The Black Perspective: March 14, 2026

This week on The Black Perspective, Andrea Coleman sits down with Jason Esteves, the former Georgia state senator and Democratic candidate for governor, to discuss his vision for the state and the issues shaping the 2026 campaign.

Misty Jordan speaks with Valerie Geller, founder of the Women in Radio Conference, as the influential gathering celebrates its 10th year of empowering and connecting women across the broadcast industry.

Esther Dillard returns with The Color Between the Lines (TCBL), joined by Jill Collen Jefferson — author, activist, and founder of the civil rights organization JULIAN — for a conversation on advocacy, justice, and the fight for equality.

Hosts of The QR Code podcast, Ramses Ja and Q Ward, join us with a new segment called “Q’s Corner.”

Doug Davis talks with Dr. Delores Thomas of the Joseph Business School about leadership, education, and preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs.

And Roland S. Martin joins us for this week’s commentary.

Listen Now!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Sunday, March fourteenth, and on today's show, The Black
Information Networks Senior anchor Andrea Coleman continues her talks with
Georgia's gubernatorial candidates. This week, she talks to Jason Estavius,
who's running for governor in Georgia. BIN News anchor Misty
Jordan talks with the founder of the Women in Radio
Conference that's now entering its tenth year. Esther Dillard is

(00:22):
back with the Color between the Lines with Joe Colin Jefferson,
author and founder of the civil rights organization Julian. Podcast
hosts of Ramses Jaw and ke Ward have a brand
new segment on their daily podcast called Q's Corner, and
today you'll hear one of those segments from a recent show.
Doug Davis talks with doctor Dolores Thomas with the Joseph

(00:43):
Business School, and we get this week's commentary from Roland
S Martin. These stories are coming your way. On today's program,
Welcome to the Black Perspective. I'm your host, Mike Island.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome to the Black Perspective, a weekly community affairs program
the Black Information Network featuring interviews and discussions on issues
important to the Black community.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Good Sunday and welcome to the Black Perspective. As we
continue our series highlighting the candidates and the Georgia governor's race,
The Black Information That Works on Derea Coleman introduces us
to Georgia. State Senator Jason est of Uses of us
is a dynamic black leader with a varied background that
touches on education, business, and of course politics.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Like many of the candidates seeking to be the state's
next governor, Georgia is home to State Senator Jason Estevis.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
I am from the South side of Columbus, Georgia, and
I was raised by two parents who didn't go to college,
but they taught me everything I need to know. They
taught me to love my gud, to work hard, and
lead my community better than on how I found it.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
That knowledge has led to an impressive political career that
Estabus says was shaped by his upbringing and us started
education and.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
It's those values that guided me as a middle school
social studies teacher. It was the first job I had
out of college, the hardest job I've ever had, but
also the most rewarding job. And it's that middle school
social studies experience that took me into the school Board
of Atlanta Public Schools, where I served as chair and
I served on the school board for almost ten years,

(02:16):
and from there went to the State Senate, where I
was in the State Senate for a couple of terms
and focused in on healthcare, on making sure that we
kept the city of Atlanta united in the face of
the Buckhead City movement, and that we lower the cost
of living, particularly for our seniors, and fully funded our
education system.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Estevez is also a husband, father, and business owner, responsibilities
he says that mirror those of the people he hopes
to serve if elected governor of the state.

Speaker 4 (02:44):
On a personal level, who Jason Estevez is is the
husband to my wife Ariel, who's a nurse practitioner from Albany, Georgia.
And we are the parents of Jaden and Zoe, ten
year old Jaden and a seven year old Zoe. And
of course you might imagine Zoe is the leader of
the household, and we're small business owners. My wife owns

(03:05):
an urgent care in northwest Atlanta, and then we own
two breakfast restaurants, one in Columbus, Georgia, my hometown, and
one in downtown Macon So We employ about one hundred
people around the state of Georgia, and I've seen firsthand
a lot of the challenges that people are facing. Some
of those challenges I faced myself, and I'm tired of

(03:26):
people working harder than they've ever worked and barely getting by.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
With Saviz is one of seven candidates seeking the Democratic
nomination in this year's governor's race. Five of those candidates,
including him, are black. He is hopeful his political experience
and insights will help propel him forward, beating out the
likes of other well known and liked to Democratic candidates
like former Atlanta Mayor Key Schalance Bottoms and former state
Labor Commissioner and former Dacab County CEO Michael Thurmanton.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
Which is why I'm running. I want to make sure
that we fix the challenges that people are facing, whether
it's with healthcare, whether it's with the cost of living,
whether it's with our education system, and provide Georgians with
the opportunities that they deserve.

Speaker 5 (04:05):
What are some of the answers you have or how
you address Let's take health care for us, what are
your answers for that?

Speaker 4 (04:13):
Well, look, with healthcare, we should do what we should
have done as a state more than fifteen years ago,
and that's expand access to Medicaid. It has cost the
state more than thirty billion dollars not expanding access to Medicaid.
That's about seven thousand dollars per taxpayer. It's a lot
of money that we missed out on, and I want
to make sure that we finally get done so that

(04:33):
people can get the health insurance that they need. I
also want to lower the cost of private health insurance.
But just as important, I want to make sure that
we're building health care hubs throughout the state, clinics and hospitals,
reopening those throughout the state of Georgia so that people
are able to get the care that they need without
driving hours just to get it, and ultimately that we're

(04:53):
training more providers, more doctors, physicians, assistants, and nurse practitioners
so that they can ultimately provide the services to people
that need it the most. I'm going to invest in
mental health services because Georgia is near the bottom when
it comes to mental health supports. And then I'm also
going to end our maternal mortality crisis that we have
in the state that has led to the death's preventable

(05:15):
deaths of multiple Black women in Georgia. And we do
that by reversing the dangerous abortion ban, but also making
sure that Medicaid and health insurance pays for things like
doulas and birthing centers and lactation coaches and prenatal services,
so that Georgia becomes a state where it is safe
again to have babies.

Speaker 5 (05:38):
Yeah, The Black Information at Work did a public health
awareness campaign last year on the Black maternal health crisis,
and some of the professionals we spoke with said, part
of the concern is that training these health professionals, or
getting and understanding how these various health complications arise and
how they present in Black women compared to women who

(06:01):
maybe of a different ethnicity. Any thought on maybe taking
a look at what that training may intel or tweaks
to it so that Black women and how we present
with health crisis our complications may be identified in a
better and healthier way.

