Trump’s Dictator Parade, Dem Governors Defend Sanctuary Laws, Moulton vs Hegseth & Rangel Farewell

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:14):
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Speaker 3 (01:34):
Folks.

Speaker 4 (01:34):
Black Star Network is here.

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Right now.

Speaker 6 (01:41):
Work to saying black media, make sure that our stories
are told.

Speaker 4 (01:45):
I thank you for being the voice of Black America.
Roller Ill a moment we have. Now we have to
keep this going.

Speaker 7 (01:52):
The video looks phenomenals.

Speaker 8 (01:54):
Used between Black Star Networks and black owned media and
something like CNN.

Speaker 4 (01:59):
You can't be black owned media and be scap.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
It's time to be smart.

Speaker 9 (02:04):
Bring your eyeballs home, you dig.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Hey, folks. Today is Friday, June thirteenth, twenty twenty five.
Coming up on Rolling Down Folk, the streaming live with
the Black Started Network. I'm here in Columbus, Ohio, where
in an hour I'll be moderating the State of Black America.
Conversation is part of this father's weekend with their daughters.
I'll tell you more about that coming up on the show.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Though.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
We talked with Maryland Governor Wes Moore about Donald Trump's
use of the military New Service partisan purposes and also
this joke of a two hundred and fiftieth celebration of
the US Army this weekend with a massive military braade.
There's really nothing more than a birthday parade for him. Also,
a long time Harlem Congressman, Charlie Rango, was late to rest.

(03:30):
Today will show you what took place at his funeral
in New York City. And yesterday I was in Memphis
talking speaking there the thirty second annual June Teah Freedom Celebration.
We'll show you that speech as well. Folks. It's time
to bring the funk rolland marked unfilched. But bashaw network, let's.

Speaker 10 (03:46):
Go then it whatever.

Speaker 4 (03:56):
On top.

Speaker 11 (03:59):
Best please, he's goingston news.

Speaker 10 (04:03):
To politics with entertainment. Just bocas. He's it's rolling. He's brest,

(04:24):
she's real.

Speaker 12 (04:25):
Good question, No, he's rolling, folks.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Rolard Martin he had the first Church of God here
in Columbus, Ohio. And so we're getting ready for this
conversation what is called the State of Black America. The
moderating that conversation. Uh, this though, is one of the
events taking place here on what is called Black Girl
Dad Week. And so there are a number of events
that have been taking place all week taking place on
this weekend as well. And so I participated in this

(05:04):
event last year and so looking forward to that conversation.
We'll be carrying that discussion live right here on the
Black Start Network. But first I want to talk about
what's happening in this country. You have all sort of
craziness going on with the use of the military for
partisan purposes. A federal judge has struck down Donald Trump's

(05:26):
commandeering of the National Guard in California, ordering the ordering
him to back off. That decision came down on yesterday. Now,
of course Trump administration of pul the decision of the
Pull's court has stayed the decision until they actually hear
the case. But it is one of the things that
people are talking about in terms of his use of
the military for his purpose. Earlier this week he spoke

(05:48):
at Ford Bragg, a very part of city speech that
he gave. And now we also know that they were
that the military base told Trump and his team they
could not use a pop up store selling MAGA gear,
but they were over rules. This is absolutely outrageous. Joining

(06:08):
us right now is Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Of course,
a veteran, he understands very well what US Army rules
and regulations are when it comes to these type of things,
and government, and glad to have you back on Roland
Martin unfiltered, just as a talk to the capacity of
a governor, but as somebody who served this country. It
has to be offensive to you to watch how this

(06:30):
man is using the military and they're using even the
using the language of his troops, his army. That's not
how presidents have often referred to members of the military.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know.

Speaker 13 (06:44):
And I just believe that one of the most important
jobs of the.

Speaker 9 (06:48):
President the United States is to service commander in chief.

Speaker 13 (06:51):
Right, It's one of the most important and frankly, one
of the most sober and responsibilities for any president United
States is that you are the commander in chief of
the world's most power whole army in military and there's
there's there's a level of humility that needs to come
with that that I just think that this president does
not absorb.

Speaker 9 (07:08):
He doesn't do humility.

Speaker 13 (07:11):
And and frankly, watching him give a parisan speech in
front of a unit that was.

Speaker 9 (07:16):
You know, that was my old union. When I was
in Afghanistan.

Speaker 13 (07:19):
I served in Afghanistan with the eighty second Airborn Invidual
and to see the same paratroopers with the same patch
that I wore on my shoulder then standing there as
props while he is giving a hyper partisan speech, while
he is blasting their former commander in chief, President Joe Biden.

Speaker 9 (07:40):
Was was just a deeply embarrassing moment.

Speaker 13 (07:42):
In in our in our nation, and you know, it's
it just goes and continues to highlight the lack of.

Speaker 9 (07:47):
Seriousness that I think that he is taking, not.

Speaker 13 (07:51):
Just this role of president, but frankly the lack of
seriousness in terms of the role of president of your
commander in chief.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
One of the things that of course that federal judge
decided in California that it was illegal with how he
commandeered the National Guard. You are a governor, we know
what the protocol is. Typically in order to activate the
National Guard, a governor makes a request. There's an actual
law in this country that stipulates members of the military

(08:20):
serving on the streets of America. And these folks do
not even remotely care about the law or customs of
things along those lines. This many people are suggesting that
this is really his focus of trying to use the
military to stop peaceful protesters across the board. Because of

(08:41):
what took place in twenty twenty after the murder of
George Floyd.

Speaker 13 (08:45):
Yeah, well yeah, and you know, and I think it's
important for people to know and realize that there's nothing
that I take more seriously than any of us as
chief executives of our state, take more seriously than the
safety of our people.

Speaker 9 (08:58):
You know, we believe in making.

Speaker 13 (08:59):
Sure that our people are safe, and we have multiple
means and tools to be able to ensure that our
people are safe in their communities, in their own homes,
in their neighborhoods, in their own skin. And there are
stales of escalation, right so we know that we not
only have local police authorities, we have state authorities as.

Speaker 9 (09:18):
Well, and that the governor has.

Speaker 13 (09:20):
The unique authority to be able to activate a national
Guard because each governor is the commander in chief of
their state's National Guard. I take a deep sense of
pride and humble responsibility to be the commander chief of
the Maryland National Guard. And so when I make decisions
about when I'm activating the Guard, whether it is for

(09:44):
a flooding event, whether it is for unrest, regardless of
the reason, I am doing it in coordination with my
local jurisdictions because they also have the best understanding on
the ground of what is required, and then I then
can turn around and make the decision. We saw here
was a decision being made that completely usurped any any

(10:05):
any type of input that came from the local authorities
and the people on the ground.

Speaker 9 (10:10):
And so I so I have no problem with the
idea that.

Speaker 13 (10:14):
We have to make sure that people are safe, that
we have to be a state that doesn't just that
doesn't just guarantee rights but also the follows the laws.
I get that, but I also understand this that the
decisions on things like the escalation to a national guard
level are decisions that are made in coordination with my
local jurisdictions that did not happen. And then especially when

(10:35):
you're talking about the activation of active duty marines asking
them to do policing.

Speaker 9 (10:40):
Activity inside and inside of communities, it's.

Speaker 13 (10:42):
Not just unprecedented to your point that you made earlier,
it's a violation. It's a violation of posi comatitis and
so of the law. And so once again, this is
just seeing how how the you know, the administration is
contained to try to use tools of intimidation.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
But I want to be.

Speaker 9 (10:58):
Very clear that in Maryland and.

Speaker 13 (10:59):
All those other places like I will not be intimidated,
and we will not be intimidated. Then we will make
sure that our people are safe, but we will also
make sure that the laws are being volowed.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
I got to ask you about this military parade happening
in Washington, d C. It's going to cost upwards of
one hundred million dollars. Many folks are saying this is
nothing more than celebrating Donald Trump's birthday as opposed to
the two hundred and fiftyth the anniversary of the US Army.
I talked to a retired two star general yesterday. He said,
and normally when they have military parades, they are designed

(11:32):
to actually be family affairs, community affairs, and so it's
about really the army families in the community. That's really.
If you're going to be celebrating the two and fifteth
anniversary of the US Army, you don't just celebrate the
troops and the tanks and the missiles. You actually understand
that when you serve in the US Army or any
branch of the government, branch of the military, your family

(11:55):
is also serving. And so what do you make of
this what he is doing this weekend with this, with
this celebration, and what are you hearing from your fellow
US Army service members who are no longer serving.

Speaker 13 (12:11):
You know, I started my day this morning going down
to Fort Meade, one of the activity bases in my state,
and then we did a and we did a a
two and a half mile run in celebration in two
hundred and fifty years of the United States Army.

Speaker 9 (12:28):
Myself and I know.

Speaker 13 (12:30):
We're a thousand other soldiers who are all out there,
you know, celebrating the two fiftieth and just thinking about
the impact and the contribution that the United States more
has made to our society.

Speaker 9 (12:40):
That our society is, what our society is.

Speaker 13 (12:43):
The freedoms that we enjoy are the freedoms that we
enjoy because we had people who are willing from the
uniform and defend those freedoms.

Speaker 9 (12:49):
And I think about what is being done tomorrow.

Speaker 13 (12:52):
And again it cannot be said that, oh, we're just
trying to conflate his birthday and the two fifty Army
Army birthday, because they said that we're just repeating a.

Speaker 9 (13:03):
Coincidence that they happen to highlight.

Speaker 13 (13:06):
And so my only point is this, if you want
to talk about or if you want to celebrate veterans,
then don't cut the Department of Veterans Affairs, which you
just did. If you really want to highlight veterans, then
don't do things like layoff thousands of federal workers, knowing
the fact that one.

Speaker 9 (13:25):
In every three federal worker is a military veteran.

Speaker 13 (13:29):
If you really want to celebrate veterans, don't do things
like layoff people whose job of fire fire people whose
job it is to make sure that our military veterans
are getting a proper burial, or making sure that those
veterans who are coming back home suffer from PTSD that
they are not getting their treatments cut. If you really
want to celebrate veterans, then honor their service. Do not

(13:52):
use as a mechanism to try to honor yourself. And
so I have a very real issue with this, and
particularly being done in the guise of this is a
celebration of the Army two fifty, because I can think
of a lot of better ways to being able to
use that capital, those resources, that time, and that attention
to be able to celebrate the men and women who
were willing to serve on behalf of others than doing

(14:15):
something like this. Which in many ways again is almost
it's almost offensive being able to see how you can
spend time cutting the Department of Veterans Affairs, but then
simply say that you believe in the truths because you're
willing to put on a parade on your birthday.

Speaker 3 (14:31):
Last question for you. The military was desegregated in nineteen
forty eight, President Harry Truman. We have seen historically African
Americans serve with distinction in the US Army and other
branches as well. When you think about the importance of
black soldiers, of course, people could talk about a General
Colon Powell, gentlemen General Benjamin O. Davis, a senior and junior,

(14:53):
and we can name so many others. Just what does
this interest re mean for African americ Ricans who gave
their life, who contributed to this country, many of them
who did so knowing full will, They didn't have full
freedom when they came back home. What do you say
about those folks on this two hundred fiftieth anniversary of some.

Speaker 13 (15:18):
Of the bravest soldiers that the country has seen have
looked like you and being owned. We're talking about people
who were willing to fight and risk their lives, and
many gave their lives on behalf of a country that
was not willing to sacrifice on behalf of the individual.

(15:40):
When I think about the military, we're talking about an organization.
And again, I'm a very proud military veteran. I'm a
very proud combat veteran. I am a deep patriot, and
I believe in this country flaws and awe, and I
believe in this country because I know it's history, not
because I ignore it.

Speaker 9 (15:58):
And I think.

Speaker 13 (15:59):
About the fact that we had you had desegregation take
place in the military before it even took place in society.
I think about the fact that you had military generals
before you had black fortune one hundred CEOs. The military,
in many ways was the chance for us to be

(16:21):
able to shine even in a country that oftentimes did
not give us the opportunity to shine another ways. And
so the military has always helped to lead the charge
when it came to opening up angles and opportunities for
so many people within our society that despite the fact
that we had people who came and served, and when
the military passed a GI bill, they were literally saying,

(16:42):
we will pass out a GI bill unless you're black.

Speaker 9 (16:46):
So the fact that we've continued to sacrifice.

Speaker 13 (16:49):
On behalf of this country to serve on behalf of
this country, to make this country better.

Speaker 9 (16:53):
I think the importance of celebrating.

Speaker 14 (16:55):
The two fifty for the army is not just about
the usual army made, but it is about also celebrating
the individuals who made the contribution to the army and
why it's so important for us to remember our history.

Speaker 13 (17:08):
Why it's so important for us for our history to
be lifted up. I think about in the state of Maryland,
where we are watching how Pete Headseth, the Secretary of Defense,
is going around banning history and banning books on military
basis and on in our service accounty or in the
state of Maryland.

Speaker 4 (17:26):
What have we done.

Speaker 9 (17:27):
We banned the banning of books where you cannot do
that in the state of Maryland.

Speaker 13 (17:33):
So this becomes a time for us to really embrace
the power of this history, the unevenness of the history,
with a core understanding that action is required, repair is required.
But it takes people who are willing to be true
public servants and willing to be true soldiers in this

(17:53):
moment in order to make those things happens.

Speaker 3 (17:58):
More always pleasure to have on the show.

Speaker 9 (18:00):
Frat great to see Fratt, God bless man.

Speaker 3 (18:05):
Appreciated. Thanks a botch. Folks, gotta go to break. We
come back. We're going to show you funeral of a
man who also served his country doing Korea. Former Congressman
Charlie Rango laid to rest today in New York City.
He passed away at the age of ninety four. You're
watching Roland Martin unfiltered right here on the Black Star Network.

Speaker 8 (18:29):
Next on the Black Tape with me, Greg call Doctor
Quasi could not do, author, scholar and he he is
one of the truly representative thinkers and activists of our generation.

Speaker 15 (18:41):
I had a dream, you know, Picklar knife, and when
I woke up, several ancestors came to me, and they
came to me and said, really like what you're doing,
but you have to do more.

Speaker 8 (18:51):
His writing provides a deep and unique dive into African.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
History through the eyes of some of.

Speaker 8 (18:57):
The interesting characters who have lived in it, including some
in his own family. The multi talented, always fastening Doctor Quasi.
Can I do on the next Black Table? He on
the Black Star Network.

Speaker 4 (19:13):
Hey, this is Motown recording artist Kim. You are watching
Roland Martin.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
Unfiltered?

Speaker 4 (19:19):
Boy, he always on filtered, though I ain't never known
him to be filtered?

Speaker 3 (19:22):
Is there anohing? Is there another way to experience Roland Martin.

Speaker 16 (19:26):
Than to be unfiltered? Course he's unfiltered.

Speaker 4 (19:28):
Would you expect anything less?

Speaker 3 (19:30):
Why watch? Watch? Watch what happens next? Saint Patrick's Cathedral

(20:19):
in New York City today was jam packed with many luminaries,
politicians and community activists and others as they celebrated the
life and legacy of the late Congressman Charlie Wrango. He
passed away at the age of ninety four. Wrango served
this country in Korea. He also, of course, was one
of the top member of Congress, known all over the

(20:39):
world for hit that raspy voice. He replaced Adam Clayton
Powell in Congress and served with distinction for more than
thirty years. Wrango was celebrating and infitted by so many
Today there were numerous celebrations. He was a member of
many organizations, including my beloved Alpha Phi Alphae Attorney Incorporated,

(21:01):
where there was a gonna make a service for him
as well, and among the people who spoke at his funeral,
Democratic leader Haigh King Jeffries from Brooklyn. Also, of course
President Bill Clinton here is some of the speakers today
at the funeral Congressman Charlie.

Speaker 17 (21:18):
Ring with a heavy heart that we gather here today
and that on behalf of the House, I offer our
deepest condolences on the passing Stephen and Alisia and the
grandsons of your father, your grandfather, to the Wrangell family.
Of this great patriarch and this great leader we want

(21:43):
is lost. But of course we are also here to
celebrate the life of Charles B. Wrangell, a great American patriot.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Now, Charlie Wrangell.

Speaker 17 (21:59):
Love the House of Representatives, and the House of Representatives
all of us.

Speaker 3 (22:04):
We loved him, which is.

Speaker 17 (22:05):
Why there are more than twenty members past and President
of the House who are here today, including Speaker America
Nancy Delessandro Pelosi. I would ask the House delegation if
they could all stand, and.

Speaker 18 (22:20):
I'm thankful we are here for us to celebrate Congressman Wrangle's.

Speaker 17 (22:35):
What a life that he lived, What a leader, what
a legacy, The legendary lion of Lenox Avenue, America is
better off today because of his service. Now a lot
can be said about Charlie Wrangel. But let me just

(22:57):
briefly make clear one or two things. Charlie Wrangle was
a good man, a family man, a well educated man,
a well dressed man, an alpha man, an army man,
a community man, a courageous man, a compassionate man, a

(23:20):
heroic man, a humorous man, a hard working man, and
above all else, Charlie Wrangell was a harlem Man.

Speaker 18 (23:31):
He was a hallow man.

Speaker 17 (23:34):
Loved he loved Harlem. In fact, I came to believe,
came to understanding my conversations with the Great Charlie Wrangell,
that in his heart of hearts, Charlie Wrangle took the
position that the age in Heaven stood for Halem. We're

(23:58):
thankful for his life, his legacy, his leadership. I'm personally
thankful all of us in Congress or thankful for his advice,
his guidance, and his mentorship, always generous, no matter how
new you were in public service, new to the United
States Congress. He helped us become the best public servants,

(24:20):
that we could be the most effective representatives on the
ground back at home in our communities, that we could
be helped us with our reelections, taught us how to
get re elected, which he was able to do more
than twenty times to the House of Representatives without ever
losing a race. And you know, thankful for his advice

(24:46):
his guidance. One of the earliest conversations I had with
Charlie Ranger was a new member of Congress, was on
the subject of fundraising, which of course you have to
do to continue your public service journey. And it was
a conversation related to his annual birthday event, an event
that he would hold each and every August at Tavern
on the Green.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
As who of people would show up, and.

Speaker 17 (25:08):
As a new member of Congress, I had the opportunity
to attend. Struck up the courage, and I said to
Charlie Wrango his annual birthday event in August. I said,
mister Wrango, is today your actual birthday? He said, no, Jeff. Now,
Charlie Wrango would often call me Jeff. I believe it

(25:31):
was short for Jeffries, but I never confirmed that because
this was Charlie Wrangle, and so you go with the flow.
He said, no, my birthday is in June. I said,
mister Wrangle, your birthday is in June, but each and
every August you have this spectacular birthday event year after

(25:55):
year after year. He said, Jeff, my birthday is whenever
the hell my fundraise that tells me it is. He
was a good man, had a big heart, big personality,
got big things done. So as I take my seat,
let me just simply say he returned home, dropped out

(26:17):
from high school, went to the army, was sent to Korea,
return home a war hero, purple heart ron star, saved
over forty members of his unit who are under attacked
by the Chinese.

Speaker 18 (26:29):
He told us the story often, had he.

Speaker 17 (26:33):
Done nothing else in his life, he would have already
done more than most Americans have.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
Ever done for their car.

Speaker 18 (26:40):
Nothing else.

Speaker 17 (26:42):
But that wasn't the end of Charlie Wrangeo's story.

Speaker 18 (26:46):
So he had to figure out what he was going
to do next.

