of the black women who have showed up to fight for justice. We are starting to finally accept all the skills and talents a woman can bring to the table. Urban One, thank you. This one is so special. We are back. Black women are leading the way when it comes to opening businesses. Since 2007, the number of companies owned by black women has grown by over 150 percent. EnrichHer connects

pre-qualified companies led by women and founders of color to capital, coaching, and community so they can take their businesses to new heights. Joining me now is EnrichHer's founder and CEO, Dr. Roshana Novellis. Doc, how you doing? I don't hear Dr. Novellis. All right. We're trying to, uh, doc, I think you're muted. So please unmute your button. Yeah. All right. Trying to figure out why doc, uh, let's figure out Dr. Novellis. Can you hear me? I can hear you now. All right. You got me. Yes. Allllis, can you hear me? I can hear you now. You got me?

Yes, I have you now. Now you can hear me. All right, cool. All right, so first of all, how many business owned black women have you helped with EnrichHer since you started? Yeah, so we've helped over 168 women connect with $14 million since we started. And our goal in the next three years is to get up to $100 million in funds to support Black-owned businesses. And so when you talk about the help, first of all, how do these women connect you? Do you go through some sort of interview process, some sort of vetting process? Are they from a different part of the country country or are they from all over the country? So Enricher supports real business owners that have customer cash flows and revenues

and just need money to grow. So we've supported businesses from over 47 states and 100% of the companies that we've supported are still in operation and thriving. So we'll talk about those numbers in terms of the revenue. So is there a minimum revenue number that you have, a minimum number that you should be in business, employees as well? So most of the companies have at least $100,000 in revenues. And essentially, we need to make sure that the companies have the cash flow necessary to support the loans. And so if you are at the idea stage, maybe you don't have enough money to pay yourself and pay your vendors and have any reserves. So we focus on businesses that have direct impact in the community that are employing other people of color. And we know that getting this infusion of cash will have that direct impact on businesses that can withstand the test of time.

And so what are you now seeing in that now we're still dealing with the COVID age? A lot of folks could not qualify for PPP loans. Are you seeing an uptick? Are you seeing more folks reaching out to you for help? More people are reaching out for us to us for help for many reasons. One, we are more innovative than financial institutions in the fact that we use community market analytics, trend analysis, whereas most traditional financial resources look at what was going on two years ago. In addition, our entire team is diverse and reflects the community in which we serve. So we provide trusted advice from diverse financial experts to these communities. So in the pandemic and even before the pandemic, we have a robust community of small business owners

that are seeking our support and help. Questions for our panelists. I'll start with Kelly. Kelly, what's your question for Dr. Novelles? What roles do you have as, you know as the founder of this organization? Where do you see it five, 10 years from now? And how do you think it'll help even broader audiences outside of who you're also helping rank? Yes, it is our vision to deploy billions of dollars to diverse entrepreneurs who are well qualified. The simple fact of the matter is, is diverse people have the most grit,

the most know-how, the most ability to navigate through ups and downs, yet the traditional financial institutions have no incentive to innovate to support us. So Enricher will be the go-to destination for these companies to get as much money as they want whenever they want, because we understand fundamentally that they have the capability to persevere and they deserve to have their own economic power. Mustafa, your question. Yes. Thank you, Dr. Novellllos for everything that you're doing. I'm always curious, since I have a background in the federal government,

understanding that there are trillions of dollars that are wrapped up in contracting and subcontracting opportunities. Does that play into the education, the teaching, or the access that you all help folks to be able to navigate? Yeah, it's critical to have the knowledge on how you manage cash flows so that you can prepare for a government contract. The simple fact of the matter is to secure a government contract, it takes a sales cycle. And once you start that work, you know, it's net 30, net 60, right? And a lot of companies led by people that look like me, they don't have that cash reserve necessary to be able to strategically handle those government contracts. So as an essential tenant of the training that we provide, we teach how to manage these cash flows so that you can position your business

to handle whatever kind of contract or opportunity comes your way. All right, then, Dr. Novellis, we certainly appreciate it. How can people get more information? Yes, everyone can go to enrichher.com. That's E-N-R-I-C-H-H-E-R.com. Sign up for our newsletter. We provide over $50,000 in financing opportunities every single week. All right.