Speaker 4 (06:16):
Well, first, we don't do what Donald Trump is trying
to do, which is take away DEI and try to
erase cultural differences in the diversity that exist in our society.
We have to understand how those differences impact things like
healthcare and how for example, black women present in a

(06:38):
medical office and I have friends who are an obgyn,
a lawyer who almost died during childbirth because doctors were
not listening to them. These are accomplished black women. So
we need to make sure that we are educating providers

(06:59):
on cultural competency. They need to understand. But we also
need to versify the providers that we have in our community.
We have to make sure that we are providing black
people opportunities, black women opportunity, black men opportunities to become physicians,
to become nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, because that kind
of experience matters. And also think it matters to make

(07:22):
sure that these providers have experiences throughout the state of Georgia,
right in rural Georgia, because those challenges are unique, just
like they are in metro Atlanta. But it starts with
understanding that there are differences.

Speaker 5 (07:36):
Yeah, very good. You know Georgia has never had a
black governor. Yeah, And Ambassador Andrew Young has run and
fallen short. We've saw Stacy Abrams give it two tries
and fall short, come close but still fell short. Your
thoughts on why now is the time for us to

(07:59):
recon consider that aspect of this race and why you
may be the candidate to pull through and push through
to actually make it to the governor's seat.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
Well, look, I'm here to tell you that Jason A.
Stevez will be the first black governor of Georgia. And
the reason for that is that I have the lived
experiences the hardworking people of this state. I can go
all across the state and talk to people about my
experience being a small business owner and the challenges that
those present. I'm a parent of two young children right

(08:29):
now going through the education system. I can talk about
being a caregiver of a mom with Alzheimer's and how
our senior care system in the state is broken. It
takes connecting with people not just in Metro Atlanta, but
across the state and telling stories and how Jason Stevez

(08:50):
administration can help address the challenges that people are facing
each and every day. But it also takes having someone
like me that has the experience of having delivered at
the state and local level, but most importantly, having a
vision for the future of the state that gives people
something to vote for, not just something to vote against
and for too long we've been telling people what they

(09:11):
should be voting against. I'm here to tell people what
they should be voting for. A state of Georgia where
no matter who you are, you have access to the
healthcare that you need, that you have opportunities, the opportunities
to keep and grow the money in your pockets, and
that ultimately our grandchildren and our children have the opportunities
that are more opportunities at what we've had. It's that

(09:31):
message that resonates throughout the state of Georgia. And not
only that, I'm not afraid to go into a red room,
just like I would go into a blue room and
speak about these issues health, wealth, and opportunity. No matter
who you are, no matter what you look like, that's
what you care about. And I'm confident that with my experiences,
with my message, with my vision, my family together, we

(09:55):
can build that multi generational, multi racial coalition that's going
to take to win. Stacy Abrams got us within fifty
thousand votes, and we're going to get even more votes,
and we're going to win in November of this year.

Speaker 5 (10:07):
All right, well, very good, PRIMI are we coming up
in May?

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Correct primaries coming up in May will Love people to
check out my website Jasonestevez dot com or follow me
on social media at Jason Astavez.

Speaker 6 (10:19):
Okay, very good.

Speaker 5 (10:19):
It's wonderful having you here today and we'll be following
closely than you lucky.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 5 (10:25):
You're more than welcome.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Thank you, Thank you, Andrea and Jason. The latest polls
show former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Labor
Commissioner Michael Thurman leading in the Democratic race. What political
pundance say, There's enough time for that to change. Next
to Saturday, the Women and Radio Conference will celebrate its
ten year anniversary in Atlanta, Georgia. This annual conference brings

(10:49):
the best and brightest women in our industry together for conversations, mentoring, networking,
and a one of a kind, empowering experience. News anchor
Misty Jordan sat down with the founder and creator of
the Women in Radio Conference, Megan Taylor, and shares their
conversation with us.

Speaker 7 (11:06):
Now joining the Black Information Network, I have owner and
founder Megan Taylor of Women in Radio.

Speaker 6 (11:14):
How are you good?

Speaker 8 (11:16):
How are you?

Speaker 6 (11:17):
I am doing well, Excited to talk to you.

Speaker 7 (11:19):
You have a big event happening in Atlanta on March
twenty first, the tenth annual Women in Radio Conference, and
it's going to be in Sandy Springs. Is it at
the WAT Room or is it called what room?

Speaker 8 (11:36):
So my friend's days fun of me because I can't
say what correctly.

Speaker 9 (11:40):
Uh huh, well it's pronounced like what like what?

Speaker 10 (11:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (11:46):
Okay, all right, in the what Room in Sandy Springs.
So first I want to say congratulations Megan on ten years.

Speaker 8 (11:55):
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Speaker 6 (11:58):
I follow you.

Speaker 7 (11:58):
On Instagram and I saw you get emotional a little
bit about this, right, So let's let's start from the beginning.

Speaker 6 (12:06):
Talk to me about where your starting radio came from.

Speaker 9 (12:09):
I first started out in college radio. I had went
to Florida A and M University Go Rattlers, and I had
joined the college radio there. I did that for a
few years, and then I started working in commercial radio
after graduation. A few months after graduating, and it's just
bloom since then.

Speaker 7 (12:29):
And tell me about your day job now, because you
are currently working in radio, tell me about that.

Speaker 9 (12:34):
So I'm the digital content producer for the Sea Howery
Morning Show.

Speaker 8 (12:37):
Every morning, I get to work with some legends. They
are hilarious.

Speaker 9 (12:42):
They are so inspiring and insightful, and I always sew
people like if I have a bad day, it's on
me because I'm up at five am literally laughing, creating
content and it's just a lot of fun and it
feels so good to.

Speaker 8 (12:56):
Be with the team.

Speaker 7 (12:57):
That's awesome. Congratulations on that. Now, let's talk about where
the idea about women in radio? Where did this conference
come from? Megan, like ten years ago? Walk me back to.

Speaker 9 (13:07):
Yeah, so ten years ago, I was just starting out
in the industry for real, and most of my friends
were like in healthcare or education, so I didn't have
any friends or family that I knew of that were rarely.

Speaker 8 (13:22):
In the radio industry or media in general.

Speaker 9 (13:25):
Right, So I'm like, I had just started out at
my first job.

Speaker 8 (13:29):
I was the youngest person there. It was urban ac
and I'm.

Speaker 9 (13:32):
Like, I need some people to talk to, Like, there's
gotta be more.