Speaker 17 (26:48):
And he told us, of course that he was inspired
as it relates to his career by his maternal grandfather
who helped to raise him, who worked, of course, as
an elevator operator in Manhattan Criminal Court, and his grandfather
urged him to go to law school, having spent a

(27:09):
lot of time around lawyers, and Charlie wrangle would tell
us that had his grandfather been an elevator operator in
a hospital. He may have gone to medical school. But
aren't we thankful that his grandfather worked at Manhattan Criminal Court,
Because if he didn't work at Manhattan Criminal Court, Charlie

(27:30):
Ranger would have never gone to law school. Had he
never gone to law school, he would have never become
a lawyer. Had he never become a lawyer, he couldn't
have become a federal prosecutor. Had he never been a
federal prosecutor, he likely wouldn't have been elected.

Speaker 18 (27:43):
To the New York State Assembly.

Speaker 17 (27:45):
Had he never gotten elected to the New York State Assembly,
he would have likely not gone to Congress. Had he
not gone to Congress, he never could have helped found
the Congressional Black Caucus. Had he never been a founder
of the Congressional Black Caucus, he never would have been
appointed to the Ways and Means Committee in nineteen seventy four,
first African Americans can ever to serve on the Ways

(28:07):
and Means Committee. Had he never emerged as an effective
member of the Ways and Means Committee, he never could
have become such a champion for using the tax code
to make life better for the American people.

Speaker 18 (28:21):
The champion of the low income Housing tax.

Speaker 17 (28:24):
Credit, champion of the child tax Credit, champion of the
champion of the Economic Opportunity tax Credit, champion of the
Wrangle Amendment, which used the tax code to help dismantle apartheid,
champion of empowerment's own legislation that revitalized the inner city.
Had he never emerged as an effective member of the Ways.

Speaker 18 (28:46):
And Means Committee, than he never could have become.

Speaker 17 (28:49):
The chairman of this powerful committee, the first African American
in the nation's history to serve, using that committee to
do things like helping Resident Obama passed a historic affordable
care rack. We're thankful for Charlie Wrangle's journey because Charlie
Wrangle's journey taught us that while the devil may be.

Speaker 18 (29:14):
A hater, God will be your elevator.

Speaker 17 (29:18):
He'll open the right door, he'll press the right button,
and he'll get you to where you need to go.
And I'm thankful that Charlie Wrangle had one last stop.

Speaker 18 (29:29):
On his journey.

Speaker 17 (29:30):
It wasn't City College, it wasn't the Wrangles Center. It
was one hundred and forty fifth and Lennox. He had
one last stop on his journey, and it was up
in heaven. And when he got there, I'm told that
al Morangle, his beloved wife of sixty years, was there,
and Hazel Duke's was there, and Constance Deaker Motley was there,

(29:50):
and Percy Sutton was there, and Basil Patterson was there,
and David.

Speaker 18 (29:56):
Dinkins was there to greet him.

Speaker 17 (30:00):
But the first person that said anything to him was
Charlie Wrangle's grandfather, who said, welcome home, Charlie.

Speaker 3 (30:09):
You've reached the top floor, y'all.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
Bless you.

Speaker 18 (30:12):
Charlie Wrangell.

Speaker 3 (30:19):
Although Congressman Charlie Wrangell was an institution in the House,
of course, was from New York. That means working closely
on the Senate side. And so one of these speakers
at his funeral today was Democratic leader in the Senate,
the Minari leader Chuck Schumer.

Speaker 19 (30:36):
Whenever you losed a loved one, someone as dear as
Charlie is to all of us, someone who's been part
of our lives for so long, you never know what
quality of.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
Theirs will stand out as you look back.

Speaker 19 (30:52):
I am speaking of that special quality and someone that
spontaneously just comes to you over and over again as
you look back and missed them. For me, with Charlie.
It was his voice. You remember that voice. I think
of Charlie and I hear it echoing around in my

(31:14):
head and in my heart.

Speaker 3 (31:17):
The voice comes to me.

Speaker 19 (31:19):
No one, I mean no one sounded like Charlie sounded.
The voice had an instrumental quality to it. It was
alternatively raspy and resonant. It whispered, it wailed, He went high,
he went low. The voice like Charlie had so much range.

(31:42):
And Charlie played that voice like another Charlie. Charlie Parker
played the sacks. He was a master, sometimes playing a
sweet melody, sometimes playing a unique, witty and genius improvisation.
That voice, that voice was a gift from God. But

(32:05):
as we all know from the Parable of the Talents,
Jesus taught us about the three men who were given
different amounts of money by their Master and told to
use it as they felt best. It's not about the
amount of value of the gifts you're given. Rather, it
is about what you do with the gifts you have
been given. And from the streets of Harlem to the

(32:28):
halls of Congress, to the West wing of the White House,
Charlie used that unique voice of his to speak for others.
As Harlem rappers Eric B and Rakim would say, Charlie
was the invincible microphone fiend, a smoothator operator operating correctly

(32:54):
to persuade voters, to build power, to deliver help to
those in need, to call out injustice and economic unfairness,
in racial bias, to fight for the underdog that even
included me.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Charlie endorsed me for the Senate.

Speaker 19 (33:13):
No one thought I could beat Al Tomato when I
was at about eight percent in the polls, and precious
few believed I could win. But Charlie in the wonderful
Jim Keppell. Does everyone remember Jim went all in for

(33:34):
me and played a massive role in turning things around
and paving a path to victory. When Charlie endorsed me,
he told me, in typical fashion, I'm with you till
I'm not. But he was always with me, not only
when I got to the Senate, but throughout our career.

(33:54):
The Chuck and Charlie Show was always moving forward. I'll
never stop thanking Charlie for all of that. From the
lofty platform he achieved via his talent and hard work,
Charlie used that voice to make policy that reflected those
biblical values he learned as an altar boy at Saint
Aloysius to clothe and feed the poor by robustly funding SNAP.

(34:19):
And we're fighting to keep SNAP. We're not going to
let those sons of guns take it away from us.

Speaker 3 (34:27):
To house the needy.

Speaker 19 (34:29):
When everyone else on the Ways and Means Committee would
ask for little goodies for themselves. The only thing Charlie
ever asked for was increase the low income Housing tax credit,
and millions of people are living in decent housing because
of what Charlie did to care for the sick with
better access to healthcare, including passage of the Affordable Care Act,

(34:52):
and together we fought to get a equitable Medicaid for
Puerto Rico to visit the imprisoned help them get back
to the community when he passed the Second Chance Act,
or better yet, to pass laws that fund education and
job training and create empowerment zones to make it less
likely people go to prison in the first place. Yes,

(35:18):
Charlie used that wonderful, amazing, sonorous voice for others. He
used it in all to you in a way as
well to make us laugh. As we know, Charlie was
a funny guy, and he was master of the sharp
witted quip. Above all, he used his voice to care

(35:38):
for those he loved.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
The main usually was delivered by former President Bill Clinton,
of course, who served eight years, And it was when
Republicans did not want Bill Clinton to open his office
in Manhattan, saying it costs too much money. He then
chose to take his office to Harlem. And who was
there to greet him with open arms? It was Congsman

(36:06):
Charlie Wrangled. President talked about that in his eulogy.

Speaker 20 (36:11):
I would like to thank.

Speaker 6 (36:14):
Charlie's grandchildren, Stephen and Alicia, and the entire family here today,
First for asking me to say a few words about
my friend, my stepfast ally and has been said one
of the most effective members ever to serve.

Speaker 20 (36:34):
In the Congress.

Speaker 6 (36:37):
But second for supporting him.

Speaker 20 (36:40):
In his long career.

Speaker 6 (36:43):
I thank the members of his district to let him
come to Washington.

Speaker 20 (36:49):
Twenty three times.

Speaker 6 (36:53):
And for giving him the space and support not just
to faithfully serve Harlem, but the rest of the nation
and people all around the world. Not every district will
do that, and the people who's sitting there deserve thanks

(37:15):
for the life he lived. You know, another great New
Yorker FDR was called a happy warrior. Really, he called
another great New Yorker, Governor Al Smith, a happy warrior.

Speaker 20 (37:38):
In his speech.

Speaker 6 (37:41):
But I don't think I ever knew a happier warrior
than Charlie Wrinkle.

Speaker 20 (37:47):
And there are.

Speaker 6 (37:58):
So many things you could talk, but I want to
talk about two things he did in particular that touched
my life and changed my ability to be president in
the right way.

Speaker 20 (38:19):
First, when we were working on.

Speaker 6 (38:24):
Our first big economic bill, Charlie wanted very much to
include the empowerment zones.

Speaker 20 (38:35):
So did I. I campaigned on it.

Speaker 6 (38:38):
I didn't know if we'd get it, because in the
beginning we only had enough money.

Speaker 20 (38:42):
To do six in the whole country.

Speaker 6 (38:45):
But the very first one was in Harlem. And so
I signed the bill and we went to work. And
what happened In just eight years, Unemployment in Harlem went

(39:09):
from above twenty percent to eight percent, Thank.

Speaker 20 (39:14):
You, Charlie Randon.

Speaker 6 (39:16):
And and in so doing we proved it would work everywhere.
If you just gave people the incentive to look at
poor neighborhoods and poor people as opportunities and equal citizens, you.

Speaker 20 (39:36):
Could get unbelievable results.

Speaker 6 (39:40):
Now, second thing, I want to say is.

Speaker 20 (39:48):
He also was a major.

Speaker 6 (39:50):
Sponsor of the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act.

Speaker 20 (39:55):
As we see every day, a lot of people.

Speaker 6 (39:58):
Don't seemed to know much about Africa or care very
much about.

Speaker 20 (40:03):
It, but Charlie did.

Speaker 6 (40:10):
And I thought, this is a great idea. And this
idea has stayed with me in my little house in
Chapequah to this day because a couple of years after
I left the White House, I went back to Ghana,
where I had the biggest crowd I'd ever spoken to

(40:32):
as president. There were like a million people in the streets.

Speaker 20 (40:37):
It was unbelievable.

Speaker 6 (40:39):
So I went to Ghana, did my business, was back
on the airport tarmac and was walking to the plane
and this woman said, President Clinton, don't go, don't go.
And she was running after me on the tarmac waiting something.

(41:00):
So I stopped and shook her hand, and she said,
because of the Africa Growth an Opportunity Act, I am
one of three hundred women who have our first thing
jobs and all our kids are in school and we're
making shirts.

Speaker 20 (41:16):
And I wanted to thank you, and here's your shirt.
I took that shirt home.

Speaker 6 (41:28):
And I put it on a little shelf in my closet,
so that every morning of my life I would see
that shirt.

Speaker 20 (41:40):
And be reminded, first.

Speaker 6 (41:42):
Of all of the power of people who care to
do good, and secondly that that woman was a man
at me or America. She knew that they might never
be as wealthy as we were, but they were way
better off.

Speaker 20 (41:59):
She knew that somebody beyond her border's care.

Speaker 6 (42:03):
That is the kind of thing that Charlie Wrangell deserves
to be remembered for and appreciated for.

Speaker 20 (42:10):
Till the end of time. The other thing I want
to say is, if he was your friend, you never
had to look over your shoulder.

Speaker 6 (42:28):
So I when Hillary was elected Senator, after Senator morning
Hand retired, the first person who called her and asked
her to worn was Charlie Wrangell. And once he settled
on that, he never stopped caring for and working for

(42:55):
and standing with her.

Speaker 20 (42:58):
He could not be in emanated to.

Speaker 6 (43:01):
Change his position. And then when I went to announced.

Speaker 20 (43:08):
I was moving to New York, I.

Speaker 6 (43:12):
Didn't pay much attention to where I was going. Nobody
I was too busy being president. And my office found
this beautiful suite in a building next to Carnegie Hall,
and since I loved music, I thought this would be
a cool gig.

Speaker 20 (43:31):
I just walked next door and hear anything.

Speaker 6 (43:36):
But oh, you would have thought I had robbed Fort Knox.
All these Republicans were really upset, and one of them was,
you know, wanted to do it aut in hearing and everything.

(43:56):
And it reminded me of Benjamin Franklin's wisdom when he said,
our enemies or our friends, or they show us our faults.

Speaker 20 (44:05):
I said, I don't care about this.

Speaker 6 (44:10):
And I was remember I was laying on the bed
in the middle of the day in Miami, having gone
there in there first speech, feeling so sorry for myself,
and I picked up the phone and called Charlie and
I said, can you get me an office in Harlem?
And he said not before tomorrow morning. And that's what happened.

(44:37):
And I know a thing or two about what he
had to do to open his opportunity. But all of
a sudden, I had a office on the top floor
of fifty five West one hundred and twenty fifth Street
and it is still there.

Speaker 20 (45:04):
I never will forget that.

Speaker 6 (45:07):
And Charlie was there when we opened it, and Cicely
Tyson was the MC and we sang stand by me.
Charlie wrangle stood by every single solitary person he ever

(45:27):
tried to help. Nancy Pelosi didn't have to worry about
him when the vote counting came. Rely didn't have to
worry about him once he ventured out international politics, and
I never gave it a second thought or we disagreed

(45:52):
some In one disagreement we had, I was right and
he was right.

Speaker 20 (45:59):
We were both right.

Speaker 6 (46:00):
It just depended on who was president. When I was president,
it looked like a good idea of what I did
when he was. When I wasn't, and the members of
the other party was president, looked like Charlie was right.

Speaker 20 (46:24):
I am so grateful.

Speaker 6 (46:28):
That he proved the scriptures right that a happy heart
is good medicine, but a broken.

Speaker 20 (46:36):
Spirit drives the bones.

Speaker 6 (46:37):
He got here for ninety four years, and I am convinced.
I'm convinced it's because of his happy heart. I am
grateful for him.

Speaker 20 (47:01):
I get to look at that shirt every morning.

Speaker 6 (47:03):
Still and think of Charlie Wrangell, who cared about people
halfway around the world and never once took his eye
off Harlow.

Speaker 20 (47:15):
That is the great trick of all public service. In
a democracy.

Speaker 6 (47:21):
Now there are people saying, literally, democracy can't survive.

Speaker 20 (47:28):
AI is going to make it irrelevant. Something's going to happen.

Speaker 6 (47:31):
It's going to be awful, and we see it stressed
today in many ways.

Speaker 20 (47:37):
I ask all of you.

Speaker 6 (47:41):
Never to forget the smile on his face, the spring
and his step, the steel and his spine, and fight
on for the world he loved and the country he
believed in.

Speaker 20 (47:55):
Thank you, folks.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
Charlie Wrangle an amazing, amazing brother. It was always a
pleasure to see him degreet on me at that huge
smile of course, uh and that voice. As a Senator
Chuck Schumer talked about, of course his homegoing service Charlie
Rango ninety four years old, one hell of a life. Folks,
going to a break, we come back. We're going to

(48:23):
show you the speech from Memphis for the thirty second
Angle jun tieth Freedom Festival. Don't forget. If you want
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(48:45):
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(49:05):
Roland at Rolands, Martin dot com rolling at rolland Martin
unfilter dot com Back at the moment.

Speaker 21 (49:12):
On the next Get Wealthy with me, Deborah Owens, have
you ever had a million dollar idea and wondered how to.

Speaker 9 (49:21):
Bring it to life?

Speaker 21 (49:22):
Well, it's all about turning problems into opportunities.

Speaker 10 (49:25):
On our next Get Wealthy, you'll.

Speaker 21 (49:28):
Learn of a woman who identified the overload bag syndrome,
and now she's taking that money to the bank through global.

Speaker 9 (49:38):
Sales and major department stores.

Speaker 22 (49:40):
And I was just struggling with.

Speaker 9 (49:42):
Two or three bags on the train, and I.

Speaker 11 (49:45):
Looked around on the train and I said, you know what,
there are a lot of women that are carrying two
or three bags.

Speaker 21 (49:51):
That's right here on Get Wealthy only on Black Star Network.

Speaker 3 (50:00):
This is Reggie rock Bike for it.

Speaker 23 (50:01):
You're watching Roman.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
Martin Unfiltered, uncut, unclogged, and unday unbelievable. All right, folks,
Yesterday I was in Memphis for the thirty second annual
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration. I had an opportunity to deliver the

(50:23):
keynote speech there. So here's what we're gonna do. We're
gonna show you some of that speech. We make sure
you all love it. Then I'm going to reset when
get ready for the Say of Black America panel here.
There will be live streaming right here on the blackstud
Network as well. So I'm here in Columbus today, but
this is my speech yesterday in Memphis.

Speaker 4 (50:43):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (50:45):
Glad to see everyone here, and I'm glad to be
back in Memphis. I've been here numerous times and so
glad to see all of you. Six or seven years straight.
I did Reverend Waylams Men's Month and so it was
always good to see him and see members of all

(51:08):
of that. But also to say what needs to be said.
We also thank the folks who have supported work that
I've done over the years.

Speaker 4 (51:20):
Especially in the last six and a half years.

Speaker 3 (51:22):
When tv won canceled the News went down in December
twenty seventeen, there were a lot of people who were upset,
who were angry at that, but I wasn't.

Speaker 4 (51:38):
And it was.

Speaker 3 (51:39):
Interesting when Alfred Leggan's the CEO, was telling me that
he was canceling the show. They were looking to cut
their debt, let me cut their debt load. Literally as
he was talking, I was already planning because I understood

(51:59):
where our industry was gone. There were people and in fact,
at the time I was talking to some folks at
YouTube and they were funding various projects and it literally
said that black news simply would not work. That were
black folks and told me the exact same thing. But
I knew that they were actually wrong. And so we

(52:20):
went about the business doing what we do and doing
the work and focusing on that and building it ground up.
And in six and a half years we went from
one hundred and fifty seven thousand subscribers on our YouTube
challenge to one point eight million. We have grown tremendously,
going from one show to five shows. But if you

(52:42):
want to understand what happens when you just put in
the work and you do the work and you don't
worry about the naysayers. What I met with the same
YouTube folks in August, they told me that when they
grouped all of the different what they call progressive shows,
and I make it clear our show, we're not progressive,
we're not conservative, we're not democratic, not Republican, were black,

(53:05):
and so where we center African Americans, which is.

Speaker 4 (53:11):
Not the case in most places.

Speaker 3 (53:14):
And what they said is when they grouped us in
all of the progressive channels, all of them channels that
are much larger than us, folks that have three, four
or five six million followers, that we were number one
in terms of watch time perviewer, meaning folks watched our
content longer than all of those other shows. And then

(53:34):
on March fourth, then on March forward this year, when
the twice impeach criminally convicted fellow and con man in
chief gave a speech to Congress, we decided to do
what we called the State of our Union. And I

(53:55):
sent a text message out six eight people.

Speaker 4 (54:00):
I actually forgot who I was sent into.

Speaker 3 (54:02):
And the text message I sent out said, Hey, we're
doing this coverage. Let's not give our black eyeballs to
these other networks.

Speaker 4 (54:11):
Let's watch it here.

Speaker 3 (54:11):
And I said, let's have one hundred thousand folks watching now.
Up until that point, the most people that we had
watching our show live at any time was the day
that the Tyree Nichols video was released.

Speaker 4 (54:29):
We were at eight.

Speaker 3 (54:30):
Thousand folks that day when seven pm hit. When the
video was released seven pm Eastern, in fifteen minutes, went
from eight thousand to twenty nine thousand. So that was
the mark. So in my mind, I said, I threw
it out there, but if it's forty fifty, I'm fine.