Well, we certainly appreciate it. Thank you so very much for joining us on today's show. Thank you. All right, folks. Mayoral races are happening all across the country. We, of course, spent some time in St. Louis with Tashara Jones, who was elected mayor there. New York City has a huge race that's coming up all about to replace Bill de Blasio. The primary will take place on June 22nd.

General election on November 2nd. One of the folks who is running to take over for de Blasio is Ray McGuire. He joins us right now. Ray, welcome to Roller Martin Unfiltered. Dr. Martin, how are you getting along today? Doing great, doing great. It is a packed field. A lot of people who are jumped in this particular race. Last polling I saw had you still in single digits. How are you going to break through? What is the messaging that you're going to lay out to reach voters there to come out on top?

So first, let me acknowledge that the highest vote getter today is undecided. So I am actively out talking to undecided with what is the greatest, most inclusive economic comeback plan in the history of this city. My platform includes the following. It's the economics. The comeback plan is 500,000 jobs. Go big, go small, go forward. It is safety and justice, and it's education. And when I go out and communicate this to New Yorkers in the boroughs, in the subway stations, in the cathedrals, in the mosques, in the churches and in the synagogues, people are responding in the boroughs, in the subway stations, in the cathedrals, in the mosques, in the churches, and in the synagogues. People are responding in the subway stations. So people are responding.

People want something different. You know, I haven't been termed out. I haven't served in any administrations, especially any failed administrations. I haven't run for office, and I'm not looking for promotions. So people want something different. They want somebody who's got a track record, and if I go out and they understand the arc of my story

and the plan that I have for the comeback in this city, people are responding. So I'm quite confident with the momentum that we have. I am inspired by those who have stepped up to say, I am the right person to lead this city. Not only those who have profile, but those who have no profile. So I'm confident that on June 22nd...

You see the arc of my... You see the arc of my story. What is that story? What is that story? You know, where I started, Roland, I started at the bottom, right? I started, I was raised by my single mother. I didn't know my dad. At any point in time, my mother worked three jobs. And then she became a social worker.

And my mother, along with my grandparents, raised me and my two brothers, along with half a dozen foster children. So I know what it's like not to have. I know what it's like to struggle. And based on my mother's sacrifices, I was able to leave home when I was 16. I took a Greyhound bus around New England by myself, looking for education. There's a teacher who said if you're as good as they say you are here, go test yourself against the big boys and girls in the East. So I took a Greyhound bus around at 16 years old looking for schools, landed at a school in Connecticut where I got to the school. You know, my classmates

had on those short sleeve shirts with alligators cost more than my entire wardrobe. And I was able to do okay there. And I applied to colleges and got into college, went to Harvard College, and then on to Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. So I came to New York City with three things. I came with a great education. I came with a lot of debt. And I came with no money.

And so people understand that when they understand that I started at the bottom and had to kick down doors and make certain that I performed at the highest levels and to kick down doors and make sure that I performed at the highest levels and stayed in my job lower than anybody else in the history of corporate finance, in the history of the world, in the history of the corporate world, 13 years longer than anybody else. Are you concerned, though, that not enough people are hearing that story and instead they just say, oh, here's a Wall Street dude trying to buy himself into the mayoral office? You know, people will say that. Yeah, I've heard that. And what that does is it ignores

a journey. I didn't just parachute into this, but I had to face conscious and unconscious bias to get here. And so, yeah, I am a 6'4", 200-pound black man who's been on Wall Street and quite proud of it, quite candidly, given my mother's sacrifices. And at any point in time, given the crisis that we're in now, this city is broken and divided, and all the others had their chance, and black and brown people have gone backwards. So somebody who's been in the room, who's made the investment in the community, who's made certain that others got the opportunity, I extended the ladder the way the civil rights leaders extended the ladder to me. I have likely created more opportunity and more wealth for black and brown people than all the other candidates combined. In the neighborhood I come up in, you know what they call that?