Speaker 8 (13:37):
So what I did.

Speaker 9 (13:38):
I just looked at a map and I just started
going state by state, city by city and just finding
women in radio and following them on.

Speaker 8 (13:47):
Our Instagram account and it just went up from there.

Speaker 6 (13:51):
Honestly, that's awesome.

Speaker 7 (13:53):
I saw you recently on your Instagram talking about asking women,
inviting them to tell their stories about being in an
industry that's pretty male dominant.

Speaker 6 (14:03):
I would say, even still now.

Speaker 7 (14:06):
And some of the stories you shared were kind of,
you know, shocking, but then not shocking. I also had
been a woman in radio for at least twenty years, right,
and so some of those stories I shook my head
and thought, wow, her too. And then some of the
stories and shook my head and said, wow, no, that one,
you know, that one has even shocking for me.

Speaker 6 (14:28):
Why did you decide to do that?

Speaker 8 (14:30):
I think it was needed.

Speaker 9 (14:32):
I just wanted to like break a ceiling because I
feel like a lot of times with women in radio,
we talk about the positives, yay, yay. I love that
Raw Ross's sisterhood, but I think we also need to
get deep down to the nitty gritty and expose situations
that are literally happening to this day and it's it's
sad and it's unfortunate. But it was also nice to

(14:55):
see other women rally around those women. We kept them
all anonymous off just to offer support, advice and like, hey,
if you really need to talk to somebody, I know
a great lawyer, such and such so just betting sisterly,
I think it was the perfect thing to do.

Speaker 7 (15:14):
Joining me, I have Megan Taylor from Women in Radio Conference.
Tell me one story that you feel like has stuck
with you that's made you proud to be a woman
in radio, or maybe something that you've overcome as a
woman in radio.

Speaker 6 (15:28):
Share one of those stories with me.

Speaker 9 (15:30):
Yeah. I think my company itself has just helped me
more with confidence. Honestly, public speaking, although I was on
air in radio, it's different, right, Like we're in a
room nobody can only see us, like, and then it's
like for these conferences, I go on stage and I
talked to one hundred, one fifty two hundred people and

(15:50):
it's like, oh wow, this is real. So just being
confident in myself, my abilities, in my own company, like, hey, we're.

Speaker 11 (15:58):
Doing the work.

Speaker 9 (15:59):
So I think that's one story I'm very proud of.
And not only that, just helping women find jobs, internships, mentors, mentees,
and just being able to give advice from you know,
a lived experience.

Speaker 6 (16:12):
Ten years is a long time. This is your baby.

Speaker 7 (16:15):
Tell me at least one story that stands out to
you somewhere in the ten years that makes you feel like,
this is why I'm doing it.

Speaker 9 (16:24):
I think honestly, just the length of time I tell everybody,
like ten years, this is my longest personal relationship. Right
Like I'm seeing many a man that come through a
women at radio conference, but the business itself has stuck.
The friendships have stuck, and it's just amazing to see
because I've also grown with the women who've grown with

(16:47):
the company. Right Like when I first started being.

Speaker 8 (16:50):
A group of women, we're all entry level, and now
we're like mid level career.

Speaker 9 (16:56):
We're having these programming jobs, and I think that's honestly
amazing to see you are.

Speaker 6 (17:02):
A girl's girl. I can see that.

Speaker 7 (17:04):
I feel like through and through anybody that would you know,
know you watch you sees you would certainly call you
a girl's girl. Right in an industry where you know,
that can be taboo at times, you know, because there
are a lot of gatekeepers and women who don't want
to share and they like, you know, I got in

(17:25):
and there's only so much room for so many women.
So you know, how have you found that women are
willing to open up and share and not gatekeep or
do you feel like people get there and there's still
some of that holding your car close to your chest.

Speaker 9 (17:44):
I think some people have just have had different experiences, right,
Like people usually hold their card to their chest because
somebody did that to them. And I'm trying to break
that stigma. And I'm like, I've never shared and missed
a blessing that was for me, right, I believe in
God one hundred per since, So.

Speaker 8 (18:01):
What's for me is for me.

Speaker 9 (18:02):
Me sharing an opportunity or you know, contact information or
inside scoop about a role has never hurt anything that
was for me. If anything, it's helped because now I
have people who feel like, oh my god, she helped me.
Now I need to help her in any way that
I can. So, I mean there's different types of people,

(18:22):
but I feel like more and more people are letting
those walls down and they're like, okay, like yeah, I
can you know, share and nobody's going to take advantage
of me or anything like that. So I think it's
definitely helped.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
There's a climate shift. I think it's happening a little
now too.

Speaker 7 (18:40):
An iHeartRadio Women International Day Conference and they've talked about
how women grow when.

Speaker 6 (18:45):
We collaborate, and that line of thinking is dying off
more and more. And what you're doing is so.

Speaker 7 (18:52):
Fitting, especially in Women's Health Month, Awareness Month, all the
women things month. This is so perfect that it's fitting
for your having your eventis in March, right?

Speaker 6 (19:01):
Was that my design? Megan?

Speaker 8 (19:03):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 9 (19:03):
When we started ten years ago, I was like, March
is Women's History Month. Let's get this thing rolling during
Women's History Month. It only made sense. And now with
this year, for our ten year anniversary, we're actually doing
an entire tour, So ten years, ten cities, so Atlanta
is just the starting point. We're going to nine other
cities after that, and we're also ending where Women of

(19:25):
Radio first started, which was in Miami in December. So yeah,
this year we're every month. But yeah, normally just March
is it for us. But you know, the impact is
there all year long.

Speaker 6 (19:39):
Why did you decide to take the show on the road.

Speaker 9 (19:41):
I just wanted to get back to what radio is,
which is communities, so meeting people where they are at.
It's hard times for everybody right now. So if I
could just make it easier for the next woman to
actually be around a group of women and feel supported
and understood, I'm like, hey, let's do it.

Speaker 8 (20:00):
Let's take this show on the road.

Speaker 6 (20:03):
Who is this event for?

Speaker 8 (20:05):
This event is for women, and I allow men there
as well.

Speaker 9 (20:10):
I honestly feel like, yeah, I feel like men come
because it's like, oh wow, another opportunity to see and
support and be an allied.

Speaker 8 (20:18):
But women in radio media entertainment culture.