(54:50):
And I wasn't even necessarily thinking that way because I
don't get wrapped up in those things yet. And then
of course, from that night they had Bishop William Barber
who gave our speech.

Speaker 4 (55:00):
I did not carry a word of what Trump had
to say.

Speaker 3 (55:04):
Bishop Barbara gave out the state of our union from
our studios. And when we went live that night, and
what happened here was again I just hit the text
message of sixty eight people. Then all of a sudden,
like on Sunday, a couple of people hit me. They said, hey,
is this reel? And I said, yes it is. Then
on Monday, about five or six people hit me and

(55:24):
they said, hey, is this real.

Speaker 4 (55:26):
This showed up in our family group chat.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
The patriarch or the matriarch of our family posted this,
and they saw this. Then on Tuesday, about thirty people
hit me say hey, this showed up. My uncle posted this,
my aunt posted this, my mother posted this, my grandmother
posted this. And what we began to realize is that literally,
in black chat text groups all across the.

Speaker 4 (55:51):
Country, this one text message was spreading.

Speaker 3 (55:55):
I didn't do any black radio, I didn't do any interviews,
we didn't do any advertising.

Speaker 4 (56:01):
It literally was a single text message.

Speaker 3 (56:03):
So when we went live that night, within two minutes
of going live, we were sitting at forty thousand, and
then within ten minutes it was sixty seven thousand. Within
twenty minutes we across one hundred thousand. When I tossed
to Bishop William Barber, we were at two hundred thousand.

(56:23):
At the peak of him speaking, we had two hundred
and fifty thousand folks who were watching live. When they
came back and put it all together, Out of all
of the media outlets in America, out of everybody that
was covering the speech that night. Out of all of

(56:44):
these channels on YouTube we were talking about media companies
Time and Newsweek and NBC and ABC and CBS, all
of these major companies. On that night, our channel was
number five out of everybody in the world old that
was covering that speech. Now, why is that important? Because

(57:08):
first of all, once you show you can do it,
it means that there's no excuse it can't be done
again and on a consistent basis.

Speaker 4 (57:19):
What it also showed is what can.

Speaker 3 (57:21):
Happen when black folks moved collectively.

Speaker 4 (57:26):
In terms of an action.

Speaker 3 (57:29):
See, we often say, well, we can't do this, we
can't do that, but it actually happened.

Speaker 4 (57:36):
I remember when I was an.

Speaker 3 (57:37):
Editor in Dallas and I had a reporter, and I
always talked about Kelvin Baz. He works down for State
Center Royce Western Texas. UH, And Kelvin he wrote a
story on Erica Badu and UH he knew Erica Badue's
grandmother and so and so he really took his time
writing the story and researching and putting everything into it.

(57:59):
So when I I didn't have to do much editing
to his story. Now, the following week after it ran
on the front page. He turned in the story and
I said, Kelvin, come over here, and he came up.
I said, what the hell is this? He said, what
do you mean? I said, this story sucks? I said,

(58:20):
so then I perceived to cuss him out. I said,
because see you messed up. He said, what you've been?
I messed up? I said, see you messed up because
you showed me last week what you can do when
you give a damn. What you are now telling me
is this story means nothing. So you didn't spend any

(58:41):
time anything in it, I said, and it reads like crap.
I said, you messed up because you showed me that
it's actually in you. Now, my expectation for you is
I got to see that now every single week. And
I say that because that really has to be a
state of mind for many of us, because too many

(59:02):
of us literally are making excuses as to why certain
things cannot happen. At the table, I asked the question,
what's the largest black owned business in Memphis? Folks couldn't
give me a name. That is a problem. And so

(59:26):
I need us to understand that I'm not interested in
the same old saying I'm not interested in another black mayor.
I'm not interested in more black council members. I'm not

(59:46):
interested in more black county commissioners. What I'm interested in
is what are you doing while you are there?

Speaker 4 (01:00:02):
So allow me to.

Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
In church going folk are familiar with the phrase, allowed
me to tag this text. So just in case, just
in case, you don't remember anything, and I got to
give you a title that people ask you, what did
he talk about when he came to thirty second annual
June teen celebration. You can give him this hit. I'm

(01:00:27):
not satisfied. I'm not satisfied. This holiday for me is
a lot more personal than it is for other people.
First and foremost, this is the only national day where

(01:00:48):
this nation has to utter the word slavery. See, a
lot of folks have made fun of black folks in
Texas because y'all got the word too late, as if

(01:01:08):
there was Instagram, TikTok snapchat. In eighteen sixty three, doctor
Gerald Horn has written a book talking about the counter
revolution in Texas that preceded the Civil War and what
he lays out that that war in Texas for quote

(01:01:29):
Texas independence, that war pre seed of the Civil War
and actually set up what took place with the Civil
War and the fascism.

Speaker 4 (01:01:37):
In this country.

Speaker 3 (01:01:39):
And he talked about how the story was told when
General Granger came the shores of galast in Texas to
give the word to the people who were enslaved of
African descent in Texas that they.

Speaker 4 (01:01:51):
Were now free.

Speaker 3 (01:01:53):
But the problem with that is, like the problem with
so much of American history, it literally is is white.
His story. What Horn's research showed there were thousands of
black troops that accompanied General Grant. It showed that there
were people in Texas who defied the law of the

(01:02:17):
emancipation Proclamation that was actually given. We also know that
that's the case because of same President Andrew Jackson ignored
the Supreme Court ruling which literally led to the Trail
of Tears, which was a part elimination of Native Americans.
So don't be mistaken. There is historical precedents in this

(01:02:40):
country of presidents or people who occupy the Oval office
ignoring Supreme Court rulers. Now understand when the Mancipation Proclamation
was then issued and then folks in Texas found out
really what happened. They were actually being kidnapped and held

(01:03:02):
captive because the folks in Texas knew about the emacivation
of proclamation, but they chose not to abide by it.
So it wasn't that the black folks there found out
late they were being held captive by there.

Speaker 4 (01:03:19):
By their I call them, I call them prisoners. That's
what I call them.

Speaker 3 (01:03:23):
They were actually prisoners of these racists folks, because you
have to understand that Texas independence was all about slavery.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I came home and
my wife was watching the History Channel and they had
this four part docuseries on the Frontiersmen. And in this docuseries,

(01:03:44):
it is talking about how all of these individuals, how
they settled America and they settled the West, and what
happened when the likes of Davy Crockett, who was an
American hero and others, when they went to Texas and
then that was this.

Speaker 4 (01:03:58):
Battle over And I'm watching the docuseries and.

Speaker 3 (01:04:02):
All I'm hearing them say in the docuseries Leonardo DiCaprio
was one of the executive producers of there, amongst many
other names, and they kept saying they were fighting for
Texas independence, Texas independence, but they never what defining exactly
what that Texas independence was, because really what they were
fighting against was that you had a Mexican president of

(01:04:25):
African descent that abolished slavery in Mexico, and Mexico was
a border state with Texas.

Speaker 4 (01:04:33):
They controlled Texas the border state of.

Speaker 3 (01:04:35):
The United States, and so the white settlers in Texas
did not want to have slavery in So then what
we have again white history, white his story, and again
we grew up in I grew up in Texas. Every
Texans is required in the seventh grade to take a
Texas history class. The book is literally that fit. It

(01:04:55):
is a bullshit book because they have created the myth
of remember the Alamo.

Speaker 4 (01:05:13):
But nobody asked, but why should we remember the Alamo?

Speaker 3 (01:05:18):
Because the fight at the Alamo where Davy Crockett and
others were killed, was the Alamo was a battle over slavery.

Speaker 4 (01:05:29):
They were fighting to keep slavery.

Speaker 3 (01:05:32):
They did not like the fact that Mexico had abolished slavery,
and so they said, we need to succeed from Mexico
to gain Texas independence, so we can steal the land
and keep slavery.

Speaker 4 (01:05:46):
That's the real history. But again in this country.

Speaker 3 (01:05:51):
When folks write the story don't look like us. They
conveniently left that out of the narrative as to why
they were fighting for quote Texas independence. And so then
you get to the point where we get the word
and do you then begin to have this annual celebration

(01:06:11):
of June teenth.

Speaker 4 (01:06:13):
But folk need to understand. And I was having this conversation.

Speaker 3 (01:06:15):
With Governor Wes Moore my offer brother were because he
asked me to come to the Maryland event.

Speaker 4 (01:06:20):
I said, well, I'll be speaking in.

Speaker 3 (01:06:21):
West Virginia on June nineteenth and in Saint Louis on
June twentieth.

Speaker 4 (01:06:25):
I said, but Governor, do me a favorite. I need
you to make it plain that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:29):
June teenth is not a day of parties and picnics
and concerts.

Speaker 4 (01:06:35):
It is a day where the people of freedom.

Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
Folk of Africa to sit in Texas always said it
is a day for not some freedom, not partial freedom,
but complete freedom. It was freedom to vote, It was
freedom to live. It was freedom to have housing, was
freedom to have jobs. It was freedom to own businesses.

(01:06:59):
It was freedom to be able to walk in the
stores and not be followed. It was freedom not to
have your women raped and pillaged by other folks.

Speaker 4 (01:07:07):
It was freedom to have your kids educated. That's what
it's about. I said.

Speaker 3 (01:07:12):
So when this became a national holiday and I said,
don't make the mistake.

Speaker 4 (01:07:17):
I said, talk to folks in Texas.

Speaker 3 (01:07:19):
To understand what it was all about. This is what
not do it. Was it not another nice, little cute
little time. It was a const a yearly reminder of
the fight for freedom of people of African descent. And
so that really has to be the mindset of every
single person here. And so if you're celebrating Juneteenth here

(01:07:41):
in Memphis, you now need to be asking the question,
what is it we are doing to gain our freedom
in Memphis?

Speaker 4 (01:07:54):
And see, I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
Earlier for the pastor said that the Americans called Memphis
the blackest sea in America.

Speaker 4 (01:08:02):
Well, here's my problem with that. When they talk about Washington, DC.

Speaker 3 (01:08:09):
As the Chocolate City, talking about Mary and Maryon Barry
and other black mayors and the opportunities they created for
African Americans.

Speaker 4 (01:08:18):
Using their power for black business.

Speaker 3 (01:08:20):
When Atlanta is called the black Mecca, it's because of
Manor Jackson and Andrew Young and Mayor Jackson and Bill
Campbell and Shirley Franklin and Cassim Reed and Keisha Lan's
Bottoms and now Mayor Andre when they talk about other
seamen they talk about in the cities in terms of
what they had done, I'm confused.

Speaker 4 (01:08:42):
I'm confused.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
How can this city be the place where Reverend doctor
Martin Luther King was killed? And he often talked about
the issue of economic freedom in the speech that he
gave on April third, nineteen sixty eight, that was an
economic blueprint where he literally said in that sermon at

(01:09:03):
Mason Temple that we need to pull our resources.

Speaker 4 (01:09:07):
He at one point said, Jesse, what do you call it?
Redistribute the pain?

Speaker 3 (01:09:12):
In that same sermon, he said, the companies that should
be boycotted if folk are not doing business with us,
we don't do business with them.

Speaker 4 (01:09:21):
With Memphis.

Speaker 3 (01:09:22):
I need y'all explain to me how on the hell
you are sixty two percent of this city and you
are in the condition that you aim. I need black leaders,
black political leaders, I need business leaders, I.

Speaker 4 (01:09:42):
Need preachers in this city.

Speaker 3 (01:09:44):
Explain to me, how are you so comfortable in a
city that literally practices economic apartheid against black people.

Speaker 4 (01:09:56):
I need you to.

Speaker 3 (01:09:57):
Ask the question of the black mayors that will elect
before you. How is it that they were complicit in
allowing the economic apartheid to continue. There is no way
in the world you can have a city that is
sixty two percent African American and your contracts don't even reach.

Speaker 4 (01:10:16):
Twenty five percent.

Speaker 3 (01:10:21):
That means that every black person in this city that
is paying property taxes, sales taxes.

Speaker 4 (01:10:27):
You are spending money.

Speaker 3 (01:10:29):
You are virtually not getting a return on your investment.

Speaker 4 (01:10:33):
But we are just happy with the facade of leadership.

Speaker 3 (01:10:42):
See, I'm not satisfied because somebody black is sitting in
the position. Because let me be real clear, there's a
difference between being present and having presence. See, when you're present,
you just show up. You can be present and.

Speaker 4 (01:11:05):
No one know you're there.

Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
You can be present and literally have no fingerprints, no footprints.
But the question is do you have presence when you
walk into the room.

Speaker 4 (01:11:21):
Does the temperature change when you walk into the room.

Speaker 3 (01:11:25):
Do some folk start getting uncomfortable? If you are a
black leader in Memphis and you walk into a room
and folk in the room don't get uncomfortable, You simply
are present. I'm not interested in the performative. This is

(01:11:52):
a question of results. And let me be real clear,
they are white American who care more about the collective
of black folks than some black folks. When you look
at the history of the Black freedom for Black Freedom movement,
the Civil rights movement, you have that when I listed

(01:12:16):
the folks sit here and say I don't know road.

Speaker 4 (01:12:18):
You shouldn't criticize the founding fathers.

Speaker 3 (01:12:20):
You shouldn't criticize the folk who had slaves because they
were men of their time.

Speaker 4 (01:12:27):
Were so was John Brown.

Speaker 3 (01:12:32):
John Brown was a white man who believed in the Bible,
who was willing to kill folks because he despised slaves
for him. And that means you need to have folk
in this city who don't have the same milany.

Speaker 4 (01:12:47):
Who should be angry with what they see.

Speaker 3 (01:12:50):
Economically, it's happening in this city every single year we
commemorate the assassin of doctor King.

Speaker 4 (01:13:04):
Minus in economic.

Speaker 3 (01:13:06):
Conversation, I'm not interested in any more gatherings. We go
to Selma so to commembrate Bloody Sunday, and Selma looks
the same today as it did when they walked across
the head mind Pettis Bridge. In fact, when we go

(01:13:29):
to Selma, we don't even stay in Selma because ain't
no hotels to stay in Selma. Folks stay in Montgomery
and drive the Selma for the event, to walk across
the bridge and go back to go back to Montgomery. See,
at some point we have to have an attitude of

(01:13:50):
I'm not satisfied, and I'm telling you right now, I
know what's happening. I know there's the people who put
the believers in the room, who are like, well, no,
what we know.

Speaker 4 (01:14:00):
We're doing a lot. I can't accept that because I
need to see the fruits of your labor.

Speaker 3 (01:14:13):
I need to understand right now how black Memphis is
not having a daily march against elon musk turbines in
this city.

Speaker 1 (01:14:28):
See.

Speaker 3 (01:14:28):
I don't want to hear all that we the blackest
city in the country, but Davin showed it. Because if
anybody understands the history of black people, it has been
one of agitation, of protests, of demanding for change, not
being comfortable, not being willing to accept the status quo.

Speaker 4 (01:14:52):
See, when we begin to accept.

Speaker 3 (01:14:54):
The status quo, then we begin to say, well, no on,
everything is good. We great, It's all fine, So we
really shouldn't s ain't nothing to do nothing? We don't
want to upset the balance. We don't want to make
vote upset. No, we shouldn't do that because you know,
you know, the mayor's black, so we.

Speaker 4 (01:15:08):
Don't want to do that whole thing. I saw that
with Obama.

Speaker 3 (01:15:11):
There were black people who they would I remember being
a part of a conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:15:14):
I mean it probably was at least thirty degrees at
the table.

Speaker 3 (01:15:18):
They were like, well, no, Roa, we can't be doing
that because you know, if we asked for a lot
of stuff, you know, white people are not going to
vote for him in the second term. So we can't
ask for nothing because we gotta like wait till the
second term.

Speaker 4 (01:15:30):
And then when the second term is like, well, we
really can't answer thathing. I said. Now, I'm confused because
and I said this all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:15:38):
I said, black people were the only ones who stayed
at the inauguration parade.

Speaker 4 (01:15:42):
Everybody else left.

Speaker 3 (01:15:45):
We were so happy and excited to look up, Oh
he's got a black first family. Ooh, but anybody forgot
he was a forty fourth How on the hell did
we put a pressure on the previous forty three? But
we said now we ain't gonna do nothing with the
forty four because he's the first. Y'all know he's the
first black, but he's the forty four. So I can

(01:16:06):
praise being the first black, but David, I can ask
for some stuff for the forty four.

Speaker 4 (01:16:11):
And that literally is the posture that we often take.
We have folk in this and let's just be see again.
I ain't interested in dancing around stuff because leave me
real clear.

Speaker 3 (01:16:29):
My mama, my mama, we seventy eight November. It was
eight kids in her family. The eight kids had thirty
nine kids. The thirty nine kids had seventy plus grandkids.
No thirty nine kids, which is my grandparents' grandkids. The
thirty nine kids had like seventy kids, the seventy two
had more like one hundred and twenty. Every Sunday my grandparents'

(01:16:49):
house for fifteen years, so my grandfather died. We were
at every single Sunday, all of us together in that
fifteen hundred square foot house.

Speaker 4 (01:16:57):
I've never slept.

Speaker 3 (01:16:58):
At a non family member's house till I got to college.

Speaker 4 (01:17:02):
Because I had.

Speaker 3 (01:17:02):
Family, I ain't have room for friends. So let me
real clear, everybody in the room. I don't need no
new friends. I come from a large family. So I
don't have to sit here and play nice with folk.

Speaker 4 (01:17:24):
The network I have. I own.

Speaker 3 (01:17:27):
The only person on my hierarchy or my flow shart,
that's God.

Speaker 4 (01:17:31):
Then meet there's nobody above me.

Speaker 3 (01:17:36):
So you can't call nobody, You can't text nobody, can't
you can't even call my wife.

Speaker 4 (01:17:46):
But she's like, I can't tell her what to do.
So I'm gonna let y'all know some of that said.

Speaker 3 (01:17:53):
It is stunning to me, and I see this all
the time, and I've been following.

Speaker 4 (01:17:59):
Lets I am confused.

Speaker 3 (01:18:03):
How on the hell you got racist with five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Speaker 4 (01:18:09):
Black folk running when if ten run, eight of them
know they ain't.

Speaker 3 (01:18:15):
Got no shot whatsoever.

Speaker 4 (01:18:21):
And then when you lose, now you mad went to
sharl Jones ran for mayor and Saint Louis.

Speaker 3 (01:18:29):
The reason she didn't get elected the previous time is
because there were two or three black male canners who
ran because they didn't want the sister to win. But
if you ask those same black men running, who likely
are running their operations is sisters.

Speaker 4 (01:18:48):
It literally is the dumbest thing in the world.

Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
See, if you don't understand how to a mass power,
then you don't know how to use power.

Speaker 4 (01:18:57):
That means sometimes y'all gotta have the courage tail people,
I need to sit your ass down. You don't need
to run.

Speaker 3 (01:19:05):
See I told you, I'm not hear the men's words.

Speaker 4 (01:19:10):
That that's a problem for me.

Speaker 3 (01:19:13):
Atlanta is what it is because maineing Young, maineing, Bill Campbell,
Shirley Franklin, Cassine Read, Keisha Lance bole Andre. That's why
Atlanta is what it is, because they have had consistent

(01:19:37):
black leadership. That it's leverage political power for economic power
to create opportunities that go beyond the city of Atlanta.
So I did you not ask the question if we
talk about historically what Washington, d c. Has done African

(01:20:00):
American economic empowerment, and what Atlanta has done, and what
Houston has done, and what Chicago has done even though
Chicago now for the first time had back to back
of black mayors.