They call that receipts. I get receipts. What would you say is the most fundamental issue or the top two fundamental issues that you will do specifically for Black voters in New York City? New York has the largest concentration of Black voters in any other city in America. They certainly will play a huge role in who wins this election. So, Roland, there are two fundamental things that need to take place here. One is the economy, and the other is the education that gets us into the economy. We've got to transform the educational system now, not the random pre-K to 12, but we need to make certain that our children can get an education, that their lives shouldn't be determined by their zip codes.

I have a plan, which is my cradle to career plan at rayformayor.com. That's education, which I'm going to fundamentally transform that. And then when it gets to the economy, you get educated. And if you don't have the education, I have workforce training as part of my comeback plan. Then when it gets to the education, I have workforce training as part of my comeback plan. Then when it gets to the economy, I'm going to be intentional on how we manage the budget. And oh, by the way, I'm the only person here who's managed budgets larger than most state budgets and been held accountable and had to identify,

attract, and retain the talent as I led from the great financial recession where our company was on life support, built the business out the great financial recession where our company was on life support, built the business out of that financial recession. And today, if I look at New York City, we spent $22.5 billion last year. 82%, 8 out of 10 of the MWBEs got zero.

So I will be intentional here. And intentional is the same way that Harold Washington was intentional in Chicago or Coleman Young was intentional in Detroit or Maynard Jackson was intentional in Atlanta. I'm going to take those playbooks. I'm going to modernize them and make certain that we get what we need. And so let me give you something. The way I think about this, we've been outside for so long that when they give us crumb, they want us to feel full. I'm not interested in the crumbs. Matter of fact, I ain't interested in the cake. I'm interested in us owning the bakeries,

which is how I have led my career in the investments I've made in black and brown entrepreneurs, making sure that people got educated, making sure that they got jobs, they got promoted, got position responsibilities, and got paid. So it's education and the economy. All right. Well, Ray, your folks told me you got a hard out at 755. I wish we had more time with you.

So we certainly got a lot more questions. I'm sure my panel has questions as well. So hopefully we can get you back on and for a longer period of time to talk about your mayoral race and what you want to accomplish. I appreciate you and a lot of respect and admiration for all you do. Your leadership is exemplary. So thank you for having me and I look forward to returning.

I appreciate it. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Ray McGuire running, of course, for mayor of New York City. And of course, we've also extended invitations to other candidates as well. So look forward to having them on as well. I want to go to my panel here. A lot of people are running

in this race, Benjamin. And it's very easy to only focus on... Andrew Yang is getting a lot of attention. How well he's doing as well. Just... Did we lose me again? Not sure what's going on.

Okay, yeah, so sorry, folks. My signal acted up there. So, Benjamin, just your make of this New York mayoral race. You know what? One thing that's disappointing about politics in general in this country, and we can see this with Andrew Yang, it's a competition of personalities and popularity

more so than substance and the ability to get the job done. I think that, I hope that a brother like that who could bring some intentionality in addressing the economic conditions of black people particularly people of color generally speaking um one would hope that

that could gain traction um and we'll see how that goes uh but when you have somebody you know parachuting in drawing all the attention because of the campaign he ran for president it's going to make it a little more difficult uh but salute to all the people who are running um and uh anyone well anyway i'll leave my i'll leave that to myself go ahead for president, it's going to make it a little more difficult. But salute to all the people who are running and anyone. Well, anyway, I'll leave that to myself. Go ahead. Yeah, but the reality, Mustafa, is that, I mean, I understand that point there, but, okay, he's getting support from people.

So is it a question of personality personality or are folks in New York City liking what they're hearing from Andrew Yang? You know, we talked about this before when the presidential races were going on in the primaries, you got to do the work. So different folks are going to come into the space and they're going to have name recognition. They may have a brand. If you're not one of those individuals, then you got do the work. You gotta be out there at the community meetings, whether in a virtual sense now, or once we get a better handle on COVID. And you gotta do the work being in the churches

and all these other types of places. But then you also gotta be able to help people to understand how their life is gonna be better. So there was a piece that was out where he actually talked about $16 trillion that systemic racism has cost the United States. So my question would be, how are you as mayor going to address the systemic racism that exists in housing, that exists in transportation, that exists in jobs and a number of other areas there in New York City? How will you make it different? And I would ask the same question to all of the candidates who are running. So it's an exciting slate of folks who are running in New York,