Speaker 9 (20:23):
I mean I have friends who come who are in
the beauty industry and they're like, this is like our
premier event. Like I have never felt so empowered after
an event like this. So we accept everybody, and it's
good because we're not just talking about radio in the industry,
but being a woman, being a sister, being a shoulder
to lean on. It that's information you can take wherever

(20:45):
you go.

Speaker 6 (20:46):
Walk me through the day.

Speaker 7 (20:47):
So you arrive and what can people expect if this
is their first time attending Women in Radio conference?

Speaker 9 (20:54):
So this year we're doing intimate dinner, so it's a
whole dinner setting. We've never done anything at night before,
so it's from six to nine pm. It's at the
Wet Room. When you arrive, it's a beautiful space. It's
a Speak Easy essentially that we rented out and they
have like Asian fusion food, so the food is absolutely delicious,

(21:15):
drinks are amazing. The first hour or less than will
be you know, networking appetizers, and then we'll sit down
and have dinner. It's an interactive dinner, so it's like
no panels this year.

Speaker 8 (21:28):
It's like the people in.

Speaker 9 (21:29):
The room are the panelists, Like we'll be asking questions,
people will be able to ask their questions.

Speaker 11 (21:36):
And there's so.

Speaker 9 (21:37):
Many women of like decades of radio or even women
you haven't been in the industry that long that still
have experience that they can share. So it's just gonna
be get a fantastic evening and I'm super excited.

Speaker 7 (21:53):
I like this more intimate setting and may will encourage
more conversation and more storytelling and.

Speaker 6 (22:01):
Just five mm.

Speaker 9 (22:04):
Yeah, So I'm super excited about it. It's a little
different than years before, but I think it'll be just
as impactful.

Speaker 6 (22:12):
Who should come to women in radio?

Speaker 9 (22:14):
I would say a woman who has been in radio
for a year to forty years, Like there's always something
new to learn, there's always something new to share with people.
Sometimes you don't know what people are going through, and
they hear what you have to say that can change
your entire trajectory. I mean, I know it has for me,

(22:36):
so I can only imagine what it can do for others.

Speaker 7 (22:39):
Speaking of that, have you heard from somebody who attended
your event, A young lady, a woman who shared a
story with you and just said, thank you, Megan for
doing this event. It's because of this event that I
have learned I've talked to Can you share something like
that a story?

Speaker 9 (22:58):
Every year, after each I received so many DMS emails,
texts about what the event meant to them. Specifically, there
was a woman last year who was going through a
really tough time. She was having some you know, not
fit thoughts, and she attended our event. She went up
to one of our cannels after it was like, thank

(23:19):
you for speaking about mental helps. I didn't expect anybody
to touch on that to for a conference like Women
in Radio, But those are discussions I'd like to have because, yeah,
you're a woman in radio, but at the end of
the day, you're still a woman, You're still a human.
We're all going through something and that can impact your
journey professional. So we try and talk about everything under

(23:43):
the sun.

Speaker 8 (23:44):
Just you know, sometimes you don't know who you're keeping.

Speaker 7 (23:47):
The tenth annual Women in Radio Conference will be held
March twenty first at the Wet Room in Sandy Springs.
I have Megan Taylor, owner and founder of Women in Radio.
Do you have sponsors you want to thank Megan?

Speaker 8 (24:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (24:00):
I would love to thank Danielle Beckford Photo bb Bar.
Each year she brings in her amazing live collection and
gives all the girls some to take home.

Speaker 8 (24:11):
This year we also have road Miike. They are doing three.

Speaker 9 (24:16):
Influencer giveaways, which is like a mic and then Mike
Holder just beautiful gifts at each tour stop, and then
Deep Addies and Red Bull. They've been super amazing and
we're gonna have some fabulous contails.

Speaker 7 (24:32):
That's important, right If someone is listening now and they're saying,
this is an event for me, I need to be
in the building.

Speaker 6 (24:40):
Where can they get information?

Speaker 9 (24:41):
Yeah, they can find all information at Womenanradio dot org
or we're Women in Radio on Instagram as well.

Speaker 7 (24:49):
Lastly, where can people follow you and Women in Radio?

Speaker 9 (24:53):
Yeah, they can follow me on Instagram at It's Meg Taylor,
That's I T S M E A G T A
Y l O R. And at Women in Radio.

Speaker 7 (25:02):
Thank you so much for joining the Black Information Network.
Megan continued success this is something that I think, as
a woman in radio is needed, and I think that
it's important. And congratulations to you for doing this and
for this event growing, and I appreciate you being willing
to pivot and make it even more intimate and more

(25:24):
special so that you're really catering to your client and
your customer and making it like a really a community.

Speaker 6 (25:31):
So congratulations to you. This is wonderful so much.

Speaker 8 (25:34):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 6 (25:35):
Thank you again.

Speaker 7 (25:36):
The tenth Annual Women in Radio Conference at the What
Room in Sandy Springs is March twenty first, and for
more information you can log onto.

Speaker 8 (25:45):
Women in Radio dot org.

Speaker 6 (25:47):
Congratulations and continued success to you, Thank.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
You, Thanks Misty and Meghan. The tenth Annual Women in
Radio Conference happens next Saturday, March twenty first, at the
Locker Room and Sandy Springs, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. Visit
Women and Radio dot org for more information. Now we
get commentary from Roland S. Martin.

Speaker 12 (26:08):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of BN and its founding partners and employees. Now it's
time to bring the Funk with Roland S.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
Martin.

Speaker 13 (26:23):
At a news conference of the National Press Club in Washington, DC,
Pastor Jamal Bryant said that the Target Fast which he
launched on March fifth, twenty twenty five, against Target, where
churches organized some three hundred thousand people signed up to
fast and not shopping at Target from Lent through Easter Sunday.

(26:47):
Than after Easter Sunday it was extended. It lasted more
than four hundred days that it is now over.

Speaker 10 (26:54):
The Target Fast entity of the boycott is and I
speak for the Target fact. This is an amalgamation of
several different movements that are taking place, but the Target
Fast entity, which is the faith based initiative, is claiming
victory and giving God glory for what it is that
we have done. We are effectively today closing this chapter

(27:18):
because we have other fights that we've got to see
and other things that we've got to tackle. But I'm
grateful and I give God all of the glory for
what it is that He's been able to do. So
thank you for praying with us, marching with us, and
standing with us, and stay tuned for the next fight.
But this fight for us has now reached its.

Speaker 13 (27:38):
Conclusion, Brian said that Target had met three of the
four demands he laid out, which included investments with HBCUs,
putting money in black banks, also restoring their DEI commitments,
and committing to spend the two billion dollars with black
owned businesses. That Target met three of those for all

(28:01):
except their Black bank pledge.