Speaker 4 (01:20:14):
So Chicago in his history has only had three black mayors.

Speaker 3 (01:20:19):
Houston in his history has only had two black mayors.

Speaker 4 (01:20:24):
You've had five, three elected.

Speaker 3 (01:20:26):
So I need to now ask you the question, how
is it when we talk about black elected leadership in
all these other cities and what came out as a
result of them being elected, You now should be asking
a question why it's Memphis never mentioned.

Speaker 4 (01:20:48):
So if Memphis is never mentioned.

Speaker 3 (01:20:53):
In terms of outcome for black folks, that means the
folks that you have had elected did not deliver results.
Are results. I'm just trying to tell y'all. I deal
with this every single day. When we talk about right now,

(01:21:13):
we talk about what happened in the seventies and eighties,
we talk about Catcher and Gary Indiana Stokes in Cleveland,
Jackson in Atlanta, Coleman Young in Detroit, Mayor Jackson in Atlanta,
and how they.

Speaker 4 (01:21:27):
Use in power.

Speaker 3 (01:21:28):
When Mayor Jackson said, tumbleweeds will be going down these
runways before I allowed this airport to be expanded.

Speaker 4 (01:21:35):
Without black participation.

Speaker 3 (01:21:37):
Mayor Jackson told the banks in the He told the
banks in Atlanta, y'all got to add black board members.

Speaker 4 (01:21:44):
They said, ain't no black folks we can.

Speaker 3 (01:21:46):
Finally said Mississippi tradshmer coming to my office take our
money out.

Speaker 4 (01:21:49):
They banks, Oh, hold on what youre doing?

Speaker 3 (01:21:53):
He said, no, Noah, you not gonna have city money
in your banks, but you can't find black folks to
be on your boards. When he became African Americans were
getting point zero zero one two percent of all city contracts,
not one percent, not half a percent, not point two five,
not point one zero point zero zero one two.

Speaker 4 (01:22:17):
See this is America, y'all.

Speaker 3 (01:22:19):
If you ain't having a money conversation, you are not
having an American conversation.

Speaker 4 (01:22:25):
If you want to understand America, just go to Washington,
d c.

Speaker 3 (01:22:28):
If you stand in front of the White House and
you look at the White House, the White House represents power.

Speaker 4 (01:22:34):
If you look to the left, you see.

Speaker 3 (01:22:36):
Another building that's on the same land as the White House.
That's the Department of Treasury. The White House's power. Treasure
is money. Treasure is money, the White House's power. Those
two things go together. Why do you think when that
convicted felon that twice in Peach Doug went to the
Saudi Arabia, thirty two American CEOs went with him who

(01:22:58):
were running multi billion dollars companies.

Speaker 4 (01:23:00):
Because politics and money go together. Let's not be confused.

Speaker 3 (01:23:06):
And so I understand we can talk about social justice,
and we can talk about voting rights, we can talk
about housing.

Speaker 4 (01:23:13):
When everything in America emanates for money.

Speaker 3 (01:23:17):
King understood that Abra NAFTI understood that.

Speaker 4 (01:23:22):
All the folks understood.

Speaker 3 (01:23:23):
That, and so why is it that this generation is
being so soft and unwilling to be challenging folks in
this way? When I asked the question, can you name
me the largest business, folks could name it. There's no
reason in the world there is not a major black
owned construction company in this city, or engineering firm and

(01:23:48):
architecture firm.

Speaker 4 (01:23:49):
You should be able to run down the line, but
it's not there.

Speaker 3 (01:23:53):
You should be asking yourself that's the problem, because if
you're not incubating and growing and building capacity of black businesses,
then you're not creating opportunities for the next generation. And
so then when folks run, they are running on an
agenda of how can I lower crime? Do understand this
and John ho'brien talks about it all the time. You

(01:24:14):
ain't never seen a riot in a neighborhood with a
credit score of seven hundred a higher.

Speaker 4 (01:24:23):
If you show me, If I lay out a.

Speaker 3 (01:24:25):
Map of Memphis right now and you see the most
the lowest crime areas in Memphis, I guarantee you that
correlates with money. So we ain't having a money conversation.
Then we're not having a conversation, and so we're gonna
talk about June tenth in twenty twenty five. There has

(01:24:47):
to be a group of radicals in this room, in this.

Speaker 4 (01:24:51):
City who willing to challenge.

Speaker 3 (01:24:53):
School districts, city council leaders, county leaders, state leaders, and
order to change what is happening in this city. You
should be unleashing protesters on they assets every single day,
and that means groups showing up in power. I'm a

(01:25:14):
life member of Alpha by Alpha Bratturnity Incorporated. I need
to understand how is it that you've got Alpha's and
Deltas and Akas and Zada's and Links and Prince Hall
Mason and Eastern Star and all these groups.

Speaker 4 (01:25:30):
I want to know when the last time.

Speaker 3 (01:25:32):
Has your organization showed up in mass presenting an agenda
at the city council meeting. Imagine if all of a sudden,
two and three and four and five hundred women in
Peking Green roll up to the city council meeting saying, here's.

Speaker 4 (01:25:48):
Our agenda for Memphis.

Speaker 3 (01:25:50):
Imagine if red and white folks, women in red and
white are brothers in black and gold go to a
Shelby County Commissioners.

Speaker 4 (01:25:57):
Meeting saying here is our agenda. Let's be clear.

Speaker 3 (01:26:01):
If you don't inaction, We're gonna make sure that somebody
is putt in here who actually can't act it.

Speaker 4 (01:26:07):
I'm sick and.

Speaker 3 (01:26:08):
Tired of pastors getting together, slapping each other on their back,
reciting scripture, but not putting the same scripture into place.
If Jesus had the audacity to turn over some tables,
when was the last table you turned on? Gatherings like

(01:26:30):
this are not about eating an unseasoned piece of chicken.
Gatherings like this are supposed to be recommitment efforts for
you to be focused on the agenda of freedom and
liberation of our people. If you came here to take

(01:26:51):
some selfish to eat a dinner and then go back
and say I checked off this event of the negro
event I went to for the month June, then you're
wasting your time.

Speaker 4 (01:27:03):
If you come back to this.

Speaker 3 (01:27:05):
Room next year for the thirty thirty event and the
city looks the same way it did.

Speaker 4 (01:27:10):
This year, you've wasted your time.

Speaker 3 (01:27:13):
Your job over the next three hundred and sixty four
days is to change the look and the feel and
the condition of this city, and the people.

Speaker 4 (01:27:22):
Are waiting for you to show up.

Speaker 3 (01:27:23):
So if you're in this room calling yourself a black
leader or dannit, act like a black leader. Like a
black leader, talk like a black leader, be willing to fight.

Speaker 4 (01:27:34):
And if you are a white ally, whether you are
male a female, you do the exact same thing.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
But you need to understand this is gonna require folk
having the guts and the tenacity and a revolutionary mind
and a radical a gender to be able to say
we're not satisfied with what's going on.

Speaker 4 (01:27:52):
You've got to be willing to fight. You've got to
be within the challenge. You're gonna be willing to make some.

Speaker 3 (01:27:57):
Of your friends and bratt brothers and sororities and church
members uncomfortable.

Speaker 4 (01:28:02):
I don't care if they look like you.

Speaker 3 (01:28:05):
They need to be pushed and product and forced to change.

Speaker 4 (01:28:09):
This is a.

Speaker 3 (01:28:10):
Generation that's got to learn how to fight for something.
And the worst of my frack brother, Verner Woodson Cande,
we will fight until health frees his old one and
he will fight on.

Speaker 24 (01:28:20):
The Iceman Tierra jan at twenty five years old, just
graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.

Speaker 1 (01:28:29):
I'm gonna take a little personal privilege.

Speaker 24 (01:28:33):
Double master's degree Mike Social work and public health.

Speaker 1 (01:28:38):
Somebody better recognized. Brothers.

Speaker 24 (01:28:44):
You know, I'm not here to talk about me, but
I am here to talk about brother Rolandess Martin. Over
the course of a journalistic career that has seen him
interview US presidents, top athletes, and entertainers in Hollywood, roland
Ness Martin is a journalist who has always maintained a

(01:29:04):
clear sense of the calling of the world. Many have
bestowed the title upon him of the Voice of Black America.

Speaker 1 (01:29:14):
Yes.

Speaker 24 (01:29:17):
Martin is the host of the managing editor of roland
Martin Unfiltered, the first daily online show and the history
focused on the news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports,
and culture for the unapologetic African American perspective. It launched
in September fourth of twenty and eighteen. Brothers and Sisters

(01:29:40):
on September fourth of twenty twenty one, Martin Lrich the
black Star Network and OTT Network that features a variety
of shows focused on the news, culture, finance, history and wellness.
The Black Star Network is available on Apple All Right Down,
Real Quick. It's available on Apple, Android phones, Apple and

(01:30:05):
Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, and Samsung TV.

Speaker 1 (01:30:13):
Brother Martin is busy. He's busy.

Speaker 24 (01:30:16):
For the last two years, Martin produces a twice daily
commentary on the iHeartRadio Black Information Network, heard on nearly
forty stations nationwide.

Speaker 1 (01:30:29):
We can give it up for that.

Speaker 3 (01:30:34):
Now.

Speaker 24 (01:30:34):
Some of y'all might want to take a pin and
pad out for this one. Martin is the author of
four books. Four books. His latest book Watch Out Now
White Fear, How the Browning of America is making white
folks feel. His other books are Listen to the Spirit Within,

(01:30:55):
Fifty Perspectives on Faith, Speak, Brother, A Black Man's View
of America, and the First Barack Obama's Rolled to the
White House and originally brought reported by Roland Martin himself.
Martin is sought as an international speaker deliver speeches and

(01:31:18):
lectures to numerous groups annually, electric firing audiences with the
deep understanding of history, politics, and culture. He has been
named four times the Ebony magazine as one of the
one hundred and fifty most influential African Americans in the
United States of America. Martin was also awarded the twenty

(01:31:47):
the two thousand and eight President's Award by the National
Association of Black journalists for his work in multiple media platforms.
He is a full time NAACP Image of War winner,
including named Best Hosts for the last two years in
a row. Martin spent the last six years as a

(01:32:12):
commentator for CNN, appearing on numerous shows and earnings accolades
Near the Far for his from Near and Far for
his no holds bard's approach, conviction and perspectives on various issues.

Speaker 1 (01:32:25):
In two thousand and nine, CNN.

Speaker 24 (01:32:28):
Was awarded the Peabody Award for its outstanding two thousand
and eight election coverage, of which brother Martin was a
proud member of that team. He is a founding member,
a founding news member editor of Savoy Magazine, the team
of New York led based Vanguard Media, and the former

(01:32:49):
founding editor of blackamericaweb dot com. So I'm just gonna
give y'all a little bit on this one. Mister Martin
is a life member of the National Association of Blacks
and Journalism.

Speaker 1 (01:33:07):
That's right, y'all can clap for that.

Speaker 24 (01:33:12):
Martin is also a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity Incorporated.

Speaker 1 (01:33:22):
Brothers, did y'all.

Speaker 24 (01:33:23):
Hear me say that he's a life member of Alpha
Phi Al Fraternity of Corporate.

Speaker 1 (01:33:31):
Richard Clark. You can't take these jokers nowhere, can you? Brothers.

Speaker 24 (01:33:37):
Also, he is a member of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity,
and he is a board member of the Education Reform
Group fifty c CAN. But most importantly, brothers, I just
want to highlight that he is married to the Reverend
Missus Jackie Hood Martin, author of The Fulfilled, The Art

(01:33:59):
and the Joy of Balance Living and the Wedded Bliss,
a fifty two week devotional Balance and Living in the
children's book series Hannah's Hart. They reside in northern Virginia

(01:34:19):
and also outside of Dallas, Texas. Ladies and gentlemen, brothers
and sisters, please rise to your feet and receive my
fraternity brother, brother Roland Martin.

Speaker 1 (01:34:39):
Brothers.

Speaker 11 (01:34:40):
Little bit.

Speaker 1 (01:34:42):
All right, So how are you doing?

Speaker 3 (01:34:46):
Make one correction?

Speaker 1 (01:34:47):
My book?

Speaker 3 (01:34:48):
My new book is called White Fear, How the Brownie
of Americas making white folks lose their minds. That's the
title of the book. So I already asked me that
did I bring some I did not. This is the
third city I mean, in three days, and then I'll
be in Houston tomorrow for Father's Day, celebrating my dad
and actually it'll be a duel comedy. Will be Father's Day.

(01:35:10):
That's celebrating my parents anniversary, which was June tenth, the
mayor of fifty eight years on June tenth. So so
we'll be there. So I'm glad to be back in Columbus.
Shout out to congress woman and Joyce Baty. I got
to give her a call after this, and so it's

(01:35:31):
always good to be here. Let me let me first
start by thank you the folks who support our show,
who support the network. When tv won canceled News one.
Now a lot of people are upset, they were mad,
they were frustrated, but I wasn't. I was literally focused.

(01:35:51):
As Alfred Niggins was telling me they were canceling, I
was already planning on what I was doing. And understand
what happens when you have a vision. Anybody who reads
Tobacco chapter two, they would understand what that means. I
was very clin terurs of what we were gonna be
doing and how we're gonna be doing this. And I
remember at that time, YouTube was funding a number of

(01:36:13):
different projects and they actually said that black News wouldn't work.
I said, okay, watch us work and there were a
lot of people who actually said, man, don't do this.
I don't think it's gonna work. But I've never listened
to other people, so it doesn't matter to me what
they have to say. And when we launched this show
on our YouTube channel, we start about one hundred and

(01:36:35):
fifty seven thousand subscribers. Right now, we see that at
one point eight one million would be a two million
by September. I purposely chose not to do a subscription base.
I wanted the content available everywhere. And when I went
to our audience, I said, listen, we're gonna We're gonna
do a donation plan. I said, I'm not sending you hats, shirts,

(01:36:58):
swag all that I did. I said that all that
stuff costs. I said, when you give to the show
is going back into the show. And so we've had
more than thirty six thousand donors in the last six
and a half years who've contributed in excess to four
million dollars. And that's important because that's important because every
year three hundred and three hundred fifty billion dollars is

(01:37:20):
spent on advertising, and black on media gets anywhere from
point five to one percent of the three hundred and
fifty billion. And so the reason Ebony is what it
is today, almost non existent, The reason Jet doesn't exist,
the reason black on media is withering on the vine
all across this country is because these ad agencies and
these companies are practicing economic apartheid and they don't support

(01:37:42):
black media. And I can tell you so. One of
the reasons you don't see a lot of interviews of
shows or movies on Amazon Prime and Netflix and Apple
TV Plus in Hulu is because those publicists they send
me pitches for them to be on the show, but
they never call about money. So they value my audience

(01:38:04):
to want their talent on to promote the shows, but
they don't want to spend advertising money on the network,
so I don't let them come on. And I did
the same thing when I was at TV one, And
so that's what people have to understand, and we literally
have to build and create it because everybody said that

(01:38:25):
doesn't work. And two things if you want to understand,
while all of them were wrong. So in August when
I was at the Democrat National Convention, once you hit
a certain level on YouTube, they sign you your own
person who deals with you and your channel and we
met with them, and they said they grouped my show
among all of the progressive talk shows. And I made
it clear to them. I said, we're not a progressive
talk show. We're not a conservative talk show. We're not

(01:38:47):
a democratic talk show. Republican black show will a black show,
so we center black people. And so what was very
interesting is when we did that, they said they were
shocked in the stun that then when they group all
the progressive shows together, they were stunned that our show
was number one in terms of most watched time perviewer,

(01:39:11):
and they couldn't believe it because there were other shows
that had five and six million subscribers. But our folk
watch our show longer than any other any of those shows,
because which tells you our people are craving the content
and they want real information that you're not getting elsewhere.

(01:39:31):
On March fourth, when we broadcast our State of our Union,
raise your hand if the text message showed up in
your family chat group about watching the show. Okay, let
me tell you what happened. I literally sent that to
like just six people, and on that a Sunday, about
four or five people hit me. Then on Monday, about

(01:39:52):
another ten people. Then by thirty people hit me on Tuesday,
would say it was this thing real is They're real?
And the text message was simple, so yeah, don't watch
the networks, watch our coverage. Hey, let's hit one hundred thousand.
Up until that point, the most people that ever watched
a live broadcast of my show was twenty nine thousand.
That was the day the Tyree Nichols video was released
of him being beaten to death in Memphis. So we

(01:40:15):
hit twenty nine thousand people watching live on that day.
Normally we're averaging anywhere from five thousand to ten thousand. Well,
when we went live that night, the moment we pressed live,
within five minutes, we had hit fifty thousand, and then
in ten minutes we had hit one hundred thousand. When

(01:40:35):
Bishop William Barber got up to speech and I tossed
it to him because I didn't carry Trump's speech. I
carried Bishop Barber's speech. I'm like, I ain't caring his speech.
When I tossed to Barber, two hundred thousand were watching
at his peak. Two hundred and fifty thousand that night
out of all of the media that was covering that speech,

(01:40:57):
all media. I didn't say, all black meats all media.
Our channel was number five. Now what does that say. See,
here's the problem when you do it once you've proven
to me you can do it. So the problem is
if two hundred and fifty thousand folk were watching live

(01:41:20):
on that night, who says we can't watch that every night?
And this is part of the this is part of
the point that I'm going to talk about. And then
when we were going to get to what the panel is,
we have to understand the power of the collective and
how you wheel the power of the collective in order
to make a difference. And so we showed it on

(01:41:42):
that night and they were stunned by that by that number.
And then mo Grol Tiffany and Lofton was put on
a conference for college students and in that on that show,
she said, we got a conference. We're trying to get
these thirty five students from Florida, A and M here
and I said, how much money money? How much money
y'all need? And she's like, well, I said, okay, We're

(01:42:03):
gonna keep talking. You figure out how much money you need.
The first lesson in that is when y'all, when you
say you need something, always be prepared. To state what
the actual need is, not what I want, what I need.
So about five minutes later she said, all right, so
she said we need thirty nine thousand. I was like,

(01:42:24):
got it. I said, so the show we're gonna do
twenty audience responded. When I drove home at two thirty,
she hit me, she says roller. She says, we raised
eighty four thousand dollars because when we did it it
was midnight, one hundred thousand was still watching. So the
point there is, our audience is craving information, but you
actually have to build it, you actually have to maintain it.