but you got to put people to the test and ask them the hard questions and not just get the bumper sticker responses, but some real substance to how you're going to make change happen, especially for those who have been unseen and unheard for so long in New York City. And to that point, there was a poll that was done, Kelly, by Students First New York, and the polls showed that Andrew Yang, 26 percent poll support him. Eric Adams, of course, was the Brooklyn Borough president, is a brother. He's at 20 percent. Scott Stringer, who was a city controller, he's receiving 12 percent. Then, as you go through, you have Maya Wiley, a lot of attention there, who worked for Mayor Bill de Blasio. People saw her on MSNBC. She's ranked fourth at 10 percent. Then, of course, then you have Ray McGuire,

Sean Donovan, former HUD secretary under Obama, Diane Morales and Catherine Garcia, all polling between six and nine percent. So this is one of those things where, I mean, you've got a lot of, you know, big names with resumes, but it's only, look, you got to split up 100%. And look, with that many people running, if you're polling at 20, 25, 26%, you're the top of the field. That was going to be one of my points, the fact that all these people are going to have to split this 100. And it reminds me very much of last year when at the beginning of the presidential race, there were literally 20 people on stage. So I'm not too concerned about how many people are running so much as how many people are running after the primary, because that's what counts after June. Right. But for me, regardless of who's running, even though I'm not a New York constituent, I still

want to know who's financing your campaign. I still want to know how you are going to gain the trust, keep the trust of regular New York City constituents when, at least in this man's case, his profile appears to be more of the same. You know, he's 63. He's been in Wall Street. He's not necessarily coming from money, but he has a lot of money. He has managed a lot of money,

and he survived some of the worst economic crises of our generation and beyond. And what New York City has to show for it is that they are at an even bigger of a gap in terms of socioeconomic status than they were before the recession. So even though he is proud of his accomplishments in Wall Street, he doesn't necessarily have a reputation on Main Street. And you can say that for pretty much all the candidates at this point right now. Yes, they, you know, former Secretary of HUD, they've had these big profile positions, but I have yet to see anybody who's done boots on the ground work in New York

City who actually has the trust of New York City such that they can be mayor. So it'll be interesting to see after the primary how things shape up. Bob Miles is here, folks. Look, it's a lot of progressives who are running in New York City. It's a whole lot of time. Again, the primary isn't until June 22nd. So we'll see how it shakes out. And so we would certainly love to have the other candidates on the show. We'll be reaching out to them and see if they respond. We'll see. All right, folks, that is it for us. We want to thank you, Ben, Mustafa, Kelly as well. Folks, don't forget, if you want to support what we do here at Roland Martin Unfiltered, please do so by joining our Bring the Funk fan club. You can give via cash out dollar sign RMUNFILTERED.

Of course, paypal.me forward slash rmartinunfiltered, venmo.com forward slash rmunfiltered. Also, Zelle is rolling at rollingmartin.com, rolling at rollingmartinunfiltered.com. And as I told you yesterday, May 16th, I'm going to be co-hosting the Urban One Honors with Erica Campbell, airing on TV One as well as Clio TV. I was asked by Radio One founder, Kathy Hughes, to do so.

You know, of course, I spent 13 years at TV One, Washington Watch, our Sunday show. Then, of course, News One Now, our daily morning show. Both lasted four years each. And so I certainly had a good time there. Here is the promo. We showed it a little bit earlier. Let's show it one more time again. I want y'all tuning in and live and tweeting

about Urban One Honors taking place on March 16th. Check it out. Black women are fierce, brilliant, courageous, dope. Black women are making a difference, making history and changing the world. I think about all of the black women who have showed up to fight for justice. We are starting to finally accept all the skills and talents a woman can bring to the table. Urban One, thank you.

This one is so special. All right, folks. Looking forward to that again May 16th. Be sure to check it out 9 p.m. Eastern on TV1 and Cleo TV. That's it for me, folks. I shall see y'all tomorrow. Take care. Be well.

Let's have a good time. Holla! A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one. Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it.

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Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We'll be right back. iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I always had to be so good no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree.

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