Speaker 10 (28:04):
Up to this hour, our Target does not have a
relationship with not one black bank. I am grateful for
President Cynthia Day, who is the president of Citizens Trust
Bank in Atlanta, Georgia, who has been walking alongside us
to see what banks are equipped and prepared to be

(28:27):
a partner with an organization at this scale.

Speaker 13 (28:30):
I'm Roland Martin on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 1 (28:32):
Thanks Roland, and tune in for daily commentary from Roland S.
Martin and James T. Harris a right here on the
Black Information Network. As the country marks Women's History Month,
a new civil rights report is drawing attention to deaths
across several Southern states that researchers say may have been
misclassified or overlooked. The report from the organization Julian documents

(28:55):
dozens of cases over the past twenty five years and
connects its work to the legacy of investigative journalist Ida B. Wells,
who exposed lynchings in the United States more than a
century ago. The Black Information Networks Aster Dillard spoke with
the group's founder about the findings.

Speaker 14 (29:18):
My research uncovered the lynchings never stopped. This report only
goes back to the year two thousand, but we found
several other lynchings from the eighties and the nineties as well.

Speaker 15 (29:31):
More than one hundred and thirty years ago, Black journalist
and anti lynching crusader Ida B. Wells risked her life
documenting racial terror in America. In her groundbreaking investigation A
Red Record, published in the late eighteen hundreds, Wells challenged
official accounts that often dismissed lynchings as accidents, suicides, or

(29:52):
justified violence. Now, during Women's History months, a new report
argues that the history Wells documented did not in the past.
I'm Ester Dillard, and in this special conversation, I speak
with Jill Colin Jefferson, founder and executive director of the
civil rights organization Julian, which is documenting what it calls

(30:13):
modern day lynchings across the Deep South.

Speaker 14 (30:17):
My research uncovered the lynchings never stopped. This report only
goes back to the year two thousand, but we found
several other lynchings from the eighties and the nineties as
well that we plan to publish in a subsequent report.
And so lynchings actually never stopped is one of the

(30:37):
things that we found out. And they're happening more frequently
in the Deep South than in other places. The Deep
South is historically where lynchings took place more so than
in other places. In Mississippi is still leading the pack
with the highest number of modern day lynchings.

Speaker 15 (30:55):
But Jefferson says one of the biggest obstacles is not
what happened in these cases, how many of them were investigated.
Her report argues some deaths were too quickly ruled suicides
before investigators had done the work needed to test other possibilities.

Speaker 14 (31:11):
I saw patterns, and you know, pretty much every time
you have a situation where there's a shoddy crime scene,
the shoddy investigation, the crime scene is not preserved, and
then there is a ruling of lynching quickly, very quickly,

(31:32):
before the investigation is even finished. I'm sorry, suicide, Yes,
I'm sorry. Like for example, in Willie Andrew Jones Junior's case,
you know, the investigators ruled it a suicide within forty
minutes of being on the scene. They had not talked
to a single witness, they had not roped off the

(31:54):
crime scene, they'd done none of that. So and in
so many of these cases there were ruled suicides without
really looking further at anything else.

Speaker 15 (32:05):
And Jefferson says, in Mississippi, her team noticed something else,
a pattern, she says, others appeared to miss.

Speaker 14 (32:14):
We found in Rankin County that black men would often
go missing around the same date and time every year
or so. And so, for example, January eleven, two thousand
and eight, there was like a twenty eight year old
man cling Jevon Prayer, he went missing from Flowwood, Mississippi,

(32:36):
which is in Rankin County. Then January eleventh, same date,
twenty ten, twenty six year old Lester Raymond Jones went
missing from Flowwood. January eleven, twenty twelve, forty one year
old Ricky Lee Donald went missing from Flowwood. And then
you know, the pattern just continues. And so we noticed

(32:59):
that pattern we hadn't noticed anyone else has clopped.

Speaker 15 (33:03):
That that work, She says, it's not just statistical, it's
deeply personal. When I asked whether one case stayed with
her emotionally, Jefferson described the first modern lynching case her
team says, it's solved, the case of Willie Andrew Jones Junior.

Speaker 14 (33:23):
Yes, I don't know if I've told this story publicly
because I don't want people to think I'm crazy, But
Willy Andrew Jones Junior's case, that was the first modern
day lynching we ever solved. Willy was a twenty one
year old black man found hanging from a tree in
his white girlfriend's front yard in twenty eighteen in Scott County, Mississippi.

(33:44):
And Willie's all these families you get close to, you
get really really close to, and with Willie's family being
the first, it was just it was it was incredibly
memorable from and seeing what that family was going through.
And I remember.

Speaker 11 (34:07):
I went to.

Speaker 14 (34:10):
We figured out a way to get one of the
lynchers jailed for contempt, and we did that so that
I could go and talk to his girlfriend who see
if she would turn on him. And I went to
his house and when I got there, there was a

(34:32):
young black man sitting on the porch and I waved
at him and I spoke and he didn't say anything,
and then the girlfriend comes out of the house and
we leave and we go somewhere else to talk. And
I later found out that there was no one at
the house, but the person who was on that front
place porch looked just like Willie. When I saw him

(34:54):
sitting there, I was like, that looks really so much
like Willy. But of course it is not Willy. It's
someone else. And I was wondering, why didn't this person
wave back to me or speak back to me when
I spoke to them, And so that's something that's always
stuck with me. And I believe that he was there
to tell me that I was on the right track.

Speaker 6 (35:14):
Was that case solved completely?

Speaker 14 (35:17):
He solved that case. We know who did it, but
the DA refuses to charge the lynchers, so they're still free.

Speaker 15 (35:24):
She says her work is in part a continuation of
the path carved by I to Be Well.

Speaker 14 (35:30):
A Crimson Record is based in part off of a
Red Record, which I to be Wells authored, and a
red Record was the first record of lynchings in America,
Whereas lynchings had been called suicides with a wink and
a nod, or accidents and things like that she set

(35:50):
the record straight about the number of lynchings that were
happening in America and the causes of those lynchings and
the circumstances, and so what we wanted to do was
something similar.