(01:42:47):
Then we have to continue to support it because everything costs.
I mean, right now, we are live streaming this event
on the network. Y'all saw me doing the show earlier.
I had Governor Wes Moore on the show. We cover
the funeral Ungert and Charlie Rangel and then we're carrying
this live. And this is the whole point, because if
you don't create the network, then folk who are not

(01:43:10):
here can't see it, and so we are so caught
up in white validation. Let me be real clear, we
are so caught up in white validation that we don't
think it's real if CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS don't
cover it, so we're begging them to show up, and

(01:43:30):
they rarely do. And we're now living in the digital
world where you don't even need them to show up
because you can literally do it yourself. So I wanted
to say that, So let me be segue into my comments.
And as I said, when we talk about the power
of collective April third, nineteen sixty eight, when Doctor King
gave his final sermon at Mason Temple, if you go

(01:43:52):
back and listen to, first of all, all of you
need to go back and listen to and read the
sermon because far too many black people because I get
sick and tired of this. On Mlkday and then Black
History Month, we love playing the Mountaintop part, which is
a two minute part at the end of the speech,
but there's another forty one minutes of that speech and
that and in that sermon, he talked about black people

(01:44:13):
being individually poor yet collectively wealthy. I just gave you
the example. There were people who literally said and at
a season saying, who stopped me in the Atlanta airport?
She saw me, She said, Oh my god, I love
your show. And she said, all I have is this,
and so she at this dollar bill. I actually I
took a picture and put it on social media. She
hit this dollar bill that was folded up in looking

(01:44:33):
like a looking like a flower, I mean a bird.
And so we took a picture and she said, this
is all I have. Her dollar is just as important
as the person that gave us ten thousand, because in
order for us to hit that formiliar number, it's a
whole bunch of dollars in five and ten and twenty five.
That's a part of that. That's collective. King said, if

(01:44:58):
we are to move properly, we have to do so
as a collective. Now, even though I was live on
the show, I'm totally multitasked. So I was listening to
y'all prediscussion, and I heard lots of folk complaining about
what we need to do and who's not doing this
and who's not doing that. But what most folks never

(01:45:19):
do is get a mirror out and then say what
are you doing? And then what are you doing? And
how you can get with another person? Now you got two,
Now it's four, Then four is eighth and eighty sixteen
the sixteen is thirty two, and it goes from there.
I spoke at my parents' church in Houston, and brother
came to me. He said, Man, he said, I wish

(01:45:41):
this place was packed so it seats aprobaup. Three thousand.
You probably had about five or six hundred. I said,
First of all, I don't talk to empty chairs. I
talked to the folk who are sitting in chairs. I said,
Now your concerned that that was only five or six
hundred here, I said, Yet, if the five hundred, he'd go,
tell one person next month, y'all will have a thigh.
I wasn't sitting in the room. Then if a thousand,

(01:46:02):
go tell the give one person the next month. Now
it's two thousand. By the third month, you won't have capacity.
So you're complaining about who's not here, but that you
bring somebody with you tonight. And so that really has
to be our focus when we talk about where do
we go from here? How do we begin to move?

(01:46:22):
You see this happening right now with the boycott of Target,
but not just Target, so many other companies. All of
these companies they desire our money. But as King said
in that sermon, he said, if you are not if
you're not doing business with us. And then at one
point he says, Jesse, what do you call it? He says,
We're going to redistribute the pain. He said, the garbage

(01:46:45):
workers are experiencing pain. Now I'm going to distribute the pain.
I've had people say, well, why you call specific companies
out Go back and listen to that sermon king names
for specific companies. But then after he he names the
companies about boycotting, he then tells the black folks as symbol,
then you need to also be supporting black institutions. He says,

(01:47:08):
the SELC opened an account at a black bank. He said,
you need to be you need to be getting polities
with a black life insurance company. Do understand when we
build our studio, we said two blocks from the White House,
one block from the aflcio right there on what it's
formerly called Black Lives Matter Plaza, but I still call
it that. Our production room was a corter of a

(01:47:31):
million dollars being built. That was done by Black Engineering
Company out of Atlanta. Our green screen was done by
Black Drape Company out of California. The lighting system was
about one hundred and sixty thousand done by a black
lighting company. The news set was done by a black
set design company. Most of the nearly all the artwork
except three pieces in the studio done by all black artists.

(01:47:54):
So I was intentional on making sure that money given
by black people to a black media company then uses
black vendors. Black vendors have families, have folks working for them.
So we can't keep assembling and talking about what we

(01:48:16):
need to do if we're not being intentional in how
we move. And so that has to be and we've
got to also stop this idea of well I tried
it once July and I will get in the car
and I was telling him something. When I was at
TV one, somebody said. One of the staffers said, well,

(01:48:37):
you know, we're a black company. And I said, say
it again and you'll be fired. And they looked at
me and they said, what do you mean. What they
didn't understand was that phrase. They were literally saying, we
are a second class company. They were literally talking down
on the company. And I said, if you say it again,

(01:49:00):
you will be fired, because I needed them to understand
that we may not have the money of CNN, but
we can still have high quality. And the fact that
was so crazy I did a panel with Property and
Game with a National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati,
and on the panel, the brother sitting next to me

(01:49:21):
he owned a barbershop in Cincinnati, and he really thought
he was being positive. He said, y'all, we really got
to support Roland Martin unfiltered. This is literally what he said.
He said, now, it's not going to look as good
as CNN. I was like, oh, oh, now we in church.
I ain't gonna tell you the second part of what
I said, just understanding. He got cussed out right there.

(01:49:45):
I said, hold up, bro, I got four K robotic
cameras in our studio. I said, no, my brother, I'm supporting. No, no, no, no.
You literally just said it's not going to look as
good as CNN. I said, they may make a billion
in profit. I said, but a four K camera is
a four K camera, and if you got good lighting,

(01:50:07):
you gonna look good. But he literally articulated that, and
he didn't even realize that he was actually degrading the product,
but he thought he was praising. So if we're going
to have these discussions about the state of Black America
and what we need to be doing and where we
need to be going, then there has to be a

(01:50:28):
what I call John O'Brien says, Black America needs a reboot.
I say, no, Black America has to be reprogrammed. There
has to be a reprogramming, and that's the real thing.
So and the reprogramming literally has to start with an individual.
So you can't have a great America without fifty states.

(01:50:52):
You can't have a great state without a great city, cities, neighbors, cities, neighborhoods,
neighborhood blocks, block, street, streets, houses, and then one house
and then at least one person in the house, and
then one person in the house. First of all infects
effects to create an effect of the people in the house.

(01:51:15):
So then it goes house, neighbors, block, street, block, neighborhood, city, state, country.
So if we're having the conversation, it literally has to
start with each person that is sitting in the chair
where you have to make a decision leaving here, how
are you now going to operate? And then when you

(01:51:38):
come back next year, you should be doing a personal
annual report. So what companies do and churches do this
as well and say this is how the company did
in the last year. So they give an annual report.
Well too many of us don't do annual reports as individuals.

(01:51:58):
So you come to these events and we do them
all the time, and we love having the conversations. And
I dare you to go to YouTube and go pull
up all of those State of Black America conversations Tavi
has had and go listen to all of the people
who were on those discussions, and then I want you
to listen to what they all suggested what we should
be doing. And then I want you then to do

(01:52:19):
while you're watching it, then go did any of those
people do the same thing that they were actually talking about?
And the answer you're going to discover is probably about
ninety percent of it was rhetoric and it amounts about
ten percent of action. So no matter what happens up
here in this fireside chat, you have to make a

(01:52:41):
conscious decision leaving here, what are you prepared to do?
And then how are you prepared to lead your family
and then lead your neighbors? And then it sort of
builds from there. And so we are a part of organizations.

(01:53:04):
And what I'm about to tell you understand, I said
this directly to the last five six Alpha presidents. I
said to the Brotherhood at our convention in Baltimore, and
I said it to all D nine organizations, and I've
sent it to the Boulet, and I've said it to
the Lynx, and now said to Prince Hall Masons, I
said to Eastern Star, I'm not interested in walking around

(01:53:25):
in our colors talking about how great we are if
we've never leveraged our organizations and we've never showed up
in mass at a city council meeting. And let me
just show you how easy this is. If the city

(01:53:45):
council meets once a month, that's twelve months. There are
nine D nine groups. If you add Prince Hall Mason,
Eastern Star and at the Links, that's twelve. That means
each organization all they got to do is show up
to one council meeting in the whole year. And so

(01:54:06):
now you say, okay, let's go to a county commissioner.
That's one county meeting the whole year, and then less
one school board meeting the whole year. So all you're
doing is asking folks to put their colors on. And
I need you to understand. Do you understand what would
happen if all of a sudden two, three, four, five

(01:54:26):
hundred folk in black and gold and pink and green,
and red and white, and all these different colors showed
up every month. Trust me, even the black elector the
officiould be like, Okay, I don't know what they're doing,
but because that's votes, so we sit around and shout
out how great we're doing. But if you actually look

(01:54:47):
at what we do, we're having internal conversations. My wife
was a delta. I was like, I don't know what
y'all meet about. Y'all meet too much, and your meetings
are too long. I'm being straight up you I it's adultacy.
Y'all know I ain't lying. I told y'all national president,

(01:55:09):
y'all meet too much. So if we're meeting so much,
what is the result that we're meeting? And is it
internal business or is it external business? So maybe the
reason people feel the way they do who are not
in Greek letter organizations because they ain't never seen us
outside of a party or an internal meeting. So maybe

(01:55:32):
if they saw us in our colors in the community,
moving different, they gonna respond differently. And so the exact
same thing happens with churches. They are in their men's group,
the women's group. We got all these different groups. So
how do ten twenty church men's group move when it

(01:55:55):
comes to black men, I'm not saying wait on path
to do it. It's communicating with other folk. And so
I need us to completely change how we are approaching
moving in our communities because right now it's not working.

(01:56:18):
I closed with this last night. I was in Memphis
yesterday for the third second and what juneteen Freedom celebration
and the person, the preacher that he talked about, he said,
I'm mayor who's black. He talks about how Memphis is
the blackest city in America, and I literally said I
followed that. I said, but you wanted the brokest cities.

(01:56:39):
I said, So, how can you be a city that's
sixty two percent black? You've had five black mayors, three
elected if all this black leadership, I said, and your
contracts are less than ten percent. I said, that's a problem.
And so I want us to get the outcome tonight
is to be thinking completempletely different about how we're going

(01:57:03):
to approach this conversation. So let's get it going.

Speaker 23 (01:57:11):
So listen, So Columbus is gonna be different.

Speaker 15 (01:57:14):
So I'm gonna tell you that right now, And I
just want to make one connection before we move to
the fireside chat. So I'm ask the brothers to come
up here and actually move these things. So just how
this works and people see Roland as a public figure,
which he is. But you know, I wouldn't say I
wouldn't share this, but I think you shared it. I
know you shared it the last day last year, this

(01:57:35):
brother literally, So the reason why he's here is also
because he is a personal figure too.

Speaker 1 (01:57:41):
This brother.

Speaker 15 (01:57:42):
Literally last year we sat in the car and talked
for five hours straight after the State of Black America event. Okay,
this is a busy man, right, So the reason why
we're here today is because this brother sets a stamp
that then I have to follow in this city that

(01:58:03):
I'm in, all right, And what I want you to
know is, so this is not gonna be like one
of those other States of Black America that he just
talked about you see on YouTube. This is gonna be
the beginning of a process that for the next three
years that we go talk about we have and we're
not unintentionally here in the church. We're gonna organize the
faith based community in the city of Columbus. We're gonna

(01:58:23):
organize black elected officials in the city of Columbus, and
we go organize around K through.

Speaker 23 (01:58:28):
Twelve education in the city of Columbus. So this is
not just a conversation.

Speaker 15 (01:58:32):
This is the beginning of a process, and it started
with this, brother said in a standard for me personally
last year. So I just wanted to say that publicly,
and I appreciate you so much. So we're actually gonna
pivot to the fireside chat. So I'm gonna ask all
our panelists to go up if if we can bring
some water upstage two, I'd appreciate it. Brother Kevin, you're around,

(01:58:56):
because I want to say one last thing sort of
related to this another.

Speaker 23 (01:59:00):
Okay, we go talk about the donations now, right.

Speaker 25 (01:59:05):
Let's try this one two one two one two all right? So, uh,
first of all, can we give it up again for
Roland Martin.

Speaker 1 (01:59:11):
Y'all all right?

Speaker 23 (01:59:13):
This?

Speaker 25 (01:59:14):
Uh, we all know a lot of people have great ideas,
but the work is a real thing and one of
the things that I've learned over my time. Obviously, only
Columbus Black Is is a black owned media platform. We
don't necessarily have the resources that we would like to
have to do the work that we want to do.
And so when Roland talked about what he's been doing,
you all will notice right now and there's a QR

(01:59:34):
code on the screen right If you scan that QR
code is going to give you the opportunity to contribute
to the war toward the work that he's actually doing.

Speaker 5 (01:59:43):
Right.

Speaker 25 (01:59:44):
One of the things that we recognize is that as
black owned platforms, entrepreneurs, black owned businesses, we tend to be,
like a lot of our community, under resourced, undercapitalized to
do the work that needs to be done. But today
you all have the opportunity to participate and help to
support what you see him doing every single day for
our community. So feel free. It'll be back on the

(02:00:07):
screen a little bit later. You can scan the QR code.
You'll have the ability to donate at different levels. Well,
appreciate the work you're doing, Roland, and we'll turn it
over and get ready for the panel discussion.

Speaker 23 (02:00:16):
Now, all right, does everybody have a microphone for the
most part?

Speaker 3 (02:00:19):
All right? Everybody got one. Okay, So we're gonna go
from that end, coming on down. Introduce yourself your title.

Speaker 1 (02:00:28):
Jim Clark, Senior Minister here, at First Church.

Speaker 26 (02:00:38):
Joe Stanley, senior pastor a Greater Twelfth Baptist Church.

Speaker 3 (02:00:42):
I got a question, Michael Young.

Speaker 27 (02:00:45):
I have the privilege and pleasure of being the lead
pastor of City of Grace Church.

Speaker 28 (02:00:53):
Derek Holmes, I'm the senior pastor of the historic Union
Grove Baptist Church.

Speaker 3 (02:01:00):
HOLDO for you these tables to spread out, y'all. Slide
y'all like y'all know each other, say COVID, slide down,
sitting far apart like ain't got nothing. Let's go all right,
keep going, there we go, there we go. Yeah, I
just break rules.

Speaker 1 (02:01:18):
I don't care. I don't Michael Cole, board President Columbus
City Schools.

Speaker 11 (02:01:30):
And once again, I am Sheila L. Davis, President and
CEO of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.

Speaker 3 (02:01:38):
And just can you do me? Can you just do
me a favorite of zooming? Go ahead, I do it.
But you're gonna you start. I'm gonna go zoom the
camera in because quiet.

Speaker 15 (02:01:46):
So my job actually is to is to do my
best to get out of the way, because just look
at the talent that you have on this stage.

Speaker 20 (02:01:52):
Right.

Speaker 15 (02:01:53):
So the first thing I want to say is this
is not unintentional. We are actually in the house of
the Lord. And when I think of I'm gonna say
some words to you, Bishop, and I'm gonna go start
off with you not just because you I'm not gonna
say just because you're old. I'm not gonna say it
just because you're old. But the reality is witness, worship

(02:02:18):
and works. You heard those words before. I know you've
heard those words before, Bishop, but just talk to us
a little bit about this idea about why those are
not just words, but when we think about the tradition
of the Black Church, why this conversation and particularly in
this particular moment regarding the state of Black America is

(02:02:39):
so important when it comes to our history and the
church and how we think about hope.

Speaker 1 (02:02:44):
If you wouldn't mind, well, I think there are several
ways to approach that.

Speaker 3 (02:02:49):
I am.

Speaker 5 (02:02:50):
Last week I had the opportunity to speak at Anderson
University in Anderson, Indiana for the next Preaching Clinic. And
it was an audience, a congregation almost evenly divided, and
doctor Cheryl Sanders and I were sharing in a setting

(02:03:14):
somewhat like this, and I was talking about the role
of the preacher, and it hit me as I looked
out that one part of the audience was getting with me,
and the other part was looking at me like a
cow looking at a new fence. And it dawned on
me that for our brothers and sisters of Lighter You,

(02:03:39):
they had no historical frame of reference for the demands,
the call, the responsibility that rest on the shoulders of
African American pastors slash preachers. And that is because even
though we don't like to frame this way, Black church,

(02:04:02):
White church doct King loved to quote that him in Christ,
there is no east, no west in Him, no bond
or free, just one great fellowship of love throughout the
whole white earth.

Speaker 1 (02:04:16):
That's true in Christ, not in America.

Speaker 3 (02:04:22):
That's it.

Speaker 5 (02:04:23):
And because of that we have to deal with the
tension that exists between the two communities. And so in
the African American Church, the black pastor doesn't have the
luxury of merely standing on Sunday morning and pontificating for

(02:04:44):
twenty two minutes, because we must be involved in the
warp and woof life and living of our congregants every
day in every way. And so we have a gospel
with shoe leather, and sometimes that shoeleathers worn out because
we're so busy going to various places, ministering in various ways.

(02:05:09):
So I see no dichotomy. I see no contradiction. I
don't even see a contrast, as it were, between witness, worship,
and work. They are symbionic, They are intertwined, interconnected, and
one gives legitimacy to the other. If my witness and

(02:05:29):
my work are not backed up, then my worship is empty.
And Paul says, you're sounding gong and you're a clanging symbol.

Speaker 15 (02:05:40):
Right, listen, and let me just say this, So, Brother Roland,
the way in which this is, and I'm gonna say
this to everybody. So my role is to kind of
just ask some questions, but I'm gonna throw it to
you at any point to kind of respond. And the
first thing I want to say is that our beautiful
sister on this stage, who has already introduced us, is
only there as a single sister. Because one of the

(02:06:00):
things that we wanted to do, and this is through
the vision of Bishop, is to make sure that we
had some of these younger generation of pastors here. So
I just wanted to make sure that you understand it
wasn't that. We were just trying to wait it till
the brother's side. This is really a conversation that we
want to have the Black church, particularly in Columbus, lead,
and so we have some of this brilliant leadership represented
throughout this church with that.

Speaker 3 (02:06:22):
So is she the only woman on the panel or
she's a single woman, I'll get what you're saying. I
was like, where are he going with this? Now?

Speaker 23 (02:06:33):
His brother got jokes?

Speaker 4 (02:06:33):
Now she said she both know.

Speaker 3 (02:06:35):
I was like, I don't know where he going with this?
We got a single woman on the panel.

Speaker 1 (02:06:40):
I was like, single sister on that to have a love.

Speaker 3 (02:06:43):
Connection, show what we're doing. Go ahead. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I just couldn't. It was like just sitting right there,
and I know some of y'all were thinking that y'all
didn't want to say it, but my should is called.

Speaker 15 (02:06:55):
These sisters right here said that ain't true. Now listen, So,
Brother Stanley, you're the youngest. I believe I could be
wrong on this, uh this panel.

Speaker 3 (02:07:05):
But huh okay, I you young.

Speaker 15 (02:07:12):
So we heard the words of Bishop which I think
it resonated with the audience here. And there's this profound
history of the Black Church. There's no doubt about that.
But my guess is that one of the questions that
you're thinking about is perhaps why is it, given that history,
that there are many people who don't think that the
Black Church today are meeting their needs? And so when
you think about that question, what sort of things come

(02:07:34):
to your mind about why is it the church perhaps
not necessarily seen as meeting the needs of our community today.

Speaker 26 (02:07:42):
One I want to say, I picked the wrong seat
sitting behind Bishop. I should have I should have set
somewhere else. However, to your point, I'm the I'm the
youngest pastor in the city, so I think my perspective
may be a little bit different. I would argue one
of the things we have to so with is the
reality that we're not in Kansas anymore. So the reality

(02:08:05):
of what the Black Church is and was has changed.
To what mister Martin said earlier, it's not about rebooting,
but it's about reprogramming. I would argue that the Black
Church has to rediscover our prophetic identity. Black Church, I
don't believe was never meant to just be a place,
but it was called to be prophetic. So my question is,

(02:08:27):
are we for those who feel like their needs aren't
being met. We might not be speaking or preaching or
teaching about what it is that people are dealing with
where their feet actually rests. We have to reclaim our
role as truth tellers and justice seekers and liberationists. In

(02:08:48):
the tradition of profits and the legacy really of the
civil rights movement, the church's relevance is tied to its
willingness to speak to the pain of black people in
real time, not to just preach salvation, which we must do,
but also fight for liberation. So I think we have
to rediscover our profiting identity while also moving from platform

(02:09:10):
to pavement. We can no longer be content with just
having powerful worship services inside our sanctuaries while the world
is on fire outside of our doors. Our ministries have
to be seen in sidewalks, on school boards and city
council meetings, at the corner store, at the rec centers.