Speaker 15 (36:01):
Jefferson's organization is launched an online database and map tracking
cases it identifies as modern day lynchings and hate crimes.
She shares how tips from families, communities, and even police
officers have led her team to cases authorities may have overlooked.
You can hear the full interview on the Color Between
the Lines podcasts on iHeartRadio YouTube or wherever you get

(36:24):
your podcasts. I'm Esther Dillard.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
Thank you Esther and Jill. You can read the full
Crimson Record report and explore the database of cases at
Juliansjustice dot org. Earlier this month, the Black Information Network
podcast hosts Rams's Jaw and Qward added a news segment
to their daily podcast called Q's Corner, where host Qward

(36:49):
tackles a trending topic in the news and breaks it
down from all angles with some help from the BION
News team. Let's hear this week's discussion featuring Rams's Joe
q Ward, Tammy Hestwick, and Misty Jordan.

Speaker 16 (37:03):
All right, it's time for qu's corner and we are
going to let you take it away, so cute, it's
all yours.

Speaker 17 (37:10):
So there's some interesting times, right, just and this is
something that you and I have discussed before. January fifteenth
of this year, Disney launched a new cartoon show called
Hey aj targeting young Black children. And although there are
some who applaud Disney's efforts to include programming for young
black kids, there's a character in the show named Captain Dorag,

(37:34):
which touches them on some questionable stereotypes in our community.
And this is a this is a pretty nuanced conversation,
and you and I got to have it both as
black men, but from two very different perspectives. And if
you wouldn't mind kind of revisiting that conversation with me,
your position when we first started talking about this, you

(37:55):
mind sharing that with me?

Speaker 14 (37:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 16 (37:57):
I thought that people were upset because because Captain Dorag
was on Disney Channel, we typically will have stuff like
this behind closed doors where people that aren't sympathetic, don't understand,
can't appreciate the culture, would not be able to ridicule it. Right,
So if Captain Dorag had been on Beet, I don't
think there would have been as big of a deal

(38:17):
because it would have been by black people, for black people.
But to put Captain Dorag as a black superhero on
the Disney Channel, which is consumed by everyone, maybe people
felt like this is not the best representation of black excellence,
and you know, the fallout kind of came from there.
So it was that intersection that I mentioned, But go ahead,

(38:37):
you so.

Speaker 17 (38:38):
Yes, Ramses and you and I really kind of agreed
on that position. But what I wanted to point out
as nuances Black creators don't always have a choice where
their content will land. They don't always get to pick.
Do I want to put it on Disney Channel? Do
I want to put it on the Fox?

Speaker 4 (38:54):
Do I want to.

Speaker 17 (38:54):
Put it bet? We kind of have to accept what
we get. And similar to our comments about June teenth,
there are things that we show up for, things that
we request, and then we get them. We get them
in a way that's kind of clumsy, right. So people
tried to show up and support and celebrate June teen
with us, and some of them didn't get it right,

(39:14):
and we ridiculed them heavily. And I'm like, man, that's
kind of not fair. We beg these people to come
do this thing with us that they've never done before,
that they don't fully understand yet, and they didn't get
it right, and we tore them down for it. And
the same here right describing this character Rams is you
and I and I'm sure all of us have family

(39:35):
members or ourselves who have worn do rags, who still
wear dow rags. We see them all through our community,
and it's not a thing that would be used to
clown us in that context, which I think was your
point in the first place, and in other spaces, you know,
a do rag and gold teeth and a tank top
might be the way somebody would describe us, to describe

(39:55):
us pjority, intentionally, pejoratively, to try to insult, to try
to paint some stereotype. So it's a really difficult thing
to do because when you want to show representation, you know,
you talk about a hero that looks like us. You know,
think about what the high school locker room or the
hallways looked like for most of the late nineties and

(40:15):
early two thousands, when we were wearing throwback jerseys, oversized
T shirts and do rags as fashion culturally, that's what
we do. That's what we did. You know, the guys
with the waves who you see brush their hair all day,
you know, as soon as they get behind closed doors
in the car back to the house, that do Rag
is going back on. So those three sixties can be popping.

(40:36):
So those brakes be laid down, you know what I mean.
That's that's been our thing. So I can see how
the name Captain do Rag could stand out in a
way that doesn't seem flattering. But the young black creator
who created this character was really trying to pay you know,
homage to her community and wanted to see someone who

(40:58):
looked like her brothers or her sisters, her cousins, you know,
in this animated space. So you know, it's not a
straightforward It's not an easily straightforward conversation to have because
both sides of the conversation have a point. I can
see how some could be offended at what they take
as a pejorative stereotype, and I can see how others
could say, hey, man, that looks like me or my

(41:19):
cousins on TV.

Speaker 16 (41:21):
Tammy, you have any thoughts to add here?

Speaker 18 (41:23):
The creator, while she is a black woman, and she
was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Camille is also
a first generation Jamaican American, and I think that that
makes the difference in this conversation, but I'll let you
sort that out separately. My issue with Captain Dorag and

(41:44):
it being on Disney or it being on any channel
is that the only time people who run places like
Hollywood or these big studios give us credit or attention
is when something is traying us in a negative light.
One day, I just feel like black people will have

(42:07):
to wake up to the fact that these images of
us as Black Americans are seen on TV and in movies,
and they are broadcast across the world. And then when
we talk about people not knowing or understanding that we've
contributed to America and we've contributed to culture and community.

(42:28):
You know, it's not as big surprise as to why
they say things like that. It's because all they see
when it comes to us is the usual roles of
us playing the gangster or the enslaved person, or things
like what the kids call trauma porn or trauma movies.
I just want to bring back the Cosby Show. And

(42:49):
I know people don't like talking about it because of
what he's been convicted of. But you know, to that,
I say, well, why haven't we canceled all of Weinstein's
movies that are still on TV. We've just got to
We've got to real back some of this stuff. And
you know, I also refuse to believe that the do rag,

(43:12):
while I do have family members that have worn them,
is the only thing that we've contributed to culture, and therefore,
you know, it belongs in some cartoon.

Speaker 6 (43:26):
I think Miss Camille would.

Speaker 18 (43:27):
Have probably done better as a Jamaican American by using
some cultural context from Jamaica. You know, you know, it's
it's like, what are we doing, what are we portraying?
And is this the real thing that we want portrayed.

Speaker 6 (43:46):
To the world.

Speaker 7 (43:47):
Misty, I have really mixed thoughts on this one because
when George Floyd was murdered in twenty twenty and the
world kind of started, you know, transitioning into being more
pro black if you will.

Speaker 6 (44:03):
I there was a commercial that Quest Love was.