Speaker 3 (02:09:33):
The church must become a community partner.

Speaker 26 (02:09:36):
So it's to the point where it can't just be
one day or two days Sunday and Wednesday, but seven
days a week to where we're meeting real needs, offering
mental health resources, offering economic support, offering re entry programming,
having housing advocacy meetings and more.

Speaker 1 (02:09:54):
I'll stop there.

Speaker 15 (02:09:56):
No, I appreciate that, So Roland before I actually pass
on to Pastor Young those things that he's talking about,
there's a big word. I'm sure I'm not going to
say it right because public theology. And you had a brother,
William Barber for your State of Black America, and I'm

(02:10:17):
just wondering, why do.

Speaker 23 (02:10:19):
You think it was important? Why did you think it
was important to.

Speaker 15 (02:10:22):
Have that brother talk from the moral perspective as of
the moral witness of the church as it relates to
the times and the struggles that we face.

Speaker 3 (02:10:31):
Well, first, Bishop Barber is not only a prophetic leaders
also my alpha brother, and he picked up the mantle
of the poor People's campaign. Doctor King was killed fourth
nineteen sixty eight, and they have been focused on poor,
working class, low income folks all across the country. But
he also is from North Carolina. North Carolina. They practiced

(02:10:52):
in the late eighteen hundred Fusion politics. People folk don't
understand is that when black folks have always fought for
changes in America, whether economically or politically, broke white people
benefited even though they vote against their vote against their interest.
And so one of the things that he did when

(02:11:13):
he was the state conference lead of the NAACP. And
actually I spoke at their last conference when he was
the state president. I I met four white women, they said,
but you ain't never met four white women who are
found as of an NAACP chapter in the heels of
North Carolina. So when they were doing moral Mondays, it
started with sixteen to seventeen people, and he told and

(02:11:36):
then of course, and then it just expanded a thousand.
He told me a story. He said they were at
a parade and he said his red neck walked up
to him with a Confederate flag draped around his neck,
but he had tears in his eyes and he had
Bishop Barbera. We don't agree a lot, he said, but
I gotta thank you, he said, because y'all's fight for
rural hospitals is impacting me. And so when I look

(02:11:59):
at religious leaders in this country, when I look at
a lot of the folks, it's a lot of folks
who are talking. It's a lot of folks who are
like remem somebody tells me, they say, man, that was
a great man pastor preached it. I then go, what
was the scripture and then give me what a lot

(02:12:20):
of preachers called the A Lewis Patterson three point principle.
They go. He was just I said, oh, so you
talking about the hoop part. You're not referencing the scripture.
So you got excited by the hoop part. But the
scripture sets up the end of the sermon, and that's

(02:12:42):
where too many of us are. So one of the
things that Bishop Barbara does, they are intense about data,
data collection, and he and no on the same page out.
I have no problem saying it. Out of all of
the civil rights leaders pastors that I've dealt with over
my twenty plus year career, he is the only one,

(02:13:08):
and I'm saying this very clearly, the only one that
understands organization, mobilization and data. So it's a lot of
folk who have rallies, but they don't know who's even there.
They've collected no names, no phone numbers, no addresses, no emails.

(02:13:29):
So after the rally, when you need them to show
up at the city council meeting, you don't know who
to call. They have the data, so they can send
the text message we need fifty of you here, one
hundred of you here, and so he and I talk
a lot about this, because that is one of the
greatest failures of black leadership is that oftentimes it's emotional,

(02:13:56):
but it's not data driven. We're not moving people in
a different way. So, for instance, and every preacher, he
will agree, one of the biggest mistakes preachers make is
they say I have X number of members, but a
real church doesn't count individuals. They actually say I have
X number of families, because a family is it transient mom, dad,

(02:14:22):
kids typically stay. Now it's multi generational. So real preachers
say I have X number of families, which is more
indicative of the strength of your church than individuals. And
so the data is important. And so that's what he's
focused on. What they're now doing when they break apart
of the big beautiful bill, which is more like a BBL.

(02:14:49):
When they break, they are breaking apart the bill on
the negative impact is going to have on low income,
working class poor people. He is trying to galvanize the
one hundred million plus working poor folk in this country.
Ninety million people didn't vote in the last election. Trump

(02:15:12):
did not except a majority of people, a majority of
those that voted. It's not a majority of the people,
and so we've got to have a different tact when
it comes to leadership. And we make a mistake when
we keep having rallies in protest. We're not collecting data
and we're not focused on what we do on the
Monday after the rally or after the protest. And that's

(02:15:34):
one of our biggest mistakes. And so that's his the's
that's the sweet spot in which he's been able to
really lead that movement. And last point, this is what
he does which is most important. When they have events,
impacted people speak. It's not loaded with politicians and preachers

(02:15:57):
and other and big names. They will have impacted people
speak first. And if you are a big name, you
have to sum up what the impacted people said. And
it's a whole lot of national civil rights leaders and
others who who won't show up to his major events

(02:16:19):
because he tells them it's not here, not here for
you to give a speech. We need to hear from
the impacted people. He wants the voice of the poor.
And that's why Biden never met with him, because the
White House wanted Barbara to meet with Biden, and Barbara said, no,
I got to bring impacted people with me, so you

(02:16:39):
can hear directly from these poor people and not from me.

Speaker 1 (02:16:43):
Thank you.

Speaker 15 (02:16:44):
So this idea, and again public theology is just a
big word, but this idea, what is the relationship between
the prophetic tradition.

Speaker 23 (02:16:52):
And public policy?

Speaker 3 (02:16:53):
Right?

Speaker 15 (02:16:54):
William Barbier, if you want to pull him up, talks
about this bill as the big, fat, ugly death dealing
bill and language is important. So when we listen to
these other pastors, and I'm going to go to Pastor
Young now, City of Grace, it's such a beautiful name,
I just want.

Speaker 1 (02:17:08):
To say that the reality is what no perfect is that? Right?

Speaker 15 (02:17:13):
We think about all this sort of potential, we think
about this tradition that Pastor Young talked about, all the
sort of needs that the church has. But the reality
is you've also just talked about and meditated on the
barriers for actually this tradition becoming what it is. And
so I think what I want to ask you to
just talk about is when you think about the black community,
and the black community has made up a number of

(02:17:34):
different sort of constituents, whether it be fraternity sororities, fathered organizations.
These lack of potential collaboration. The question becomes, how do
we use our individual platforms? How do you think about
how do we use our platforms to drive collaborations so
we can do some of the work that the church,
particularly the Black Church tradition, needs to do moving forward.

Speaker 3 (02:17:56):
Thank you for that question, Brother Jewel.

Speaker 27 (02:17:57):
First, want to give honor to Bishop Clark for you
hosting us tonight end up being such a great example.
Thank you for Brother Martin being in town with us.
If I can take thirty seconds, just point and privilege.
These two fine gentlemen talked about the Black Church, and
anybody who knows me personally and knows me intimately know
that I'm a defender of the Black Church, especially because

(02:18:19):
we see a significant migration of some of our most
gifted individuals leaving the Black Church in favor of the
White Church. I'm not saying that the Black Church is
not exempt from growth opportunities and maybe even points of criticism,
but I will put the Black Church's resume against any
other ethnicity's resume as relates to the uplifting of our

(02:18:41):
community every single day of the week. So I'm constantly
asking the question, why would you take your time, your
talent and your treasure and support an entity that is
never going to do anything of significance for your community.
It goes back to the old adage, and Brother Roland
spoke to this earlier. We just looked for white affirmation.

(02:19:04):
There was a story that somebody said white ice was
colder than black ice.

Speaker 3 (02:19:10):
They said, what do you mean?

Speaker 27 (02:19:11):
It said it was a ice shop that was owned
by a white man on one side of the street.
There was an ice shop that was owned by a
black man on the other side.

Speaker 3 (02:19:19):
Of the street.

Speaker 27 (02:19:20):
People went to the white shop, tasted their ice, went
to the black shop tasted their ice, and then they
took a survey and the conclusion was the white ice
was colder than the black ice. Right, this is the
mindset of the paradigm that our community struggles with.

Speaker 13 (02:19:35):
Right.

Speaker 27 (02:19:36):
So, the Black Church is far from perfect, but give
me the Black Church every day of the week over
any other come on somebody entity or ethnicity as it
relates to the uplifting of our community. Now to your question,
Brother Jewel, about collaboration, I would suggest that we are
in a day and a time where collaboration is not

(02:19:57):
a luxury, but it's a necessity.

Speaker 3 (02:20:01):
Right.

Speaker 27 (02:20:02):
Let me say that again, collaboration amongst the black community
is not a.

Speaker 3 (02:20:07):
Luxury, but it's a necessity.

Speaker 27 (02:20:09):
One of the reasons is is because those who seek
to pull down, tear down, disenfranchise the black community.

Speaker 3 (02:20:17):
They're already unified. Right.

Speaker 27 (02:20:19):
They can disagree on a whole bunch of other things,
but they're going to be unified on their agenda. Hence
Project twenty twenty five. President Trunk came in and he's
doing everything he told us that he was going to do.
And all his constituents come on, now, we're supporting him
and voted for him to do right, because they were unified,

(02:20:40):
they had a systematic plan, They already had synergy. So
for us as the black community, collaboration is not a luxury,
it's a necessity. Anything that we've ever done, great, we've
done it because of collaboration.

Speaker 1 (02:20:54):
Right.

Speaker 3 (02:20:54):
We can go back to the underground Railroad, Right.

Speaker 27 (02:20:56):
The reason why that worked and we took people from
bondage to freedom is because there was a system of collaboration.
We can go to the Montgomery bus boycott, it was collaboration.
We can go to the Civil rights movement as a whole,
it's collaboration. We can go to some of the transformative
things that happened in twenty twenty, Pastor Armstead, it worked
because of collaboration.

Speaker 1 (02:21:17):
Right.

Speaker 3 (02:21:18):
We all came together.

Speaker 27 (02:21:19):
Whatever little idiosyncrasies or disagreements that we had, we set
them aside for the uplifting and the benefit and the
blessing of our community as a whole. Collaboration is a
powerful thing. Now, if collaboration is the secret source, If
collaboration is so powerful, then the question has to become
a state representative. Why is this so difficult for the

(02:21:41):
Black community to collaborate, whether it be politicians, preachers, business owners, activists, Right,
why is it so difficult for us to collaborate. It's
because we become more concerned about who's going to get
credit for the success of the collaboration, instead of operating

(02:22:03):
with the mindset when the tide rises, all the boats
come on now that are in that particular tide rise.

Speaker 3 (02:22:09):
So we choose egos over advancement.

Speaker 27 (02:22:12):
We choose personalities and personas over progress, instead of us
coming together and saying, you know what, when you win,
I win too. Come on somebody, Right, the Bible tells
us rejoice with them that rejoice. But what we do
is is we start comparing and competing instead of learning
how to collaborate to go further as a community.

Speaker 3 (02:22:33):
But if we can shake that mindset and understand that.

Speaker 27 (02:22:38):
The scriptures say how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity or
in collaboration. It's said God commands the blessing there right,
God commands the blessing where there's collaboration and unity. And
now when we begin to move like that, now I

(02:22:58):
begin to understand it ain't just about me, but it's
about my brother it's about my sisters. So when I
get into my position, when I get my platform, I
understand that God is the one that gave me this platform.
And this platform ain't just for me to have Gucci
and Louie and drive good and live good. But this
platform is for me to open the door for somebody

(02:23:19):
else come on now, just like they do. I wish
I had a witness in the church tonight. If you
think about doors on the building, there are certain doors,
probably even on first church, there are certain doors that
don't open from the outside, right, they don't even have
a handle on the outside. Because there are certain doors
on every building that don't open on the outside, which

(02:23:41):
means they have to be opened from the inside, which
means if one of us gets on the inside, the expectation,
that demand and the mandate.

Speaker 3 (02:23:50):
From our community should be come on.

Speaker 27 (02:23:53):
Now, you open the door from the inside, and you
don't just sit pretty all by yourself, collaborate family, right.

Speaker 3 (02:24:01):
So that a preacher, Right, So I got to ask
a question. Name me the last major initiative at the
Black church moved as a collective and achieved a desire
result in Columbus, in Ohio, in America in the last decade.

Speaker 27 (02:24:26):
I think we can name at least one small win
twenty twenty George Floyd and marlt Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, everything
associated with that, Bishop Clark, myself, and really most major
Black churches in the city of Columbus. We came together
for what we labeled as a prestigious protest. It was
several thousand black men suited and Buddha we marched, and

(02:24:49):
to your point, protesting alone is not enough. After we
did the protest, then we sat down with elected officials
and began to talk policy.

Speaker 3 (02:24:59):
Right, We began to hold them accountable.

Speaker 27 (02:25:01):
In that particular moment, we recognized that it was a
prophetic season to where hearts were open and it was
coon by y'all moments. So we seize the moment to
get major changes in the FOP contract here in the
state of Ohio. The one that is here in Columbus
is the model for the one that is used around
the nation because it warnered the greatest protection for law

(02:25:25):
enforcement officers. However, in that moment, we utilize the momentum
of those protests policy discussions to get the charter changed
here in Columbus to now hold police officers more accountable
for what it is. In addition to that, the pressure
that we put on the police chief in that particular moment,

(02:25:47):
who was a white man who really had no favored
had no cultural confidence, yeah, no cultural competence.

Speaker 3 (02:25:57):
Yeah you following yep.

Speaker 27 (02:25:58):
So as a result, our mayor I commend him for this,
he hired a black woman to be our police chief.
Her first assistant chief is another black woman. They put
together a strategic plan to buy out the old culture.

Speaker 3 (02:26:13):
Right.

Speaker 27 (02:26:13):
It was the three million dollar investment from our city,
but it was three million dollars to invest in buying
out a systemic culture in our police that was twenty
twenty twenty.

Speaker 3 (02:26:23):
Twenty, and then what was the follow up to ensure
that those things are happening? Was it what happened twenty one,
twenty two, twenty three, twenty four.

Speaker 27 (02:26:33):
Yep, So we actually established a civilian review board here here.

Speaker 3 (02:26:38):
No no, no, I don't mean the civilian view board.
I mean the preachers, the churches. I'm going here for
a reason. So that was the issue. You moved together,
you collaborated to get that done. Did the group then
go what's next?

Speaker 1 (02:26:55):
Or was it just that?

Speaker 3 (02:26:58):
How was it sustained? How was the collective movement of
the preachers sustained to take on other issues?

Speaker 23 (02:27:07):
So here's what I can. You want to answer it historically?

Speaker 3 (02:27:10):
Go ahead, no no, no, no, no, I don't want historically.
I want twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four
to twenty five, because that's the point of how you
even started. We do something one time, and what we
then don't do is say what's next? The beauty of Montgomery,

(02:27:31):
the beauty of Montgomery. It was the Sisters in Montgomery
that actually started the boycott. It was the sisters and
then it was a one day boycott. Then they went
five and lasted three eighty two. After that, they then
went what's next? And so in order for us to
achieve the point of tabas say to Black America, is
how do we continue the collaboration after George Floyd to

(02:27:54):
the next and the next and the next and you
build upon that. That's why I'm just asking did that happen?

Speaker 15 (02:28:00):
Well, I think that you're gonna be excited about what
we're gonna be doing in the future. So I'm not
sure if we you know, sort of if it's we
can go back over that time period, but the reality
is exactly what we're doing tonight, and we're going to
actually look at the goals and objectives. The three year
plan that these bishops and pastors have actually worked on
in advance of this is exactly the type of work

(02:28:21):
that you are.

Speaker 23 (02:28:22):
Actually talking about moving forward.

Speaker 15 (02:28:23):
So if somebody wants to talk about those couple of years,
that's I'm open that up, but I'm also going to
say that what we're really interested in is doing exactly
that moving forward.

Speaker 5 (02:28:33):
You you reference the fact that I'm old, oh, and
I wear that proudly. I am the oldest person up
on this stage. Uh, and so are you almost seventy okay, yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:28:50):
Name it don't be almost sixty nine sixty eight sixty
eight point five.

Speaker 1 (02:28:56):
Right there, that one. Okay, Okay, let me.

Speaker 5 (02:29:02):
Because these are my sons and brothers and nephews. And
as Jeel said when he came to me about this tonight,
I said to him, Juel, at this point in my
life and ministry, I don't need anything. I've spoken at

(02:29:24):
every major convention, every major platform. I have every major
preacher's number in my phone. This isn't about me. I'm
trying to make sure this next generation of preaching prophets
are heard. That's why they're up on this stage. I

(02:29:45):
also said, you don't mind me putting our business in
the street. We met yesterday. I said, hey, Jeel Kevin,
great list. I don't see no sisters on here, and
we've got to make sure our sisters and our daughter
I represented on this. So let me quickly say, Barrowland,

(02:30:06):
I hear you. I agree with you. And if you
look at the Montgomery bus boycott, I wish we could
say the Poor People's campaign, but doctor King's death put
us in such traumatic shock. Poor doctor Abernathy and Jesse
and the all of them. They were traumatized. So what

(02:30:29):
could have happened in the Poor People's campaign just didn't,
Which is why Bishop Barber is so important and significant
because he's lifting that. I only bring that historical perspective
to say that what we're building on here in Columbus
Franklin County is next gin leadership. How do we speak

(02:30:54):
into them, empower them, engage them so that they are
equipped to go out and continue to build on what
we've done. But I do think it's important we do
not minimize what that civilian review Board will do and

(02:31:15):
what it meant to buy out racist police officers who
didn't live in this city and saw black people, particularly
black men, as objects of scorn and fear. Moving them
out has changed the whole trajectory of how we police

(02:31:38):
in this community.

Speaker 3 (02:31:39):
So the reason why, and so the reason why I
said that Martin Depp is white pastor. He was on
the executive committee of Operation bread Basket.

Speaker 1 (02:31:47):
Yes, sir, his book.

Speaker 3 (02:31:49):
His book is amazing, and he's still alive. This is
what he said. He said, of all the amazing campaigns
of bread Basket, he said, the greatest mistake that they
made was the follow up. So they would push protests
get a deal, and they succeeded in lots of different deals,

(02:32:11):
but they failed with the monitoring of the deal. So
the reason I put I said that is because we
can be we come together to do that one thing.
My point again when I say with turn in fifty thousand,
watch what then happens If we say okay, all right,
brothers and sisters, we did it, what's next? Then attack?

(02:32:32):
Then what's next?

Speaker 4 (02:32:33):
What's next?

Speaker 3 (02:32:35):
So in order for us to achieve it, we have
to have sustainability and also by bringing in other people.
When one person says, yo, I'm tired fined it, you
now have diverse leadership and say we'll pick the mantle up.
So we have to. So we have to keep pressing.
So it's great when we talk about the Black Church

(02:32:55):
in historical terms, the fear that I have fifty years
from now we'll still be referencing Montgomery and not anything
in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 23 (02:33:07):
But it's our job to actually change that.

Speaker 3 (02:33:09):
Yea.