Speaker 7 (44:05):
Behind on Disney Junior, and it was there was a
song specifically that was called super Bonnet and I my
son at that point, was too So we had Disney
Junior on all the time, and there was a little
black girl. There was you know, a group of girls actually,
and they were seeing super bonnet to the same supersonic

(44:25):
you know song from you know, back in the day.

Speaker 6 (44:29):
And you know, it was an opportunity.

Speaker 7 (44:32):
For little girls to you know, there were little black
cartoons and they had bonnets on. And I agree with
Q that this isn't necessarily as straightforward because for my
niece who was four years old, this is a moment
for her to say, oh, look I have a bonnet
on and this this is a superbondit. This is how we
protect our hair. This is what we need to do,
and this is very much what happens. And the this

(44:53):
is real for black women in our community. That's that's real.
Sesame Street also has recently came out with like a
natural haircare routines for black during Black History line. And
I agree that, you know, we can't always decide, but
I do think that the intention behind it, actually I

(45:16):
think it's a good idea.

Speaker 5 (45:17):
I do.

Speaker 16 (45:18):
All right, Well, you know what, you two always provide
meaningful perspective and we appreciate it, and we're going to
wrap it up right here. As always, i'd like to
thank you both very much for your time and your insight.
Once again, today's guestbi in news anchors Kemyswick and Misty Jordan.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
To hear more episodes from Q's Corner on the daily
QR Code podcast. Visit binnews dot com and click on
the link for the QR Code. Next week, news anchor
and Nicole Deal will join the guys on Q's Corner
for another riveting discussion you don't want to miss. Doug
Davis continues his conversation with doctor Delores Thomas with the

(45:57):
Joseph Business School about this year year's annual Business and
Leadership Conference.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
Doug, Hey, thanks Mike, and welcome back to another segment
of Your Black Business, and We're back with doctor Dolores Thomas,
president of the Joseph Business School, to talk more about
the thirty second Annual Business and Leadership Conference coming up
all this week to Forest Park, Illinois. Black faith and
business leaders from all around the world will speak life
into your dreams and efforts of starting a new business,

(46:24):
or you can learn how to build and scale your
existing business. Doctor Thomas, welcome back, sister. We left off
talking about that at this conference, attendees will not only
benefit from many panel discussions and workshops, but they can
also network and secure deals on the spot. This year's
theme and Ordered for Business, what should entrepreneurs expect to

(46:46):
hear that backs up this theme?

Speaker 19 (46:48):
Yeah, so the blessing really is all about that Abrahamic
covenant that you're blessed to be a blessing and it
says when there's unity, that's where we command the blessing.
And in an era where there's been so much division, right,
so much of the haves, the have not the ds,
the don'ts, we believe that it's time for us to
release prophetically the blessing in.

Speaker 11 (47:11):
Business and anoint it for business.

Speaker 19 (47:13):
The reason why we pick that subtitle is because the
anointing is God's ability coming on human flesh to do
only what God can do. And in the time when
there is so much fear about you know, whether it's
rising prices, et cetera, we know that when there's a
God factor that's involved, we find that businesses thrive even

(47:34):
in the time of famine. So we wanted to make
sure that this conference elevated those two concepts, that it
doesn't matter what's going on around us, that our faith
in God, our ability to think differently, to have an
agent that is greater than what we can naturally see

(47:54):
or experience, that that will put the super on our
natural to.

Speaker 11 (47:58):
Create business results that outpaces the world.

Speaker 2 (48:02):
Man, you are you speaking my language. Let's go back
to the founder for a moment, doctor Bill Winston, and
how has his journey. Let's say from I think he
was an Air Force fighter pilot and then an IBM executive,
and then he became a faith leader and then an
entrepreneur shape us the vision behind this conference.

Speaker 19 (48:23):
Yeah, so I mean this is just what he believes, right.
So he says that when the Lord told him to
buy a mall that says in thirty three acres over
a million squerre feet of property, he said the mall
looked bigger than him, but he meditated on the scripture
and Joshua that every place is soul of your foot
of treadupon that have I given on to you, and
the mall was able to be possessed by him, which

(48:45):
is the promise that God made. He told my husband
and I to start the business school over twenty plus
years ago, and we told him it would take two years.
He went, he prayed, and God told him it would
take two months. So with starting the school in two months,
we're now in five I have continents around the world,
thirty plus campuses fully and nationally accredited, and we believe
that that same principle that is driven doctor Winston's success

(49:09):
to start twenty plus businesses and to do things that
aren't naturally possible, but with God it is possible. That
we want to transfer that knowledge and empower those entrepreneurs
to be able to think differently, believe differently, and achieve differently.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
Right. I love that a lot of people see passers
and entrepreneurs is living in two different worlds. How has
doctor Winston bridge that gap and what kind of impact
has that had on the Joseph Business School.

Speaker 19 (49:40):
Yeah, well, that's interesting because one of the things that
I teach in the school, for example, although I oversee it,
the entire program is marketing. And there are times when
people think that marketing is to come up with a
widget or a business idea or service and shove it
down a customer's mouth, right, But that's really not marketing.
Marketing is identifying the consumer needs and fulfilling them, and

(50:04):
those who do that well tend to perform well. While
ministry is the same way economics was a theological concept
before it became secularized. So we're going back to the
original promise where God said, I'm giving you this garden,
and go multiply replenish the earth and make it fruitful.

(50:27):
And if we do that as Christians, right or people
of faith, what we are doing essentially is ministry. So
this is ministry in the marketplace, not traditionalism in the
sense of what we know it to be today, So
it always blends. Our job is to serve others, to

(50:47):
run profitable businesses, and to employ people so that they
can have a better life.

Speaker 2 (50:53):
Because you know, we think of Jesus Christ, who gave
obviously everything for this world so we can and have forgiveness.
But he was poor, you know, and so a lot
of times people look at, you know, spiritual leaders in
their economic progression as being more worldly than spiritual. But
I think you definitely answered that question right there.

Speaker 6 (51:16):
Yeah, And it.

Speaker 11 (51:17):
Really is a misnomer that he was poor.

Speaker 19 (51:19):
Whatever he needed, he knew and had enough spiritual authority
to access it. Right, So whether it was tax money,
he was able to direct Peter to go into.

Speaker 11 (51:28):
The fish's mouth and he'll find it.

Speaker 19 (51:30):
Whether It was Peter when he was fishing on the
lake and he didn't catch anything, and it was really
key to the economic prosperity of Capernaum at that time,
and he gave a word, he say, launch out into
the deep. He did, and he caught a boatload of
fish that changed the economic condition there. So the power
of God is such that, in fact, it says in

(51:53):
due to on Me eighteen, it says, I give you
power to get wealth to establish his covenant. So it
was never really about poverty, but it was really about elevating.

Speaker 11 (52:04):
And caring for mankind.

Speaker 19 (52:06):
And when we look at our speakers for this year's conference,
we have individuals that are exemplary of that right. So
it starts with us making sure on Tuesday what we
do is the government contracting and teaching them really how
to negotiate and make sure that they can have favor

(52:28):
with both God and man. We also have the situation
right now where we know the US needs to improve
in manufacturing so we can increase a lower unemployment rates
so that more people could be employed. And so there's
a nine point seven trillion dollar opportunity for us to

(52:49):
promote manufacturing that's going to be here at the conference.
And then our alums that have been doing amazing work.
We have speakers like Stephen Hightower who went from Z
zero to a billion, that's going to be talking about
that and at the same time talking about his faith
and how his faith helped him to accomplish that. And
we're going to talk about the investment market, what's going

(53:10):
on with the market with Charles Paine who is a
Wall Street analyst, and this guy who used to be
believe it or not in facilities maintenance for freed O
Lay who came up with an idea of flaming Cheetos.

Speaker 11 (53:26):
There's even a.

Speaker 19 (53:27):
Movie that was made of him talking about how God
inspired him to recommend that idea that really created a
huge increase for the company. And Cindy Trimp and she
has gone on both faith and marketplace where she talks.

Speaker 11 (53:41):
About commanding your morning.

Speaker 19 (53:42):
Not let every day be a regular day, but command it,
decree what you want that day to be. And then
we'll have doctor Bill Winston, and we have two people
from the continent of Africa that's going to be here.
James Muri, who has the largest publicly traded company in Kenya,
a billionaire out of Nigeria that we'll be interviewing him virtually.

(54:04):
So we've got and then we've got a pitch competition
where we can get folks access to capital, which is
a big issue in our black and brown communities. And
so we are not only talking about faith as in
spiritual motivation, but faith practically in how do we grow
and scale our businesses where they're not small businesses but

(54:26):
they're big business.

Speaker 2 (54:27):
How do you help people get over the hump? I mean,
I know many business owners who have struggled and worked
hard and still came up empty per se.

Speaker 19 (54:36):
When we teach them how to have faith in God,
how to pray and not pray amiss but pray powerful
prayers that changes things. We have seen people who were
on public aid who are now running large scale businesses,
Folks who had no money who've acquired businesses I'm talking
about out of our program, using the word of God

(54:58):
to do it. And so sometimes after we've done all
that we know how to do, it's time for us
to invoke the spiritual and angelic realm for God to
fight for us and to fight.

Speaker 11 (55:09):
On our behalf.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
All right, So what's the four one one? What's the
dates times? Will it be virtual just in person.

Speaker 19 (55:16):
So it's going to be held in Forest Park, Illinois,
which is right outside of Chicago. It will start kickoff
on March the seventeenth, which is Tuesday, which is our
government contracting. On that Thursday, we have our alumni event,
and then Friday and Saturday, the twentieth and the twenty
first is where all of this culminates, and we have
tickets available. It's a ticketed event at at a very

(55:41):
reasonable price of forty nine dollars.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
So for people who don't live in Chicago, can they
view it virtually online?

Speaker 11 (55:48):
Yes, so it will be virtual and it will be
paid as well.

Speaker 19 (55:51):
And folks can check us out at BLC dot Bill
Winston dot org.

Speaker 11 (55:56):
Again, that's BLC.

Speaker 19 (55:58):
Dot Bill Winston to find all the various ways that
they can consume and visit and participate in the event,
as well as the various rates for attended.

Speaker 2 (56:12):
All right, right, doctor Thomas, we appreciate you for sharing
this information with our listeners. Wow, I'm impressed. The Joseph
Business Schools thirty second Annual Business and Leadership Conference coming
up this week in Forest Park, Illinois. I'm Doug Davis.
You're listening to the Black Perspective and Your Black Business
on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 1 (56:34):
Thanks Doug and Dolores, and that's our show for this week.
For more on these stories, listen to the Black Information
Network on the free iHeartRadio app or log on to
binnews dot com for all of the latest news impacting
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And before we go, we want to take a moment
again this week to recognize Women's History Month, celebrating every

(57:17):
March to honor the achievements, strength and contributions of women
throughout history and in our communities. Today, I'm Mike Island.
Have a great Sunday, and we'll see you next week
with a new episode of The Black Perspective with stories
from Alexandria, Icamoni, Andrea Coleman, Esther Dillard, Doug Davis, and others.
Right here on the Black Information Network.

Speaker 12 (57:40):
The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this commentary are
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those
of BN and its founding partners and employees.

Speaker 6 (57:52):
I am James T.

Speaker 20 (57:52):
Harris, and I have something to say. The Department of
Homeland Security is now in a shutdown, and if you
listen carefully, you'll hear exactly why. House Minority Leader Hakim
Jeffrey says, Democrats are refusing to move the DHS funding
bill forward unless Republicans agree to what he calls bold, transformative,
meaningful reforms. In other words, give Democrats their immigration agenda

(58:16):
or the shutdown continues. One of those demands should make
every American stop and think. Jeffrey says, Democrats want Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agents ICE banned from operating near what
they call sensitive locations that include schools, hospitals, houses of worship,
and polling sites. Yes, polling sites. Democrats are demanding an

(58:40):
explicit rule that immigration enforcement cannot go anywhere near locations
where Americans go to vote. Now, stop and think about
that for a moment. Why would ICE being near a
polling place matter? If only American citizens are voting? ICE
enforces immigration law. Their job is dealing with people who

(59:00):
are in this country illegally, so why would their presence
anywhere near a voting location be a concern. That's the
question Democrats never seem willing to answer. Instead, they accuse
Republicans of extremism while they push policies that weaken immigration
enforcement and hold a national security agency hostage until they

(59:21):
get their way. And here's the bigger pattern. When Democrats
are in power, they legislate through votes, but when they're
out of power, they legislate through crisis shut downs, deadlines,
and political pressure designed to force concessions that they couldn't
pass through Congress. That's not compromised, that's leverage politics, and
the American people are starting to recognize the playbook. I'm

(59:43):
James T. Harris for the Black Information Network