Speaker 15 (02:33:09):
So and this is also because I know Roland. He
didn't see our agenda, so you know, we go actually
make sure he gets to that later on.

Speaker 23 (02:33:17):
So this is all in the plan that we have
for the city.

Speaker 15 (02:33:20):
Of Columbus and the reason why you're here in part brothers,
because we're going to be a model for the nation.
The reality is that I've convinced Roland over the last
year is that what we want to do is to
be a platform so he can bring us on as
a level of accountability and say, Mayor Bivens, what are
you doing now differently in the city of Whitehall, so

(02:33:41):
he can ask some of these pastors. So this level
of accountability starts here, so that we're not talking about
that history. But also I want to just say I
think some of that has to do with perhaps what
might be different now. And so what I want to
turn to you past the Holmes, is this idea that
there's something about this moment, you know, because somebody the
house of the Lord and so I won't curse, but

(02:34:02):
there's this idea that we've been suffering in this country
since the moment we arrived here. But the reality is
something feels like it's different now with this current administration.
And so this idea of what is the role of
the church, the role of education, the role of elected
officials seems different given what's happening now. So I want
to ask you just when you think about the moment,

(02:34:23):
now you think about reimagining what can happen, thinking about
what could be a black social agenda. Why is it
important for us now to actually think about this particular
moment in your opinion.

Speaker 28 (02:34:34):
I appreciate the question and to Bishop and to all
of those we're sharing on the stage, which really an
opportunity real quick. I'll go backward to go before because
I appreciate it what Brother Roland mentioned, and it's healthy
to have that type of accountability around being strategic moments
as opposed to movements. Because Pastor Young is so humble,
he didn't say it, I very much feel like bragging

(02:34:56):
on the Black Church. In an example that's in line
with what you're saying. The past two prosecutors in Franklin
County have been decided by the Black Church. That is
an empirical fact. You're supposed to be clapping right there,
that is an empirical fact. I don't have problems saying
names because this isn't my church. Amen Ron O'Brien was
the prosecutor and had some of the worst prosecutorial rates

(02:35:18):
for black people in the country. And because the person
that was running behind him had something that I won't
say on a camera happened. The Black church organized, pastors organized,
there were public forums around that, not just to have
conversation to bring out vote because that was happening during COVID,
and so when that happened, there was literally technology advances

(02:35:40):
where it was happening on zoom and all these other things,
not just to have conversation with the prosecutor about who
was next, but also to create accountability from that. There
were a group of clergy that met with the next
prosecutor when they were there to say, Okay, we're so
glad that you came to our church. Now let's talk
about the lack of representation in the office. Hey, let's
talk about the way in which when you try young

(02:36:00):
people as adults, that type of thing happens. And we're
going to get on your nerves until this changes. And
when you stop talking to us, if you don't listen
to us now, then I promise you you'll feel us.

Speaker 3 (02:36:09):
In November. That literally happened.

Speaker 28 (02:36:12):
And the reason why I'm bringing that up in context
is because when the next prosecutor ran, which by the way,
is a black woman, right, when that person ran, right,
it was the same type of accountability. So to your point,
when that happens, now it's a culture of accountability, So
we're not just voting on name recognition on anything else,
because there's something strategic that's happening. So I wanted to

(02:36:33):
lift that because I think you're right or around that
to the point about the moment that we're in, I'm
really tempted to think about this in a different way,
and I pray that you indulge me, because I think
there's an opportunity for us to all get on the
same page. This is not the first time that we've
had evil in high places. This is not the first
time that there's been a commander in chief who doesn't

(02:36:55):
value black life. This isn't the first time there hasn't
been hyper aggressive legislation to marginalize black existence.

Speaker 3 (02:37:03):
The difference, in my mind, and I harken back to.

Speaker 28 (02:37:06):
Montgomery and these other things in a historical context, is
because back then thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, we were fighting
for something. Now twenty twenty five, we're fighting to keep something,
and the agitation has to be different. And the reason why,
And I'm so glad that you lifted that, and I

(02:37:27):
don't know if you saw me point at it, Because
one of the things that we should be fighting for
right now is that there is a budget that the
state is trying to pass. Well over seven hundred and
fifty thousand Ohioans will lose medicaid, our elders will lose benefits.
And there are black pastors and the Black church that
is activating around that, and our white counterparts are silent

(02:37:49):
around it. The reason why I'm lifting this dichotomy in
this way in which we should think about the bifurcation
of fighting for something as opposed fighting to keep something,
is because I believe that we are in a moment
that before we do anything else, we have to take
back what's been snatched from us. We can wax poetic

(02:38:12):
all day, and we should have conversations about structures and
institutional oppression and the difference between racism and discrimination and bigotry.
Right we should have all of those conversations. We should
be pooling our resources, we should be organizing and collaborating
in certain types of ways. But here's where my concern is.
I'm not sure with all the things that get stolen

(02:38:35):
from us, that we realize that our fight has been
stolen from us. Listen, y'all should have invited me. Look,
they they want our culture, and they want to look
like us, and they want to dance like us, and
they want to wear their clothes like us, and they

(02:38:56):
even want to be with us because it gives them access.
Here's the thing that they've stolen that we don't realize.
They've stolen our fight. They've stolen the nerve of the preacher,
the nerve of the Black church. Because when it's nerve,
I'm not afraid to fight with you because I know
I win. You missed your shout. Let me try it

(02:39:18):
over here when I have my nerve. I'm not scared
to fight with you because I know I went y'all
too holy one more time for the holy goalt. Let
me try it in the churchy way. Uh he that
is in me, it's greater than he that is in
the world. So when I'm thinking about the moment, now's

(02:39:40):
not the time to perform and parade.

Speaker 1 (02:39:42):
Now is the time for us to fight.

Speaker 28 (02:39:48):
Now's the time for us to be speaking truth to power.
And Listen, I don't want to deal with the symptoms.
I'd really rather wrestle with the illness. If that's okay.
We've been oppressed in such a way to where we've
been deluded into thinking that the mountaintop is access. Say
it again, we've been deluded into thinking that representation is

(02:40:12):
the mountaintop. I'm not fighting just for representation. Our ancestors
fought for liberation.

Speaker 23 (02:40:21):
There's a difference.

Speaker 3 (02:40:22):
I don't have to beg you to know me is free.

Speaker 28 (02:40:25):
I was born free, and emancipation was cool because I'm here,
I'm not going anywhere else.

Speaker 3 (02:40:33):
But the goal should be for liberation.

Speaker 28 (02:40:36):
And there is nothing that has happened in the history
for black people, in the history of the United States
that we have ever gotten from the beneficence of the empire.

Speaker 3 (02:40:46):
Everything that we've gotten we've had to take bishop.

Speaker 1 (02:40:50):
Everything that we've gotten, we've had to fight for it.

Speaker 4 (02:40:54):
So hear me.

Speaker 28 (02:40:55):
I don't know if we're thinking about the moment the
same way, because maybe maybe we've gotten at ease.

Speaker 12 (02:41:03):
In Zion.

Speaker 28 (02:41:06):
Maybe maybe we've gotten to the point where it's the
fifty cent theology, get rich or die trying. Maybe we've
adopted the rhetoric of the oppressor. It's in your Bible
over in Exodus seventeen. They are liberated they are now
making their way on their way to the Promised Land,
and they say a crazy thing Pastor they become frustrated

(02:41:28):
along the wall because the wilderness is hard. You can
lose your life in the wilderness, and they become so
frustrated it's almost better to go back to where we were.

Speaker 4 (02:41:43):
And so I think we.

Speaker 28 (02:41:44):
Should consider the moment and really question where where is
our nerve? This is not the moment where we can
sit still in our spaces. This is actually the moment
where we have to fight. And if it makes somebody uncomfortable,
and if you lose friends, and if you don't get
invited to dinner, and if you have to find another
situation to be in, I feel like it tonight. If

(02:42:04):
you have to find another church to go to, if
it means that the organization don't call you as much,
it doesn't matter because I'm trying to make it.

Speaker 4 (02:42:11):
To what God has for me.

Speaker 28 (02:42:15):
So when I think about the moment, I think that
we should be really trying to rediscover the fight of
the Black Church, knowing that the God that's with all
of us, the God of Justice, is on our side
and it is stronger than the enemy against us.

Speaker 15 (02:42:32):
Sounds like some preachers in his house. Listen, and I'm
going to make maybe a small transition. What I hear
in this idea about nerve and particularly the role of
the church, and I hear a sort of prophetic tradition
behind there. The reality is that we've lost a lot

(02:42:53):
of faith in not just the church, in church as
an institution. Correct me if I'm wrong, board President, also
lost as a people faith and institutions like public education.
And one of the things I heard recently, at least
saw recently, was rolling to the piece on charter schools
and talking about how black parents are, you know, typically

(02:43:13):
used as sort of pawns in this sort of system
to think about and blame and shame what's happening in
public education. So would you just take a moment in
your in your wealth and knowledge and just talk about
one the role of the K through twelve education, but
specifically the importance of parent and parent involvement in K
through twelve education as it relates to policy educational policy

(02:43:34):
moving forward.

Speaker 1 (02:43:35):
Thank you, brother, and good evening, everybody.

Speaker 29 (02:43:38):
All right, let me start first and foremost by saying
what board members are responsible for. Most folks don't understand
what a Board of Education is responsible for We're responsible
for GPAs. We as board members, are responsible for GPA's

(02:43:59):
albeit when not in the classroom we're not providing instruction.
We're responsible for what is generative in our organization. We
do generative work around hire and fire and retire of
executive level leaders, of administrators, teachers.

Speaker 1 (02:44:19):
Right, we appropriate or excuse me? We create policy.

Speaker 29 (02:44:24):
We create policy, wrote one today, We create policy, and
the last is we appropriate.

Speaker 1 (02:44:34):
We do generative work to run the district.

Speaker 29 (02:44:37):
That's legal, that's any number of things that fall into
many laps, many of our laps that don't even in
certain other parts of local government. We do policy and
we do appropriation. We have a budget. We're working with
a budget at this point in time that is seriously
threatened to be cut by possible six hundred million dollars

(02:44:59):
between the state and federal government. Listen, what's happening in
our school district and school risks around the country.

Speaker 1 (02:45:08):
There are thirteen thousand of them.

Speaker 29 (02:45:10):
What's happening is that we're seeing this loss of faith
in our institution and large part and this is where
I'm off our counterintuitive approach to it. How much do
we culturally value it how much do we give real
cultural value to our education pre K through twelve? How

(02:45:33):
many of us, irrespective of what our situation is. And
this is not indicting. It's an opportunity for us to
do some inward work, some me work to figure out
how we succeed with our we work. We got to
do the met work first. What have I done is
the parent? What have I done as the volunteer? What

(02:45:55):
have I done in relationship with the school to get
to know what school's are offer, to get to know
how students are performing. If I were to ask you
back to this j GPA question, if I were to
ask you a question about Columbus City Schools twenty twenty
five cohort what their average GPA was, what would you guess?

(02:46:19):
Throw out a number? Two point five, two point two,
two point three. Okay, now that's a C average. It
would surprise you to know that you're graduating cohort and
a cohort in the state of Ohio is ninth grade

(02:46:42):
through twelfth grade students who started in ninth grade and
finished together in twelfth grade. That graduating way, That GPA
is a two seven, that's a B average.

Speaker 1 (02:46:56):
In the state of Ohio.

Speaker 29 (02:46:57):
Now, listen, there's works continuous improvement opportunity. But any of
us who understand education know very well that this ain't
no one hundred yard race. This is a marathon. This
is a twenty five k And for some of us
who then put kids through college, we understand the work

(02:47:19):
still continues on after that and running alongside them.

Speaker 1 (02:47:25):
I ain't getting no amen on that one.

Speaker 20 (02:47:29):
Huh.

Speaker 29 (02:47:29):
You taking care of their cats and paying their bills.
My wife and I just became grandparents of cats. But
I say that all to say that it's important that
we do the work first, and the work is.

Speaker 1 (02:47:46):
Understanding the relationship.

Speaker 29 (02:47:48):
I love how Pastor Young talked about how good it
is to dwell among brothers and unity. There's a feeling
that's derived from that. There's a feeling that derived from that,
there's a culture that follows that. The greatest perpetu perpetuator
of joy or sin is culture. So what about what

(02:48:11):
is your work in terms of coming to a school
and helping the school turn out instead of you turn
showing out?

Speaker 1 (02:48:21):
Come on?

Speaker 29 (02:48:21):
Now, how many of us are showing up to school
to elevate our students.

Speaker 1 (02:48:27):
To give them with the wisdom that they need. One
of the.

Speaker 29 (02:48:30):
Biggest issues I think that confronts the church and schools
is this.

Speaker 1 (02:48:35):
Thing right here, this thing right here, and how it's
so easy to get information, whether you know it's true
or not.

Speaker 29 (02:48:46):
But how easy it is for our young generation of
folks to continue to disassociate themselves from those guardians like
us who love them, who try to nurture them, who
try to bring them up, who try to encourage them
and provide fiscally for them.

Speaker 1 (02:49:01):
But they in their room, on that phone.

Speaker 29 (02:49:03):
They're distanced away because they're looking for knowledge, relationship, and
everything else that they otherwise would get in this kind
of commune on that phone, in a virtual community, in
a virtual space.

Speaker 1 (02:49:16):
I am not discounting the value of it. It does,
but it does not have.

Speaker 29 (02:49:21):
Greater value than this right here, than your actual presence.
It does not have greater value than your actual presence.
And the spirit of it, the spirit of it. These
are the things that we're supposed to train a child
up in so that when they become adults, they will
not depart on the political side.

Speaker 1 (02:49:42):
I'll say this.

Speaker 29 (02:49:45):
There's a passage in the fifth chapter of Matthew to
the Attitudes. It says you know one of them is
blessed is the merciful, for they shall Jane mercy, Lord,
have mercy. We are are in the space where politics
is local. I work within local politics, but as of late,

(02:50:06):
politics has become straight local. I have a state legislature
that don't want to hear from boards of education. We've
come to provide testimony and do everything else. They're threatening
not only the cut funding, but they're also threatening to
pay more towards charter schools. At this point in the

(02:50:30):
state of Ohio, nearly one billion dollars has been afforded
to charter schools.

Speaker 1 (02:50:36):
And private schools here in the state of Ohio.

Speaker 3 (02:50:39):
So I got a question, Yes, sir, how many black
run charter schools in Ohio?

Speaker 4 (02:50:45):
No?

Speaker 3 (02:50:45):
No, no, no, no. See is one of the greatest
mistakes we were making. We consistently talk about controlling our kids' education,
controlling the contracts, control who gets hired. How many actual
school districts do we run? Now? Why am I saying

(02:51:06):
that there's no system in America that white folks did
not create. So if there is a charter system that
allows for me to control the curriculum, the hiring, and
the contracts, Why am I going to allow them to
be running it. I've spoken all across the countries for

(02:51:28):
charter schools because I want black people running them, controlling them,
controlling it. Now, I believe in aw for onrm's education,
but if there is a system that has been created,
I'm not checking out of the process. Now. I hate
sorry charter schools. I want them out of business. I

(02:51:49):
want sorry charge operators out. But here's what I'm saying.
The mistake that we have been making is we have
been checking out of a process of as are checking in.
And there are real examples of black run charters schools,
networks where black people are killing it. And what we

(02:52:11):
should be doing is going to friendship public charter school
in DC and sitting down with them saying, how y'all
doing this? The there's a brother Hartnit. I had him
on the show in DC. He worked in the traditional
school where the black boys were failing in science and math.
He launched his own school down the street, took the

(02:52:32):
exact same boys, and now they love in math and science.
So all I'm saying is I'm not I'm gonna I
have fought. I spoke against the Texas voucher scam because
it was a total scam. I've spoken against horrible charter schools.
What I will support is if I can control that school,
and I can educate our kids, and I can control

(02:52:53):
who gets hired, and then I can control the contracts.
That means black people should be saying, Okay, y'all gonna
create a system, We're gonna run that system too. And
it's sitting right there, and we have black examples, Steve Perry,
what he's doing, Hart Kneit, Friendship Public charter School. There
are schools in Memphis. I just want us to be

(02:53:14):
thinking differently about it. Because I went to all traditional schools.
I went to school from K through college. I roll buses.
It doesn't mean that I don't want to control those
schools too. So I want us thinking differently about education.
I want to run both. For me, it ain't either
or it's both.

Speaker 15 (02:53:33):
And so listen, thank you so much for the times
people might recognize that we actually are going a little
bit late. It's what happens when you have brilliant folks
on the stage, particularly pastors. So what I want to
do is, actually, with your permission, everybody is to actually
absolutely we definitely gonna get sistered there.

Speaker 23 (02:53:52):
But I just yeah, I.

Speaker 15 (02:53:53):
Wasn't, man, I wasn't using this as it means by
I was gonna say this this. After President Davis gets done,
we're actually going to skip you go, man, listen, you
got me up there, so listen with your permission. After
President Davis gives her remarks, we're actually going to skip
the community question and answer just apologies, and what we

(02:54:16):
want to do is to really get to this whole
idea of what are the next steps because again, these
brilliant bishops and pastors we've been meeting to actually talk
about the next three years, so not just about problems,
but what are the next steps. So absolutely, and again
very much with what both Roland and President Cole we're
talking about. President Davis, you have been very intentional and

(02:54:37):
in your role in creating space for the Ohio Legislative
Black Caucus Foundation about the importance of black people and
black organizations being able to own their own and to
actually do things like Roland talked about, have our own data,
organize around on our own sort of political issues. So
please share with us in your own opinion. And I'll

(02:54:57):
say this very last thing because this time ye Roland.
One of the first questions that we talked about was
this no idea about black men voting more Republican. Obviously
we have this issue that happened in election. And so
President Davis, I know you've thought about real deeply this
important question about what does it mean for black men
and black women working together, but especially when it comes

(02:55:17):
to creating our own institutions to drive our own sort
of policies and issues moving forward.

Speaker 22 (02:55:23):
So first, thank you guys.

Speaker 11 (02:55:25):
Although I'm the last person to speak, I am not
a pastor, but I'm going to talk about policy.

Speaker 3 (02:55:30):
And I'm gonna mean you bootleg right.

Speaker 11 (02:55:34):
And I'm going to talk about my love for black
people and black Ohio and why I sit here today.
Political things happen, which is why I'm no longer in office.
But to your point, I chose not to go home, right,
I chose to do something different from the outside end.
And I have to give a real shout out to

(02:55:54):
Representative Dantavius Gerald's I remember he called me. This was
probably in August of twenty twenty three. I left office
December of twenty twenty two. He said, I need you
to do something for me. I said, what, because he
always wants something. He said, I need you to apply

(02:56:19):
for this position. I need you to take over the
Ohio Legislative Black Hawcus Foundation.

Speaker 22 (02:56:25):
I said nope. He said, what do you mean.

Speaker 11 (02:56:29):
I said, I don't want to be bothered. He said,
sus I need you to do this. We need to
elevate our work from the outside end. I said, I'll
think about it. So I applied for it and I
got offered the position, which is how I am now
the President and CEO of the Ohio Legislative Black Hawcus Foundation.

(02:56:49):
But what I'm not about to tell you is this
fluffy story. I'm gonna tell you the truth. It was
a dying organization, extremely underfunded. To be perfectly honest, with
no funding. You know where I went wrong when I interviewed.
I did not ask what is the budget?

Speaker 22 (02:57:08):
Now I've beget I did not.

Speaker 3 (02:57:12):
Mistake you always ask about the money.

Speaker 11 (02:57:15):
Absolutely, But my passion was for us and I was
determined to turn it into something. So I started working
on a strategic plan. I started thinking about and projecting
and having the vision for where we needed to go,
how we could be a convener across the state of
Ohio for every entity, for pastors to come in to

(02:57:39):
talk about police brutality, for educators to come in to
talk about what's happening in the school district and at
our charter schools. One thing I will share with you
guys that is in the current budget that our white
Republican legislators and a black one wants to do is
to decrease account of bill for our charter schools.

Speaker 22 (02:58:02):
That is a problem. That's the issue.

Speaker 3 (02:58:05):
So we have to.

Speaker 11 (02:58:06):
Ensure that the standard and accountability of educating our children
is represented at the most highest level.

Speaker 22 (02:58:15):
With that, I thought about all the other things.

Speaker 11 (02:58:19):
Black mothers are dying along with their baby steel at three.

Speaker 22 (02:58:25):
Times the rate of white women. Why is that happening?

Speaker 11 (02:58:30):
It is simply happening because when they see us, they
see us, they see us as black folk and nothing else.

Speaker 3 (02:58:40):
It happened to Serena. So is that a money issue?
Absolutely happy to Serena Williams.

Speaker 22 (02:58:44):
It is literally just this that we can't change.

Speaker 11 (02:58:48):
And so I am intentional about sitting in this position
and making sure I go across this state and I'm tired, y'all.
I am tired and make sure that people understand who
the foundation is, why we exist and what my expectation is.
It is to hold our black elected officials accountable and

(02:59:11):
all white ones, but also understanding that with the accountability
this brother right here, this sister back there, that is
two of ninety eight members of the House, and then
I see Senator Craig over there, one of thirty five.

(02:59:33):
So while we sit in these positions, that's still not enough.
I think someone over here said, representation isn't always just
what it's about. It is how you all get involved,
how you all show up. Someone said this earlier during
our precession. Do you know how many times I said
in a committee hearing? And I wanted to look out

(02:59:55):
into the audience and see my people affirming me, because
it is difficult to be a black woman and speak
truth to power.

Speaker 22 (03:00:05):
And I'll take it back a little further.

Speaker 11 (03:00:08):
I started my political process from working for the Public
Defender's Office in Kyahoga County. A young man was charged
with rape black man. When I went to visit him
in the jail, I was sitting there waiting. It was
a Monday morning, and they line up all the inmates

(03:00:28):
because all the attorneys and everyone is there. What I
saw was an image of a modern day slave ship
and us being ushered through.

Speaker 22 (03:00:37):
That image never left my mind.

Speaker 11 (03:00:40):
And when I saw the young man, I saw my son,
who at the time was seventeen, and I thought, what
if my son were on the other side of this glass.
I left, I went home, and I kept saying, what
am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?

Speaker 22 (03:00:54):
Because it ain't this, it's not law.

Speaker 11 (03:00:58):
And I woke up the next day and I feel
like the Lord said, run for office, and so I
did what I thought.

Speaker 4 (03:01:02):
What am I going to run for?

Speaker 11 (03:01:04):
I ran for city council in a city that was
forty seven percent black, pretty working class community, nothing high
for loot, nothing extremely poor, but the entire government was white.
I was the first black woman elected to city council
in twenty nineteen. No, I don't want any collaps for that.

(03:01:24):
That's a problem. The city had been around for one
hundred and one years. How how but it took me
to want to stand up and do something. After that,
I said, I'm running for mayor. I just thought I
was everything at that point, but then white folks showed
me that I wasn't gonna be their mayor. Okay, I
got death threats and everything else under the sun. But

(03:01:47):
it has not stopped me, which goes back to this
full circle moment. We need our black men and women
to come together. Because I was a single woman, I
believe that I got the level of attacks that I got.
I did not have black men standing up and supporting me.

(03:02:08):
But they wanted me to run for office. Everybody and
they Mama called me. I got a parking ticket, The
police did this, they did that, but not one of
them stood with me.

Speaker 22 (03:02:17):
And this is not an attack on black men.

Speaker 11 (03:02:20):
This is the reality of what we've got to do
better in twenty twenty five going forward. They want us
to stay divided, and so we have to come together.
We have to build one another up. I need every
black woman and every black man in this room to
stand beside me and be and help to empower me.

Speaker 22 (03:02:40):
We all need that.

Speaker 11 (03:02:42):
It is so critical and so important that Ohio, we
look at what we're gonna do the state of Black America.

Speaker 22 (03:02:48):
Let's talk about the state of Black Ohio. We're developing
a report.

Speaker 11 (03:02:53):
We are going community to community to hear the voice locally,
turn those conversations into actual data, use that data to
develop policy to drive change. At the State House, and
I am charging my brother, Assistant Minority Leader, Dontavius Gerald,
with the duty and the responsibility to help push these

(03:03:15):
policies forward. We can't just sit at the table and
have these conversations. We need to know what it is
that everyone needs for us to be in power. I
know the clock is taken, but I didn't get to talk, y'all,
so you know, I just want to talk a little anyway.
It's so important that we understand how all of this

(03:03:37):
ties together. You can't have a school board, you can't
have a council, you can't have soap. You can't eat
french fries from McDonald's, which you shouldn't eat anyway without
policy being involved. Policy is in every single thing we do.
Somebody down there east McDonald's French fries.

Speaker 23 (03:03:58):
Bishop turned a little bit quick.

Speaker 3 (03:04:00):
You mentioned that somebody probably I want a McDonald's franchise.

Speaker 11 (03:04:05):
They like, I mean, I'm just saying, But my point is,
policy is in every single thing that we do. And
if you don't want to run for office, if you
don't want to go to the state House, reach out
to the Ohio Legislative Black Caucaus Foundation. My goal this
year was to raise five hundred thousand dollars. And if
I'm being transparent, and I had this conversation with you

(03:04:28):
about three weeks ago, I've raised eighty eight thousand dollars
so far.

Speaker 22 (03:04:32):
This is June.

Speaker 11 (03:04:33):
This report that I'm trying to do is going to
cost us four hundred thousand dollars to go across the
state with all the researchers, develop the marketing and all
of that. That five dollars, that twenty five dollars, that
ten thousand dollars matters and situations like this. While everything
is happening at the federal level, it is happening right

(03:04:54):
here twenty minutes away at Caps Square. I need the
support of everyone. I need the Black Church, I need
the pastors. Bishop don't go get no more fries donated
to the Ohio Legislative Black Authice Foundation.

Speaker 1 (03:05:07):
I hear you, listen. Did you want to finish this statement?
Just but you yes? Go ahead.

Speaker 11 (03:05:15):
This report will be so critical in how we move
policy forward, which will then tie into what Jules has
been working on that we're gonna talk about in the end.
I will end with that, but please go to www
dot Ohio o Lbcfoundation dot org Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.

(03:05:37):
If you can't donate, follow, If you can't donate, share,
We are trying to do the work to ensure that
our voices are heard and not silent.

Speaker 5 (03:05:47):
Thank you, Let's get demands, Juel and Kevin is a
There is a moment in any mass group where you
reach the point of Domini returns. And I think we're
in the words of my grandma printing there there. But

(03:06:07):
I we want to have brother Rowland, he and I
were gonna wrap it up. I'm gonna defer to you.
I'll be standing up there Sunday morning, so I'm gonna
defer to you. Our beautiful young ladies are still here
to dance, and we're gonna all stay to see them dance. Okay,

(03:06:31):
I'm waiting. We're going to all stay and see our
daughters dance. So unless unless you are doing open heart
surgery at a hospital in the next thirty minutes, everybody's staying.
In the words of my brother Marvin Sap, close the doors,

(03:06:55):
Close the doors. Ain't nobody else leaving close the door.
I know we've got Kevin. We're gonna talk about the offering.
Let me just say this and then we're gonna have
Brother Rowland come and wrap it up. Tonight has been great,
But Columbus, we don't need anyone to make us get together.

(03:07:21):
We can do this again on our own. Come on,
because there are more things. We won't get to do,
the community involvement because it's nine oh seven. But we
do want our daughters to dance. We do need to
make the appeal. So we support brother Rowland. Brother Rowland,

(03:07:50):
and I want us to hear that. And then but Jule,
but Kevin, whatever you want to do, But I'm gonna
defer my time and release that to brother Rowland and
let him have all of the time.

Speaker 3 (03:08:02):
So I'm a firm believer in the what's next, So
you're outside of the pressing. So when you they were
mentioning education in churches, I've been saying this for the longest.
Every church should establish at least a quarter mile radius
around their church, and then just like in the Bible,

(03:08:22):
they should do a survey of every home in that
radius to know where the children are in those homes,
what grades they are in. Churches should be tapping into
retired teachers in their congregations and use their churches as
after schools, study halls for the kids who need help.

(03:08:44):
That's a very basic thing that can easily be done.
So that's one thing. But what you have to do
as individuals this here, so Jules said, they've already collected
the data of everybody who's here. What I want you
to decide. I want you to decide. I don't want
you to make a list of things that you care about.
I want every person in this room to pick one

(03:09:09):
issue that is the most important to them, and I
want you to commit yourself over the next three hundred
and sixty four days to that thing. Now, when they communicate,
when they when y'all communicate with the team here, I'm

(03:09:29):
assuming they're going to put together various different teams and
so who who's focusing on education, who wants to do
economic empowerment, who wants to do this? And that's the
only thing I want you to do for the next year.
So that way when you come back next year, you
can now do an assessment of what did you accomplish

(03:09:52):
in the last three hundred and sixty four days, Because
we're excellent at making lists, and then a year later
we pull it out. If we actually pull it out
and all we were successful at was making the list.
And so if you do that, now you're tailoring your
focus to one thing, and then you're able to see

(03:10:15):
how you're aligning with other people. That's how basic. That's
really how basic and fundamental this thing is. Second thing
is this here, and that is as a part of
your creation, and that you can do this within a
church or even as a city wide situation. Is if
we talk about education, this is this is very people.

(03:10:39):
I speak all of it, and people give me plaques
and stuff. That's great and wonderful. I would like for us, now,
if you've got a plaque business, I understand by my
to hirtial feelings, I would rather us hand folk books
instead of plaques. All a plaque does is sit, y'all.

Speaker 1 (03:10:59):
Y'all.

Speaker 3 (03:11:00):
I literally got about four five hundred of them, but
I prefer my books. Second, encourage barbers. Stop having conversations
in your barbershops about how the brother how many points
he scored. When you see a young brother or sister,

(03:11:20):
you should be asking them what are you reading? Follow
me here, but what are you reading outside of school?
I did that with my barber's son, and they were
talking about his basketball exploits I said, no, no, I said, Cotton,
what are you reading? I said, next time I come
in here, said yo, see when I get I said,
when I'm in here hours of a book in my hand,

(03:11:41):
I want to know the title, the author, and what
the book is about. These are very practical things we
can do tomorrow that then will completely change what happens
in our communities. And the last point is this here
create a day. And my man Pastor Kenneth Whaleam in

(03:12:02):
Memphis did this. They forgot that it was on Mondays.
And what they did was they focused on specific black
businesses every mondy. And so imagine if you say ro church,
stand point or whatever this month, we're supporting this restaurant.
That was a video that folks did on Instagram where

(03:12:26):
a sister had a store and they did a massive
black buy in. She looked up and two hundred folks
showed up and they bought everything in her store. So
now you sit here now collect stores, restaurants and the
lack of businesses. Now all of a sudden, as a collective,

(03:12:48):
you're moving and impacting economically. These are very small basic steps.
And I'll close with this here and the reason and
one of the reasons why when the pastor said, well
it was small, one small thing we did. This is
what we missed with what doctor King and the leaders
also understood. The people have to keep seeing progress, so

(03:13:11):
we have to keep celebrating the small win. So if
last Monday we generated eighteen thousand dollars in business for
this black business. So after we do those things, we
got to tell the people what we did, because what
we're essentially doing what this is all about. The biblical

(03:13:31):
model for what we're talking about here is actually Neamiah
Niamiah got the call. The wall had crumbled. He was
in pain. The king said, go check it out. I'll
let you go. Namiah went back, saw it came on
with the plan. Here's the key part. He gave the vision.

(03:13:53):
What it says the people said, let us rebuild and
building by himself. Second most important thing is if you
keep reading two three and four, is that it lists
the people who built the section of the wall. So
if you are on one part of Columbus, you can't
be worried about the other side of the city if

(03:14:15):
you're not focusing on your portion of the gate. So
we think in those terms the wall got rebuilt. Now
I also remember that were haters, and the hatters said,
y'all ain't gonna do it. Neil I said, keep building.
Then the haters then said, oh, we gotta stop different building.
There are going to be some people who look like
you who are trying to stop this movement. And nil
Mi said, keep one hand on your weapon, but you

(03:14:35):
keep building on the other. The point there is the
wall got built because they focus on gate By gate
By gate. This can actually work. And you actually don't
need to start with anybody who's not even in this room,
because there are more people who are sitting in this
room right now than we're sitting in that church in

(03:14:56):
Montgomery when they launched the boycott. The only way this
works if the people here decide that you are committed
to doing this. And then when you do this, and
you come back next year and you do your annual
report and you say, we increased by two three million

(03:15:18):
dollars to these black owned businesses. We kept this bookstore open,
this business launch, this happened, This happened with test scores.
Then people said, we did all that in a year.
And your response is to clap and scream and then
say what's next?

Speaker 1 (03:15:36):
Thank you?

Speaker 25 (03:15:43):
All right, all right, so uh, let's do one thing.
Let's give it up for Roland Martin one more time, y'all?

Speaker 1 (03:15:53):
All right?

Speaker 25 (03:15:53):
So, uh, before I bring up another special guest for
a very brief message, you all see that we have
the QR code on the screen. We want to keep
those donations rolling. One of the things that Juli and
I have been talking about a lot and rolling as
well on his show. We have to go from protests
to invest He just dropped the message right there, right.
We have to get behind each other, support each other,

(03:16:14):
see the progress that we make, and then keep on
doing it because we can do it when we work together, right,
we always make it happen.

Speaker 1 (03:16:22):
So with that, I'm actually to continue to contribute.

Speaker 25 (03:16:24):
As we continue with the program, I want to introduce
our President of the National pan Hellenic Council of Columbus,
Mister Adrian Moore, is gonna come up and give us
a very quick speech, and then we're gonna continue with
the program to wrap up.

Speaker 23 (03:16:38):
All right, it's all yours, brother Moore.

Speaker 16 (03:16:43):
It's all all right. I don't know about a speech, but.

Speaker 30 (03:16:47):
I'll try to make this first and foremost thank you, Bishop,
and I hear a lot of AFI. So that's just
make sure we clear real to the queues, over to
the queues. All right, Hey, don't don't do that. I'm
gonna have to get you out of here. I'll help
you get out of here. Brother, good evening, everyone to

(03:17:11):
our esteem speaker, journalist, thought leader, and proud member AFI
A Fraternity Incorporated, Mister Roland Martin, We welcome you with
gratitude and respect.

Speaker 16 (03:17:20):
Thank you to all the Divine nine family. Can you
please stand our allies the greater Columbus community.

Speaker 30 (03:17:29):
Tonight is proof of what we can achieve when we
move beyond what divides us and focus on the strength
we share our unity out.

Speaker 23 (03:17:38):
To lock the door.

Speaker 30 (03:17:40):
The National Panelantic Council or NPAC you can remain standing,
has a broad and powerful reach with over one point
five million members worldwide. As members, we are at charge
with the responsibility to be aware of social issues that
impact our people, to stay informed no matter our political
or religous views, to act with conviction. Even as nonpartisan body.

(03:18:06):
Here in Columbus, we just don't show up.

Speaker 3 (03:18:09):
We lead.

Speaker 16 (03:18:11):
We're fifteen active local chapters.

Speaker 30 (03:18:13):
We're among the most engaged INNPAC chapters in the nation,
but engagement isn't enough anymore, you are.

Speaker 16 (03:18:22):
We must unite.

Speaker 30 (03:18:25):
When new policies threaten the health and safety of our communities.
We must unite when suicide rates among our people of
color continue to climb, with Black Americans seeing a fifty
eight percent increase in the last decade.

Speaker 1 (03:18:41):
We must unite.

Speaker 30 (03:18:43):
When the Columbus Dispatch reports it could take seven hundred
years for black residents to reach the economic equity with
their white neighbors. Once again, what we must unite so tonight,
it's more than a program, family, more than the program.
It's a call for action. Let's listen, Let's learn more importantly,

(03:19:09):
de nine, Let's leave right, Thank you, Let's.

Speaker 1 (03:19:15):
Get to work. Thank you tonight, thank you, Thank hey.

Speaker 5 (03:19:21):
Kevin, real quick, I want us to acknowledge a living
legend in this room, Dr Joel King. Celebrate doctor Joel King.
Tonight you sir, you come on, celebrate him. We love you,
my man. He knows and is tr Row still here,

(03:19:45):
tr stand up. Tier is running for city council. Come on,
we gotta get her in there. We gotta get her
in there.

Speaker 10 (03:20:09):
Oh God, so much.

Speaker 7 (03:20:14):
Te thank God for.

Speaker 10 (03:20:25):
So many wonderful blessings.

Speaker 1 (03:20:30):
And so.

Speaker 10 (03:20:33):
Many of bts.

Speaker 31 (03:20:39):
Over mas.

Speaker 23 (03:20:52):
Be today.

Speaker 7 (03:21:00):
That's why I crace you.

Speaker 22 (03:21:06):
And hennese u.

Speaker 7 (03:21:13):
Chre po waking me on this mon first starnomy on
my hide.

Speaker 10 (03:21:32):
So I didn't seen the sunshine.

Speaker 7 (03:21:37):
The rock dude, see.

Speaker 31 (03:21:47):
The need sho.

Speaker 10 (03:21:49):
Okay, that's why I hurt you. That's why I praise
you for.

Speaker 31 (03:22:05):
The hot sun. Do you mean to be snap.

Speaker 8 (03:23:03):
Fo or.

Speaker 10 (03:23:08):
Fido you see.

Speaker 3 (03:23:16):
Or as.

Speaker 10 (03:23:24):
Us si?

Speaker 1 (03:25:23):
All right?

Speaker 23 (03:25:23):
All right, all right, all right, let's give it up, y'all.

Speaker 1 (03:25:26):
Let's give it up. Then you give it up with DEPA.

Speaker 12 (03:25:31):
D E.

Speaker 17 (03:25:34):
D E.

Speaker 15 (03:25:38):
Excellent, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. keV okay,
excellent job.

Speaker 27 (03:25:51):
D E.

Speaker 25 (03:25:59):
All right, alright, all right, so listen y'all. Obviously, uh,
this was an amazing performance. Can we give me one
more round of applause real quick for depth of y'all?
All right, so we have reached that point. Obviously, people
are ready to leave and head out once again. For
those that have been trying to scan, many of you
been able to get through. If you have not, the

(03:26:20):
domain is there State of Black America to fundraisermile dot com.
You can actually go there or if you can come closer,
you can still scan it, you'll be able to donate.
This will also be shared for everybody who rs REPEED.
You will get an email with the way for you
to donate to contribute to the cause, how to scan
or how to Okay, so use the camera on your phone,

(03:26:43):
don't take a picture of it. Wait for the yellow
prompt to come up. Tap the yellow prompt

Speaker 24 (03:26:49):
That little button and it'll button, and it'll button and

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Roland Martin

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